Trailing By 17 Points, The Celtics Rallied For A 114-107 Win In Game 2 Vs. Nets & 2-0 Series Lead

 

    It took them awhile to get started as they trailed by nine points after the first quarter (33-24) and by 10 points at halftime (65-55) but when the dust settled on Game 2 of the first round tonight at TD Garden, the Celtics came out on top of the Nets by a score of 114-107. With that result, Boston held serve to take a 2-0 lead in the series which heads to Brooklyn this weekend. As you can tell, this was not easy by any means for the Celts who were down by as much as 17 points (62-45) late in the second quarter but they stuck with it and eventually wore down the Nets. Game 3 at the Barclays Center on Saturday night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) is obviously a must-win for front-running Brooklyn since no NBA team has ever come back from a 0-3 series deficit. 

    Nets star power forward Kevin Durant scored a game-high 27 points but that is pretty misleading since he was once again ice cold from the floor (4-for-17) and had a game-high six turnovers but he made a living at the free throw line (18-of-20). Brooklyn's other star-point guard Kyrie Irving-was nowhere to be found as he put up a pathetic 10 points and eight rebounds in 40 minutes. Boston native and Nets small forward Bruce Brown opened the game on a personal 9-0 run and he parlayed that into an excellent performance: 23 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Shooting guard Seth Curry was good for Brooklyn with 16 points and off the bench point guard Goran Dragic remained lethal with 18 points. 

    I said after Game 1 that the Celtics have more depth than the Nets and they proved it this evening since all five starters scored at least 12+ points and two of the three bench guys also added double-figures. Boston's star shooting guard Jaylen Brown had a team-high 22 points, six assists and three steals while their other star-small forward Jayson Tatum-struggled with his shot (5-for-16) but still put up 19 points, a game-high 10 assists and six rebounds. Center Al Horford predictably wasn't as good as he was in Game 1 but he still managed to get 16 points, six rebounds and two steals while power forward Daniel Theis was better with 15 points and six rebounds. The NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart notched 12 points and five assists. Given the stage, power forward Grant Williams had his best game as a Celtic with 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks in 32 very productive minutes off the bench and even second-year point guard Payton Pritchard gave them a lift with 10 points in 16 minutes as a substitute. 

    They had an extra day off between Games 1 and 2 but KD was still in a funk and Kyrie played like he couldn't wait to get the hell out of here. If both of those guys have off nights then the Nets have virtually no chance to win against the more focused and locked in Celtics. Head coach Ime Udoka (who should have been one of the three nominees for NBA Coach of the Year) must have made some good adjustments at halftime as the C's were a different club in the second half. They outscored the Nets 30-25 then knocked them out in the fourth quarter (29-17) in front of Coach K and McLovin among other random celebrities. 

    For the game, Boston shot nearly six percent better from the field (52%-46.1%) and they had 11 more assists (27-16) than Brooklyn. As we thought, the Celts are a true team while the Nets are just a collection of big name talent surrounded by the island of misfit toys. For many reasons, a Celtics win in Game 3 would be huge; I don't want to completely look past the Nets yet since both Games 1 & 2 were decided by single-digits and you have to believe that Durant at some point will look like one of the best players on the planet. With that said, Boston's defense is superior to Brooklyn's which gives you confidence even away from the friendly confines of the juiced up Garden. If Boston can go up 3-0 in the series, I can definitely see Brooklyn completely folding and getting swept like you read about. For now though, let's just be happy that the Celts are up 2-0 and they haven't even played a complete game against the Nets.

The Celtics Were Very Active At The Trade Deadline But Will Any Of Their Moves Matter?

 

    The NBA Trade Deadline was this afternoon and the Celtics (31-25) were quite busy. In total, new GM Brad Stevens shipped seven guys out of town and only brought back two which means that they have five open roster spots to fill (they technically only need to add two more players for tomorrow's game vs. Denver). Boston acquired point guard Derrick White from San Antonio for guards Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford and a protected 2022 first-round pick. They also reacquired center Daniel Theis from Houston for centers Enes Kanter and Bruno Fernando plus guard Dennis Schroder. Finally, they dumped center Bol Bol (we hardly knew ya!) and guard P.J. Dozier to Orlando in exchange for a swap of conditional second-round picks while the C's also gave the Magic cash considerations. 

    When I look at who the Celts lost, Richardson (9.7 ppg) and Schroder (14.4 ppg) are the ones worth noting while everyone else is either a bust (Langford) or mostly useless (Kanter and Fernando). Admittedly, I don't know a ton about White since the Spurs (20-35) have become an awful team these last few seasons. However, he was part of Team USA at the 2019 FIBA World Cup along with Jayson Tatum so Boston's All-Star must have liked what he saw there with him. Head coach Ime Udoka also has to be very familiar with White since he was drafted by San Antonio in 2017 (29th overall) and has played there for his entire NBA career which is where Udoka started his coaching journey. Looking at his numbers, he seems like Marcus Smart Lite: 11.6 ppg for his career with 3.9 assists per game and 3.3 rebounds per game. He has decent size (6-foot-4 and 190 pounds) but he is not a good three-point shooter (.344 for his career). Thankfully, he is very solid at free throws (.836 for his career) so that shouldn't be an issue in close games. By most measures, he was having a career year for the lottery-bound Spurs: he's started 48 of 49 games and averaged 14.4 ppg, a career-best 5.6 assists per game, one steal per game and a career-best .869 from the free throw line. 

    If you are a Celtics fan, Theis needs no introduction because he was here for parts of four seasons before being traded to Chicago. Most recently, he was rotting away on the tanking Rockets (15-40) who are the worst team in the Western Conference. The C's have often been accused of falling in love with their own players and this is further proof of that. Still, Theis gives them some more quality depth at center/power forward behind budding star Robert Williams and veteran Al Horford who has been decent in his return to Boston but he can't have much left in his old legs. Based on their deals, we knew that Richardson and definitely Schroder weren't going to be Celtics for too long. Josh had actually come on lately off the bench and helped the C's on their season-high six game win streak that has brought them back from the dead. Predictably, Schroder has been more erratic and since he is going to be a free agent this summer, you could tell that he didn't care about anything but himself this season so good riddence to that clown. 

    Ultimately, all of these trades will be judged by how well White performs in Boston. Out of all the guys that were moved to and away from the Celtics today, he should be the best one of them all or at least very close to it. If he can mesh well with Tatum and Brown, he will be a Celtic for a long time. Likewise, if Udoka enjoys working with him then he can settle in and buy a house in the area rather than rent an apartment or condo. I assume that he'll be available tomorrow night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) as the Celts host the Nuggets (30-24) at TD Garden. Much like the Patriots last season, Boston has taken advantage of a soft portion of their schedule and Denver will represesnt their toughest test since they finally got untracked. 

The Celtics Seem Destined For The 2021 Play-In Tournament & Frankly They Deserve To Be There

    I have lived long enough to have seen plenty of terrible Celtics teams so while this season's edition is nowhere close to the worst record-wise, they have to be the softest of any that I can remember. No matter how seemingly hopeless their opponent is, Boston can still find a way to not only lose to them but get blown out. This evening at the United Center, the Bulls (28-39 overall, 13-20 home) swept the season series with the Celtics (35-32 overall, 14-19 away) thanks to a breeze of a 121-99 victory. As always, two of Boston's top players were out: Jaylen Brown (ankle) and Robert Williams (turf toe?) missed the game but that is still no excuse for suffering the millionth embarrassing loss of this cursed season to a non-playoff club. It was a very costly loss for the C's too since coupled with Miami's (36-31) 121-112 win vs. Minnesota (20-47), it dropped Boston down to seventh-place (aka the start of the Play-In tournament range) in the Eastern Conference. 

