Jaylen Brown scores 32, however Celtics fall to Pistons: 7 takeaways
Boston Celtics
“My legs felt a little bit heavy, however I’ve obtained to make a play for my teammates.”
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics had an opportunity down the stretch, however they got here up simply quick in opposition to the Pistons for the third time this season in a 104-103 loss.
Listed below are the takeaways.
Jaylen Brown was this shut.
Aside from the less-than-ideal undeniable fact that they had been behind, the Celtics had quite a bit going for themselves on the ultimate play of Monday’s sport.
They had been solely down by one, which leaves no room for ambiguity about going for the win. They’d a timeout. They’d greater than sufficient time to take a few dribbles and get a shot up.
And, in fact, they’ve Jaylen Brown — an All-Star starter after Tuesday’s announcement, and one of many best possible gamers within the league at attending to his spot and creating his personal offense. Brown wasn’t having probably the most environment friendly sport of his illustrious season (11-for-28 from the sphere, 2-for-8 from three), however he had 32 factors and had simply notched a layup and a floater because the Celtics labored their solution to inside two.
On the ultimate possession, Brown seemed like he tried to show the nook in opposition to Tobias Harris, however the Pistons ahead prevented Brown from attending to the rim. As a substitute, Brown took three dribbles to his proper and fired up a fall-away jumper. It was an excellent look, and Brown created greater than sufficient area to separate himself from Harris’ reaching fingertips.
Brown’s shot hit the again of the rim and ricocheted up within the air. It seemed prefer it may need dropped in on its manner again down if it hadn’t grazed the highest of the backboard, which made it leap ahead and brush off the entrance of the rim yet one more time earlier than it fell to former Celtic Javonte Inexperienced, who swatted it away.
“It felt good,” Brown instructed reporters afterward. “My legs felt a little bit heavy, however I’ve obtained to make a play for my teammates.”
Brown labored a bit by way of Monday’s sport — he as soon as once more spent fairly a little bit of time complaining to the officers about calls he felt he ought to have gotten, and he missed some photographs he often makes. He coughed up the ball 4 occasions in opposition to Detroit’s stalwart protection — the Pistons are the NBA’s second-best protection, with a large hole between themselves and the Spurs at No. 3. Brown additionally missed a pair of free throws late within the fourth quarter which may hang-out him a bit in a one-point loss.
Nonetheless, Brown defended plenty of powerful matchups together with fellow All-Star starter Cade Cunningham, and with others struggling mightily on offense, Brown’s potential to assault, create, and hammer mismatches right into a high quality mud was the explanation the Celtics had an opportunity to win.
Brown and Isaiah Stewart went at it once more.
Brown and Isaiah Stewart obtained right into a complicated altercation over the past showdown between these two groups — complicated not as a result of Stewart obtained into an altercation (that’s his factor), however as a result of Brown’s provide to fistfight Stewart didn’t look significantly severe, and he later instructed reporters he thinks Stewart is “a pleasant man.”
Nonetheless, Brown and Stewart appear to rub one another the fallacious manner throughout video games, which could possibly be so simple as two high-level opponents attempting as onerous as they will to beat one another. Nearly instantly, the duo picked up double technicals after Brown grabbed Stewart’s arm, and Stewart pushed Brown off aggressively, who responded by pushing Stewart off aggressively too.
That’s a great distance of claiming the double technicals had been a little bit smooth however most likely deserved. Afterward, Stewart could possibly be seen tapping the facet of the pinnacle as if to remind himself to remain sensible the remainder of the way in which, and whereas Brown and Stewart administered some passive-aggressive (and under-the-radar) blows, nothing actually obtained going.
We must always observe that it appears unlikely that the uneasy peace between Stewart and Brown would preserve itself in a playoff collection.
Sam Hauser is totally again in rhythm.
