Celtics Beat Nets Without White (11/4/23)

Before the game it was announced Derrick White wouldn't play in tonight's Boston Celtics game against the Brooklyn Nets due to the impending birth of his second child. Congratulations Derrick.

                                                                     Proud Papa

As for the game, the Celtics kept rolling although they got a big fight from the equally undermanned Brooklyn Nets. Playing without Ben Simmons, the Nets still put up 114 points in the game. Spencer Dinwiddie had 19 points and Cam Thomas led Brooklyn with 27 points in this one. The Celtics remained tough with big games from Jayson Tatum (32 points, 11 rebounds), Krystaps Porzingis (22 points, 7 rebounds) and Jrue Holiday almost having a triple double (18 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds). A big assist came from Luke Kornet who stepped up with 11 points and 7 rebounds to go along with Al Horford's 8 points and 7 rebounds. Without Derrick White, the Celtics still managed to beat the Nets 124-114 at Barclay Center.

                                                        Big help by Kornet in the win

Krystaps Porzingis got the first bucket of the game 19 seconds in on a baseline jumper in traffic. The lead was 4-0 when Royce O'Neale hit a three pointer for the Nets. With the score 7-5 Celtics, Jaylen Brown found Jayson Tatum streaking for a big dunk. 2:46 into the game Tatum proceeded to hit a three pointer and just over a minute later, Brown hit a pull-up jumper. Cam Thomas answered with a three for the Nets but halfway through the quarter, Jrue Holiday pulled up and hit a three. With 4:31 remaining Lonnie Walker dished to Dorian Finney-Smith for a jam but Brown countered with a jumper. Walker bullied Porzingis for a layup with 3:30 left and Spencer Dinwiddie dished it to Day'Ron Sharpe who flushed it with 2:10 left. Oshae Brissett hit a big three with 1:51 left for the Celtics but the bomb came from Sam Hauser who hit one from nearly halfcourt to break a 31-31 tie. Thomas then hit an and-1 with 3 seconds left to send the game to the second quarter tied 34-34.

                                                    Nets putting up a fight so far

The Nets struck first in the second quarter going on a 7-2 run, but the tide turned with 9:16 left. Holiday passed it to Al Horford who found Luke Kornet for a layup. Down by 1 with 8:15 remaining in the first half, Tatum hit a three to put the Celtics back on top. With the Celtics up 45-41, Finney-Smith hit a long three pointer to get Brooklyn close. A minute later Cam Thomas hit an incredible off-balance jumper once again to keep Brooklyn close. With 5 minutes left in the half, Tatum bullied his way through four defenders for an and-1. With 4:25 left, Porzingis lost the ball and Mikal Bridges dished it to Thomas for another bucket but Brown countered by going past three guys for a layup with 3:46 left. The Celtics led 58-51 when O'Neale hit a three with 2:29 left in the half. With two minutes left Brown saw KP running straight to the basket and dished it to him for the alley-oop slam. The Celtics led by 9 with 3 seconds left when Tatum hit a three at the buzzer to give the Celtics a 70-58 lead at halftime.

                                                        Big first half for Tatum

Bridges got the first basket of the third quarter with a fadeaway jumper 25 seconds into it. The Nets went on an 8-0 run when Holiday found Porzingis for a layup to break the streak. Dinwiddie answered with a three at the other end but Holday got inside for a layup with 8:05 left in the third quarter. With the Celtics up 79-75 halfway through the quarter, Porzingis hit a three almost from the Nets logo. One minute later Holiday dribbled out of traffic and hit a three pointer. With 4:21 left Dinwiddie hit a three and the Nets climbed back within a point at 87-86 with 2:19 left in the third. Holiday then found Kornet for a layup and the quarter ended with the Celtics in front 91-88.

