Hardwood Houdini
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Celtics Easily Handle Grizzlies

By JT Clifton

Mar 9, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder (99) reacts after his three point basket against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder (99) reacts after his three point basket against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Celtics extended their home winning streak with an easy win over the Memphis Grizzlies

The Boston Celtics hosted a Memphis Grizzlies team devastated by injuries. The Grizzlies were without Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Zach Randolph. Conley and Gasol have been out for a while, but Randolph was a late scratch with his knee.

The Celtics did have the services of Jared Sullinger after being hospitalized with a skin infection. The Celtics come into the game at 38-26 and currently in third place in the east. The Grizzlies, even without their two stars, are still hanging on to the five seed at 38-25.

The first quarter started with the Celtics not hitting their first shot until Isaiah Thomas scored at the 10:06 mark. Starting 1 for 5 from the field, the Celtics came out sluggish. They have struggled in games that they have had more than 2 days off this year. Sullinger looked as though he was still feeling the effects of being hospitalized getting out-hustled by a small lineup from the Grizzlies.

Isaiah Thomas tried to hit Sullinger rolling to the basket and turned the ball over around the five minute mark of the first quarter. That errant pass was Thomas’ first turnover in over 100 minutes.  The Grizzlies led by 7 points multiple times in the first. Marcus Smart hit a three with .02 seconds left to close the first quarter at 26-24.

The second quarter started with Marcus Smart hitting a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 26-26. Jonas Jerebko then hit a three-pointer from the corner to give the Celtics the lead. The Celtics traded baskets with the Grizzlies until Mario Chalmers was fouled by Jae Crowder and knocked down both free-throws, giving the Grizzlies the lead back at 44-43. The Celtics were dominated on the glass by the undersized Grizzlies in the first half. Memphis led second chance points 15-0 in the first half, out-rebounding the Celtics 23-13.

Isaiah Thomas struggled in the first half finishing with six points on 2-8 shooting. Jarell Martin, the rookie from LSU, had a career half with 13 points on 6-7 shooting. Jae Crowder finished the half with 10 points, and Evan Turner and Jared Sullinger finished with nine apiece. The Grizzlies ended the half leading 55-52

The third quarter started out with more of the same, with teams trading baskets until the seven-minute mark when it appeared Mario Chalmers hurt his achilles or calf. It was a non-contact injury with Chalmers having to be helped back to the locker room. With Chalmers out that left Lance Stephenson and Tony Allen to run point for the Grizzlies.

Mar 9, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) drives the ball against Memphis Grizzlies guard Mario Chalmers (6) in the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) drives the ball against Memphis Grizzlies guard Mario Chalmers (6) in the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /

Things started to fall apart for the Grizzlies and Isaiah Thomas started to really heat up. Thomas had 16 points in the third quarter, and Memphis only managed 12 points in the quarter. The third quarter finished 73-65.

Brad Stevens was quoted at the beginning of the fourth quarter as saying, “We finally started guarding and coming up with some loose balls and rebounds and it opened up some transition opportunities.” Stevens said they were locked in defense with the Grizzlies going 3 for 16 in the quarter. The offense of the Grizzlies looked lost at times with Tony Allen and Lance Stephenson taking turns dribbling around and driving wildly to the basket.

The Celtics never let up in the fourth quarter, extending their lead to over 20 points. Jared Sullinger went to the locker room in the thirdquarter, but it was to get the dressing changed on the skin infection on his stomach area. The last minutes of the game turned into the classic garbage time of the teams exchanging three-pointers and sloppy play.

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The Celtics shot 6-10 from three-point range in the fourth quarter. Isaiah Thomas finished with 22 points and 6 assists. The scoring overall was balanced with seven players in double digits. Evan Turner had a very proficient game with 16 points, eight assists, and four rebounds on 6-10 shooting. The Celtics shot 47 percent from the field and from three-point range. They shot 19-24 from FT’s and closed the rebound deficit to 38-48.

Vince Carter played point guard for the Grizzlies most of the fourth quarter and finished with 17 points. JaMychal Green finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

The Celtics completed their 14th straight home win finishing off the under-maned Grizzlies 116-96. They managed to get some bench players in late in the fourth quarter, with crowd favorite R.J. Hunter hitting a three-pointer. Jordan Mickey had a highlight play by blocking three straight shots, including two on his former teammate Jarell Martin. This was a game that the Celtics should have won easily, and they did. This is proof of a young team maturing by taking care of business when they should.

Next: Does Marcus Smart Need to Calm Down?

The Celtics will host the Houston Rockets on Friday at 7:30 and will look to extend their home winning streak to 15.

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