BSJ Game Report: Celtics 118, Rockets 102 - A much-needed complete performance

Everything you need to know about the Celtics 118-102 win over the Rockets with BSJ insight and analysis. 

Box Score

OK, it was the Rockets, but so what? A thirsty person can’t turn down a glass of water because it came from the tap. The Celtics needed a fun win where they saw how playing the right away leads to good things. The ball moved, they turned up their defense in the second half, they got out in transition. We’re going micro on this one tonight. It’s a good win. 

Ball movement FTW! This is how the game started

https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1378131581093613570

The Celtics dished a season-high-tying 35 assists. There was one possession in particular early in the game where Jayson Tatum was setting up for a classic iso move, but he ended up swinging the ball. Three other Celtics touched it, the ball got into the paint, and it ultimately swung back out to Tatum for a 3. Trusting teammates works. 

We got our first taste of Fournier’s impact. This year’s Boston Celtics team comes in two flavors: furious comeback (when they are trailing after 3), or fourth quarter lull (when they lead). However, Brad Stevens decides to use Evan Fournier, having this one more weapon is a very welcome option.

TURNING POINT

At the 10:22 mark, Evan Fournier hit what would be the first of six 3-pointers in the quarter for him. The barrage would lead to a career-high seven in the game, and blow the game open.

TOP PLAY

Poor Kenyon Martin, Jr.

https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1378153034270711812

FIVE UP 

Robert Williams: Williams is the eighth NBA player to produce 20+ points, 8+ rebounds, and 8+ assists, while shooting 100% from the field. This was the most complete game I’ve seen from him. He’s had a couple of tough games (along with the rest of the team) so this game was important.

“My performance tonight is strictly a confidence booster, 1,000%,” he said. “I just see my job as being the defensive anchor, kind of the quarterback seeing everything, directing people, scrambling my little guys out. That’s my job.”

He did it, and did it very well. 

Evan Fournier: Stevens summed it up nicely when he said “every time the ball goes through the net, you feel better about life. Food tastes better tonight, we'll all sleep better tonight. Sometimes the ball going through the net is just a dose of what you need.”

Fournier was rushing his shots most of the night, but when he rose up for that first 3-pointer of the fourth quarter, it looked smooth. I could tell it was going in right away. 

Jayson Tatum: He moved the ball and didn’t isolate quite as much. He just casually dropped 26 points and 9 rebounds and he’s probably the third-biggest storyline of the game.

https://twitter.com/taylorcsnow/status/1378150454077632512

Jaylen Brown: 22 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and he’s becoming a victim of his success. He and Tatum did their work in the third quarter, each dropping 13 as the Celtics really started asserting themselves. They combined to shoot 10-17 during a stretch of very fun basketball

Marcus Smart: He atoned for that miserably brain-dead performance earlier this week with a beautifully played game where he was selective with his shooting, brilliant with his passing, and Marcus Smart-y with his defense. 

This recognition as the Rockets were sleeping after a 24-second violation was the opposite of that half-court shot thing he did against New Orleans. 

TWO DOWN

Payton Pritchard: He played just 15 minutes and missed both of his shots, each of them 3-pointers. One of them was a way-too-soon shot with 20 seconds on the clock. I just don’t see that as a good shot. 

Luke Kornett: His shot didn’t fall, though I shouldn’t really put him in the “down” necessarily because I thought he was ok defensively. Pritchard and Kornett were the two non-garbage time negative +/- guys, though. 

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

This HAS to carry over. The Celtics are basically in survival mode right now, and they’re reduced to hurriedly smashing rocks together over a pile of kindling hoping a spark will take. At this point, it doesn’t matter how they start a fire, they just need one of these sparks to turn into flames before the sun sets so they can give themselves a chance.

This is on everyone. The lessons from this game have to be learned once and for all: move the ball, trust your teammates, make the right defensive rotations, get out in transition. The Charlotte Hornets are scuffling a bit after LaMelo Ball’s hand injury and Gordon Hayward rolled his ankle tonight. The chance for two in a row and a win against a team above them in the standings is there. They cannot waste this chance. 

Kemba Walker is still important to this team. Kemba had it going early and the rest of the team followed suit, but more importantly, Walker was his old self in this game. There was no bigger cheerleader for Fournier’s huge fourth quarter than Walker.

“Kemba's the leader of that in so many ways,” Stevens said. “I think that Kemba is a guy that has always shown great happiness for others. And as a result, I think he is a leader that young players can look up to.” 

Some of you might want to scoff at this, but the truth of the matter is that attitudes like Kemba’s are necessary when things are at their worst. That’s why he, of all people, can’t fall into the same trap as everyone else when things go south. 

Kemba is the vibes leader. When he’s not vibing, the whole instrument is out of tune.