The Celtics were able to make a quick recovery after their heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Warriors. Tonight, the C’s were able to get past the Nets, 112-104.
Boston came out firing, quickly jumping out to a 23-10 lead in the first quarter. The Nets were able to battle back a bit, only trailing by 6 after the opening period. Brooklyn was able to shrink the gap even more in the second, eventually tying the game about halfway through the quarter. But, the Celtics put together a nice run to finish off the half, getting themselves a 60-50 lead heading into the break. The third gave us fans flashbacks to the game in Brooklyn. D’Angelo Russell got hot once again, scoring 14 of his 25 points in the quarter. He helped Brooklyn put together a 38 point quarter in the third. However, the Celtics still went into the fourth with a lead, 89-88. After withstanding the third quarter push by the Nets, the C’s were able to get back on track in the fourth. They managed to outscore Brooklyn 23-16 in the final frame. They’re good defense down the stretch allowed them to come away with the win, 112-104.
In the end, tonight was a good win for the C’s. They were able to get revenge on the Nets for the beatdown in Brooklyn, and they were able to gain more ground in the standings. The Pacers lost to the Warriors, so the Celtics are now only 1.5 games out of the 3rd spot in the East.
Boston’s “Splash Brothers” Get the Job Done
With Kyrie sidelined tonight with a hip injury, the Celtics needed guys to step up on the offensive end. Well, it’s a good thing that they’ve got their own set of “Splash Brothers.”
That’s right, Marcus Smart and Aron Baynes make up the Celtics version of the “Splash Brothers.” I mean, a name like “Smash Bros” would probably fit better, but I’ll settle for “Splash Brothers.”
Marcus Smart certainly earned his spot as a member of the Boston “Splash Bros.” He came out firing in the first quarter, scoring 11 early points and drilling 3 threes. He finished the game with a total of 21 points. Marcus made his presence known on both ends as usual, snatching 5 steals on the night. He wasn’t have bad distributing either, dishing out 7 assists. Smart stepped up big in Kyrie’s absence, which should be no surprise. He’s been much better this month, averaging nearly 10 ppg on 45% from the field and 44% from deep. If he can continue this type of shooting, he’ll be a big part of Boston’s success in the near future.
The second “Splash Bro” was Aron Baynes. Baynes has also been sublime this month. Ever since returning from his hand injury, he’s given the C’s a nice boost of the bench. However, that boost usually doesn’t come from his scoring, rather his defense and toughness. Well, tonight was a different story. The big Australian scored 16 points off the bench, including a couple of threes. He finished the game making 6 of his 11 shots, and was a difference maker off the bench.
Alright, It’s Really Time to Leave Jaylen Alone
Jaylen Brown has been the center of way too much scrutiny this season. He had a slow start to the season, but has since put things together nicely and has been a solid contributor off the bench. Yet, people still want him traded for some reason. If you don’t believe me on his improvement, take a look at this.
He’s coming more consistent by the week.
Tonight, he was able to notch yet another 20+ point night as he led the Celtics in scoring. Brown was able to pour in 21 points off the bench while shooting 9-16 from the field. JB also had himself a nice night shooting from deep, making 3 of his 5 attempts. He was a difference maker yet again. Just like Saturday night, Brown kept the C’s in it by scoring when the offense was stalling. He scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half, which is when Brooklyn was able to make it a game again.
It’s been an interesting night on Twitter. Instead of seeing people slandering Brown, they’re actually praising him. I actually saw someone bring up the idea of inserting him back into the starting lineup for the struggling Marcus Morris. It’s not a bad idea, but Jaylen did struggle a lot as a starter this season. He only shot 41/26 splits as a starter, but now they’re up to 48/41 off the bench. I think it’s best not to mess with his minutes because of this new found success. Also, Mook was a bit better tonight as he was able to score 15 points of his own.
A Defensive Masterpiece
The real difference in tonight’s bounce back win was the Celtic defense. The effort was certainly there and the guys were all over the floor against the Nets. The C’s held them to only 104 points, which is their lowest total since their last visit to the Garden. Boston didn’t allow the Nets very many easy looks. Brooklyn only shot 38/38 splits for the game.
One reason that their field goal percentage was so low was because of the amount of blocks the Celtics had. The C’s had a franchise record 17 blocks tonight. Al Horford was a big part of that blocking 6 shots all by himself. Blocks are always helpful in close games like this one. That’s 17 shots that didn’t even have a chance to go in. Had half of them went in, the score would’ve been completely different.
Another aspect of this defensive masterpiece was forcing turnovers. The Celtics forced the Nets into 17 turnovers tonight, and were able to create 27 points with those extra opportunities. 11 of those turnovers were steals. It’s great to see the C’s this active on the defensive end. To me, it means that Saturdays loss has stuck with them over the last couple of days, and they’re a bit more motivated now.
I believe the guys on the broadcast said that this was the first time that a team has blocked 16+ shots and gotten 11+ steals in a game.
The C’s will be back at it Wednesday night when they host the Hornets. Hopefully they’ll be doing some more climbing up the standings.
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