Coming off Wednesday night’s win over the Bucks at TD Garden, the circumstances couldn’t be any different.
The Celtics went from playing a team that many believe they could face in the Eastern Conference Finals this May on national television to taking on the Pistons in snowy Detroit, with most basketball fans around the country focused on the NCAA March Madness Tournament.
No disrespect to the Pistons, but they are what they are.
They entered Friday night having lost four straight, relying on two-way players and players on 10-day deals to fill out their rotation, and Friday night’s 129-102 loss to the Celtics dropped them to 12-58 on the season, tying the Washington Wizards for the worst record in the NBA.
Not great, Bob.
A staple of the Celtics’ success this season has been their “mindset.” The Celtics have built their foundation on this principle from day one, a philosophy they knew would be tested during their season-long six-game road trip, which began Friday night in Detroit.
“Obviously, we want to win every game we play,” Tatum said Wednesday night.
“It starts on Friday. Going into Detroit, and it’s a good test for us. Play on national TV against the Bucks and then going to play Detroit. Can we have the same mindset? Can we have the same respect for our opponent to come out there and play the right way?”
Although the Celtics were without Tatum (ankle), who sat out Friday night alongside Jrue Holiday (shoulder) and Al Horford (left big toe sprain – codeword for rest), the sentiment still rings true.
Friday night challenged one of the Celtics’ core philosophies, and once again, they didn’t stray from what has made them so dangerous. They simply took care of business with a dominant 27-point win over the lowly Pistons.
The win improved Boston’s win streak to eight games, with the Celtics outscoring their opponents by an average of 18.0 points per game over that stretch. The victory also marked Boston’s 15th win by 25 or more points this season, tying an NBA record set by the 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks and the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs.
“I just enjoy watching the guys compete at a high level,” Mazzulla said postgame. “I think that’s important. We just gotta keep that going. That’s fun to watch.”
Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 33 points on 13-of-19 (68.4%) shooting, while Derrick White added his fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 19 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds. They were two of five Celtics to finish in double figures in scoring, alongside Payton Pritchard (20 points), Kristaps Porzingis (19 points), and Sam Hauser (14 points).
James Wiseman scored a team-high 24 points for the Pistons in the setback, while Jaden Ivey and Cade Cunningham scored 16 and 15 points, respectively.
The Celtics need just two more wins to clinch the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and homecourt for the playoffs.
Here are five takeaways as the Celtics improve to an NBA-best 27-1 against teams with a losing record and 24-11 on the road, also an NBA-best.
Here comes the haymaker
One of the most dangerous traits of the 2023-24 Celtics is their ability to go on monster runs, which effectively makes all the difference.
This trait was on full display Friday night.
Detroit kept things close for the first 16 minutes of the game. Some sloppy defense coupled with poor rebounding allowed the hosts to find a groove offensively, as they totaled 46 points on 18-of-31 (58.1%) shooting. The Celtics were outrebounded 15-10 over that stretch, with five of Detroit’s 15 boards coming on the offensive glass.
A Jaden Ivey and-one floater gave Detroit a 46-45 lead at the 8:03 mark of the second quarter.
Then came the big run.
With Boston’s offense clicking the way it was, it was only a matter of time until that run came. The Celtics closed the final 8:03 of the second quarter on a 24-7 run, sparked by their defense, as the Pistons finished with more turnovers (five) than made buckets (three) over that stretch. The run gave Boston a 16-point lead heading into the intermission.
Detroit shot 3-of-14 (21.4%) from the field and 1-of-10 (10%) from distance over Boston’s dominant run, while the Celtics shot 8-of-15 (53.3%) – a prime example of complementary basketball: defense to offense.
Down 16 at the half to the best team in basketball is a daunting task for any team, let alone the 12-win Detroit Pistons, and it showed as the Celtics cruised to victory from that point, building their lead up to as many as 27 points.
This is the trait of a championship team. They can knock you down and keep you there. With the win Friday night, the Celtics advanced to 53-4 when tied or leading at the end of the third quarter and 48-7 when tied or leading at the half.
Of all the things the Celtics do well, this may be the most deadly.
Jaylen Brown steps up as the #1 option
Anytime Jayson Tatum has been sidelined this season, Jaylen Brown has been there to fill that scoring void. Friday night was no different.
With 33 points on Friday night, Brown is now averaging 32.6 points per game across the five games Tatum has missed this season. In those games, Brown is shooting 61.8% from the field and 51.9% from deep. He also has 6.2 boards, 3.4 assists, and 1.0 steals. The Celtics are +61 with Brown on the floor in those games.
