Wednesday night was one of the most impressive wins of the season for the Celtics.
Playing in their fifth game in seven nights, without Jayson Tatum (ankle) and Al Horford (rest), and on the second night of a back-to-back, the Celtics went into Sacramento against a team that was 10-3 at home and ran them out of the gym with a 25-point win, in a game in which they led by as many as 30.
It was the first time this season the Celtics were the underdog.
Without their leading scorer, the Celtics poured in 144 points, their second-highest total of the season, coming up just four points shy of matching their franchise record for a road game.
The C’s shot a ridiculous 51-of-92 (55.4%) from the field and 22-of-42 (52.4%) from deep, just one day after shooting 29.3% from distance. Thirty-five of their 51 makes were assisted, their second-most this season.
There was also some NBA history in the win, as the two teams combined for 19 threes in the first quarter, tying the NBA record for any quarter. Their 28 combined threes in the first half also tied the NBA record for any half.
In total, the two squads combined for 43 triples, one shy of the NBA record.
It was a team effort for the Celtics, as five different players finished with 20 or more points (Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Payton Pritchard), marking just the fifth time in franchise history that has happened, and the first time since 1987.
Wednesday night was Holiday’s first 20-point game with the Celtics, and he dished out a team-high 10 assists to go with it, notching his sixth double of the season, second-most on the team, behind Tatum.
Every Celtic recorded a bucket, as Boston once again got some tremendous contributions from its bench.
Here are three takeaways as the C’s got back to their winning ways and continued their reign of dominance over Sacramento.
Kristaps Porzingis buries the Kings in the third quarter
After falling behind by 12 in the opening six minutes of the game, the Celtics came storming back, building an eight-point halftime lead - a lead Porzingis ensured would not dwindle in the third quarter.
Despite rolling his ankle early in the frame, the big man poured in 14 third-quarter points on 4-of-5 (80%) shooting. The Latvian native also snatched a game-high five rebounds and piled up three blocks in the period, as he was everywhere on both ends of the floor.
It was Porzingis who fueled a 22-5 run that gave Boston complete control of the game in the third quarter.
As a team, the Celtics outscored the Kings 39-25 in the third, building a lead that would remain at 20 points or more for the remainder of the game, a nice development in an area Boston has severely struggled this season.
Following his absence in Wednesday night’s loss to the Warriors, Porzingis delivered one of his best performances as a Celtic on Thursday night. The 7-foot-2 big finished with 24 points on 7-of-11 (63.6%) shooting, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out two assists, and registered six blocks, matching his season-high.
All-Star Derrick White
You just can’t say enough good things about White. He is truly developing into one of the most elite two-way players in the entire league.
The 29-year-old had an exceptional night Wednesday, finishing with 28 points on 10-of-13 (76.9%) shooting from the field and 6-of-9 (66,7%) from deep. The All-Defensive guard also contributed seven assists, two rebounds, three blocks, and a steal in just three-quarters of action.
Over his last two games, the 6-foot-4 guard has scored 58 points on 17-of-31 (54.8%) shooting from the field and 13-of-27 (48.1%) from deep, while recording seven blocks. White’s 58 points are his most ever in a two-game span.
White, who led the league in blocks by a guard last season with 76, is on a similar trajectory this year, having already totaled 28 blocks, making him the current leader among guards. He also has 30 steals.
“He’s an All-Star,” Joe Mazzulla declared postgame.
He better be.
White is undoubtedly one of the most impactful players, not only on the Celtics but in the entire NBA – and it’s a shame some folks don’t view him as a top-100 player.
Jaylen Brown is silencing doubters
Midway through the third quarter, following a Malik Monk miss, Brown pushed the pace, as he often does, and finished over two defenders with his left hand.
As he jogged back on defense, Brown flashed his left hand to the crowd.
The gesture could have been directed at the naysayers who often rip Brown when he struggles with his left hand, or could have been in response to Warriors’ rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis, who seemingly took a shot at Brown following Boston’s Tuesday night loss.
“I blocked a lot of shots. I felt good, especially since he had it in his left hand,” Jackson-Davis said when discussing his block on Brown late in overtime. “I thought I had a chance. I thought I timed it right. At the end of the day, just out of instinct, went up and got the ball.”
Despite the narratives surrounding Brown, the two-time All-Star is playing the best basketball of his career on both ends of the floor – and Wednesday night was no different.
With Tatum out, Brown didn’t force anything. The 27-year-old played freely, stayed within the flow, and let the game come to him, as he often has this season.
The result was another phenomenal night.
Brown finished 28 points, tying White for the team-high, on 11-of-21 (52.4%) shooting. In the second quarter, he became just the 16th Celtic in franchise history to reach 9,000 career points.
The former number three overall pick also dished out six assists and did not record a turnover.
Brown has now recorded at least four assists in seven consecutive games, all coming after an ESPN graphic suggested he was playing selfishly on offense.
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