Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 110-98 win over the Pistons in quickie form.
Box score
HEADLINES
Career night for Daniel Theis: The Celtics snapped a three-game losing streak in Detroit on Friday night following a lengthy All-Star break and they were led by an unlikely source of offense. Reserve center Daniel Theis saw big minutes in place of an injured Aron Baynes (strained elbow) and the German took advantage with the best offensive outing of his NBA career. He scored a career-high (and team-high) 19 points in just 21 minutes, with a nice mix of 3s and finishes around the rim. He shot 80 percent from the field (8-of-10) and contributed plenty on the defensive end as well (7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals) on a night when his presence was needed against a big Pistons front line of Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin.
Marcus Smart looked sharp as second unit shines:
Theis spent more time with the starters than the bench unit in this one, but his fellow reserves also played some superb basketball for the better part of 48 minutes. Boston’s bench combined to score a season-high 65 points, tripling the output from the Detroit second unit (21 points) on the night. Smart was a key contributor in his return after a 11-game absence with 12 points and 6 assists, while Terry Rozier (11 points, 7 assists) and Marcus Morris (15 points) were sharpshooters from 3-point range (six combined makes) in a balanced scoring night for Boston’s offense (six players in double figures).
TURNING POINT
TWO UP
Jayson Tatum:
The rookie look rejuvenated after the All-Star break with his offensive game showing some nice flow again. He made his first four shots of the night and hit 6-of-9 overall to finish with 15 points in 21 minutes. He looked confident with his jump shot and finished at the rim on multiple occasions through contact. It was interesting to see Brad Stevens keep his minutes down to a degree, perhaps a sign of a concerted effort to give him more rest down the stretch this season.
Semi Ojeleye:
The defensive specialist played his role perfectly against a Pistons second unit heavy on wings. One game after receiving a DNP-CD against the Clippers, Ojeleye ensured the likes of James Ennis, Luke Kennard and company would not have a strong offensive night. He fought hard through screens to contest jumpers well and handled switches against Drummond and Griffin with relative ease. Impressively, he also didn’t take a shot. That’s not a bad thing for a guy hitting just 30 percent of his field goal attempts all year. Stevens wanted his defense and he delivered on that front.
TWO DOWN
Al Horford:
Just three points for the All-Star on 1-of-6 shooting. The Celtics didn’t need his offense tonight but the big man still looks to be in a bit of funk when it comes to finding his scoring rhythm. He has scored in double digits in only three of his last six games and has tallied under 13 points in five of those contests.
Jaylen Brown:
A few more out-of-control drives for the 21-year-old produced a 2-of-8 shooting night. Brown also had a few defensive breakdowns/miscommunications when he lost his guy on a backdoor cut and failed to pick up a player in transition. Nothing too concerning, just a few little things that will need to be cleaned up. With Smart and Rozier back, he only played 24 minutes, his lowest total since December 4th.
TOP PLAY
INJURY REPORT
Brad Stevens
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
The Celtics make sense again with some depth in the backcourt:
For the first time in a few weeks, the Celtics had the right personnel to match up with a team heavy on reserve wings. Ojeleye strictly guarded wings, Smart and Rozier matched up with speedy guards and no one played out of position, even with Baynes going down with an early injury. The emphasis on defense is clearly apparent with Ojeleye getting big minutes once again but Stevens got back to basics with a defensive bench unit that makes opponents work for everything and that is a big reason why this team was on top of the East during the first half of the year.
The Clippers were smart to get out from under Blake Griffin’s contract when they did:
Watching the veteran power forward was painful at times on Friday night. The Celtics had a nice mix of defenders to throw at him in Horford, Theis, and Morris but the former Clipper lacked any kind of explosion to get past those guys and create for himself. Without a reliable jumper to fall back on, Griffin does not look like a first option on offense, much less someone you want to build around for the next five years. The Clippers were lucky to get some assets for him while they had the chance.