    Chicago is in 11th place in the East but they look like a playoff team when they have run into the Celtics this season. Center Nikola Vucevic had a triple-double with 18 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals while point guard Coby White (25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) and shooting guard Zach LaVine (25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) combined for 50 points. Our old German friend Daniel Theis added nine points and eight rebounds for the Bulls. In terms of margin of defeat, this was the biggest road loss of the season for the Celtics and they really drove that point home as they got outscored in every single quarter. Boston's point guard Kemba Walker had a game-high and completely useless 33 points while swingman Evan Fournier added 17 points and six rebounds in the depressing no-show. 

    There are only five games left in the regular season for the C's and their next two-both at TD Garden vs. the Heat-will go a long way to determining whether they have to slum it at the Play-In Tournament or they can sneak by and grab anywhere from the fourth to the sixth seed. The two most important contests of the year are Sunday afternoon (1, ABC) and Tuesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) against Miami who is .500 (16-16) on the road this season. Thanks to a postponed game, the only time that the Celtics and Heat have met this season was more than four months ago: a 107-105 road win by the Celts in Miami on January 6. I can't recall much from that matchup but looking back at it now, it was without a doubt one of Boston's best wins of the season. The Heat have been very up and down all season, much like the Celtics but as long as Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are all healthy and playing, it's hard to pick Boston over the team that wiped the floor with them in the Eastern Conference Final last season at the Orlando bubble.

The Celtics' Six-Game Winning Streak Ends With A Whimper As They Fell 102-96 To The Lowly Bulls

 

    The Celtics (31-27 overall, 18-11 home) had been playing so well lately-winning their last six games in a row-that we all started to forget the earlier problems that plagued them for much of this lackluster season. Unfortunately, their lack of depth, costly turnovers and brutal third quarters all came back in spades tonight at the TD Garden as they lost 102-96 to the Bulls (24-33 overall, 13-15 away). Swingman Evan Fournier (health and safety protocol) and center Robert Williams (left knee soreness) remained out for the C's while they were joined on the sidelines by guards Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart who both were out with illness (not Covid-19, apparently). Even with all those guys not playing, the Celtics should have still beaten a team that is clinging to 10th-place in the Eastern Conference and the final play-in spot. 

    Center Nikola Vucevic (game-high 29 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals) was probably the best player to be moved at the trade deadline this year and he's shown no signs of slowing down since coming to Chicago from Orlando. Point guard Coby White added 19 points and seven assists while journeyman Garrett Temple scored 13 points (I can just hear Charles Barkley saying his name during Inside The NBA's hilarious "Who He Play For?" segment) and veteran big man Thaddeus Young added 13 points and two steals off the bench. Finally, former Celtic Daniel Theis (6 points and 6 rebounds in 29 minutes) was pretty quiet in his first return to the Garden. As you can imagine, it was a mixed bag for the Celts as shooting guard Jaylen Brown led the way with 23 points while swingman Jayson Tatum followed up his 44-point explosion in Saturday's heart-pounding win vs. Golden State (29-29) with his first career triple-double (14 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists). The only issue with Tatum's game was that he shot 3-of-17 from the field which seems impossible for a player with his immense skills. Center Tristan Thompson added 11 points and five rebounds while spot starting rookie point guard Payton Pritchard tossed in 14 points.

    It wasn't going to be pretty but Boston was in decent shape as they led 30-24 after the first quarter but both teams went ice cold in the second quarter which resulted in a 48-42 halftime advantage for the C's. The Bulls woke up in the third quarter, outscoring the Celtics by a wide margin-32-18. Boston rallied in the fourth quarter a bit (30-28) but it just wasn't enough. Chicago had three times as many offensive rebounds (9-3) which resulted in 14 more second chance points (18-4). The Bulls also recorded nine more assists (30-21), four times as many blocks (8-2) and three less turnovers (15-12) than the careless Celtics.

    For the first time in over a month-which is truly insane-the Celts have two days between now and their next game on Thursday (7, NBC Sports Boston) at the Garden against the Suns (41-16 overall, 18-7 road). Future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul has helped Phoenix exceed expectations in a major way, they have not only the second-best record in the Western Conference but in the whole league. The only other time that these clubs met this season was on Super Bowl Sunday (February 7) in Phoenix, won 100-91 by the home team. For once, the C's will be rested while the Suns figure to be tired after playing at Philadelphia (39-18)-still the top team in the East-on Wednesday night. Dare I say it could be an NBA Finals preview for this summer? Haha yeah right, that's not happening. 

Evan Fournier & Mo Wagner Become Celtics While Daniel Theis, Jeff Teague & Javonte Green Are Out

 

    The NBA trade deadline came and went this afternoon with the Celtics (21-23) involved in two deals: they traded guard Jeff Teague and a pair of second-round draft picks to Orlando for French swingman Evan Fournier; they were also part of a three-way trade with center Daniel Theis and guard Javonte Green going to Chicago while power forward Mo Wagner (traded earlier in the day from Washington) and center Luke Kornet also came to Boston. Out of all these names, the only ones that really matter are Fournier and Theis. The rest are all guys that will either sit on various benches, be bought out or won't be in the league in a year or two.  

    Celts GM Danny Ainge was reportedly interested in Magic power forward Aaron Gordon but they lost out on him (of course) as he was sent to Denver in a separate deal so they settled for the consolation prize in Fournier. He was drafted by the Nuggets in 2012 (20th overall) and played there for two years before being traded to Orlando where he's played for the past seven seasons. I certainly have heard of him and have seen him plenty of times in games against the Celtics but with so few national TV games or playoff appearances, I'm not going to claim to be an expert on his game. 

    For his career, he has averaged 14.4 points per game, 37.6% on 3-pointers and 80.6% on free throws. He was obviously gunning for a big contract headed into free agency this summer as he is averaging the most points (19.7 per game) and the most assists (3.7 per game) in his career. At 6-foot-7 and a slim 205 pounds, he appears to slot in as a shooting guard or small forward depending on the lineup that Boston head coach Brad Stevens wants to employ. He's been a starter for basically the past six years with the Magic but then again, he's almost never been on a good team (not that the Celtics could be considered one either at the moment) so it'll be interesting to see what role he gets.

    It's sad to see Theis go, especially since his last moment as a Celtic was missing a game-winning 3-pointer last night against the Bucks (29-14). He will never be the biggest guy but as an undrafted free agent from Germany, he got better every year in his four seasons with Boston. He has averaged a career-best 9.5 points per game and 5.2 rebounds this season. He was a likable guy and easy to root for, hopefully he doesn't get lost in the shuffle with the Bulls (19-24) who have been rebuilding for years. For a guy that nobody knew a thing about when he signed with the C's, he had plenty of nice moments in big games including the playoffs. 

No Jayson Tatum (Illness) & No Kemba Walker (Rest) = Yet Another Road Loss For The Celtics

 

    The Celtics (21-22 overall, 8-15 away) are such a mentally fragile team this season that even the slightest thing can throw them off and cause them to lose. Tonight at the FedExForum in the second half of a back-to-back, they tried hard (something that certainly couldn't be said in every loss by them recently) but lost 132-126 in overtime to the Grizzlies (20-20 overall, 11-13 home). They were already missing point guard Kemba Walker-who never plays in back-to-back games-along with power forward Tristan Thompson (still in the league's health and safety protocol) and then an hour before the game started, swingman Jayson Tatum was declared out with "an illness." He's already dealt with Covid-19 earlier this year so I doubt he tested positive again but during the pandemic, unfortunately you have to be skeptical whenever you hear something like that. Would you believe that the C's have now dropped to 1-9 in their last 10 road games? Of course you would, because it's sad but true. 

