BOSTON — Contemporary off of what was probably their worst lack of the season — a 13-point stinker to the 10-31 Raptors — the Celtics appeared to get again on observe at house towards the shorthanded Orlando Magic. And, from the soar, the Celtics appeared like a very totally different workforce than Wednesday’s, leaping out to a 7-point first-quarter lead that they solely additional prolonged each quarter.
Every quarter was characterised by a unique Celtic — within the first, it was Kristaps Porzingis who led the best way with 11 factors. The second quarter was all Jayson Tatum, who recorded 15 factors within the interval. And, by the third quarter, Jaylen Brown caught a rhythm, ending with 13 factors in third on 8-8 from the free throw line.
Listed here are 5 observations in regards to the 121-94 win from TD Backyard.
Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics remained calm via the workforce’s current skid
The surface world — the followers, the media, the pundits — has been dissecting every attainable clarification for the Celtics’ current lackluster play. Getting into Friday, the Celtics had dropped 7 of their earlier 14 video games, a stretch that included losses to the Raptors, Kings, Bulls, and 76ers.
However, whereas spectators looked for solutions, the Celtics themselves have appeared to easily settle for that lulls occur.
At shootaround Friday, Jrue Vacation shrugged when requested why he thought the Celtics had been struggling.
“Typically you simply undergo it,” Vacation mentioned. “I’m fairly positive folks in life simply undergo it — you’re probably not positive what it’s. You attempt to keep as constant as attainable, doing the suitable issues, and ultimately that may perform in a great way.”
Requested Jrue Vacation what he thinks the Celtics’ difficulty has been — effort, rhythm, a droop:
“Typically you simply undergo it. I’m fairly positive folks in life simply undergo it — you’re probably not positive what it’s. You attempt to keep as constant as attainable, doing the suitable issues,… pic.twitter.com/oO6pVtIw1v
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) January 17, 2025
Pregame, Joe Mazzulla echoed that sentiment — and shared that the Celtics had been embracing the problem of getting issues not go their method.
“Because of this you do what you do,” Mazzulla mentioned. “Because of this you play for the Celtics. Because of this you play within the NBA. Because of this you go after one thing that’s extraordinarily onerous to do — is for the problem of it. And to have an expectation of it being something apart from difficult is the incorrect approach to assault it.”
Jayson Tatum places collectively a surgical offensive efficiency
The response from the Celtics couldn’t have been significantly better, and quite a lot of that was because of the sturdy efficiency of Jayson Tatum.
Tatum’s stat line wasn’t too dissimilar from his season averages — he completed with 30 factors on 12-21 taking pictures, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and three steals— however his offensive method was beautiful.
He did most of his harm within the second quarter, exploding for 15 factors on 7-11 taking pictures and serving to the Celtics construct a double-digit lead that solely continued to develop within the second half. Notably, all however one among Tatum’s second-quarter baskets had been two-point area targets — together with a slew of fairly drives to the basket and midrange photographs over shut good friend Paolo Banchero. Fittingly, Tatum was additionally a team-best +24 in his 35 minutes of motion.
“I believe we’re in a great spot,” Tatum mentioned. “We’ve needed to play most of our season with totally different guys within the lineup and never everyone being wholesome. It’s type of like begin of the season proper now.”
Jaylen Brown brings essential power within the victory
Brown was primarily targeted on the defensive finish from the soar, taking pictures solely 5 photographs within the first half however taking part in lockdown protection and ending with three steals on the evening.
Joe Mazzulla on Jaylen Brown’s depth tonight:
“I favored simply how he was completely intense. That is vital to us. He brings a unique stage of mentality for us at occasions.” pic.twitter.com/hRfCkYppbM
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) January 18, 2025
The third quarter was Brown’s time to shine on the offensive finish, too. He scored 13 factors in that interval and completed the evening with 20 factors on 5-12 taking pictures, alongside 6 assists, and 6 rebounds.
“I favored simply how he was completely intense,” Mazzulla mentioned. “That’s vital for us. He brings a unique stage of mentality to us at occasions. And I believed tonight, he introduced an amazing stage of depth.”
Postgame, Brown — who’s averaging a career-best 4.8 assists per sport — instructed NBC Sports activities Boston’s Abby Chin that he’s adjusted into extra of a playmaking function this season.
“I simply do what the workforce wants me to do,” Brown mentioned. “I’ve been in a position to evolve via various things in my profession. This workforce, I’m extra of a playmaker, so I simply embrace it and get higher in that function and do what I do.”
Kristaps Porzingis is so again
After lacking the primary stretch of the season recovering from ankle surgical procedure, Porzingis has now performed in seven straight video games — by far his longest stretch of the season — and he’s starting to appear to be the identical high-impact participant that was one of many league’s prime put up gamers for a lot of final season. He completed with 23 factors on 7-10 taking pictures, and made his first six photographs on this one.
Postgame, Al Horford additionally credited Porzingis for his influence on the defensive finish: “KP did an amazing job defending the rim for us.”
Porzingis was way more upbeat postgame than he was after the loss to the Raptors — after which he lamented that the Celtics performed with none “spirit or character.”
“Right this moment, we appeared like a very totally different animal,” he mentioned.
Porzingis, who is usually essentially the most candid with the media after each wins and losses, additionally spoke to the stress of taking part in in Boston — a stress that he relishes.
“It’s an unbelievable privilege that we’re imagined to win each sport,” Porzingis mentioned. “We go into virtually each sport because the favorites, if not each sport. It’s a weight now we have to hold, a little bit bit stress that now we have to hold. However that’s anticipated with this. Now we have to take it face on and maintain constructing and maintain making us and the betting firms and everybody suppose that we’re going to be the favourite in each sport we go into.”
Up to now this season, he’s averaging 18.5 factors on 45.5% taking pictures (37% from three) and seven.3 rebounds. However that’s been trending upwards, and in January, Porzingis taking pictures a team-best 45.5% from three.
The three-pointers are lastly falling
The Celtics had been well past due for a robust three-point taking pictures efficiency. Going through the Magic, who’ve the NBA’s third-best defensive score, the Celtics hit 17 of 37 three-point makes an attempt, good for 45.9% taking pictures. The surface taking pictures was a complete workforce effort; Tatum hit 4-9 from three, Porzingis 3-5, Vacation 3-6, Horford 2-3, and Hauser 2-4.
“Right this moment, from a rhythm perspective, was a very good sport,” Porzingis mentioned. “We weren’t taking pictures a loopy quantity of threes, however we had been taking pictures the suitable ones. Instantly, our percentages had been up.”
Up to now this season, the Celtics have the Fifteenth-best three-point share within the NBA, at 36.3%. Final season, they shot 38.8% from downtown, which was the 2nd-best share within the league. Stringing collectively a number of good taking pictures performances might be key to protecting the Celtics within the win column.
