Semi Ojeleye Has The Best Game Of His NBA Life As The Celtics Easily Beat The Raptors 120-106

 

    With their bumpy 2-3 West Coast road trip now thankfully in the rear view mirror, the Celtics (13-11 overall, 6-3 home) returned to TD Garden tonight in search of a win and nothing more. They found it as their supporting cast was amazing while their top stars nearly both reached double-digit assist totals (which is rare to say the least) in a 120-106 victory over the Raptors (12-14 overall, 6-9 away). Forward Semi Ojeleye was a surprise inclusion in the starting lineup and he came through with a career-high (24 points, 6 rebounds). Along with rookie guard Payton Pritchard (20 points, 5 rebounds), they were both 6-of-8 on 3-pointers to become the first teammates in franchise history to each hit six-plus 3s in the same contest. Point guard Kemba Walker (21 points, 5 rebounds) also recovered-for one game at least-from a rough trip as Boston improved to 2-0 vs. Toronto this season.

    Like a comet in the sky, don't expect to ever see Semi, Pritchard and Kemba all score 20+ points in the same contest unless it's a preseason game. It helped that shooting guard Jaylen Brown (12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) made up for an awful shooting night (3-of-14 from the field) with a career-high 10 assists. Swingman Jayson Tatum (17 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) also passed as well as we've ever seen from him, including seven dimes in the first half alone. This was just the type of win that the C's desperately needed and make no mistake, they cruised as they led by as much as 19 points while the Raptors never led in the entire 48 minutes which is incredible when you think about it. 

    Center Daniel Theis blocked four shots and fellow big man Tristan Thompson grabbed 11 rebounds off the bench in only 19 minutes of work. Toronto found out this morning that they would have their entire home slate this season in Tampa Bay and they have been playing much better lately after a miserable start to 2020-21. Point guard Kyle Lowry (team-high 24 points, 6 assists) and power forward Pascal Siakam (23 points) were the only guys that really showed up for the Raptors. Shooting guard Nolan Powell added 15 points and power forward Chris Boucher (12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks) made his case for starting since he was very effective in 25 minutes off the bench. 

    Boston kept its foot on the gas for almost the entire game as they outscored Toronto in every quarter but the third and they went over 30 points in the first, second and fourth. They were up 34-29 after one which morphed into 66-56 at halftime. The Raptors showed a flicker of life in the third (24-22) but it hardly mattered as the C's closed hard in the fourth (32-26) which allowed head coach Brad Stevens to empty his bench in garbage time (can you say Tacko Time?) with Jeff Teague being the only guy out of 14 players for the Celtics who didn't see the floor at all. 

    As you would expect with Ojeleye and Payton's shooting nights, the Celts hit 11 more 3-pointers (20-9) than the Raptors and made seven more free throws (22-15). Boston pulled down 17 more rebounds (49-32) including 11 more offensive boards (14-3) along with scoring 17 more second chance points (17-0) and seven more fast break points (12-5) than Toronto. The fun of this beating will be quickly forgotten if the C's don't take care of business tomorrow night (8, NBC Sports Boston) against the awful Pistons (6-19) who are tied with the Timberwolves for the worst record in the league. The Celtics know not to take them lightly though as they've already met twice this season and lost one of those meetings in Detroit. Boston has a ton of games in the next few weeks but especially with this stretch, they need to take advantage of the weaker teams on their schedule. The Pistons are 3-7 in their last 10 games and 1-11 on the road so I have a feeling, a blowout could be on the menu for Friday night at the empty Garden.

After A Week Off (3 Postponed Games), Celts Return With Their Biggest Blowout Of The Season

 

    Starting last Saturday when we found out that Celtics (8-3 overall, 4-1 home) superstar Jayson Tatum had tested positive for Covid-19, the past week has been a bit of a mess for our favorite NBA team. You wouldn't know that based on how they performed tonight as they returned to action for their first game in a week by torching the Magic (6-6 overall, 3-3 road) 124-97 at TD Garden. The 27-point margin of victory was the largest of the season for the Celts who also won their fifth straight game. Did I mention that they have the best record in the Eastern Conference and second best in the entire league, trailing only the Lakers (11-3)? Tatum and center Robert Williams-who seemed to have caused the mini-outbreak on the Celtics-were both out but Boston managed to dress 12 healthy players who all scored at least two points apiece.

