Brown, Celtics hold off late push by short-handed Magic in win

Jaylen Brown and the Celtics took an enormous lead over a drained and short-handed Magic crew on Sunday after which held on as an surprising bench mob made a recreation of it within the fourth quarter, claiming a 138-129 victory. 

Listed here are the takeaways.

Jaylen Brown put the sport to mattress

We’ll get into precisely what occurred down the stretch shortly (spoiler: it was bizarre), however Brown continued his All-NBA-quality season with yet one more monstrous efficiency — 35 factors on 14-for-26 taking pictures together with a pair of 3-pointers (each of them essential), 4 rebounds, eight assists and only one turnover. His 3-pointers each got here late within the fourth and have been the beginning of a 12-point run by Brown himself that included a winding drive and a layup in addition to a giant mid-range jumper that staved off the Magic at a vital time.

Brown known as out the Celtics after Friday’s disheartening loss to the Nets, a loss that preceded a stretch throughout which the Celtics will face 9 groups with successful data of their subsequent 10 contests. 

“Come able to play, or don’t play in any respect,” Brown stated on Friday. “That’s my complete factor.”

At no level this season might it’s stated of Brown that he didn’t come able to play. The Celtics are a recreation above .500 at 9-8. The place they’d be with out him is anybody’s guess; it’s arduous to see how they’d be capable to decide up wins, properly, wherever if he have been absent. 

“When the crew wants me, I wish to be there,” Brown stated. “It’s a crew recreation. So tonight after I was drawing assist, I used to be looking for guys in rhythm for some pictures after they doubled within the submit and issues like that. After they introduced any person over, simply attempting to take my time to make the fitting learn. 

“I’m nonetheless rising and simply popping out and managing the sport, particularly when it will get into the fourth quarter. However these are all good data for me down the road, so simply preserve getting higher because the season goes on. I believe that’s the important thing.”

The Magic practically pulled off a wild comeback

The Magic performed on Saturday, claiming a powerful win over the Knicks in Orlando earlier than flying to Boston on Saturday night time, arriving at 1 a.m. 

As such, they have been with out Jalen Suggs (who doesn’t play in back-to-backs) and Paolo Banchero, who’s coping with a groin pressure.

Every part appeared on monitor for a superbly regular recreation at first. The Magic trailed by as many as 26, and the Celtics appeared to have a death-grip on the sport after a 48-point second quarter that despatched them into halftime with 80 factors and a 23-point lead. 

Nonetheless, with 9:44 remaining within the fourth quarter, the Magic started strolling down the lead with the assistance — as everybody would probably anticipate — of 30 factors from Jett Howard (a third-year participant whose possibility the Magic really declined, in a uncommon vote of no-confidence) in addition to 18 from Jase Richardson, the Twenty fifth-overall decide whose earlier scoring excessive was three. With 1:11 remaining, a pair of free throws by Howard lower the Celtics’ result in 133-127, only a two-possession recreation. 

“Whether or not you win or lose, there’s all the time possessions you may get higher,” Joe Mazzulla stated. “So 15 or 20 of them, a few their guys performed rather well, and there’s clearly possessions that we might be higher defensively.”

In fact, “15 or 20” possessions is a ton of possessions — greater than sufficient to swing the sport. The Celtics have been fortunate; Brown’s heroics, simply sufficient stops, and simply sufficient free throws down the stretch helped make the rally a headscratching footnote slightly than a five-alarm hearth. 

“Groups can come again, get again into the sport,” Brown stated. “Twenty factors isn’t actually something, so you may’t go away from what obtained us the lead. You’ve obtained to maintain taking part in the identical model of basketball.”

Neemias Queta twisted his ankle

The Celtics’ plus/minus star got here up limping after a play on the rim within the first quarter and was listed as questionable. He by no means returned to motion, and Mazzulla didn’t have an replace on the middle postgame. 

Notably, the Celtics initially performed Chris Boucher within the second quarter, however they spent a lot of the recreation going small in Queta’s absence. 

Josh Minott and Jordan Walsh tag-teamed middle minutes

In Queta’s absence, the Celtics tried some experimental stuff. Some labored, some didn’t. 