    Boston fell to eighth-place in the Eastern Conference and this was an important contest for the hosts as well since they are fighting for a playoff spot in the typically tougher Western Conference; with tonight's victory, they remain in 10th place there. Grizzlies superstar point guard Ja Morant was in control with a game-high 29 points and nine assists, small forward Dillon Brooks added 24 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals, center Jonas Valanciunas (16 points, 19 rebounds) has been a Celtics killer since he was in Toronto and small forward Kyle Anderson notched 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks. The final kick to the gut for the C's was the 13 points scored off the bench by Memphis rookie shooting guard Desmond Bane. He was actually picked 30th overall by Boston in the draft but traded two days later as part of the three-team trade involving center Enes Kanter going to Portland. Thank God the C's hung on to rookie swingman Aaron Nesmith (5 points, 5 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench this evening).

    With no Tatum and Walker, the burden of carrying Boston's offense fell to shooting guard Jaylen Brown (team-high 27 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) who played a team-high 40 minutes but went 11-for-24 from the field including 3-of-11 on 3-pointers (a night after draining 10 of them). Point guard Jeff Teague got the start in place of Kemba and he made the most of it with his best performance in a Celtics uniform which unfortunately all went for naught: 26 points and six assists in 39 minutes. Guard Marcus Smart had a very Marcus Smart offensive game with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists which sounds fine except when you see that he was 5-for-14 from the field and 3-of-9 on 3-pointers. Center Daniel Theis had 13 points and six rebounds while center Robert Williams (17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks) and power forward Grant Williams (10 points) were both factors off the bench. 

    The Celts led 30-24 after the first quarter and 65-60 at halftime. That lead was erased by the Grizzlies in the third quarter though as they outscored the C's 34-21. Boston owned the fourth quarter (31-23) but predictably ran out of gas in OT (15-9 Memphis). With basically no defense allowed, there were some wild numbers in this game: the Grizzlies grabbed 11 more rebounds (54-43) including 12 more offensive boards (17-5), they had seven more assists (38-31), five more steals (8-3) and they scored 26 more points in the paint (80-54!). The finesse Celtics hit five more 3-pointers (17-12) and made five more free throws (15-10) but it takes more than that to win at the Grindhouse. 

    Things only get sketchier from here for the Celtics as they get an extended stay in Milwaukee for matchups with the Bucks (28-14 overall, 17-5 home) on Wednesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) and Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). Giannis was out with a left knee sprain tonight but his team still managed to destroy the Pacers (19-23) 140-113. If I know the Celtics this season, he'll return for both of those games and he will drop triple-doubles in their eyeballs as Milwaukee extends its win streak to nine games as they jostle with the Nets (29-14) and 76ers (30-13) for the top seeds in the East.

While You Watched March Madness Or Enjoyed A Beautiful Day, Jaylen Brown Hit 10 3-pointers

 

    I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I watched every minute of this afternoon's Celtics (21-21 overall, 13-7 home) game against the Magic (14-28 overall, 5-15 road) at the TD Garden, but honestly who did that isn't employed by either team? Boston rolled to a 112-96 victory behind another outstanding performance by shooting guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 34 points) who hit 10 3-pointers, a new career-high and only one behind Marcus Smart's franchise record that he set last season. Swingman Jayson Tatum (23 points) and Brown were so good that they didn't need much help from their teammates although it was a rarity to see all five Celtics starters score in double-figures in the same matchup. 

    The NBA Trade Deadline is on Thursday and you have to believe that Orlando will be looking to trade guys like power forward Aaron Gordon (12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) or shooting guard Evan Fournier (16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists) who could both create a decent return. Magic center Nikolay Vucevic (22 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists) has always been underrated in my estimation but I'm sure if you want him, you have to pay a very high price. Small forward James Ennis III (18 points, 5 rebounds) was the final bright spot for Orlando. 

    Sunday was a great day for The Others on the Celtics as center Daniel Theis (13 points, 11 rebounds) notched a double-double, point guard Kemba Walker added 14 points, five rebounds and two steals and Smart finished with 11 points and eight assists. The Celts shot 7.4% better from the field than the Magic (45.5%-38.1%), thanks to Jaylen they hit more than twice as many 3-pointers (23-11) and they had seven more assists (27-20) than the visitors. Did you realize that the #4-10th ranked teams in the Eastern Conference are only separated by a total of 2.5 games? That means that the final 30 games of the regular season for the Celts promise to be both very entertaining and hopefully unpredictable.

    This being the Celtics in 2021, you just knew that they would struggle in the first quarter of play after a brutal stretch of losses. Orlando led 31-27 after the first quarter but Boston recovered to head into halftime with a 56-48 advantage. The C's continued their strong play in the third quarter (outscoring the Magic 33-25). The two teams played to a stalemate in the fourth quarter (23-23). Up next, Boston has a four-game road trip that begins with a back-to-back since they'll be in Memphis (19-20 overall, 10-13 home) tomorrow night (9, NBC Sports Boston) followed by two games in Milwaukee (27-14) on Wednesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) and Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) then ending in Oklahoma City (18-24) on Sunday night (9, NBC Sports Boston).

Things Just Aren't Getting Any Better For The Celtics As They Lose To The Kings Once Again

 

    The Celtics (20-21 overall, 12-7 home) are in a really dark place right now as the losses continue to pile up. The scary part is there seems to be no end in sight as they can't find a way to beat some of the worst teams in the NBA. Tonight at the TD Garden, on a day when head coach Brad Stevens had to fend off more rumors that he's going to bolt to be the head coach at Indiana University any second now, his team once again came out flat and had to pay for it as they fell 107-96 to the Kings (17-24 overall, 8-12 away). Sacramento swept the two-game season series and you have to wonder what it will take to get through to these Celtics? This is simply not acceptable and no matter what the team's flaws are, they should not be in eighth-place in the Eastern Conference and a game under .500 this far into the season. 

    The Kings are in 11th place in the Western Conference but they looked like a playoff team the two times that they've met the Celts in this doomed campaign. Sacramento point guard De'Aaron Fox (game-high 29 points, 5 assists, 2 steals) was the best player on the court and he was followed closely by center Richaun Holmes (25 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals) who put together one of his best games as a pro. Small forward Harrison Barnes (15 points, 13 rebounds) another rumored trade target for the C's probably doesn't even want to come here at this juncture. Finally, shooting guard Buddy Hield (22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) added his requisite solid outing whenever he plays the Celtics.

    Shooting guard Jaylen Brown (19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals) led the C's in scoring despite not even reaching 20 points. Point guard Kemba Walker added 16 points and seven assists while swingman Jayson Tatum (15 points, 7 rebounds) is playing like he's still battling Covid-19 (and I don't say that to make light of the situation, only to point out how bad he's been lately for him). Center Daniel Theis put up 14 points and eight rebounds while center Robert Williams (12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) continues to be one of the only bright spots for this underachieving group. 

    If it's a big game and or one that they should win, you can bet that the Celtics will probably get off to a poor start. The Kings outscored them 28-22 in the first quarter and it was 55-45 Sacramento at halftime. Boston's one real push came in the third quarter as they took that 36-27 but nobody will ever remember that since they closed with a whimper (25-15 Kings in the 4th quarter). Gross. Sacramento shot 2.8% better from the field (45.7%-42.9%) than Boston, they attempted 19 more free throws (26-7) and hit 15 more of them (21-6) which is really hard to do in the NBA on the road. The Kings also blocked more than twice (9-4) as many shots as the Celtics. 

        The C's will try to snap this three-game losing streak on Sunday afternoon (3:30, NBC Sports Boston) as they host another non-playoff team-the Magic (14-27 overall, 5-14 road). Boston has three games between now and Thursday-the NBA Trade Deadline. Not for the sake of this season but at least for the future, I have to hope that GM Danny Ainge will do something to improve this painfully mismatched team. Tatum and Brown are too good to be having such a mediocre season, maybe bring in a veteran leader that they can lean on? Otherwise, what are we doing here? A small number of fans will be able to return to the Garden a week from Monday but honestly, who wants to watch these losers in the middle of a pandemic? Talk about wasting your money, you can definitely find a better activity than that without even trying that hard.

