Marcus Smart wins revenge game, Celtics lose to Grizzlies 127-121

After beating the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, the Celtics are again in motion to welcome again previous good friend Marcus Sensible and the Memphis Grizzlies. Final 12 months Sensible was injured and didn’t get to play in his first recreation again at TD Backyard so this can be his first recreation taking part in towards his former workforce. Sensible was the center and soul for the Celtics for 9 seasons and although it nonetheless appears bizarre seeing him in a Grizzlies uniform, its good to see him taking part in on the parquet once more.

Al Horford is out tonight on the second half of a again to again and Kristaps Porzingis, the principle piece within the Marcus Sensible commerce, returns for the Celtics. For the Grizzlies, Zach Edey, Luke Kennard, and Vince Williams Jr have been dominated out.

Marcus Sensible checked into the sport on the 8:50 mark for Memphis to a standing ovation from the TD Backyard crowd.

It was a forwards and backwards recreation early within the first quarter however the Celtics offense began sloppy. Boston began the sport taking pictures 2-11 from three together with Jrue Vacation going 1-6. The Grizzlies defensive technique of “make Jrue Vacation beat us” labored early as they went on a 10-0 run to get a ten level lead.

The Vacation technique didn’t work for lengthy nevertheless as Vacation drilled again to again vast open nook threes. Vacation completed the primary quarter with 11 factors on 4-10 taking pictures and 3-8 from past the arc.

Sensible was given a impolite awaken in his return as he went 0-5 taking pictures within the quarter together with a Neemias Queta block which led to a Payton Pritchard hustle play to save lots of the ball from going out of bounds.

The Grizzlies function gamers stepped up large as guys like Jay Huff, Santi Aldama and Jaylen Wells made certain Memphis saved a 31-27 lead over the Celtics to finish the primary quarter. Vacation’s 11 level quarter led the Celtics and Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 11 factors as nicely.

After Neemias Queta was the primary heart off of the bench for the Celtics within the first quarter, Luke Kornet began the second quarter.

Jaren Jackson Jr and Brandon Clarke began to take over for the Grizzlies to start the second quarter and began to select on Kornet as Ja Morant threw a lob to Clarke who dunked proper over him. The Celtics could be with out Sam Hauser for the remainder of the sport as he was dominated uncertain to return through the second quarter with Proper Adductor Tightness.

Factors within the paint have been an actual downside for Boston because the Grizzlies outscored the Celtics 32-14 within the first half highlighted by Clarke’s 8 level second quarter on 4-4 taking pictures within the painted space. Memphis continued to depart Vacation open and it began to work as his three ball was not falling and he took a profession excessive 17 shot makes an attempt within the first half with solely 5 of them taking place.

A considerably scary sight for Boston as with 1:35 left within the half, Kristaps Porzingis went again to the locker room as a misstep led to what regarded like an ankle sprain that had him limping.

The sloppy play continued for the Celtics as they began too seem like a workforce that performed 5 video games in 7 days. To finish the half they turned the ball over on again to again possessions that led to a Morant layup and a powerful block by Derrick White on Desmond Bane because the Celtics went into the half down 66-54.

Jrue Vacation completed because the Celtics main scorer on the half with 16 factors on 5-17 taking pictures (4-12 from three). Vacation was the one Celtic in double digits on the half as Boston shot 18-50 (36%) from the sector and 9-31 (29%) from three. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown solely scored 6 factors within the half, with Tatum having a tough taking pictures cut up of 3-11 from the sector and 0-7 from three.

For Memphis, Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 15 factors, 8 rebounds, and seven assists as he picked aside the Celtics protection. Jaren Jackson Jr (13 factors) and Brandon Clarke (12 factors) have been additionally large components as Boston had no solutions for them on the rim.

Memphis continued to pressure Vacation to beat them and Jrue continued to shoot it however couldn’t benefit from the open appears. A great signal for the Celtics was when Porzingis began the third quarter within the recreation and he hit again to again threes to chop the Grizzlies result in 6.

The Grizzlies have been in a position to counter the Celtics try at a comeback as Ja Morant took over. He discovered Brandon Clarke for an alley-oop, hit a mid vary shot over White, and completed off with a spotlight reel, double clutch, behind the top dunk that surprised the TD Backyard crowd.

When Morant went to the bench, the Celtics began to search out their offense. Porzingis and Tatum each scored and-1 layups attacking Jay Huff on the rim, Queta bought free throws attacking a rebound, Porzingis bought a free throw on a foul earlier than an inbound, and Payton Pritchard splashed a 3.

A 12-3 run lower the Grizzlies result in 2, nevertheless Ja Morant checked in and hit again to again threes to push the lead again to five as Memphis took a 94-89 lead going into the 4th quarter. Kristaps Porzingis and Jayson Tatum have been the principle catalysts of the Celtics third quarter surge as they mixed for 30 of the Celtics 35 factors within the quarter.

The Celtics offense continued to roll to start the 4th quarter as a Payton Pritchard midrange shot, Jaylen Brown three, and one other Pritchard three gave the Celtics their first lead of the evening with 10:32 left within the recreation, a lot to the delight of Ean Horford on the bench.

On the 9:20 mark of the quarter, Jrue Vacation hit an and-1 layup over Ja Morant for his 16,000th level of his profession.

The Celtics would run a double large lineup of Kornet and Queta which yielded not nice outcomes. The Grizzlies would retake the lead as Jaren Jackson Jr scored 11 straight factors for Memphis however Jaylen Brown would match him nearly each time down the ground to maintain Boston within the recreation.

Each groups continued to battle forwards and backwards because the Celtics had the prospect to re-take the lead a number of occasions however couldn’t hit a 3. The Grizzlies began to tug away barely as a Desmond Bane three and layup had Memphis main by 9 with beneath 2 minutes to go.

Jaylen Brown hit a turnaround three over Morant to chop it to six after which chaos ensued as White was going for a unfastened ball, Jackson pushed him to the bottom that resulted in no foul known as, a lot to the dismay of the Backyard crowd. Morant and Pritchard exchanged going 1-2 from free throw line and Brown picked off a go that led to a layup because the Grizzlies led by 4 with 21.7 seconds left.

Out of a Grizzlies timeout, an inbound go to Jackson Jr resulted in a leap ball. Porzingis received the tip and the ball hit off of Bane out of bounds, Celtics ball with 17.1 seconds left. Nonetheless, Memphis challenged the out of bounds name and received it, Grizzlies ball.

Desmond Bane hit 2 free throws, Pritchard missed a 3, White missed a 3, and the clock went all zeros because the Grizzlies win it 127-121 over the Celtics. That is the primary time in Jayson Tatum’s profession that he has misplaced to Memphis as Marcus Sensible wins his first recreation in TD Backyard as an opponent.

Ja Morant led the way in which for the Grizzlies on this recreation scoring 32 factors, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals on 11-20 taking pictures and 4-6 from three. Jaren Jackson Jr additionally had a giant recreation with 27 factors and 9 rebounds.

Jrue Vacation could be the Celtics main scorer with 23 factors taking pictures 8-26 from the sector and 4-17 from three. Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard would each have 22 regardless of the loss as nicely.

The Celtics get 4 days off in between their subsequent recreation on Thursday December twelfth towards the Detroit Pistons, as this recreation was added to the schedule after Boston did not qualify for the NBA Cup playoffs.