Celtics nearly relinquish big lead, edge skidding Clippers

Jaylen Brown scored 33 points and Payton Prichard finished with 30 as the Boston Celtics escaped with a 121-118 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.

Pritchard made 8-of-13 shots from 3-point territory. Derrick White added 22 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for the Celtics, who have won three of their last four.

The Clippers trailed by 24 early in the second half, but cut it to 119-118 after James Harden made a 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds to play. After two Pritchard free throws pushed the lead to three, Harden missed a game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Harden scored a game-high 37 points. The Clippers received 16 points and 12 rebounds from Ivica Zubac. John Collins chipped in 17 points.

It was the second game of a seven-game road trip for the Clippers, who made 28 of 30 free throw attempts. Los Angeles has lost seven of its last eight.

Los Angeles forward Derrick Jones Jr. sustained a right knee injury late in the second quarter. Jones, who scored five points in 11 minutes of action, was helped to the locker room and did not return.

Pritchard made 4-of-6 3-point attempts in the first quarter, after which the Celtics had a 37-30 lead. Boston led by as many as 16 in the opening 12 minutes.

The Clippers trailed 40-35 following a Nicolas Batum 3-pointer with 10:04 remaining in the second quarter, but Boston stretched its lead to 59-41 on a Brown three-point play with 4:02 left in the second. The Celtics made 9 of their 20 3-point attempts in the first half and had a 63-49 halftime lead.

The Celtics scored the first eight points of the second half and led 79-55 after Pritchard made his eighth 3-pointer with 8:25 remaining in the third. The Clippers crept back into the game with a 15-2 run that sliced Boston's lead to 11, and Harden made a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left in the third that reduced Boston's lead to 90-85 entering the final 12 minutes.

--Field Level Media