The Celtics thrashed the Clippers, 145-108, by extending their offensive onslaught to the fifth-largest scoring nights across back-to-back games (289) in franchise history. Boston combined to shoot 53.8% from the field on 186 shots, 47-of-95 from three (49.5%) and 80.8% of their 52 free throw attempts. The wins restored the Celtics’ offense in the top-five with 120.3 points per 100 possessions and their 111.3 defensive rating against the Clippers would rank seventh in the league, a balanced showing made more impressive by Kristaps Porziņģis absence. Boston had won 5-of-7 without him prior, but they finished 2-2 in crunch times without him available.
Saturday’s win didn’t present that situation, and LA played without Kawhi Leonard. Plenty of developments occurred that Boston can carry into Christmas Day against the Lakers and the 2024 portion of the schedule:
1. Jayson Tatum hits the tough shots this time
Tatum and the Celtics draw some of the most praise league-wide for their ability to sink difficult shots and pressure defenses. Many wonder why he spots up off the dribble so often and makes the game difficult on himself at times, and while he can work to produce an easier shot diet than he did at Golden State, the pull-ups he converted on Saturday left the Clippers with little chance. Tatum finished 5-for-10 from three, his most efficient volume night since burying 7-of-13 at Charlotte in November.
He hit 3-of-5 pull up attempts behind the line, a marked improvement over his 28.9% mark on those shots that ranked last among players who attempted that many. In the Warriors meltdown, he shot 1-for-11 on pull up jumpers and 1-for-8 from three. Joe Mazzulla praised his ability to break the blitzes that LA threw at him in his return and he drew nine free throws, three coming on the second flagrant foul called on the Clippers contesting him too closely. His shot diet remains worth watching, hitting 70.7% at the rim, 44.6% from mid-range and 34.7% on above the break threes, almost the entirety of his attempts behind the line despite hitting 7-of-17 in the corner.
2. Mazzulla continues to experiment with front court combinations
Mazzulla has emphasized double-big units continuing to impact the offensive end of the floor, utilizing Luke Kornet in a depth role to allow Al Horford and Porziņģis to play together (+2.8). With Porziņģis and Kornet out on Saturday, Horford and Queta (+30.9) continued their strong run for six minutes where the Celtics out-scored the Clippers 19-11 in the fourth quarter. Oshae Brissett extended his run to four straight three-pointers after beginning the season 1-of-9, now pairing with Horford to outscore opponents by 5.4 points per 100 with a 45.2 OREB%. Horford and Kornet posted a +3.4 before Kornet’s injury, though with an 111.2 defensive rating. While none of those looks compare to the small ball starting lineup or the team’s +10.1 rating as a whole, they give Mazzulla flexibility to go to different looks and survive. That’s part of why Boston is now +10.8 with Tatum off the floor after those minutes crushed the Celtics in recent years.
3. Neemias Queta shows well again
Queta received a golden opportunity with Kornet out for 1-2 weeks and Porziņģis missing time on the trip, pulling the two-way center into significant minutes at Golden State and LA, while also serving as the backup with Horford out in Sacramento. He posted his second double-double over that stretch with 14 points and 12 rebounds against the Clippers, entering early to play 6:31 in the first quarter on Saturday before finishing +14 across his 22 minutes. Queta fouled five more times after fouling out on Friday against Orlando, but he grabbed six offensive rebounds and improved to a 22.9 OREB% this season. While many of his offensive boards follow his own misses, falling to 50% from the field shooting exclusively inside, his ability to stay with the play and finish some (40% FG on put-backs) did impress, as did his wide screening ability on and off the ball. He’s gaining trust and while the sooner Kornet returns, the more likely he’ll regain his old role, but Queta has shown what he can provide in a change of pace if Kornet struggles following his adductor strain.
4. Jaylen Brown’s strong run continues
Brown’s 24 points, six rebounds, two assists and +29 finish on 9-of-17 shooting actually felt like a slow down from arguably the best two-week stretch of his career. He averaged 24.1 points, 5.1 assists and 2.1 turnovers per game while shooting 53.1% from the field over the previous seven games, and his blend of aggressiveness and poised decision-making continued in LA with what’s become a rare great night from three. Even with Saturday’s 3-for-6 afternoon from deep, Brown is shooting 33.9% on threes this season. Like Tatum, he’s struggling on the pull-ups (31.8%), but has done a better job cutting them out of his shot diet (2.4 per game) while finishing 64.9% at the rim and drawing roughly four free throw attempts each night. That’s made for an increasingly efficient season, and his stated desire to impact the game defensively showed while holding James Harden to his first game without a free throw attempt since Game 2 against Brooklyn in the first round of last postseason.
5. Defense flattens out surging Clippers offense
Beyond Brown’s on-ball efforts against Harden, the Celtics did a great job utilizing their switching to flatten out the Clippers’ ability to create quality shots. LA felt Leonard’s loss most as a shot creator, with Paul George attacking one-on-one on his way to 21 points and two assists. Boston hedged away from Russell Westbrook, Terance Mann and Kobe Brown as part of Clippers lineups that struggled to space the floor, and effectively stashed Queta on Brown by mirroring their minutes and allowing the big man to patrol the paint for the Celtics in help position. It remains the defensive alignment where Boston plays its most suffocating and disruptive style, forcing 10 Clippers turnovers while the Celtics held themselves to nine, and it’s easy to imagine Porziņģis faring even better in this game plan. The Lakers court intriguing personnel to try it out again on Monday.
