The Boston Celtics (25-10, 14-5 Home) welcome the Los Angeles Clippers (21-15, 10-8 Away) Thursday in a matchup that pits powerful offense against exceptional defense. Los Angeles topped the Toronto Raptors 124-113 at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday.
With 23 points and 16 rebounds, Ivica Zubac was the standout player. The Clippers are the fourth seed in the Western Conference, 2.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets.Boston won their third in a row in dominating fashion on Tuesday at TD Garden, beating the Houston Rockets 126-102.
Jaylen Brown scored 39 to lead the team in scoring. With 38 points and eight rebounds, Jayson Tatum also played a part. The Celtics are 1.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks atop the Eastern Conference, currently sitting in first.
The teams are meeting for the final time this season. Los Angeles will be looking for a season sweep against Boston after winning the only earlier game 113-93 at Crypto.com Arena on December 12, their third straight head-to-head victory.
Paul George led the Clippers with 26 points, while Kawhi Leonard played a key role with 25 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Brown had 21 points in the loss.George is averaging 23.7 points per game to lead the Clips in scoring this season.
Meanwhile, Zubac is grabbing 11.0 rebounds per game, fifth-most in the league, and John Wall is dishing 5.4 assists. Tatum and Brown have been the primary providers for the Celts on offense, averaging 31.1 and 27.0 points per game, respectively.
Tatum ranks fifth in the league. Tatum also has averaged 8.1 rebounds per game. Marcus Smart has tallied 7.3 assists per game.The Celtics rank No. 1 in the league in offensive efficiency, while the Clippers are fourth in defensive efficiency.
The teams have split their last 10 matchups at TD Garden (5-5). Boston is looking for a fourth consecutive home win this season. In the last 10 games, Los Angeles is 7-3 with an average margin of +6.4 (113.9-107.5). Boston has split the last 10 (5-5), scoring 114.6 points per game on average while holding opponents to 111.0 (+3.6 margin).
CLIPPERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Kawhi Leonard: 33.5 | 24.3 | +9.2
Points per game:
Kawhi Leonard: 22.5 | 15.1 | +7.4
Assists per game:
Paul George: 7.0 | 5.2 | +1.8
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Boston Celtics -6.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
