As the Celtics navigated an up-and-down December and January, in which they went 13-11 over a span of 51 days, they maintained the idea that they didn’t want to play their best basketball too early.
Now, with the playoffs approaching, it’s time—and the Celtics are hitting their stride. Monday night’s 113-95 win over the Sacramento Kings pushed them to 21-4 in their last 25 games, with 14 of those victories coming by double digits.
They are 14-3 since the All-Star break and 11-1 in March, despite playing 8 of their 12 games without two or more of their top-six (Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford) on the bench.
Monday’s win was Boston’s sixth straight, leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder as the only team they haven’t beaten this season.
Five Celtics scored in double figures on Monday night, led by Jayson Tatum with 25 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, and Payton Pritchard, who contributed 22 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Kristaps Porzingis continued his strong play since returning from illness, adding 16 points and hauling in eight rebounds.
For the Kings, Domantas Sabonis posted 16 points and 17 rebounds in his return after missing three straight games and nine of the last eleven due to hamstring and ankle injuries. DeMar DeRozan led the team with 20 points, while Keon Ellis and Zach LaVine each chipped in 14.
With the win, the Celtics improved to 53-19 on the season, with just ten regular-season games remaining. Here are six takeaways from the victory.
Jayson Tatum leaves the game with an ankle injury
Tatum was in complete control of this game. On the second night of a back-to-back, after finishing with 30 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists the night prior in Portland, Tatum was again flirting with a triple-double. In under 26 and a half minutes of action, he had recorded 25 points (53.3% shooting from the field and 55.6% from three), eight assists, and seven rebounds before his night ended abruptly.
In the third quarter, Sabonis recklessly closed out on one of Tatum’s three-point attempts, causing Tatum to land on Sabonis’ foot and roll his left ankle.
Tatum was visibly in pain, writhing on the floor and clutching his ankle—an unusual sight for the Celtics’ star. He was helped to the bench as “MVP” chants filled the Golden 1 Center.
Sabonis was assessed a Flagrant One foul for being in Tatum’s landing zone. After the foul was reviewed, the Celtics called a timeout to give Tatum extra time to recover. He returned to the floor to shoot his two free throws before subbing out and heading straight to the locker room.
A few minutes later, the team announced he was doubtful to return due to a left ankle sprain shortly after. He did not return.
“He seems to be doing ok,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said after the game. “He’s icing it right now. I didn’t see the play, but they made the right call. It was a flagrant foul, and fortunate that he was able to shoot the free throw. Just taking care of it right now.”
The Celtics have made it clear that health and rest are among their main priorities as the season winds down, so there’s no rush to bring Tatum back. The 27-year-old has already hit the 65-game threshold to qualify for postseason awards, solidifying his place as a lock for his fourth consecutive First-Team All-NBA selection.
The timing is unfortunate because this is the best Tatum has looked all season. Since returning from the All-Star break, he is averaging 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. The only other player with such averages is Luka Doncic, but Tatum is doing it with a better shooting percentage and few turnovers. The Celtics also have more wins.
It’s a good time for Tatum to be playing his best ball of the season, though he will likely miss a game or two with this injury.
The starting five was back together
For the first time since February 23rd (15 games), the Celtics had their preferred starting lineup of White, Holiday, Brown, Tatum, and Porzingis on the floor. It was only their 21st game together this season.
Limited by foul trouble for White and Porzingis, as well as Tatum’s injury, they registered just 12 minutes as a unit, finishing with a 0 plus-minus. In that time, they posted a 128.0 offensive rating, 133.3 defensive rating, and a -5.3 net rating.
It was a slow start for the group, as they were outscored by six in their first stint together in the first quarter. Over their four minutes, they had as many turnovers (2) as made field goals (2-of-6) before White had to check out early after picking up two fouls.
They were much better in their second stint during the third quarter. They were a +6, shooting 52.9% from the floor and 44.4% from three. In that eight-minute stretch, they had zero turnovers, and six of their nine makes were assisted.
