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 document. That’s thanks a powerful 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 sport (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 whole second half, largely as a result of massive 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 sport towards the Spurs probably the most vital of the season, and after the win, Jayson Tatum acknowledged this was one they needed to get.
“The final sport earlier than the All-Star break is at all times mentally one of many hardest video games for the yr,” Tatum defined. “It’s an extended season, you’re touring loads, guys received plans for trip with their households and issues like that. Lately, we’ve dropped this sport a number of instances. So I assumed it was actually vital the way in which that we began, and made certain that we had been locked in all through the sport.”
There’s additionally the truth the Celtics have been inconsistent at dwelling. Whereas Boston has the league’s finest street document at 22-6, they’ve been mediocre at dwelling of late, dropping three of 4 at TD Backyard coming 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 dwelling followers.
“We worth the followers, and we worth their assist, and so they convey it each single evening, whether or not it’s preseason, league move, playoffs or the Finals,” Tatum mentioned. “We wish to respect that. We wish to play properly at dwelling. We wish to win.”
Jayson Tatum dominates (once more)
Cease me if you happen to’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.
Many of the injury was completed within the first half, when Tatum recorded 21 factors, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
“He’s top-of-the-line gamers within the NBA, and he exhibits it each evening,” White instructed 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.
“Lots of issues that I’m in a position to do on the courtroom is due to the personnel that we have now,” he mentioned.
Torrey Craig relishes his Celtic debut
Torrey Craig, who signed with the Celtics on Thursday, was nonetheless recovering from an ankle sprain through the Celtics two-game street journey.
However, he made his debut on Wednesday evening, and it was a stable 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 intently 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 mentioned. “The environment, the gang, 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 sport, which was on Dec. 30.
“I used to be really in higher form than I assumed I used to be going to be,” Craig mentioned.
Mazzulla hardly ever 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 numerous questions, each throughout video games and through movie periods. The Celtics haven’t held a follow since Craig signed with Boston.
“Everybody’s gonna make errors,” Mazzulla mentioned. “Even the fellows which have been 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 mentioned on Saturday morning when he first addressed reporters that he was trying ahead to taking open pictures once they had been accessible.
“All of the groups that I’ve been on have been preaching to me to shoot your shot and play with confidence,” Craig mentioned. “It’s no completely different right here. You’ll be able to inform the way in which they play, and the pictures they shoot — they take the pictures which are accessible to them. Clearly, they received powerful shotmakers in JB and Jayson. However, all these different guys, they’ll shoot the pictures which are accessible to them. I’ll do the identical.”
And, after his debut, Mazzulla mentioned he believed that the Celtics might achieve loads from Craig’s versatility.
“You gotta depend on his expertise,” Mazzulla mentioned. “He’s been round a very long time. He’s performed loads 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 in addition using the expertise that he’s had. He’s completed loads of nice issues for good groups, and that’s why we have now him and we wish to reap the benefits of that.”
Luke Kornet brings pleasure to the Celtics
On Sunday, Al Horford credited Luke Kornet for serving to the Celtics again towards their identification in current 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 current success.
“I feel [it’s been] among the finest basketball he’s performed, simply on each ends of the ground,” Mazzulla mentioned. “His physicality and rim safety are contagious, however he additionally brings a stage of pleasure to the sport on and off the courtroom.”
Jayson Tatum smiled when requested about Kornet’s affect as a teammate after the win.
“Luke is without doubt one of the finest teammates you can have — extraordinarily selfless man, at all times speaking, by no means has a nasty day,” Tatum mentioned. “Extraordinarily humorous, he’s at all times cracking jokes in some critical moments, prefer it could possibly be through the center of the sport, within the locker room, at all times on the bus, and on the airplane.”
However, Tatum additionally made certain 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 underneath the radar.
“He’s been enjoying extraordinarily properly recently — being extraordinarily bodily, giving us second, third likelihood offensive rebounds,” Tatum mentioned. “The best way he began that sport in New York with defending the room, simply sort of set the tone for us. His capability 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 a giant a part of our success.”
Nonetheless no Jaylen Brown or Jrue Vacation (on the courtroom) for the Celtics
Jaylen Brown missed his second consecutive sport with proper knee tendinopathy, whereas Jrue Vacation missed his fourth straight sport 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 determination. 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 attainable.
