Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 108-97 win over the Sixers in quickie form.
HEADLINES
Kyrie Irving puts on a show (again): The point guard came out energized in the wake of an off-night on Monday against the Pistons. Without Avery Bradley hounding him for much of the evening, Irving erupted for a game-high 36 points on 12-of-21 shooting. He was even better from 3-point range (5-of-8) and added four rebounds and three assists.
Strong finishing kick for the C’s offense: The C’s slogged through most of the first three quarters with ugly shooting and plenty of turnovers. They were tied up with the Sixers at 67 with three minutes left in the third quarter and the offense caught fire from there. Strong ball movement (12 assists on 16 made field goals) helped the Celtics score 41 points in the game’s final 15 minutes, which helped them push back the shorthanded Sixers (no Joel Embiid) on the second half of a back-to-back.
TURNING POINT
The hosts were able to open up a bit of separation in a tight game at the start of the fourth quarter, despite the fact Irving and Horford were resting on the bench.
A second unit led by Marcus Morris and Jayson Tatum extended a 81-78 lead with a 6-0 run that featured plenty of pretty passing and offense. The outburst gave the C’s a healthy cushion for when Irving and Horford returned to the game close things out.
TWO UP
Irving: The All-Star was red-hot in the first half, carrying a Celtics offense that was plagued by turnovers on both units.
He scored 20 of his 36 points before the break on 7-of-12 shooting and 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range. Brad Stevens seems to be mixing in more off-ball offensive actions for the 25-year-old and it’s paid off with some easier looks for the C’s leading scorer.
Horford: While Irving was the leader on offense, Horford served as a nice wingman to Irving, particularly in the first half, posting 12 of his 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in just 17 minutes on 5-of-6 shooting. Between those contributions and some effective defense on Ben Simmons, he was the best two-way player on the floor for most of the night.
TWO DOWN
Jaylen Brown: The 21-year-old guard remains mired in a bit of a slump. He scored a season-low two points on 1-of-6 and added to the C’s offensive woes with a season-high four turnovers, many of them via the unforced variety. Defensively, Brown did a nice job on J.J. Redick in the first half defensively, but he let the sharpshooter get out of the box in the third quarter (9 points) which helped to the Sixers get back into the game.
Celtics’ defensive rebounding: The Celtics have been starting to decline on this front lately and the trend continued on Thursday night. The Sixers gobbled up 15 offensive boards, which led to 17 second chance points for the visitors. With the C’s trending small with their lineups more and more, they need to do a better job of gang rebounding.
TOP PLAY
The rookie put Amir on some skates here.
"Clear it out. I got this." - @jaytatum0 pic.twitter.com/YKxUxVrwkh
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) December 1, 2017