Celtics knock off Clippers: Kemba Walker on fire & other key takeaways

The Boston Celtics rolled to their third consecutive win Tuesday night with a 117-112 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at TD Garden.

In another must-see TV matchup, these two teams battled all night with the Celtics eventually pulling away at the end.

Led by Kemba Walker, who led the team with 25 points, including two clutch free throws down the stretch, the Celtics held off the Clippers who was led by Paul George (32 points) and Reggie Jackson (25 points).

Celtics win despite Jayson Tatum having an off night

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There was no Kawhi Leonard in this game, but it was still an impressive victory for the Celtics who saw Jaylen Brown return to chip in 18 points and Jayson Tatum added just 14 points which made the victory even impressive.

In all, a solid victory by the Celtics who got solid play out of their bench performers also, primarily Robert Williams and Payton Prichard who knocked down four 3-pointers.  After the game Brad Stevens lauded the value of his bench players.

"“I think we’re getting better playing together with that group,” Stevens said, via Boston.com.  “I think Rob’s threat at the rim really helps that.  But those guys can’t just be bystanders.  They’ve got to be aggressive; they’ve got to be assertive; they can’t play passive.  And I thought that they backed that up a couple games in a row.”"

Again, the Clippers weren’t at full strength, but the Celtics weren’t either.

Seeing the team start to find their stride during this three-game winning streak leads to these three takeaways from the 117-112 victory over the Clippers.

3. Celtics key takeaways: Let’s talk about Robert Williams

The Boston Celtics got some great plan and energy off the bench Tuesday night, which is obviously good news.

But the even better news is young, energetic, high-flying, rim-protecting big man Robert Williams continues to improve and earn more minutes on the court.

In 20 minutes against the Clippers Tuesday night, Williams scored 13 point (5-of-8), eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks in filling out the stat sheet and taking advantage of his opportunity on the court.

What really stood out about Williams in the victory is his passing ability.  During a key moment in the fourth quarter, the third-year big man out of Texas made an impressive pass to Tatum for a bucket demonstrating that high-low passing that makes the Celtics an offensive force when he’s on the court.

And of course, there are the dunks…a human high-light reel that never gets old, Robert Williams certainly knows how to rock the rim:

The obvious question is whether Williams can continue to trend upward.  Along with Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson, the Boston Celtics have a nice trio of big men who can at least keep the team competitive with all the scoring they get when Tatum, Walker and Brown are all healthy and on the court.

With all the trade rumors swirling and big men like DeMarcus Cousins out there and available, the transcendence of Robert Williams may be the biggest transaction for the team moving forward.

2. Celtics key takeaways: Jaylen Brown is back baby

You had to know the competitive nature of All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown wasn’t going to keep him off the floor too long.

After missing the previous game against the Washington Wizards due to knee injury, Brown, who was listed as day-to-day, returned to the court against the Clippers Tuesday night.

On the national television stage, Brown played 34 minutes scoring 18 points, pulling down 5 rebounds and looking like that knee injury wasn’t holding him back.

Most impressively for Brown is he was not rusty at all.  He went 8-of-14 from the floor, 2-3 from beyond the arc in an impressive return that saw him score 14 of those 18 points in the first quarter.

In all, looks like Brown is getting himself ready to participate in the NBA All-Star Game 3-Point Contest in which he admits he didn’t turn down when asked to compete.

Given the status of his knee, Celtics fans won’t see Jaylen Brown participating in the dunk contest but watching him have a chance to really show off an area of his game in which he has improved most will be satisfying.

As far as the team goes, having Tatum, Brown and Kemba Walker all together and taking over different parts of the game was a satisfying element to the team capping off their third consecutive victory.

1. Celtics key takeaways: Kemba Walker looking like Kemba Walker

It looks like it just took some time and patience, but Celtics veteran guard Kemba Walker is heating things up both with his shooting and his leadership.

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In leading the C’s to their Tuesday night victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, Kemba when 8-of-19 from the field, 6-of-12 from beyond the stripe in tallying a team-high 25 points.

Most impressively, it was another night where the veteran guard got his teammates involved dissing out six assists.  But it is his overall positive vibe that has things looking good once again in Boston.

Over the last nine games, he is averaging 22.7 ppg and 4.7 assists per game, an indication that Mr. Kemba Walker is finding that rhythm that makes him such a dangerous scorer during stretches of the game.

But let’s go back to the playmaking ability.  The Boston Celtics can get plenty of scoring from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.  What they need from Kemba is exactly what he has been doing to get back in the flow of the game.  They need him to be a facilitator who picks his spots to be that veteran leader the signed to a Max deal.

While Tatum and Brown have been the All-Stars leading the team throughout the first half of the season, it is Walker’s confidence, energy and clutch factor that has been the main reason the team is on a current three-game winning streak and looking they are easing back into their groove.