The Boston Celtics made 25 of their 53 3-point field goal attempts and breezed to a 145-108 road victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with a game-high 30 points. He made nine of his 16 field-goal attempts, including 5 of 10 on 3-point shots. Tatum returned to the court after not playing in Wednesday’s 144-119 win against Sacramento because of an ankle injury.
It marked the first time the Celtics have scored at least 140 points in back-to-back games since 1966.
Boston received 24 points from Jaylen Brown, 20 from Jrue Holiday and 18 from Derrick White. Holiday also had seven assists and six rebounds. Neemias Queta finished the game with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Nine Boston players made at least one 3-pointer.
Paul George scored a team-high 21 points for the Clippers. Ivica Zubac had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and James Harden finished with 14 points and nine assists. The loss ended Los Angeles’ six-game winning streak at home.
Daniel Theis (15 points), Brandon Boston Jr. (13) and Russell Westbrook (12) also scored in double figures for the Clippers.
Boston was missing centers Kristaps Porzingis (ankle sprain) and Luke Kornet (adductor strain).
The Clippers were without forward Kawhi Leonard for the second straight game after he suffered a hip injury late in his team’s 120-111 victory over Dallas on Wednesday. Leonard played in the Clippers’ first 27 games this season before the injury.
The Celtics led 28-21 after one quarter, 68-51 at halftime and 106-81 after the third. Boston had its largest lead in the game after a Lamar Stevens dunk with 50.1 seconds to play for a 145-106 advantage.
Boston held a 61-40 lead with 3:54 remaining in the second quarter after a Brown jumper capped a 9-0 run. It was the largest lead in the first half.
Tatum scored 21 points in the half, when he made seven of his 11 field-goal attempts. He connected on 5 of 8 3-pointers.
–Field Level Media