The Celtics completed their European “vacation” with a second straight impressive win, 111-96, at Real Madrid. Avery Bradley led the way with 17 points. David Lee added 13 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, and Isaiah Thomas added 15 points.
Real Madrid, with some NBA talent and the EuroLeague Coach of the Year, shaped up as a more formidable foe than Olimpia Milano. In terms of pace and style, this contest played much more like and NBA game than we saw in Italy.
Brad Stevens started the same five as the previous game: Bradley, Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, Tyler Zeller and Lee, who’d been under the weather early in the day.
For those paying attention to playing time: Isaiah Thomas entered just four minutes in, after Smart took a poke in the eye; Jared Sullinger saw the court after eight minutes, taking the playing time that last game went to Amir Johnson (out with illness).
The Celts had some nice chances in the 1st quarter off good ball movement and clever passing, but couldn’t finish much. They were just 10-24 from the field, and were also hurt by 6 turnovers. Real Madrid was off, as well – 7-20 shooting and 7 turnovers. Boston led, 25-23, at the horn.
The Celtics began to assert themselves in the 2nd quarter, being noticeably quicker to the ball and swarming on defense. Real Madrid shot just 33.3% with 7 turnovers for the quarter as Boston outscored them by nine.
The halftime lead was 54-43 behind Bradley’s 12 points and Thomas’ 10. Lee had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, while Sullinger added 7 points and 2 steals.
The Celts grabbed control in the 3rd quarter, with 11-23 shooting and 9 assists. Meanwhile, they held Real Madrid to 9-30 from the field. Crowder scored 8 points in the quarter, which ended with the Green ahead, 85-69.
The rookies played the 4th quarter with James Young and Jonas Jerebko, and they had some notable moments. Jordan Mickey emphatically threw down a couple of dunks and swatted a shot. Terry Rozier posted 12 of his 14 points in the quarter and 3 of his 4 assists. Young drained a three.
The Green:
Lee continues to make a significant impact with his repeated advance of the ball after defensive rebounds, his passing and inside scoring. His made several nice backdoor passes to cutters. He also brought the bench to their feet with a strong drive finished by a hammer dunk over the defender.
For the second straight game, the 4th quarter was garbage time because the Celtics dominated. As Mike Gorman said, it was impressive because Real Madrid was pumped up for the game in front of a big home crowd.
Bradley continued hot from deep, making 3-4 behind the 3-point line. He’s 7-8 from the arc so far.
The Gross:
Evan Turner again sat with a strained knee, and Perry Jones was back in the U.S. to attend a family member’s funeral.
RJ Hunter continues to show good court vision and poise, but he shot just 1-6.
The Greenlights:
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The Grid:
- Of their 111 points, Boston scored 56 in the paint and 24 from the arc.
- Largest leads: Boston, 25; Real Madrid, 4
- Turnovers: Boston, 18; Real Madrid, 26
- Field goals: Boston, 41-96, 42.7%; Real Madrid, 32-85, 37.6%
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