Clippers vs. Celtics: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season
Paul Pierce returned to TD Garden for one more appearance on the parquet Sunday afternoon, but the Boston Celtics (33-18) spoiled his homecoming and bested the Los Angeles Clippers 107-102 to capture their seventh straight win.
The Clippers (31-20), meanwhile, have lost four of their last five games overall dating back to a Jan. 24 collapse against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Isaiah Thomas was the man of the hour for the Celtics once again. He burned the Clippers defense with 28 points (7-of-18 shooting) and eight assists as L.A. watched the diminutive dynamo go to work with Chris Paul (thumb surgery) sidelined.
The NBA's second-leading scorer poured in 13 of his 28 points in the first quarter, three of which were punctuated by a vintage Pierce-esque pose, as NBA on ESPN documented:
Thomas also came alive with 10 points in the fourth quarter, when the Celtics slammed the door shut despite a valiant come-from-behind attempt by the visitors:
Al Horford added 13 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, while Jae Crowder registered 11 points, six boards and three steals in a complete team effort that featured seven double-figure scorers.
Without Paul, the Clippers couldn't boast similar balance.
Blake Griffin led the way thanks to 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting, but the other four Clippers starters—Pierce, DeAndre Jordan, J.J. Redick and Austin Rivers—combined to score 20 points and make six field goals.
Even though Pierce was held to three points in five minutes after he drew a ceremonial start at small forward, he received a rousing ovation from the Celtics faithful during a first-quarter video tribute, according to the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn:
Pierce also provided a perfect close to the game, when he drilled his final three-point attempt at TD Garden to a raucous reaction:
Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford did their best to pick up the slack off the bench with 16 and 23 points, respectively, but that wasn't enough on a day when the Celtics outscored the Clippers 48-30 from beyond the arc.
Thomas was the driving force behind that outburst as the Celtics attempted a franchise-record 52 threes, and he consistently used the threat of pull-up attempts from deep to leverage clean looks for teammates, as Celtics.com's Marc D'Amico noted:
With seven straight wins in the bag, the Celtics will now enjoy two days off before they embark on a four-game road trip that's slated to begin Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings.
It's a different story for the Clippers, who will have to try to rebound on the second night of a back-to-back Monday evening at Air Canada Centre against the Toronto Raptors.
Postgame Reaction
Once the final buzzer sounded, Pierce reflected on Sunday's farewell during a discussion with ESPN's Israel Gutierrez:
Speaking to reporters after the loss, head coach Doc Rivers admitted he felt pressure to put Pierce back into the game following chants of "We Want Paul" from those in attendance, per the Celtics' Twitter account:
"Him making that shot. I don’t know what the heck that is," Rivers said of Pierce's final attempt, per the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach. "That only happens here."
Rivers also provided a tremendous response when asked about Pierce tearing up, per ESPN.com's Chris Forsberg:
"It was a special day...obviously he's one of the icons of Boston sports, and that's a special group of people," Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said, per Bleacher Report's Michael Pina.
