Game ID: 22300389
Boston Celtics @ LA Clippers
Saturday, December 23, 2023 at 3:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAC 21 30 30 27 108BOS 28 40 38 39 145
BOS @ LAC ScoutingBOS @ LAC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAC availability going into 12/16 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 8 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 18 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 3 since 12/11, returns tonight: 5 min (50% of 10)
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 19 min since (93% of 21)
BACK Hyland back 12/12 after 4, 9 min since (64% of 14)
LAC availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 9 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 19 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 18 min since (89% of 21)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 5 min since (50% of 10)
LAC availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 10 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 20 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 18 min since (89% of 21)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 6 min since (55% of 10)
LAC availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backOUT Tucker missed 11 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 21 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 4 since 12/14, returns tonight: 10 min (71% of 14)
BACK Coffey back 12/12 after 4, 23 min since (109% of 21)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 6 min since (55% of 10)
LAC availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 12 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 22 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 12/21 after 4, 10 min since (71% of 14)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 9 min since (91% of 10)
NEW Coffey 21 to 27 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Leonard missed 2 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 13 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 23 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 12/21 after 4, 9 min since (64% of 14)
BACK Boston back 12/16 after 3, 10 min since (101% of 10)
LAC availability going into 12/29 · 2 days' restOUT Leonard missed 3 since 12/21, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 14 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 24 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Hyland back 12/21 after 4, 9 min since (64% of 14)
NEW Coffey 21 to 26 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 1/01 · 2 days' restOUT Leonard missed 4 since 12/21, returns tonight: 34 min (99% of 34)
OUT Tucker missed 15 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 25 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 12/26, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 2 since 12/26, returns tonight: 3 min (29% of 10)
NEW Coffey 21 to 29 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 16 since 11/29, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 26 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 1/01 after 4, 34 min since (99% of 34)
BACK Boston back 1/01 after 2, 3 min since (29% of 10)
BOS availability going into 12/15 · back-to-backOUT Queta missed 4 since 12/04, returns tonight: 18 min (163% of 11)
OUT Brissett missed 2 since 12/12, returns tonight: 16 min (149% of 10)
BACK Porziņģis back 12/08 after 4, 31 min since (105% of 29)
BOS availability going into 12/17 · 1 day's restOUT Kornet missed 2 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 12/08 after 4, 31 min since (105% of 29)
BACK Queta back 12/15 after 4, 18 min since (163% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 12/08 after 4, 8 min since (76% of 10)
BOS availability going into 12/19 · 1 day's restOUT Kornet missed 3 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 12/08 after 4, 30 min since (104% of 29)
BACK Queta back 12/15 after 4, 17 min since (155% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 12/08 after 4, 6 min since (58% of 10)
BOS availability going into 12/20 · back-to-backOUT Kornet missed 4 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Queta back 12/15 after 4, 18 min since (165% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 12/15 after 2, 8 min since (75% of 10)
BOS availability going into 12/23 · 2 days' restOUT Kornet missed 5 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Queta back 12/15 after 4, 19 min since (166% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 12/15 after 2, 10 min since (96% of 10)
BOS availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Kornet missed 6 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Queta back 12/15 after 4, 19 min since (174% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 12/15 after 2, 12 min since (112% of 10)
BOS availability going into 12/28 · 2 days' restOUT Kornet missed 7 since 12/14, out tonight
NEW Queta 11 to 17 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 12/29 · back-to-backOUT Kornet missed 8 since 12/14, returns tonight: 33 min (227% of 15)
NEW Queta 11 to 18 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restBACK Kornet back 12/29 after 8, 33 min since (227% of 15)
NEW Queta 11 to 17 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 121, shooting 54 percent and 43 from three, 25 free throws a game; Leonard at 30 and George at 25 a game. They have won the glass by 4 a night. Without Tucker (12 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brown at 25 and Tatum at 24 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the line, where the Clippers take 25 free throws a game to Boston's 18 and the defense, Boston allowing 113 a night to the Clippers' 121. Call it the Clippers 119, Boston 118, Boston keeping it close.
