Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum helped the Boston Celtics score 51 points in the second quarter, extending their winning streak to six games with a 126-94 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
Brown scored 13 points, and Tatum added 12 as the Celtics tied an NBA record by hitting 12 three-pointers in the second quarter. Boston made 22 of 51 three-point attempts in the game, shooting 43.1%.
Kristaps Porzingis made his season debut for the Celtics after missing the first 17 games due to foot surgery. Porzingis played 23 minutes, scoring 16 points by making 6 of 12 field goal attempts. He also grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots.
Tatum led the Celtics with 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 20 points, with 18 of those coming from three-pointers.
The game was the second stop on a four-game road trip for the Clippers, who allowed an opponent to score more than 100 points for the first time in their last five games.
Ivica Zubac scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Clippers, making 11 of his 14 field goal attempts. Los Angeles also got 19 points from James Harden and 11 points from Derrick Jones Jr. Terance Mann and Jordan Miller each scored 10 off the bench.
The loss ended the Clippers’ five-game winning streak.
Derrick White (19 points), Brown (17 points), and Neemias Queta (12 points) also scored in double figures for Boston. Queta matched Tatum with a team-high nine rebounds.
The Celtics led 27-20 after the first quarter and 78-49 at halftime. Boston made 16 of its 34 three-point attempts in the first half, shooting 47.1%.
The Clippers started the third quarter with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 19 points, but the Celtics were ahead 99-78 heading into the final quarter.
Boston played without Luke Kornet (hamstring injury) and 38-year-old Al Horford, who sat out because it was the second night of a back-to-back.
