The Los Angeles Clippers (11-7) will pay a visit to the Boston Celtics (14-3) at the TD Garden tonight. Both teams are in impressive form heading into this one and have won each of their last five games. This means that one of the streaks will come to a halt tonight in Boston. Furthermore, Boston overcame a difficult test at home defeating the Wolves 107-105.
The Clippers had a comfortable 125-99 win over the Sixers on Sunday night. James Harden has been the standout performer in the last three games in Norman Powell’s absence, while the Beard has been the top scorer, scoring 20+ points in all three games. As for the Celtics’ All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they continue to show their prowess.
Boston boasts one of the best offenses in the league, averaging 120.8 points. That’s largely due to its fantastic shooting from beyond the arc. Boston scores 47% of its points from three-pointers, which is the most in the NBA. If it continues shooting threes at this rate, despite the Clippers’ solid defense, it will win.
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Although Kawhi Leonard is close to returning to the court, the biggest blow to the Clippers is the absence of their star performer of the season, Norman Powell. He’s been scoring 23.3 points, which is the best number he’s ever produced. As for the Celtics, they have their center Al Horford back, which is a huge plus.
Now, let’s look closer at the two teams with their injury reports and depth charts.
Celtics vs Clippers Injury Report
Let’s see the player updates ahead of the clash at TD Garden.
What’s your perspective on:
Can James Harden carry the Clippers past the Celtics without Norman Powell's scoring punch?
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Boston Celtics Injury Report
Boston has been running thin at the center position. As Al Horford has recovered, they now have their other center, Luke Kornet, on the injury report. He is questionable for tonight due to hamstring tightness.
Boston continues to miss its star center, Kristaps Porzingis, who is recovering from the foot surgery he underwent during the offseason.
Los Angeles Clippers Injury Report
The biggest blow to LA is the absence of Norman Powell, who is still out with a hamstring problem. He’s been the team’s leading scorer this season, and not having him for this bout against Boston will be unfortunate for the Clippers.
Also, Kawhi Leonard is nearing a return from his knee problem, as the Klaw has been cleared to resume shooting work.
Depth Charts
This is how the two teams stack up against each other and what the possible lineups are for tonight.
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Boston Celtics Depth Chart
Positions | Starters | 1st Rotation | 2nd Rotation |
PG | Jrue Holiday | Payton Pritchard | Derrick White |
SG | Derrick White | Payton Pritchard | Jaylen Brown |
SF | Jaylen Brown | Sam Hauser | Jayson Tatum |
PF | Jayson Tatum | Sam Hauser | Jordan Walsh |
C | Al Horford | Neemias Queta | Luke Kornet (probable) |
Los Angeles Clippers Depth Chart
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Positions | Starters | 1st Rotation | 2nd Rotation |
PG | James Harden | Kevin Porter Jr. | Bones Hyland |
SG | Kris Dunn | Terance Mann | Norman Powell |
SF | Norman Powell (out) | Amir Coffey | Jordan Miller |
PF | Derrick Jones Jr. | Nicolas Batum | Amir Coffey |
C | Ivica Zubac | Mo Bamba | Nicolas Batum |
Lastly, the Boston Celtics have been playing great basketball and can blow out any team on a given night. Meanwhile, the Clippers have also been impressive, but not having Powell might just give Boston the edge. James Harden will look to make this a very close contest, but Boston’s scoring, especially the duo of Tatum and Brown, might just be too much of a stretch for LA’s defense.
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Debate
Can James Harden carry the Clippers past the Celtics without Norman Powell's scoring punch?