Celtics
The Celtics have now received six video games in a row.
The Celtics outlasted the Grizzlies 102-100 on Sunday, claiming their sixth straight win to enhance to 11-2 general and 3-0 on their present street journey.
Listed below are the takeaways.
1. The final minute of Sunday’s recreation was as insane an ending as you’ll see to an NBA contest. Let’s run down all the things that occurred.
With 37.1 seconds remaining, Desmond Bane missed a jumper, and the Celtics — who have been nursing a two-point benefit — grabbed the rebound. Derrick White introduced the ball up and gave it to Jayson Tatum, who waved off all screeners to assault Bane and his adverse wingspan 1-on-1. Tatum backed Bane down, then whirled and fired up a turnaround jumper.
The jumper missed, however the Celtics bought the rebound and located Tatum once more. This time, the Grizzlies despatched two defenders at him, presumably to foul. As an alternative of hanging on to the ball and accepting the foul, Tatum made the extremely questionable determination to go to Jrue Vacation who was chopping to the basket. Vacation then one-upped Tatum’s questionable decision-making by going up for a one-handed dunk towards reigning Defensive Participant of the 12 months Jaren Jackson Jr. Vacation’s dunk missed, and out of the blue, the Grizzlies had life and the ball.
On the opposite finish, Santi Aldama — who was the Grizzlies’ finest participant aside from Bane on Sunday — bought an excellent take a look at a 3-pointer however did the Celtics the big favor of lacking it. Ziaire Williams grabbed the offensive rebound and tried to again up and shoot a jumper, however Kristaps Porzingis despatched it packing. Throughout all of this, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins tried desperately to name timeout however did not get the officers’ consideration. Time expired, Williams complained for a foul, Porzingis mocked his makes an attempt to get the decision, and the sport was over in jarring vogue.
Ugly wins matter, and the Celtics bought one on Sunday.
2. On a night the place Marcus Sensible might be seen on the opposing sideline, the Celtics’ finest participant was Porzingis, who they bought in trade for Sensible. Porzingis poured in 26 factors on 9-for-13 taking pictures, made eight of his 9 free throws, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked six photographs, threw down the go-ahead dunk that gave the Celtics their last two-point lead, after which blocked the Grizzlies’ last shot try to protect that two-point lead.
On condition that the Celtics bought comparatively little from Tatum (20 factors, 7-for-13 taking pictures) and an actively adverse efficiency from Jaylen Brown (12 factors, 5-for-16 taking pictures), Sunday’s win was a reminder of what it prices to enhance within the NBA. Celtics followers liked Marcus Sensible for good purpose, so Brad Stevens’ purpose for buying and selling him wanted to be equally good.
It was.
3. Porzingis’ response to the blocked shot was fairly humorous.
Porzingis, nevertheless, sounded a little bit chagrined afterward.
“Actually, virtually a little bit an excessive amount of emotion,” he stated. “Like I need to virtually apologize to him in regards to the my physique language in the direction of the top, nevertheless it was simply such an emotional recreation, and refs and calls and all that simply including up all through the sport. It was just a few feelings popping out towards the top.”
4. The sport itself was uneven and ugly. The Celtics have been whistled for eight offensive fouls. The Grizzlies’ two prime scorers each shot an inefficient 11-for-27 from the ground. Either side appeared to take subject with the officers continually (much more so than standard in an NBA recreation). The truth that the Celtics can win an unpleasant recreation with their two finest gamers struggling can in all probability be taken as an encouraging signal.
5. Joe Mazzulla’s rationale for taking an early problem makes some sense if he’s certain he’ll win it, since groups now get a second problem in the event that they win the primary one. Possessions matter, and preserving an early one whereas sustaining your potential to name for one more late within the recreation is stable rationale.
Nonetheless, Mazzulla’s determination to problem an out-of-bounds name early within the first quarter felt rash within the second and was confirmed rash when officers upheld the ruling. The Celtics seemingly would have had a number of alternatives to problem later within the recreation as effectively. We haven’t examined the entire proof (and Mazzulla in all probability has), however we’re inclined to wonder if it’s clever to problem a name that early given {that a} referee crew that makes a mistake within the first 5 minutes could be prone to make just a few extra errors as the sport continues.
6. Sam Hauser didn’t break the sport open within the first half along with his barrage of 4 3-pointers (Bane helped the Grizzlies hold tempo), however he didn’t proceed his torrid tempo of late en route to fifteen factors on 5-for-7 taking pictures from three (and a type of misses was a full-court heave). Hauser is now taking pictures 53.8 % from deep in his final 10 video games.
7. The Celtics trotted out a wild lineup late within the third quarter after Porzingis picked up his fourth foul: White, Hauser, Payton Pritchard, Al Horford and Neemias Queta, who bought his first minutes of the season. Tatum and Brown didn’t play in any respect within the final 7:10 of third quarter, which was yet one more odd tidbit in a recreation stuffed with them.
As for Queta, he set an excellent display screen for a 3-pointer by White and bought himself into the field rating with a pair of rebounds.
8. Tatum’s quiet evening was amplified a bit by this one-handed slam over Bismack Biyombo, which regarded prefer it began out as a layup earlier than Tatum merely determined to mash it.
9. And at last, right here’s a wild stat that illustrates simply how uncommon it’s to lose as many sides of a recreation because the Celtics misplaced and nonetheless declare a win.
10. The Celtics wrap up their street journey on Monday after they tackle the Hornets. Ordinarily, the second evening of a back-to-back/third-game-in-four-nights/last-game-of-a-road-trip mixture could be a scheduled loss. However towards the 3-9 Hornets, who traditionally have had completely nothing for a participant of Tatum’s caliber, the Celtics might need an opportunity to brush this odd street journey earlier than they face the Bucks in a hotly anticipated showdown at TD Backyard on Wednesday.
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