    I'm not sure what the excuse was for the Magic, they are relatively healthy (injury and Coronavirus-wise although they live in Florida so who knows) but that didn't stop them from getting outscored in every quarter this evening. Boston doubled them up in points in the paint (66-33) and led by as many as 28 points in this complete laugher. With no Tatum, shooting guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 21 points, career-high 8 assists) was the best player on the court and he showed that in only 25 minutes of action. Point guard Jeff Teague (17 points) got a rare start with a juggled lineup and guard Marcus Smart added 14 points. Really all that you need to know about this contest is that forward Semi Ojeleye (18 points, 6 rebounds) outscored everyone on Orlando in just 20 minutes of work. Rookie guard Payton Pritchard had 16 points off the bench and shooting guard Javonte Green notched 10 points.

    Things got extra weird in garbage time as cult icon Tacko Fall (6 points, 5 rebounds) banked in a three-pointer and later took the Magic off the dribble and drove to the basket for an exclamation point dunk. Who cares that he clearly walked, we all needed that little burst of joy in our lives. Tristan Thompson (11 rebounds) started in place of Daniel Theis (10 rebounds) at center but they each had basically the same output in 21 minutes and 20 minutes respectively. Orlando might as well have not showed up since power forward Aaron Gordon led them with a measly 17 points. Small forward Dwayne Bacon (8 rebounds), center Nikola Vucevic (6 rebounds) and rookie point guard Cole Anthony (6 rebounds) all scored 15 points while center Khem Birch (12 points, 12 rebounds) had a double-double off the bench. 

    This originally was supposed to be a two-game series in Boston but the first leg on Wednesday was cancelled because well you know, Covid-19. Orlando's last game was on Monday at home (a 121-99 loss to the Bucks) and tonight's latest beating gives them four losses in a row after they were one of the biggest surprises in the NBA the first few weeks. Haha just kidding, you still are completely irrelevant. If you expected a bit of a slow start by the Celtics, they showed no signs of rust as they got out to a 34-28 lead after the first quarter and 60-48 at halftime. Third quarters and protecting big advantages have been some of the only real struggles for the Celtics in 2020-21 but not this time as they outscored the Magic 28-24 in the third quarter and 36-25 in the fourth quarter. 

    It didn't matter how many times Orlando's grizzled old head coach Steve Clifford pulled down his mask (much to the chagrin of NBA commissioner Adam Silver who warned him this week to stop doing that) to scream at his team or keep calling useless timeouts, nothing made a difference as Boston simply ran them out of the Garden. The Celtics shot almost 11% better from the field (51.1%-40.4%), hit 10 more three-pointers (17-7), grabbed eight more defensive rebounds (39-31) and handed out 11 more assists (25-14). Assuming that they can please God all stay home tomorrow and avoid another outbreak, the good times should continue for the C's as they host the hapless Knicks (5-8) on Sunday afternoon (1, NBC Sports Boston). Former Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau is in his first miserable year (and what a time for it!) as New York's latest revolving door head coach. Thibs obviously has no other interests besides coaching basketball or family that he actually cares about since who wants to be in charge of that joke of a team? Like Orlando, the Knicks got off to a nice start this season but true to form, they've lost their last five games after falling 106-103 tonight in Cleveland (6-7). The NFL playoff games don't start until later Sunday afternoon so you might as well tune in to Celtics-Knicks, what else do you have to do in mid-January during the pandemic?

