David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
What Stood out from the Celtics' Win vs. Jazz: Boston is Firing on All Cylinders
The Celtics' defense flummoxed one of the NBA's top offenses, holding the Jazz to under 100 points; tremendous player and ball movement led to Boston setting a new season-high with 37 assists, and the Celtics continue to show they can beat anyone in a best of seven.
The Sixers winning means Boston is in fourth in the East based on percentage points, but their 125-97 victory puts them in a virtual tie with Philadelphia and second-seeded Milwaukee. The Celtics are now just 1.5 games out of first place.
Now, for a deep dive into what stood out from Wednesday's win.
Celtics Come Out with Tremendous Energy
Based on the energy the Celtics exuded in the first quarter, you would never know they were coming off a four-game road trip where they played three games in four days.
Boston jumped out to a 39-24 lead, staying active defensively, diving on loose balls, and holding the Jazz to 40-percent shooting from the field with no one scoring in double figures. Pushing the pace off stops helped juice the Celtics' offense, lending itself to terrific player and ball movement that translated to not missing a shot until the 4:05 mark and knocking down 15/19 field goals (78.9 percent), 7/9 (77.8 percent) threes, and scoring 14 points in the paint.
Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 13 points on 5/6 shooting, and he produced points for his teammates by running the floor in transition and staying active without the ball.
For instance, in the play below, Brown running the floor draws the attention of two defenders, creating space for Derrick White. White then capitalizes on that momentum, euro-stepping around Royce O'Neale for two points at the rim.
In this next play, Brown's defender's more focused on Robert Williams as he heads to the rim. Brown flashes middle, when he catches the ball, Hassan Whiteside steps up to stop him from scoring at the basket, and he lobs the ball to Williams.
Jayson Tatum started the game 3/3 from beyond the arc and finished the first frame with 11 points on 4/5 shooting, going 3/4 from long range.
Marcus Smart Ties a Franchise Record
Another development from the first quarter was Marcus Smart dishing out nine assists, the most by a Celtic in a quarter since Rajon Rondo did so in 2014.
In the play below, Smart knows he's going to Tatum, who buried his first two threes of the game. Smart gets Rudy Gobert to come towards him, and both defenders on the left side suck in. He jumps away from Gobert to give himself more space, and he delivers a pass on the money to Tatum for a three from above the break.
In the next clip, Tatum attacks the double team, gets around Whiteside, and kicks it out to Smart, who's open for three. No one would fault Smart if he shot this, but instead, he passes up a good one for a great one, swinging the ball to Al Horford in the corner.
Here, Donovan Mitchell scores on a floater in the paint, but Marcus Smart pushes the pace off the make, prompting Jaylen Brown, who's ahead of the pack, to break towards the basket. Brown doesn't field Smart's bounce pass cleanly, but he still gets two points uncontested at the rim.
There was also Smart coming off a screen from Robert Williams, holding the attention of Whiteside and Jordan Clarkson, then delivering a bounce pass between the two of them to Williams for a dunk.
Smart got the fourth quarter off but ended the night with a career-high 13 assists, operating as the floor general of a Celtics offense that set a season-high 37 assists. That came on 50 made field goals, meaning they assisted on 74 percent of them.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Combine for 52 Points
Boston's All-Star wing duo continues to dominate the competition. After combing for 60 or more points in each of the last three games, the decisive nature of Wednesday's win resulted in Tatum sitting the entire fourth quarter, so they had to settle for putting 52 points on the board.
Tatum registered 26 points in three quarters, doing so on 9/15 (60 percent) shooting, including knocking down five of his eight attempts (62.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
Here, Tatum comes off a screen from Grant Williams, sees Whiteside going towards him, and he navigates through a narrow corridor to get to the right side, then lays the ball in off the glass.
There was also Tatum rejecting a Robert Williams screen to shake free of Royce O'Neale for an open three.
Tatum's growth as a facilitator was also on full display.
As for Brown, his 26 points came on 10/17 (58.8 percent) shooting, he converted on three of his six threes, and he scored ten points in the paint.
Brown also distributed five assists. In this first clip, he pushes the pace, and when he comes off a Robert Williams screen, Rudy Gay knows the priority is stopping the drive and that he can recover to Theis to contest a preferable alternative. However, Theis cuts to the rim, and Brown hits him in stride for a dunk.
In the play below, Brown spins by Eric Paschall, prompting Gobert to drop to protect the rim. Brown then kicks the ball out to Horford for an open three from above the break.
Boston's Defense Stifles the Jazz
Utah boasts the NBA's highest offensive rating, scores the sixth-most points per game, and makes the second-most threes per contest in the league. There was no sign of that Wednesday as the Celtics hounded Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, and company on drives, did an excellent job contesting shots from beyond the arc, and they got the Jazz to take far more mid-range jumpers than usual.
Here, Horford and Tatum switch on Gobert's screen for Mike Conley. Horford stays with the veteran guard on the drive. Grant Williams stunts to help out, Conley has no kick-out options, Tatum's making contact with Gobert, further dissuading the idea of throwing the lob, and Horford swats his layup. Smart then saves the ball to Horford, who gets it to White, and the Celtics are off and running.
In this clip, Gay takes too long to launch a corner three, and Horford registers another block. White then comes off Gobert to challenge Conley, Tatum takes Gobert, maintaining contact with him, and when the ball goes to Trent Forrest, Tatum turns back his shot to close out the third quarter.
The result was holding Utah under 100 points, as the Jazz shot a putrid 39.8 percent from the field, including a paltry 8/36 (22.2 percent) on threes.
Up Next
The Celtics are off until Sunday night when they host Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tip-off is at 6:00 ET. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
[Photos and Videos] Celtics Raise Kevin Garnett's #5 to the Rafters
Celtics Sign Malik Fitts to Contract Extending Through 2022-23 Season
Profile on Celtics' Latest Signing, Nik Stauskas
Profile on Celtics' Newest Signing, Matt Ryan
The Trials, Tribulations, and Growth of Ime Udoka in His First Year as Celtics' Head Coach
