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Celtics Wrap: Marcus Smart Drops 18 Points In 91-84 Win Over Timberwolves

NESN by Logan Mullen on Fri, Jan 5, 2018 at 9:27PM

For most of Friday night, the Boston Celtics’ offense looked like it still was frozen from Thursday’s bombogenesis. But it thawed out in just enough time to secure a 91-84 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at TD Garden. Boston’s shooting was miserable for the better part of three quarters, but with Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier stepping up to create some scoring off the bench, the Celtics pieced together enough separation in the fourth quarter to secure the win over the Western Conference’s fourth-best team. Smart paced the Celtics with 18 points, while Kyrie Irving (16), Rozier (14) Aron Baynes (11) and Jaylen Brown (11) also scored in double-figures. Karl-Anthony Towns led all T-Wolves with 25 points. With the win, the Celtics climb to 32-10, while the Timberwolves fall to 24-16. Here’s how it all went down:

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

COLD SHOOTING MAKES FOR SLOW FIRST PERIOD Neither team could get much of anything going in the first, with both sides shooting under 40-percent from the field and the period ending in a lock at 19 after the lead changed five times. The Celtics did struggle, however, with giving up second chance points. The T-Wolves grabbed nine points on second chances, cashing in on four of five opportunities. But although the first period largely was uneventful, Jayson Tatum did provide a nice highlight-reel dunk.

CELTICS STRUGGLE WITH TOWNS Yet again, little separation was created in the second quarter, with both teams struggling to build any sort of run. The Celtics put up the final three points in the quarter, and in doing such managed to take a three-point lead into the half. But the Celtics struggled mightily to contain Towns, who worked over Boston on the boards by grabbing 13 rebounds in the half. Towns tallied a first half double-double, adding 14 points. Shooting in the half was horrid as a whole, particularly from distance, with the Celtics going 3-for-15 from 3-point territory, while Minnesota went 2-for-11. The resulting 38 points the T-Wolves posted in the half was their lowest of the season.

BOSTON HEATS UP AT END OF THE THIRD When it looked like the shooting couldn’t get any worse for the Celtics, it got far worse before it got better in the third. The Celtics’ shooting woes were made worse by players taking one unsuccessful 3-pointer after another to try and heat up. Boston opened the quarter going 2-for-13 from the field, quickly watching their lead slip away while Minnesota — though not shooting much better themselves — strung together some good possessions by taking shots inside of 15-feet. But Boston’s constant chipping finally bore fruit upon going on a small run at the end of the period, outscoring the T-Wolves 14-5 in the final four minutes to take a 65-62 lead into the final quarter.

CELTICS GRAB CONTROL AND DON’T LET GO The Celtics began building upon their lead in the fourth, truly putting a stamp on it four minutes into the quarter. After Daniel Theis missed a 3-pointer, he grabbed his own rebound and kicked it out to Terry Rozier, who hit his 3-point attempt. The trey gave Boston a nine point lead — the largest for either team to that point — forcing a Minnesota timeout. And after a night otherwise defined by atrocious offense, it finally was an encouraging sign for the Celtics. Though the Timberwolves would threaten, they never got quite close enough to build anything strong enough to challenge Boston’s lead.

PLAY OF THE GAME Baynes with the authoritative finish.

UP NEXT The Celtics will hit the road and take on the Brooklyn Nets for the second game of a back-to-back Saturday. Tip-off from Barclays Center is set for 6 p.m. ET.
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Rozier and bench again lead way as Celtics top T'Wolves, 91-84

NBC SPORTS BOSTON By A. Sherrod Blakely January 05, 2018 9:32 PM

BOSTON – Kyrie Irving remains the headliner when it comes to the Celtics this season.

But lately, it has been the C's supporting cast – Terry Rozier specifically - that has taken center stage.

Friday night was yet another impressive outing as Boston pulled away with a bench-led, fourth-quarter surge that paved the way for a 91-84 win over Minnesota at TD Garden.

And while there were plenty of backups ballin’ out for the Celtics (32-10, the play of Rozier once again stood out.

After leading all scorers with 20 points in the win over Cleveland on Wednesday, he was even more impressive on Friday night with a near double-double of 14 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes.

Boston also got a strong bench game from Marcus Smart, who led most of the Celtics in scoring most of the night before finishing with a team-high 18 points.

As a unit, they outscored their Minnesota backup brethren, 42-20.

And while Irving’s teammates off the bench were instrumental in the victory, the four-time All-Star had his usual moments in which he also dominated as he finished with a near triple-double of 16 points to go with nine rebounds and eight assists.

