NBA: Celtics end homestand on winning note, knock off Clippers
Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics gathers a loose ball against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at TD Garden on December 29, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum each scored 29 points as the Boston Celtics beat the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 116-110 to cap their seven-game homestand on Thursday night.
Brown scored 12 in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics close out their fourth straight win, while Tatum grabbed 11 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season.
Article continues after this advertisementMarcus Smart had 17 points, nine assists and two steals, while Derrick White added 15 points and Robert Williams III 12 for Boston.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 26 points to go with eight rebounds, and Paul George had 24 points and six assists for the Clippers, who had five players score in double figures.
The Clippers answered a 6-0 Celtics run out of a timeout, but six of the following eight points went Boston’s way. Brown’s drive and layup brought the Celtics to 100 points with 7:58 left.
Article continues after this advertisementIt was a rematch against the Clippers and after being held to under 100 points, we took care of business, locking in defensively to grab a 116-110 finish. pic.twitter.com/rWuQft2Gm2
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 30, 2022
Boston won with 7-2 and 5-0 runs that were separated by Reggie Jackson’s triple with 4:39 left.
Derrick White’s layup and three-point play capped the first spurt, while Grant Williams hit a 3-pointer and Marcus Smart followed with a steal and layup to up Boston’s lead to 10.
In the final minute, White and Al Horford came up with key blocks that led to changes of possession and Brown and Tatum free throws to seal the win.
The Celtics had a 13-2 run in the first quarter, with a layup by Brown and Horford’s corner trey making it 24-15.
A few minutes later, Norman Powell banked in a last-second running 3-pointer as Los Angeles finished the opening quarter on an 11-3 run and got within 27-26.
Boston put together a late 9-0 run in the second quarter, with Brown’s pull-up jumper expanding the lead to 50-37 with 3:16 left before halftime.
Robert Williams tipped in a miss by Tatum at the buzzer to give the Celtics an 11-point lead.
The Clippers hit four of their first six 3-pointers in the third quarter. Marcus Morris Sr. hit the last trey during that run to make it 67-65, then George’s runner from downtown gave Los Angeles a 74-72 lead midway through the period.
Boston regained the lead after back-to-back treys by Smart and Sam Hauser, the latter off a tough offensive rebound by Grant Williams. John Wall’s 3-pointer in the final minute of the third put the Clippers ahead 85-84.
Boston interim coach Joe Mazzulla (corneal abrasions) was absent for a second straight game. Assistant coach Damon Stoudamire led the team.
