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Celtics Wrap: Kyrie Irving’s Huge Night Leads Boston To 108-97 Win Vs. 76ers

NESN by Joshua Schrock on Thu, Nov 30, 2017 at 9:55PM

BOSTON — Last time the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers met, Kyrie Irving had some choice words for a 76ers fan as he was walking off the court. On Thursday night at TD Garden, however, Irving let his game do all the talking. The Celtics star poured in 36 points on 12-for-21 shooting to lead Boston to a 108-97 win. Boston’s defense held the 76ers down for much of the night, as Ben Simmons (15 points) and Dario Saric (18 points) had to do most of the heavy lifting with Joel Embiid getting the night off. Al Horford (21 points), Marcus Morris (17 points) and Jayson Tatum (15 points) also scored in double figures, as the Celtics held off a second-half rally to earn the win. The Celtics improved to 19-4, while the 76ers fell to 12-9. Here’s how it all went down:

STARTING FIVE PG: Kyrie Irving SG: Jaylen Brown SF: Jayson Tatum PF: Al Horford C: Aron Baynes

NO PROCESS With the 76ers playing on the second night of a back-to-back, head coach Brett Brown elected to sit Embiid to manage his load.

UNCLE DREW The Celtics got off to a hot start thanks to Irving. Boston’s star point guard was hitting everything in the first stanza, as he logged 11 points in the quarter to give Boston a 28-22 lead. Horford added 1o in the frame, as the C’s defense held the 76ers to 36 percent shooting during the period. There also was this monster dunk from Brown:

C’S LEAD AT THE BREAK It was more of the same in the second frame for the Celtics, as Irving continued to torch the nets and the defense locked up the Embiiid-less 76ers. Boston turned the ball over 12 times in the half, however, which kept the 76ers within 10 at halftime. Irving led all scorers with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting, while Horford added 12 on 5 of 6 shooting. Saric paced the 76ers with 11 points and Simmons chipped in with eight points.

76ERS CLOSE THE GAP Boston’s sloppy play finally caught up with it in the third quarter, as the 76ers erased a 12-point deficit thanks to good work on the glass from Saric and Richaun Holmes. The game was tied at 67 with three minutes to play in the third quarter when Morris hit two jumpers to give the C’s a four-point lead. Terry Rozier followed with a 3-pointer to swell it to seven.

BOSTON SLAMS THE DOOR The Celtics held a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but then it was closing time. After Jerryd Bayless cut the lead to three, the C’s went on a 14-4 run to take a 13-point lead with just under five minutes to play. Tatum, Morris, Irving, Horford and Daniel Theis all scored during Boston’s run, as the Celtics used the Irving-Horford pick-and-roll/pop to get quality looks for their two stars. After Robert Covington cut the lead to single digits, Irving buried two free throws and Horford drained a trey to swell the lead to 13 and send the TD Garden faithful home happy.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME Simmons with the Jumpman jam.

UP NEXT The Celtics will take the court again Saturday when they host the Phoenix Suns. Tip-off from TD Garden is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
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Kyrie sets tone, Morris provides punch off bench in Celtics win over Sixers

NBC SPORTS BOSTON - By A. Sherrod Blakely November 30, 2017 9:57 PM

BOSTON – When the Boston Celtics acquired Marcus Morris via trade from Detroit, the thinking at the time was that he could provide some much-needed scoring punch off the bench.

Injuries have forced Celtics head coach Brad Stevens to at times insert him in the starting lineup.

But as we saw on Thursday, Morris’ value as a point-producer off the bench can’t be overlooked.

Because Morris’ scoring at the start of the fourth quarter would prove vital to Boston holding off a pesky Sixers team, 108-97.

The Celtics (19-4) add one more victory to the best record in the NBA and just as important, getting back on a winning track after losing by 10 points to Detroit on Monday.

Following the loss to the Pistons, players talked about the importance of learning from the Detroit loss and understanding that because of their record, teams are going to play some of their best basketball of the season when they see that Green and White on the floor.