The Celtics Predictably Crumbled In The Fourth Quarter Against The NBA's Top Team-The Jazz

 

    If you like the NBA in 2021, you should be rooting for the Jazz (29-10 overall, 13-8 away)-who currently own the league's best record-assuming that you're not just a bandwagon Lakers (27-13) or Nets (27-13) fan. Not to sound like your grandfather or a lame high school coach but they play the game the right way: they have a bunch of good players that compete and they share the basketball. This being a superstar driven league, sorry Mormons but we already know how this will sadly end for them-with a postseason exit vs. a loaded team like Los Angeles or Brooklyn. Tonight at the TD Garden, they beat the Celtics (20-19 overall, 12-6 home) 117-109 to sweep the two-game season series. Haha needless to say, I don't think that they'll be meeting in the NBA Finals this summer though that's mostly doubting the C's chances of getting anywhere close to that level.

    Boston actually led by two points (79-77) going into the fourth quarter but like many other times in this disappointing season, they faded when the pressure ratcheted up on them. Utah exploded in the fourth quarter, outscoring the home team 40-30. Honestly, it's amazing that the Celts were that close to begin with since the Jazz ended up draining nine more 3-pointers (19-10), attempting 20 more free throws (24-4!!) and hitting 19 more free throws (22-3!!) than them. Like the C's, the Jazz have an excellent pair of All-Stars in shooting guard Donovan Mitchell (team-high 21 points, 5 assists) and center Rudy Gobert (16 points, 12 rebounds, 4 blocks) but the difference is that the supporting cast around them is far superior. It's also a bonus that they play two completely different positions. Point guard Mike Conley had 17 points and five assists, small forward Bojan Bogdanovic added 12 points and six rebounds while guard Jordan Clarkson (20 points) caught fire off the bench making five 3-pointers in 30 minutes of extended run while everyone's favorite Aussie Joe Ingles notched 14 points and five rebounds as well as a substitute. 

    The Celtics' dynamic duo of swingman Jayson Tatum (game-high 29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (28 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) were both great as they usually are but the team missed power forward Tristan Thompson who was out for the game due to the health and safety protocol. This forced head coach Brad Stevens to start Semi Ojeleye who had zero points and two rebounds in 19 minutes which is beyond pathetic. Center Daniel Theis (15 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists) did his best and point guard Kemba Walker (16 points, 5 assists, 2 steals) was fine but center Robert Williams (14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks) was the only guy on Boston's bench to do anything notable.

    Up until the collapse at the end, it was a very entertaining regular season contest as Boston was up 22-20 after the first quarter then Utah took a slim 54-53 advantage into halftime. The Celtics came out well enough in the third quarter (26-23) but it didn't matter when they couldn't keep up in the fourth when the Jazz played at their best. It being St. Patrick's Day on Wednesday, you knew that the NBA needed the Celtics to have a game so they are in Cleveland (8, NBC Sports Boston) to play the Cavaliers (14-25 overall, 9-10 home). After a decent start to the season, the Cavs have plummeted down the standings which is par for the course without LeBron James. They have lost their last four games and center Andre Drummond is still sitting on their bench in street clothes waiting to be traded or bought out. What a life! It's the second night of a back-to-back for both clubs so they are on an even playing field. Also, they both had to travel since Cleveland was in Miami (22-18) for a 113-98 loss on Tuesday. I'm not predicting it will happen but a Celtics loss to that garbage team on St. Patrick's Day would be too perfect in 2021. 

In Case You Forgot, The Celtics Are Nowhere Close To The Nets' Level (Even Without Kevin Durant)

 

    After a fraudulent four-game win streak heading into the All-Star break, it was back to reality for the Celtics (19-18 overall, 7-13 away) tonight as they began the second half of the season with a 121-109 loss at the Barclays Center vs. the Nets (25-13 overall, 14-6 home). It was their seventh straight loss on the road which seems like a sneaky major issue. The sad part for Boston is that with guard Marcus Smart's (19 points off the bench) return to action, they were as healthy as they've been in months while Brooklyn didn't even have Kevin Durant (hamstring) available. The Nets are one of the hottest teams in the entire league (9-1 in their last 10 games) and if they ever get Durant along with guards Kyrie Irving (game-high 40 points, 8 rebounds) and James Harden (22 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists) together on the court for a sustained amount of time, yikes look out world. 

    Coming back from the All-Star game, we all wanted to see how the two All-Stars on the Boston would react and the early returns were mixed: swingman Jayson Tatum had a team-high 31 points and five rebounds while shooting guard Jaylen Brown (13 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) struggled immensely shooting a woeful 5-of-23 from the floor including 3-for-12 on 3-pointers. As is usually the case these days, offense wasn't the main issue for the Celts, their defense continues to let them down time after time. Center Daniel Theis had 17 points, eight rebounds and two steals while point guard Kemba Walker scored 11 points and center Robert Williams blocked six shots off the bench in only 17 minutes of action.

    For Brooklyn, small forward Joe Harris scored 12 points while shooting guard Landry Shamet (18 points) hit six 3-pointers off the bench and former Celtic Jeff Green added 11 points. The Nets will never be a great defensive team (and really who is anymore in NBA?) but that hardly matters since they possess the most explosive offense in the league. This was the carbon copy of many losses this season for the Celtics as they were close all game long before they completely fell apart at the end where the Nets closed on a 13-3 run after Boston cut it to 108-106. The Celtics led 29-23 after the first quarter but trailed by three at halftime (58-55). Boston outscored Brooklyn 31-30 in the third quarter but they were no match for them in the fourth quarter (33-23).

    The Nets shot 2.6% better from the floor (47.7%-45.1%), hit six more 3-pointers (19-13), made four more free throws (18-14), grabbed six more rebounds (45-39) including six more defensive boards (34-28) while Brooklyn had eight more second chance points (28-20) than the Celtics. From the marquee lights of a primetime game on TNT to the anonymity of a Sunday night (8, NBC Sports Boston) visit to lowly Houston (11-24 overall, 5-10 home), the C's next game is against one of the worst teams in the NBA. Losers of their last 14 games (!!!!!), the Rockets are tanking like you read about: haha they lost by 20 points this evening to the Kings (15-22 overall, 9-12 home) 125-105. These days, I wouldn't bet anything on the C's with your money let alone my money but good lord, if they lose to the Rockets, I might be rendered speechless. No pressure guys.

For The First Time In Over A Month (January 24 & 25), The Celtics Have Won Two Games In A Row

 

    Without All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown (left knee soreness) in the lineup tonight at TD Garden, the Celtics (17-17 overall, 10-5 home) did just enough to come away with a 111-110 victory over the Wizards (13-19 overall, 7-10 away). Boston withstood a standard 46-point eruption from Washington shooting guard Bradley Beal (7 rebounds, 2 assists) who fell to an incredible 0-11 when he scores 40+ for the Wizards. It was not pretty at times but it got the job done as Boston's other All-Star swingman Jayson Tatum (team-high 31 points, eight rebounds & three steals) scored the last six points for the Celts and he helped play defense on his guy Beal who missed a corner jump shot at the buzzer that would have won it. With no Brown, point guard Kemba Walker (21 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) and center Daniel Theis (20 points, 9 rebounds) ably picked up the slack while the next highest Celtic in scoring was shooting guard Javonte Green (8 points) who took Brown's place in the starting lineup.

You may laugh at Washington but the fact was that they entered this evening as one of the NBA's hottest clubs (they were 8-2 in their last 10 games). With that said, besides Beal-who is an All-Star as well-the Wizards don't have much in terms of quality players. Point guard Russell Westbrook had a double-double (24 points, 11 rebounds) while their other three starters combined for two points which seems impossible unless your dopey head coach is Scott Brooks. Washington's other sharp shooter-small forward Davis Bertans (20 points in 26 minutes off the bench)-is going to be a Celtic at some point in his career, you know that right? Sideshow Robin Lopez added 10 points off the bench for the Wizards. Celts center Tristan Thompson had a brutal shooting performance (1-for-9) but he still managed to grab 13 rebounds which included six offensive boards.

