Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from C’s dominant win in Denver
The Boston Celtics have now come away victorious from 19 of their last 22 contest, winning Sunday night’s game in Denver by a final score of 124-104.
The C’s led by 25 at halftime, outplaying the Nuggets on both ends of the ball.
On January 6th, the Celtics had just lost to the New York Knicks at the buzzer, falling to 18-21 on the year. Now, they sit at 44-28, competing for a top spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The turnaround is truly remarkable, and with ten games left to play, who knows what could happen.
Boston opened up the game in the second quarter, closing the period on a 24-4 run.
The Celtics couldn’t miss from deep, hitting 19 of their 40 attempts from beyond the arc, and were locking up Nikola Jokic and company on the other end.
The Boston Celtics have shown no flaws on this road trip
Simply put, there isn’t a player for any opposing team to attack on this Boston Celtics squad.
Last year, Payton Pritchard had trouble staying on the court due to his lack of size, not being able to fit in the switching scheme. Now, the rest of Boston’s above-average defenders make up for his shortcomings, while he drills trey after trey on the other end.
Let’s get into 3 takeaways from the blowout win over Denver:
Boston Celtics takeaway No. 1) A reliable bench
It’s fair to say the Boston Celtics are a team lacking overall depth, with coach Ime Udoka favoring an eight-man rotation on most nights. However, with the acquisitions of Derrick White and even Daniel Theis at the trade deadline, the C’s have shored up the back of their rotation, not having to rely on unproven quantities anymore.
Every player on this team knows their role on both ends, fitting in effortlessly without much disruption. It’s no secret White has been struggling from deep since he left San Antonio, but he’s making up for it in other aspects.
He’s yet another quick decision-maker on offense, as he’s able to both find the open man and drive to the basket effectively.
Sunday, he finished with six points and three assists in 23 minutes, but when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are having the nights they’re having, that’s all you need from the veteran.
He consistently makes the right play with the ball and is one of the best defensive guards in the league–a perfect fit for a Celtics team built around the Jays.
After White, the combination of Pritchard and Grant Williams are continuing to impress night after night.
Pritchard finished with 17 points in 19 minutes, hitting all six of his shot attempts including five from the perimeter. He’s quickly developed into one of Boston’s best 3-point marksmen, providing value in spacing the floor for others to operate.
Williams had one of his best games of the year, even blocking Jokic from behind.
He stood pat against Denver’s big man duo and continues to show strides on the offensive end. As teams begin to run him off the 3-point line, Grant has started attacking closeouts, putting the ball on the floor, and going to the rim.
Boston Celtics fans can feel comfortable when their bench comes on the court. That’s a feeling they haven’t been able to have in quite some time.