Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out in the Celtics' Win vs. Clippers: Paint Production and Defense Propel Boston to Fourth-Straight Victory

Celtics avenge loss to Clippers in Los Angeles, going from dropping 5/6 games to winning four-straight.

Bobby Krivitsky

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
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In the Celtics' 116-110 win over the Clippers, Boston generated 54 points in the paint, often capitalizing on Los Angeles' lack of resistance, shooting the gap, and getting to the basket.

Doing so also helped get the defense in rotation, as the hosts drove-and-kicked its way to working the ball around the perimeter, going from getting good shots to creating better ones, assisting on 22/44 field goals while shooting 48.4 percent from the field.

In the victory, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each registered a game-high 29 points, outdueling Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who produced 26 and 24, respectively.

Marcus Smart had 17 points, a game-high nine assists, and swiped two steals. The Celtics also got a terrific two-way performance from Derrick White, who provided 15 points, four assists, and two impressive blocks, including denying Paul George at the rim to help seal the win.

Robert Williams, who played alongside Al Horford for the first time this season, is increasingly making more of an impact as he builds stamina and can stay on the court for longer stretches.

The Timelord contributed 12 points, six rebounds, four offensively, and a block off the bench.

Now, for a deep dive into what stood out from each quarter as Boston avenged its loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles, earning its fourth-straight victory.

Celtics the More Active and Energetic Team in the First Frame

Five minutes into the game, Derrick White turned a Marcus Morris missed three into a layup. When he euro-stepped toward the rim, he inadvertently elbowed Reggie Jackson in the face.

After getting checked on by the Clippers' training staff, when Jackson got up, he rushed Boston's bench, resulting in a technical. He then made his way down the tunnel.

Los Angeles also lost Nicolas Batum to an ankle injury in the opening frame.

Both teams were 2/8 from beyond the arc with 2:08 left in the quarter; the difference was the Celtics generated 14 points in the paint to the Clippers' eight.

That included Marcus Smart salvaging a possession where nothing materialized, charging his way past the less muscular John Wall for a layup. A minute before that, he put Ivica Zubac in the spin cycle.

Smart's bucket at the basket was a part of a 13-2 run by the home team, including Jaylen Brown getting to the left elbow and elevating for a mid-range jumper and beautiful ball movement, working it around the perimeter, leading to an Al Horford three from the corner. That gave Boston a 24-15 advantage.

But even with Damon Stoudamire bringing Robert Williams in for the final two minutes, aiming to give the Celtics some energy to close the quarter, Los Angeles finished the period with an 11-3 burst, including a Norman Powell fadeaway three from the right wing to beat the buzzer.

Powell's shot cut Boston's lead to one, 27-26, entering the second frame.

Celtics at Their Best in the Second Quarter

The second quarter started with a Boston block party as Jayson Tatum swatted a layup attempt by Powell, and Robert Williams came from behind to emphatically reject Zubac's put-back attempt.

And on the Clippers' following possession, a transition opportunity where Zubac sealed off Tatum, leaving White on an island against Wall, coming at full speed. White didn't just stay with Wall, but he blocked Wall's shot, then threw it off him as the latter laid out of bounds on the baseline.

That set the tone for a period where the Celtics held their guests to 23 points while registering 33. Boston thoroughly outplayed its visitors in the half-court on both sides of the ball.

The hosts also returned the favor for Powell's buzzer beater, courtesy of a Robert Williams put-back on a missed jumper by Tatum. That gave the Celtics a 60-49 advantage at halftime.

Williams, who, played alongside Horford in the second frame, doing so for the first time this season, helping limit Los Angeles to 36 percent shooting from the field, produced six points and grabbed as many rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.

Tatum provided 12 points in the period, including cashing in on three opportunities from the mid-range. He entered the break leading all scorers with 20 points on 8/14 shooting.

Brown, who manufactured nine in the second quarter, scored 15 in the first 24 minutes, going 6/12 from the field despite fairing 0/3 from beyond the arc.

