Boston Celtics: 1 stud and 1 dud from C’s road-opener win against Heat

The Boston Celtics move to 2-0 on the season with a 111-104 win over the Miami Heat on October 21 — this following a historic opening night victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 18. As was doubted before the season, the Cs have picked up exactly where they left off last season and passed their early test against two Eastern Conference contenders.

Boston was in control for a large majority of this game. Two brief lapses in both the third and fourth quarters saw them lose their double-digit lead but they were able to bounce back and ward off the Miami surge to pull out a win.

The Celtics were led by the Jays with another great performance, but they also received plenty of scoring help across the board. Aside from the Jays, they had six different players score at least six points and none of them scored more than 10. This is a testament to the depth the Boston Celtics are displaying early and although those aren’t eye-popping numbers, it showcases their balance more than anything.

The C’s also shot a very impressive 52/42/100 clip as a team against one of the league’s best defenses from last season. The only thing that held them back was their 19 total turnovers but sloppy play early in the season is nothing out of the ordinary. Their defense gave up a large number of points to the Heat starters plus Gabe Vincent on efficient shooting percentages but they also finished with 11 blocks and four steals to make up for it.

This impressive 2-0 start for the Boston Celtics is a great early sign for the team and the league will be in trouble if they continue to build off of this. Here is one stud and one dud from the Celtics’ W.

Boston Celtics Stud: Jayson Tatum

The choice for Friday night’s stud was a toss up between Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The All-Star duo scored 29 and 28 points each against a top defensive team. Brown missed a crucial portion of the contest due to foul trouble and Tatum stepped up in his absence which ultimately earned himself the nod as this game’s stud.

Tatum played a great all-around game and added five rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal to go along with his game-high 29 points. The 3x All-Star scored 18 of his 29 in the second half and really held the Celtics together during the critical junctures of the game.

His best sequence came at the midway point of the third quarter. The Heat went on a 9-0 run to take their first lead since the first quarter but Tatum answered right back with a very quick six-point spurt that put Boston back on top.

They never surrendered the lead again after that.

Tatum made a few more key plays in the fourth quarter to keep the Heat from completing another comeback attempt and solidified his status as last night’s stud.

Boston Celtics Dud: Malcolm Brogdon

It feels harsh to label Malcolm Brogdon as the game’s dud but he definitely struggled to find his footing in this contest. The Celtics newcomer couldn’t get his shot to fall and finished just 2-for-9 from the field.

It felt like Brogdon was trying to force his offense rather than let it flow to the game’s tune. He took a few contested shots that hurt the Celtics rhythm when they were in need of some playmaking.

Despite these critiques, the 29-year-old’s performance was not all bad. When the Celtics led 79-75 with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, he scored four points and had a beautiful drive and dish to an open Grant Williams for three to cap off a quick 7-0 run that put the C’s back up by double-digits.

If Brogdon made these plays consistently during his 25 minute performance, Boston might’ve run away with this one. He will definitely be just fine as he gets comfortable to his new situation but he is still the unfortunate dud against the Heat.