The Clippers, missing Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac, fall just short against Boston.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Jayson Tatum added 24 and the Boston Celtics rallied past the Los Angeles Clippers 117-113 in overtime when both teams were missing key players. Derrick White added 20 points and Sam Hauser had 15,

Jaylen Brown scored 25 points and Jayson Tatum added 24 as the visiting Boston Celtics pulled out a 117-113 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday at Inglewood, Calif., on a night when key players were missing from both sides.

The Celtics outlasted the severely shorthanded Clippers 117-113 in overtime, getting key contributions from a surprise source.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 117-113 in overtime. Both teams were shorthanded in this contest and Los Angeles nearly pulled off a shocking win.

Jaden Springer saves the day for the Celtics — and the Celtics escape with an overtime win against an extremely shorthanded Clippers team.

The Celtics were a bit short themselves on the front end of the back-to-back with Jrue Holiday and Al Horford out injured and Kristaps Porzingis sidelined by illness. All three could be available for Thursday’s matchup on national TV.

Playing without six of their top eight rotation players, Derrick Jones Jr., Kevin Porter Jr and Amir Coffey lead a gutty effort as the hosts push the reigning champs until the end in a 117-113

The Celtics had to sweat out an overtime win over the Clippers on Wednesday, but wouldn't have done it without Jaden Springer and his defensive intensity.

Mazzulla placed trust in Jaden Springer and he delivered, holding Kevin Porter Jr. scoreless in the fourth quarter and adding a key 3-pointer in overtime to ensure the Celtics would prevail on a night they didn’t play well.

Sasaki’s arrival was a unique affair, with the hard-throwing right-hander being hailed as a key — and economical — part of the team’s future after inking a minor league contract with a $6.5-million signing bonus that was finalized Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Lakers stand five games above .500 at the midway point of their schedule, and a pivotal stretch of six straight road games is right around the corner.