Final: Celtics 120, Grizzlies 107 - Boston passes major test without Jaylen Brown

Game 65
Boston Celtics (37-27, 21-11 home, T-5th East) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (43-20, 22-10 road, 3rd West)
TD Garden 
7:30 PM - TNT, NBC Sports Boston

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

Boston: Marcus Smart, Aaron Nesmith, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Robert Williams

Memphis: Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Ziaire Williams, Jaren Jackson Jr., Steven Adams

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

- As expected, Jaylen Brown is out tonight. 

“Still swollen and some pain (in the ankle) and be evaluated day to day,” Ime Udoka said. “Don't know much more than that other then they’ll take a look everyday and hopefully it ends up being a pain tolerance thing. Hope to have him this weekend but you never know, how he responds to treatment.”

Nesmith gets the start in his place. 

- Dillon Brooks (ankle), Yves Pons (thigh) are out for Memphis.

- Boston is favored by 2.5

GOING A LITTLE DEEPER

Ime Udoka won February Coach of the Month

The Celtics went 9-2 in February, and they could have gone 11-0. That's enough to get Ime Udoka his first ever Coach of the Month award, making him the only rookie Celtics coach to do so.

“Means we're playing well. Bottom line,” he said before the game. “Our group is great and lets us push them, coach them hard. And that's where the results are showing for that. And so more than anything, means we're heading in the right direction. And those accolades come but, for me personally, it's a reflection of those guys.”

Hard coaching has been a buzz phrase this season. In a player’s league, it’s tough for a coach to lean on his guys. 

“It means you're reaching them,” he said before the game. “I've talked about it quite a bit, that the guys asked for that and then they've allowed us to coach them, which is not always the case.”

There is always a risk that NBA players will say something like they want hard coaching and then, when they get it, say “well not THAT hard.” 

“A lot of people will say one thing and when you're on them relentlessly, over and over about some of the things that you want to change or improve on, they'll either go south or not be receptive to them,” Udoka said. “Our guys have responded, as I mentioned, quite a bit. Health played a big part and once we've gotten together it feels like we bought into everything we're trying to get them to do on both ends, see growth on both ends, defensively, obviously, but offensively as well with Jayson and Jaylen and some of the things they're doing, and now Grant and Rob, across the board.”

Coaches in the NBA aren’t quite as disposable as they may be in the NHL, for example, but this is a player’s league. Rosters cost owners north of $100 million, and the star players can call the shots simply by tuning a coach out. 

Udoka is only just getting started, but it’s a good sign that he and his staff continued to hold his team’s attention through the rough beginning to the season. That the message from the coaches has resulted in a winning style of play only makes it more likely that they’ll continue to accept his coaching style.

“They're allowing us to push them, we're in a good spot and just want to continue to grow from there,” he said “The bottom line is they have to let you coach them. And that's what it comes down to. And so our group has been great as far as that.”

THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1. Slowing Ja Morant: Good luck, right? The key to stopping Morant is a bit like the key to stopping Giannis Antetokounmpo: keep him out of the paint and turn him into a jump shooter. 

“They’ve kind of have taken on the grit and grind mantra from years ago but do it in a really different way, with pace and athleticism and up and down,” Udoka said of the Grizzlies. “The first part, obviously, is Morant being the head of the snake as far as his competitiveness and toughness and edge, it just seemed to rub off on the whole group.”

If the Celtics can keep Morant on the perimeter, then they will be slowing one of the league’s best transition teams. The Celtics need to get back and turn them into a half court team (where they're ranked 23rd). 

The formula for Boston is definitely an easier said than done sort of thing: Protect the ball, score, get back and set the defense to keep Memphis out of the paint.

2. Nesmith’s impact: He doesn’t have to do too much. All he needs to do is not be a liability on the floor. Catch the ball and make the right read, shoot it with confidence, and most importantly, communicate on defense and avoid glaring defensive errors. The message to Nesmith is very Bellichickian: just do your job. 

3. Marcus Smart’s shot selection: Smart has had a tendency to try to make up for some of the lost offense when a player goes down. He’s been shooting better since January 1, but the Celtics don’t need him to try to do too much either. Part of the reason they started Nesmith is to keep their bench rotations intact, but keeping Smart at the point and facilitating is a very good side effect. Let him initiate the offense and then catch-and-shoot against a rotating defense. 

GAME THREAD

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