                                                           Nets won't go away

With two minutes gone in the fourth quarter, Walker hit a mid-range jumper to bring the Nets to within 3 points at 93-90. Payton Pritchard responded with a dish to Kornet for an and-1.  The Nets were down 96-95 with 7:36 left in the game when Hauser missed a three but Brissett slapped the rebound to Tatum who did hit a three. The score was 99-97 Celtics with 7:01 left when Holiday found Kornet for the alley-oop slam. The lead was 104-97 with 5:40 left when Tatum had Thomas on him at the top of the key. Tatum then hit a three and a layup after a Nets make to effectively end the game. An irate Nets coach Jacque Vaughn got a technical for whining that Tatum traveled on the layup. Bridges hit a three with 4:48 left but a minute later Holiday found Horford for a layup to make the score 112-102. With 2:17 left Thomas airmailed a three which led to a coast to coast layup by Brown. The dagger came with 1:44 left when Holiday found Brown for a wide open three pointer, but Brown missed. KP tapped it up and in to make it 117-105. Porzingis then blocked a Thomas layup and Brown threw it up to Horford for an alley-oop to clear out the fans. With 41 seconds left Brown hit a deep three for good measure with the Celtics getting the win 124-114.

                                                           Celtics win

Hero of the Night is Jrue Holiday. He had 18 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds to damn near pull off a triple double in the absence of Derrick White.

 

                                                                    Hero Holiday

Basketbawful Report:

Scalabrine Award for DNP-CD - Svi Mykhaikiuk, Lamar Stevens, Dalano Banton.

End Rant:

When healthy the Celtics are virtually unguardable as once again they put up over 120 points. Even with Jaylen Brown shooting 7 for 22 and Derrick White out, the Celtics still managed to put up a lot of points. The Celtics also enjoyed a 27-17 free throw attempt advantage mostly due to layup attempts in the paint. Having Porzingis and Holiday make the biggest difference when the games get tight because they keep things calm. When the Nets took the lead, Holiday helped bring the Celtics back. The only weakness on this team is coach Joe Mazzulla's refusal to play the bench for long periods of time. Even though Hauser, Kornet and Brissett contributed (Pritchard had a bad night), the starters still averaged nearly 36 minutes. Kornet was the biggest help with 11 points and 7 rebounds, mostly due to layups. The Celtics are so deadly at the three point line that it opens the lanes for layups which Kornet exploited big time to their advantage. Its too bad he can't do that more often, but then again, the Nets aren't exactly a defensive machine. JD Davison and Jordan Walsh are down in the G League which begs the question why they aren't getting a look with the Celtics looking for some bench rotation? Then again, I'm not Mazzulla or Brad Stevens. All in all it was a good win and the Celtics improved to 5-0 on the season. Boston looks to make it six in a row when they travel to Minnesota on Monday night for a date with the Timberwolves. The game begins at 8:00 PM Eastern time at the Target Center.

Celtics Blow Away Pacers (11/1/23)

The first two games of the 2023-24 season were playoff previews for the Boston Celtics. Close wins over second round (and beyond) playoff teams the New York Knicks and Miami Heat showed the Celtics can keep their composure when games are close. The last two games were the complete opposite, the opponents had absolutely no chance. After a blowout win over the Washington Wizards, the Celtics followed that up with a near record setting win over the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics scored the second most points in a single game in franchise history with 155 against the Pacers. EIGHT different Celtics had double figures in points led by Jayson Tatum's even 30. The difference in this game and the previous was the fourth quarter. Against the Wizards, the bench got crushed by Washington's bench but this time Sam Hauser and the others poured it on. Dalano Banton scored 11 points in garbage time as the Celtics ran away with this one 155-104 at TD Garden.

                                                            Tatum leads the way

The Celtics set the tone right away when Jayson Tatum passed to Jrue Holiday in the paint and he bulled his way in to score the first points of the game. Andrew Nembhard answered at the other end with a baseline jumper and the Pacers kept it close 8-6 two minutes into the game. Then Jayson Tatum got free for a three pointer followed by a Holiday three of his own. With the score 14-6, Jaylen Brown drew a double team then passed to a wide open Krystaps Porzingis for a slam dunk. Then they reversed it as Porzingis drew a double team, passing to Brown for the slam. With the score 18-8, Brown hit a baseline jumper. The Pacers answered on the other end and Holiday hit another 3. The Celtics were up 23-12 when Bruce Brown hit a three for Indiana. Old friend Aaron Nesmith got open for a basket but Porzingis found Al Horford open for three with 5:30 remaining. The Pacers got within 28-21 with 3:21 remaining in the quarter when Tatum went off the glass on a foul for an old fashioned three pointer. With the score 33-23, Derrick White hit a three pointer from what felt like half court. After a Pacers make, Tatum dished it to Sam Hauser for a three. The Celtics led 41-27 when White hit a three at the buzzer to end the quarter with the Celtics up 44-27.

