The Boston Celtics pride themselves on playing with tons of energy. But all the heart and hustle in the world wouldn’t have saved them Monday night against a Los Angeles Clippers squad determined to run its opponent out of the gym.
The Clippers put on an offensive clinic at Staples Center, dropping 67 points in the first half and going on cruise control in the second to earn a 114-90 win that put an end to Celtics’ four-game winning streak.
All-Star point guard Chris Paul (13 points, 14 assists) was the master facilitator for an L.A. team that put six players in double figures, while DeAndre Jordan racked up a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Isaiah Thomas (team-high 24 points) was the Celtics’ lone bright spot in a disappointing offensive effort that saw the team shoot just 35 percent from the floor and commit 16 turnovers.
Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley were the only other Celtics to reach double figures with 13 points apiece.
STARTING FIVE
Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Evan Turner, Amir Johnson, Jared Sullinger
FULL SPEED AHEAD
As they did the last time these two teams met, the Clippers came out firing.
L.A. shot a scintillating 60 percent from the floor in the first quarter, dropping 30 points on 12 of 20 shooting. The duo of Paul and Jordan victimized Boston early, combining for 15 of those 30 first-quarter points.
Yet the Celtics trailed by just six at the end of one thanks in part to the efforts of their bench. Tyler Zeller drilled a pair of jumpers and Kelly Olynyk knocked down a straightaway 3-pointer late in the period to help keep things manageable in the game’s early stages.
OPENING THE FLOODGATES
The Clippers somehow managed to play even better in the second quarter.
The home team rarely missed in the second frame, at one point making six consecutive shots as part of a 15-4 run. L.A. went an incredible 7-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half, with Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford both nailing a pair of deep balls to give the Clippers 67 points by halftime.
Boston’s offense, meanwhile, hit a bit of a roadblock, as the Celtics’ second unit hit just three of its first 14 shots in the frame. The C’s closed the half strong thanks to Thomas’ 11 second-quarter points but still trailed by 17 at the break.
SIGNS OF LIFE?
The Celtics showed a little bit of fight in the third quarter, going on an 11-4 run to cut L.A.’s lead to 11 points.
But the Clippers immediately squashed any chance of a comeback, as Crawford rained down a pair of incredible high-arcing threes to balloon his team’s lead to 22 by the end of third and make the final 12 minutes a formality.
SHORT-LIVED REUNION
Paul Pierce suffered a nasty-looking injury in the second quarter of what could be his final game against the Celtics.
The Clippers forward came down pretty hard and awkwardly on his right leg after driving to the basket. He stayed down clutching his right knee but walked to the locker room under his own power.
The team announced Pierce had a right ankle sprain and right knee contusion and wouldn’t return.
PLAY OF THE NIGHT
The 5-foot-9 Thomas showed off his monster hops with this awesome chase-down block of Paul early in the first quarter:
UP NEXT
The Celtics will get a couple of days off before traveling up the West Coast to take on the Trail Blazers in Portland on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET. Then they’ll head south again, getting a rematch against the Golden State Warriors on Friday and closing out their road trip against the Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Thumbnail photo via Richard Mackson/USA TODAY Sports Images
