Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 96-92 loss to the Nuggets with BSJ Insight and Analysis
HEADLINES
Kemba Walker suffers concussion-like symptoms after scary collision: The end result was an afterthought to this matchup after Kemba Walker was stretchered off the floor in the second quarter following a head/neck injury. The point guard collided headfirst into Semi Ojeleye's chest while going for a loose ball after picking the pocket of Jamal Murray. He immediately fell to the floor and remained motionless for several minutes while being attended to by the Celtics training staff. He was wheeled out on a stretcher and appeared to be speaking with trainers as he was taken off the floor while given a standing ovation by the Pepsi Center crowd. The team announced he was taken to a hospital afterward with concussion-like symptoms but a team source indicated to BSJ that he avoided serious injury.
“All the scans that he went through at halftime yielded good results,” Stevens told reporters in Denver. “I saw him in the ambulance at halftime that took him to the hospital and he had his wherewithal and was in decent spirits, which was good, obviously.”
Kemba Walker was taken off the court in a stretcher after this play pic.twitter.com/i1jcJeoDwB
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 23, 2019
#NEBHInjuryReport Kemba Walker has been diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms. He is being transported to the hospital for further evaluation. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 23, 2019
Celtics rally falls short without Kemba: The Celtics nearly rallied from 19 down in the second half without Walker in the finale of their west coast road trip, but the Nuggets made just enough shots down the stretch to hold on for a 96-92 victory. Boston fought back primarily in the fourth quarter, opening the frame with a 16-5 run to chip away at a double-digit Nuggets lead. Jaylen Brown had a team-high 22 points while Jayson Tatum (16 points) and Brad Wanamaker (14 points) helped the C's breakthrough against a Nuggets defense that had stifled Boston's offense all night and cut Denver's lead to one at one point.
TURNING POINT
Paul Millsap drilled a corner 3-pointer off a pass from Jamal Murray with just under a minute remaining to push the Nuggets lead to six points. Boston was forced to play catchup the rest of the way and never closed the gap enough to give themselves a chance to tie.
TWO UP
Jaylen Brown: The swingman erupted for 16 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, knocking down three 3s while grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds to help fuel the C’s near comeback. He also went to the free-throw line a season-high eight times.
Brad Wanamaker: The 30-year-old guard is living in the up column this month and that comes for good reason. He was a team-high plus 18 in the close loss, scoring all 14 of his points in the second half while dishing out four assists. He got the lion’s share of minutes with Walker out and seems to be a clear cut candidate to start if the All-Star misses significant time.
TWO DOWN
Carsen Edwards: Another chance at a bench spark came up relatively empty on Friday night as he managed to miss three of his four shots in just six minutes. His shot selection still needs work given how dismal his accuracy has been to date.
First half offense: The Celtics managed a paltry 34 points before the break, shooting an anemic 28 percent from the field and 18 percent from 3-point range as they fell into a double-digit hole early. Walker, Brown, and Tatum all went a combined 2-of-20 in the first two periods, putting the C’s in a hole they were unable to dig out of.
TOP PLAY
8️⃣ ➡️ 4️⃣4️⃣ ⬇️#SunLifeDunk4Diabetes pic.twitter.com/zC1r4UB1OO
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 23, 2019
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Who starts for Kemba will be a fascinating choice: It’s too early to speculate on just how much time Walker will miss but it’s fair to guess he will be out for much of next week at a minimum if he did suffer a concussion. Without him and Gordon Hayward in the mix, the C’s are down two of their best ball handlers, which will leave Stevens with a tough choice. Does he slide Marcus Smart to point guard with the starters and insert a bigger player for a more traditional starting five (Grant Williams? Semi Ojeleye?) The alternative would be bringing in red-hot Brad Wanamaker into the starting five to help jumpstart a C’s starting five that has struggled on offense during most of this trip. Without Wanamaker on the second unit, however, there is no true ball-handler in that group, which could force plenty of staggering with him and Smart or push Tremont Waters into action quickly once he’s called up from Maine (likely to happen). If it’s a short term thing, I’d ride with Wanamaker if I was Stevens to maximize his minutes and keep the starters in their comfortable roles. That involves trusting Waters to run the second unit for a few minutes a game but it’s worth giving him that chance.
Rob Williams got exposed on D during crunch time: The big man played well for the majority of the fourth quarter, causing Brad Stevens to roll with him during crunch time for the first time in his career. The move did not pay off though as the C’s were unable to get stops with Williams targeted by a stretchy Nuggets offense. He helped too far off Paul Millsap on a crucial late-game corner 3 and was not able to contest Jamal Murray in time on a pair of jumpers that helped the Nuggets maintain a two-possession lead during crunch time. It’s understandable that Stevens wanted to give Williams a shot in this role given his solid play in the fourth quarter but he did not do well under the bright lights here as the C’s were unable to get the final stops they needed to pull out a big comeback win in this one. Just how this factors into Stevens’ management of Williams over the long-term will be intriguing to watch.