Rapid Recap is designed for the busiest of Celtics fans. Whether you can’t stay awake to read 10 paragraphs or your hangover is just too much, Rapid Recap tells the timeline of the game in only a minute or two.
They say nothing’s easy in Dallas…actually, no they don’t, and if they do, I certainly didn’t know about it.
In a game that often felt disjointed and weird, a shorthanded Celtics team squared off against a Mavericks squad lacking their sophomore supernova Luka Doncic, and narrowly won (109-103) due to offensive bursts from Kemba Walker in the first and final frames. (He finished with 32-5-3 and a steal, earning 16 points in Q1 and 14 in Q4.)
Between that framework, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, though slow to start, kept Boston alive as their supporting cast fared…not so well and Dallas shot at a torrid pace. Tatum had more highlights in his 24-point showing (that dunk, man), but Brown was more of an overall force and slightly edged his running buddy on points with 26.
The most important thing about Q1, in a perfect world:
Kemba 11 straight Boston points. pic.twitter.com/mjAlN2aiyM
— Mike Dynon ☘️🏀 (@MikeDynon) December 19, 2019
🔥 Kemba heating up 🔥 pic.twitter.com/H1ZbxafP4q
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 19, 2019
(He would earn 16 in the quarter.) Also, this was funny:
Kemba Walker, Enes Kanter, Javonte Green, Romeo Langford, Grant Williams is not something that was expected…. ever
— John Karalis 🇬🇷 🇺🇦 (@John_Karalis) December 19, 2019
Unfortunately, the Celtics didn’t fare quite as well on the whole during the first quarter (and half). Boston did OK on offense with the “scoring by Kemba + committee” approach, but as stated, their defense could not keep up with the challenge of Dallas’s high-powered scoring blitz.
It continued into the second frame, highlighted by what seemed at times like constant turnovers (9 for the half for Dallas’s 2). At the center of various problems on that end was…shockingly…a very tall Turkish man:
Kendrick going off on how bad kanters defense is vs a different he is 6" taller than is my soundscape
— Plumbers Pipe (@LuckysPipe) December 19, 2019
how is enes kanter this bad at contesting shots (with this bad i mean physically can not do it)
— david (@whaamncheese) December 19, 2019
Obviously it’s not that simple; the Celtics were trying on defense, including Kanter, and it just really wasn’t working. Dallas has a fairly mobile frontcourt in Porzingis and Dwight Powell, one that drew a lot of sloppy fouls from their defenders tonight:
Foul trouble for the Celtics bigs:
Theis – 3
Ojeleye – 2
Kanter – 3
Williams – 2Couple early fouls on someone in the second half and it's probably Tacko time.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) December 19, 2019
While the Jays got some momentum going late in Q2, Dallas managed to build a lead and take it into the half at 55-50.
Humorous ephemera and well wishes from the break:
dril is subtweeting gordon hayward again https://t.co/s7YqptavMa
— #1 The National Fan (not a dad) (@vincekilligan) December 19, 2019
— Plumbers Pipe (@LuckysPipe) December 19, 2019
https://twitter.com/MsSamanthaMay/status/1207508651457560576?s=20
Complicating their ability to do that in much of Q3 was a lack of uh, like, making shots, something that Dallas did not lack. (Not surprising that they have the league’s highest offensive rating.)
Outside of Tatum, Walker and Brown, the next highest scorer for Boston has 6 points
— Cousin DPOY (not notable) (@AndrewDoxy) December 19, 2019
Exceptions noted below:
Smooth take, smooth finish pic.twitter.com/bRB3I9HdXq
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 19, 2019
SHEESH https://t.co/VFqGo5vGQu
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 19, 2019
The Celtics rounded into form for the quarter’s final 6 minutes, and went on a run under the stewardship of Kemba and the Jays, with help from Brad Wanamaker’s blue-collar leadership and…Grant Williams!
Celtics close out the third quarter on a 14-4 run.
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) December 19, 2019
A three for @Grant2Will 👏 pic.twitter.com/43kCad1vYE
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 19, 2019
Grant is still thick and jacked with elite touch pic.twitter.com/lwKDwugGFY
— Max Carlin (@maxacarlin) December 19, 2019
Tatum swoops in for the jam in tonight's @JetBlue Play of the Game! pic.twitter.com/tyzo0tEdZE
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 19, 2019
Having retaken the lead 76-73, Boston held it—albeit precariously at times, against shooting onslaughts by Seth Curry and Jalen Brunson, a Person Who Apparently Exists.
But Kemba went Cardiac when it counted, and that was that.
Get. The. Ball. To. Kemba. Walker. pic.twitter.com/uBvomQ2U91
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 19, 2019
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