Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 135-115 win over the Spurs with BSJ insight and analysis
HEADLINES
Gordon Hayward suffers broken left hand in second quarter: This unfortunate injury after a collision with LaMarcus Aldridge overshadowed the result in this one. We have full analysis on the injury with Dr. Flynn and the lingering impact on the C’s rotation covered so be sure to check those out.
Jaylen Brown leads explosive offensive performance by C’s: Offense had been a concern in the early stages of the season thanks to some slow starts but those issues are in the rear view mirror after a 3-0 road trip this week. Jaylen Brown set the pace for a Boston offense with a season-high 30 points while Kemba Walker chipped in with 26 points and 8 assists against an overmatched Spurs defense. The visitors scored 31 or more points in all four quarters, shooting 51 percent from the field, getting to the free throw line 28 times and turning the ball over on just eight possessions. With Boston’s bench chipping in with 43 points of their own and Rob Williams posting a career night (11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 blocks) the Spurs never seriously threatened after falling into a double-digit hole early.
Seven straight wins: The victory marked the first win for Brad Stevens in San Antonio during his tenure as head coach and the first one for the franchise against Greg Popovich and Co. since 2011. Boston improved to 4-1 on the road with the victory and put themselves back into a tie with the Lakers for the best record in the NBA at 7-1. With three winnable games upcoming this week (vs. Dallas, vs. Washington, @ Golden State), this could be the second double-digit winning streak in November of the past three years during Brad Stevens tenure. Offensively, it’s going to be tough to find a better performance than this all year.
TURNING POINT
After falling into a 7-0 hole in the opening minutes, the Celtics responded with a 32-10 run in the first eight minutes of the first quarter to build a 15-point lead and essentially seize command of the entire game. The Spurs could only trim the lead to nine for the rest of the contest as the visitors kept their foot on the gas with offensive firepower even once Hayward went down.
TWO UP
Brown: He scored 30 points in San Antonio for the second straight year, taking advantage of constant mismatches against larger Spur defenders for strong takes to the rim in the half-court and transition. Brown also grabbed a team-high 7 rebounds and drew a team-high 10 free throw attempts, knocking down nine of them.
Rob Williams: It will be tough to match the number of highlight plays that Williams put together in this one from start to finish. His 11 points featured a host of incredible alley-oop finishes while his six blocks showcased incredible athleticism that translated into some easy transition opportunities for the Cs. This organization has been high on his upside all year long and it was all on display here.
ONE DOWN
Grant Williams shooting: Still looking for that first 3-pointer of the year as he missed a couple more in this one. He finished the night with zero points (0/3 FG) and is now just 0-of-12 from downtown this year. His shooting percentage? 27.6 percent.
TOP PLAY
Rob Williams III + Javonte Green ?
name a more iconic duo... pic.twitter.com/HoWJilj6at
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 10, 2019
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
The Celtics’ bench is starting to come together at the right time: It took a couple of weeks of mixing and matching for Brad Stevens but he has seemed to find a more reliable blend of talent on this road trip within his second unit. Grant Williams remains valuable despite his shooting woes and Rob Williams has strung together a few positive games but the bigger finds have been in the backcourt. Javonte Green has been given his chance over Semi Ojeleye and he’s running it with it after scoring 21 points over 24 minutes in his last two games. Brad Wanamaker is also taking control of the second backup guard spot with some more consistent playmaking and finishing in the past two games. It will be fascinating to see how Brad Stevens attempts to fit Enes Kanter into this mix but for now, there is a semblance of a unit that is building some chemistry together, even with Marcus Smart likely headed to the starting five for the next month. The timing couldn’t be much better.
Marcus Smart is turning into a 3-point specialist: After taking nine of his 10 field goal attempts from 3-point range on Saturday night, Smart is now taking 68 percent of his shots on the season from 3-point range. That’s one of the highest marks in the NBA this season. He’s only knocking down 34 percent from beyond the arc so far but if Smart can continue to climb back up towards his 36 percent shooting mark from last season, the C’s will have a surprise 3-point specialist on their hands. Given how much shot creation they have among the other starters and the improved passing of guys like Tatum and Brown, Smart understanding his best offensive role is a long-distance shooter makes this team very dangerous when they are firing on all cylinders.