As for the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns was as dominant a player as the Celtics have faced this season. He led Minnesota (24-16) with 25 points and 23 rebounds.

Timberwolves All-Star Jimmy Butler had 14 points and six assists for Minnesota which has now lost two in a row after winning seven of its previous eight games.

The way both teams shot the ball in the second half was significantly better than the frigid shooting display put on by both teams at the start of the game.

The easy explanation for the horrific shooting by both teams was to blame it on Mother Nature and the cold temps in Boston that maybe just maybe, factored into such cold shooting by both teams.

At the half, Boston held a slim 41-38 lead in large part by limiting the Timberwolves to 32.6 percent shooting.

But the Celtics weren’t much better, connecting on a not-so-great 39.1 percent of their shot attempts.

The third quarter was better for both teams in terms of shooting the ball.

Boston seemingly spread the offensive love around while Minnesota seemed to focus more on getting the ball into Butler as much as possible when he was matched up against Irving.

And unlike most games when teams try to do that, Irving was not able to effectively go back at the Timberwolves, who limited him to a rough shooting night most of the quarter.

But Irving had the last laugh, finishing the quarter with a drive that put the Celtics up 66-62 going into the fourth quarter.

112288

Cold shooting on a cold night.........however the Celtic caught fire and finished the game strong.

In my opinion, it was a sucker game to be lost because of the high the team came off with by beating Cleveland.

What can you say about R III - 14 points and 9 boards.........the Energizer Bunny keeps going and going and going!

Offense was spread out with 5 players in double figures.

Marcus Smart has changed his shooting technique. It seems that he now has a more softer shot with more arc. His hands and forearms seem softer with little stress in them. Whoever is working with him.............pay'em what he wants.............would not be surprised if it is not Hayward.

112288

They are a work in progress, but the pendulum seems to have swung back towards winning most games. Please take care of Brooklyn and Philly in London, then it's a 34-10 record.

Irving and Horford each had 8 assists. Smart had 3 assists, no turnovers. A bunch of guys had a lot of rebounds. That was impressive.

WHAT DOES EVERYONE THINK ABOUT PAUL PIERCE NIGHT AND THE RETIREMENT OF HIS NUMBER...................AND HAVING A VIDEO TRIBUTE TO IT ON CLEVELAND??????????

IF I WAS PAUL PIERCE AND THE CELTICS WENT AHEAD WITH THE VIDEO.........I WOULD NOT SHOW UP!!!!!!!!!

WHAT IS GOING THROUGH MANAGEMENTS MIND! STUPIDITY!

112288

Interesting lineup in the 4th quarter with both Baynes and Theis on the floor together as Horford was out temporarily with his knee.

They cleaned up on the offensive boards and helped fuel the winning surge. A onetime phenomenon?
Coach BS is experimenting with combinations. Usually in the playoffs one tends to shorten the lineup, but I wonder if coach will stick to that or if he inserts some of the lineups that he's trying out now?

Berlin-T

Berlin-T wrote:Interesting lineup in the 4th quarter with both Baynes and Theis on the floor together as Horford was out temporarily with his knee.

They cleaned up on the offensive boards and helped fuel the winning surge. A onetime phenomenon?
Coach BS is experimenting with combinations. Usually in the playoffs one tends to shorten the lineup, but I wonder if coach will stick to that or if he inserts some of the lineups that he's trying out now?

Berlin-T

Berlin

I think that Brad is still in the experimental stage. He mentioned this recently during an interview so i am not surprised that we are starting to see more variations.

Last night both teams were as cold as we have seen all years but Boston unleashed their two headed monster. Smart and Rozier, Rozier and Smart are turning into a dynamic pair of defenders, rebounders and scorers off the bench that impose their will on opponents.

dboss

As of this morning the Timberwolves are 7th in points per game, 107.8ppg.  We throttled them, holding them to 23 points below that.  Man, they might have been in 6th place before they ran into the Boston Brick Wall.


Sean Grande @SeanGrandePBP

yesterday

Another indicator of the Boston's league-leading defense.... Celtics when shooting 43% or below.... 2016-17: 11-16 2017-18: 11-6
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KAT had a great game and nonagenarian Jamal Crawford had a decent game but that's it.  Wiggins 3-12, Butler 3-12.  Some hellaciously good defense by Brown and Smart on Butler.  He never got any shooting rhythm.  Some of that might be he was sent to the line a lot because he was getting fouled hard.  I don't remember many "and 1s" for him.