With that mind, the Celtics played a much better, more complete game against the Sixers (12-9) who were coming off a 118-113 win over Washington less than 24 hours earlier.

Indeed, several Celtics stepped up on Thursday including Morris who finished with 17 points which was one-point shy of matching his season high with the Celtics.

With Morris setting the tone by scoring Boston’s first five points of the fourth, the Celtics settled on a familiar scorer down the stretch to carry them to victory – Kyrie Irving.

Irving finished with a game-high 36 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter.

Even with Joel Embiid back in Philly due to what the team refers to as “load management,” the Sixers didn’t waste any time jumping on the Celtics with a 9-2 run to start the game.

But the Celtics bounced back with a pair of 3’s that led to Sixers coach Brett Brown calling a timeout.

Boston gradually took over and ended the first quarter with a 28-22 lead, with the 1-2 punch of Al Horford and Kyrie Irving who had 10 and 11 points, respectively. Horford had a near double-double, scoring 21 points while grabbing eight rebounds along with dishing out five assists.

In the second quarter, Boston was able to maintain a similar lead to what they had to end the first.

But the Sixers went on a 7-2 run that cut Boston’s lead to 43-41, only for the Celtics to counter with a 3-point play by Irving that made it a 46-41 game with less two minutes play.

From there, Boston closed out the second quarter with an 8-3 spurt to lead 54-44 at the half.

Philadelphia chipped away at Boston’s lead, and eventually went ahead 67-65 behind a 23-9 run.

But as we had seen most of the night, the Celtics met Philly’s surge with one of their own. True to form, the Celtics finished the third quarter with an 11-4 run to lead 76-71 going into the fourth and remained in front for the rest of the game.
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Celtics pull away from visiting 76ers behind heavy scoring from Irving

ESPN BOSTON Chris ForsbergESPN Staff Writer

BOSTON - As spectacular as Kyrie Irving was on this night - and Boston's masked superhero shined while producing his fifth game with at least 30 points this month - it was maybe most notable how his teammates responded Thursday night when Irving went to the bench for his final long rest of the night.

The Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers had rallied ahead late in the third quarter and were up a bucket when Irving checked out with 3:37 to play in the frame. Marcus Morris, shuffled to a reserve role with Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens preferring the size of Aron Baynes to start the game, produced three consecutive makes, including a driving finger roll as Boston quickly rallied back in front and held the Sixers at arm's length until Irving returned midway through the fourth quarter.

Irving, who scored a game-high 36 points on 12-of-21 shooting, took the Celtics to the finish line of a 108-97 triumph over Philadelphia at TD Garden. Morris added 17 points off the bench, making five of his final six shots while carrying Boston's second-unit offense in the second half.
Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics moved to 5-0 against the Atlantic Division this season. Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty

The Celtics, a rare two days off after Monday's loss to the Pistons, seemed to have a little more in the tank than the Sixers, who were playing the second night of a back-to-back (hence Embiid's absence).

The Sixers put six players players in double figures, with Dario Saric scoring a team-high 18 points. Boston overcame some sloppy early play (12 of 17 turnovers came in first half) and shot 50.6 percent overall from the floor.

Jayson Tatum, the player Boston selected with the No. 3 pick it got in a pre-draft swap with the Philadelphia 76ers, added 15 points. He again came up with key scoring plays, like in the fourth quarter when he waved off his teammates to go isolation against former Celtics big man Amir Johnson and drove at the basket for a layup.

While Celtics coach Brad Stevens challenged the notion that his team is a contender through the first quarter of the season, Boston improved to 19-4 on the season and maintains the best record in basketball.

Sixers coach Brett Brown suggested Boston is among current NBA powers.

"I mean, we're playing against NBA royalty right now," said Brown.

"You're always learning from All-Stars, really. I look at this [Boston] team and you look at what Kyrie and [Al] Horford have done with bringing some of these young guys along and they're NBA All-Stars for a reason. I think it's a great learning experience for us. I think this building and this city has a real pulse. It's got a vibe to the building, as unforgiving as Philadelphia is. You go on the road and play the league's best team and there needs to be a level of poise and confidence among our group."

