The Celtics had a chance to redeem themselves after a tough loss in Atlanta, but a poor 2nd quarter led to a lopsided Charlotte win 114-100. The Celtics couldn’t figure out Jeremy Lin, who finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals, including 19 points in the 2nd quarter. For the Cs, Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley led the way with 17 a piece. RJ Hunter played the whole 4th quarter, scoring 11 points and grabbing 3 boards.
The 1st quarter was well played by both sides, but the Celtics were able to carry a 28-24 lead into the 2nd. The difference came late in the 1st when the Cs second unit came in. Avery Bradley, who hit two late threes and had 11 in the quarter, seems to be a good fit with the bench unit. Adding Bradley to Olynyk and Jerebko gives you three shooters around Smart and Turner. Olynyk also looked good late in the 1st, sticking a 3, faking a dribble handoff and driving for a layup and finding Bradley for a 3 off a drive and kick.
Then came the 2nd quarter. Here are a few of the brutal numbers:
-Celtics were outscored 39-13 in the quarter. They shot 14% from the field while allowing the Hornets to shoot 58%.
-The Celtics went on an 8+ minute field goal drought and scored just one basket (a tip in by Marcus Smart) in the final 9:18 of the quarter.
-While they normally excel at taking care of the ball, the Cs turned it over 6 times in the quarter leading to 9 Hornets points.
-Jeremy Lin’s 2Q stat line: 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 4/5FG, 10/10 FT, +26 for the quarter
It was the worst quarter the Celtics have played all season. As bad as the scoring drought was, the defense was equally concerning. The Celtics are prone to scoring droughts, but their defense is usually good enough to not let the game get away from them. Charlotte is a tough team to guard, but allowing Jeremy Lin to outscore your entire team in a quarter isn’t going to get it done, to say the least.
The Celtics offense came back alive in the 3rd, but they still couldn’t stop Charlotte and traded baskets instead of making a meaningful run. The second unit made a mini-run in the fourth, but couldn’t make enough plays to cut into the deficit.
Greenlights:
-Not a whole lot of positives tonight, so we can sum up the game with this
-A couple of silver linings: first, the Celtics starters didn’t play heavy minutes tonight. IT and Jae Crowder only logged 21 minutes. They should be fresh and ready to go in a must win game Wednesday if the Celtics want to have a shot at home court advantage in the first round
-Kelly Olynyk played reasonably well and finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. That’s his first double-double of the year.
-RJ Hunter looked very good in the 4th, scoring 11 points and going 2/3 from 3. For a team that struggles to shoot the ball and goes through scoring droughts, it’s not crazy to think that RJ could play a role in the playoffs. I know he’s struggled to shoot the ball this year, but I wouldn’t expect that to continue. His shooting mechanics are as good as they come.
The Grid:
-The playoff picture is still a bit confusing, but if the Celtics want any chance at home court advantage, they need to win Wednesday night against the Heat. We should know more after the Heat-Pistons game tomorrow night. One thing to note, if the Celtics, Heat and Hawks all finish with the same record, the Heat would get the 3 seed, the Hawks the 4 and the Celtics the 5.
Once again, if Boston, ATL, Miami all finish 48-34, it goes 3. MIA 4. ATL 5. BOS due to Miami winning division. pic.twitter.com/40ce5eHHCU
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 12, 2016
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