12/16 vs NYK 144-122 — LAC notes
LAC won 144-122. LAC shot 57% (50 of 88) to NYK's 47%, 16 of 33 from three, and went to the line 34 times to NYK's 26 — 28 points from the stripe to their 23. Leonard led with 36 (12 of 16, 5 of 6 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); George added 25, Powell 16. The hinge was Q2, 42-33: a lead of 2 became 11, and the lead reached 32. Zubac was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
12/18 @ IND 151-127 — LAC notes
LAC won 151-127. LAC shot 57% (56 of 98) to IND's 52%, 19 of 38 from three. The glass went 46-34 for them. Harden led with 35 (12 of 16, 8 of 11 from three); Leonard added 28, George 27. The hinge was Q2, 40-28: LAC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 11, and the lead reached 33. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
12/20 @ DAL 120-111 — LAC notes
LAC won 120-111. LAC shot 56% (43 of 77) to DAL's 43%, 11 of 31 from three. LAC turned it over 12 times to DAL's 6, and DAL turned those into 8 steals. Leonard led with 30 (12 of 22, 1 of 6 from three); N. Powell added 21, Harden 17. The hinge was Q1, 35-22: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 22. N. Powell was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/21 @ OKC 115-134 — LAC notes
LAC lost 115-134. LAC shot 47% (44 of 93) to OKC's 59%, 17 of 43 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 18 fouls committed. Harden led with 23 (7 of 18, 4 of 9 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); George added 22, Powell 16. Q2 was theirs, 30-29, the deficit cut from 6 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 105-85 against them. Mann's -31 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/23 vs BOS 108-145 — LAC notes
LAC lost 108-145. LAC shot 46% (41 of 89) to BOS's 52%, 11 of 34 from three, and got to the line 15 times to BOS's 28. The glass went 34-51 against them. George led with 21 (9 of 17, 3 of 7 from three); Zubac added 16, Theis 15. Q1 was theirs, 21-28, but the other 3 periods went 117-87 against them. Harden's -34 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/26 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 128, shooting 53 percent and 41 from three, 22 free throws a game; Leonard at 31 and George at 24 a game. Without Leonard (2 straight), Tucker (13 straight). 2 days' rest. Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 99 a night and allowing 121, shooting 42 percent and 25 from three, 17 free throws a game; Rozier at 21 and Bridges at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Ball (12 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 41 percent from three to Charlotte's 25 and the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-2 a night and Charlotte minus-7. Call it the Clippers 123, Charlotte 111, the Clippers by 12.
12/29 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 124, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; George at 24 and Harden at 24 a game. Without Leonard (3 straight), Tucker (14 straight). 2 days' rest. Memphis comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Morant at 29 and Bane at 28 a game. Without Jackson (5 straight), Kennard (19 straight), LaRavia (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 40 percent from three to Memphis's 34 and the line, where Memphis takes 26 free throws a game to the Clippers' 20. Call it the Clippers 119, Memphis 113.
1/01 vs MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 120, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; George at 23 and Harden at 20 a game. Without Leonard (4 straight), Tucker (15 straight). 2 days' rest. Miami comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 30 free throws a game; Herro at 26 and Adebayo at 21 a game. Without Martin (2 straight), Lowry (2 straight), Richardson (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the line, where Miami takes 30 free throws a game to the Clippers' 20 and the defense, Miami allowing 110 a night to the Clippers' 120. Call it the Clippers 115, Miami 114, Miami keeping it close.
1/03 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 111, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 24 and Booker at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 119, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; George at 23 and Harden at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Tucker (16 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the line, where Phoenix takes 25 free throws a game to the Clippers' 18 and the defense, Phoenix allowing 111 a night to the Clippers' 119. Call it Phoenix 118, the Clippers 112.
12/15 vs ORL 128-111 — BOS notes
BOS won 128-111. BOS shot 52% (48 of 92) to ORL's 48%, 18 of 42 from three. BOS turned it over 10 times to ORL's 21. The glass went 34-45 against them. Tatum led with 30 (11 of 22, 2 of 9 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); Pritchard added 21, White 19. The hinge was Q3, 37-27: a lead of 13 became 23. Brown was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
12/17 vs ORL 114-97 — BOS notes
BOS won 114-97. BOS shot 47% (45 of 95) to ORL's 38%, 17 of 36 from three, and got to the line 8 times to ORL's 24. BOS turned it over 14 times to ORL's 8. The glass went 55-43 for them. Brown led with 31 (12 of 20, 5 of 8 from three); Tatum added 23, Porziņģis 15. The hinge was Q2, 34-19: BOS came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 11, and the lead reached 23. Horford was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
12/19 @ GSW 126-132 — BOS notes
BOS lost 126-132 in 1 overtime. BOS shot 41% (47 of 114) to GSW's 46%, 17 of 58 from three. White led with 30 (11 of 24, 7 of 18 from three); Brown added 28, Tatum 15. Q1 was theirs, 40-30, but the other 4 periods went 102-86 against them. They led by as many as 17.
12/20 @ SAC 144-119 — BOS notes
BOS won 144-119. BOS shot 55% (51 of 92) to SAC's 47%, 22 of 42 from three. The glass went 50-37 for them. White led with 28 (10 of 13, 6 of 9 from three); Brown added 28, Porziņģis 24. The hinge was Q3, 39-24: a lead of 8 became 23, and the lead reached 30. Hauser was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
12/23 @ LAC 145-108 — BOS notes
BOS won 145-108. BOS shot 52% (49 of 94) to LAC's 46%, 25 of 53 from three, and went to the line 28 times to LAC's 15 — 22 points from the stripe to their 15. The glass went 51-34 for them. Tatum led with 30 (9 of 16, 5 of 10 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Brown added 24, Holiday 20. The hinge was Q4, 39-27: a lead of 25 became 37. Brown was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
12/25 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 121, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; James at 28 and Davis at 27 a game. They have lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Vincent (2 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 43 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Tatum at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-5 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the arc, Boston at 43 percent from three to the Lakers' 36. Call it Boston 120, the Lakers 114.
