The Boston Celtics are still the best team in the NBA, but they’ve looked like they’re going to lose the last few weeks or so. Boston won 116-110 to improve to 26-10 on the season. In last night’s game, the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown faced off against Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. After the game, George spoke to the media about the comparison between the two and how they play a similar game of basketball.
Both Tatum and Brown finished with 29 points in the win over the Clippers. They shot 43 percent from the field, which is much lower than usual. Perhaps their late night outing and the Clippers’ defense could have played a role as well. Massachusetts sports betting sites have the Celtics at (+350) to win the Finals this season.
Leonard finished with 26 points, George finished with 24 points, and the next leading scorer was Clippers’ Norman Powell with 19 points. California sports betting sites have the Clippers at (+900) to win the playoffs this season.
Another night from the man 😤@jaytatum0 It’s tonight. @Gatorade The player of the game pic.twitter.com/pd7sbFfc81
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 30, 2022
Tatum and Brown compared George and Leonard after the game.
Last night’s contest offered the rest of the league fans and fans a battle between two of the league’s top two players. Seven-time All-Star Paul George spoke to the media after the game and had only good things to say about Boston’s young Tatum and Brown.
“I think you can draw some parallels,”… “You look at us from a paper perspective, we’re pretty similar. It’s great to see. I love both of their games. I hope the two stay together for the rest of their careers. Together they are special. It’s definitely a dynamic duo and I think they complement each other very well. – Paul George
In the past, the media and others inside the NBA have suggested that the Celtics should split the Tatum and Brown duo. Those speculations began last season when the Celtics struggled mightily. Boston turned their season around and headed to the NBA Finals, and no one has talked about splitting them since.
After the game, Tatum said he agrees with the similarities in the way the two rollers are built and the way they lead.
“Yeah, two guys the same height, play both sides of the ball, can score at every level, playmaker. I hope I’m not missing anybody off the top of my head, but you know, two guys that I think of like that, it reminds me of two guys with a 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-9 wingspan who can defend, rebound, score, shoot the ball, bring the court. Just like we do.” – Jason Tatum
LA defeated the Celtics 133-93 earlier this season and you know Boston will need to win that second game to split the season series. Obviously, whatever lineup or personnel the Clippers use against the Celtics works. They have beaten the Celtics well in their last two games this season and came close again last night.
