BSJ Game Report: Clippers 115, Celtics 96 - Cold shooting leads to bad defense in blowout loss

Everything you need to know about the Celtics loss to the Clippers, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

Boston did a decent job defensively to start the first quarter, they just couldn't hit a thing (2-12 from 3). Amazingly, they only trailed by five. They couldn't get much going in the second quarter either, but their defense started to fail them as well, and the halftime deficit grew to 16. Jayson Tatum came out hot to start the third, but the defense got worse, and the wheels came off as the Clippers' lead grew to 36. It was garbage time from there. Boston has now lost two straight at home after a 20-0 start. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Off night: Boston shot 26.9% in the first quarter, 32% in the second, and 30.4% in the third. They missed everything everywhere, heading into garbage time hitting just 9-20 at the rim. They got good looks early on and missed and it cascaded downward from there. 

- Second chances: Boston was outscored 17-3 through three quarters (the fourth was garbage time) on second-chance points. The funny thing is that Boston had more offensive rebounds (11-9) than the Clippers at that point. It was especially evident in the third quarter when Celtics 

- Clippers brought it: We have to give credit where it’s due. The Clippers brought the effort in this game. They did a good job making the Celtics work for everything in the first half, having a definite hand in Boston’s cold shooting. They got to all the 50/50 balls and when Boston really started slumping their shoulders and getting frustrated, they pounced and put it away. 

TURNING POINT

The start of the third quarter looked like Boston might be primed for a comeback with Tatum coming out hot and the defense looking like it might keep it together after a Derrick White blocked shot. But the Clippers went on a 21-0 run where things kept getting worse and worse for the Celtics. 

THINGS I LIKED

Well, there was that one thing. And then there was that other thing. And of course there was …

Nah, I got nothing. Tatum had a good scoring night but it felt like he let his frustrations get the best of him and that played into some of the problems. I can’t really find much for this section. 

Oh wait!

- The crowd during garbage time: A lot of people had left, but the crowd that stuck around for the whole game really got behind the bench units as they actually, you know, scored. On a night that sucked all around, it was nice to see those guys get some run with a crowd that showed their appreciation. Shout out to those fans who stuck around and gave them that atmosphere. That was cool.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- The slow slide into oblivion: This is an all-encompassing take. The Celtics actually started out well. They were only down five after one despite some putrid shooting. But it felt like they were running up a sand dune -- starting out with plenty of energy and just struggling a little bit, then slowing down and giving up second chances, and then just basically not playing any defense at all. This is on everyone, and the story is the same for basically everybody.

“Our half-court defense in the first quarter was really good,” Joe Mazzulla said. “But our inefficient offense put pressure on our defense, put pressure on our defense and then our defense kind of cracked, and I thought that's kind of how the game went.”    

- The shooting: They got mostly good looks. Yeah, they started pressing and forcing stuff in the third quarter, but at that point it’s a desperate search for something … anything … that might work. The Celtics were due for a little course correction after having the most efficient scoring night in NBA history, but I didn’t expect the law of averages to be applied this swiftly and brutally. 

HIGHLIGHTS

TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- This was not a 3-point thing: If there's one thing Mazzulla loves to point out is how missed layups can be killers. It felt like every miss at the rim turned into a transition dunk for the Clippers. 

“They had 20 points in transition, which, we are the number one transition defensive team,” Mazzulla said. “Whether it was a missed shot, missed layup, turnover, I thought our bad offense impacted our defense. … I thought the Clippers played a well-balanced game throughout.”

Yeah, the Celtics missed a bunch of 3-pointers, but they only took 30 through three quarters. That's not an egregious number. They had more attempts in the paint than they did from 3 before garbage time, and they smoked almost all of those opportunities. 

Jaylen Brown shot 3-13 overall but just 0-2 from 3. White and Al Horford took four each, which is right where they should be. If there are people out there complaining about the 3-point shooting, then they're following their own script in their minds. That's not what led to this mess. 

Next up: The homestand continues Monday night against the New Orleans Pelicans