Celtics outlast stubborn Clippers squad in double OT, win 141-133

In one of the closest games of the season that would go to double overtime, the Boston Celtics came away with a hard-fought 141-133 win over the Los Angeles Clippers heading into the All-Star break.

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers both arrived at TD Garden Thursday night with near-identical records and a loss in their last game to avenge on their current opponent.

The Clippers looked the part of the aggressors in the games first few minutes as the Celtics seemed to revert back to an earlier version of themselves this season, struggling to score.

Then, veteran guard Marcus Smart became the offense, scoring ten straight points to get Boston back in it.

The game stayed close the rest of the half, with neither team holding a lead for long, the Celtics leading 60-58 at the break.

The Celtics came on strong in the second half and led for most of the penultimate frame, by as much as nine points.

The Clippers fought back, and pulled to within one at the end of the third, staying close throughout the final frame despite forward Paul George exiting the game after re-injuring a hamstring.

The fourth quarter closed at 114 points for both teams after former Celtic Marcus Morris hit a trey with less than a minute remaining, sending the game to overtime as neither team was able to score before the end of regulation.

The extra period saw both teams continue trading blow for blow, swingman Jayson Tatum, and L.A. guards Lou Williams and Landry Shamet answering back and eventually sending the game to double overtime.

Boston gave itself a bit of a cushion after consecutive layups by Smart and Tatum — the latter matching a career-high 39 points in the process — and a three from forward Gordon Hayward followed by a block on the other end secured the win, punctuated by an and-one by rookie Grant Williams.

The far-too-long game continued for a few moments longer as the Clippers tried to foul their way back into it, but the Celtics prevailed 141-133, heading into the All-Star break with a win.

The Celtics were led by Tatum’s 39 points and 9 rebounds, with 31 points from Smart and 21 points and 13 boards from Hayward.

Los Angeles saw an outstanding performance by super-sixth man Lou Williams’ 35 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists off the bench, and forward Kawhi Leonard added 28 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

The Boston Celtics next take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis at Target Center on February 21st at 8pm ET.

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