Wednesday was another tough night for the Celtics in Los Angeles, as they fell to the Clippers, 114-111, one night after losing to the Lakers.
Clippers shooting guard Brandon Boston Jr. proved to be the surprising X-factor, as the rookie came off the bench to score a team-high 27 points in 25 minutes.
Boston Jr., a second-round pick this summer, had previously never scored more than 13 points in a game. While the Celtics would’ve preferred his breakout not come against them, the fact that it did is a fitting and heartwarming story, and not because his last name is Boston.
After the game, Boston Jr. dedicated his big game to Terrence Clarke, the Boston native who tragically passed away in a car crash in April at the age of 19.
Boston Jr. and Clarke were teammates at the University of Kentucky, and Boston Jr. was with Clarke at a workout just minutes before the fatal accident.
"He'd be excited, have a bright smile on his face, telling me 'I told you. I told you you're the best in the world, just keep going,'" Boston Jr. said after the game. "He always pushed me to be my best self... He's from Boston, he wanted to play for Boston."
Clarke had worked out with and become friends with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker over the last couple years. The Celtics helped lead the effort to make Clarke a ceremonial NBA draft pick during July’s draft.