Hauser had a very nice sport as soon as once more — coming off his near-record-setting efficiency in opposition to the Hawks on Saturday, he scored 16 factors on 6-for-9 taking pictures and put collectively a comparatively stable defensive exhibiting, regardless of selecting up 4 fouls.
Future contests between the Celtics and Pistons (if there are any) may name for a little bit extra Hauser on Tobias Harris, who proved himself just too huge in opposition to guards like Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, however Hauser may need the dimensions and size to harass a participant like Harris, who’s gifted at getting his shot off however not significantly speedy or shifty.
Offensively, Hauser went 4-for-7 from three, and he scored a pair of baskets contained in the arc — one slicing layup, and one driving jumper on which he let Duncan Robinson fly by.
Hauser is a really streaky participant, and he’s at present on one of many heaters that he catches at varied factors all through the season. The Celtics will hope it lasts, but when historical past bears itself out and he cools off sooner or later, the excellent news is that they have gamers like Jordan Walsh and Hugo González who’ve confirmed themselves worthy of minutes.
Derrick White had a tricky one.
The Celtics actually wanted extra offense out of White, who took loads of good photographs however simply couldn’t discover the vary. White was 1-for-11 from the sphere — his lone make was a baseline jumper within the third quarter that got here simply because the NBC announcers had been commenting on his lack of scoring — and he missed all six of his 3-pointers.
White appeared bothered by Detroit’s tenacious protection. He did dish out a team-high 5 assists to go together with 9 rebounds, and some of his photographs had been late within the shot clock, however he missed some open appears to be like from three as properly that will have been an enormous enhance.
The Pistons are very bodily.
The Pistons aren’t soiled — they’re very huge, very robust, and really prepared to make use of their our bodies defensively, which turned Monday’s sport between two high-level playoff contenders right into a heavyweight battle harking back to the playoff collection which may unfold between them in a couple of months.
“You’ve obtained to present credit score to them,” Brown stated, and he seemed like he meant it. “They’re extraordinarily bodily, and you are feeling it on each possession of the sport.”
Brown added that he felt the Celtics matched that physicality, and the officiating would seem to again him up: The groups mixed for 48 fouls — one foul per minute — and the sport stretched on at occasions as gamers whacked, shoved, bumped, and reached. The Celtics shot 30 free throws to the Pistons’ 23, bolstered partly by technical fouls issued to J.B. Bickerstaff and Duncan Robinson.
For his or her half, the Celtics discovered themselves in foul hassle — most notably within the second half after Neemias Queta picked up his fourth, which despatched him to the bench and prompted the Pistons to play a double-big lineup that gave the Celtics suits in Queta’s absence. If the Celtics hope to beat the Pistons in a playoff collection, they are going to most likely want to deal with their heart wants to a point.
The Jayson Tatum query
The Pistons have now crushed the Celtics thrice out of 4, and whereas each sport has been shut, they current plenty of matchup points that the Celtics would wrestle with within the postseason. Honest questions could possibly be requested concerning the Pistons’ lack of playoff expertise, however questions is also requested concerning the Celtics’ potential to take care of the Pistons’ measurement, in addition to the regarding variety of turnovers (14 to Detroit’s six) that they let slip on Monday.
However the greatest query will, in fact, be whether or not Jayson Tatum is again, and the way shut he’s to 100%. Tatum labored out in entrance of Celtics media on Tuesday, which was very clearly achieved on function and supposed to generate loads of buzz about his well being standing (which, in fact, it did).
The Pistons look like higher than the Celtics in the intervening time, and they’re the one workforce within the Japanese Convention able to saying that with any degree of confidence.
Whether or not that continues to be the case if Tatum returns stays (hopefully) to be seen.
What’s subsequent
The Celtics will head residence very briefly for a sport Wednesday in opposition to the Pacers earlier than hitting the highway Saturday and Sunday for highway contests in opposition to the Nets and Bulls respectively. They’ll finish the month with a four-game homestand.
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