                                                          Celtics in control

In the second quarter the Pacers were down 46-30 when Tatum hit a fadeaway jumper. With 9 minutes left in the quarter, Pritchard hit a nice baseline layup. A minute later Tatum hit a layup to put the Celtics up 20. The Pacers answered but Holiday hit a baseline jumper to bring it back to 20. After a Pacers miss, Brown hit a jump shot at the free throw line. With 4:22 left in the half, Brown gathered his own miss and dunked it to go up 64-42. Nesmith hit a layup to make it 69-50 but Porzingis answered with a three on the other end with 1:28 left. Tatum hit a three with 35 seconds left and the first half ended with the Celtics up 75-54.

                                                         Happy fans

One minute into the third quarter, Tatum hit a stepback three to put the Celtics up by 25. After a Pacers miss, Holiday found Porzingis for a big dunk. After a Pacers timeout and subsequent miss, Brown hit a fallaway jumper. The Celtics were up 89-59 when Holiday found White for a layup. Then with the score 96-65, Tatum dribbled through the entire team and hit a layup. The Celtics were up 100-69 with 3:24 left when Tatum went baseline again off a dish from White. With the game pretty much over, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla emptied the bench with 2 minutes left. 30 seconds later Pritchard dished to Svi Mykhailuk for a three pointer. The Celtics ended the third quarter up 109-71, what a massacre.

                                                           Svi for Three

Now against the Washington Wizards, the Celtics bench pretty much got wiped out to make the final score a lot closer than it should have been. Not this time! Sam Hauser hit a three to open the fourth quarter before the lead got to 45. With 8:25 left, Pritchard went coast to coast for a bucket and a foul. With the score 126-82, Pritchard passed it to Hauser for another three pointer. With 5:24 left, Dalano Banton hit a nice jumper for the Celtics. With four minutes left in the quarter, Pritchard dished it to Lamar Stevens for a slam dunk. With three minutes left, Pritchard dished it to Banton for a good layup. The Celtics ended up scoring the second most points in a single game in franchise history to win 155-104.

                                                         Celtics swarm on D to win

Hero of the Night is Jayson Tatum. He buried the Pacers under an avalanche of 30 points including 9 of 10 from the line. He also had 12 rebounds and 4 assists.

                                                           Hero Tatum

Bawful Report:  Nothing

End Rant:

Once again the Celtics beat up an inferior team but this time the bench played a lot better. Pritchard was a one man wrecking crew in garbage time, ending with 15 points and 9 assists. Banton had 11 points and 3 rebounds and Hauser had 17 points throughout the game. Quite frankly when Porzingis is healthy, the Celtics are almost unguardable. If you double team Brown, Tatum or KP then the other two are open. Holiday & White are more than capable of hitting shots if they're open as well and that makes them very tough to defend. A team like the Pacers clearly aren't able to handle the Celtics firepower. It would be nice if the Celtics could get a bench ace or two at the deadline but right now they're still a tough team to beat. Starting the season 4-0 is always a good thing. The Celtics now travel to Brooklyn for a Saturday night showdown with the Nets. The game begins at 8:00 PM at the Barclay Center.

Porzingis, Tatum Drop Knicks on Opening Night (10/25/23)

The Boston Celtics might have found a difference maker. General Manager Brad Stevens rolled the dice when he traded Marcus Smart, Mike Muscala and Danilo Gallinari to get Kristaps Porzingis and for one game the trade worked out. Porzingis made his Celtics debut against the New York Knicks by scoring 30 points, grabbing 8 boards and blocking 4 shots. Jayson Tatum led the way in scoring with 34 points and 11 rebounds but the story of the game was Porzingis. The Celtics led by 5 at the half and 9 going into the fourth quarter when the Knicks rallied in the fourth quarter. The Knicks led 101-95 with three minutes left when the Celtics rallied, highlighted by a go-ahead three pointer by Porzingis with 90 seconds left. Clutch free throws from Porzingis and Payton Pritchard sealed the deal as the Celtics defeated the Knicks 108-104 at Madison Square Garden.

