Coming off of a hard-fought win over the Trail Blazers, the Clippers sought to finally get in a rhythm like they had during their seven-game win streak. However, Paul George’s last-minute absence due to a right elbow contusion took away the weapon that scored or assisted on nine of the last 12 points in the game against the Blazers. Role players and the bench needed to step up against the Jayson Tatum-led Celtics, which is exactly what they did in the 114-111 win.
Terance Mann replaced George in the starting lineup and made his presence known in the first quarter.