BSJ Game Report: Celtics 119, Warriors 114- Jayson Tatum carries C's to 6th straight win

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics' 119-114 win over the Warriors with BSJ insight and analysis:

Box Score

An instant classic. This was the best game of the year for the C’s. It had a little of everything, and the duel between Jayson Tatum and Steph Curry was amazing. Curry doing it on one foot, Tatum answering nearly every shot, the big plays made by Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker. This game was just a joy to watch.

On top of it, the Celtics have completely flipped the narrative from earlier this year when Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens were openly calling out the team’s lack of resolve.

“I think the number one reason for our little run here is we've been, for the most part, healthier,” Stevens said after the game. “I know that sounds like an excuse. I hope it doesn't. I think what we tried to do is stay afloat as well as we could and hope that we get to a time where we get a little bit healthier and put together some weeks of good basketball. Throughout all that our guys have done an incredible job of staying together. And when that happens, and then you get a little momentum, then you have a tendency to respond when you don't feel great.”

It really can be that simple. Some better health and a little break in the schedule, and suddenly there is more energy for the end of games. 

Jayson Tatum is on another level. His recent stretch has been out of this world. Tatum has cut out a lot of the mid-range stuff and instead is getting all the way to the rim and it has taken his game to another stratosphere. This Tatum is superstar Tatum. 

Steph Curry... also on another level. Some of the shots he was hitting here, especially after turning his left ankle, were beyond ridiculous. This stat is also ridiculous: 

https://twitter.com/espn_macmahon/status/1383615139153252358

As is this one:

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1383634224285065220

He made more 3-pointers in this stretch than four whole teams.

TURNING POINT

Draymond Green ran a fake dribble handoff with Steph Curry and turned to drive on Marcus Smart with about 45 seconds left. He had just enough separation to get a pretty clean look at a layup which would have tied the game at 113. Kemba Walker came down and drilled a 3-pointer to make it 116-111.

TOP PLAYS

Tatum breaks the tie:

https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1383616812676308993

Walker ices it:

https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/1383617271147290626

FOUR UP 

Jayson Tatum: After the game, Draymond Green said the performance was “incredible. That was a bi- boy performance by him. Especially missing Jaylen Brown. He stepped up and put those guys on his back.” 

The final line: 44 points on 16-25 shooting (5-9 3pt). He was 7-8 from the line, continuing his aggressive play that results in free throws. He added 10 rebounds and 3 assists.

Kemba Walker: He hit the dagger, but he also helped build Boston’s biggest lead of the night in the third quarter with a barrage of 3’s. He also played 38 minutes. 

“He feels great, he looks great,” Stevens said of Walker, who has been on a year-long strengthening plan that seems to be paying off. “Hopefully he can keep ramping it up, playing a couple more games that are 38-40 minutes, but also sprinkle in a lot of 30-to-32s over the next 15 (games).”

Jabari Parker: He struggled defensively, which is not a shock. But to his credit, he came through with some big buckets and some crunch-time minutes. 

“We went through that stretch at the start of the fourth quarter (where) we needed to score,” Stevens said. “He gave us some opportunities there both in the first half and the second when he played on the baseline and played to his strengths and did a lot of good things. He’ll pick up our defense as time goes on and we've got to figure out how to best play with him on both ends, but pretty good for his first night.”

Marcus Smart added: “We just told him to go out there and play as hard as he can, everything else will fall into it. We’ll work you into the plays and we’ll walk you through them, don’t worry about that, just go play hard. He did very well. We were definitely ecstatic with the way that he came out, not really knowing the system and just playing basketball and being a basketball player. Once he gets more involved into the plays and learns them, everything else will kind of mesh in well even more, but for his first time out there, he played very well and we’re proud of him.”

I think Parker walked into the right circumstance with this game. Without Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams, and Evan Fournier, Stevens was grasping for someone to do anything productive. Parker might get some more chances, but he might not see many meaningful minutes when the team’s at full health.

Payton Pritchard: Just like the last game, Pritchard will take the occasional bad shot and he’ll get targeted defensively, but he gave Boston a lift off the bench when they needed one badly. He scored 11 points and hit half his 3’s. 

THREE DOWN 

Semi Ojeleye: He got the start and did not play well. He missed all of his 3-pointers and was not defending particularly well either. There was some online outcry over him starting, with many people saying Romeo Langford should start, but...

Romeo Langford: He was not particularly good either. He only got 8:35 of playing time in this game. 

Luke Kornet: He was also not hitting shots and he struggled with the Warriors speed and skill. 

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

Marcus Smart showed why he’s so indispensable. Smart can infuriate people with his shot selection, and that shot selection really suffers when he feels like he has to carry more of the scoring load. But when push comes to shove, Smart is there to make a key play and steal an offensive rebound to keep a play alive and then later hit a clutch 3-pointer.

No one is surprised by it anymore. 

“At the same time, you still have to acknowledge it,” Tatum said. “Because there’s not many guys in the league that can make plays like that in those moments like he can over and over again. So not surprised, but we should never take that for granted.”

Smart was left wide open for that clutch 3, and Smart took his sweet time releasing the shot. He was well aware of his rough shooting night, so he made sure he took all the time Golden State gave him to take the shot.

“I rushed the majority of my shots tonight, so that one I just wanted to get my feet under me and take my time,” Smart said. “I just had so much time that I took every last bit of it. And it paid off. So, it was worth it.”

Smart is at his best when he is a ball-mover rather than a score-first guy. But for all the rushed shots, he did other good things. Five of his six assists were to Tatum, so Smart had a hand in making sure Tatum got good looks. And when it came time to lock up on defense, he did it.

“He's going to get the ball. Whether it's a dive, whether it's a rebound, whether it's whatever, he's going to get the ball,” Stevens said. “So he's got a special knack for that and he made a lot of big plays, including the big shot after struggling tonight.”

Walker summed it up. 

“He’s one of those guys you just want to go to war with every single night,” he said. “It’s definitely a pleasure to be his teammate, man. I just love the way he plays. His tenacity. He just wants to win.”

The Celtics might have lucked their way into a pretty good position. The focus on how much has gone wrong for Boston has been well-deserved. However, taking a step away from the fray and looking at their road ahead shows these guys might actually be in a decent spot. 

They are alone in 4th place right now, and Miami and Charlotte are fading. The Heat have lost three straight and Charlotte has lost four. Atlanta and New York seem to be fighting for the 5th seed, which means Boston’s first round opponents could be playoff newbies. 

The Philadelphia 76ers are the top seed, and I think they’re the most vulnerable of the three elite teams. If it holds, Boston could see the Sixers in the second round, and that’s a series they could win. Meanwhile, Brooklyn and Milwaukee would face each other. 

There’s a lot of basketball left, but this road ahead, while obviously difficult, might not be as bad as it looks for Boston.