BOSTON — Don’t look now, however the Celtics are stringing collectively wins and turning the web page on an up-and-down couple of weeks en path to a formidable 39-16 file. That’s thanks a convincing 116-103 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday evening at TD Backyard.
They enter the All-Star break winners of three straight and seven of their final 8 video games, and now have per week off till their subsequent recreation (aside from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who each have All-Star obligations in San Francisco).
The Celtics jumped out to an 18-point first-quarter lead, and led by double-digits for nearly the complete second half, largely resulting from huge nights from Tatum (32 factors, 14 rebounds, 7 assists), Kristaps Porzingis (29 factors, 6 rebounds), and Derrick White (19 factors, 9 assists, 7 rebounds).
The Spurs rallied again and lower the deficit to eight within the fourth quarter, however Porzingis and Payton Pritchard (10 factors, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) hit back-to-back threes.
San Antonio was by no means in a position to make one other run, and the Celtics got here away victorious.
Right here’s what I noticed on the bottom at TD Backyard.
Coming into the All-Star break on a excessive be aware was a acknowledged precedence
Pregame, Joe Mazzulla referred to as Wednesday’s recreation towards the Spurs one of the crucial essential of the season, and after the win, Jayson Tatum acknowledged this was one they wished to get.
“The final recreation earlier than the All-Star break is all the time mentally one of many hardest video games for the yr,” Tatum defined. “It’s a protracted season, you’re touring so much, guys acquired plans for trip with their households and issues like that. In recent times, we’ve dropped this recreation a number of instances. So I assumed it was actually essential the way in which that we began, and made positive that we had been locked in all through the sport.”
There’s additionally the truth the Celtics have been inconsistent at house. Whereas Boston has the league’s greatest street file at 22-6, they’ve been mediocre at house of late, dropping three of 4 at TD Backyard getting into Wednesday’s matchup.
Tatum and the Celtics haven’t discovered a fantastic rationalization for why they’ve been higher on the street this yr, however they did wish to get issues again in entrance of their house followers.
“We worth the followers, and we worth their assist, they usually carry it each single evening, whether or not it’s preseason, league move, playoffs or the Finals,” Tatum stated. “We wish to respect that. We wish to play nicely at house. We wish to win.”
Jayson Tatum dominates (once more)
Cease me in case you’ve heard it this week: Jayson Tatum was masterful in a Celtics blowout win. Tatum adopted up a 40-point evening towards the Knicks and a 33-point evening towards the Warmth with a 32-point, 14-rebound, 7-assist efficiency towards San Antonio.
A lot of the injury was performed within the first half, when Tatum recorded 21 factors, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
“He’s probably the greatest gamers within the NBA, and he exhibits it each evening,” White advised NBC Sports activities Boston’s Abby Chin at halftime.
Afterward, Tatum credited his teammates for making the sport simpler for him, pointing to the Celtics’ plethora of shooters on the ground.
“A number of issues that I’m in a position to do on the court docket is due to the personnel that we’ve got,” he stated.
Torrey Craig relishes his Celtic debut
Torrey Craig, who signed with the Celtics on Thursday, was nonetheless recovering from an ankle sprain throughout the Celtics two-game street journey.
However, he made his debut on Wednesday evening, and it was a strong one for the season veteran. The 6’7 ahead checked into the sport halfway by way of the primary quarter and hit each of his first two three-point makes an attempt en route to six factors in 9 minutes.
Craig was listed as questionable till simply an hour earlier than tip-off, and he didn’t know if he was going to play. However, he went by way of his full pregame warmup at TD Backyard, working carefully with participant growth coach Phil Pressey.
Celtics followers clamored for his autograph from the sidelines, and whereas most gamers received’t signal stuff except they’re working by way of the tunnel after their warmup, Craig allowed followers to throw him gear and a pen as he wrapped up his exercise, which he fortunately tossed again to them.
Postgame, he mirrored on how thrilling it’s to play at TD Backyard.
“It was loopy,” Craig stated. “The ambiance, the group, the followers. It’s only a pleasure to play in entrance of a crowd like that. And yeah, man, I’m simply glad I made my debut within the Backyard. I’m glad I hit my first shot.”