    Boston grabbed 13 more rebounds than Washington (49-36) featuring six more offensive boards (13-7) and seven more defensive boards (36-29). The Celts also handed out nine more assists (25-16) which is always a winning formula at any level of basketball. The C's led by five points (33-28) after the first quarter and both teams scored 27 points in the second quarter so Boston was up by five points (60-55) at halftime. The Wizards outscored the Celtics by two ugly points (21-19) in the third quarter which set up a very intense fourth quarter (won by Washington 34-32). This victory brought the home team back to the .500 mark (I can't believe that is a big deal this far into the season but here we are) while also moving them up to sixth-place in the Eastern Conference-tied with Miami and Toronto. 

    There are two games left in the first half of the regular season for the Celts and they are both big ones as they host the Clippers (24-12 overall, 12-6 road) on Tuesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) followed by the Raptors coming to town on Thursday (7, TNT) before everybody goes their separate ways during the All-Star break. Speaking of that, is there a way to make sure that Brown travels to his hometown of Atlanta for his first NBA All-Star Game but he stays safe health wise and sits out the actual game (thus learning from the mistakes that Kemba and Kyrie Irving have made that weekend in past years)?

After Three Straight Losses, The Celtics Finally Decided To Give That Winning Thing A Try Again

 

    After falling into a deep, dark hole the last few weeks-the product of going 3-8 and losing in a variety of excruciating ways-you better believe that tonight's 118-112 win by the Celtics (16-17 overall, 9-5 home) against the Pacers (15-16 overall, 8-6 away) at TD Garden meant something to them. Whatever you think of the players, their head coach and GM, we can all agree that they should still have a better record than they currently do since they have two All-Stars (did you hear about this?) and the Eastern Conference looks very mediocre behind the top three teams of Philadelphia (22-11), Brooklyn (22-12) and Milwaukee (20-13). One game in the standings separates the No. 4 team in the East (Toronto) from the No. 10 team (Charlotte) so yeah, it's going to be a wild race for the playoffs. A rested Kemba Walker (game-high 32 points, 6 assists) was sensational in his best game of 2020-21-granted that's not saying much-and he needed to be since those aforementioned stars-swingmen Jaylen Brown (15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) and Jayson Tatum (9 points, 9 rebounds)-look physically, emotionally and mentally drained. 

    Things certainly got off to a rough start for the home team as Indiana led 18-4 less than five minutes into the contest. Thankfully, the skittish Celtics settled down and actually outscored the Pacers 32-31 in that opening frame. Each club had 29 points in the second quarter so Boston took the slimmest of leads (61-60) into halftime. For once, the C's were ready to roll right away in the third quarter and that propelled them the rest of the night as they took those 12 minutes 31-24. Indiana got one more bucket than them in the fourth quarter (28-26) but the Celts did just enough to hang on for perhaps their most important victory of this campaign. 

    Center Daniel Theis' days in the starting lineup are probably numbered but he played well in this one with 17 points and three blocks. The guy that should eventually replace him-Robert Williams-continued his strong play with a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) and three blocks off the bench in only 22 minutes. It was bumpy for awhile but in his third NBA season, he appears (fingers and toes all crossed) to have made a huge step in his development both on and off the court. With his nearly limitless potential, it's not crazy to think that he's a key part of this group ever getting back to the high level of play that they've been at in the last few years. After basically being in a coma for weeks, veteran point guard Jeff Teague has now scored 14 points in back-to-back games which doesn't sound like much but a few days ago, we were thinking that this could be it for his professional career. 

    Pacers power forward Domantas Sabonis celebrated getting named to his first NBA All-Star Game (as an injury replacement for Kevin Durant but he should have been on it in the first place) by dropping a team-high 24 points along with nine assists and six rebounds. Shooting guard Justin Holiday (19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks), center Myles Turner (17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) and point guard Malcolm Brogdon (12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) all scored in double-figures. The other Holiday brother on the Pacers-Aaron-also added 15 points and two steals off the bench. At some point, they'll have to reunite with their older brother Jrue (currently on the Bucks) and all play on the same NBA team at the same time. Wouldn't that be something? 

    As a team, Boston shot nearly 12% better from the field (51.2%-39.3%) and they scored 16 more points in the paint. Allowing 112 points in regulation on your home court isn't exactly a defensive masterpiece but at least they made Indiana work for their points after that absurd start. It sounds silly to say it but the Celtics get another chance to beat the Wizards (12-18 overall, 7-9) on Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston) at the Garden. The C's had that embarrassing loss in DC on Valentine's Day (104-91) which surprisingly has turned Washington into one of the hotter teams in the league: 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Wizards are only 2.5 games out of a playoff spot and Tatum's main man Bradley Beal is an All-Star as well so the Celts need to take them seriously this time or else they'll lose again.

C's Take Rd. 2 vs. Hawks Thanks To Kemba Walker (Season-High 28 Pts) Turning Back The Clock

 

    At this point in his NBA career, it's hard to know what exactly Celtics (15-14 overall, 8-5 home) point guard Kemba Walker (team-high 28 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) is going to have in a given game. That's why nights like tonight are such a tease as Boston beat Atlanta 121-109 at TD Garden, a bit of payback after the Hawks won here on Wednesday and dropped the home team to the .500 mark. This was the fourth time this season that the C's have played a two-game set against the same opponent and they are 1-1 in three of them (losing Game 1 all four times) and 0-2 in one (falling twice in Philly to the best team in the East). All five Celtics starters scored at least 14 points in the victory while they led by as much as 25 points before hanging on as the Hawks cut it to a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter. 

    Last night, Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum (25 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (17 points, 6 assists) were not named starters (no surprise there) for the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game but they are both expected to be named reserves on the team. This is a big deal since Tatum made his first All-Star team last season and it would be Brown's first of his career-ironically in his hometown of Atlanta. For once, all of Boston's big guys played well in the same contest: power forward Tristian Thompson had 17 points and five rebounds, center Daniel Theis added 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks while Robert Williams was great off the bench with 12 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals in only 16 minutes of action. For Atlanta, point guard Trae Young (game-high 31 points, 11 assists, 3 steals) and center Clint Capela (24 points, 15 rebounds) were both very good yet again but the difference this time is that the Celtics managed hold down Atlanta's others. Nobody else on the Hawks scored in double-figures and power forward John Collins (8 points on 3-of-13 shooting) was a non-factor after he had 20 points two nights earlier. 

    The C's were ready to go right from the opening tip (what a concept!) and that showed in a strong first quarter (33-22) and an even better second quarter which gave them an insurmountable 66-41 halftime lead. Each team scored 32 points apiece in the third quarter and then Atlanta finally woke up a bit in the fourth quarter but it was thankfully too late to make a real difference. Boston shot 13.4% better from the field (55.6%-42.2%) than the Hawks, they hit four more 3-pointers (14-10), pulled down seven more defensive rebounds (35-28), blocked twice as many shots (12-6), they scored 14 more points in the paint (66-52) and twice as many fast break points (12-6). 

    The Celtics now depart on a three-game road trip that on paper at least doesn't look that difficult: they are in New Orleans (12-17 overall, 7-7 home) on Sunday afternoon (3:30, ABC) to take on Zion Williamson and the Pelicans in a nationally televised matchup, weather-permitting they go to Dallas (13-15 overall, 6-8 home) on Tuesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) for their first look at Luka Doncic and the Mavericks this season and they wrap things up in Atlanta the next night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). Who's drunken idea in the NBA league office was it to have the Celtics and Hawks face each other three times in a week in the regular season (these aren't make-up dates for postponed games)? None of those three clubs are over .500 and zero are currently playoff teams so the Celts need to go at least 2-1 on this trip. A mark of a good team in any sport is that they take care of business against the bad teams. They will see some of the league's brightest young talents but make no mistake, Boston should beat all of their mediocre at best teams.

