LOS ANGELES – Brandon Boston Jr. reached career highs of 27 points and five from 3 points, propelling the Los Angeles Clippers to a 114-111 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday in a teams clash just in the -above 0.500.

One night when Paul George was sidelined with a bruised right elbow, Boston electrified his teammates and most of the crowd with a 3-point that beat the halftime buzzer. He topped 18 points in 14 minutes for the Kentucky rookie.

“I took a dribble to see how much was left on the clock,” Boston said. “I said, ‘OK, hold on a sec. OK, I have enough time to turn around. I turned around and let it go.

Clippers teammate Nicolas Batum said: “I don’t think he was in their game plan – 51st pick.”

The Celtics knew who he was. Boston said they heard some of their players call him “Mr. 46,” a reference to the 46 points he scored in a G League game a week ago.

Marcus Morris added 20 points to the Clippers, who have won consecutive games for the first time since November 13. Ivica Zubac and Terance Mann had 10 points and 10 rebounds each.

The Celtics were led by Jayson Tatum with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Dennis Schröder added 19 points and eight assists, and Josh Richardson scored 17 off the bench.

The Clippers lost most of their 21-point lead in the third quarter, when the Celtics moved closer to four.

Boston scored five points in a 13-4 streak that opened the third and took the Clippers’ lead to 76-55 – their biggest game of the game.

The Celtics responded with a 20-4 push that brought them down to under four. Tatum scored nine points, drawing applause from fans dressed in green in the crowd with a dunk on Eric Bledsoe’s turnover.

“We started to build up the pressure, get turnovers and speed them up,” Tatum said. “We always feel like we have a chance until the buzzer goes off.”

The Clippers were leading 87-78 early in the fourth. They increased their lead to 15 after eight consecutive points capped by Morris’s basket.

But the Celtics weren’t done yet. They ran 10 in a row to close at 102-97.

“Minus PG was a good win for us. I don’t like the way we ended the game,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “They dunk after dunk. It’s difficult. to win games like that, but we kept our cool.

The last 3 1/2 minutes turned into a 3 point shootout.

Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard hit 3s in a row for the Clippers, restoring their lead to 11 points. Schröder and Richardson did the same for the Celtics, again placing them within five.

The Celtics successfully challenged an out of bounds call with 1:29 remaining which gave them possession. After Schröder missed, Tatum got the offensive rebound and knocked the ball over to take the Celtics to 108-105.

Morris then coldly sank a 3-point pointer from the left corner.

The Clippers went 3 of 4 off the free throw line in the final 12 seconds to hold on after the Celtics shut down in less than one. Tatum missed a potential equal to 3 on the buzzer.

“We only played a quarter and a half,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “Giving them points is the frustrating part. The turnovers (22) were a sufficient giveaway.

Tatum had six of the errors.

“It is unacceptable,” he said. “We have to be stronger and take care of the ball.”

Boston hit the Clippers’ first 3 of the second half, looking as astonished as anyone. A smiling Morris celebrated with him before rolling a 3 for his own.

Boston did some bullshit in the second quarter that resulted in a technical foul. In the third, he was called up for a flagrant 1 foul after his right elbow hit Grant Williams in the face.

Boston finished 9 of 13 from the floor and made all four free throws with four interceptions. He strummed an air guitar after doing one of his 3s.

“We have to respect everyone,” Schröder said. “He came in and broke our (tails). He made them win the game.

ADVICE

Celtics: Closed a back-to-back game in LA after dropping 15 points to the Lakers on Tuesday.

Clippers: Boston joined Eric Gordon and Lamar Odom as the only Clippers aged 20 or under to score at least 27 points in a game. … Batum returned to the starting lineup after entering NBA health and safety protocol on November 19. He was scoreless in 15 minutes and left with a right ankle injury. … Justise Winslow saw her first action in a week, playing a minute.

FOLLOWING

Celtics: Visit the Phoenix Suns on Friday to wrap up a five-game trip to the West.

Clippers: hosts the Orlando Magic on Saturday.

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