Celtics
The Wizards should not going to have a enjoyable season.
COMMENTARY
The Celtics blew out the Wizards 126-107 on Monday, resting their starters for your complete fourth quarter as they improved to 3-0.
Listed below are the takeaways.
1. After the Celtics beat the Knicks and Warmth, we opened by discussing how good the Celtics are, which felt acceptable — they beat different good Japanese Convention opponents and confirmed a few of the some ways they’ll win on any given evening.
After Monday’s recreation, we have to begin with the Wizards, who’re abysmal and appeared like one of many second-unit preseason opponents the Celtics confronted earlier this month. It was instantly clear watching a tiny Wizards beginning lineup with no plus defenders (and a number of minus ones) that the Celtics had been going to have the ability to get no matter they wished, every time they wished. Jaylen Brown drove to the basket and scored a layup. Jayson Tatum drove to the basket and scored a layup. Kristaps Porzingis lower to the basket and scored a layup. Porzingis bought to the rim once more and scored a reverse. Jrue Vacation buried an off-the-cuff mid-range jumper. That each one occurred on possessions two by six of the sport. Simply over six minutes into the sport, the Celtics already led 24-9.
The Celtics are a extremely good basketball crew — perhaps an elite one — however Monday’s recreation did little or no to measure simply how good they are going to be. The Wizards are going to artificially inflate offensive scores all 12 months.
2. With the disclaimer concerning the hapless Wizards out of the best way, we will transfer on to Brown, who appeared to get pleasure from his night of goal follow immensely. Brown made eight of his 13 3-point makes an attempt and completed with 36 factors in 31 minutes. He took full benefit of the Wizards’ incapacity to protect drivers early, which appeared to get him going from 3-point vary.
Brown’s profession excessive in made 3-pointers is 10, which he achieved in 2020-21 towards the Magic, however he equaled his second-highest whole, which got here in a 46-point outburst towards the Knicks through the 2021-22 season.
3. Tatum scored an exceedingly informal 33 factors in 27 minutes. Like Brown, he took benefit of the Wizards’ incapacity to protect drivers, and he additionally punished a much-smaller Wizards crew within the put up. At one level within the second half, Tatum discovered himself matched up towards Tyus Jones, who’s generously listed at 6-foot-1 (Tatum whirled and knocked down a jumper over Jones). The Wizards merely don’t have any gamers who method Tatum’s caliber.
4. The Wizards’ beginning lineup included Kyle Kuzma and Deni Avdija at energy ahead and middle, which robotically ceded six inches of peak and loads of size to Porzingis, and he scored with ease across the rim. Porzingis’ return to his earlier place of employment was met with a smattering of applause (a lot of these cheering might have been Celtics followers anyway, given what number of Celtics typically infiltrate Capital One Area) and virtually no resistance every time he bought the ball within the paint.
Porzingis completed with 15 factors on 7-for-9 taking pictures in slightly below 24 minutes.
5. To not preserve beating a damaged drum, however Jrue Vacation towards Jordan Poole was fairly unfair to the brand new Wizards’ signee as nicely. Poole spent years with the Warriors feasting off defenses who had been already stretched skinny attempting to comprise Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Now defenders like Vacation can comfortably key in on him, and the outcomes weren’t fairly. Poole was flustered all night, ending with 11 factors on 11 photographs and three turnovers, and Vacation was a lot too massive and robust for him to take care of on the opposite finish.
6. Within the third quarter, a annoyed Poole briefly confronted off with Porzingis earlier than teammates separated the 2. There wasn’t a lot pushing or jawing, only a temporary chilly struggle by which each gamers declined to maneuver away from one another after a whistle.
“Jordan Poole’s not going to battle. All of us noticed what occurred,” Brian Scalabrine quipped on the NBC Sports activities Boston broadcast, referencing the punch thrown by Draymond Inexperienced throughout final 12 months’s coaching camp which will have chased Poole out of Golden State.
7. At this stage, it appears protected to say Sam Hauser could be the form of sharp-shooter who makes 40 % of his threes as a result of he shoots 60 % for a number of weeks adopted by 20 % for a number of extra. Proper now, Hauser seems to be mired in one in every of his 20-percent stretches, however he did knock down two late within the fourth quarter after beginning the sport 0-for-6. He completed 2-for-9.
Throughout Hauser’s sizzling stretches this 12 months, the Celtics are going to be borderline unstoppable. Counting on these sizzling stretches, nonetheless, appears unwise.
8. It didn’t matter a lot (and most of the people in all probability stopped watching anyway), however the second unit gave up a 29-9 run spanning the third and fourth quarters that allowed the Wizards to trim what was as soon as a 37-point lead down to fifteen late within the fourth.
The sport was by no means in query, however the Celtics actually need their second unit to be higher. A more durable opponent might need pressured Joe Mazzulla to think about parachuting a few starters again into the sport, which is the final word mark of a job poorly executed by a bench unit.
Payton Pritchard can’t flip the ball over 4 occasions and shoot 0-for-8 from the sector (even when he does seize seven rebounds and dish out six assists). Oshae Brissett and Dalano Banton must be slightly higher than 1-for-7 from the sector. The Celtics are going to be a top-heavy crew all 12 months, however the second unit has to hold its weight to stability the roster slightly bit if for no different motive than to let the starters relaxation comfortably on the finish of a blowout.
9. The Celtics have 4 video games remaining earlier than they begin group play for his or her in-season match towards the Nets on Nov. 10.
Subsequent up: The Celtics head residence to tackle the Pacers at 7 p.m.
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