ARE YOU READY TO BELIEVE NOW?
Josh Richardson scores team-high 23 points, helps lead a Celtics' second unit that delivered a first-rate performance in 113-107 win over Charlotte for fifth win in six games.
You won’t find a single player inside the Boston Celtics locker room or among their fanbase, who doesn’t recognize this team belonging to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
But as good as they are, the Celtics aren’t going to go very far if others don’t step up; or at least get an opportunity to do so.
We saw those two worlds collide against Charlotte, and the result was one of the more impressive wins this season for Boston as the Celtics escaped with a 113-107 victory.
So many Boston players were clutch down the stretch, especially Robert Williams III whose blocked shot of a P.J. Washington 3-point attempt in the closing seconds helped Boston preserve the victory.
It was indeed a nail-biter in comparison to what the Celtics have been doing lately.
Boston came into Wednesday’s game having won four of its last five games, by an average of 30.5 points.
This win stood out because they had to grind it out, with clutch shots and key stops down the stretch.
And while Tatum and Brown did their part to deliver when it mattered most, for long stretches of the game it was their supporting cast that was in the starring role.
Boston’s bench delivered one of its best games of the season, tallying 41 points with Josh Richardson (23 points) leading the second-unit surge.
Grant Williams, one of Boston’s most consistent bench players this season, did his part in chipping in 12 points.
It was a complete win, the kind of win that we’ve seen few and far between this season for the Celtics (28-25) as they continue to play some of their most consistent basketball of the season.
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds in Boston’s win over the Hornets.
STARS
LaMelo Ball: The Celtics actually did a good job of not letting Ball get too comfortable at either end of the floor. But it wasn’t enough to limit him from having a strong game, as he led all scorers with 38 points to go with nine assists and five rebounds.
Jayson Tatum: There’s a long line of performances that were far more impressive than what we saw from Tatum on Wednesday. Good players have off nights. The great ones have off nights and still find a way to impact the game positively. Tatum did that on Wednesday, finishing with 19 points on 6-for-16 shooting but also grabbing six rebounds while dishing out nine assists.
Jaylen Brown: Similar to Tatum, Brown did not have one of his better games shooting the ball. And like Tatum, he too managed to impact the game in ways other than calling his own number to score. Brown had 15 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the field but still managed to dish out six assists to go with six rebounds.
STUDS
Marcus Smart: Dissecting this game, Smart had his imprint on the game in all phases of play. He defended multiple positions. He made a point of getting his teammates points, evident by his six assists. He made his presence felt on the glass with four rebounds. And he made shots - lots of them - early and often. Smart would finish with 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field.
Josh Richardson: There were a number of players not named Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown who stepped up on Wednesday, but few made a bigger impact on the game than Josh Richardson. He led all Celtics scoring the ball with 23 points off the bench which included knocking down six of his eight 3-point attempts.
Terry Rozier: The former Celtic was clutch when it truly mattered for the Hornets, tallying 23 points which included eight in the pivotal fourth quarter which helped the Hornets erase a double-digit lead to tie the game at 107 with about a minute to play. He also had four rebounds and five assists.
Mason Plumlee: Not much of a scorer, but Plumlee is an absolute monster on the glass. The Celtics were no match for Plumlee whose neverending attack at the rim led to him snatching a game-high 17 rebounds.
DUDS
Al Horford: You love the fact that he snatched a team-high 12 rebounds, but Horford’s offensive struggles were once again on full display. He scored six points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field.