BOSTON — Don’t look now, but the Celtics are stringing together wins and turning the page on an up-and-down couple of weeks en route to an impressive 39-16 record. That’s thanks a resounding 116-103 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night at TD Garden.
They enter the All-Star break winners of 3 straight and 7 of their last 8 games, and now have a week off until their next game (except for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who both have All-Star obligations in San Francisco).
The Celtics jumped out to an 18-point first-quarter lead, and led by double-digits for almost the entire second half, in large part due to big nights from Tatum (32 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists), Kristaps Porzingis (29 points, 6 rebounds), and Derrick White (19 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds).
The Spurs rallied back and cut the deficit to 8 in the fourth quarter, but Porzingis and Payton Pritchard (10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) hit back-to-back threes.
San Antonio was never able to make another run, and the Celtics came away victorious.
Here’s what I observed on the ground at TD Garden.
Entering the All-Star break on a high note was a stated priority
Pregame, Joe Mazzulla called Wednesday’s game against the Spurs one of the most important of the season, and after the win, Jayson Tatum acknowledged this was one they wanted to get.
“The last game before the All-Star break is always mentally one of the toughest games for the year,” Tatum explained. “It’s a long season, you’re traveling a lot, guys got plans for vacation with their families and things like that. In recent years, we’ve dropped this game a few times. So I thought it was really important the way that we started, and made sure that we were locked in throughout the game.”
There’s also the reality the Celtics have been inconsistent at home. While Boston has the league’s best home record at 22-6, they’ve been mediocre at home of late, dropping three of four at TD Garden entering Wednesday’s matchup.
Tatum and the Celtics haven’t found a great explanation for why they’ve been better on the road this year, but they did want to get things back in front of their home fans.
“We value the fans, and we value their support, and they bring it every single night, whether it’s preseason, league pass, playoffs or the Finals,” Tatum said. “We want to respect that. We want to play well at home. We want to win.”
Jayson Tatum dominates (again)
Stop me if you’ve heard it this week: Jayson Tatum was masterful in a Celtics blowout win. Tatum followed up a 40-point night against the Knicks and a 33-point night against the Heat with a 32-point, 14-rebound, 7-assist performance against San Antonio.
Most of the damage was done in the first half, when Tatum recorded 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
“He’s one of the best players in the NBA, and he shows it every night,” White told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin at halftime.
Afterward, Tatum credited his teammates for making the game easier for him, pointing to the Celtics’ plethora of shooters on the floor.
“A lot of things that I’m able to do on the court is because of the personnel that we have,” he said.
Torrey Craig relishes his Celtic debut
Torrey Craig, who signed with the Celtics on Thursday, was still recovering from an ankle sprain during the Celtics two-game road trip.
But, he made his debut on Wednesday night, and it was a solid one for the season veteran. The 6’7 forward checked into the game midway through the first quarter and hit both of his first two three-point attempts en route to 6 points in 9 minutes.
Craig was listed as questionable until just an hour before tip-off, and he didn’t know if he was going to play. But, he went through his full pregame warmup at TD Garden, working closely with player development coach Phil Pressey.
Celtics fans clamored for his autograph from the sidelines, and while most players won’t sign stuff unless they’re running through the tunnel after their warmup, Craig allowed fans to throw him gear and a pen as he wrapped up his workout, which he happily tossed back to them.
Postgame, he reflected on how exciting it is to play at TD Garden.
“It was crazy,” Craig said. “The atmosphere, the crowd, the fans. It’s just a joy to play in front of a crowd like that. And yeah, man, I’m just glad I made my debut in the Garden. I’m glad I hit my first shot.”
He also showcased a supportive personality on the bench, standing and reacting raucously as the Celtics went on runs — at points seeming reminiscent of Oshae Brissett’s sideline reactions from last season. He praised Tatum’s playmaking after the
His 9-minute stint also featured a block and a steal, and came nearly six weeks since his last active game, which was on Dec. 30.
“I was actually in better shape than I thought I was going to be,” Craig said.
Mazzulla rarely addresses individual players extensively during timeouts, but he pulled Craig aside after his first stint to walk him through some defensive coverages.
Mazzulla praised the 34-year-old veteran for asking lots of questions, both during games and during film sessions. The Celtics haven’t held a practice since Craig signed with Boston.
“Everyone’s gonna make mistakes,” Mazzulla said. “Even the guys that have been here in our system have made mistakes. To me, it goes back to the mistakes with effort versus the mistakes without effort. He’s been the player for a long time who’s played through mistakes and he is a high energy, high physical guy.”
Craig said on Saturday morning when he first addressed reporters that he was looking forward to taking open shots when they were available.
“All the teams that I’ve been on have been preaching to me to shoot your shot and play with confidence,” Craig said. “It’s no different here. You can tell the way they play, and the shots they shoot — they take the shots that are available to them. Obviously, they got tough shotmakers in JB and Jayson. But, all those other guys, they’ll shoot the shots that are available to them. I’ll do the same.”
And, after his debut, Mazzulla said he believed that the Celtics could gain a lot from Craig’s versatility.
“You gotta rely on his experience,” Mazzulla said. “He’s been around a long time. He’s played a lot of basketball. It’s not rocket science, so I think it’s just simplifying it, and simplifying it as much as we can, but also utilizing the experience that he’s had. He’s done a lot of great things for good teams, and that’s why we have him and we want to take advantage of that.”
Luke Kornet brings joy to the Celtics
On Sunday, Al Horford credited Luke Kornet for helping the Celtics back toward their identity in recent weeks. Pregame Sunday, Mazzulla was asked about Kornet’s impact — and he agreed with the notion that the 29-year-old center has played a substantial role in the team’s recent success.
“I think [it’s been] some of the best basketball he’s played, just on both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla said. “His physicality and rim protection are contagious, but he also brings a level of joy to the game on and off the court.”
Jayson Tatum smiled when asked about Kornet’s impact as a teammate after the win.
“Luke is one of the best teammates that you can have — extremely selfless guy, always talking, never has a bad day,” Tatum said. “Extremely funny, he’s always cracking jokes in some serious moments, like it could be during the middle of the game, in the locker room, always on the bus, and on the plane.”
But, Tatum also made sure to note the impact isn’t just felt in the locker room, explaining how Kornet has had a substantial on-court impact that sometimes goes under the radar.
“He’s been playing extremely well lately — being extremely physical, giving us second, third chance offensive rebounds,” Tatum said. “The way he started that game in New York with protecting the room, just kind of set the tone for us. His ability to set and stick screens, and catch the ball in the seam and find a kick out — he’s just unlocked some things for us that maybe other people don’t notice, but he’s a huge part of our team and a big part of our success.”
Still no Jaylen Brown or Jrue Holiday (on the court) for the Celtics
Jaylen Brown missed his second consecutive game with right knee tendinopathy, while Jrue Holiday missed his fourth straight game with a right knee impingement. Mazzulla hasn’t had a substantial update on the status of either player.
Brown went through his pregame warmup routine and was a game-time decision. After he was ruled out, Brown signed a ton of autographs, wading through the TD Garden early arrives to sign as much merch as possible.
