Coming off of the season’s worst loss earlier this week (their words, not mine), plus a slew of iffy efforts before that, it was past time for the Boston Celtics to respond accordingly in the form of a resounding win against a formidable-yet-weakened opponent. With the 17-17 Los Angeles Clippers in town, a team that lacked Kawhi Leonard (duh), Paul George (elbow), Nicolas Batum (ankle), Isaiah Hartenstein (ankle), Reggie Jackson, Brandon Boston Jr., and Jay Scrubb (health/safety protocols), the opportunity was both perfect and evident. And yet...
A back and forth affair that never actually felt all-that back and forth fell in the Clippers’ favor, as Boston failed to close out an equally matched opponent yet again, falling 91-82 in an ugly overall effort.