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So how does a rookie second-rounder come bouncing into an NBA game against the Celtics, the team with the league’s No. 9 defense, averaging 4.5 points in just 12 games of experience and hang a whopping 27 points on the green-and-white?
Well, turns out this was not a regular rookie second-rounder. And there was something special about his performance against the Celtics.
The player was Brandon Boston, who led the Clippers, playing without Paul George, to a win over the Celtics on Wednesday. Boston scored 46 points in a G League game for the Agua Caliente Clippers last week and, though he was the No. 51 pick in last year’s draft, he was once a Top 5 prospect before struggling for one season at Kentucky.
Boston had extra motivation, too. He was best friends with another ex-Wildcat, Terrence Clarke, the Dorchester native who was killed in a car wreck last spring just before he had the chance to be selected in the NBA draft. Boston had his friend on his mind as he lit up the Celtics.
“I dedicated this game because he’s from Boston and he wanted to play for Boston,” Boston said. “I wanted to go out and play with that chip on my shoulder and his energy just carried me along the way.”
Brandon Boston Motivated by Terrence Clarke
After the game, Boston was asked what Clarke might have said had he been alive to witness his performance against the Celtics.
“He’d call up screaming,” Boston said. “Excited, bright smile on his face. Just telling me, ‘I told you, I told you so. You’re the best in the world, just keep going.’ That’s the type of relationship we had, he always pushed me to be my best self. I always keep that in the back of my mind.”
Clarke surely would have been proud of the guts his friend showed in upending the Celtics on Wednesday. Early in the second quarter he went at Marcus Smart on a drive from the left corner, finishing with a four-footer over Smart, one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He then chirped at Smart and was whistled for a technical foul.
“I just went at Marcus Smart,” Boston said. “Got the bucket and I just went at him. Just tell him, I’m here. Let him know my presence is felt. That I’m not laying back for nobody.”
Dennis Schroder: Boston ‘Busted Our A**’
The Boston performance left a lot of the Celtics scratching their heads. Though he had not played much, they surely knew he had high-scoring capability from the 46-pointer last week. And if you think the Celtics were not aware of that performance, think again—Boston pointed out that several Celtics were calling him “Mr. 46” during the game, including when he drained a corner 3 in front of the Celtics bench.
The Celtics are now 1-3 on this Western Conference road trip, with a matchup against the 20-4 Suns to close it out. One thing is clear—they need to take everyone a lot more seriously.
“He was on the bench and he went off, by the way,” point guard Dennis Schroder said. “Credit to him. He scored 46 in a G League game. We gotta respect everybody. At the end of the day, he came in and busted our a**. He won them the ball game.”
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