Clippers-Celtics Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Feb 02 2013 1:32PM

Neither Chris Paul nor Rajon Rondo played his best in the Los Angeles Clippers' rout of the Boston Celtics in December, forcing their teammates to pick up the slack.

The rematch figures to present a similar situation.

Boston looks to win a fourth straight game since Rondo's season-ending injury on Sunday when it hosts Los Angeles, which may not have Paul for a seventh straight contest.

Rondo scored 10 points, hit 4 of 12 from the field and committed four turnovers, while Paul - who did have 11 assists - scored eight points on 3-of-11 shooting in the Clippers' 106-77 victory Dec. 27.

It marked the worst loss and the fewest points of the season for the Celtics (23-23).

They also dropped the final six games Rondo played, blowing a 27-point lead at Atlanta on Jan. 25 when he tore his ACL.

Boston, though, hasn't lost since Rondo suffered the injury, getting back to .500 by beating Orlando 97-84 on Friday as six players scored in double figures.

"We have to be a team by committee," coach Doc Rivers said. "I'm asking guys to play different spots. It does create confusion on the other end."

The Celtics also found out before Friday's contest rookie Jared Sullinger would be out for the rest of the season following back surgery.

"With the injuries, a number of guys are stepping up and that's what we are going to need," said Paul Pierce, who had 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Courtney Lee, who has been starting in Rondo's place, scored 14 points and Jeff Green netted a game-high 17 off the bench.

"The production is coming from everybody," Lee said. "Now we just have to move the ball and make sure we are in the right spots to execute the offense."

The Clippers haven't had nearly the same success lately without Paul, who has missed nine of the last 11 games because of a bruised right kneecap.

Los Angeles won three straight from Jan. 14-17 when his injury first surfaced. It split two games before he re-aggravated it, then has dropped four of the last six after falling 98-73 at Toronto on Friday - its worst loss of the season.

The Clippers (34-14) also played without key reserve Matt Barnes, who was serving a one-game suspension for hitting Minnesota's Greg Stiemsma on Wednesday.

"We have to play with an edge more, especially on the road and especially when guys are out," coach Vinny Del Negro said.

Though Paul is likely to be out again, Barnes should be back to help an offense that set a season low for points and field-goal percentage (34.7).

"We didn't execute very well, we didn't shoot it very well," Del Negro said. "We struggled in a lot of areas. I don't think any of the rotations or anything were very efficient."

Barnes scored a season high-tying 21 points and Blake Griffin added 15 and eight rebounds in the December rout of the Celtics, who shot 40.3 percent.

The Clippers have lost four of their last five on the road.

Celts now 4-0 without Rondo, top Clippers 106-104

By HOWARD ULMAN
Posted Feb 03 2013 5:30PM

BOSTON (AP) The Celtics keep rolling without Rajon Rondo.

Not even a late comeback by one of the NBA's best teams could keep Boston from beating the Los Angeles Clippers 106-104 on Sunday and improve to 4-0 since a knee injury ended their star point guard's season.

"A lot of people say that we don't have a chance to go to the playoffs, we can't do this, we can't do that," starting guard Avery Bradley said. "We know we have each other and we're going to go out there and fight for each other, no matter what, every single night."

The Clippers played without their own brilliant point guard. Chris Paul missed his seventh straight game with a bruised right knee cap.

But they cut a 98-83 deficit to 103-101 on a 3-pointer by Eric Bledsoe with 56 seconds remaining. Then Bradley drew an offensive foul on Los Angeles' Jamal Crawford with 26 seconds to go.

Paul Pierce then held on to the ball - and was surprised that the Clippers didn't foul him - before making a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to clinch the win and finish with a team-high 22 points.

"If we get a stop there (with) three or four seconds to go, we've got plenty of time," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said of his decision not to foul. "If I was going to do it, I would have fouled Courtney Lee early right when he got the ball."

But he didn't want to foul Pierce, an accurate shooter down the stretch whether from the field or the free throw line.

"Any time the game's on the line, whether he missed 15 in a row, we know the last one's good," Celtics guard Jason Terry said.

The teams played without the point guards voted starters in the All-Star game in Houston on Feb. 17. Rondo has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. With Paul sidelined, the Clippers have lost five of seven games, including their biggest setback and lowest scoring game of the season, 98-73 at Toronto on Friday night.

"We're just a little out of rhythm," Los Angeles forward Matt Barnes said. "Guys are just playing a little out of position, but that's no excuse."

The Celtics also are missing rookie forward Jared Sullinger after he had season-ending back surgery Friday.

But they moved within 1 1-2 games of the Milwaukee Bucks for seventh place in the East and 3 1-2 ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for the final playoff spot in the conference.

Jeff Green and Leandro Barbosa scored 14 points each for the Celtics and led a 52-point contribution from the bench. The Clippers were led by Bledsoe, replacing Paul, and Crawford, who made a 3-pointer at the buzzer, with 23 points each. Blake Griffin had 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Without Rondo, the Celtics were encouraged by coach Doc Rivers to take the open shot or move the ball quickly when they don't have it. That prevents opposing defenses from double teaming the ball handler.

"We beat a heck of a team and I'm very happy with that," Rivers said, "but in my mind we can be better, much better, than we were today."

The first half was one of the best of the season for the Celtics, and they headed to the locker room with a 59-40 lead.