As for the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard registered 15 points and six rebounds, while Paul George produced nine and four assists.

But what stood out the most from the first half was Boston playing with more energy and activity at both ends of the court. The Celtics also capitalized on Los Angeles's often providing little resistance as Boston attacked off the dribble, shooting the gap to get into the paint, where the home team scored 28 points in 24 minutes.

The Celtics also utilized those paint touches to keep the Clippers' defense in rotation, working the ball inside-out and keeping it moving around the perimeter to go from creating good shots to facilitating better ones, assisting on 13/24 field goals.

Boston's Slow Start Helps Clippers Get Back in the Game in Third Frame

Boston has a bad habit of playing sluggishly to start the second half. It happened again on Thursday.

Brown sagged too far off Jackson while operating as a help defender, resulting in Jackson burying an open three from the left wing to begin the third quarter. Smart then got whistled for an illegal screen, and Leonard dished to George, who drilled a shot from beyond the arc at the other end.

Shortly after that, Smart got whistled for another illegal screen when he got upset about an elbow to the face from Zubac as the latter gathered the ball and went up for a dunk. With the infraction uncalled, after using a towel to wipe his mouth, he came down the court and cracked George, picking up another offensive foul.

Zubac's dunk was the start of a 9-3 run by Los Angeles that included tying the game at 67, then taking a two-point lead. Zubac provided both of those buckets, doing so at the cylinder.

While the two teams mostly traded blows after that, the Clippers ended the quarter on a 5-1 run, propelling them to an 85-84 lead entering the final 12 minutes.

Paint Production and Rim Protection Help Celtics Close Out Clippers

In the third quarter, the Celtics produced only six points in the paint while taking 12 of their 17 shots from beyond the arc. They went 5/12 (41.7 percent) on those, so it wasn't as if it was a poor decision.

But in the final frame, Boston got back to attacking the basket and generated 14 points from the paint in four minutes.

Returning to that approach helped the hosts claim a 100-94 advantage when Brown went hard to the rim, finishing with a layup with 7:58 remaining.

But with 5:32 on the clock, Brown picked up an offensive foul for utilizing an elbow, trying to separate from Paul George. Boston challenged the call at his request since it was his fifth personal, but correctly, the ruling stood, sending Brown to the bench.

But Boston's backcourt stepped up, starting with a prime example of Los Angeles regularly making it easy for the Celtics to shoot the gap and get into the paint.

In the clip below, an old-school three-point play, there's no reason Leonard needs to shade White, especially without a traditional center in the game to funnel White toward.

Shortly after that, George separated from White, changing direction with a behind-the-back dribble, so Smart rotated, closing quickly on George, then deflected his pass from close range, retrieved the rock, and took it in for a layup that put the hosts ahead 112-102 with 3:36 left.

From there, it got dicey, as Boston struggled to protect the ball as the Clippers applied full-court pressure, helping the visitors stage an 8-1 run, trimming the gap to 113-110 on a mid-range bucket from Leonard with 1:02 remaining.

Fittingly for a team whose identity has swung back to starting with what it does defensively, White denied George at the rim, and Horford blocked a Marcus Morris layup to help the Celtics close out their 116-110 win.

Up Next

The Celtics begin a four-game road trip, starting with a matchup against the Nuggets on Sunday. The game tips off at 8:00 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

The Celtics Have Regained Their Defensive Identity, and It's More Likely to Lead to Banner 18 Than Shooting Their Way to a Championship

The Top 5 Plays from Tuesday's Celtics-Rockets Game

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Rockets: Boston's Defense and a Combined 77 Points from Tatum and Brown Power Third-Straight Victory

Breaking Down the Top 5 Plays from the Celtics-Bucks Christmas Showdown

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Bucks: Stellar Two-Way Performance and Tatum's Take Over Propel Boston to Christmas Victory

Brad Stevens Shares His Early Evaluation of Joe Mazzulla

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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