Blame the back-to-back games on the road. Blame the 15 turnovers. Blame the eight missed free throws. They all played a part in Boston’s 112-102 loss in Atlanta Monday night.
Despite all the ways that the Celtics shot themselves in the foot, there’s still a chance that Atlanta and Boston could meet in the first round of the playoffs. Joe Mazzulla is going to have to figure out how to neutralize the Hawks’ athleticism and ball pressure. In both regular season losses, they were able to force TOs and get
hot from 3.
The Celtics continue to be a steady +650 to raise Banner 19 with our friends at FanDuel and the favorite to rep the Eastern Conference in the 2026 NBA Finals.
Jaylen Brown
40 minutes, 29 points (3-9 from 3, 8-14 from the free throw line, 9-29 from the field), 10 rebounds, 9 assists, one steal, -5
Just as he did against Oklahoma City last Wednesday, JB was focused on attacking the rim and/or getting to the line. After being ejected in San Antonio, Brown has seemingly been on a mission to drive, draw more fouls, and get to the free throw line.
And while I agree that he doesn’t get the same whistle that grifters like Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander get despite his more physical play, his indictment of NBA officiating seems to be getting in the way of his overall MVP-level game.
Heading into Atlanta, the hometown kid was averaging 11.5 free throws and 3.7 turnovers per game. Against the Hawks, he had 14 FTAs and six turnovers. Don’t be fooled by the near triple-double; this game is not going on the MVP tape.
Grade: C
Jordan Walsh
31 minutes, 8 points (1-4 from 3, 3-4 from the free throw line, 2-5 from the field), 4 rebounds, one assist, one turnover, 2 steals, one block, +0
After starting nineteen games in November and December, Walsh went back to the bench and eventually fell out of the rotation. However, he’s started the last two games and has shown why he got the nod earlier in the year.
If the strategy to starting Hauser with DWhite and the Jays is that he spaces the floor for the stars, Walsh on the other hand can be the primary defender of the opposing team’s best player and relieve Tatum and Brown of those duties. He handled those defensive duties well, but like the rest of his teammates, couldn’t hit his open looks.
Grade:
Luka Garza
28 minutes, 20 points (2-3 from 3, 2-2 from the free throw line, 8-9 from the field), 9 rebounds, one assist, one block, +6
Starting for Neemias Queta, Garza was a revelation as the only everyday big man available against the Hawks. In a word, he was awesome. I joke in the CelticsBlog Slack that whenever Garza enters the game, I think about that scene in Hoosiers when Norman Dale asks Strap to enter the game. Straps says a prayer and goes on to dominate the second half.
Garza’s only miss on the night was a three-pointer, but otherwise, he hit everything with his relentless work on the offensive glass and filling the lane off pick-and-rolls and transition.
Grade: A+
Derrick White
36 minutes, 7 points (1-6 from 3, 3-12 from the field), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, one turnover, one steal, 2 blocks, -8
White’s slump has been well documented since we started these players’ grades and tonight, he’ll again get below average grade. After taking Sunday night off in Charlotte, White couldn’t get into a groove. He’s still filling the box score, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, but he’ll need to start hitting some shots if Boston expects to do anything in the playoffs.
Grade: C-
Baylor Scheierman
26 minutes, 3 points (1-4 from 3, 1-4 from the field), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, one turnover, one steal, -3
Scheierman was thrown a couple of grenades that he had to chuck at the rim, but for the most part, he was a solid contributor on defense and a ball mover on offense.
Grade: B
Payton Pritchard
25 minutes, 16 points (4-6 from 3, 6-14 from the field), 2 rebounds, one turnover, -19
On the second night of a back-to-back, Pritchard didn’t have his lift on his mid-range jumper. Combine that with Atlanta’s strong perimeter defenders and PP was just 2-8 inside the arc. A couple of those shots should have resulted in free throws though.
Grade: B
Sam Hauser
21 minutes, 7 points (1-3 from 3, 2-2 from the free throw line, 2-5 from the field), 3 rebounds, one turnover, -3
After starting the game on the bench, Hauser started in the second half for Baylor Scheierman. Earlier in the game, he was a little aggressive off the dribble, so maybe Mazzulla saw something and wanted that scoring punch. That didn’t exactly materialize and Scheierman got the bulk of those shooter minutes instead.
Grade: C
Hugo Gonzalez
13 minutes, 5 points (1-2 from 3, 2-4 from the field), 4 rebounds, 2 turnovers, -4
The rookie had a game filled with rookie mistakes. In the first quarter, he missed a defensive switch that led to a quick Mazzulla timeout, turned the ball over twice on a dribble hand off and a drive-and-kick, and didn’t stay connected on a drive. After halftime, his second half stint was closer to what we’re accustomed with and a corner three helped stem the tide late in the third.
Grade: C+
Amari Williams
13 minutes, 4 points (2-2 from the free throw line, 1-2 from the field), 7 rebounds, one assist, one tunover, one steal, one block, -8
With Queta and Nikola Vucevic out, the rookie was called upon to be the seccond unit center. In the G League, Williams averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks in 30 minutes a night. Ron Harper Jr. grabs the headlines with his outstanding play as a two-way call-up, but the 46th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has been a monster in Maine.
We saw some of that on Monday night. He’s solid in his 6’11 frame and is lowkey one of the Celtics’ best prospects moving forward.
Grade: A-
Charles Bassey
6 minutes, 3 points (1-2 from the free throw line, 1-1 from the field), 2 rebounds, one turnover, 2 blocks, -6
Bassey is back with Boston on a second consecutive 1o-day contract and we saw some flashes of what made him such an intriguing prospect in Summer League. The Celtics ultimately didn’t sign him and he’s had cups of coffee in Memphis and Philadelphia this season.
He had back-to-back blocks in the 2nd and with his deal ending on Friday, those could be the highlight of his career in Boston.
Grade: A
Inactives: Neemias Queta, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Vucevic