Jayson Tatum (40 Pts) & The Celts' Bench (60 Pts) Combine To Drop The Raptors To 1-5 This Season

 

    Playing in the second night of a back-to-back and in the third game of a four-game road trip, the Celtics (5-3 overall, 3-2 away) weren't content with the requisite difficulty that comes from that typical situation in the NBA regular season (nevermind when it is during a pandemic). Nope, that wasn't enough for Boston as they visited Tampa Bay's Amalie Arena this evening to play the struggling Raptors (1-5 overall, 1-2 home). In addition to the jet lag and fatigue from traveling in such a crazy time, the C's also ruled out point guards Marcus Smart (sprained thumb) and Jeff Teague (sprained ankle) before tip-off but it hardly mattered as they rolled to a 126-114 victory behind a game-high 40 points from forward Jayson Tatum (6 rebounds, 2 blocks) who was easily the individual star of the game while Boston's bench which outscored Toronto 60-29 was also incredible in their own right. 

    Second-year point guard Tremont Waters (5 points, 5 assists, 4 turnovers, 4 fouls in 24 minutes) got only his second ever start for the Celtics (this ain't the G-League where he was an All-Star last season) and he understandably was a mess against one of the best backcourts in the league: point guard Kyle Lowry (18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) and shooting guard Fred VanVleet (team-high 35 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals). Celts center Tristan Thompson (7 rebounds, 2 blocks) was scoreless and power forward Daniel Theis (2 points) was not much better as Boston stumbled out of the gates in a major way, twice trailing by as many as 13 points (23-10 and 28-15) before cutting it to a little more manageable deficit at the end of the first quarter (32-23). 

    The C's immediately followed up that turd with their best frame of the season as they nearly tripled the Raptors' scoring output in the second quarter (38-14) to take a double-digit lead (61-46) into halftime. Their defense wasn't nearly as good in the third quarter but their offense was still on fire in the third quarter (39-35) so they were able to fly into the fourth quarter and let the bench put it to bed for the most part. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown (19 points, 5 rebounds) took a back seat to Tatum after he was so good yesterday afternoon in Detroit (1-6). Besides Tatum's brilliance, Boston's substitutes were the real story led by rookie point guard Payton Pritchard (23 points, 8 assists) who continues to defy expectations. He tied Tatum for the second most minutes played this evening (32), only two behind Brown-showing you how much C's head coach Brad Stevens already trusts him in just about any situation. Forward Semi Ojeleye continued his good work against the Pistons with 12 points and eight rebounds in what had to be a career-high 30 minutes of action. Power forward Grant Williams (14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks) was great and center Robert Williams (11 points, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks) had a double-double in only 20 minutes of play.

    As you can surmise from their awful start to this campaign and specifically how quickly this contest turned on its head, Toronto is a bit of a mess right now with the second worst record in both the Eastern Conference and the NBA at the moment. Power forward Pascal Siakam (22 points, 6 rebounds) is a decent player but you'll recall how much he was exposed in the bubble last season and you wonder how he'll recover from that. Luckily, the Raptors have way too much money already invested in him so they have little choice but to try and build his fragile confidence back up. Good luck with that as he was already suspended by the team for a game last week as punishment for going to the locker room after he fouled out in the previous game. Haha way to be a team player big guy! Small forward OG Anunoby scored 10 points and the only other Raptor to reach double-figures was shooting guard Terence Davis who added 13 points in garbage time off the bench. 

    All in all, this was a hell of an effort by Boston who as I already pointed out, had numerous excuses to play poorly tonight and lose to what figured to be a desperate rival. Instead, they showed some heart as they shot 8.8% better from the field than Toronto (48.8%-40%), hit two more three-pointers (15-13), dominated on the glass with 19 more rebounds overall (56-37) including 15 more defensive boards (44-29) and they blocked more than twice as many shots (9-4). Their reward is a few days in the Florida sunshine (don't forget your masks guys!) and their first showdown of the season with the Heat (3-3) on Wednesday night (7:30, NBC Boston). It's a great way to end their first long, multi-city road trip of 2020-21 by going up against the team that knocked them out in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals in September. Forward Jimmy Butler has been banged up already this season with an ankle injury of his own that he initially suffered in their Christmas Day game but as we saw just a few months ago, Miami is a bad matchup for Boston because of its guards Tyler Herro and Goran Dragic who along with center Bam Adebayo all took over that series at different times. I don't expect a win against the Heat but if it happens, it would be an awesome result that would further prove that the Celtics can compete with anyone in the East.

