Everything you need to know about the Celtics’ 104-93 win over the Kings in quickie form.
Box score
HEADLINES
Career-night for Terry Rozier: With Marcus Morris (sprained ankle) joining a lengthy injury list, finding sources of offense was a top priority for Brad Stevens on Sunday night. Luckily for him, Terry Rozier answered the call. The 24-year-old guard erupted for a career-high 33 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field. Rozier also knocked down a career-high eight 3-point field goals, as he had his way with the Kings backcourt all night from long distance. He scored 19 of those 33 points in the second half, which helped the visitors fight back from an eight-point, halftime deficit and pull away down the stretch for a third-straight victory.
Scary Terry is putting on a show! pic.twitter.com/f8aCVntivr
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 25, 2018
Defense shows up in the second half:
The Kings have one of the five worst offenses in the league and still managed to put up 60 first-half points against a lackadaisical Celtics defense.
Their shooters (Buddy Hield) got separation and De’Aaron Fox set up big men regularly for easy buckets in the paint. Boston’s top-ranked defense showed up in the second half though, ramping up the pressure on the perimeter. The Kings managed to score just 33 points over the final two frames and went 1-of-12 from 3-point range in that span.
Jaylen Brown shakes off rust for productive return:
The 21-year-old wing played his first game in nearly three weeks in the wake of a concussion. After an ugly start to the first half (four turnovers), the shooting guard found his rhythm after intermission and scored 12 of his 19 points after the break. More importantly, he was a plus-22 over that stretch, as he contributed productive crunch-time minutes for his team despite a lengthy layoff.
Al ➡️ Jaylen pic.twitter.com/lSpJH8wNvJ
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 25, 2018
TURNING POINT
Brad Stevens
went to a defense-first lineup midway through the fourth quarter with Aron Baynes at center and Jabari Bird at shooting guard in place of Jayson Tatum. The unique grouping rolled off a 9-0 run over a three-minute stretch, helping turn a two-point Celtics lead into a double-digit advantage as Rozier, Horford and Brown all chipped in on the offensive end.
TWO UP
Horford:
The All-Star delivered a welcome mix of facilitation and aggression that the C’s desperately needed with so many scorers out. Horford was efficient around the basket (6-of-10 from the field) and dished out eight assists, his highest total in over two months for a game.
Rozier:
The hybrid guard has now scored in double digits for each of his last 22 games, making him just the fifth Celtic to achieve that feat over the past five seasons. He also posted career-highs in a number of categories on Sunday night including field goals made (12), 3-point field goals made (8) and steals (5). His eight made 3-point field goals were also a season-high for the Celtics.
HE WON’T STOP pic.twitter.com/LItN9DAOmp
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 25, 2018
TWO DOWN
Greg Monroe:
The reserve big man was due for a stinker after scoring in double digits in five-straight games, and he delivered in that capacity on Sunday night. He missed eight of his 10 shot attempts, the majority of which were from point-blank range in the paint. Those missed buckets along with his steady diet of turnovers (two) made a team-worst minus-11 in 20 minutes.
Abdel Nader:
With Morris sidelined, the rookie got another shot and struggled yet again. He works hard on the defensive end, but his inability to finish in the paint against traffic continues to be a major blemish on his game. He missed both of his field goal attempts in the paint, which helped lead to Stevens turning to Jabari Bird over him in the fourth quarter.
TOP PLAY
The rook starts it off with a steal and a jam ? pic.twitter.com/qlTJ8tpenK
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 25, 2018
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Jabari Bird played his way into more opportunity:
The two-way wing has been sidelined for the most of the past two months with back spasms until this past week. Much like he did in October during a win against the Sixers, Stevens turned to him as a shutdown defender on the wing in the fourth quarter and Bird did not disappoint. The Celtics outscored the Kings by eight points with him on the floor over the final nine minutes of the game and Sacramento’s offense stalled over that stretch. He’s not a serious threat on the offensive end, but he is a far quicker defender than Abdel Nader. With Boston lacking bodies in the backcourt, Bird made a case for some situational duty on Sunday night.
Rozier is making himself a lot of money over the past month:
While the Celtics’ gamble on waiting to sign Marcus Smart until this summer appears to be paying off, contract extension negotiations next fall with Rozier are looking like they will be getting plenty expensive. Rozier is proving that he’s got the potential to be a starting guard in this league over the long-term with the added opportunity he’s received over the past month-plus. While the Celtics have him on his rookie deal for next season, retaining him after that could be challenging to fit into this team’s long-term budget.