    

    

    

It's Bad Enough To Lose To The Pistons Once This Season But Twice? Come on Celtics, Wake Up!

 

    May I ask a simple question: what the hell is wrong with the Celtics (13-12 overall, 6-4 home)? Coming off a promising win over the Raptors (12-14) last night, they fell flat on their face tonight at TD Garden as they lost 108-102 to the tanking Pistons (7-19 overall, 2-11 away). Detroit has already played Boston three times this season and they've won two of those games so they are 2-1 vs. the C's and 5-18 against the rest of the NBA. Wait what? As if this result needed any more of a kick to the nuts, they watched rookie swingman Saddiq Bey-who was taken five picks (19th overall) after Celts rookie Aaron Nesmith who rarely ever plays-dominate them to the tune of a team-high 30 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and a perfect 7-for-7 on 3-pointers in 27 ultra productive minutes off the bench. Ouch babe!

    Point guard Kemba Walker sat out for the second game of a back-to-back which is his custom for this season, guard Marcus Smart (left calf tear) remains sidelined for awhile longer and center Robert Williams (left hip soreness) has missed these past two games with a bizarre injury for such a young guy but none of this should matter in terms of winning or losing against Detroit. Anyone that they throw out there should be capable of beating a wretched team like the Pistons. Rookie guard Payton Pritchard got his first career start and after dropping 20 points against Toronto (for the 2nd time), he no-showed with just two points. Even more worrisome, swingman Semi Ojeleye (who scored a career-high 24 points in Thursday's win) was rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup as well but he left early and never returned with a right knee injury. Fingers crossed, we don't know the severity of that issue yet but geez. 

    Trailing by 13 in the fourth quarter, Boston cut it down to a two-point Pistons lead but then Bey hit some clutch 3-pointers to end any hopes of an improbable rally. Shooting guard Delon Wright (22 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) also played well for Detroit while small forward Jeremi Grant (15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) and power forward Blake Griffin (12 points, 6 assists) also scored in double-figures and shooting guard Josh Jackson (5 rebounds, 2 blocks) added 14 points off the bench. For the Celtics, swingman Jayson Tatum (33 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (27 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) combined for 60 points but none of their teammates really did anything notable. In fact, center Daniel Theis (11 points, 9 rebounds) was the only other Celtic to reach double-digits in scoring which is crazy against such a terrible opponent. 

    I don't want to overreact to a single game but this is a bigger issue that's been building lately since the C's fell to 3-6 in their last nine games. The Pistons were up 27-23 after the first quarter and 54-52 at halftime. Whatever head coach Brad Stevens said at halftime didn't work as Detroit outscored Boston 28-20 in the third quarter. The C's took the fourth quarter (30-26) but not by enough so it didn't matter one bit. Thanks to Bey's sharp-shooting, the Pistons hit seven more 3-pointers (15-8) than the Celtics, they had 10 more assists (25-15), they blocked three times as many shots (6-2) and their bench obliterated Boston's (49-20). 

    All that the C's can do now is to dust themselves off and take out their collective anger on another doormat-the Wizards (6-17) who they visit on Sunday afternoon (1, NBC Sports Boston) at the Capital One Arena. They beat Washington 116-107 on January 8th, the night before Tatum tested positive for Covid-19 which started an outbreak on the team that caused their next three games to be postponed. Poor Bradley Beal is still stuck on that miserable team which has the worst record in the Eastern Conference and second worst in the NBA with only Minnesota (6-20) owning an even more pathetic record. Sunday is Valentine's Day so I'd recommend focusing on that (if you can), because Celtics-Wizards is going to be one gross game that really cannot bring us any joy, only further anger and frustration. Good times!

The C's Limp Home After A Choppy West Coast Road Trip (2-3) That Ended With A Loss In Utah

 

    There is no shame in losing to the team with the best record in the NBA, haha you will notice I didn't say the best team since we all know that the Lakers (19-6) are still the team to beat. You could also say that tonight was a schedule loss for the Celtics (12-11 overall, 7-8 away) since they had been stuck in Salt Lake City-which is always a tough place to win-for a few days and away from home for over a week now. Still, by falling 122-108 this evening against Utah (20-5 overall, 10-2 home) at Vivint Arena, the fact is that Boston finished 2-3 on their difficult West Coast road trip and they return home with plenty of questions surrounding them. They don't have much time to figure things out either as they fly home tomorrow and then have three games in four days and five games in the next seven days. Uh oh.    

    After missing two games with a left knee injury, Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown (team-high 33 points, 8 rebounds) didn't miss a beat as he pushes for his first All-Star Game (which shouldn't physically take place in 2021 but I digress) appearance. Conversely, former All-Star Kemba Walker (7 points, 7 assists, 2-of-12 from the field) is in a major funk save for 24 points in the win over the Clippers (17-8) on Friday-one of the only highlights of the trip. Without much from him, the C's are basically a two-man team of Brown and swingman Jayson Tatum (23 points). Center Daniel Theis hit five 3-pointers but he can't have too many nice things all at once so he promptly fouled out in 28 minutes.  

    There is a reason that the Jazz have won 17 of their last 18 games, they are clearly a cohesive group with defined roles led by superstar guard Donovan Mitchell (game-high 36 points, 9 assists, 2 blocks) who is playing out of his mind even by his lofty standards. Small forward Joe Ingles (24 points, 6 assists) might not look like your typical NBA player but he does so many things well on a basketball court. Center Rudy Gobert (18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks) added a double-double and swingman Bojan Bogdanovic (16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists) made some timely baskets as the Celtics cut Utah's lead down to four multiple times in the fourth quarter but that's as close as they would get. Guard Jordan Clarkson notched 13 points and five assists off the bench for the Jazz as well.

    Boston's defense has been predictably MIA since their defensive catalyst Marcus Smart hurt his calf on January 30 vs. the Lakers. He might be wildly overrated-especially by Green Teamers and most Celtics media members-but at times like this when he's out, it's so easy to argue that Smart makes the Celtics much harder to play against. The C's led 27-24 after the first quarter and only trailed by one point (48-47) at halftime. Utah took control with a huge third quarter (outscoring Boston 42-32; tying the most points allowed in a frame by the C's this season) and they always had an answer in the fourth quarter when Boston threatened to make it really tight.

    Utah shot 3.4% better from the field (47.6%-44.2%), made five more 3-pointers (18-13), hit five more free throws (24-19), grabbed six more rebounds (41-35) including seven more defensive boards (31-24), handed out 10 more assists (28-18) and blocked five more shots (7-2) than the Celtics. No matter who they face at the moment, there are (at least temporarily) no automatic wins for Boston. They host Toronto (11-13) on Thursday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) then they have a back-to-back with Detroit (6-18) coming to town the next night (8, NBC Sports Boston). That's followed by a Valentine's Day matinee (1, NBC Sports Boston) in DC with the Wizards (6-15). The Celtics somehow are still in fourth-place in the Eastern Conference but don't be fooled by that since they are only 1.5 games ahead of the eighth-place Raptors. Head coach Brad Stevens has to hope that their fortunes will change at the Garden where the Celts are 5-3 this season. Whatever it takes, they just need to start stacking up some more wins since they are 4-6 in their last 10 games which is not going to get it done, especially in a shortened campaign like this. 

