At 25-6, the Boston Celtics are off to their best start to a season since 2008-09. Although, Boston didn’t necessarily make things easy for themselves in their 25th victory of the season.
After narrowly avoiding embarrassment in their overtime win over Detroit Thursday night, the Celtics nearly blew a 20-point lead Friday night against the Raptors.
Boston led by 15 at the half and 13 entering the fourth quarter before the Raptors came storming back – making things a little too close for comfort.
A fast start was the difference for Boston – With Jayson Tatum (ankle), Kristaps Porzingis (calf), and Al Horford (rest) sidelined, Joe Mazzulla had to get creative with his starting lineup.
Mazzulla opted for a lineup consisting of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet. Entering the game that lineup had seen a total of just two minutes together this season.
Despite the different lineup, the C’s came out hot, outscoring the Raptors 35-20 in the opening frame and building a 15-point lead.
Jaylen Brown, who was sorely missed early on Thursday night, led the charge, scoring 15 first quarter points on 5-of-6 (83.3%) shooting from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 (100%) from deep. The two-time All-Star also dished out three assists (the most in the quarter) and snagged five boards (tied with Raptors’ big Jakob Poeltl for the most in the frame).
The large cushion provided the Celtics with enough breathing room to avoid blowing the lead, as the C’s led by double-digits until the 3:06 mark of the third quarter and made just enough plays down the stretch.
Brown led the way with 31 points on 11-of-16 (68.8%) shooting from the field and 5-of-6 (88.3%) from distance. The 27-year-old also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and dished out six assists – en route to his first double-double of the season.
Scottie Barnes poured in 30 in the setback, including a career-high seven threes.
With the win, the Celtics clinch the season series over Toronto for the fourth time in five years and remain a perfect 7-0 against the Raptors in the Joe Mazzulla era.
Here are three takeaways as the Celtics advance to 16-0 at home this season, earning their fifth consecutive victory.
Derrick White saves the Celtics again
Friday night shouldn’t have gotten as close as it was. Boston led by 13 entering the final frame before playing one of its worst quarters of the season.
Led by Jalen McDaniels, who scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, the Raptors opened the final frame on an 18-3 run, taking a two-point lead in the first 3:42 of the quarter.
With Tatum and Porzingis sidelined – the Celtics needed a hero. Enter White (again).
In Thursday night’s win over the Pistons, White poured in 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, scoring or assisting on 10 of Boston’s 17 made baskets. Friday night's game followed a similar script, with White once again stepping up in a crucial moment.
Though he struggled through a rough shooting night for the second consecutive game, finishing with 21 points on 5-of-19 (26.3%) shooting from the field and 2-of-10 (20%) from deep, White scored nine points in the fourth quarter, seven of which came in the final 3:30 – including a nasty step-back three over Gary Trent Jr.
White has been nothing short of incredible in the clutch for the Celtics. The 29-year-old is now a +45 in clutch situations this season. For reference, a clutch situation is defined as any game within five points in the final five minutes.
His +45 is good for fifth-best in the NBA. The only guard he trails is Damian Lillard.
White is shooting 10-of-18 (55.6%) from the field and 7-of-14 (50%) from deep in clutch situations, including a perfect 10-of-10 at the free-throw line. His 37 points in the clutch lead the Celtics.
On another note, White has recorded at least two blocks in seven straight games, becoming the first guard to do so since Michael Jordan in 1987.
It’s getting hard to describe how valuable White is for the Celtics. He is such a dominant two-way player in the league, and the numbers show that. He is the most impactful player on the best team and deserves more recognition around the league.
Where were you the Luke Kornet game?
After missing six games due to an adductor strain, Kornet was a healthy scratch in each of Boston’s last two games, with Mazzulla opting to go with Neemias Queta instead.
Despite missing the last eight games, Kornet stepped big up for the Celtics, who needed his services with Horford and Porzingis sidelined.
In his first start since the final two games of the 2020-21 season, Kornet had himself a career night.
The 7-foot-2 Center stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with 20 points on 9-of-11 (81.8%) shooting, eight rebounds (five offensive), three assists, and three blocks. Kornet’s 20-point effort set a new Celtic career-high.
“He’s a professional,” Mazzulla said postgame. “He shows up to work every day, plays his role, and it was awesome to watch him play at the level he did.”
For all the discussion about the Celtics’ depth this season, especially in the frontcourt, the Celtics seem to have two viable options in Kornet and Queta.
Kornet has proven that he is perfectly capable of being a backup center and can impact the game on both ends of the floor.
“I really trust Luke,” Mazzulla added. “He has an innate ability to navigate our defensive coverages, guard matchups, and not get held up on miscommunications.”
Moving the ball
A lot has been made about the Celtics’ assist numbers this season, especially early on in the season.
Prior to the West Coast trip, the Celtics ranked 26th in assists per game (24.7) and 27th in passes made per game.
Naturally, with all the star power, Boston is going to turn to isolations frequently. However, the passing numbers were interesting.
After dishing out 29 assists on Friday night, the Celtics have recorded at least 25 assists in each of their last six games. They have recorded 30 or more in three of those games.
Boston’s 30.2 assists per game average over that stretch is the fourth-most in the NBA – which could certainly be in relation to their pace in those games.
Dating back to last season, the Celtics are 23-2 when recording 30 or more assists.
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