It would be nice to see this unit find some rhythm heading into the postseason. Of course, there probably aren’t too many folks worried about what this starting five is capable of come the postseason, but they have been inconsistent at times, and finding their groove would be another massive advantage.
New owner Bill Chisholm was in the house
New Celtics owner Bill Chisholm and his wife, Kimberly, were in the house on Monday night, sitting at midcourt with Kings’ owner Vivek Ranadivé.
Chisholm met with Brad Stevens as well as players and coaches pre- and postgame.
During the first quarter, he and Kimberly did an interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin. Here are a few quotes that stood out.
Bill on what the last few days have been like: “Honestly, it’s been emotional for me. As a kid growing up in New England, I didn’t even know to dream about this. Then, to have it happen, it was really emotional… Just really special and emotional. I really understand what this is about and what it means to the people of Boston because I’m one of them, and I’m gonna do it right.”
Kimberley on what she and Bill have been hearing from the fans: “They were running to give us a tour of the arena, and they kept having to stop and stop and stop because there were so many people in green like, ‘Bill! Bill! And Billy Banners!’ It was really an amazing embrace, even here in Sacramento.”
Bill on his message to the staff and players when he spoke with them: “The message was to keep doing what you are doing, and if there is any way I/We can play any role and be a little helpful, we would love to do that. I’m just so proud of what they’ve accomplished and hope to build on it with them.”
The Georgetown, Massachusetts native is making quite the first impression. His passion and fandom for the team feel genuine, which is all you can ask for in these early stages. Time will tell if his actions match his words, but so far, he’s saying all the right things, and it appears sincere. Also, “Billy Banners” is an incredible nickname.
Baylor Scheierman continues to impress in expanded opportunity
For the fifth consecutive game, Scheierman logged 10+ minutes, and once again, he made the most of them.
The rookie finished with nine points on 3-of-6 (50%) shooting all from three-point range, a career-high seven rebounds (2 offensive), two steals and an assist. He finished a +17 in 28:12.
Two plays in particular really stood out.
The first came late in the second quarter. After missing a corner three-point attempt, Scheierman anticipated where a Keegan Murray pass was going to go after the rebound, poking it away and hitting Payton Pritchard under the basketball with a smooth behind-the-back pass for two easy points.
The second came in the fourth quarter. Late in the shot clock, Jrue Holiday had to force a stepback jumper from the free-throw line that hit the front of the rim. Scheierman crashed hard from the corner and punched the ball out to Derrick White, who kicked it back to Scheierman in the corner, and he knocked down a wide-open three.
“He’s just not being defined by scoring,” said Mazzulla. “The shooting is obviously important, but the other stuff is more important: the offensive rebounds, deflections, steals. Getting more comfortable with the schemes on both ends of the floor. So, he’s playing really well.”
In March, he’s top six in points (5th), rebounds (6th), assists (6th), steals (4th), blocks (4th), and plus-minus (3rd) among Eastern Conference rookies coming off the bench.
The 24-year-old is showing he can play. He hustles all over the floor, has a versatile skill set, and is making the most of his chances.
The bench brought it
The Celtics more than doubled the Kings’ bench scoring, outscoring them 46-18. Payton Pritchard alone outscored the entire Kings’ bench with 22 points behind five three-pointers.
Luke Kornet chipped in 13, Scheierman had 9, and Neemias Queta added two against his former team in garbage time.
Jaylen Brown returned … maybe a little too early?
Brown returned from a two-game absence due to a bone bruise and posterior impingement in his right knee. A quick glance at the box score made it clear—he wasn’t quite himself.
The All-Star wing finished with just nine points, two rebounds, and a steal in 25:46 minutes and didn’t play in the fourth quarter despite the Celtics being without Tatum at that point.
He might be eyeing the 65-game threshold for postseason awards, needing to play in eight of the final 10 games to qualify, but it was evident he wasn’t playing at his usual level.
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