Well so much for last night's win against the Nuggets (15-13) meaning anything as the Celtics (14-14 overall, 7-5 home) followed that up with a frustrating 122-114 loss at TD Garden this evening vs. the Hawks (12-16 overall, 6-7 away). Guards Kemba Walker (left knee injury management) and Marcus Smart (left calf tear) along with center Daniel Theis (right index finger sprain) all missed the game for Boston but even if they had played, Atlanta's big three of point guard Trae Young (game-high 40 points, 8 assists, 2 steals), center Clint Capela (24 points, 13 rebounds) and power forward John Collins (20 points, 6 rebounds) are better than anyone that the C's could pair with swingman Jayson Tatum (team-high 34 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (22 points, 7 assists). This contest served as yet another reminder that the 2020-21 Celtics are full of potential but also wildly inconsistent and unable to sustain anything positive for too long.
Atlanta torched Boston's invisible defense, shooting 57.1% from the field and outscoring them by 14 points in the paint (60-46). Like the 7-9 Patriots of last season (sorry to bring them up!), it's hard to pinpoint only a few of the many major issues facing the C's because they have a ton of them already less than halfway through this campaign. For instance, their lack of depth is quite scary since head coach Brad Stevens felt the need to start both Semi Ojeleye (9 points, 2 steals) and Javonte Green (9 points, 2 steals). Curiously, rookie guard Aaron Nesmith (2 points in 21 minutes) was the first Celtic to come off the bench in this mess. Is GM Danny Ainge showcasing his higher first-round pick that thus far has been completely overmatched in his brief stay here?
Fittingly, Boston's best quarter was the first as they outscored Atlanta 35-33 but then it was all downhill from there. The Hawks took a six-point lead (62-56) into halftime and they were up by nine points (90-81) heading into the fourth quarter. Power forward Tristan Thompson (14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) was alright (trade bait?) and rookie guard Payton Pritchard (11 points) continues to bring a spark off the bench for the Celts. Swingman Cam Reddish added 13 points, six rebounds and two steals in the win for Atlanta. These same two teams are set to meet again on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at the Garden. Kemba will be back for the Celtics and possibly Theis as well. Needless to say, Boston really cannot afford to get swept on their home floor by a club that came in three games behind them in the Eastern Conference standings.
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