Our bench, which sucked, is now stellar.  Go figure.  Marcus Smart did everything right except going 0-4 from 3.  The whole team sucked from 3 last night, so it's not really fair to single him out but if you consider if he only took 2 3pt fgas he'd have ended up with 18 points on 8-11 instead of 8-13 and that's remarkable for anybody, much less Smart.

Rozier is feeling it.  One rebound short of a double-double.  What I'm liking the most about this Terry Rozier is that he is finishing better at the rim.  

Last year Brad amazed IT and Crowder with his ATOs.  He'd draw stuff up on the clipboard and they'd walk out of the huddle thinking "this will never work" and then it does.


Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA

yesterday

Smart on synergy with Rozier: "That’s all the coaching staff, plays that Brad draws up for us to run for him. We kind of look like (what) then you go out there & run it & it works & you’re like, ‘I don’t know how that one worked.'"
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Jay King @ByJayKing

yesterday

Stevens: "Sometimes when we're struggling the ball's going to find energy -- and Marcus Smart's got energy."
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Theis with 8 points and 10 rebounds, 4 offensive.  He was 1-5 from 3.  I have no idea what induced that.  Him and Baynes were beasts on the boards with 10 each.  Irving and Rozier, guards, had 9 each.  That's quite rare.

We finally played with pace.  94 fgas is excellent.  So is 56 rebounds, especially when 17 of them are offensive rebounds.  Every single Celtic who played got at least one offensive rebound except for Semi who only played 3 minutes.  Very nice aggressiveness.

It's great that our two young'uns, Brown and Tatum, have mentors like Butler and Beal.  That promises for great advances over every summer.


Jay King @ByJayKing

yesterday

Jimmy Butler on improved Jaylen Brown: "The swag that he has, man. He’s so confident when he’s out there on the floor now. He’s out there being super aggressive on both ends of the floor. And I saw that in him early on."
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Jay King @ByJayKing

yesterday

More Jimmy Butler on Jaylen Brown: "He’s got a long way to go obviously, but hell, how old is he – 20, 21, something like that. He’s young. He’s going to study his game, other people’s game, and before you know it the kid’s going to be at the top of this thing."
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Chris Forsberg @ESPNForsberg

yesterday

Marcus Smart: "Coach [Brad Stevens] came in and made a comment that we put up enough bricks to build a house tonight.” Brad casually throwing around Dad Jokes at halftime is so great.
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Brian Robb @BrianTRobb

yesterday

The Celtics have already beaten the six best teams in the NBA (not counting themselves) at home this year: Warriors, Rockets, Cavs, Raptors, Spurs, Wolves.
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http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400975316























bob



.

A good solid win last night that was spurred by some great defense and some timely offense nearer the end of the game.

Our team is much stronger when Smart and Rozier score off the bench like they have been recently. Takes a lot of pressure off Irving and the other starters.

One trend from the last few games is the strategy of getting the ball down low to Baynes and Theis. This started showing up awhile ago with Smart looking inside on the two man game and is now incorporating more players as this approach succeeds. It's the perfect antidote for bricked 3 point shots.

Another trend that I really like is the improved play and shooting of Smart and TRo. As was mentioned Marcus' shot seems softer but just as important he is shooting more down low and in the flow of the game. It will be a lot easier to stomach missed 3pt attempts if he is playing like this.

And then there is the trend of The Rook With Ice In His Veins. Tatum may be in just a bit of a rookie wall bind. But this kid is so cool that he just plays through it. He came into the league with a rep of trying a ridiculous assortment of shots in order to score and all of that was in his mid range game. But that is not his pro game. The high 3pt % is great but what is even better is how he is going to and finishing at the rim. He is developing a complete game and that includes his ever expanding ability on the Defensive side of the ball.

It's always nice to see the continuing upward trend of Brown. But it seems he is showing just a little less flash and more grit. His overall play is so much better than it was at this time last year or more especially better than at the end of last season. Or even at the beginning of this season. He had a really good defensive game last night. It's really not close, he is my fave player right now.

Second night of a back to back so now its our turn to respond to this challenge. Against those pesky Nyets.

BeatemBustemThatzOurCustom

Hi,
I think it was one of the best defensive games for Celtics this season.
Horford and Theis did an excellent job on KAT. Speaking about AH - what a smooth operator! BTW, I think that period of time when Baynes and Theis played together was due to something happened to AH. Thankfully, he's OK.

