The Celtics spent a taxing three-day weekend in Orlando.
It started with a return to NBA Cup play, the place the Celtics watched a fourth-quarter lead unravel right into a nightmarish 26-14 Magic run on Friday evening. Boston chalked up the defeat — and its late-game Jenga tower collapse — to “rising pains” and a steep “studying curve.” So when final season’s first-round playoff foes returned for the second half of a uncommon back-to-back on Sunday, the Celtics had been ravenous for vengeance — and their efficiency mirrored it.
Boston’s protection held Orlando to a frigid 23.3% from past the arc, and the Celtics delivered a number of late-game daggers to seal a 111-107 win on the Kia Heart.
“I feel it was nice. I’m gonna preserve saying it,” Jaylen Brown mentioned. “Tonight was a fantastic run for us on the street and the way we responded to the final recreation. Final recreation, I really feel like we had been able to win — we form of let it get away from us a little bit bit, and possibly our spirit was down a little bit bit. However we got here again out, responded properly. Didn’t begin off the sport nice, however didn’t hand over a 40-point quarter at this time, in order that was large. After which we simply had some big-time guys make some big-time performs, and that’s what we would have liked.”
To start out the fourth quarter, the Celtics discovered themselves in a well-known spot in Orlando — chasing the win column, this time dealing with a manageable two-point deficit with 12 minutes to play. Brown led the way in which with 27 factors, Anfernee Simons added 25 off the bench, and people wanting to show themselves chipped in with well timed performs that helped push the workforce throughout the end line.
Third-year wing Jordan Walsh, rising as Boston’s newest quietly impactful difference-maker, knocked down a crucial go-ahead 3-pointer to place the Celtics up 110-105 with 13.2 seconds remaining. Orlando’s Paolo Banchero hung his head in defeat below the basket, whereas Walsh returned to Boston’s sideline to a wave of celebration, as teammates leapt to their ft, cheering and embracing the 21-year-old’s large second.
Walsh completed with six factors, six rebounds, 4 assists, and two steals in simply 13 minutes off the bench, offering precisely what the Celtics wanted, once they wanted it.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t solely Walsh who delivered within the decisive moments.
Rookie Hugo González, too, provided the Celtics with an important 3-pointer — his solely shot try of the evening — enjoying 13 minutes off the bench.
These contributions, mixed with a extra cohesive efficiency than what Boston confirmed Orlando 48 hours earlier, turned the newest encouraging stepping stone in what might be an extended, lengthy Celtics season.
“The sport, it all the time comes down to a few issues: we didn’t get beat in transition, we restricted them to at least one shot, and we acquired good pictures on the different finish — and we crashed and acquired offensive rebounds,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla mentioned. “We simply made these connection performs. We acquired again on protection, rebounded, acquired out, acquired some simple ones the place we ran, made some pictures — and if we didn’t make them, we acquired a few additional possessions. Hugo made an enormous shot, Jordan made two large pictures, and I assumed Payton (Pritchard), Derrick (White), Neemy (Queta), and Luka (Garza) held the fort down defensively. So it simply comes right down to these issues — you’ve acquired to do them longer than the opposite workforce, and people guys did it tonight.”
That’s Boston’s season-long problem: can the workforce excel within the areas that make up for its shortcomings? To this point, the reply is sure. The Celtics have proven glimpses of final season’s kind, even with a roster severely depleted of star energy.
The issue that arises is doing that for 48 minutes. That’s the pursuit.
Within the meantime, Brown is targeted solely on controlling what the workforce can management. That’s it.
“Simply preserve constructing, man,” he mentioned. “Maintain constructing on it sooner or later at a time. It’s nonetheless early within the season. I imagine in them. I imagine in all our guys — stick with the sport plan. Proceed to empower everybody, even by their errors, however ensure we’re comprehending the place we could be higher and studying, simply taking steps ahead. 5-6 just isn’t preferrred, however we could possibly be 7-4 proper now. So we simply gotta preserve going. Keep the course and don’t let our spirit break, and preserve getting higher each recreation.”
