BSJ Game Report: Celtics 117, Grizzlies 103 - Celtics set team record with perfect 6-0 trip

Everything you need to know about the Celtics win over the Grizzlies, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics started out fine but got sloppy at the end of the first to fall behind by seven. The lead got to 11 behind Ja Morant, but the Celtics got hot, started turning Memphis over, and went on a run that resulted in a five-point halftime lead. Memphis went on another run but Jrue Holiday’s 11 points helped Boston ultimately add two points to the lead. The defense took over to hold Memphis to 18 in the fourth, giving Boston their ninth-straight win. 

Jaylen Brown and Luke Kornet both missed the game.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- History: The Celtics have never gone 6-0 on a road trip in team history. Do you know how hard it is to do something for the first time in Celtics history? Kristaps Porzingis manifested after the Nets game when he was asked what a successful trip would be. 

"For us, probably 6-0, no? I would say, for us. We’ll see. Obviously, we expect to win every game ...  I don’t know what our roster will look like, is another question. But yeah, 6-0, come back home, would be perfect."

It was perfect alright. 

- Ageless Al Horford: Another great game from Horford who is looking really good lately. He was on fire, going 6-13 from deep (and that was with a few late misses) on his way to a season-high 26 off the bench. 

- Defense steps up: After a tough first quarter where they gave up 32 points and first half allowing 61, they gave up 24 and 18 in the third and fourth quarters. The defense hit another level late in the second quarter and it stayed there for the rest of the game. 

TURNING POINT 

I’m going with the 28-13 Celtics run after they fell behind 48-38 in the second quarter. Joe Mazzulla called a timeout and things changed after that. After giving up 48 points in 16:25, they allowed 55 over the final 31:35. I think that's the definition of a turning point. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Sticking with it: I was sitting there early in that second quarter thinking the Celtics were already cashing in on my premonition of a loss. They never gave in, which was impressive, and a big turnaround from a few months ago. On December 31, they would probably have lost control of this game. 

- Al Horford: I feel like Zach Edey might have triggered something when he scored on Horford early and celebrated on the way back. Horford doesn’t like to be shown up. But more than the offense, Horford was part of the defensive clamp-down. 

- Rebounding: They held the Grizzlies to just five offensive rebounds and 11 second-chance points. The Celtics won the rebounding battle 54-45 and the defensive rebounds 42-40. They weren’t able to cash in on their second chances, but they did grab 12 offensive rebounds. 

- Kristaps Porzingis: 19 points on 7-14 shooting and 3-5 from 3. He also had five assists and was a game-high +29. He was a big part of keeping them out of the paint.

- Jrue Holiday: 19 points on 5-10 shooting. Dr. 3vil (I’m trying to make the nickname stick) was 4-6 from 3, a far cry from the 4-17 he shot when they left him alone back in December. 

- Derrick White: He struggled shooting again, but he finally broke the 3-point record.

 After the game, he said he never thought he’d get to this point of his career. When asked why he said “did you watch me earlier in my career? It’s pretty self-explanatory. I didn’t even think I’d shoot this many 3s.” 

Of course, he made a huge one to hold Memphis off late in the game. He also had 10 assists and eight rebounds, so White ended up having a pretty good night. 

- Jayson Tatum: 25 points and 14 rebounds on the night and he made some pretty tough shots. He also set some people up for good looks that didn’t fall, something Horford actually said he felt bad about after the game.

- Starting Xavier Tillman: I thought this was a cool thing for Joe Mazulla to do. 

“We all understood that we wanted to win this game, wanted to go 6-0, but also you wanted to do it for Xavier,” Horford said. “(Going against his) former team,  we wanted to get this one.” 

Tillman seemed very happy and appreciative of the moment. He also explained that he’s been going through a lot with his knee, which might explain the lack of playing time this season. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Tillman’s actual performance: He was actually pretty good to start the game, aggressively rebounding and being responsible for getting Edey in foul trouble. His third-quarter stint was bad, though. He only played a few minutes in the third, but he was the only starter with a negative +/- (-6) for a reason.

- Jayson Tatum’s 3-pointers: I never really care when Tatum shoots 11 3-pointers, but the ones he took in this game were not great. I think he struggled to get by his man in this game and he forced some bad shots. In situations like this, I’d like to see them go to Tatum as a screener more often. 

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- This team is starting to give me last-season vibes. 

It took a while, but I’m starting to get the same feeling from these guys that I got last year. I know earlier this season I wrote that they were starting to take the excuses the schedule presented them, but that has gone away. 

They smoked Sacramento in their third game in four nights and Phoenix in their fourth in six. They got sloppy against the Spurs but executed down the stretch and they could have mailed in this game and gone home 5-1 on the trip, but they dug in and finished strong. 

Now comes the dreaded first game back from a long road trip. If ever there was an excuse to take, it’d be that game against Miami. And I don’t want to put too much pressure on this game, but if they pull that one out, then I’ll know for sure that this team is right back to where it was last year. 

Losing this next game will be normal. It’ll suck because it’s at home, but this is a game that teams lose all the time. But if they power through it, then their metamorphosis will be complete. 

But I can already feel the same kind of vibes. They're winning with different groups, different guys are stepping up, and they're winning in different ways. It feels like a team that's ready to take that next step. It feels a lot like last year’s team.

Next up: The Celtics return home to face Miami on Wednesday night.