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Game Recap: LA Clippers Defeat Boston Celtics 91-82
On the first game of their three-game road trip, the Clippers found a way to win in Boston. The offense was awful for both teams, but the Celtics could not buy a shot. Shooting just 4/42 (9.5%) from distance, the Celtics put up the 2nd-worst percentage from three in a game this season. The worst single-game clip this season also belongs to the Celtics, when they shot 7.7% from deep against the Washington Wizards earlier this season.
Needing just a limited amount of offense to pull this game out, the Clippers got solid contributions from their starters. Marcus Morris led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Over his last 4 games, Morris is averaging 23.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 2.5 APG on 50% from the field. Eric Bledsoe, Luke Kennard, and Terance Mann each scored 17 points in this game, with Bledsoe scoring 10 of his 17 in the final frame. His play remains solid in the absence of Paul George and Reggie Jackson.
The Boston Celtics were led by Jaylen Brown who had 30, but it took him 36 field goal attempts to get there. The offense was bad all around for Boston in this game, and while some credit certainly goes to the Clippers' defense, the Celtics missed several wide-open threes that could have changed the outcome of this game.
Terance Mann said after the game that the Clippers likely would have abandoned their zone had Boston started hitting shots, but because they never did, the Clippers stuck with it. Ty Lue shared similar thoughts after the game, citing the Clippers' zone as the reason for the team's rebounding struggles; however, also crediting it for throwing off Boston's offensive rhythm.
The Clippers will now head to Toronto to face the Raptors on New Year's Eve. Directly after that game, the Clippers will head down to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on New Year's Day. The back to back is certainly difficult on paper, but Terance Mann put it into perspective after the game, stating that the team had both Thanksgiving and Christmas off, and will need to find a way to pick up wins amidst this holiday back-to-back.
With the Lakers losing to Memphis, the Clippers maintain separation between them in the standings. Now at 18-17, the Clippers hold sole possession of 6th in the Western Conference, just one percentage point behind the Denver Nuggets for the 5th-seed.
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