The Celtics put together one of their more impressive victories against a Pelicans team that was a win away from claiming the 8th seed in the West. With a strong game from familiar names the Celtics were able to get out of the Smoothie King Center with a 104-98 win. Here’s what we liked and didn’t like.
UP
1. Brandon Bass defending Anthony Davis
It seems weird saying a guy who scored 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds was contained, but that’s exactly what happened when Bass defended Anthony Davis in the second half. After marching out to 16 points on 8-11 shooting in the first half, Davis was held to 13 points on 3-8 shooting. According to Synergy Sports defensive data, Davis missed all 5 shots when Bass defended him. Bass did a great job of forcing him to take most of his looks from outside the paint where Davis either had to take a contested midrange shot or just pass it away. The brilliant defensive job by Bass was a big reason Boston was able to pull away late.
2. Getting to the Line
The Celtics stayed aggressive no matter how big the Pelicans frontcourt, and earned 25 free throw attempts (making 22 of them). The success at the line was mostly due to Isaiah Thomas and Kelly Olynyk who combined for 13/16 from the stripe.
3. Evan Turner
We noted Evan Turner’s struggles after the Utah game and the possibility of him losing his starting job. Well, he must have heard us. Turner put up a stellar stat line with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists on an efficient 6/11 shooting. He did have some moments of horrible defense where it seemed like he was really struggling to keep Luke Babbit in front of him, but overall this was a positive performance by the veteran.
4. #IT4th
Shoutout to Chris Forsberg for the name, and man, was it fitting. With the game on the line, and the Celtics and Pelicans in a gridlock, Boston was desperate for someone to break the game open. Enter Isaiah Thomas. After a crafty And-1 near the end of the third to give the Celtics the lead by 3, Thomas came out swinging in the 4th. Thomas hit three straight 3’s before the Pelicans called timeout. He followed with 3 straight FTs are that stretched the lead to double digits. Since joining the Celtics, Isaiah Thomas is averaging 8.7 points in the 4th quarter. That puts him ahead of league leader Lebron James (7.1 4th quarter points). With performances like that, it will be extremely hard to keep Thomas in the reserve role when he’s out to prove he can be a starter on a legit NBA team. Thomas finished the night with 27 points (14 in the fourth) and 3 assists.
DOWN
1. James Young
With Stevens basically doing whatever he can to get Young minute, James continues to make little to no use of them. Young routinely finds himself out of position defensively, and seems to be doing a lot more thinking that reacting. Young also hasn’t been shooting the ball entirely too well either. Since February Young is shooting 31% from the field, and a miserable 24.3% from beyond the arc. Some of that has to do with him not getting a lot of touches, but for the most part it’s a product of his lack of aggression. Regardless, Brad will still get him some minutes, and hopefully things will start to click for the 19-year-old.
2. Anthony Davis in the 1st half
Davis looked like he was on his way to another 40 point night early in the game. He was getting a lot of looks close to the basket, caught multiple alley-oops, and was fully engaged in the game. Though the Celtics were able to enforce their will on him in the second half, when superstars get going early they usually never stop.
3. Marcus Smart’s shooting slump
I applaud Smart for continuing to do all the little things while slumping, but man he has to start hitting some shots. Since February, Smart is shooting 32% from the field and 24% from 3. Against NO, he continued his ways by going 2/8 from the field and 1/4 from range. Because Smart has been effective everywhere else, his minutes have increased, but if he wants to take his game, and this team to the next level he needs to start knocking down more shots.
4. Kelly Olynyk still a little rusty
Olynyk got extended minutes, but he just couldn’t seem to buy a shot (1-9 FG). The rust was predictable, but to his credit, he stayed aggressive and got to the line frequently (6-8 FTs). His production is crucial to this team’s success with small ball because he’s a 7 footer who can stretch the floor.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
