Celtics
Dangerous choices plagued the Celtics close to the tip of regulation, permitting the Hawks to tie the sport and drive extra time.
The Celtics needed to work for it, however they managed to discover a inventive method to fall 119-115 to Trae Younger and the Hawks on Saturday.
Listed below are the takeaways.
The Celtics had the sport in hand.
We are able to’t stress sufficient the extent to which the Celtics blew this one.
The Hawks put up a great struggle and definitely had their very own alternatives to drag away, however the Celtics appeared to have executed simply sufficient to squeak out the victory with 30 seconds remaining.
With the sport tied at 100, Jaylen Brown created some house for himself with a stupendous turnaround jumper, and the Celtics took the lead.
On the opposite finish, the Hawks threw the ball away, and so they began to implode – Trae Younger complained his manner right into a technical, apparently below the impression that Jrue Vacation was grabbing him, and the Celtics went up by three as Tatum made the free throw.
That ought to have been that — the Celtics ought to have been capable of inbound the ball, make a few free throws and end out the win.
As a substitute, Vacation escaped close to the rim and took a go from Tatum. As a substitute of holding onto the ball (or laying it in) and going up by two possessions, Vacation gave the Hawks life by throwing it out of bounds within the first of two disastrously dangerous choices down the stretch.
On the opposite finish, the Celtics deliberately fouled Trae Younger (and we want to take this chance to reiterate that the NBA wants to alter its foul-up-by-three guidelines for the sake of the move of thrilling basketball video games). Younger made each free throws, and the Hawks fouled Tatum, sending him to the road with an opportunity to go up two.
Tatum went 1-for-2, placing the Celtics up by two.
Then Vacation made his second disastrously dangerous resolution, inexplicably fouling Younger once more. Predictably, the profession 87.3 p.c free-throw shooter made each, Tatum missed a turnaround jumper, and the sport went to extra time.
The extra time interval was scrappy, with a number of stops and begins and one altercation that almost obtained Tatum — who was already on one technical — ejected (if you wish to be a bit of entertained after yet one more dispiriting loss, observe Joe Mazzulla pumping his fist and clapping as the 2 groups beefed with each other).
However the Celtics practically had an opportunity to grab a win out of a well-earned loss within the closing seconds when Jalen Johnson missed a pair of free throws with the Hawks main by one.
As a substitute, Onyeka Okongwu completely outmaneuvered Neemias Queta, grabbed the offensive rebound and made two free throws when he was fouled. The Hawks performed out the string successfully the remainder of the best way.
The Celtics may have executed a number of issues higher to win, however maybe most irritating for Celtics followers might be the truth that even with all of their struggles, they nonetheless may have (and will have) gained on Saturday.
As a substitute, they may embark on a prolonged highway journey with the great vibes created by beating the Magic on Friday largely erased.
“No person in right here is used to shedding or needs to lose, so it’s positively frustration,” Derrick White stated. “However we’ve simply obtained to stay collectively. And I imply, everyone believes in each other, everyone’s executed loads of nice issues with with this crew, and so we imagine in one another, and simply hold going.”
Vacation says his second foul wasn’t intentional.
Vacation seemed to be fouling Younger deliberately on the play that allowed Younger to the sport, however he advised reporters postgame that wasn’t the case.
“Actually, simply making an attempt to maintain him going to the basket,” Vacation stated. “It wasn’t on goal.”
He additionally took accountability for the turnover that saved the sport inside attain for the Hawks, noting that “there’s loads of issues I may have executed otherwise.”
“I feel we had the sport gained,” Vacation stated. “I’ve obtained to make some higher performs. Make a greater go to JB, or possibly if I maintain onto the ball, get free throws, it’s a special state of affairs. I don’t foul Trae, we’re nonetheless up 2. So this sport is on me, and execution on my half needs to be higher.”
Derrick White stated he trusts Vacation “one hundred pc of the time.”
“It’s by no means on one man,” White stated. “He does a lot totally different stuff. I imply, he pressured the turnover, principally, earlier than that. So it’s by no means on one man, it’s not on Jrue. There’s loads of stuff I may have executed higher, and so we simply obtained to only stick collectively as a crew and get by this collectively.”
Mazzulla appeared mildly amused postgame.
Mazzulla, who by no means misses a chance to softly problem reporters in his postgame feedback, took subject with the concept that the loss was “demoralizing.”
“There’s zero worry in any respect,” he stated. “If something, there’s pleasure, and that is the journey. So signal me up for this.”