The Celtics continue their four-game homestand Saturday when they host the Phoenix Suns.

Not very impressed with the win.  With Joel Embiid  back in Philly and some other injuries there were at a disadvantage yet made the game competitive.

We are missing something for sure and it is not just Haywood.

112288

112288, The team is exciting, but I think we're missing a better than average 5 to counter the Drummonds, Whitesides, Towns's, Embiids, Davises, etc. out there. Baynes is big enough and Morris is mobile enough, but to win it all, IMO, we will need someone big, mobile and eager to play center. Hawk

There were some really good things and some not so good things  that happened in this game.

I thought the Celtics did an excellent job containing Simmons who was held below his season average in scoring and rebounding the ball. If that kid gets a jump shot he is going to be a terror.

Horford, Irving and Tatum carried the scoring load and Morris anchored the bench scoring 17.

When asked about starting vs coming off the bench Morris said "Next Question"  I do not think he likes coming off the bench.  Baynes started but once again played limited minutes (14)  I previously stated that Baynes was probably a part time center.  I think that if Embid had played, Baynes would have logged more minutes.

Marcus Smart was relatively quiet shooting 2-6 and 1-3.  He had 8 assists but also 6 turnovers which is not good.  

Jaylen Brown did not seem to be his usual self.  He got in early foul trouble and never found his footing.

Theis played 14 minutes and had 8 rebounds.  I really like the way Theis plays even in limited minutes (14)

At 19-4 Boston continues to be one of the best teams in the NBA.  I also think I heard someone say that they set a record for most wins (14)  during the month of November by any Celtics team.

Last year Boston won their 19th game on December 27th and they had already lost 13 games.

A rare Saturday afternoon game coming up tomorrow against the Suns.  


dboss

A win in the NBA is a win no matter what the circumstances.

Every time I hear about the other teams not having one of their better/best players, I seem to immediately think of Hayward not being available either. Embiid sits out an occasional game, but Hayward will sit out probably all 82 games (minus the first five minutes of the first game).

The Cs are off to a great start even without Hayward this season. They have some things to think about (rebounding stats are drifting downward, not much depth at the center position, second unit scoring, etc), but Stevens has done a great job resetting the team without an all star talent.

I agree with 112288.  NOT impressed with this win.  We should have croaked those guys.  No Embiid, no Okafor, no front court.  They did work very, very hard and got a lot of extra chance points because of it.  45 rebounds total but 15 of them were offensive.  That is NOT good rebounding by use.

I really like Dario Saric.  Saric for Elfriid Payton plus a pick (2nd round, I think) was a steal of a trade for Philly.  He always plays well against us.  Last night he was torturing Tatum underneath, bullying him for position.  6-16 isn't great, but his 3-6 from 3 really opened up the floor for Brett Brown.

Simmons is awesome.  Smooth as silk.  Him AND Embiid?!  Gawd!!  Wait until he can hit something outside of 12'.  He'll be uncoverable.

Philly throws up a ton of 3s, even when Embiid plays, and yet we gave up 3 after 3 after 3.  42% for the game but 50% from 3.  That's not good perimeter defense and that makes no sense given their lack of front court.  

Irving is so effortless.  The problem we're having is the same one we had with IT, they are double-teaming Irving just to get the ball out of his hands and forcing the rest of the team to beat them.  Horford is responding like a champ, Morris off the bench with 6-11 did well too but Rozier (2-7), Smart (2-6) and Brown (1-6) didn't help.  That's 5-19 when we only took an anemic 79fgas total.  It's hard to win when 1/4 of your fgas are only netting you 13 points on 26% shooting.  This is where we are missing Hayward.


Mark Murphy @Murf56

yesterday

Irving falling in love with his new fan base: "Even when I was here as an opponent, it was unbelievable. It was like true fans of just seeing great basketball, especially Boston Celtic basketball."
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Morris seems to not be very happy coming off the bench, his ego is saying "I'm a starter", but we desperately need scoring off the bench and he's good at that.  Brad will probably mix-and-match with Baynes but we really need Morris' points off the bench whether he likes it or not.




