Jayson Tatum scores 39 as Celtics stop Clippers in 2 OTs

Jayson Tatum scored 17 of his game-high 39 points from the fourth quarter on, leading the Boston Celtics past the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 141-133 in double overtime Thursday night.

Marcus Smart added 31 points, and Gordon Hayward scored 21 with 13 rebounds as the Celtics enter the All-Star break winners of eight of their last nine. Tatum shot 14 of 23 with nine rebounds.

Lou Williams had 35 points, Kawhi Leonard scored 28 with 11 rebounds and Montrezl Harrell had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers, who completed a 1-3 road trip. Los Angeles lost Paul George in the second quarter with a recurrence of a left hamstring strain.

After Smart and Tatum gave the Celtics a four-point lead with 2:01 to go in the second overtime, Hayward drilled a 3 with 1:36 left for a 137-132 edge. Hayward added a block, a steal and four free throws the rest of the way as Boston cruised to victory.

Tatum put the Celtics up 127-124 in the first overtime before Landry Shamet tied the score on a trey with 21 seconds to go. Tatum missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer.

Williams scored 15 points in the fourth, leading the Clippers from down eight in the quarter to a 107-all tie with four minutes remaining. The Clippers knotted the score again at 114 on a Marcus Morris Sr. trey with 46.8 seconds left.

Kemba Walker missed a chance at a game-winner to lead to overtime.

Before Thursday, the Celtics and Clippers had only went to overtime once each this season -- when they first met in Los Angeles on Nov. 20, a 107-104 Clippers win.

The Celtics grabbed the game's only double-digit advantage, 72-62, on a Hayward 3-pointer with 8:51 left in the third.

The largest lead of the first half came on a 7-0 Clippers run to start the game, which the Celtics answered with 10 straight points from Smart. Neither team led by more than four points in the second as Boston carried a 60-58 edge into the break.