Defense meets offense when the Los Angeles Clippers (15-13, 7-6 Home) welcome the Boston Celtics (21-6, 10-4 Away) Monday. Boston was defeated by the Golden State Warriors 123-107 at Chase Center on Saturday. Jaylen Brown had a standout performance in defeat with 31 points and nine rebounds.
The Celtics are the first seed in the Eastern Conference, 1.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks. Los Angeles got the win on Saturday at Capital One Arena, beating the Washington Wizards 114-107. Paul George had 36 points, seven rebounds, and six assists to lead the team. The Clippers are ninth in the Western Conference. The teams are meeting for the first time this season.
Los Angeles won both games between the teams last season, the last of which was a 91-82 triumph at TD Garden in December 2021. Marcus Morris Sr. led the Clippers with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Brown had 30 points in defeat.The Celts have been led this season by Jayson Tatum and Brown, who are averaging 30.0 and 26.8 points per game, respectively.
Both are among the league’s top scorers, as Tatum is No. 1 and Brown is first. Tatum also has grabbed 8.1 rebounds per game, most in the NBA. Meanwhile, Marcus Smart is dishing 7.5 assists per game. George’s 23.7 points per game have powered the Clips on offense. He is the No. 1 scorer in the league.
Ivica Zubac is pulling down 11.2 rebounds per game, most in the league, and John Wall is distributing 5.6 assists (1st).The Celtics rank as the NBA’s best team in offensive efficiency, while the Clippers are fifth in defensive efficiency. The Celtics are only 2-8 in their last 10 trips to Crypto.com Arena.
Boston is 8-2 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +11.2 (121.8-110.6). Los Angeles has a 4-6 record over the last 10, allowing 115.3 points per game on average while scoring only 110.5 (-4.8 margin). The Clippers are averaging 107.7 ppg for the full season while allowing 109.2.
CELTICS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Blake Griffin: 21.0 | 11.5 | +9.5
Al Horford: 12.5 | 19.2 | -6.7
Points per game:
Derrick White: 7.6 | 10.4 | -2.8
Rebounds per game:
Jaylen Brown: 9.6 | 7.2 | +2.4
Assists per game:
Jayson Tatum: 2.2 | 4.0 | -1.8
CLIPPERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Kawhi Leonard: 25.0 | 18.0 | +7.0
Assists per game:
Paul George: 6.3 | 4.7 | +1.6
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Boston Celtics (-165)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
