The Celtics had their work cut out for them on Tuesday night.
In their final game of a week-long road trip, which spanned five games across five cities and three time zones, they faced the additional challenge of back-to-back travel from Portland to Utah. Compounding the difficulty, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford were unavailable, and they had to contend with the altitude.
Excuses loomed large.
Holding a commanding 51-14 lead in the Eastern Conference, they could have easily justified a subpar performance, with thoughts possibly drifting towards returning home to their families and enjoying a well-deserved day off on Wednesday.
However, such an approach would have contradicted one of Boston’s core principles: playing with the right mindset.
True to their values, the Celtics came out and took care of business, defeating the Jazz 123-107, concluding their road trip with a third consecutive victory. With the win, the Celtics advanced to 9-2 on the second night of back-to-backs, the best record in the NBA.
Although the Celtics trailed for just two minutes and 41 seconds on Tuesday night en route to a 16-point victory, their path to success wasn’t as straightforward as it may seem. This win was one that Boston had to earn.
Late in the third quarter, Jordan Clarkson knocked down an eight-foot floater, cutting what was a 17-point Boston lead down to just two. But that’s as close as the Celtics would let it get.
On the ensuing possession, Jayson Tatum pulled up a 25-foot three-pointer, pushing the lead back to five. Jrue Holiday followed the Tatum triple with a steal and layup in transition, helping the Celtics close the third quarter on a 5-0 run – a facet of the game the Celtics were reminded of the importance of in last Thursday's loss to Denver.
With momentum swinging in Boston’s favor, they had the opportunity to deliver the knockout blow. Despite battling fatigue and the reality that it was the last game of the road trip, with a late-night arrival into Utah, they still delivered that final haymaker.
The Celtics opened the final frame on a 15-0 run over the first 6:24 of the quarter, pushing their lead to a game-high 22 points. Dating back to the end of the third quarter, it was a 20-0 run for the Celtics, with Utah being held to 12 straight empty possessions over a more than seven-minute stretch.
Although that run was the deciding blow, it was a team effort for the Celtics. All five of their starters finished in double figures for the 26th time this season, with the C's advancing to 23-3 in such games.
“The last couple of games, everyone stepping up, is just kind of what we’re trying to build. Where we have an environment, a locker room, a culture, where it doesn’t matter who is in, guys are ready to play at all times,” Joe Mazzulla said postgame. “That’s what we’re trying to fight for. That depth.”
The last three games have highlighted just how deep the Celtics are. Down three members of their top six, Luke Kornet and Sam Hauser slid into the starting lineup and did not disappoint.
Hauser finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and two assists, finishing a +14. On the road trip, the Celtics were +36 with Hauser on the floor and -11 with him off. This 47-point disparity was the most significant on the team, followed by Jaylen Brown, who had a 19-point disparity.
Additionally, Hauser finished with two blocks and a steal, highlighting his work on the defensive end, which is often overlooked.
Meanwhile, Kornet flirted with a double-double, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and a block. Four of his nine rebounds were offensive, and his six assists tied his career-high.
Kornet is playing his best basketball of the season. The Vanderbilt product had his fingerprints all over Boston’s last three wins. On the trip, the Celtics were a +20 with Kornet on the floor, third-best on the team behind Hauser and Brown. Say what you will about Kornet, but he has proven to be a viable option as the third center, consistently making the right plays. Like the rest of his bench companions, Kornet may not fill the stat sheet the way he has over the last week, but he is a highly efficient and intelligent basketball player who excels in his role.
Boston also got contributions from Payton Pritchard, Xavier Tillman, and Oshae Brissett, who each did a nice job with their minutes, especially on the boards, helping Boston edge Utah 46-38 on the glass.
“The work that the player development team does getting guys ready, the professionalism that those guys [the bench unit] have, they’re just constantly ready,” Mazzulla said postgame. “I have no hesitancy putting any of one those guys in because of the work they do, and it reflected over these two games.”
While Boston’s last three games have showcased its depth, the dominant showings from its top six players are the driving force behind the Celtics’ success. With Brown, Porzingis, and Horford sidelined, Tatum and Derrick White shouldered the load offensively.
Tatum broke out of his “slump” by dropping a game-high 38 points on 13-of-25 (52.0%) shooting. White also broke out of a slump of his own. Entering the night having shot 1-of-14 (7%) from distance over the first four games of the trip, White knocked down seven triples Tuesday night, tying his season-high.
“I’ve been struggling a little bit, and I told my dad, I’m just going to let it fly, and that’s what I did today,” White told NBC Sports Boston postgame.
The conclusion of this five-game road trip marked a positive note for the Celtics, representing one of their final true tests before the postseason, given the circumstances.
With only 17 games remaining in the regular season and the Celtics eligible to clinch their 10th consecutive playoff berth as early as Thursday, the importance of managing rest becomes increasingly evident down the stretch.
Considering that 10 (63.1%) of the Celtics’ final 17 games are against teams with a record below .500, it’s appropriate to wonder how much rest will become a factor.
While the road trip wasn’t flawless, returning to the East Coast with a 3-2 record and plenty to learn from the losses makes the Celtics better than when they left.
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