Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 109-98 win over the Grizzlies in quickie form.
Box score
HEADLINES
A first half offensive explosion: The Celtics have started to make some inroads with their offensive production since the All-Star break but they took things to another level in the first half against a tanking squad on Monday night. After starting the game by facing a seven-point deficit, the hosts erupted with 66-33 outburst over the final 21 minutes of the half. Kyrie Irving led a scorching hot offense by scoring 21 of his game-high 25 points before the break. Meanwhile, the bench unit combined for 33 of Boston’s 67 first-half points, setting the tone with unselfish offense (17 assists on 23 made baskets) to build a 26-point lead at intermission that Memphis never recovered from.
First blowout in weeks:
Boston may have one of the best records in the East but nothing has come easy for them in recent weeks. They’ve only won one game by 15 points or more in the last two months, which makes Monday’s dominating effort a refreshing change of pace for this group. While the effort got a bit lackluster in the second half due to essentially 24 minutes of garbage time, the Celtics put together their best 24 minutes of basketball on both sides of the floor for the first time in weeks. That has to be a welcome sign for Brad Stevens as he tries to get this group peaking down the stretch of the regular season.
TURNING POINT
TWO UP
Kyrie Irving:
Few players look as rejuvenated after the All-Star break as the 25-year-old point guard. Irving shot above 50 percent for the third consecutive game, going an impressive 8-of-13 from the field and 5-of-8 from 3-point range in just 24 minutes. In three games since the All-Star break, Irving is shooting 53 percent from the field and 51 percent from 3-point range while averaging 24.7 ppg in limited minutes. He’s also averaging over six rebounds and six assists per game during that stretch.
Terry Rozier in the first half:
The third-year guard played close to a perfect first half in just nine minutes. He scored 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including a pair of makes from 3-point line. He has now scored in double digits for 11 consecutive games, the longest stretch of his career.
TWO DOWN
Al Horford:
The offensive funk continues for the big man despite a lengthy respite during the All-Star break. The 31-year-old missed 7-of-8 shots from the field and tallied just five points in 23 minutes. Horford has now scored fewer than 10 points in four of his last six games and hasn’t shot above 40 percent from the field in a game since the All-Star break.
Jayson Tatum:
Only five points for the rookie in what was his lowest point total in a game since Feb. 6 against the Raptors. He went just 2-of-8 from the field and continues to struggle with handling the ball on drives to the rim (he was stripped while putting up shots on multiple occasions).
TOP PLAY
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
This might be the start of some selective benchings for Greg Monroe:
The reserve center got the first DNP-CD of his Celtic career, as the C’s second unit thrived with him on the bench. As I covered earlier on Monday, Monroe remains a tough fit with that group due to his defensive drawbacks. Daniel Theis is the far better player on that end of the floor and his presence combined with the likes of Semi Ojeleye, Marcus Smart and company turns the second unit into an elite defense like we saw for much of the first half of the year. Monroe will get more chances but he’s going to need Theis and/or Aron Baynes to stumble/get hurt to play consistent minutes the rest of the way.
Semi Ojeleye has turned into strictly a defensive specialist (and that’s a good thing):
The rookie forward is shooting 30 percent on the year and 28 percent from beyond the arc. Those shooting struggles had turned into a serious drag on the second unit so it appears the second round pick is no longer looking for his shot on the perimeter. He hasn’t attempted a shot over 37 minutes of action (three games) since returning from the All-Star break and that’s ultimately a good thing for the Celtics. Instead, he’s maximizing his strengths on the defensive end with his switching and strength and that’s turning into success for that group. He was a plus-16 tonight in just 13 minutes of action.
