Boston cruised to an easy victory over Charlotte in a ‘home’ game played at the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut (who has two thumbs and is old enough to remember Boston playing home games in Hartford during the Larry Bird era? This guy).
Brad started the second unit plus Jae Crowder for this afternoon matinee and Steve Clifford did the same, resting most of his starters as well. Bigs Amir Johnson and Al Horford sat, as well as the starting back court of Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas.
Not surprisingly, the results weren’t particularly attractive during the early going. In the first quarter, Charlotte shot an agonizingly bad 30% from the field. The teams combined for 16 three point attempts and made two of them.
The score at the end of one? 18-18. It stayed that way for the first two minutes of the second quarter as well.
James Young had a nifty steal and dish to Rozier to break the 18 all tie, which was great, then he committed a reach-in foul on the very next play.
About halfway through the second, Rozier took a charge and a shot to the head, and that sparked an 9-0 run that gave them a bit of separation that disappeared when Charlotte went on a 6-0 run in response. Boston reacted with a five minute 18-8 run that featured three steals–one ending in a nifty Jaylen Brown dunk–and that carried them into the half with a 49-38 lead.
The third quarter started off about the same way the second quarter ended. Boston built their lead up to 17 over the first four minutes before Charlotte called a timeout. The Celtics’ third stringers (and Jaylen Brown) kept the Hornets at arms’ length up until about three minutes to go when a wide open Spencer Hawes basket dropped the Celtics lead to a dozen. A couple swapped baskets later, Stevens called a timeout.
The third unit responded in style, with Demetrius Jackson capping a mini run with a beautiful three pointer right. at. the buzzer. After three, Boston had their largest lead of the game, 82-64.
Stevens subbed out Brown for Bentil to start the fourth and it all kind of went to crap. Bentil picked up two quick fouls, missed some ugly shots, and the Hornets went on a 10-2 run before Bentil got an easy lay-up off a neat little James Young pass. Boston gradually built the lead back up to fifteen, and then RJ hunter hit a three pointer from somewhere in Rhode Island to get the Celtics lead back up to 18 with just about five minutes to go.
After that the game was basically job interviews. Charlotte went four and a half minutes without scoring and well over six minutes between field goals, with Boston building a 27 point lead in the interim, even though Charlotte still had Kaminsky and Sessions on the court. Charlotte scored the last nine points of the game and the Celtics sort of limped to a 104-86 win.
The Green
Demetrius Jackson’s third quarter: ten minutes, nine points.
Boston shot 94% from the line
Boston had ten steals and forced 19 Charlotte turnovers.
Gerald Green debuted with 13 points
Jordan Mickey shot 8-10! from the field
The Gross
Rozier split his lip, needed stitches and didn’t play after that hit.
Both teams throwing the ball at the basket in the first quarter.
Boston committed 28 personal fouls, resulting in 30 Charlotte free throws.
James Young went 1-7 with 4 personal fouls
I’d put something in about Boston being grossly out rebounded, but they left Amir and Al on the bench on purpose, so…
Greenlights
Celtics Rewind presented by @NissanUSA – Jaylen Brown throws down big one-handed dunk https://t.co/V3vSkDG8nl
— CSN New England (@CSNNE) October 8, 2016
Jordan Mickey throws it down 🔥 pic.twitter.com/wWaw1REz6e
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 8, 2016
The Grid
Rozier ended the game with 4 points and 6 stitches
RJ Hunter: 3-8, 10 points
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