Everything you need to know about the Celtics' xx-xx win over the Warriors with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Balanced effort leads to routine blowout: The Warriors are the worst team in the NBA and they looked like it at the TD Garden on Thursday night. Boston’s five top players combined for 97 points, dispatching an overmatched Golden State squad in the double-digit victory. Gordon Hayward continued his strong stretch of play with a game-high 25 points and 8 rebounds, while Marcus Smart added 21 points off the bench thanks to 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. The C’s offense rolled off much of the night with 28 points or more in all four quarters thanks to 15 made 3s on the night.
Jayson Tatum looks sharp in return from groin injury: The third-year forward returned from a three-game absence and played on a minutes limit. The limited court time did not keep him from putting up some impressive numbers in his return as Tatum posted 20 points and 6 rebounds in his 24 minutes, including a pair of impressive dunks in the half court. There clearly wasn’t much rust there and that should be beneficial with a showdown looming against the Sixers at the Garden on Saturday night.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics trailed by as many as six points in the first quarter before turning the game around with a 33-12 run behind the efficient offense of Hayward and some stellar defense on the backline by Semi Ojeleye and Grant Williams off the bench. The Warriors got no closer than six points the rest of the way for the final three frames after this outburst.
TWO UP
Marcus Smart: The reserve hit the 20-point mark for the fourth time in the month of January, knocking down 50 percent of his attempts from the field (8-of-16) and 3-point range (5-of-10).
Gordon Hayward: The veteran continued his stellar play by scoring 15 points in the first quarter alone on 4/6 FG and 6/6 shooting from the line on his way to a game-high 25 points. The early outburst helped the C’s dig out of an early six-point hole. Hayward has now scored over 20 points in four consecutive games for the first time in his Celtic career.
TWO DOWN
Vincent Poirier: With the Celtics holding a comfortable lead in the second quarter, Brad Stevens gave him a shot with the starters and it did not go well. Poirier only lasted two minutes before picking up three fouls and getting sent back to the bench. His days in Boston look numbered.
Kemba Walker The All-Star remains in a bit of a shooting funk, missing eight of his first 11 shots in this contest to be stuck on single digits through three quarters in the points column. Over his last two games, he is shooting just 9-of-31 from the field.
TOP PLAY
.@smart_MS3 ? pic.twitter.com/m0yxVS5AKC
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 31, 2020
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
The Grant Williams/Semi Ojeleje reserve backline continues to show promise: The undersized bigs got extended time together again with Enes Kanter still out with a sore hip and just like we saw in Miami, the result was promising. Boston’s best defense in the first half came with both guys on the floor and they were both a team-high plus 14 in their respective minutes. Earlier in the season, they were competing for each other’s minutes but their versatility on the defensive end makes playing both together off the bench an intriguing option as long as they have the necessary scoring options around them. Now that everyone is back healthy within the C’s core, Brad Stevens can roll out those options more, at least against inferior teams. Holding up against the size of playoff teams in the East could be a different story. Saturday night should provide a good test with Kanter expected to remain sidelined.
Alec Burks would be an appealing low-risk trade option for the bench: The veteran shooting guard has been one of the few bright spots during a brutal season for the Warriors. He’s a top scorer off the bench for this group and scored 18 points for the second straight game this season against the Celtics with a mix of outside shooting and crafty takes inside that earned him six free throw attempts. Burks may not be playable much in the postseason due to his defense but he provides a far superior offensive weapon than Brad Wanamaker (0 points in 14 minutes) at the moment. As long as the price is low (no more than two second-round picks and Poirier), this is a solid fallback option if Danny Ainge can’t land a higher impact player.