He additionally showcased a supportive persona on the bench, standing and reacting raucously because the Celtics went on runs — at factors seeming harking back to Oshae Brissett’s sideline reactions from final season. His 9-minute stint additionally featured a block and a steal, and got here almost six weeks since his final energetic recreation, which was on Dec. 30.
“I used to be really in higher form than I assumed I used to be going to be,” Craig stated.
Mazzulla not often addresses particular person gamers extensively throughout timeouts, however he pulled Craig apart after his first stint to stroll him by way of some defensive coverages.
Mazzulla praised the 34-year-old veteran for asking a lot of questions, each throughout video games and through movie periods. The Celtics haven’t held a apply since Craig signed with Boston.
“Everybody’s gonna make errors,” Mazzulla stated. “Even the fellows which were right here in our system have made errors. To me, it goes again to the errors with effort versus the errors with out effort. He’s been the participant for a very long time who’s performed by way of errors and he’s a excessive vitality, excessive bodily man.”
Craig stated on Saturday morning when he first addressed reporters that he was wanting ahead to taking open pictures once they had been obtainable.
“All of the groups that I’ve been on have been preaching to me to shoot your shot and play with confidence,” Craig stated. “It’s no completely different right here. You possibly can inform the way in which they play, and the pictures they shoot — they take the pictures which can be obtainable to them. Clearly, they acquired powerful shotmakers in JB and Jayson. However, all these different guys, they’ll shoot the pictures which can be obtainable to them. I’ll do the identical.”
And, after his debut, Mazzulla stated he believed that the Celtics might achieve so much from Craig’s versatility.
“You gotta depend on his expertise,” Mazzulla stated. “He’s been round a very long time. He’s performed plenty of basketball. It’s not rocket science, so I feel it’s simply simplifying it, and simplifying it as a lot as we are able to, but additionally using the expertise that he’s had. He’s performed plenty of nice issues for good groups, and that’s why we’ve got him and we wish to make the most of that.”
Luke Kornet brings pleasure to the Celtics
On Sunday, Al Horford credited Luke Kornet for serving to the Celtics again towards their id in latest weeks. Pregame Sunday, Mazzulla was requested about Kornet’s affect — and he agreed with the notion that the 29-year-old middle has performed a considerable function within the crew’s latest success.
“I feel [it’s been] a number of the greatest basketball he’s performed, simply on each ends of the ground,” Mazzulla stated. “His physicality and rim safety are contagious, however he additionally brings a degree of pleasure to the sport on and off the court docket.”
Jayson Tatum smiled when requested about Kornet’s affect as a teammate after the win.
“Luke is among the greatest teammates you can have — extraordinarily selfless man, all the time speaking, by no means has a nasty day,” Tatum stated. “Extraordinarily humorous, he’s all the time cracking jokes in some severe moments, prefer it might be throughout the center of the sport, within the locker room, all the time on the bus, and on the airplane.”
However, Tatum additionally made positive to notice the affect isn’t simply felt within the locker room, explaining how Kornet has had a considerable on-court affect that generally goes beneath the radar.
“He’s been taking part in extraordinarily nicely these days — being extraordinarily bodily, giving us second, third probability offensive rebounds,” Tatum stated. “The best way he began that recreation in New York with defending the room, simply type of set the tone for us. His potential to set and stick screens, and catch the ball within the seam and discover a kick out — he’s simply unlocked some issues for us that possibly different individuals don’t discover, however he’s an enormous a part of our crew and an enormous a part of our success.”
Nonetheless no Jaylen Brown or Jrue Vacation (on the court docket) for the Celtics
Jaylen Brown missed his second consecutive recreation with proper knee tendinopathy, whereas Jrue Vacation missed his fourth straight recreation with a proper knee impingement. Mazzulla hasn’t had a considerable replace on the standing of both participant.
Brown went by way of his pregame warmup routine and was a game-time resolution. After he was dominated out, Brown signed a ton of autographs, wading by way of the TD Backyard early arrives to signal as a lot merch as doable.