While You Were Shoveling Snow Or Fixing A Super Bowl Feast, The Suns Beat The Celtics 100-91

 

    With a bunch of late night games on this West Coast road trip, the Celtics (12-10 overall, 7-7 away) have been able to hide from the masses after some rough performances and conversely, their nice wins have barely registered locally since few people were watching them live. Today was a different story though as they had a early tip time of high noon in Phoenix (13-9 overall, 6-4 home) and with a snowstorm in New England, you had few other things to do besides watching this ugly game. The Suns topped the Celts 100-91 as Boston fell to 2-4 in its last six contests. C's star Jaylen Brown missed his second game in a row with left knee soreness. These clubs should be roughly at the same level but at the moment, Phoenix is better as the Celtics search for that elusive consistency. Boston got dominated inside-getting outscored 46-26 in the paint-and their shooting was woeful (48.8% for Phoenix to 35.5% for the visitors). 

    The Suns have been mostly awful (and irrelevant) for years but with point guard Chris Paul (15 points) in his first season with Phoenix, you can sense that he is bringing a culture change to a team that has a bunch of young and talented players. Small forward Mikal Bridges (19 points, 9 rebounds) was the high scorer for the Suns who had five guys score in double figures with at least 15 points apiece. Shooting guard Devin Booker (18 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds) wasn't too far off from a triple-double while center Deandre Ayton (16 points, 11 rebounds) also had a double-double and small forward Cameron Johnson (17 points) was great off the bench for Phoenix. 

Boston head coach Brad Stevens was forced to tinker with his shaky starting lineup and guard Carsen Edwards (2 points in 17 minutes) failed to provide any kind of spark. Swingman Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 23 points (on 22 shots) and had seven assists. Point guard Kemba Walker (14 points) followed up his promising outing on Friday in the upset of the Clippers with his worst shooting performance as a Celtic: he went a dreadful 4-of-20 from the field which seems almost impossible for someone with his shot-making ability. Woof. Power forward Grant Williams (10 points) was the only other starter to reach double figures in scoring. Center Daniel Theis (12 points, 6 rebounds) and rookie guard Payton Pritchard (12 points, 5 rebounds) both showed that maybe they shouldn't have come off the bench vs. the Suns. 

    The final score is deceptively close because Boston's biggest lead was one measly point while Phoenix's ballooned up to as much as 17 points. The Suns outscored them 27-19 in the first quarter but Boston's only quality frame was the second as they outscored Phoenix 30-25 to cut it to 52-49 at halftime. The Suns didn't exactly run away with it-taking the third quarter 24-19 and then closing it out with a similar last quarter (24-23). Phoenix grabbed nine more total rebounds (50-41) including 13 more defensive boards (41-28). The home team also hit four more free throws (12-8) and blocked three more shots (5-2). 

    The C's have one last game left on this trip and it's probably the toughest one of them all if they want to finish above .500 (3-2) on it: they are in Salt Lake City on Tuesday (10, NBC Sports Boston) to face the Jazz (19-5) who currently own the best record in the NBA. Utah is always one of the tougher places in the league to play at and the Jazz have been one of the biggest positive surprises this season. Guard Donovan Mitchell (who averages 23.5 points per game) is one of the better players in the NBA even if Shaq stubbornly disagrees with that general consensus. I couldn't tell you what to expect from that matchup since every time you doubt the Celts they play good basketball. A win would put a bow on what has been a weird week for the Celtics traveling far away from home and playing some of the best clubs in the Western Conference.

As Currently Constructed, The Reality Is That The Celtics Are Just Not A Very Good Basketball Team

 

    Save the excuses, like every other team in the NBA doesn't face the exact same obstacles that the Celtics (11-9 overall, 6-6 away) dealt with tonight at the Golden 1 Center against the Kings (10-11 overall, 6-6 home) who beat them 116-111. It was the second night of a back-to-back for Boston and they were missing guards Marcus Smart (calf), Kemba Walker (load management) and Payton Pritchard (knee). Still, no matter who they put out on the floor, they should find a way to beat a nothing team like Sacramento. Instead, they are left to ponder what went wrong as they got outscored 35-29 in the fourth quarter when point guard De'Aaron Fox (team-high 26 points, 11 assists, 2 steals) took over the game in favor of the home team with 13 points in the final frame.

    In the back of my mind, I knew that this was going to happen because for whatever weird reason, Sacramento has always given them tough games for the last few years even though they usually stink. Small forward Harrison Barnes (24 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds) played about as well as he ever does, shooting guard Buddy Hield (15 points, 11 rebounds) had a rare double-double and rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton (career-high 21 points, 2 steals) was awesome off the bench in 30 minutes. For the Celtics, swingman Jayson Tatum (game-high 27 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds, 2 steals) just missed his first career triple-double and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (21 points) showed up too. Power forward Tristan Thompson (17 points, 10 rebounds in 22 minutes) put together his best game as a Celtic but oddly enough barely played at all in the fourth quarter. Center Daniel Theis (11 points) was the only other player on Boston to score in double figures. 

    Jeff Teague (7 points on 1-of-6 shooting) flopped in his spot start at point guard and Tremont Waters (3 points, 5 assists) wasn't much better at spelling him off the bench. Thanks mostly to Haliburton, Sacramento's bench outscored Boston's 35-28 which was predictable given who was in street clothes for the C's. Power forward Grant Williams made an important 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and center Robert Williams (9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) was good in limited minutes but Boston has too many borderline G-League guys taking up space on their roster. Unless you have LeBron James and Anthony Davis like the Lakers do, every other top NBA team needs a Big 3. With Kemba in his hobbled state (not to mention how up and down he's been when he has played), the Celts don't really have that much outside of Tatum and Brown who are both fantastic (Charles Barkley voice). 

    Boston led 26-22 after the first quarter but Sacramento answered to take a one-point (52-51) advantage into halftime. The Celtics outscored the Kings by a single basket (31-29) in the third quarter so it all came down to the fourth quarter where the Celtics typically wilt under pressure. As you can probably guess, most of the stats were very similar. Sacramento hit two more 3-pointers (13-11), they had three less turnovers (13-10) and they scored five more second chance points (16-11) than Boston. It certainly doesn't get any easier for the Celtics on this five-game West Coast road trip as they visit the Clippers (17-6) on Friday (10, ESPN) at the Staples Center. LA is one of the best teams in the league and their duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is a better and more experienced version of Tatum and Brown. Walker will be back and hopefully Pritchard will be available too, since the C's can use all the help that they can get at the moment.

C's Not Only Lost A Winnable Game Vs. The Lakers But Marcus Smart Might Be Out For A Long Time

 

    Tonight served as a double gut punch for the Celtics (10-8 overall, 5-3 home) at TD Garden as they had two late shots that would have won it but neither fell as they lost 96-95 to the defending champion Lakers (15-6 overall, 11-2 road). Even worse than that, Boston's guard Marcus Smart (7 assists, 2 steals) went down with a scary looking injury that the team called a "left calf injury" but all the wannabe medical experts on social media were quick to theorize that it was a dreaded Achilles injury. Smart will get an MRI tomorrow as we await word on their defensive leader and one of the true heart and soul players of the team. After they forced a steal from Lakers star Anthony Davis (team-high 27 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals), the Celts got a great look at a game-winning stepback jumper for guard Kemba Walker (1-of-12 for 4 points) but it missed and center Daniel Theis' (14 points, 7 rebounds) rushed followup also rimmed out as time expired.

    This would have been a great signature win for the Celtics because forward Jayson Tatum (game-high 30 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (28 points) actually outplayed Davis and superstar LeBron James (21 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) who is still one of the best players in the league in his 17th season which is absurd on many levels. I'm not saying that Tatum and Brown are better than AD and LBJ, that's preposterous but this was tangible proof that they belong in the conversation for one of the best duos in the NBA right now. Point guard Dennis Schroder (12 points, 7 assists) was the only other Lakers starter to score in double-figures. Center Montrezl Harrell (16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals) and small forward Kyle Kuzma (11 points, 6 rebounds) were both good off the bench for LA. 