12/28 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 114, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Tatum at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. 2 days' rest. Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 128, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Cunningham at 32 and Bogdanović at 20 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Hayes (4 straight), Livers (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-8 a night and Detroit minus-2 and the defense, Boston allowing 114 a night to Detroit's 128. Call it Boston 126, Detroit 111, Boston by 15.
12/29 vs TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 134 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Porziņģis at 29 and Tatum at 25 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back. Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 112, shooting 50 percent and 34 from three, 20 free throws a game; Siakam at 23 and Barnes at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Freeman-Liberty (28 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Toronto giving it away 14 times a game to Boston's 9 and the defense, Toronto allowing 112 a night to Boston's 119. Call it Boston 121, Toronto 114.
12/31 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 125, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Johnson at 18 and Vassell at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 133 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 25 free throws a game; Porziņģis at 29 and Tatum at 29 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-6 a night and San Antonio minus-6 and the defense, Boston allowing 116 a night to San Antonio's 125. Call it Boston 124, San Antonio 115.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
DB D. Banton
DP D. Peterson
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JD J. Davison
JH J. Holiday
JT J. Tatum
LS L. Stevens
NQ N. Queta
OB O. Brissett
PP P. Pritchard
SH S. Hauser
LACAC A. Coffey
BB B. Boston
BH B. Hyland
DT D. Theis
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
KB K. Brown
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
RW R. Westbrook
TM T. Mann
BOS/LAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown lead Celtics to a 145-108 rout of the Clippers
LOS ANGELES -- — Jayson Tatum scored 30 points, Jaylen Brown added 24 and the Boston Celtics kicked off their Christmas weekend in Southern California with a 145-108 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Jrue Holiday had 20 points and seven assists as the Celtics shot 25 of 53 from 3-point range (47.2%) to win for the seventh time in eight games and for the 10th time in 12 games.
“I think when we get out into the open court, we're a pretty tough team with the type of firepower and the offensive ability we have on this team,” said Holiday, an Los Angeles-area native who will be home at Christmas for the first time in his NBA career. “We have shooters, we have guys who can penetrate and make plays. Once we make stops and get the rebound, we're pushing as quickly as possible and it's to our benefit.”
Boston shot 52.1% overall in the same arena where it will play a Christmas Day rivalry showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers .
Despite the impressive showing against a budding power in the Western Conference in the Clippers, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla downplayed the victory.
“I do not consider it a statement win,” Mazzulla said. “I consider it a win (and) an opportunity where we played well and continue to figure out where we didn't play well. We left a lot on the table as far as our execution and the things we want to accomplish.”
Paul George scored 21 points and James Harden added 14 points and 10 assists as the Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard for a second consecutive game due to a left hip contusion. Los Angeles has lost both games following a nine-game win streak.
Ivica Zubac had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers, who were playing the first of four straight home games.
“We were tested a lot,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said when asked about his defense. “They lead the league in 3-point attempts and all of their guys can shoot them. Coming into the game, we discussed it. Even when you think they're not going to shoot it, they're going to shoot it.”
The Celtics held a 28-21 lead after one quarter, while setting the tone for the game with 18 attempts from 3-point range and making six. Boston’s shooting picked up in the second quarter. The Celtics went 9 of 15 (60%) from long distance while taking a 68-51 lead into the break.
Tatum avoided an injury scare in the second quarter and finished off a four-point play in the process when he made a 3-pointer with 4:19 remaining in the first half before rolling his left ankle when he stepped on the foot of Kobe Brown . He made the ensuing free throw for a 59-40 lead.
Boston increased its lead to 92-62 with 5:01 remaining in the third quarter on a pair of free throws from Tatum and cruised from there.
Turning defense into offensive opportunities has allowed the Celtics to score just shy of 300 points over the last two games, without the benefit of overtime. If not a statement game, is this the best the Celtics have played of late?
“I think so, but not because of the points but because of the execution,” Mazzulla said. “I do like the fact that we're developing a fast-paced identity and not turning it over. I think at times in the past, we've played fast but turned it over so we're finding a good balance of pace and execution.”
Neemias Queta had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics, who outrebounded the Clippers 60-39. Boston’s Derrick White scored 18 points after averaging 29 points over the previous two games.
Without Leonard as the focal point at both ends of the floor, the Clippers shot 46.1% from the floor and went 11 of 34 (32.4%) from 3-point range. Daniel Theis scored 15 points for Los Angeles, while Brandon Boston Jt. had 13 and Russell Westbrook 12.
“Hopefully we're back healthy and see what the takeaways were from the last two games and go from there,” George said of the Clippers moving forward after consecutive defeats. “We're in a great spot. We were winning up until the two losses. ... It doesn't derail us from where we're headed and where we're trying to get to.”
The Celtics were without Kristaps Porzingis (left ankle sprain) for the third time in five games.