Celtics-Clippers halftime hot takes

The Clippers entered tonight’s game looking to get out of their rut

While the Celtics have had quite the turbulent past few weeks, so have the Clippers. They have dropped five of their last six, with two particularly embarrassing defeats to the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder sprinkled in. It’s clear that Los Angeles misses its star(s); Paul George, a linchpin to the Clippers’ offense — especially with Kawhi Leonard out (ACL) — has been sidelined since December 20th with a torn ligament in his right elbow. George is expected to miss at least 3-4 weeks.

A Celtics win tonight would push the Clips to below the .500 mark for the first time since opening night, when they fell to the mighty Golden State Warriors. Once considered a postseason lock even after Kawhi Leonard injured his ACL in June, the Clippers are just a half-game outside of the eighth seed in the West and 2.5 out of tenth (the final play-in spot).

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Marcus Morris Sr. is a bucket

Marcus Morris Sr. should be remembered fondly as a Celtic. He was a key piece off the bench in 2018 for a team that came within minutes of the NBA Finals. Morris Sr. consistently brought a scoring punch and a take-no-prisoners mentality during his time with the C’s. While his stay in Beantown was relatively brief (one-and-a-half seasons), it was impactful. During the first half of this contest, Morris Sr. reminded the Celtics fans of his diverse offensive toolbox.

Brian Scalabrine noted, “no Paul George, no Kawhi Leonard, no problem for the Clippers” because Morris Sr. was red-hot against his former team. He has 14 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field at the break with three rebounds and a steal. Morris Sr. is the lone Clipper besides Terance Mann to reach double-digits in scoring.