Every few minutes during Tuesday’s first quarter, a black graphic flashed across the Turner Sports telecast that seemed to be a signal to viewers: Do not adjust your set, what you are seeing is correct.
Reggie Jackson, the Clippers’ backup guard who had not started since Feb. 17, was on the floor inside Boston’s TD Garden at tipoff. Kawhi Leonard was nowhere to be seen.
Leonard tried to warm up through back spasms but was scratched only minutes before tipoff. His night ended there.
His team’s chances to win didn’t.
Buoyed by Jackson’s season’s best, 25-point performance — after he played just three minutes in a loss at Milwaukee — and Paul George’s 32 points, the Clippers hung tough against the Celtics.