Al Horford, aside from a few games on the 3-game road trip that ended with the loss in Miami, has been playing the best basketball of his career.  He is Mr. Everything.  Last night he was guarding point forward Ben Simmons while going 9-12 for 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.



Jay King @ByJayKing

yesterday

JJ Redick: "Kyrie is obviously amazing, but Horford probably doesn't get enough credit for how good he is offensively. ... It's almost like Horford is sort of the hub of everything they do -- and because he's so versatile, it creates all sorts of issues."
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Marc D'Amico @celtics

yesterday

“The play I most vividly remember was Terry Rozier ripping down that rebound in the third,” says Stevens. “I think that’s when the tide started to turn for us.”
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Tatum with a solid game, even if he did get pushed around a bit underneath.  Al Horford said something to the effect of "if you think he's good now, wait two years".  What is great about Tatum is his poise.  He's not a helter-skelter rookie.  His shots come out of the offense.  In two years he'll be getting/taking more shots because he'll more of an integral part of the offense and because he'll be more aggressive but right now he's really impressive.  15 points last night on 6-11 but he left two layups on the rim which would have given him 19 points on 8-11.

Hi, Amir, my name's Jayson Tatum.  See you around...
https://twitter.com/brohrbach/status/936598610162192384/video/1


Theis with a great game.  Not a lot of points, 4 on 2-3, but 8 boards in 14 minutes.  Two of them were offensive but he kept a bunch of rebounds alive which he doesn't get boxscore credit for.  3 blocks.  We almost always getting quality production out of him, he's a very smart player, always in the right place at the right time and plays with a high motor.

I like getting the W, but it would have been better if we were tested against a fully loaded Sixers team with Embiid.

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400975065

















bob



.

The post game interview with Morris refusing to answer the question of starting vs coming off the bench was a bit disconcerting. I would hope the answer would have been something close to “whatever this team needs I will do.”

Clearly he has a big preference of starting. Let’s hope it doesn’t become a problem performance wise. My guess is Brad will handle it quietly behind the scene.

hawksnestbeach wrote:112288, The team is exciting, but I think we're missing  a better than average 5 to counter the Drummonds, Whitesides, Towns's, Embiids, Davises, etc. out there. Baynes is big enough and Morris is mobile enough, but to win it all, IMO, we will need someone big, mobile and eager to play center. Hawk

Griz might be open to moving Marc Gasol. But at what price.

Anthony Davis, however, would look better in green.

Didn't see the game, from looking at the boxscore, we should get more minutes for Theis and Tatum needs to put up more shots.

It’s a win and philly even without Embiib is dangerous. Look at the battle the Hawks without their center gave the Cavs?  Any team can get hot and put up a fight.  To say we should have clubed them by more is to me expecting a bit too much.

We had more players have good games than poor ones.

I’ll take the win and move on to the next game!

beat

beat wrote:It’s a win and philly even without Embiib is dangerous. Look at the battle the Hawks without their center gave the Cavs?  Any team can get hot and put up a fight.  To say we should have clubed them by more is to me expecting a bit too much.

We had more players have good games than poor ones.

I’ll take the win and move on to the next game!

beat

Beat

I agree with you.  It was a solid win and one that we should be happy about.  

Dboss

steve3344 wrote:

hawksnestbeach wrote:112288, The team is exciting, but I think we're missing  a better than average 5 to counter the Drummonds, Whitesides, Towns's, Embiids, Davises, etc. out there. Baynes is big enough and Morris is mobile enough, but to win it all, IMO, we will need someone big, mobile and eager to play center. Hawk

Griz might be open to moving Marc Gasol. But at what price.

Anthony Davis, however, would look better in green.

Boston is unlikely to have any interest in Gasol.  They would have to move Horford because Gasol makes $24 next year and has a $25 mill player option the year after that.

Why would NO move Anthony Davis?

At this point Boston needs tweaks not major upgrades.

Dboss