The San Antonio Spurs, winners of 16 of their last 17 games and 21 of their last 25, are one of the toughest teams in the NBA to beat.
That challenge becomes even more difficult when you are without two rotation players (Payton Pritchard and Nikola Vucevic), have a superstar on a minutes restriction (Jayson Tatum), and see an MVP candidate get ejected late in the first half (Jaylen Brown).
Although the shorthanded Celtics made them sweat, those factors proved too much to overcome, as the red-hot Spurs handed Boston a 125-116 loss.
Victor Wembanyama led the way for San Antonio, scoring 39 points while tying a career high with eight made three-pointers (8-of-15). The 7-foot-4 phenom added 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal. De’Aaron Fox added another 25 points on 11-of-14 shooting with nine assists, while Stephon Castle chipped in 18 points (6-of-12 shooting), nine rebounds, and six assists.
Derrick White finished with 34 points, seven assists, and five rebounds for Boston in the loss, while Jayson Tatum had 24 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
The loss drops the Celtics to 43-22 on the season.
Here are four takeaways as the Celtics drop to 1-1 on their three-game road trip, with a date against the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder looming Thursday.
Jaylen Brown was ejected
Brown was ejected after arguing a no-call while dribbling late in the second quarter.
The sequence leading to Brown’s ejection began with 3:42 remaining in the second quarter when Boston was whistled for a turnover after Brown stepped on the sideline. Brown immediately — and rather animatedly — complained to crew chief Tyler Ford about the lack of a foul call, prompting Ford to issue a technical foul.
After picking up the first technical, Brown spun around and pleaded his case to referee Nate Green before quickly turning back to Ford, pointing at him while continuing to argue, with teammates stepping in to restrain him.
Brown was certainly testing the limits, and the interaction may have warranted a second technical foul.
The real issue, however, is how the ejection unfolded.
It was Suyash Mehta, the umpire, who assessed the second technical foul to Brown — resulting in an automatic ejection — not Ford, the official Brown was actually arguing with.
Speaking in a pool report after the game, Ford said Brown received the second technical for “aggressively approaching a game official and using profanity.”
Fine.
But Mehta, who is in his fourth season as an official, should have allowed Ford — now in his 11th season and the referee involved in the exchange — to make that call instead of stepping in.
It’s a bummer, first and foremost, for the product. The NBA has made it clear how much it wants its stars on the floor, especially in a national TV matchup between two Finals hopefuls. But it’s also unfortunate because Brown was in the midst of a strong performance. In just 14 minutes, he totaled eight points, seven assists, two rebounds, and a steal.
An unfortunate turn of events that certainly took away from the game.
Jayson Tatum continues to look good
After scoring seven straight points for the Celtics, capped by a pull-up three that forced a timeout early in the fourth quarter, Jayson Tatum had to take a seat, presumably because of his minutes restriction, so he would be able to close the game.
“I could play more. But, I mean, I understand the bigger picture,” he said after the game. “In the moment, I’m not thinking about my Achilles. I’m trying to compete, I’m trying to be out there, but it’s part of the plan, so I’ve gotta stick with it.”
That stretch was the loudest moment of another solid outing for Tatum as he continues to work his way back from his Achilles injury.
He finished with 24 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 26:46. The efficiency still wasn’t quite there, as he shot 10-of-24 (41.7%) from the field and 4-of-14 (28.6%) from three. Tatum did shoot better as the game went on, however, going 4-of-14 in the first half and 6-of-10 in the second.
The reaction to Tatum’s return has felt nearly unanimous: he looks great.
Tuesday night didn’t change that. Despite the inefficient shooting numbers, which are understandable, Tatum has now topped 20 points in two of the three games since returning. He is averaging 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
More importantly, he hasn’t been hesitant. Tatum has attacked the glass in traffic, driven through contact, and defended at a high level. As he continues to regain his rhythm, the shooting percentages of a career 45.9/36.9 scorer will inevitably rise.
All told, his play since returning has been nothing short of remarkable, considering he ruptured his Achilles just over 300 days ago.
Derrick White did all he could
With Jaylen Brown watching from the locker room, Jayson Tatum limited to just 12:45 in the second half, and both Payton Pritchard (neck) and Nikola Vucevic (finger) sidelined, the Celtics needed Derrick White to step up. He did exactly that.
White scored a season-high 34 points on 11-of-22 (50%) shooting, while adding seven assists, five rebounds, and a block. He poured in 19 points in the third quarter alone — the most he has ever scored in a single quarter — helping keep Boston within striking distance.
It’s no coincidence that White has scored 20 or more points in two of the three games he has played alongside Tatum since his return. Tatum’s presence creates cleaner, more efficient looks for White, who has struggled with shooting consistency at times this season.
Zooming out a bit further, White has now scored 20 or more points in three of his last four games and five of his last nine. He appears to be finding his rhythm at the right time, a comfort level that should only grow as he continues to share the floor with Tatum.
Ron Harper Jr. had a career night
Ron Harper Jr. is a legitimate NBA player. The two-way guard had the best game of his career on Tuesday night, finishing with a career-high 22 points (8-of-11 FG, 6-of-9 3PT), along with three rebounds and two assists.
The 25-year-old is a great defender, strong rebounder, and can shoot, as he displayed on Tuesday night.
After coming into the NBA undrafted and bouncing around the G-League, Harper Jr. is now on his fourth two-way contract in his third different city (Detroit, Toronto) and has made the most of it.
He has now appeared in 19 NBA games for Boston this season, compared to just 11 throughout the first three years of his career. He has clearly earned Joe Mazzulla’s trust, playing 30+ minutes in three of those games, including two starts.
“It’s been good. It’s been fun,” Harper Jr. told WEEI.com reflecting on the season last week. “In August or September, if you were to tell me I would’ve started games for the Celtics, I probably would have told you that you’re lying to me. So, this year has been really great.”
The growth in his game is evident.
“I think I’ve grown in every aspect,” he added. “Just being able to fit a system and being able to fit a team. Knowing what I bring to the table, knowing how to impact the game. I feel like I understand all of that a lot more than when I first got to the league.”
Harper Jr.’s efforts helped give the Celtics a chance, as the rest of the supporting cast was relatively quiet. Sam Hauser and Baylor Scheierman had their moments and, to their credit, were doing the dirty work, but otherwise it was a quiet night for them.