On paper, Thursday night looked like a scheduled loss before the season even began for the Celtics. Five games in seven nights is rare in the NBA these days to the point that the Celtics are the only team that has to play one this month. To the team's credit, no one in the Celtics locker room was using the stretch as an excuse following a 109-98 loss to the Sixers on Thursday when they played that final game of the brutal seven-day stretch. They shouldn't have after playing so poorly against the Spurs and Wizards earlier this week.
Boston got plenty of rest at the end of last night’s blowout against the Spurs and had an opportunity to steal a win Thursday with Joel Embiid sidelined for the Sixers due to a finger tendon issue. Even after blowing a 15-point first-half lead, the visitors were within two points in the final four minutes of the game before the Sixers closed things out with a 13-4 run to seal the win.
“They outplayed us in the second half,” Kemba Walker told reporters in Philadelphia. “They clearly wanted it more. We didn’t maintain our play until things started going against us. We have to learn to close games out better and be consistent. We just have to be better. We’re going to continue to improve and to learn and grow with each other.”
For the first time in the 2019-20 Celtics season, adversity has hit. Boston’s record is still above expectations at 25-11 but the team has lost three straight now for the first time all year. They have also now lost to a bad team (Washington), been blown out at home (Toronto, San Antonio) and collapsed in crunch time (Philadelphia) all in the last two weeks.
With adversity comes questions and concerns but Brad Stevens struck a surprisingly optimistic tone following the defeat.
“I mean, the league is hard,” he said. “You can feel pretty good about yourself and one week later not so hot. These guys just went through it over here last week. But inevitably, there’s another game and if we play like we did tonight, clean some things up and play with a little bit more pop, I like what we’re becoming. I’m just not as discouraged as I’ve been the last couple days.”
Is Stevens optimism warranted after a better effort at the tail end of a brutal schedule stretch? Or is the head coach understandably trying to prop up his guys in the midst of some troubling signs and slumps? Let’s try to work through some numbers and questions to figure out where this team is at in the present.
Can all the wings play well together with everyone healthy?
The three biggest underachievers in Philadelphia were Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in the box score, who collectively shot 10-of-36 from the field to combine for 29 points overall. Tatum probably deserves to be in a separate category in this one since he carried his weight beyond having a bad shooting night, posting a team-high 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 6 free throw attempts. Hayward looked as flat as he’s been all year and that seems understandable to a degree given the schedule and his foot issues but he was uncharacteristically sloppy and sluggish at times, making bad passes and not being ready for a Smart pass late in the fourth quarter that led to a turnover. Brown’s in a straight-up shooting funk, missing all eight of his shots inside the arc while going 14-of-48 from the field over the last three games.
When these guys struggle together, there is always going to be some level of concern of whether the pieces fit and it is worth noting now that Boston’s usual starting five is just 6-5 on the season when at full strength. However, it’s far too early to judge how well these guys mesh just yet. Walker still isn’t back at full strength yet after his bout with the flu and everyone is clearly still trying to find their spots.
“It’s tough,” Smart said, “because you got guys who are already in their rhythm and you got guys trying to come back and get into the rhythm. It’s going to take a while for us. But it’s nothing to hold our heads down about.”
A three-game losing streak is not a cause for alarm on this front. If the C’s can’t get their act together by the end of January for this group, then it might be time to make an adjustment, whether it’s bringing Brown or Hayward off the bench or testing Hayward’s trade value. The Sixers are a tough matchup and those guys have had Brown and Tatum’s number all year long through three games. However, just 17 assists (third-lowest of the season) is indicative of an offense that didn’t have much flow beyond the 35-point first quarter.
Why isn’t Enes Kanter playing more?
A look at the box score of Kanter’s night might have some people scratching their heads. Eight points and 11 rebounds and a team-high plus-11 and the big man only played 17 minutes? Why didn’t Stevens ride him a little bit more given the Sixers bulk down low?
The problem was Kanter’s pick-and-roll defense. The Sixers started off the fourth quarter with three straight makes by Josh Richardson and they all came in the midrange against Kanter after switches. The 6-foot-10 center just doesn’t have the skill to stick with smaller guys in that part of the floor and Richardson was having a hot shooting night (game-high 29 points).
? @J_Rich1 scores 29 PTS and dishes out 7 AST as the @sixers improve to 18-2 at home! #PhilaUnite pic.twitter.com/f2wO988o2Z
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2020