The Memphis win felt like one of the most significant wins of the season. A 43-21 Memphis team, 3rd in the West and largely healthy (missing only Dillon Brooks and he has missed 2/3 of the season), having maybe the top young player in the league (Morant) and another very good one (JJJ) and the shorthanded Celtics ultimately beat them pretty handily, though the game was a lot closer than the 13 point maging would suggest.
The story of the first quarter was that the Celtics, playing without Brown, built up a small lead via stifling halfcourt defense. The reason the score was close after one (26-20 Celtics) was because the Celtics, especially Tatum and Smart, were very sloppy with the ball and Memphis got a unch of transition points. Ja Morant, and most of his teammates, shot very poorly, but I am willing to credit a lot of that to how effectively the Celtics defended.
The bad news in the first quarter was that the Celtics depth was tested even further as Nesmith went down with a sprained ankle 5 minutes in. (Nesmith aside: this kid was obviously super amped for this start, which he immediately showed by firing a LONG airball from the corner. That miss aside, he did a few good things: he had a nice assist on a Tatum three and got back on transition D quickly enough to steal a lob and start the Celtics on a fast break.) Without Nesmith, the Celtics went to
bigger lineups: a lot more double big lineups, including with Theis, and Grant getting a lot of minutes at the 3. There was only 3 minutes of Grant at the 3 in the first quarter, during which Memphis scored 8 of its 20 points. Memphis was better offensively in each successive quarter, and I think some of that had to do with the revamped big lineups.
The second quarter was the only quarter Memphis won, 25-21, aided mainly by more Celtic sloppiness with the ball.
In the third quarter, the Celtics started Smart-Tatum (at guard!), Grant, Horford, Rob, and, over the quarter, beat Memphis 36-27.
Then came the 4th quarter, which was more of a freewheeling offensive game that the Celtics won 37-35. It was also the Ja vs Jayson show, with the latter getting the better of the deal, 22 points to 14. At one point it went back and forth with the two trading baskets.
Al Horford was magnificient in this game, probably his single best game since his return to Boston. He went 40 minutes (Ime likely willing to do this because the Celtics have 2 days off) and shot 8 of 16 from the field, 4 of 8 from three, on his way to a 21-15 double-double. He also had 5 assists and 2 blocks against 2 turnovers. And he had some spectacular plays, such as lobs to Rob (in the halfcourt) and Jayson (in transition with Al coming up with a loose ball and running the break).
Tatum overcame a slow tunrover filled start to end with a nassive 4th quarter. 37 points, 22 in the 4th, despite shooting 2-7 from three. Also 6 rebounds and 5 assists, though he did have 6 turnovers.
Rob mostly had his usual double double: 5-6 for 10 points-12 rebounds in 35 minutes. But he also added 3 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, just one turnover. Like a lot of Rob's turnovers, this was a case of being carelessly aggressive after a turnover. I think he stole the ball and tossed it forward in a way that the Celtics weren't able to run it down.
Smart had an adequate shooting game (7-17 from the field, including 4-9 from three for 18 points), but he also tied his career high with 12 assists against only 3 turnovers, all of which were early.
Multiple contributors off the bench, with Grant adding 11 points on 4-6 shooting including 3-3 from three. Theis putting up 6 points, 6 rebounds in just 13 minutes, and White and Pritchard also having their moments.
White got hurt in the 4th, left, and did not return. It was an arm injury of some sort that left him playing a couple of possessions with one arm hanging at his side before a stoppage in play. White immediately went back to the room, was checked out, and returned to the bench. I think he could have come back had the Celtics not been closing out the game fine without him.
Nesmith's injury was a turned ankle that saw him assisted off of the court, unable to put any weight on it. (By contrast, when Jaylen turned his ankle recently, he walked off unassisted).
Al played 40 minutes in this game, Rob 35, Theis 13, Grant 35. That means Grant played only 8 minutes at the 4 and 27 at the 3. That unit isn't as good defensively, or at least wasn't today against Memphis, as the normal rotations. If they are going to keep playing that way they will need to rework things - although if rown is back they won't have to.
Al:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x0v4pzO5Ds
