New players shine in LA Clippers’ largest comeback win to date

After trailing by as many as 28 points, the LA Clippers completed the largest comeback in franchise history behind great efforts from new players.

The LA Clippers fell behind by 28 points in the second quarter, a deficit that is virtually insurmountable in every sense of the word. But the new-look Clippers didn’t seem care about what has or hasn’t been done before, and came together in the second half to steal a 123-112 victory at TD Garden in front of thousands of stunned Celtics fans.

Los Angeles outscored Boston 70-38 in the second half. The most surprising part of it all was the third quarter differential — the Clippers outscored the Celtics 28-12 in those 12 minutes, a frame where the Clippers have been terrible all season long.

Montrezl Harrell led the scoring charge, finishing with a team-high 21 points in just 28 minutes. He was as efficient as ever, and continued to benefit from playing alongside Lou Williams, who finished with 15 points and six assists.

Patrick Beverley and Danilo Gallinari also played large roles in LA’s comeback victory. Beverley went for 12 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals, while Gallinari had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists.

However, the story of tonight’s game was the performance the Clippers got from their new, young group of players acquired at the deadline.

Landry Shamet was perhaps the most impressive — and clutch — performer of the night, finishing with 17 points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal in 26 minutes of action. 13 of those points came in the fourth quarter, and they came in the most J.J. Redick-esque way possible — all four of his makes came from the three-point line, which included a four-point play that put the Clippers up 106-102 with 3:24 left on the clock.

The sample size is extremely small, but if Shamet’s performance on Saturday night is anything to go off of, then the Clippers look to have landed an incredibly strong shooter that doesn’t shy away from the spotlight.

Ivica Zubac and Garrett Temple were both factors in LA’s big victory as well.

Zubac showcased his skills on both ends of the floor, going for 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes of play. The blocks were evidence enough of his potential as a rim protector, but Zubac altered several other shots — including those of Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum — that really showed how effective he could be for the LA Clippers.

Temple, taking over Avery Bradley‘s old role, left fans hopeful that the Clippers had finally found the three-and-D wing they’ve been missing for so long. He scored 11 points in 19 minutes and shot 40 percent from beyond the arc. He didn’t commit a single turnover and logged a plus-minus rating of +11.

The Clippers intend to compete the rest of the way, and fans should feel confident about what they saw in this squad’s first game together. It’s probably too early to predict, but with a favorable schedule down the stretch, LA could make a legitimate second-half push and lock up one of the Western Conference’s lower seeds.

The LA Clippers will wrap up their road trip on Monday, when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves. After that, they’ll play one last game at home on Wednesday before the All-Star break.