AK

Weird game, I was looking forward to this great wing duel Wiggins and Butler vs the 2 J’s, but it seems everyone shot 3-12. At least our defense was pretty stellar, who would have thought with 4 potential all star wings like that, the best last night we’re Smart and Rozier? Other than the 3, Marcus was taking exactly the kind of good shots he can hit and did. Terry Rozier is really finishing well at the rim now, maybe he’s learning something from Kyrie. If these 2 continue this kind of play we will have such a deep strong backcourt and should be able to wear out other teams come playoff time. Towns had his moments, but we shutdown enough of the rest to hold them to a season low, Baynes and Theis doing a lot of the dirty work and little things that don’t show up on the box score. Our defense got stronger as game got longer, a huge part of that is Baynes, Theis, Smart and Rozier, good to see we can beat a talented team without Kyrie having to carry us.

112288 wrote:WHAT DOES EVERYONE THINK ABOUT PAUL PIERCE NIGHT  AND THE RETIREMENT OF HIS NUMBER...................AND HAVING A VIDEO TRIBUTE TO IT ON CLEVELAND??????????

IF I WAS PAUL PIERCE AND THE CELTICS WENT AHEAD WITH THE VIDEO.........I WOULD NOT SHOW UP!!!!!!!!!

WHAT IS GOING THROUGH MANAGEMENTS MIND!  STUPIDITY!

112288

This is turning into a real cluster#$%&. When IT asked that the tribute be delayed, the Celtics ahould have either said no, or gone to PP to see if they could reschedule his event, which would have been the simplest solution. At this point however, the optics of resheduling PP's night now wouldn't be great. Personally, I am not sure why it bothers PP so much, but if it does, then his wishes should be respected - he is a legend. Actually, as I write this, I am thinking that if PP asked to reschedule his night publically, that could be a solution where everyone saves face?? Celtics properly honor both players, PP seems gracious. Similarly, IT could ask that they delay his tribute out of respect to PP - that would show character on his part. Although IT probably doesn't want to make things easier for the Celtics, maybe respect for PP wins out. PP may also want to take any controversy out of his night. Celtics should be working behind tbe scenes to het one of these guys to step up.

I normally dislike it when the Celts have Kyrie, Marcus, and Terry on the floor together, but Smart and Rozier have so improved their games offensively, it's no longer such an issue, and adding Theis and Baynes into that lineup sure is a new and positive wrinkle. What a team. So many options.

Shamrock1000 wrote:

112288 wrote:WHAT DOES EVERYONE THINK ABOUT PAUL PIERCE NIGHT  AND THE RETIREMENT OF HIS NUMBER...................AND HAVING A VIDEO TRIBUTE TO IT ON CLEVELAND??????????

IF I WAS PAUL PIERCE AND THE CELTICS WENT AHEAD WITH THE VIDEO.........I WOULD NOT SHOW UP!!!!!!!!!

WHAT IS GOING THROUGH MANAGEMENTS MIND!  STUPIDITY!

112288

This is turning into a real cluster#$%&. When IT asked that the tribute be delayed, the Celtics ahould have either said no, or gone to PP to see if they could reschedule his event, which would have been the simplest solution. At this point however, the optics of resheduling PP's night now wouldn't be great. Personally, I am not sure why it bothers PP so much, but if it does, then his wishes should be respected - he is a legend. Actually, as I write this, I am thinking that if PP asked to reschedule his night publically, that could be a solution where everyone saves face?? Celtics properly honor both players, PP seems gracious. Similarly, IT could ask that they delay his tribute out of respect to PP - that would show character on his part. Although IT probably doesn't want to make things easier for the Celtics, maybe respect for PP wins out. PP may also want to take any controversy out of his night. Celtics should be working behind tbe scenes to het one of these guys to step up.

If you begin switching dates or even approaching PP to switch it becomes a cluster @#!^.........like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.............it never works!!!!!

Also IT played what 3 -4 seasons........yes he accomplished great things last year Offensively..........but it was 1 year......not a decade or more.  He was also in my opinion very weak on defense which caused a break down of our defensive structure because other players had to cheat and help IT out.     Funny how our defensive is #1 in the NBA this year verses last.............could it be that KI is taller and better defensively then IT ..........so teammates do not need to help out and leave their defensive position................I think so!

112288

Right on analysis of what happened to our D.

bob


.

Great things happen when Rozier and Smart are playing well. I'd venture to say Boston is damn near impossible to beat when these guys are both making an impact.

The return of defensive intensity is also a positive sign. The Celtics simply don't lose when opponents are kept under 100 points. Suffice it to say, we've been racking up signature wins all season.


KJ