Nonetheless, each Josh Minott and Jordan Walsh performed properly. Minott particularly had a giant recreation after taking part in rather less during the last couple of weeks — 16 factors on 7-for-8 taking pictures with seven rebounds and a block.

Minott assured reporters he’s not offended at dropping his short-lived beginning spot. 

“If you happen to have been poor and I gave you $20 after which immediately took $20, you by no means actually felt such as you had it, proper?” Minott stated. “So it’s form of like, I don’t know, it was good, however I form of am used to this place. So it’s not like something insane.”

Walsh, who has taken his spot, assisted on each of Brown’s late 3-pointers and performed 24 minutes of his trademark protection. 

“Jordan has the physique kind to do it,” Brown stated. “You recognize what I imply? He’s athletic. He’s obtained a six-frame, lengthy arms, and I’ve seen him in follow be defensively very lively.”

In the meantime, Mazzulla supplied a telling quote about Minott and Walsh postgame. 

“I assumed Josh gave us some nice stuff — simply his potential to shoot tonight, and likewise he did a fantastic job screening,” Mazzulla stated. “I believe Jordan’s getting higher and higher, no matter the place he performs. So we’ve simply obtained to maintain chipping away at these two guys. They’ve obtained an opportunity to actually assist us, and so they’re getting higher and higher every recreation.”

That, in some ways, sums up one of many largest plotlines this season for the Celtics: They’ve some imperfect-but-promising gamers who might play a task on the crew’s subsequent contender. Greater than probably, that contender is on the very least some 10 months from materializing. Within the interim, chipping away at gamers like Minott and Walsh to carve out contributors might be actually essential. 

“We’re mad interchangeable, particularly with the defensive versatility that all of us have,” Minott stated. “So simply staying true to myself and understanding what I can do.”

Anfernee Simons is getting comfy, too

After placing collectively considered one of his higher performances in opposition to the Nets, Simons had one other hyper-efficient recreation in opposition to the Magic — this time in a win. Coming off the bench, Simons scored 23 factors on 8-for-11 taking pictures, which included 4-for-7 taking pictures from deep. 

The Celtics are an odd roster stuffed with mismatched elements, however one factor they’ve in shocking depth is bucket-getters, and Simons is nearly as good at bucket-getting as they arrive. His back-to-back baskets late within the first quarter that pushed the result in double-digits included a 3-pointer preceded by a nose-scrunching step-back, after which a silky floater which was considered one of a number of he hit on Sunday.

Mazzulla stated Simons is now not easing himself into video games when he is available in off the bench. 

“In earlier years, that was form of my factor — simply ease into the sport and see how they guarded me, after which I began being extra aggressive within the second half,” Simons stated. “Right here, clearly, I don’t have that a lot time to have the ability to ease into the video games, so taking the alternatives as they’re – simply being myself, aggressive, and likewise making the fitting performs, as properly. So I believe simplifying that manner has been straightforward for me for the previous couple video games.”

Sam Hauser confirmed some life

Hauser has been mired in a nasty taking pictures stoop. He was taking pictures 20 p.c in 10 video games in November previous to Sunday. 

Nonetheless, Hauser went 4-for-7 from deep in opposition to the Magic — two every within the first and third quarters – and he completed with 14 factors. 

Getting Hauser going once more would add an essential dimension to the Celtics. Ground spacers make work so much simpler for the bucket getters, and after they work in tandem, the outcomes could be explosive. 

The Celtics wanted that one

The Celtics’ subsequent 9 video games embrace the Pistons, Timberwolves and Cavaliers back-to-back, Knicks, Lakers, Raptors twice and Warmth. Each Japanese Convention opponent throughout that stretch (together with the Magic) is forward of the Celtics within the standings, whereas the Lakers and Timberwolves are third and seventh within the Western Convention respectively. 

All that’s to say that when a crew arrives in Boston with half its roster on the bench on the second night time of a back-to-back and surrenders a 26-point lead, you really want to safe the win when it’s out there to you. 

The Celtics might be well-rested after they shut NBA Cup group play in opposition to the visiting Pistons on Wednesday. 

The Pistons are 14-2. The sport suggestions off at 5 p.m.