After losing a heartbreaker to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, the Boston Celtics bounced back with a 131- 95 beatdown of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Here's what stood out:
This game was clearly a matchup between two teams on the second night of a back-to-back
Both the Celtics and Grizzlies were on the second leg of a back-to-back for their matchup at TD Garden.
You didn’t need me to tell you that if you watched the game, though.
There was just something missing on both sides -- even in the crowd. Like, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many rebounds bounce off the floor before a player got to them. This game completely lacked any intensity.
Don’t get me wrong, the Celtics still took care of business, and that's partly why the energy was so low, but they definitely had stretches where they didn’t look remotely sharp. I suppose in a season like this one, you have to take the wins where they come.
Jordan Walsh, the starter
November has been the month of Jordan Walsh so far. The third-year forward worked his way from a healthy scratch to starting on Wednesday. It’s been quite the journey.
His first start of the year was fine.
Walsh carried over the defensive chaos he’s brought off the bench lately. His first action in the game was hustling down the court to block Jaren Jackson Jr., before immediately sprinting the floor to get himself a layup.
The 21-year-old scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds in just 18 minutes of play.
Derrick White has his swagger back
Each game, Derrick White is looking more and more like the player Celtics fans have grown to love over the past three and a half seasons. Wednesday’s performance featured the return of his three-point shot, which had been missing for the majority of the season to this point.
He started the night by sinking his first look from beyond the arc. From that point on, he carried himself confidently, as if he hadn’t missed a beat all season.
The All-Defensive guard finished with 20 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block, on 6-11 field and 3-6 from deep. The three-point shot, indeed, appears to be back.
A welcome sight, considering that White entered the matchup with Memphis, making just 28% of his long-range attempts, not nearly upholding the standard he’s set for himself as a Celtic.
The Celtics passed it to their bigs
Tuesday night in Philadelphia, and generally throughout the early season, the Celtics haven’t dished to their centers when they’d roll to the basket. There were several instances against the 76ers where Neemias Queta was unguarded in the paint, yet ignored (or not seen) by his teammates.
That was not the case against the Grizzlies. Queta received plenty of love and attention from his teammates, especially Payton Pritchard, any time he’d dive to the basket. He and Pritchard connected for a few first-half buckets, including a sweet alley-oop slam from the Portuguese big man.
Queta totaled 13 points on a perfect 6-6 from the field, to go along with eight rebounds. Queta's scored efficiently all season because he keeps putting himself in the right spots on offense. He makes it count when his teammates find him.
Luka Garza got himself some buckets, too. He finished the night with 14 points on 6-8 from the field and 2-3 from deep.