BSJ Game Report: Celtics 145, Clippers 108 - Hot shooting C's bury Clippers

Everything you need to know about the Celtics blowout win over the Clippers, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

Jrue Holiday paced the Celtics early, and then Jayson Tatum took over for 10 points to build a seven point lead. The 3-pointers were falling in the second quarter, briefly pushing the lead to 21 before settling at 17. Jaylen Brown scored seven straight points to start the third to push it to 25, and it got to 35 after a big run later in the third. It dropped into the 20s heading into the fourth, but that was short lived, and the Clippers never threatened.

Box Score

HEADLINES

Hot shooting: They shot 47% from 3, going 25-53. It’s the third time in team history that they’ve put up consecutive games of 140-plus points. As the guys on the broadcast have been joking, there aren’t really many complaints about how many 3-pointers they took. 

Second chances: Boston had a 23-8 advantage in second-chance points. That was a huge reason for their big early lead. They had seven second-chance points in the first quarter, which was the exact margin after one. They had nine in the fourth quarter to help extend their lead to almost 40. 

Great defense: The Celtics did a great job cashing in on turnovers, getting 13 points off just 11 Clipper turnovers (they won that battle by nine). They limited L.A. to just nine offensive rebounds. And they didn’t foul (just 15 free throw attempts for the Clippers, 28 for Boston). They gave up a couple of runs, like one to end the third that made a good defensive quarter look less so in the box score, but when they turned it on, the Clippers had nothing. 

TURNING POINT 

Let’s go with the start of the third quarter run. The Clippers had made a little noise heading into the half and a 17 point halftime lead is deceiving because some hot shooting can make it a single digit game in a hurry. James Harden hit the first shot and then Boston was off to the races. They never let the Clippers, who were missing Kawhi Leonard, get comfortable. 

THINGS I LIKED

Pace: They really pushed the pace early on, maybe not playing their fastest game of the season, but playing fast enough to make it tough on the Clippers. 

Jrue Holiday: He came in and set the tone. He was awesome on both ends of the floor. This play in the third quarter was a backbreaker 

He finished with 20/6/7 on 8-12 shooting (4-6 3pt) in front of his hometown crowd in Los Angeles. And he did it all in 27:36. He was amazing. 

Jayson Tatum: When the pull-up jumper is falling, which we’ve established is not that often, he’s a different kind of player. I think the Clippers overreacted to them and started fouling him on 3-pointers. He drew two flagrant fouls on landing spot calls and a third shooting foul later on. Aside from tweaking the left ankle, he had a very calm, efficient 30-spot on just 16 shots. He also had a few really nice defensive plays.

Jaylen Brown: His amazing run continues. He had a couple of spots where he got himself into trouble, which kind of served as a nice reminder not to do that. His touch is so pure right now, he’s hitting ridiculous shots like this: 

Derrick White: According to NBCS Boston’s Dick Lipe, White is the first Celtic to have at least three blocks in four consecutive games since Robert Williams in 2021. He's also the first Celtic guard to do it. It’s never a surprise to see him at or near the top of team +/- (+27, second to Brown’s +29).

Neemias Queta: Another double-double for Queta, who finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Six of those were offensive rebounds, keeping possessions alive. He moved the ball (three assists) and protected the rim even though he didn’t block a shot. 

Oshae Brissett: He has a wonky 3-point shot, but every once in a while it falls, and it was falling in this game. 

Ball movement: Boston finished with 33 assists, which will happen when shots fall. Everyone except JD Davison got an assist, and Davison only played 2:33 of garbage time. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Ending quarters: I’m not the biggest fan of the burst they allowed the Clippers to have at the end of the second and third quarters. I think the 10-0 Clippers run to close the third led to Mazzulla keeping starters in longer than he might have otherwise. 

- Tatum’s ankle tweak: Of course he landed on someone’s foot. The Clippers were reckless with their closeouts on Tatum. He won’t miss the Lakers game on Christmas, though. 

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Don’t look now, but a really big run could be coming

I hope we’re all past the Warriors game because I’m pretty good with just chalking that up as a loss that happens over the course of the season. They’ve bounced back nicely, and because I have the luxury of looking ahead, I think this is only the beginning. 

Boston has the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA, after 19 games against teams above .500. Boston is 14-5 in those games, a tick behind Minnesota (14-4) for best record in the NBA against winning teams. They're 8-1 against teams below .500 (Golden State was one of those teams), and they have a nice stretch of games against easy opponents coming up. 

The Lakers are struggling, then Boston has games against Detroit, Toronto, and San Antonio, and a real chance to match their season-best six game winning streak. 

The Celtics have the best record in the league, they still have only lost two games in a row once this season, and only three of their losses have come in regulation … and the best might be yet to come. 

Next up: The Celtics get to enjoy their Saturday night in Los Angeles and get a nice rest day to sleep off whatever happens tonight before facing the Lakers in the same building on Christmas day.