BSJ Game Report: Celtics 113, Hornets 107 - Celtics go off script, win a close game after squandering lead

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics win over the Charlotte Hornets with BSJ insight and analysis:

IN A NUTSHELL

This was one of those games of runs you hear about, with each team taking turns going on 8, 9, or 10-point runs. Most of the game was about Boston building a lead, Charlotte tying it (or taking a brief lead) and Boston building its 10-point lead back. The game got close down the stretch when Boston was scoring in 2’s and Charlotte was scoring in 3’s, but the Celtics made the big plays for once, and they held on to win a tight game.

Boston has won three games in a row, five of six, and seven of 10.

Box Score

HEADLINES

They … they held on to win? We’ve seen this script before, but this was the alternate ending on the DVD (do people still buy DVDs?). The Celtics coughed up a late double-digit lead, but instead of simply relying on isolations to close out the game, the Celtics ran some pick-and-rolls, attacked, and got to the free-throw line with Charlotte in the penalty. Guys stepped up to make key defensive plays when it mattered, and they held on to win an important game.

Bench contributions were huge. Boston’s bench was badly outscored in New Orleans, so they needed a make good. Boston’s bench outscored Charlotte’s 41-19 behind a monster shooting night from Josh Richardson and Grant Williams.    

Standings getting interesting. This was a big win, standings-wise. Boston and Toronto are now in a virtual tie 5.5 games out, just a half game behind 7th seed Charlotte. Toronto’s next game is against Cleveland and Charlotte faces Chicago, while Boston goes up against Detroit, so the standings can flip by the weekend. 

TURNING POINT

Robert Williams blocked a PJ Washington 3-pointer with 28.5 seconds left to end the back-and-forth basket-trading. The Hornets had been hitting nothing but 3’s to that point, and Williams’ block led to Boston winning the free-throw game down the stretch. 

FOUR UP 

Marcus Smart: He carried the offense early on and finished with 22 points on 7-11 shooting (2-6 3pt) to go along with 6 assists, 4 rebounds, a steal, and a block. That block came in a critical second-quarter stretch where Boston was floundering a bit. He also had some acrobatic finishes in that final stretch to preserve a halftime lead.

Robert Williams: He looked like he was on his way to a 5x5 game (five categories - points, assists, rebounds, steals, blocks - with at least 5 of each). It’s a fairly rare occurrence and rarer than a triple-double. He slowed down, but still finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. He’s going to get it at some point. 

Smart said “I actually told him, ‘You look like me out there. You’re going to beat me out for being one of the best defenders out here. So keep going. I’m proud of you.’ Rob is phenomenal. The athleticism he has to be able to guard 1-5 at his size is just tremendous. We need that from him. We need Rob every night to be that Rob.”

Josh Richardson: Richardson started the day at shootaround telling the media that his confidence is always at a 10. He carried that swag into the game to drop 23 points on 8-12 shooting, including 6-8 from deep. 

“I was just taking my shots. I saw a couple go in,” Richardson said. “Once I see a couple go in, ‘ah OK, it's about to be a long night for somebody.’ My teammates just did a good job of moving the ball, finding the open guy and guys are just knocking shots down."

Grant Williams: He started a little slow but he recovered to hit half his 3-pointers and add 12 points to the bench total. 

ZERO DOWN

You know what? No one had an all-out bad game. This was a good effort all the way around, even though some guys had some tough stretches. 

However…

TWO UP AND DOWN

Jayson Tatum: He didn’t shoot well, going 6-16 from the floor, 1-7 from 3, and turning the ball over 3 times. Not a great night for him offensively, but he led the team with 9 assists, and he went to the line 6 teams (he hit all 6). Instead of settling down the stretch, he attacked and got to the line. 

Jaylen Brown: He missed some shots badly, and he had 7 turnovers. He missed all three 3-pointers he took. But, he had a huge offensive rebound and putback, he took a charge, and he hit a clutch jumper. It was a tough night for him overall, but he made winning plays when they needed him to.

TOP PLAYS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

That late-game stretch from Jaylen is pretty important. 

I’ve seen Brown play long enough to get a good sense of how certain nights are going to go for him. This was a rough one early on, and I figured it was going to progress down a messy road for him. He has had a tendency to dwell on these kinds of performances, get in his own head, give up backdoor cuts, and watch his whole night swirl down the toilet. 

However, Brown never got bogged down in his mistakes. 

“Rough overall to his standard, yes because he scored 15,” Ime Udoka said. “But you look at the numbers he’s 7-for-15, almost shot 50%, had six assists. He had some turnovers in the first half trying to force it a little bit but he made the winning plays. So it's gonna require different things every night, that's a sign of progress for him, not trying to force it, trusting his guys.”

Every little win out there is part of the foundation this team is trying to build. Every little step forward has just as much potential to be the first step in a sprint as it does to trip a person up. 

Some people will scoff at takes like this with some kind of ‘so what? That's what he’s supposed to do.’ 

Yeah, I know. But also, he hasn’t been. They haven't been.

It’s good to see Brown keep his focus, make some big plays down the stretch on a night where his overall game wasn’t fully there instead of letting it consume him.