Final: Clippers 114, Celtics 111 - Celtics nearly come all the way back, but turnovers were killers

Game 26

Boston Celtics (13-12, 7-8 road, T-8th East) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (13-12, 9-7 home, T 5th West)
Staples Center (last Celtics game ever at the “Staples Center”)
10:30 PM - NBC Sports Boston

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

Boston: Dennis Schröder, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Robert Williams

LA: Reggie Jackson, Terance Mann, Marcus Morris Sr., Paul George*, Ivica Zubac  

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

- Jaylen Brown remains out with his right hamstring recovery.

“He could play if need be,” Ime Udoka said before the game. “We don't want it to linger or have a chance of re-injuring. 100% is the goal where he doesn’t have to think about it at all, not grasping at it, and he has his explosion back. So he's up there. 

“He played, obviously, a week or so ago, and played efficient at times having gone on that spurt in the game, but we just want him to bounce back quickly and not have any soreness coming after and to not think about it at all. So 85, 90, whatever it is, he could play if he had to but we’re looking at the big picture approach of the season.”

- Bruno Fernando (back spasms) and Jabari Parker (non-COVID illness) are both out.

- *Paul George is a gametime decision with a right elbow contusion.

- Nicolas Batum (Health and Safety Protocols) is available but likely limited minutes.

- Clippers are favored by 3

THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1. The response (especially on a back-to-back): This is the simplest and most obvious thing to watch for. The Celtics mostly stunk last night against the Lakers.

“Thought we were flat and not as engaged or paying as much attention to details as we need to,” Udoka said. “Teams switch, they do it for a reason, to keep bodies in front of bodies, and we didn't attack for each other. Kind of just got so ISO heavy, stagnant ball, that we see at times, so not a great feeling. But took a loss against Utah, bounced back against Portland, let’s do the same tonight.”

Udoka seems to have the team’s ear. The last time they got stagnant was the San Antonio game and they came out against Toronto in the next game and passed so much they forgot to shoot in a possession. Let’s see if he can get that out of them again. 

2. Who can score?: The Clippers have the fifth-worst offense and third-best defense in the NBA. Boston has the tenth-best defense and 17th ranked offense. The Clippers don’t get to the rim much (they're 26th in points in the paint), and they're only 11th in 3-point attempts, so the Celtics have to be aware of the Clippers reliance on midrange shots, challenge those, and clear the boards to get out in transition.

3. Force turnovers and run!: Much like the Utah Jazz, one big weakness sinking the Clippers is turnovers. They're averaging 15 a game, 22nd in the league. They give up the fourth-most fastbreak points and fifth-most points in the paint, so Boston absolutely must rely on its defense to force those live-ball miscues and get running the other way.  

GAME THREAD

Stick around for more comments below as the game goes on. Feel free to add your two cents in the comments.