Boston Celtics: 3 Takeaways from loss to the Spurs
The Boston Celtics suffered a grueling loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, by a score of 110-106. The game was winnable in the fourth quarter but slipped away in the final seconds with poor execution at the end of the game.
The Celtics have had their fair share of troubles in the AT&T Center, only winning one of their games there since 2011. The Spurs–usually led by their experienced veterans–looked to their young stars to seal the game up and move to 10-8 on the year. Boston now sits in the middle of the pack at 10-7.
The Boston Celtics let a winnable game go in the final seconds.
The game included many errors from the Boston side, causing coach Brad Stevens to state after the game that their defense “couldn’t stop a nosebleed.” Even in a loss, let’s look at three main takeaways from this hard-fought battle:
1. Poor defensive effort from Boston
The Celtics, in their first game fully healthy (minus Payton Pritchard), looked great on both ends of the floor in the first quarter. However, in the second, it was some of the worst Boston basketball of the year. They looked sluggish on defense and were allowing the Spurs to get any open look they wanted.
Yes, the opposition only scored 109 points this game, indicating that the defense wasn’t that bad. For many stretches of the game, it wasn’t. But it could’ve gone much worse if San Antonio could hit a shot from beyond the arc, as they finished 8-of-28 on the night (28.6%).
Gregg Popovich’s squad was moving the ball around the perimeter, causing the Celtics to scramble in their defensive coverage. This led the Spurs to get open shots one after another, leading to a long run for San Antonio at the end of the second quarter.
The interior defense for the Celtics was somehow even worse. Every Spur had a free lane to the rim and finished easily over the likes of Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson. Keldon Johnson was the main culprit, with all nine of his made baskets coming from inside the perimeter. As a team, they shot a ridiculous 27-of-33 in the paint. With that type of efficiency at the rim, two things are happening.
First, the defender on the perimeter is getting beat by his man repeatedly, allowing penetration at the free-throw line. Secondly, the rim protector is simply getting finished over, with no real challenge at the hoop. The Boston Celtics’ interior defense hasn’t been this bad this year, but it can be a real concern if the opposing teams find a rhythm.
The bright spot of the defense on Wednesday was their quick hands, forcing 19 turnovers on the night. San Antonio averages the least turnovers in the league with just over ten, so forcing that many suggests intense activity. Most of these were in the first quarter, where the Celtics got out to a considerable lead.
The Spurs shot 46-of-82 from the floor (56.1%) and 38-of-54 from two-point range (70.4%). That’s horrendous defense.