“You look demoralized,” he added with a smile to the reporter.
To be clear although, Mazzulla is aware of a end result like Saturday isn’t acceptable.
“I all the time return to ‘What have been the expectations’ from the standpoint of, ‘Do we expect it’s all the time going to go the best way we expect?’ And I care extra about how we reply by the best way we put together, by the best way we talk collectively as a crew, and by the best way we play, in order that’s an important factor.
“However in no way — I can’t stress that sufficient, there’s an expectation to win. We’re not doing it. It’s not adequate. Now we have to be higher.”
Mazzulla identified two different stretches that swung the sport along with the chaotic end: The Celtics’ 15-point second quarter, which noticed the Hawks flip a 12-point deficit right into a three-point lead at halftime, and a 10-2 run by the Hawks when the Celtics led 85-75.
“We simply should execute higher on these issues — a crew calls a timeout, you’re up 10, it might probably’t be a 10-2 run after that,” Mazzulla stated. “You may’t have a 15-point quarter, after which it’s important to execute down the stretch. It’s that straightforward.”
The Celtics couldn’t shoot (once more).
The Celtics shot nicely in opposition to the Magic, and it didn’t repair their points (no matter these points could be). As a crew, they have been 40-for-104 (38.5 p.c) from the sector. From three, they have been 15-for-52 (28.8 p.c). Their saving grace — or no less than, their near-saving grace — was that the Hawks have been one way or the other worse from three: 9-for-37 (24.3 p.c).
The person stats are brutal:
- Jaylen Brown was 9-for-27 and 2-for-9 from three.
- Tatum was 7-for-21 and 2-for-9 from three as nicely.
- Derrick White was 5-for-16 from three alone, and 7-for-20 total.
The taking pictures, it appears, will proceed till the odds enhance. Morale is nowhere to be discovered.
Jaylen Brown bounced his head off the bottom.
Right here’s a clip of a fall Brown took in extra time. Don’t watch it when you’re squeamish.
Brown stayed within the sport, and whereas we right here absolutely acknowledge our lack of a medical diploma, that call felt questionable given the direct, unbraced hit Brown’s head administered to the parquet flooring. Right here’s hoping he’s okay.
Luke Kornet was good as a starter.
The Celtics opted to play each Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford on the entrance finish of their back-to-back, and whereas Porzingis performed sparingly and hinted that he may go the second evening as nicely, the Celtics as a substitute went to Kornet to start out of their place.
They weren’t upset. Kornet completed with a pleasant stat line — 17 factors, 7-for-9 taking pictures and 7 rebounds — and he was deeply impactful on each ends. Maybe most notably, he created six second-chance alternatives with offensive boards, in addition to 4 steals, all of which got here within the first quarter.
Possibly one of many extra complicated choices of the sport was Mazzulla going with Queta over Kornet in extra time. The Hawks picked on Queta defensively even earlier than the aforementioned offensive rebound that Okongwu snagged.
Kornet might need made a two-way distinction within the closing 5 minutes. The Celtics have been 5.0 factors per 100 possessions higher defensively with Kornet on the ground quite than off this season, which is 86th percentile league-wide and the most effective on the crew by a comparatively vast margin. Even on an evening when nothing was straightforward for the Celtics, the presence of Kornet as soon as once more made having one injury-prone beginning heart with a 38-year-old back-up possible for the Celtics.
Sam Hauser missed a point-blank dunk.
Because the Celtics struggled to attain, possibly no single play summed it up higher than a quick break late within the third quarter.
With lower than a minute remaining because the Celtics began to place some issues collectively, Tatum snuck right into a passing lane and picked off a go by Trae Younger. With choices to dish to 2 totally different teammates streaking forward of him, Tatum opted for Hauser, who was sprinting forward of the play.
Hauser appeared to have a large open dunk, and he went up trying assured.
Whoops.
No main hurt was executed — the Hawks stepped out of bounds, then dedicated a foul that despatched the Celtics to the road and nonetheless allowed them to get off a 2-for-1 shot.
Nonetheless, the noise TD Backyard made — roaring as Hauser broke away after which groaning as his dunk inexplicably bounced out — was each acceptable and fairly humorous.
Hauser completed 0-for-7 from the sector and 0-for-5 from three.
The Celtics go west.
The Celtics will now hit the highway as soon as once more. On Monday at 5 p.m., they tackle the Warriors earlier than two video games on Wednesday and Thursday in opposition to the Clippers and Lakers.
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