In his postgame press conference Friday night, Jaylen Brown said he believed the Celtics “went through the motions” in a loss to the Nets.
Sunday night against the Magic, the Celtics looked like a team
that got the message. It got somewhat dicey at the end, as a 26-point lead suddenly shrunk to six, but Boston held on for a 138-129 win to move to 9-8 on the season.
Brown led the way with 35 points and eight assists, Anfernee Simons added 23 and the Celtics used an 80-point first half (yes, 80) to seize command. Jett Howard (30 points) and Jase Richardson nearly willed the Magic back, but Derrick White and Payton Pritchard provided the finishing touches.
Here are 10 takeaways:
1) Proving a point
The Celtics scored a season-high 138 points, shooting 60 percent from the floor and 45 percent from distance.
Forty-eight of those points came in the second quarter, marking their second-highest second quarter in franchise history. They shot 18 for 23 in the second and 65 percent from the floor in the half.
2) Turn that frown upside Brown
Brown can drop 35 in his sleep, but his eight assists played a crucial role in this one. The Celtics are at their best when he’s in attack mode and a threat to both score and pass.
Look at this play. The defense has no choice but to worry about Brown, which leaves Josh Minott (16 points) wide open in the paint for an easy two.
3) Queta question
Neemias Queta was off to a stellar start before leaving midway through the first quarter with an apparent ankle injury.
Luka Garza, who torched the Magic earlier this season, didn’t play. Xavier Tillman didn’t see the floor, either. That meant Boston had to go small with either Chris Boucher or Jordan Walsh at the 5.
It worked for the most part, until it didn’t…
4) Running on empty
The Celtics appeared to be well on their way to a stress-free victory, then Howard and Richardson found their flow and made it a game.
Sometimes situations like that just happen in basketball, but this one was a bit concerning considering it involved the Magic reserves and the Celtics starters. Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr. didn’t even play, and Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane were on the bench at that point.
Boston did enough to hang on, but it was far more difficult than it should have been. This team is very streaky by nature, but keeping the defensive intensity and execution high is imperative moving forward.
5) Simons says
Simons appears to enjoy facing his hometown team. He caught fire en route to 25 points two weeks prior, then followed it up with another gem Sunday night.
This one wasn’t quite as much of a barrage as that one, but it was impressive in its own right, as he shot 8 for 11 from the floor and 4 of 7 from distance.
Here’s hoping that Jayson Tatum and Simons get to play together at some point, because it would be awfully fun to watch. The kid can flat out score the basketball.
6) Wowzer, Hauser
Sam Hauser has been in an uncharacteristic slump. Before Sunday, he hadn’t scored in double figures since Oct. 29 against the Cavaliers.
This was his first game with five or more 3-pointers since that one, and he produced 14 points in total to highlight a strong all-around game. Hauser might be the player who misses Tatum the most.
He’s still more than capable of lighting it up, however, and this was a promising sign for a guy who desperately needed one. Hauser even added a rare dunk for good measure. That’s how you know he was feeling it.
7) Heir Jordan
Jordan Walsh’s stats may not have popped off the page in this one, and there are certainly a few plays he would like back, but he looked confident and in control overall.
He got the start, played hard and displayed his passing ability on a sweet, wrap-around dish to Brown in the corner. Walsh, like Minott and Hugo Gonzalez, is the type of player who doesn’t have to score to affect the game on both ends.
If he contributes 15 points, you’ll certainly take it, but he can still make his presence felt with his defensive activity, length and athleticism. He deserves credit in this one for battling down low and playing the 5 in spurts.
8) Free pass
The Magic entered with the most free throws made and attempted in the league, while the Celtics ranked last in both categories.
Naturally, the Magic weren’t quite as lethal in that area with Banchero out, but the Celtics still deserve credit for only losing the free-throw battle by two (24-22). That may not seem like a huge deal, but in a game like this, it ended up making a big difference.
9) Unpredicta-ball
If there’s one overarching takeaway around this team so far is that there’s no predicting what will happen on a given night. They can lose to the worst teams, beat the best teams and do anything in between.
That certainly spices things up and makes for an interesting viewing experience. We all knew this year would be different, but so far, I’ve been entertained more often than not.
10) Challenge awaits
That Nets game, as frustrating as it was for Celtics fans, is in the past. Boston responded appropriately and has now won four of five.
Next up is a key NBA Cup clash with the red-hot Pistons, who have won 12 straight as of Sunday night, Wednesday at 5 p.m. at TD Garden.
