Celtics blowout Grizzlies in bounce back win

                                    
        AP Photo/Charles Krupa

The Celtics crushed the Grizzlies 131-95 on the second night of a back-to-back. The dominant win gets the Celtics back into the winning column after a tough last-second loss to the Philadelphia 76ers the previous night. 

Joe Mazzulla made another roster adjustment to open the game, giving Jordan Walsh his first start of the season after a great showing in Philadelphia. The Celtics opened the game 5/5, immediately setting the tone. The offense for the entire quarter was firing on all cylinders, scoring 34 points on 52/46 shooting splits. 

Derrick White made an instant impact, scoring 10 points as well as recording a steal and a block. White's struggles have been well documented, so it was crucial that he got off to a fast start. 

On defense, the Celtics made everything difficult, recording 2 steals, 4 blocks, and allowing just 2 shots in the restricted area. With Ja Morant not playing, the Grizzlies had very little presence in the paint, and the Celtics took advantage of this. 

This level of tenacity on defense continued in the second quarter, holding the Grizzlies to 20 points on 6/22 shooting. The Grizzlies shot an abysmal 1/13 outside of the paint. Having a perimeter defense of Jordan Walsh and Derrick White was having a clear impact. 

Offensively, everything continued to go in, regardless of where the shots were being taken. The starting lineup did most of the damage, scoring 31 of the 33 points, with Jaylen Brown's 12 points leading the way. 

Ball movement and offensive rebounding were the keys to a dominant first half. The Celtics recorded 17 assists and 7 offensive rebounds, leading to 12 second-chance points in the first half. 

This trend continued in the third quarter, recording 9 more assists as well as 7 offensive rebounds, good enough for 12 more second-chance points. Despite being a small team, the Celtics were dominating on the glass throughout the game. 

After a second-straight 33-point quarter, the lead had ballooned up to 26 heading into the 4th quarter. The starters played a few minutes before being pulled in the 4th after a dominant victory. This puts the Celtics one game below .500 at 6-7. 

                           The good

The entire starting lineup was excellent, but what stood out was Derrick White's 20 points on 6/11 shooting. White has had a rough start to the season, and it was crucial that he played well against a struggling Grizzlies team. 

Jordan Walsh played excellent and has now made a case to be the 5th starter over Josh Minott. Walsh scored 7 points as well as blocking two shots and contesting many more. His defensive presence has given the Celtics a big boost in the last two games with his increased minutes. 

Payton Pritchard had a bounce-back game after back-to-back 5-point performances against the Magic and 76ers. Pritchard scored 24 points on 53/50 shooting splits while also racking up 9 assists. 

Luka Garza had his best game of the season, scoring an efficient 14 points and grabbing 5 offensive rebounds. His hustle in the paint gave the offense multiple extra chances to capitalize.

For the game, the Celtics shot 50% from the floor, 41% from three, recorded 34 assists, and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds for 34 second-chance points. It was a dominant game inside and out, which is a sign of a balanced and well-coached team.

                            The bad

There was very little bad from such a dominant win, but if there is one negative takeaway, it is that Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simons were awful. The pair shot just 4/18 from the floor and 3/13 from three. Hauser has had an up-and-down season, but has been abysmal over the last 6 games, shooting just 16% from the floor and from three. 

                            Conclusion

This was a great bounce back game after such a heartbreaking loss the night before. We continue to see surprise role players step up and make an impact, giving depth to a team that was considered extremely thin heading into the season. Whether it was great shooting, hustle plays, or a boost on defense, Joe Mazzulla got everything out of his deep lineup against the Grizzlies.

The Celtics will get 3 days of rest before hosting the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Sunday with a chance to get back to .500. 



Share