As the game clock ticked just below two minutes remaining in regulation, Jayson Tatum found Jrue Holiday on a slip-screen right at the free throw line. As Holiay charged towards the rim, Royce O’Neale crashed in to contest Holiday, who kicked the ball to a wide-open Al Horford in the corner.
Water.
The triple pushed Boston’s lead to eight and served as the knockout blow as the Celtics snapped their two-game losing skid with a 117-1107 win over the Phoenix Suns.
“I liked the discipline we played with as far as game management,” Joe Mazzulla said postgame. “I think that’s the biggest lesson we took from the last game, and it’s the standard that we have to hold ourselves to. Just elite game management and elite discipline on both ends of the floor. We got more possessions tonight of that than we did last game.”
Despite Kevin Durant exploding for 45 points on a ridiculous 18-of-26 (69.2%) shooting, Boston controlled the final three quarters, forcing the Suns to play from behind for over 40 minutes.
“That was tough,” Tatum said postgame on the Celtics overcoming Durant’s monster game. “He was getting to his spots, getting easy looks, getting into transition, obviously making some tough ones. But we just kept responding on the other end and getting good shots.”
In Thursday night’s loss to the Nuggets, the Celtics learned the true value of the margins that Mazzulla always emphasizes. Apart from the third quarter and early fourth, these areas showed significant improvement Saturday night.
Boston dominated the margins, taking and making more shots and making more threes. More notably, they grabbed more offensive rebounds and forced more turnovers, which led to them doubling up the Suns in points of turnovers (16-8) and second-chance points (17-8).
Six Celtics finished with double figures, led by Tatum, who finished 29 points. Jaylen Brown contributed another 27, and Al Horford stepped up in the absence of Kristaps Porzingis (right hamstring tightness) with a game-high 12 boards, all coming in the first half.
With his 12 first-half rebounds, Horford became the first player 37 years or older to record at least 12 first-half rebounds since Tim Duncan in 2014.
“We’re not perfect. We try to be, we really do try,” Tatum said. “But we make mistakes and things like that. This is a tough league. The other teams are really good and have great players. So, it’s all about how you respond.”
“[If] you want to be a special team, you’ve got to do a good job responding,” Tatum added. “Today, we bounced back in a positive way.”
The Celtics have excelled at bouncing back this season, as they haven’t lost three consecutive games yet. Therefore, it was perplexing when their rare two-game skid raised concerns about the team’s readiness on a national level.
Nonetheless, as Tatum said, the Celtics bounced back positively Saturday night, hopefully easing the concern of those who were slamming the panic button.
Here are three takeaways as the Celtics earn the first win of their five-game road trip, becoming the first Eastern Conference team to reach 20 road wins this season.
Showing resilience
Basketball is a game of runs. Leads naturally fluctuate throughout a game. That’s the beauty of the sport.
So, when teams go on those inevitable runs, it’s about managing it, especially when playing with the lead.
Managing runs is an area of the game Mazzulla pays close attention to, an area he should be pleased with his team after Saturday night.
Whenever Phoenix trimmed at Boston’s lead, they responded Two runs, in particular, stood out.
A 4:27 scoreless stretch from the Celtics in the third quarter resulted in a 9-0 Phoenix run that cut Boston’s lead to just three. However, the Celtics responded. A Jrue Holiday corner three snapped the scoring skid and fueled a 10-4 run to close the quarter, pushing the lead back up to 11 entering the final frame.
The run helped Boston survive a quarter that featured six turnovers and the 4:27 scoreless stretch. Credit to the defense.
Then, in the fourth quarter, three consecutive makes from Durant cut Boston’s lead to five with 3:55 to go. Once again, Boston responded.
The Celtics closed the final 3:55 on a 10-5 run, pushing the lead to 10, prompting Frank Vogel to pull his starters before the final horn. Over that stretch, the Celtics shot 4-of-5 (80%) from the field and 1-of-1 from deep.
Conversely, they held Phoenix to just 2-of-6 (33.3%) shooting from the field and 0-of-4 from deep, earning the Celtics another clutch win, advancing to 19-10 in such situations.
The clutch situation provided the Celtics another opportunity to refine their late-game execution, and this time, they did not disappoint. They simply made the necessary plays, resulting in their 49th victory this season.
Stocks are up
Durant’s assessment of the Celtics before their matchup was straightforward: “The best starting five in the league by far.”
The resumes speak for themselves, and with players like Tatum, Brown, and Porzingis consistently averaging 20 points a night, the contributions of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday may not always receive the attention they deserve. However, Saturday night served as another reminder of why they are the best backcourt tandem in the association.
White and Holiday combined for 25 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks, each making those game-changing plays we’ve grown accustomed to.
For White, it came in the second quarter when he had this nasty acrobatic block on Royce O’Neale one-on-one in transition, setting the tone for the defense.
For Holiday, it was his veteran awareness to kick the ball to Horford on the dagger three.
“When you watch him play, you can never tell if he has taken two shots, five shots, no shots. If he’s gotten scored on, or if he’s not gotten scored on,” Mazzulla said on Holiday postgame.
The same can be said about White.
Neither is focused on jacking up shots. They take what the defense gives them and do whatever their team needs.
This backcourt duo is special. Both can score when needed, are elite defenders, and almost always make the right play. That was evident on Saturday night.
Jayson Tatum’s “Off night”
Despite facing numerous harsh critics, Tatum’s harshest critic might just be himself.
“I’m thankful I got some great teammates because I stunk it up tonight,” Tatum told ABC postgame.
Sure, 29 points on 28 attempts isn’t necessarily aesthetically pleasing. However, Tatum impacted the game in various areas, finishing with 10 rebounds and a game-high seven assists.
This performance marked his 12th game with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists this season, matching his career-high for such games last season. Only Larry Bird and John Havlicek have more.
Moreover, Tatum scored five points during Boston’s 10-5 run to slam the door shut in the final 3:55 of the fourth quarter, shooting 2-of-3 (66.7%).
Though it wasn’t his most efficient night, his impact extended beyond his shooting and was pivotal in the Celtics’ victory in Phoenix.
“It’s all about progression, just trying to get better every single day, having the right intentions, knowing that you’re not going to be perfect,” Tatum said postgame. “I’m tough on myself, but you gotta move on, move on to the next play, the next game, and that’s what you’re on a team for. You got great teammates and coaches to keep you uplifted and just stay with it.”
Overall, it was a nice response for Tatum after two forgettable games against Cleveland and Denver this week.
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