                                                         Welcome to Boston, Kristaps

Jayson Tatum scored the first points on the season off the glass on a two pointer to get things started. The Celtics used three pointers from Tatum, new Celtic Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to open a 24-13 lead with 2 minutes left in the first quarter. The score at the end of the first was 30-18, a good start.

                                                            Let the season begin

Things went south in the second quarter as the Knicks battled back thanks to the efforts of RJ Barrett. Quentin Grimes hit a big three to cut the lead to a few points although Tatum kept the Celtics in the lead with some big shots. The Celtics looked to have a good lead going into halftime but Isaiah Hartenstein tipped in a shot at the buzzer with the Celtics only up 51-46 going into the break.

                                                            Celtics lead at the half

The third quarter started with a 7-2 Celtics run highlighted by a running Tatum slam dunk but the Knicks held on. The Knicks went on a 15-6 run highlighted by a Julius Randle three pointer to cut the lead 64-63 with 5:48 remaining in the quarter. After the Knicks tied it, the Celtics retook the lead then got a big three by Al Horford. Horford keyed the run that ended with a Porzingis putback that gave the Celtics a 82-73 lead going into the fourth quarter.

                                                              Knicks aren't going quietly

The Celtics took their foot off the gas and they almost reverted to last year's team as the Knicks went on a 11-4 run to pull within a point. Then Josh Hart hit a three pointer to give the Knicks their first lead of the game with 8:57 remaining as Celtics fan groaned. With the Knicks leading 90-88, Porzingis hit a three with 5:48 remaining to put the Celtics back on top. With the score tied at 93, the Knicks went on a run where Randle and Grimes hit back to back threes to put the Knicks up 6 with 4 minutes left. Grimes was fouled on the play but he missed the free throw which cost them dearly. The lead was 101-95 Knicks with 3:23 remaining when the Celtics took control. With Knicks fans chanting expletives at Kristaps, Tatum found Holiday for a layup that keyed a 6-0 run to tie the game. Then with 90 seconds left Porzingis hit a backbreaking three to put the Celtics on top to stop the chants against him. He hit two free throws and Payton Pritchard hit two free throws of his own to wrap up the scoring. The Knicks failed to score off an inbounds play and the Celtics had won it 108-104.

                                                      Celtics win

Hero of the Night is Kristaps Porzingis. He scored 30 points with five big three pointers, grabbed 8 rebounds and blocked 4 shots. His three with 1:34 left put the Celtics up for good.

                                                         KP The Hero

Bawful Report:

Scalabrine Award for DNP-CD - Lamar Stevens, Oshae Brissett, Neemias Queta, Svi Mykhailuk, Dalano Banton and Jordan Walsh.

End Rant:

This was NOT a game the Celtics would have won a year ago. Usually when things went south the Celtics would try to do too much and go hero ball. Marcus Smart, Brown & Tatum would try to play the hero and it usually never worked. Having KP to settle things down and actually hit a big shot makes the difference in the world. The Celtics went on 15-5 run to end the game and that's the element that was missing last year under Joe Mazzulla. There were still a LOT of things wrong in the game including Jaylen Brown being awful and Mazzulla only using 9 guys in the game, but having a guy that can take over a game pays big dividends in the end. The deadly part is Brown had an off-night, what's going to happen on nights he's red hot? If he starts drawing double teams, Tatum or Porzingis will be wide open. That's good news for Boston and bad news for everyone else. The Celtics have the whole season to get Brown on track and find some semblance of a bench rotation, hopefully Mazzulla can take a step in year two as a coach. The Celtics are back in action Friday night and they better bring their A game because up next is the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat. Jimmy Butler & Tyler Herro come to town Friday night at 7:30 PM at TD Garden.