Tonight the Boston Celtics will prepare to face the Clips at 7:30 PM ET. The Celtics, who have won two straight, are 17 and 17 and 6th in the East. The Clippers, on the other hand, are 24 and 12 and 3rd in the west. The Clips are coming off a hard-fought loss to Bucks while The Celtics just got back even after 2 straight wins. Let’s see what’s gonna happen in this midseason matchup.
Injury Report
There are little injuries on both sides. For LA, Patrick Peterson is out for this game due to a personal matter. Jay Scrubb is also out and is having a walking boot removed from his right foot. lastly, for the Clippers, Daniel Outru is also out. For Boston, Jaylen Brown is still day to day with knee soreness. He is listed questionable for this game so we’ll have to see what Brad Steven’s call will be, come game time. The reigning all-defensive first team PG Marcus Smart is still out along with Romeo Langford until after the All-Star Break.
Kemba Walker
Kemba Walker will play a big impact tonight’s game as Jaylen Brown will likely sit or be limited in his minutes on the court. Walker is coming off his best performances of the season as he trounced the Pacers for 32 points.
He also helped land the Celtics a victory over Washington with 21. Kemba hasn’t looked nearly as good as he did last year in which he averaged 20 PPG on 42% shooting, but he’s making progress. Not making the all-star game this year, Kemba will have lots of time to train and hopefully get back to full strength after the all Star break.
Authors Prediction: Celtics Win
This should be a very close game. The Celtics are starting to find rhythm going into the All-Star game. The Clippers have played well this season and should definitely make this a close one. However, in recent games, the Clippers have had a tough time in the fourth quarter. They have repeatedly been outscored and outplayed leading to tough losses. If the Clippers struggle in the fourth than it is very likely Boston will get the win.
Celtics 104 – Clippers 99