Losses are rare for the Boston Celtics these days. After their latest victory, a 140-105 drubbing of the Charlotte Hornets. That dominant victory saw them make 10 three pointers in the first quarter on the way to a 45-19 opening edge, and they already had 121 points before the fourth quarter started. They’re now 10-1 at home for the season and 17-5 overall.
What makes the victory even more impressive is that they were missing key players in Jaylen Brown and Al Horford. That didn’t matter much, because Jayson Tatum dropped 35 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals while shooting 15 of 28 from the field. Marcus Smart also added in 22 points, 15 assists and two steals while shooting 6 of 9 from beyond the arc.
The Celtics have such a deep roster that they can rely on players like Malcolm Brogdon to come up big off the bench. Their offseason trade for the 2017 Rookie of the Year added an important piece to their rotation, and he finished with 21 points, five rebounds and six assists while shooting 8 of 9 from the field. More impressive about his performance is that he did most of his damage in the first half.
Since losing to the Chicago Bulls last week, the Celtics have now reeled off four-straight wins, with their smallest margin of victory being a 130-121 victory against the Washington Wizards. They were missing Tatum for that game, but Brown dropped 36 points and six other Celtics scored in double figures in a game where they led by as much as 26.
Before that, they played against the Sacramento Kings, who came back from an 18-point deficit and still had the game tied at 84-84 with 1:57 left in the third quarter. The Celtics then went on a 33-6 run between the third and fourth quarters that blew the game open and saw them win 122-104.
Their game against the Dallas Mavericks yielded a similar double-digit win, after Tatum and Brown combined for 68 points to counter Luka Doncic’s 45.
A common theme in their last four victories is never letting opponents build a big lead. Here’s the largest lead each opponent had in the stretch, vs. the largest lead that the Celtics had.
- Hornets: 0 points vs. 42 points
- Wizards: 2 points vs. 26 points
- Kings: 6 points vs. 27 points
- Mavericks: 2 points vs. 27 points
That’s a clear indication that these Celtics are never fazed and have the poise and composure to right the ship whenever things start to go wrong. It’s been quite a wonder to watch, and their ability to turn on the jets or slow down the game while putting on the clamps on defense is a scary prospect for every single opponent that they face.
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