Life after Perk: Take Two. That's what the Celtics will be looking at Saturday night when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers in their second game since sending popular, starting center Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City along with reserve guard Nate Robinson right before Thursday's trade deadline. The difference between tonight's game and Thursday night's loss to the Nuggets, though, is that the Celts will have reinforcements for tonight's tilt with the Clippers in the form of the two guys they got back from the Thunder in exchange for Perkins and Robinson, Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.
Green, who scored 22 points in his final game as a member of the Thunder last Tuesday, is averaging 15.2 points per game in this, his fourth season out of Georgetown. He will be expected to back up both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Krstic will likely see big minutes in his Celtics debut, as he will be the C's only healthy, true center besides recent 10-day contract signee Chris Johnson. The Celts, as a team will have to be more focused than they were in the loss at Denver. They shot just 39 percent from the floor, didn't score over the game's final six-plus minutes and clearly looked shaken at the loss of Perkins.
The Clippers also made a deal at the deadline, sending point guard Baron Davis to Cleveland in exchange for pointy guard Mo Williams and swingman Jamario Moon. Each player may make his Clipper debut tonight, though Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro was quoted as saying the two new players more likely debut will come on Monday against the Kings. Still, the Clip joint will still be dangerous, for the most part due to Rookie of the Year shoo-in Blake Griffin, who averages 22.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game and has put up 28 PPG over the Clippers last 10 home games, nine of which they've won.
The Celtics (41-25) and their new faces will look to get back on track tonight when the visit the Clippers (21-38) in Los Angeles tonight at 10:30 EST, on Concast Sports Net New England.