Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 116-106 win over the Mavs with BSJ insight and analysis
HEADLINES
Kemba takes over fourth quarter before leaving late with shoulder injury: Kemba Walker found himself in a duel in the second half with one of the best scorers in the NBA in Luka Doncic but he came out as the clear winner in this one. The point guard erupted for 24 of his 29 points in the second half, setting a new season-high with eight 3-point makes, including seven in the second half alone before leaving late in the fourth quarter with a stinger. By then, the C’s had pushed themselves out to a 10-point lead, however. Jaylen Brown chipped in with 23 points for the hosts but it was Walker who was the hero after jumpstarting a 21-5 Celtics run midway through the fourth quarter to erase a two-point Mavs lead and seize command late. Doncic finished with a late push (game-high 34 points) but the C's pulled out their eighth straight win despite a horrific shooting night from Jayson Tatum (1-of-18 from the field).
Celtics overcome dud from Tatum: The third-year forward has not had many rough nights during his NBA but this was easily the worst of his career as he missed his first 10 shots of the evening on his way to a 1-of-18 outing from the field. He finished with just five points but managed to help out in other areas (eight rebounds, four assists) and was still a plus-16 on the night over 34 minutes.
“Just one of those nights,” Brad Stevens said of Tatum. “I guess that means a lot of good nights are coming. I can't really ... I don't lose sleep over missed shots."
Eight straight wins for C’s: Boston is now all alone at the top of the NBA with an 8-1 record after their eighth straight win on Monday night. The Mavericks were handed their first road defeat of the year (4-0 previously) in this matchup as the C’s held the best offense in the NBA to 10 points below their scoring average (41 percent from field, 26 percent from 3-point range). With other injuries popping up all over the Eastern Conference (Khris Middleton, Kyle Lowry), the Celtics are positioned well to continue to remain in the top tier of the Eastern Conference even with Gordon Hayward sidelined for the next month.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics found themselves facing a two-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter but turned the game around once Walker returned to the fold. The point guard spearheaded a 17-3 run over the next three minutes, turning a small deficit into a 12-point lead in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, giving Boston enough of a cushion to hold off the Mavs with Walker on the bench for the closing minutes.
TWO UP
Brown: The swingman continued his hot streak that started in San Antonio, posting a game-high with 12 points and 7 rebounds in the first half while getting to the charity stripe five times on his way to 25 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists on the night. He also continues to show off improved passing vision as evidenced by another full-court bounce pass that produced an easy layup in transition, but his ability to step up as a clear-cut No. 2 scoring option with Tatum struggling was big in this one.
Celtics’ bench: A weak spot in the early part of this season has appeared to turn the corner even with Marcus Smart being inserted into the starting five. Brad Wanamaker (8 first-half points) and Javonte Green (7 first-half points) were leading scorers for a stretch of the first half, providing Boston with some much-needed buckets down low. With Rob Williams still an efficiency machine on offense (78 percent shooting), the reserves are carrying their weight.
TWO DOWN
Carsen Edwards: The rookie got another shot in the rotation in the wake of Hayward’s injury but struggled in his five minutes, particularly on the defensive end where he got picked off a pair of times, which led to easy layups. With his jump shot still not falling regularly, it’s getting harder to justify any minutes for him.
Jayson Tatum: The sharpshooter got off to one of the worst offensive starts of his career in the first half, missing his first ten shots of the night on his way to just three first-half points. A number of his attempts came from point-blank range as he was bothered by the length of the Mavericks frontcourt for most of the night. He finally broke through with a bucket in the third quarter but this was easily the worst offensive outing of his career.
TOP PLAY
SMARF pic.twitter.com/nVovl2fxyN
— Max Carlin (@maxacarlin) November 12, 2019
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Javonte Green is going to see a lot of run the next few weeks: It may have taken a little while for him to get his chance this season but the 26-year-old looks ready to make a meaningful impact with this squad. His 3-point shot remains a work in progress but his speed and willingness to cut/crash the offensive glass provides the C’s with a much-needed source of easy buckets off the bench. Given the fact that Romeo Langford does not yet look ready to contribute at the NBA level, Green is the only true wing coming off Boston’s bench. His defensive intensity makes him a versatile weapon against guards on bigs (he spent a couple possessions on Kristaps Porzingis) and he is someone who doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands to make an impact on the offensive end. It’s been quite the journey for him to the NBA level but the Celtics are lucky they found him to help ease the blow of Hayward’s absence.
How Enes Kanter fits into this rotation is going to be interesting: The center made a relatively uneventful return to the rotation on Monday night, playing seven solid first-half minutes while splitting time with Rob Williams and Daniel Theis at center. He was a DNP-CD in the second half however as Brad Stevens opted for Grant Williams in the middle for defensive purposes off the bench against a smaller Mavs lineup. It’s possible that Stevens was just playing it somewhat cautious in his first game back but the more likely scenario at play here is Stevens’ preference on matching up small whenever possible. With a true big like Williams playing well and Theis locked into a starting spot, it may be tough for Kanter to carve out more than 10-15 minutes per game on nights when there isn’t a true center in the mix for opponents. Kanter believed he was in line for a lot more than that when he signed here, so how he handles the squeeze will be a subplot to watch in the coming weeks.