Despite A 122-120 Win, Squeaking Out A Split In Detroit Is No Reason For The Celtics To Celebrate

    This afternoon in Detroit while you were probably watching the NFL, the Celtics (4-3 overall, 2-2 road) picked up one of those rare wins in sports that felt more like a loss as they just sneaked by the lowly Pistons (1-5 overall, 1-3 home) 122-120 at Little Caesars Gross Pizza Arena. Don't misconstrue the overarching point here: any kind of win is always better than a loss, especially when the C's fell 96-93 to the Pistons on Friday night at the same empty place. Unlike in that setback, shooting guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 31 points) and forward Jayson Tatum (24 points, career-high 12 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks) each hit clutch shots late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. However, it should not have to come to that against what will undoubtedly be one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference and probably the entire league when the 2020-21 regular season concludes. 

    Washed up power forward Blake Griffin (13 points) returned from a concussion but he played like he was still in a fog, shooting 4-for-14 from the field including 3-for-10 on three-pointers. Forward Jerami Grant (team-high 22 points, 6 rebounds) once again was Detroit's best player vs. Boston so it was strange to see him give up the last shot to Griffin who shot-putted an air-ball on a desperation 3-pointer at the final buzzer. Center Mason Plumlee (13 points, 8 rebounds) scored a little more today than in the first matchup but at least this time, the Celts did a better job containing him on the glass while small forward Josh Jackson was off to a hot start with 13 points in 14 minutes before an ankle injury ended his day prematurely. Detroit's bench owned Boston's to the tune of 54-23, mercy. Former MVP Derrick Rose had 13 points and eight assists while shooting guard Svi Mykhailiuk added 15 points in 15 minutes. 

    As you'd figure, Boston had more balanced scoring from its starters which made up just enough for how badly their bench was outplayed. Center Tristan Thompson had another double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds), point guard Marcus Smart (17 points, 10 assists) had his best game of the season and his first double-double along the way while power forward Daniel Theis added 15 points. Head coach Brad Stevens gave forward Semi Ojeleye his most minutes of the season (22) and he responded by scoring 11 points including hitting a trio of three-pointers which is the equivalent of found money for the C's. Like Jackson, Celtics point guard Jeff Teague left with an ankle injury that is troubling with their second back-to-back of the season on the horizon.

    The miserable start in the first quarter that plagued Boston on Friday was nowhere to be seen as the two teams were close all game long. Detroit led 33-31 after the first quarter but the Celtics found themselves ahead 61-57 at halftime. The home team narrowed Boston's advantage by one point with a solid third quarter (31-30) and the C's barely survived (getting outscored 32-31) in the fourth quarter. Boston shot the ball great (56.3% to 47.7%) from the field which was much-needed since they barely got to the free throw line (25-13 in attempts and 22-9 in makes in favor of Detroit). The Celtics also controlled the glass with eight more rebounds (41-33) including four more offensive boards (12-8). Thanks to Tatum they had six more assists (35-29) which made up for twice as many steals by the Pistons (8-4) on Boston's eight more turnovers (17-9). 

    The C's were lucky they were playing the Pistons today and not a higher quality opponent since a better team would have punished them for being so sloppy. Following the end of this two-game set, Boston finally got out of Motown and headed directly to Covid-19 central, I mean Tampa Bay which is the temporary home of the Raptors (1-4). Tomorrow night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) will be the first meeting between the two Atlantic Division rivals since they went seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals in the bubble. The Celtics won that battle and hopefully they take advantage of a struggling team that thus far is one of the most disappointing clubs in the league less than two weeks into the regular season. The C's seemed to never win in Toronto so maybe playing the Raptors on what is essentially a neutral court will help mitigate that hex.