"We're playing good in spurts right now," Pierce said. "We got stagnant at times. We didn't defend at a high level in the second half. ... A win's a win, but we made it a lot more difficult than we thought it should have been."

Trailing 98-83, the Clippers began a 15-3 run with Griffin's free with 9:39 to play. Crawford's layup made it 101-98 with 3:18 remaining.

Terry then put Boston up by five when he beat the 24-second buzzer with a jumper with 1:09 left before Bledsoe made his 3-pointer.

Then Bradley took the charge.

"Jamal's a great player," he said. "I just tried to make it as hard as possible on him."

And Pierce hit his big 3-pointer.

"They were the aggressors and that's what we do to teams when we are the most successful," Crawford said. "They did that tonight."

The Celtics tied their season highs of 33 points after one quarter and 59 after two. And they did it with balanced offense, as 10 players scored between three and nine points.

They had 14 assists on their 20 baskets and just five turnovers in the half. On defense, they held the Clippers to 10 points on 4-for-18 shooting in the second quarter and forced 15 turnovers in the half.

The Clippers didn't score in the second quarter until Lamar Odom made an 11-foot turnaround 4:11 into the period, cutting Boston's lead to 39-32. Bledsoe made their second field goal more than two minutes later.

Notes: Backup Celtics C Jason Collins, playing more because of Sullinger's absence, had a season-high seven points. ... Barnes returned for the Clippers after a one-game suspension for striking Minnesota's Greg Stiemsma on Wednesday. ... The Clippers routed the Celtics 106-77 on Dec. 27 in Los Angeles.

Notebook: Celtics 106, Clippers 104

Brian Robb, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Feb 03, 2013 5:31 PM - Updated Sun Feb 03, 2013 5:31 PM

THE FACTS: The Boston Celtics nearly blew a 15-point fourth quarter lead, but managed to get some clutch shooting from Paul Pierce and Jason Terry in the final minute to escape with a 106-104 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. It was the fourth straight win for the Celtics since Rajon Rondo suffered a torn ACL, with all of the wins coming at the TD Garden. Pierce scored 15 of his team-high 22 points for the hosts in the second half, as the Celtics held off a furious comeback from the shorthanded Clippers, who were without Chris Paul (knee) for the seventh straight games. Eric Bledsoe had a game-high 23 points and 10 assists in the setback. It was the Clippers' second straight loss overall.

QUOTABLE: "Balance is the formula for our success, you know we got to do it by committee. Obviously we got two of our key parts down, but again, spreading the wealth. We got to make sure everyone gets involved, everybody's into the game."
-- Terry.

THE STAT: The Celtics hit 11-of-18 attempts from 3-point range. The number of makes (11) and the team's shooting percentage (61.1 percent) were both season-highs for Boston beyond the arc.

TURNING POINT: After the Clippers cut a 19-point second half deficit to two in the game's closing minute, Jamal Crawford had a chance to tie the game for his team. Crawford tried to drive to the hoop against Celtics' guard Avery Bradley, but Boston's toughest perimeter defender drew an offensive foul with 26.6 seconds remaining in the game.

QUOTABLE II: "We won the game, we beat a heck of a team, and I'm very happy with that. But in my mind we can be better, much better, than we were today."
-- Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

HOT: Bledsoe -- The third-year guard filled in admirably for Paul at the point guard position, scoring 17 of his 23 points in the second half to help the Clippers climb back from a 19-point halftime deficit.

NOT: Matt Barnes -- The veteran small forward did not look sharp in his return from a one-game suspension. Barnes went scoreless in 25 minutes of action, missing all six of his field goals attempts, including four from 3-point range.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Terry -- The former Maverick has excelled in the Celtics lineup since Rondo has been sidelined. Sunday was Terry's fifth straight double-digit scoring performance, as he finished with 13 points and six assists in 31 minutes of action. Over his past five games, Terry is averaging 12.4 points and 3.4 assists per game on 55 percent shooting from the field.

BAD MOVE: Trailing by two with just 26 seconds remaining, Vinny Del Negro elected not to have his team foul Pierce, despite the fact Boston had the ball with a full 24-second shot clock. The decision eliminated any chance the Clippers had to tie the game, as Pierce ran down the game clock to two seconds before drilling the game-clinching 3-pointer for Boston.

QUOTABLE III: "I wouldn't have wanted to foul them there. You know it was right on the number we've done it both way. If we get a stop there, three or four seconds to go we've got plenty of time, two point game, could of fouled. We went back and forth with it, we just felt we could get it down."
-- Del Negro on his decision not to foul down two with 26 seconds remaining.

ROOKIE WATCH: Jared Sullinger -- The 20-year-old was released from the hospital Saturday night after undergoing successful back surgery Friday. The rookie power forward is expected to be ready in time for Celtics' training camp next season.

NOTABLE: Brandon Bass tied a career high with four assists. Jason Collins scored a season-high seven points in just 11 minutes of action. The Clippers shot just 22 percent and had nine turnovers during their 10 point second quarter. 12 of Boston's 17 turnovers came in the second half.

UP NEXT: For LA Clippers, Monday @ Washington, Wednesday @ Orlando, Friday @ Miami. For Boston, Wednesday @ Toronto, Thursday vs. LA Lakers, Sunday vs. Denver.

• Clippers: Billups, Thompkins
• Celtics: Sullinger

• Clippers: --
• Celtics: Garnett

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #28 Zach Zarba, #44 Eli Roe
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:31