Griffin, Crawford Lead Clippers Past Celtics, 116-102

With or without Durant, tonight’s game will be a tough for the Celtics who are facing a Golden State that has been the best team in the National Basketball Association this season – similar to where they were when Boston beat them last season.

X-Factor: While it was Chris Paul that kept the game close in the first half, Jamal Crawford’s incendiary shooting that proved to be the proverbial spark to the Clippers hot finish to the game.

The Celtics opened their current junket with a decisive 115-95 win over the Los Angeles Lakers as seven-point road chalk, but have reverted back to the shaky defense that has marked recent road contests, surrendering an average of 112.5 points per game in SU and against-the-spread losses to the Clippers and Phoenix Suns. “I’m just relaxed, playing, just hooping”. For a guy who’s played a long time in this league, I like to just be a guy that can kinda share some of the things that it takes to maintain in this league, to survive in this league.

“Everything”, the guard said. “He’s known for that”. I’m at peace with retiring, but I’ve got one more ride left. Clearly this team needs something to get them going and it has to come fast.

This year, Isaiah scored 20 points off the bench as his Eastern Conference team got beat by the West, 192-182.

The reduction in live-ball turnovers on one end of the floor has translated into a reduction in transition opportunities on the other end. The Clippers used an 11-0 run at the end of the third quarter to take a 75-71 advantage and the momentum heading into the fourth. “There’s never a time where you don’t think the next shot is going in, you’re just waiting for it”. Boston is now just three games behind the Cavaliers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings. “My teammates and coaches saw it and they said ‘just go.’ It was a total team effort”. “They were more physical”. I was, too. We all were watching Boston cough up another 2nd half lead on national television.

“Like Blake said, I play a insane style game”. “We lost the game in the last 15 minutes”. Thomas shattered a four-decade-old record held by the Celtics’ all-time leading scorer, John Havlicek.

Without starter Al Horford (elbow) and key reserve Jonas Jerebko (flu), the Celtics were thin in the frontcourt. Over the final 16:28, the Celtics allowed Los Angeles to shoot 21 for 26 from the field (80.8 percent), including 7 of 10 (70 percent) from behind the arc.

While Stevens said, “I’m not anxious about anything other than getting better”, he has to be a tad concerned by Thomas’ critical comments – borne of frustration or not – after Monday’s collapse against the Clippers in Los Angeles. The game between the Clippers and Timberwolves remains scheduled to be played. We should have won (Sunday) night (in Phoenix).

Asked about his own fourth-quarter minutes, Thomas said he typically tries to let Stevens coach. And until we play with better poise and we play with better objective all the way through, then we’ll have nights like that (against the Clippers). Fresh off games in Milwaukee and Chicago on Friday and Saturday night, the Clippers play road games against Minnesota and Memphis on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

“I think it was more important in Boston”, said Rivers, who won a title with Pierce in Boston. “That would have made a lot of sense”.

On Nov. 18 at TD Garden, the Warriors defeated the Celtics 104-88.