BSJ Game Report: Celtics 116, Nets 95 -- Kyrie leads the way in blowout win taken at TD Garden (Celtics)

(Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Celtics

BSJ Game Report: Celtics 116, Nets 95 -- Kyrie leads the way in blowout win

By Brian Robb

Jan 7, 2019 • 10:19 pm

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Everything you need to know about the Celtics beating the Nets, 116-95, in BSJ Quickie Form

Box Score 

HEADLINES

Kyrie, Morris look solid in their return against shorthanded Nets: The Celtics starting five returned to full strength for the first time in a week on Monday night, as Kyrie Irving (eyes) and Marcus Morris (neck) were back healthy. Both showed no signs of rust in their return, as Irving (17 points, six assists) and Morris (12 points, 3-of-6 from 3) chipped in their usual efficient scoring nights against an undermanned Nets team that had six players out due to injury, including four rotation players. After falling behind by nine in the opening minutes due to hot shooting, the Nets (24 turnovers) were dominated for the final three quarters by an efficient Celtics offense that set a new season-high with assists (36) for the third straight game.  

Scoring balance everywhere: A look at the Celtics' depth chart before the season made it hard to figure out how eight guys could be stopped on a nightly basis. It’s been hard for Boston to get their offense rolling on all cylinders for much of the year, but they managed to do that Monday with eight different players finishing in double figures. Irving led the way with 17 points, while the entire starting five, Gordon Hayward (12 points), Daniel Theis (11 points) and Terry Rozier (10 points) all chipped in to take advantage of an undermanned Nets squad playing with just nine roster players.

TURNING POINT

After the Nets trimmed a double-digit first-half deficit down to six points at the start of the third, the Celtics responded with a 14-4 run out of a timeout to regain control, thanks to ten quick points from Morris and Irving. Brooklyn got no closer than nine the rest of the way.

TWO UP

Marcus Smart: The veteran guard remains on pace for the best 3-point shooting season of his career (35 percent) after knocking down four first half treys on Monday night. He has now made four or more 3s in five games already this season, a career-high.

Gordon Hayward: Monday marked the first time Hayward has scored in double-digits for three consecutive games for the first time all year. He did so efficiently, knocking down 4-of-10 shots on his way to 12 points while running the fast break with more speed than usual on a couple of occasions. In a season full of ups and downs, he’s starting to put together some consistency.

TWO DOWN

Brooklyn’s ballhandling: They may have been down six players on the second half of a back-to-back, but that doesn’t excuse the overall sloppiness. The Nets committed 11 turnovers in the first quarter alone, which allowed Boston to jump out to a double-digit lead thanks to the 13 points they scored off those miscues. They finished with a season-high 25 on the night.    

Jayson Tatum’s defense: Tatum’s man Rodios Kurucs got off to a red-hot start, in large part due to some lackluster contesting by the 20-year-old on the perimeter. Kurucs began the game 4-of-4 from beyond the arc as Tatum failed to defend with much urgency on a number of half court sets, and he was beaten later in the frame by a backdoor cut. With Hayward rounding into form, his minutes could be cut a bit if his defense doesn’t show more consistency.

TOP PLAY




TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER


I wouldn’t be surprised to see Al Horford on a 25-minute limit for rest of the regular season:
Daniel Theis has appeared to shake out of his slump over the past two games, and Aron Baynes is on track to return to the lineup, as soon as the end of next week as he continues his recovery from a broken hand. Even if Horford doesn’t need to be kept to a strict limit the entire year, Brad Stevens will begin to have ample depth to keep his minutes under control on a nightly basis by mixing in Baynes, Theis and even Marcus Morris a bit at the center spot for 23 minutes a night. There's enough talent within this group to keep everyone in the rotation, and protecting Horford over the long-term (to keep him healthy and consistent) is probably the best way to go about it.


Ball movement is no longer going to be a problem for this group, even at full strength:
While there have been whispers about the ball sticking less with Irving out of the lineup over the past couple games, his return on Monday night should go a long way in putting that talk to rest. The C’s posted their third consecutive game with 30-plus assists and Irving was an integral part of that mix with a team-high six assists in his first game back from an eye injury. While the offensive lulls will continue at points when the shots aren’t falling (second quarter) or when iffy shot selection arises with the likes of Tatum or Rozier, it’s evident the offense is flowing just as well whether or not Irving is at the helm. His ball-hogging tendencies have disappeared from his game this year.

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