PHILADELPHIA -- Effort wasn’t going to be an issue for the Celtics heading into Tuesday night. After two embarrassing losses and being called out publicly by Marcus Morris following a collapse against the Clippers, it was evident from the opening tip that the C’s would be playing with some extra fire in Philadelphia. For most of this year, that type of focus and energy has not been enough for this team on the road (13-13 record entering Tuesday night). With just one win over a .500 opponent away from TD Garden before the matchup in Philly, the odds of pulling off a victory against a loaded Sixers squad without Kyrie Irving seemed faint.
“We have to play exceptionally well to have a chance to win, that's the bottom line," Brad Stevens explained before the game. "As far as competing and doing the things that we need to do from that angle, I would think that we would come out and play really hard.”
The Celtics got some help from the usual suspects in the 112-109 victory. Al Horford (23 points, eight rebounds, five assists, four steals) won his battle with Joel Embiid yet again, which led to the Sixers center cursing out the officials unprompted at the end of his postgame press conference, a laughable situation given the fact Embiid has attempted the second most free throws in the NBA. Jayson Tatum (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Marcus Morris (17 points) pitched in from the frontcourt with big shooting nights. Boston’s defense was fully locked in on the Sixers shooters (9-of-27 from 3-point range) as the team’s communication and rotations were the best they’ve put together in months.
Yet, after a couple stinkers from the starting backcourt (Smart and Rozier were 5-of-22 combined), this was a game that could have easily slipped away. Instead, Gordon Hayward (game-high 26 points, 8-of-11 FG, 4-of-4 FT, 6-of-7 3pt) came to the rescue in what was his best performance in a Celtic uniform.
It was the highest scoring output for Hayward since his 35-point performance against the Wolves on January 2nd. His six 3-pointers tied a career-high and none was as crucial as the ultimate go-ahead corner 3 that put the Celtics up for good with 1:50 remaining in the game.
It’s been an inconsistent progression for the swingman all year long as he failed to play at a level that is worthy of the minutes he’s been given. With the Celtics climbing uphill in the East standings in the final two months of the season, there has been some debate about whether Hayward should be handed 25 minutes per game if he could not be counted on even average production on both ends of the floor.
Silently though, February has been a positive month for Hayward in the midst of Boston’s recent turmoil. After Tuesday’s 8-of-11 performance, the 27-year-old is now averaging 14.0 ppg in the month on 56 percent shooting. He’s scored in double digits in four of six games, capped by his big night in Philadelphia. That effort was a different one than his earlier outbursts against the Wolves. The Sixers are a premier opponent and this one was on a big stage. Instead of being just a catch-and-shoot weapon, Hayward did much of his damage in the pick-and-roll, punishing Sixers bigs for hanging back in the paint.
26 PTS for @gordonhayward while shooting 6/7 from behind the arc in the @celtics W! #CUsRise pic.twitter.com/kxa1ybm7Fi
— NBA (@NBA) February 13, 2019