The Celtics (10-14) go winless in their unofficial reunion week, as they fell to the Clippers (15-8), 96-88.
Boston held a 45-39 lead at the half, but the third quarter haunted the C's once again. The Clips came out aggressive at the start of the second half, and they went on to outscore the C's in the half, 57-45.
Chris Paul led the charge for L.A. with 22 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds. They also got big buckets from Jamal Crawford, who scored 21 points off the bench.
Here's a brief recap:
The good:
* Jeff Green looked like a man who had something to prove to his former coach. Green finished with a game-high 29 points on 10-of-23 shooting.
* Brandon Bass is quietly putting together a solid season. He turned in another great performance tonight. He finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. It was Bass' third double-double of the season and his second in a row.
The bad:
* The Celtics needed to contain Chris Paul in order to win. They didn't, and they lost. Although the stats aren't ridiculously off the charts, Paul dominated this game. He was in control of this game from the very beginning.
* The Clippers scored 20 points off 18 Celtic turnovers.
* L.A. dominated the Celtics in the paint. A lot of their points in the paint were a result of penetration by guards Chris Paul and Darren Collison. L.A. outscored Boston in the paint, 42-24.
* The sign of a good team is when they beat you in the hustle categories. For example, the Clips edged the Celtics in second-chance points, 17-5, and fast-break points, 15-9. The Clippers capitalized
Boston will get a day off Thursday before welcoming the New York Knicks (6-15) to town Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm.
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