Overview
- Boston built a 24-point second-half lead and never trailed, but the margin shrank to one in the final seconds behind James Harden’s 37 points.
- After Harden hit a three with two seconds left to make it 119-118, Payton Pritchard sank two free throws before Harden’s potential tying 3-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer.
- Pritchard finished 8-for-13 from beyond the arc, while Jaylen Brown posted 33 points with 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
- Derrick White added 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and Neemias Queta contributed 14 points with nine boards for the Celtics.
- The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard, and starter Derrick Jones Jr. left in the second quarter with a right-knee injury and did not return; next up, Los Angeles visits Philadelphia on Monday and Boston plays in Brooklyn on Tuesday.