The Boston Celtics underwent their first true check of the still-early 2023-24 season: overcoming the Brooklyn Nets with out Derrick White.
“Check” turned an overstatement when push got here to shove at Barclays Heart on Saturday night time. The Nets stook round for the higher a part of three-plus quarters, counting on their fast-paced offense, however even that didn’t show to be sufficient. Brooklyn’s grit couldn’t upstage Boston’s star energy or its NBA-best scoring offense, preserving the Celtics but once more undefeated after 5.
“Everyone’s shining, all people’s taking part in an element,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum mentioned after Boston’s 124-114 win over the Nets, as seen on NBC Sports activities Boston’s postgame protection. “Guys coming off the bench, Oshae (Brissett), issues like that. So, I like this group. We’re taking part in onerous, we’re competing. Hopefully we hold it going.”
As anticipated, Tatum bought his, scoring a game-high 32 factors with 11 rebounds to A) file his third double-double of the season and B) change into the youngest Celtics participant ever to succeed in 10,000 profession factors. That was sufficient of a basis for the remaining to observe and ship Brooklyn to the loss column.
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That alone didn’t hold Boston’s momentum red-hot, nevertheless. As a substitute, the Celtics leaned to their biggest energy which has made scoring a cakewalk on a nightly foundation early on: depth.
Evident in its first 5 video games performed, every time Boston’s down a bit or navigating by way of an off-night from one in all its premier starters, the depth has restored any gaping holes. That’s an apparent plus and speaks to the work executed by Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, but it surely’s additionally commendable work for a new-look group to seek out their footing in lower than 10 video games performed. We’d not have even witnessed the height of the Celtics but which makes them much more of a must-watch group.
Will the Celtics in early November be the identical because the Celtics mid January?
“I believed our guys simply continued to play onerous, although Cam Thomas, (Mikal) Bridges made a few of these robust photographs,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazulla mentioned, per NBC Sports activities Boston. “And that’s the primary secret’s to take care of a degree of competitiveness and the subsequent secret’s simply in sure possessions having the ability to execute defensively.”
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Within the first half in Brooklyn, Boston scored 70 factors, recording its third consecutive 70-plus-point first half. Clearly, that’s not a simple activity with out White, who leads all guards in true taking pictures (80.9%), on the ground, however no much less a check that the Celtics crushed.
Al Horford, who had performed off the bench in Boston’s first 4 video games, bought the beginning lineup nod — and confirmed up. The 37-year-old delivered eight factors, taking pictures 4-of-7 with seven rebounds, three assists and a block. Horford was a game-leading plus-29, talking to his elite degree of effectivity with out an eye-popping scoring determine.
No matter who Boston’s main scorer is, the formulation to each Celtics win, up to now, has been a collective effort fueled by a number of gamers of the sport. Brooklyn was outscored, 25-17, within the remaining seven minutes, turning a possible nail-biter right into a non-competitive race to the end line.
Is that the formulation for Banner 18, nevertheless? That query will observe Boston till its remaining buzzer sounds.
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