“I’m just seeing great stuff,” Mazzulla said on Brown postgame. “I love the way he’s carrying himself out there on the court. He’s processing each and every possession on both ends of the floor. He’s taking the shots that he wants. He’s making plays for himself and his teammates. It’s been an honor to coach him. He’s been just playing well-rounded basketball on both ends. It’s been fun to watch.”
Brown has been on an absolute tear since the All-Star break. His 28.8 points per game over that stretch are good for fourth most in the league, trailing just Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Notably, he’s the only player averaging at least 25.0 points with fewer than 2.0 turnovers (1.6).
The All-NBA wing’s impact is on both ends of the floor as he continues to play the best basketball of his career.
“Just natural maturity. One, you get better through experience. You get older, more skilled, more professional,” Brown said on his growth. “More opportunity. I think throughout the years my opportunity has varied, not because of my lack of skill-set, just because a lot of big-time players have come through this organization. So I was just patient, kept getting better, and now it’s my time.”
Brown is locked in — he has been all year and continues to progress.
It certainly appears his time is coming, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Celtics, who are right in the middle of their championship window.
Picking up where they left off
Similar to Jaylen Brown’s steady development, the progress of Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser has been equally consistent. They play a significant role in the Celtics’ success, evident in their unbeaten 9-0 record when missing two or more of their preferred starting lineup.
Hauser returned after a two-game absence due to a sprained ankle and wasn’t shy about shooting. While his performance was not as efficient as his impressive 10-of-13 (76.9%) performance in Washington on Sunday, the sharpshooter showed he hasn’t lost his shooting touch.
Hauser jacked up 11 triples and knocked down four en route to a 14-point night, the most by any reserve in the contest. More importantly, Hauser appeared to be moving well, seemingly unbothered by the ankle.
Pritchard also picked up where he left off, continuing his run of phenomenal play and making the most of his increased minutes. The 26-year-old finished with 20 points on 8-of-15 (53.3%) shooting, nine assists, and two rebounds in 37:43 of work.
Over his last four games, Pritchard is averaging 19 points and eight assists while shooting 55.2% from distance. In making his third start Friday night, he is now averaging 18.0 points on 52.5% shooting from the field and 45.4% from deep, with 8.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds.
Pritchard has shined in his role this season, whether that be providing a spark off the bench or top-quality performances in a spot-start. His availability also shouldn’t be overlooked, as he is the only Celtic to appear in all 70 games this season.
With Jrue Holiday reportedly dealing with a “dead arm,” and uncertainty surrounding his return, along with considerations for rest at this stage of the season, Pritchard’s reliable contributions become even more crucial for the Celtics.
Defense-to-offense
Joe Mazzulla constantly preaches the game’s connectivity. You can’t have good offense without good defense, and you can’t have good defense without good offense.
Typically, it’s the defense-to-offense part that stands out the most.
When the defense is forcing turnovers and stops, the offense is going to catch fire. And that’s exactly what happened for the Celtics Friday night.
Boston held Detroit to just 102 points and forced 18 turnovers, which resulted in 27 points for the green.
“Two 19-point quarters is tremendous. Only seven turnovers, [we] forced 19 turnovers. I just thought the guys got off to a little bit of a slow start, but I thought they found just a great sense of joy and, like, a physical spirit,” Mazzulla said postgame. “[We] just kinda dominated those margins, and it was fun to watch.”
The margins are another area of the game Mazzulla keeps a close eye on, an area of the game that’s really difficult to control if the defense isn’t getting stops.
“The guys did a great job just finding different ways to impact the game defensively,” Mazzulla added. ‘Playing different coverages and playing connected defense.
Boston’s lockdown defense Friday night made life easier on the offensive end, as the Celtics shot 52.8%, registering 35 assists and just seven turnovers.
The Celtics have reached the 30-assist mark in seven of their 15 games (46.6%) since the All-Star break. In the Mazzulla era, the C’s are 36-4 when they reach 30 assists, including 20-2 this season. Typically, that starts on the defensive end.
More of the same
Friday was just the first game of a road trip that will test that mindset mentioned earlier for the Celtics.
Five of the six games on the trip will feature opponents with a record below .500. The only team with a winning record is the New Orleans Pelicans, who just lost their second-leading scorer, Brandon Ingram, to a knee injury for at least two weeks.
With plenty of rest days figured to be littered across the trip, Boston’s mindset will be tested.
“Just continue to play at a high level, keep the main thing the main thing, and understand its importance,” Mazzulla said postgame when previewing the rest of the trip. “Keep an open mind about learning about getting better and competing.
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