BSJ Game Report: Celtics 99, Suns 86 - Classic Kemba does it on both ends

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics' 99-86 win over the Phoenix Suns, with BSJ insight and analysis. 

Box Score

Moving up. The Celtics, Hawks, and Knicks are all tied in the loss column in the East with 21 losses. The Knicks are a half game up in the fourth seed due to their one extra win.

Celtics find a way despite Jayson Tatum struggling. It was very clear early in the game that the team was much better with Tatum on the floor, but that’s mostly because the Suns were not about to let Tatum kill them. That opened the floor up for other players as Tatum not only managed 6 assists, but a few hockey assists as well. 

Kemba Walker keeps looking better. Patience with Walker and his knee is paying off. He recently said he still needs to get past some mental barriers of moves that used to hurt not actually hurting anymore. It seems like he’s making that kind of progress.

TURNING POINT

With 4:54 left in the game, Kemba Walker swung his arms through looking for a foul on a 3-point attempt and the shot fell anyway, giving Boston a 14 point lead. Then, on the other end, he drew a charge on Devin Booker, fouling him out. 

Here’s the shot:

https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1385400074386087936

TOP PLAY

Kemba was in his bag

https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1385382938552934400

FIVE UP

Kemba Walker: This might have been his best complete game in a long time, certainly of this season. On top of all of his heroics on offense, he ended up drawing three charges on Booker. 

“Those were all big plays,” Walker said. “I think for the most part, it's just me letting guys know that if I can take them, we all can take 'em. That's really it. It's about sacrifice. It's about jumping in front of a guy, getting your body up to get the actual possession for your teammates. I want to win and plays like that show it. Just trying to lead by example.”

Tristan Thompson: This is the Thompson that Boston wanted when he signed. I won’t belabor the point with him, but I will just reiterate that the right situation is paying off for him and the Celtics. He had a huge late offensive rebound that he stole from Deandre Ayton and fed to Walker for a jumper.  

Jabari Parker: All three of his baskets came in the restricted area. Two of them were backdoor plays assisted by Marcus Smart. The other was a pick-and-roll dunk from Jayson Tatum. He also chipped in 4 assists and 4 rebounds. 

OK fine, maybe he could actually help this team.

Marcus Smart: Not his best shooting night but man was he a menace on Booker defensively. Smart is getting back to his old self on the defensive end. 

Payton Pritchard: He knocked down a huge 3-pointer (off a pass from Smart) when the Suns had cut it to 10 and Boston was in a bit of a dangerous spot. Both of his 3’s came in the fourth quarter. 

“That’s a way I think I can really help this team is my floor spacing and being able to knock down the 3,” Pritchard said. “If that’s a way I can help this team be better, then I’m ready to do that.”

TWO DOWN

Jayson Tatum: Another rough shooting night, and another night with length waiting for him in the paint. Look at his shot chart:



Remember how his superstar stretch produced shot charts with a ton of green in the restricted area? Not a single shot there against Deandre Ayton. 

I’m not ready to make any conclusions just yet here. However, this is part of the reason why I think Tatum is “knocking on the door” of superstardom rather than kicking the door down. His next step is getting there against these big guys and challenging them. 

Romeo Langford: The game is moving way too fast for him right now. He did make some good defensive plays so he wasn’t really even all that bad. He did foul a lot early in the game, though.

TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

This Kemba Walker might be a game-changer. 

Guess we just needed to be more patient? 

Walker is rounding into more of the player the Celtics need. He’s doing more to take a step back, but if he can reach back and pull out performances like this when the C’s are short players, then the Celtics ceiling might be increasing.

“Just got to stay ready, stay confident and just trust in my work. Whenever my opportunity comes, I'm just trying to take advantage of it as best as I can,” Walker said. “As of late, it's been there. I've been able to take some big shots and that's just because of my teammates and my coaching staff trusting in me. Just continuing to play well. Just want to win. That's all I care about.”

These next 13 games are as much about building on the continuity created on their recent road trip. Walker’s ability to adjust from complementary to primary scorer, along with his continued ability to draw charges and be somewhat effective defensively, gives the Celtics a wrinkle they’ll need in the playoffs. 

The NBA needs to let the Celtics draft Terrence Clarke

Terrence Clarke, the 19-year-old Boston native who entered the NBA draft after a season at Kentucky, was killed in a car accident this evening in Los Angeles. Clarke was projected to be a second-round pick. 

He had close relationships with Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker, and was frequently seen at Celtics games last season. 

“Very, very, very tough. Very tough news, man,” Walker said. “He’s a very, very good kid. Just always smiling, always energetic. And he was about to get his opportunity, too. My condolences to his family. It’s a tough time, man. That’s really tough news to hear. I don’t even know what to say. It’s kind of tough. It’s kind of mind-boggling to hear something like that.”

The news blindsided Brad Stevens as well, who got word of the accident as he was walking to his media availability. 

“As I was walking down the hallway I just heard this news about Terrence Clarke. I’m not sure how much I want to talk about the game,” Stevens said. “When you consider a Boston kid … Those kids are important to us here and even though I never met him, my son looks up to him. It’s hard to talk about a basketball game with even the idea that that’s floating out there.”

The people who knew him best will be offering their tributes in the coming days, but the NBA should take the extra step to allow his family to see his dream come true. 

The NBA needs to add a ceremonial pick at the end of the first round of the NBA draft for the Celtics to select Clarke. His family needs to hear his name called out by Commissioner Adam Silver. 

It’s the right thing to do. The NBA needs to make it happen.