When the Boston Celtics walked into American Airlines Center on Saturday night, they were fresh off their worst loss of the season. They lost to the Los Angeles Lakers by 21 points and were looking to take out their frustrations against the injured Dallas Mavericks in an NBA Finals rematch. And they did exactly that.
Boston got off to a slow start, but once they started flowing on offense, it was all over for the Mavs. With Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II, and others sidelined, Dallas had no offense when Kyrie Irving was off the floor. And defensively, much like the Finals, they just couldn’t match up with the Celtics. In the end, Boston picked up a 122-107 win, ending their road trip 3-1.
Here are three studs and three duds from the game.
Stud - Kristaps Porzingis
The last few weeks have treated Kristaps Porzingis well. Or perhaps he’s treated the last few weeks well. Whichever way you spin it, the Celtics big man has been a constant force for Boston.
When Porzingis returned from injury in late November, he was solid, but it was clear that he needed some time to get back to full strength. And while he still may not be there yet, he’s close.
Porzingis is an eternal mismatch for the Celtics to look toward when they need a bucket. On Saturday night, Porzingis was posting up guards with ease and draining long-range triples.
His offense has been a driving force for Boston.
Stud - Jaylen Brown
Ever since Joe Mazzullam started giving Jaylen Brown more run in the first quarter, as was the case last season, he's looked like a new player. It was more of that on Saturday night.
Brown got off to yet another hot start, providing the Celtics with a much-needed source of consistent offense. He's been much better at picking hit spots, trading out some threes for mid-range shots and drives.
His methodical scoring approach has given Boston a perfect place to go to on the offensive end, especially when things stall out from time to time.
Dud - Slow starts
Yet again, the Celtics got off to a very slow start. Dallas was roaring to start this game, and Boston struggled to put the ball in the basket.
As PJ Washington and Spencer Dinwiddie pushed the pace in transition, Boston’s offense was moving in slow motion. They jumped out to an early 19-10 lead over Boston.
By the end of the first, the Celtics had built their way back into the game, but the slogs to start games have become consistent.
Stud - Luke Kornet
Jaylen Brown had another hot start, which was great to see. Jrue Holiday hit some big shots. Al Horford played solid defense. Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser looked good off the bench.
But instead, Luke Kornet deserves some love here.
His numbers from Saturday night’s game may not jump off the page, but his rim protection was huge for the Celtics. It was one of the biggest reasons they were able to begin to establish a lead.
Every time the Mavs drove to the paint—which they did a lot on Saturday—Kornet was there to meet them. His part in the double-big lineups with Porzingis or Horford was crucial.
Kornet was a hub on offense, a nuisance on the glass, and impacted this game way more than he’ll get credit for.
Dud - First half Derrick White
During the Celtics’ recent cold spell, Derrick White hasn’t been amazing. In fact, there have been times when Mazzulla has chosen to play Payton Pritchard over him.
The first half of Saturday’s game was more of that reality. White couldn’t find the bottom of the net and even air-balled a floater in the lane—a shot that has been cash for him all season.
He finally got something to go late in the second, but it was wide open.
Stud - Third quarter Derrick White
That said, something changed for White at half-time. He was 1-of-7 in the first half, but all of the question marks rapidly faded away as he blossomed back into the best version of himself in the third quarter.
White had 11 points in the first four minutes (and change) of the third quarter alone, outsourcing the Mavs (10 points) in that span.
The threes were falling, he was hitting the glass, and he corrected his airball mistake in the first half with a nice floater. He even drew a charge on Dinwiddie, which was his fifth personal foul.
For a guy who hasn’t been in top form lately, seeing White show out like he did was incredible.
Dud - Recent games
The Celtics looked like the Celtics on Saturday night. So, the question is, why haven’t they looked like this for the past month?
What changed in this one game against the Mavericks that was different recently? There wasn’t much to complain about in Dallas. Boston did almost everything right.
Perhaps it’s just a matter of weeding out the slow games and getting back to the basics. Every team goes through cold spells.
Saturday night was exactly what Boston needed.
Dud - Fourth quarter
After a dominant third quarter that saw them blow the game wide open, the Celtics let go of the rope in the fourth. Dallas was hot to start the quarter, and the Celtics started missing shots (and taking shots they probably shouldn't have).
The Mavs started running with the same pace that they had at the beginning of the game, and it made a huge difference. Jaden Hardy got hot, and Irving chipped in, too. Even Daniel Gafford was working hard on the glass to earn his team points.
It looked like the Celtics thought they had already won the game. They settled in nicely and got the job done, which is a plus, but the dip in energy to start the frame was underwhelming.