It may sound like a cliché, but in the NBA, most nights it really does take everybody.
That was especially true for the Celtics on Sunday night, playing on the second night of a back-to-back after a travel delay, without two starters in Derrick White and Neemias Queta, against a Cavaliers team widely regarded as one of the Eastern Conference’s toughest.
And in a 117‑115 win over Cleveland, that’s exactly what Boston got.
Payton Pritchard led the charge, scoring a season-high 42 points on 15-of-22 (68.2%) shooting from the field and 6-of-11 (54.5%) from three. It was the second-most points of his career and the most he has scored as a starter. It was quite the bounce back following a nine-point, 4-for-14 (28.6%) shooting performance in Minnesota the night before.
Pritchard scored 15 points in the fourth quarter.
“You just always know in games where he’s not the best version of himself, he’s going to bounce back quickly,” Joe Mazzulla said. “That’s the sign of a great player, and he did that. He got off to a great start, even with the foul trouble. But you just kind of saw a difference in his approach, his mindset, and really his aggressiveness. It was just a hell of a game for him.”
Jaylen Brown recorded his fourth career triple-double, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds (game-high), and 11 assists (game-high). Despite having his most inefficient shooting night of the season, shooting just 3-of-13 (23.1%), Brown got to the free-throw line a season-high 16 times, making 12 of them (75%).
“To me, it’s having a great balance of knowing when it’s his time versus when it’s time to make a play. That’s been a huge growth of his — not just this year, but in the past as well,” Mazzulla said. “That’s what you want out of your best players. I think he takes just as much pride in watching someone else close the game as he does in closing himself, and you kind of saw those plays that he was able to make throughout the game.”
Jordan Walsh had a career night, setting personal bests in minutes (38), points (14), total rebounds (11), and offensive rebounds (6), en route to his first career double-double.
“He’s slowly understanding what the role has to be every single night, and it’s a difficult task,” said Mazzulla. “Tonight, I thought you saw what the best version of him is on both ends of the floor, and he can be that every night, and he’s learning that, but that’s the Jordan that we need if we want to get to a different level this year. He’s gotta keep working on it. But tonight is a perfect example of him at his best.”
And Xavier Tillman, who had been out of the rotation for the past month — having not played since Nov. 18 and totaling just 13 minutes in November, fewer than even two-way players Amari Williams and Ron Harper Jr. — got the start and delivered 30 strong minutes. Tasked with guarding Evan Mobley, Tillman added nine points (tied for his most as a Celtic), six rebounds, three steals (season-high), and a block.
“X is the ultimate professional,” Mazzulla said .”Whether he plays every game or he misses 10 games, I have a level of trust that he’s going to go out there, and he’s going to execute, and he’s going to do exactly what we want, and that’s really hard to do in this league. You can’t take a guy like that for granted.”
Those performances are easy to spot on the stat sheet, but the effort went beyond that. Hugo Gonzalez had a clutch steal and three midway through the fourth quarter. Anfernee Simons helped Pritchard steady the offense in the first half, scoring 16 points on 7-of-10 (70%) shooting. And Amari Williams, who played 6:16 of his 6:17 total minutes in the first half, was inserted on the game’s final possession, staying glued to Mobley and perfectly contesting his potential game-tying jumper, forcing an airball that Mobley may not have even gotten off.
Entering the season, Mazzulla had been adamant that the Celtics’ depth was one of their strongest traits, and Sunday night’s win over Cleveland proved it, as it took everybody. All 10 Celtics who touched the floor contributed, a recurring theme for a Celtics team that has now won seven of its last 10.
As guys get more acclimated, things are starting to click, and the grueling seven-game, 12-day stretch — which includes six teams with 12 or more wins, the top three in the East (Pistons, Knicks, Raptors), the No. 2 seed in the West (Lakers), the Cavaliers, and the Timberwolves — could offer a closer look at what this team truly is. Nearly halfway through, they sit at 2‑1, having already beaten the Pistons and Cavaliers, as they begin to string things together.
They are beginning to find their identity, and it depends on everyone. As they navigate the rest of this challenging stretch, that identity will be tested — and it will take everybody to see it through.
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