    Boston's bench was terrible as they got outscored 35-15 by LA's bench. Five substitutes played for the Celtics but center Robert Williams (10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) surprisingly was the only one to really do anything positive. It was a tight game basically the whole way as the Lakers were up 28-24 after the first quarter and the Celtics got a little closer by halftime, trailing by three points (52-49). Boston made their move in the third quarter (29-19) but they wilted under the pressure of the fourth quarter as the Lakers avoided their third straight defeat with a solid final frame (25-17). Boston shot almost five percent better from the field (48.8%-44.0%) but Los Angeles hit three more 3-pointers (9-6) and four more free throws (13-9) along with grabbing three more rebounds (45-42) including four more offensive boards (13-9). The C's had four more assists (24-20), two more steals (10-8) and two more blocked shots (6-4) which shows you how close the margin for defeat turned out to be. 

    Boston is about to embark on by far their toughest (and longest) road trip of the season: their next game isn't until Tuesday (10, TNT) as they visit Golden State (11-9) which kicks off five games in a row in California, Arizona and Utah. They see the top two teams in the Western Conference-the Jazz (15-4) and the Clippers (15-5)-and Phoenix (10-8) should be a playoff team this season as well. The only bad team on the trip is the Kings (8-11) but it's the night after the Warriors game so all bets are off there. Any way you slice it, these next few weeks could be very rough for the Celts and they might easily return home (their next game at the Garden is Feb. 11 vs. Toronto) with a losing record. Yikes!

UPDATE 1/31/21: Hello everybody, good news on Marcus Smart's injury. Today, the Celtics said that it's a Grade 1 strain of his left calf. The team said that he'll be out for two to three weeks. Given how serious it appeared to be last night, this is a very positive development. Get well soon, Marcus!

Tatum Returns & C's Easily Take The Second Game Of A Back-To-Back, Winning 119-103 At Chicago

   Let's be honest: there are so many bad teams currently in the NBA. I suppose that the same thing could be said about any of the other top professional sports leagues in the U.S. but it feels even more pronounced now with so many blowouts and utterly predictable results early on in this pandemic-infested season. Boston (10-6 overall, 5-4 away) got a gift from the scheduling gods this evening as they visited Chicago (7-10 overall, 2-5 home) at the United Center. The fact that the Celts had played last night in Boston (granted it was a joke against Cleveland) hardly mattered as they dominated the awful home team 119-103. The outcome was never really in doubt as Boston led basically from start to finish and pushed their advantage to as high as 22 points before cruising to another easy win. Star Jayson Tatum was back from his Covid-19 enforced two-week plus vacation and he looked fresh as lettuce with 24 points and five assists. 

    Guard Jaylen Brown (team-high 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) continues to play the best basketball of his brief NBA career while point guard Marcus Smart (13 points, 11 assists, 2 steals) had a double-double in place of a resting Kemba Walker (knee), center Daniel Theis (19 points, 3 steals, 3 blocks) played well once again and power forward Tristan Thompson grabbed 10 rebounds in only 17 minutes of action. Nobody scored in double-figures from Boston's bench but five guys posted at least six points: rookie Aaron Nesmith is finding his stroke as he canned three more 3-pointers, power forward Grant Williams and point guard Jeff Teague both scored eight points and finally guards Carsen Edwards and Javante Green each added six points apiece.

    My man Bulls head coach (and fellow PC alum) Billy Donovan has his work cut out for him trying to turn that franchise back into a winner after years of mediocrity. Shooting guard Zach LaVine (game-high 30 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) is the new Devin Booker: a guy putting up huge but empty numbers on a doormat team. My favorite Finnish basketball player (who knew that was a thing?) Lauri Markkanen scored 18 points and had six rebounds but Chicago's other three starters combined for seven total points. Not great! Power forward Thaddeus Young (16 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) barely missed out on a triple-double and small forward Otto Porter Jr. (13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) also had a positive impact off the bench for the Bulls. 

    The Celtics displayed no obvious signs of fatigue by jumping ahead 33-25 after the first quarter and never looking back. They were up 60-50 at halftime and 91-76 going into the fourth quarter. Boston mixed a good shooting night from the field (50.6%-46.6%) with an aggressiveness that we'd love to see from them a bit more often. They attempted twice as many free throws as the Bulls (20-10) and hit four times as many (16-4) which when you think about it is a very rare feat in today's crooked NBA. The C's have been noticeably solid lately on defensive rebounds (38-32) and they had five more steals (9-4) and six less turnovers (18-12) which propelled them to 16 more points off turnovers (35-19) than hapless Chicago. 

The two-game road trip should get at least a little more interesting on Wednesday (8:30, NBC Sports Boston) as the Celts pay their only visit of the season to the Spurs (9-8) at the AT&T Center. If Kemba plays against San Antonio-which I fully expect that he will-we could finally get our first glimpse of this Celtics team at full speed with their entire roster healthy and on the court together in this campaign. Boston's first meeting with the Lakers (14-4) happens on Saturday night (8:30, ABC) at TD Garden. I mention that so you won't be shocked if the C's are caught looking ahead a bit.

While You Were Watching The AFC Championship Game, The Celtics Ran Over The Cavaliers 141-103

 

    Tonight at TD Garden, we were all treated to a phenomenon that I believe occurs most frequently in the NBA compared to MLB, NFL or the NHL. One team (the Celtics) showed up in a big way while their opponent (the Cavaliers) couldn't be bothered to put forth anything that resembled a professional effort. Haha sorry to sound like such a hardo but it's true. Boston (9-6 overall, 5-2 home) came in with three straight losses but you would have never guessed that with the precision that they dismantled Cleveland (8-8 overall, 3-5 road) 141-103. The final score really says it all, doesn't it? C's star Jayson Tatum missed what hopefully is his last game while he recovers from Covid-19 but he was far from needed this evening. Guard Jaylen Brown (33 points, 2 steals in 19 minutes) set a new NBA record for most points scored in the shot clock era in under 20 minutes of playing time.

    This was never even close to a competitive game because the Celts dropped a season-high 38 points in the first quarter to take a 17-point lead right out of the gate and that was followed by their highest scoring half (73 points) of 2020-21 and a 22-point advantage going into the break. Believe it or not, despite this debacle, the Cavs are a much improved team that should push for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference this season. Seriously. That hardly mattered to the Celtics who extended their win-streak vs. the Cavaliers to a whopping nine games. All 14 Boston players that dressed were able to get on the court for at least nine minutes of work. Point guard Kemba Walker (21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) was also efficient with his time, center Daniel Theis (17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) filled up the box score and guard Marcus Smart (12 points, 9 assists, 5 steals) just missed out on a double-double. Guard Carsen Edwards scored a career-high 18 points in 19 minutes off the bench and rookie small forward Aaron Nesmith (11 points, 6 rebounds) finally showed a brief glimpse of why he was picked 14th overall by Boston in this past draft.

    The lopsided result occurred at the perfect time as well for Boston since they hit the road after this game to head to Chicago (7-9 overall, 2-4) for tomorrow night's (9, NBC Sports Boston) meeting with the Bulls at the United Center. Likewise, they couldn't have picked a much easier opponent on the second part of a back-to-back than rudderless Chicago who has been rebuilding for most of the past decade or so. Before tonight's matchup with the Cavs, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens sounded optimistic that Tatum could return against Chicago for his first game since January 8. I'm sure that he will be rusty whenever he gets back but Brown has been on fire for most of this season and Kemba is improving with every outing that goes by. Guard Zach LaVine (26.8 points per game) can score with the best of them in the NBA, Finnish big guy Lauri Markkanen (18.6 points per game) and point guard Coby White (15.9 points per game and 5.9 assists per game) are both quality young players but my fellow PC alum and the new head coach Billy Donovan sure has his work cut out for him in the Windy City. The Bulls haven't been relevant for years on end and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.