The Boston Celtics have lost back-to-back games, falling in ugly fashion against the Los Angeles Clippers, 113-93, at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night.
The Celtics fell to 21-7 on their campaign, while the Clippers improved to 16-13.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The dominant Celtics offense deflated in Los Angeles.
The Clippers defense did its job and neutralized Jayson Tatum for the better part of the night. Tatum only managed to shoot 4-of-12 from the field in the first half.
Jaylen Brown, who also struggled to put together any offensive momentum, combined to shoot 3-for-14 with Tatum from beyond the arc. The Celtics as a team shot an atrocious 23.1% from 3-point range, only knocking down 9-of-39 shots.
Much like their loss against the Golden State Warriors, the Celtics struggled to flex their greatest strength — the offense — and allowed the Clippers to take control of the game throughout the night. Granted, it took the most impressive showing the Clippers have delivered all season long. Nevertheless, the Celtics didn’t do their cause any justice either.
The Celtics ended their 100-plus point streak of 32 games in a row with the loss.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Kawhi Leonard took over the night as the best player on the floor. The All-Star quickly reminded everyone why he has two NBA Finals under his résumé and scored 25 points alongside nine rebounds and six assists — all season-highs.
— Paul George followed Leonard’s lead and finished with a game-high 26 points with six rebounds and shot 8-for-22 from the field.
— Despite an overall rough showing, Tatum still notched a double-double as he scored 20 points with 11 rebounds.
WAGER WATCH
Tatum’s performance, while one of the more underwhelming to his standard, wasn’t a complete off-night. DraftKings Sportsbook set his rebound total at 8.5 with -110 odds on the over. A $100 bet would’ve resulted in a $190.91 total payout.
UP NEXT
Following the loss, the Celtics will remain on the road and face off against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Tipoff from Crypto.com Arena is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.
