BSJ Game Report: Celtics 109, Nets 102 taken at Barclays Center (Celtics)

(Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

Celtics

BSJ Game Report: Celtics 109, Nets 102

By Brian Robb

Nov 14, 2017 • 9:55 pm

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Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 109-102 win over the Nets in quickie form.

HEADLINES

Masked Irving returns: The All-Star point guard made his return to the court after a one-game absence with a mask to help protect his facial fracture. The 25-year-old was not too fond of the contraption, failing to warm up with it on before both halves and taking it off immediately anytime he left the floor. After a slow shooting start, Irving started to find his rhythm with it though, going 8-of-20 from the field with a team-high 25 points.      

Marcus Morris saves the day: With the Celtics’ offense sputtering at the start of the fourth quarter, the veteran forward stepped up to stabilize the bench unit with his shooting. He scored 11 of his season-high 21 points (8-of-12 shooting) in the frame on a mix of midrange jumpers that the Nets had no answer for. He also was active on the glass (10 rebounds) giving him his first double-double in green.   

13 in a row: It wasn’t pretty at points, but the Celtics yet again found a way and push their NBA-best winning streak to 13 heading into their biggest test of the season so far: Thursday’s showdown with the Warriors at the TD Garden.  

TURNING POINT

The Celtics appeared to have the game under control late in the third quarter after jumping out to a double-digit lead, but the Nets quickly cut to the deficit to one against a lethargic young bench unit of Smart/Rozier/Morris/Ojeleye/Theis in the fourth. Stevens immediately opted for a more veteran look after a timeout, going with Aron Baynes and Shane Larkin instead of the rookies and that switch stabilized things immediately. Boston jumped out to a 10-0 run after the adjustment behind some strong shooting from Morris and cruised from there to the win.

TWO UP

Al Horford: The big man was 8-of-9 from the field in his first game back from the concussion on Sunday afternoon and the hot shooting continued in Brooklyn for the veteran. Horford was 4-of-5 in the first half against Nets and 8-of-9 through the first three quarters, giving him 88 percent shooting since his return.  

Marcus Morris: He was on fire for most of this contest going 8-of-12 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and a perfect 3-of-3 from the line. Easily his best game in a Celtics uniform.     

TWO DOWN

First-half ball movement: Flow in the half-court offense has been on-and-off all year long for the C’s and the issue was on display throughout the final 18 minutes of the first half in Brooklyn. Just seven assists on 20 made field goals is an ugly ratio and an accurate representation of a lethargic Boston offensive attack that settled for too many jump shots early in the shot clock. The C’s definitely took their foot off the gas after jumping out to a double-digit lead.

Second unit offense: This group has been able to skate by with their tenacious defense during most games, but they were being outhustled tonight by Brooklyn and the shooting was awful as usual. Collectively, this group shot an ugly 4-of-26 from the field, with Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier leading the pack with questionable shot selection. As I wrote about earlier this week, Brad Stevens may need to add a go-to scorer to this unit to help them get by.  

INJURIES

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TOP PLAY




TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER


Don’t expect to see much more of the Theis/Baynes pairing:
We got our first look at the true bigs sharing the frontcourt together with Morris back in the starting five and it didn’t go so hot. Surrounded by a couple of struggling shooters in Rozier and Smart, the C’s only scored four points in the five-minute stretch. Until the offense finds a better rhythm, the C’s are going to need more shooters to stretch the floor with the second unit. It’s going to be tough for Stevens to find regular minutes for both every night if they are coming off the bench. 


The Celtics need to find ways to get Jayson Tatum to shoot more, particularly when he plays with the second unit:
The No. 3 overall pick is one of the most lethal weapons in the Celtics’ offense, but you wouldn’t know it by the rate of his shot attempts within the offense. He was a perfect 4-of-4 in the first half and with the way the second unit is shooting (15.3 percent from the field), he could stand to let a few more fly when he plays with that group (usually a few minutes each half). Stevens is going to have to try to play through him more to stabilize Boston’s offense when Irving and Horford aren’t on the floor because Boston's offense has been collapsing frequently when Smart and Rozier get too shot happy.  

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