Jaylen Brown (right) helped carry the Celtics to a win over the Clippers Sunday at TD Garden.
Jaylen Brown (right) helped carry the Celtics to a win over the Clippers Sunday at TD Garden.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
The Clippers needed just 10 minutes to slice a 24-point second-half deficit to 3 on Sunday. And after Boston’s Anfernee Simons missed a 3-pointer, the Clippers mostly watched the ball start to carom out of bounds.
But Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, who was quite busy as a scorer, was not going to give up on this play. He dashed to the corner, jumped and heaved the ball back into play before it eventually went out of bounds off the Clippers, giving Boston an extra chance.
These Celtics understand that each possession will have tremendous value this season, and that they cannot afford to give any away. In this case, the hustle play by Brown ignited a quick 8-0 run, and the Celtics needed every bit of it to hang on for a 121-118 win.
Although it was a wire-to-wire victory, it did not always feel like one in the second half, when Clippers guard James Harden kept his injury-ravaged team afloat. He poured in 32 of his game-high 37 points after halftime, including 9 in the game’s final 19 seconds. But the Clippers eventually ran out of time when Harden’s potential game-tying 3-pointer caromed off the rim at the buzzer.
Brown had 33 points and 12 rebounds to lead Boston. Payton Pritchard was 8 for 13 from the 3-point line and had 30 points. Harden gave the Clippers a chance and finished with 37 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds.
Brown’s big offensive rebound helped start the 8-0 run, and he finished it with a steal and layup that gave Boston a 98-87 lead.
But Harden’s personal 7-0 run pulled the Clippers within 108-105 with 3:04 left. The Celtics answered with a 7-0 run that was followed by another Clippers 7-0 burst.
Harden hit three free throws with 21.8 seconds left before Brown answered with a dunk. But after a timeout, Harden hit a step-back 3-pointer with 8.5 seconds to play that made it 117-115. After two Derrick White free throws, Harden hit another 3-pointer from the left arc that brought the Clippers within 1 with 2 seconds left.
Two Pritchard free throws with 1.6 seconds to play made it 121-118. Clippers center Ivica Zubac caught a perfect full-court inbounds pass and somehow found Harden open at the left arc, but this time the shot was off, and Boston survived.
The Celtics’ shooters had a hot start, and they found ways to capitalize even after rare misses. In fact, 9 of Boston’s first 11 points came on second chances, sparked by a pair of baskets inside by Neemias Queta.
The Clippers fell behind because they made just 1 of their first 7 shots, but it was just as significant that Boston had already taken 13 shots at that point due to its offensive rebounding and ability to take care of the ball.
Pritchard continued to distance himself from his early-season shooting struggles with a powerful opening quarter. The guard drilled 4 of 5 3-pointers over the game’s first nine minutes, the last coming on a deep and daring catch-and-shoot attempt near the top of the key that gave Boston a 32-16 lead.
But the Celtics’ inability to close quarters authoritatively resurfaced when the Clippers finished the quarter with a quick 8-0 burst that was highlighted by a 3-point play and a 3-pointer by Kobe Sanders.
Los Angeles pulled within 35-30 when Nicolas Batum banked in a 3-pointer with the shot clock running down, but Brown helped the Celtics steady themselves after that. Boston’s All-Star was just 1 for 6 before he made five shots in a row—all two-pointers—as he continued his dominant stretch of play inside the arc.
At the other end, Jordan Walsh continued to shadow and made everything difficult for Harden. He quickly closed driving lanes for the Clippers’ star guard and helped hold him to 1 for 7 shooting in the first half. He deflected Harden’s shot on the final possession of the second quarter, brushing his palms together to let everyone know. The Celtics took a 63-49 lead to halftime.
Pritchard’s surge continued early in the third quarter. He added four more 3-pointers over the first four minutes, the last giving Boston a 79-55 lead, its largest. But throughout the game the Clippers pushed back the Celtics’ big runs with just enough to keep them within striking distance.
And in this case they mounted a sustained rally and closed the half with a 30-11 burst. Los Angeles had 12 second-chance points in the quarter and Harden capitalized on Walsh’s absence late in the period. His 3-pointer with 2 seconds left pulled the Clippers within 90-85.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.