This Thursday, the (21-15) Los Angeles Clippers will travel to Boston, MA to take on the (25-10) Boston Celtics. Tipoff will be at 7:30 PM EST inside TD Garden. This will be the second time that these two teams have matched up this season, as the Clippers won the first meeting, 113-93.

The Clippers are coming into this one after defeating the Toronto Raptors, 124-113. They were on fire on the offensive and defensive end of the court, as they will have to stay aggressive in this one if they want to challenge the Celtics on the road.

Boston is entering this matchup after defeating the Houston Rockets, 126-102. They finished this game very strong, as they were great on the defensive end of the court in the second half. They will have to continue applying pressure throughout this one if they want to take down the Clippers at home.

Are the Clippers Heating Up?
The Los Angeles Clippers are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference standings, as they trail the first-place Nuggets by 2.5 games. On offense, they are scoring 109.2 points per game and they have shot 46.4% from the floor. This is the second-least amount of points scored per contest and the 20th-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Clippers have an adjusted offensive rating of 109, which is the 29th-highest rating in the NBA. Paul George continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 23.7 points per game on 45% shooting from the field. Los Angeles has also shown that they have multiple players that can get extremely hot from behind the arc. They are shooting 37.2% from deep, which is the eighth-highest three-point shooting percentage. Unfortunately, they have struggled to consistently knock down shots at the charity stripe. They are shooting 75.7% from the line, which is only the 24th-highest free-throw shooting percentage in the NBA. They can’t miss out on these free looks at the basket and still expect to win these games.
On the defensive end of the court, the Clippers are surrendering 108.6 points per game and they have allowed their opponents to shoot 45.4% from the floor. This is the third least amount of points surrendered per contest and the third-lowest shooting percentage allowed from the field. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Clippers have an adjusted defensive rating of 110.1, which is the fifth lowest rating in the NBA. They have continued to contest shots near the rim and on the outside. They are only allowing their opponents to shoot 34.1% from behind the arc, which is the fourth-lowest three-point shooting percentage allowed in the league. They are also snatching 44.4 rebounds per game, which is the ninth most in the NBA. They have to secure the ball after missed shots if they want to keep the Celtics off of the offensive glass.

Injury Report: John Wall PG is currently listed as Day-to-Day.

Are the Celtics the Best Team in the League?
The Boston Celtics are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they have a two-game lead over the second-place Milwaukee Bucks. On offense, they are scoring 118.9 points per game and they have shot 47.9% from the floor. This is the most points scored per contest and the ninth-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Celtics have an adjusted offensive rating of 118, which is the highest rating in the NBA. Jayson Tatum continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 31.1 points per game on 47.7% shooting from the field. Boston has also shown that they have multiple players that can get hot from behind the arc. They are shooting 37.8% from deep, which is the sixth-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. They have also taken care of business at the charity stripe, as they have made 82.8% of their shots at the line, which is the highest team free-throw shooting percentage in the NBA. They have to take advantage of these free looks at the rim if they want to continue winning these games.
On the defensive end of the court, the Celtics have also held their own. They are allowing 112.1 points per game and they have forced their opponents to shoot 46.5% from the floor. This is the 12th least amount of points surrendered per game and the 13th-lowest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunksandthrees.com, they have an adjusted defensive rating of 111.6, which is the seventh-lowest rating in the NBA. Luckily, the Celtics have contested shots near the rim and on the outside. They have only allowed their opponents to shoot 35% from deep, which is the eighth-lowest three-point shooting allowed in the league. They have to continue applying pressure on the perimeter if they want to keep the Clippers from making it rain. The Celtics are also snatching 43.7 rebounds per game, which is the 11th most.

Injury Report: Payton Pritchard PG (Thigh) is questionable.