Rozier, Hunter Lead Celtics As Sophomores Rest

http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/game_recap/071215-rozier-hunter-lead-cs-to-w-as-smart-young-rest



Rozier, Hunter Lead C's to W as Sophs Rest

Posted: Jul 13, 2015


By Marc D'Amico |  @Marc_DAmico
Celtics.com
July 13, 2015






LAS VEGAS – Boston’s sophomores took Sunday night off, and the team’s rookies were prepared to step up in their absence.

With Marcus Smart and James Young watching from the sideline, R.J. Hunter broke through for his top summer league performance by dropping 21 points Sunday night to lead the Celtics to an 85-76 win over the 76ers. He set the tone for Boston before many of his peers joined in on the fun.

The C’s rode Hunter from the opening tip. The shooting guard nailed a deep 3-pointer for Boston’s first points of the night and he scored seven of the team’s first nine points overall. Hunter’s game-high 11 points during the first half pushed Boston out to a 40-36 lead heading into the locker rooms.

“Now you see him attacking the basket more off the dribble, drawing fouls, making passes,” Celtics summer league head coach Micah Shrewsberry said of Hunter. “Now his total game is starting to come out a little more.”

There’s no part of Hunter’s game that stood out more than his shooting. Hunter opened up the second half just as he did the first – with a deep, deep 3-pointer. He nailed one from about 30 feet out to put the Celtics on top by seven right out of the gates in the second half.

Then he started to get some help from a trio of his fellow starters.

Jonathan Holmes, who has started Boston’s last four games, notched eight points during the third quarter alone to up his total to 15 points on the night. His stretch of strong play pushed the C’s ahead by as many as 15 points during the third period.

Terry Rozier and Jordan Mickey also asserted themselves during the second half to power the C’s into the win column. Rozier scored nine points during the final quarter to up his total to a game-high and personal summer league-best 22 points. Mickey, meanwhile, notched his second consecutive double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. He notched six points and four boards during the fourth quarter alone.

While all four rookies stood out individually, they’re more excited about their team-first mentality that helped them log a third consecutive win.

“We came in not with individual goals for ourselves. We came in with a group goal, and that’s just to win,” Rozier stated after the victory. “The name on the back can get rewarded when a team wins, no matter who scores the most points and things like that. So we just all want to contribute.”

Fortunately for the Celtics, they all contributed at both ends of the court Sunday night. Boston needed a flurry of strong defense to be able to hold off a late run from the Sixers.

Philadelphia pulled to within 70-68 after Pierre Jackson nailed a 3-pointer with 3:58 left in the fourth quarter. The one-possession lead caught Boston’s attention.

Marcus Thornton grabbed a steal on Philly’s next offensive possession and Mickey followed up with blocked shots on the following two possessions. Rozier finished off Boston’s streak of staunch defense with a block of his own on a 3-point attempt by Scotty Wilbekin.

The Celtics’ defensive effort sparked an 11-2 run after Jackson’s 3-pointer, helping them to rebuild a comfortable lead at 81-70. Shrewsberry was happy to see his team polish this win off with strong defense, and he gave much of the credit to Mickey following the contest.

“He causes a lot of problems,” Shrewsberry said of Mickey, who blocked four shots in the game. “He blocks a couple and now people are thinking about it when they’re driving in there. So now they’re throwing passes when they usually shoot it at the rim. He just changes the game for us.”

Mickey and the Celtics have now rattled off three straight wins and are one of only five teams that have opened up the Las Vegas summer league with a 2-0 record. The C’s will have an off day on Monday before returning to the court to take on the Miami Heat at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.


bob
MY NOTE:  I bolded the part I like about this piece and which also agrees with what I saw.  Mickey was a game-changer last night.


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