Jayson Tatum, Celtics crush tired Clippers: 10 takeaways
The Celtics finished 25-for-53 from beyond the arc.
The Celtics annihilated the Clippers, pulling away in the second half of Saturday’s afternoon game in Los Angeles for a 145-108 victory.
Here are the takeaways.
1. The NBA’s schedule makers might have set the Clippers up to fail with Saturday’s game, since the Clippers played a road back-to-back against the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a day off but a game against the league-leading Celtics at 12:30 p.m. local time on Saturday. The Clippers were also without Kawhi Leonard, who fell awkwardly on his hip against the Mavericks and missed the last two contests.
On the other hand, you’ll pardon the Celtics if they don’t cry much for the Clippers considering their schedule. Sure, they were well-rested on Saturday after two days off in California following their dominant win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, but prior to that, they rattled off five wins in a row at home including a back-to-back against the Cavaliers and Magic, followed by an afternoon game less than 48 hours later against the Magic once again.
That stretch didn’t include as much travel as the Clippers endured, but the Celtics still impressed under similarly trying circumstances, and on Saturday, they impressed against a team with a re-invigorated James Harden, as well as Paul George and plenty of other talent.
2. After injuring his ankle against the Warriors early in the first quarter by stepping on Brandin Podziemski’s foot, Jayson Tatum had a scary moment in the first half of Saturday’s game when Clippers forward Kobe Brown closed out too close to the Celtics star and undercut his landing. Tatum twisted the same ankle he hurt against the Warriors and needed a few minutes before he stood back up.
Brown was whistled for a flagrant foul, penalty one.
Tatum was off to a huge start: He finished the first half with 21 points on 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point range, and he converted the four-point play. He returned for the second half, and while his performance was slightly more muted (nine points, 2-for-5 shooting, 0-for-2 from three), he drew six free throws on two more 3-point attempts, one of which was a flagrant as well (the Clippers, it seems, could really use Derrick White’s advice on how to close out).
The NBA will be hoping Tatum’s ankle heals quickly: The Celtics are part of the league’s marquee Christmas Day matchup when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James, and Tatum — who finished with a game-high 30 points on Saturday — is one of the new faces of the league. The Celtics, however, might be wise to do what they can to convince Tatum to sit. They showed how good they can be against a playoff opponent without him when they beat the Kings on Wednesday, and this is a roster built for May/June, not late December.
3. Derrick White stayed in the game longer than the rest of the Celtics’ starters and was rewarded with 10 fourth-quarter points when the game was already decided, pushing his counting stats to 18 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. One can’t but wonder if White was left in the game in part to continue piling up stats and build an All-Star case.
Whether or not White makes an All-Star team — for the record, our stance is that he’s deserving, but the All-Star numbers crunch at guard might make Kristaps Porzingis more likely to be the Celtics’ third representative — he continues to make a strong case for First Team All-Defense. For the fourth consecutive game, White blocked three shots, making him the first Celtics player since Robert Williams in 2021 to achieve that stat, and he is just the second guard in NBA history to pull it off.
4. The Celtics generated, hoisted, and made a ton of 3-pointers. They finished 25-for-53, a healthy 47.5 percent, and their new high for the season in makes.
The Clippers, meanwhile, made 11-of-34 from deep (32.4 percent). In other words, the Celtics outscored them by 42 from behind the arc. That kind of margin will inevitably be a blowout.
5. Jaylen Brown played an excellent offensive game once again, finishing with 24 efficient points on 9-for-17 shooting. He attacked the Clippers with a couple of nice turnaround jumpers, as well as 3-for-6 shooting from deep and a nice pick-and-roll finish where he snaked the screen, got James Harden on his hip, and tossed in a comfortable floater.
Brown continues to elevate his game this season, playing under control and within the flow of the offense. He appears to have taken an enormous step as a mature no-questions-asked star.
6. The Neemias Queta subplot has a few too many chapters to be an accident at this point. On Saturday, he recorded another double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, as well as three assists. Queta pads his rebounding numbers a bit by grabbing his own misses, but Celtics fans should forgive that as the premium paid for his hustle.
Luke Kornet has done absolutely nothing to lose his spot in the rotation other than get injured, and he still is the favorite to remain in the rotation when he returns from his adductor strain, but it seems very likely Queta — who is on a two-way deal — will end up with a guaranteed roster spot before the postseason rolls around.
7. Bolstered by Queta’s refusal to let any of his missed layups go quietly into that good night, the Celtics outscored the Clippers 23-8 on second-chance points, grabbing 15 offensive rebounds to the Clippers’ nine.
8. Oshae Brissett shot 3-for-4 from 3-point range, which — for the Celtics — was a nice reminder that there are several competent players currently waving a towel enthusiastically on the sideline. Brissett’s shooting also — for the Clippers — must have felt like an absolute kick in the teeth, given the damage being done everywhere else.
9. The Celtics’ newest two-way player Drew Peterson scored his first NBA basket and recorded his first NBA assist on back-to-back possessions late in the fourth quarter. Peterson drilled a 3-pointer with 1:12 remaining, then shoveled a nice pass to Lamar Stevens in transition for a two-handed slam with less than a minute remaining.
10. The Celtics can now enjoy Christmas Eve in Los Angeles before they take on the Lakers at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Christmas Day. That game will be on ABC.
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