Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 108-105 win over the Nets in quickie form.
HEADLINES
Too close for comfort: Kyrie Irving (game-high 28 points) and the Celtics offense had their way with the Nets for the better part of four quarters (49% FG, 42% 3pt), but the scrappy Nets kept things interesting to the very end. After erasing one 13-point deficit early in the second half, the visitors chipped into a 10-point Boston lead with three minutes remaining. They got it down to just three points with 14 seconds remaining, giving Spencer Dinwiddle a chance to tie the game on an open 3-pointer from the wing but he missed everything. The Celtics grabbed the board and finished the Nets off at the free throw line.
Closing out December strong: After a rough patch of three losses in four games last week, Boston put together their third straight win on Sunday night. The victory closed out a brutally busy month of December with an 11-6 overall record for the Celtics, an impressive mark given the multitude of injuries that piled up and the lack of rest within the schedule itself. Sunday’s game was the first time that the C’s had two days of rest before a game since November.
Bring on the Cavs: While Isaiah Thomas isn’t expected to play in the showdown, the Celtics will be close to full strength (minus Gordon Hayward) for the battle of the two titans in the East on Wednesday. Boston will also be well rested for the affair (two days off) while the Cavs will host the Blazers on Tuesday night in Cleveland.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics second unit lineup had a unique look at the start of the fourth quarter with Jayson Tatum and Marcus Morris teaming up at the forward spots while Al Horford played center. That trio combined to break open an 84-80 game with a 9-0 run over just a two minute stretch early in the frame. The outburst gave the hosts enough of a cushion to cruise to a victory over the final ten minutes of the contest.
TWO UP
Terry Rozier:
The third-year guard had another productive all-around performance off the bench, tallying 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in just 23 minutes. It was the fourth consecutive double-digit scoring performance for the 23-year-old over the past week, a first for him in his career. Rozier's accuracy is up to 36.9 percent from 3-point range for the year as well after another 2-of-4 night from deep.
Marcus Morris:
The veteran forward appeared to find his rhythm in the second half of Thursday’s win over the Rockets and that trend continued against the Nets. He was Boston’s hottest shooter on the night, scoring 15 points in just 17 minutes, including four 3-point makes. In two matchups against the Nets this year, Morris has scored
36 points in 40 minutes. He’ll continue to be on a minutes count in the coming weeks but he was encouraged after the game about the condition of his knee continuing to improve since getting back on the court .
TWO DOWN
Second quarter play:
The Celtics are one of the worst teams in the league in the second quarter when it comes to net rating, and their performance against the Nets only made those numbers worse. They were outscored 31-23 in the frame and looked particularly vulnerable in the paint with Aron Baynes watching from the sidelines for the whole period. The bench unit has struggled all year long in this quarter so Brad Stevens still has to find some answers to these early woes as he mixes and matches.
Opportunities for fringe rotation players:
Despite scoring six points in 10 minutes in the first half, Daniel Theis was a DNP-CD for the final two quarters. Shane Larkin also didn’t see any action after intermission. Even though both have been playing well in recent weeks, they are likely to see their minutes squeezed with the C’s getting healthy across the board.
TOP PLAY
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Danny Ainge picked the right time to trade the Nets pick:
scrappy group may be just 13-23 on the season, but they have some promising young talent across the roster in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (22 points), Caris LaVert (16 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists) and Spencer Dinwiddle. They played hard and cohesively for head coach Kenny Atkinson and should have enough talent to stay out of the bottom five of the NBA this year, even without injured guards D’Angelo Russell and Jeremy Lin. It’s becoming evident that Ainge wisely sold high on the 2018 unprotected Nets pick.
It’s going to be a challenge for Brad Stevens to manage minutes when this group gets fully healthy:
Since a lot of rookies have stepped up and played valuable roles over the past couple months for Boston, Stevens is going to have to make some tough decisions each and every night as far as the best combinations for lineups as this team returns to full health. It’s a nice luxury for the head coach to have but could create some headaches as guys push for opportunities.
