The Celtics look to win two in a row on the four-game road trip as they take on the Clippers in Los Angeles. This is the first of two meetings between these two teams. They will meet again in Boston on Jan. 27. They tied the series last season 1-1, with each team winning on their home court. The Celtics are 92-46 overall all time against the Clippers and they are 44-29 in games played in Los Angeles.
The Celtics remain first in the Eastern Conference but their margin over the other teams is shrinking. The Bucks are just half a game behind the Celtics, while the 76ers are 1.5 games back. They are five games ahead of the Magic. The Celtics are 7-6 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 2-2 against Western Conference teams. The Celtics had won five straight before losing the first game on their trip. They are coming off a win over the Kings.
The Clippers are fifth in the West, four and a half games out of first and one and a half games behind the third place Nuggets. They are half a game ahead of seventh place New Orleans and just three games ahead of the 11th place Warriors. They are 11-3 at home and 9-1 in their last 10 games They are 3-2 against Eastern Conference teams. They had won nine straight games before a loss to the Oklahoma Thunder in their last game.
This is the third game of a 4 game road trip for the Celtics. They lost the first game in overtime against the Warriors and then came back the next night and blew out the Kings. They will finish up their trip on Christmas Day against the Lakers. The Clippers are playing at home after returning from a 3 game road trip where they went 2-1. This is the first game of a four-game home stand for them.
The Celtics will be without Kristaps Porzingis for this game. He missed the game against the Warriors for a calf injury management, but played against the Kings. He rolled his ankle in that game and will miss this game. Jayson Tatum missed the game against the Kings with an ankle injury. He went through a light practice on Friday and will be a game time decision for this game. Luke Kornet remains out with a thigh injury and Svi Mykhailiuk is questionable with a heel injury. I’m guessing that Al Horford will start in place of Porzingis, and if Tatum can’t play, then Sam Hauser may once again start.
For the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard missed their last game with a hip injury. He is questionable for this game and his status is a game time decision. If he can’t go, Amir Coffey will likely get the start once again. Joshua Primo was recently converted from a 2 Way player to a regular contract but is expected to miss this game. Mason Plumlee has been out with a knee injury since November 6. He is expected to miss this game.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Delano Banton
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Payton Pritchard
Lamar Stevens
Jordan Walsh
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta
Injuries/Out
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) out
Luke Kornet (thigh) out
Jayson Tatum (ankle) questionable
Svi Mykhailiuk (heel) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Clippers Starters
Clippers Reserves
Brandon Boston, Jr
Kobe Brown
Amir Coffey
Bones Hyland
Norman Powell
Daniel Theis
PJ Tucker
Russell Westbrook
Two Way Players
Moussa Diabate
Jordan Miller
Xavier Moon
Injuries/Out
Kawhi Leonard (hip) questionable
Mason Plumlee (knee) out
Joshua Primo (undisclosed) questionable
Head Coach
Tyronn Lue
Key Matchups
Jaylen Brown vs. Kawhi Leonard
Leonard is averaging 24.4 points. 5.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is shooting 52.1% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc. He missed his first game of the season against the Thunder with a hip injury. He is questionable for this game and will be a game time decision. If he plays, he is the Clippers best player and one the Celtics need to slow down, especially on the perimeter, where he shoots 42.9%.
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Jayson Tatum
Photo by Mike Rasay/NBAE via Getty Images
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Paul George
Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images
Jayson Tatum vs. Paul George
George is averaging 22.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He is shooting 45.3% from the field and 40.1% from beyond the arc. George is a threat to score from the perimeter, so the Celtics need to stay with him on defense. He is also a good defender and will make things more difficult for Tatum to score, so hopefully he looks to find the open man.
Honorable Mention
Jrue Holiday vs. James Harden
Harden has been playing well since coming to the Clippers. He is averaging 17.4 points, 4.8 rebound, 7.7 assists, and 1.5 assists per game. He is shooting 46.8% from the field and 43.0% from beyond the arc. As with both Kawhi and George, he shoots very well from the outside, so the Celtics need to stay with him on the perimeter.
Keys to the Game
Defense – As always, defense is a key to getting a win in this game and in every game. The Clippers average 117.0 points per game (9th) while the Celtics average 118.9 points per game (7th). The Celtics rank fourth with a defensive rating of 110.2 while the Clippers rank ninth with a defensive rating of 112.5. The Celtics must make defense a priority, and they have to put out more effort on defense than the Clippers if they want to win this game.
Rebound – The Celtics can’t score if they don’t have the ball. Much of rebounding is effort and desire, so the Celtics must put out the extra effort on the boards to give themselves extra possessions as well as to limit the Clippers fast break opportunities and second chance points. When the Celtics put out extra effort on the boards, it often carries through to other areas of their game. The Celtics average 46.9 rebounds per game (4th) while the Clippers average 44 rebounds per game (16th). The Celtics have to work harder on the boards than the Clippers.
Energy and Effort – The Celtics have to come out with energy and have to play harder than the Clippers, from the opening tip until the final buzzer. 100% effort from every Celtic will be needed to get a win in this one. The Clippers are much better than their record and the Celtics can’t expect to win with less than 100% effort. They have to be the more aggressive team and the team that wants it more. They will get the Clippers best effort and so they simply must work harder to get a win.
Play the Right Way – The Celtics moved the ball and racked up 35 assists against the Kings and enjoyed a big win over them. Five players had 20+ points and no player tried to slow down the game or to do too much. The Celtics struggle when players over dribble, iso and try to do too much. On the other hand, good things happen when they move the ball and look to make the extra pass and find the open man and the best shot. The Celtics need to continue to play unselfish ball and play together.
X-Factors
Injuries – Injuries may affect this game for both teams. Kawhi Leonard is questionable for this game and the Clippers are definitely much tougher to beat with him in the starting lineup. The Celtics will definitely miss Kristaps Porzingis and may also be without Jayson Tatum. Hopefully Tatum can play, but if not, missing both Porzingis and Tatum would make it really tough for the Celtics.
Coaching – Tyronn Lue got his start in the coaching ranks on the Celtics when he was named the director of basketball development in 2013. He is now the head coach of the Clippers. Will he be more motivated to get a win over the team that gave him his start? The Celtics under second year coach Joe Mazzulla have been playing really well, but hit a hiccup against Steve Kerr and the Warriors. Can Mazzulla get the best of the more seasoned Tyronn Lue?
Officiating – I know that I say this every game, but the officiating always can be an x-factor in every game. Every crew calls the game differently — whether they call every little ticky-tack foul or let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. Some refs favor the home team and some not so much. The Celtics have to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let the officiating take away from their focus.
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