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The Heat snap the Celtics' nine-game winning steak in blowout fashion.
Coming off an undefeated 6-0 west coast road trip the Celtics returned home to face off against the Miami Heat who are in the midst of a five game winning streak. With two hot teams, it was Miami that snapped Boston’s winning streak as the Celtics lost 124-103.
Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists on 10-20 shooting but it wasn’t enough to stop the Heat as Tyler Herro led the Heat with 25 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds on 7-18 shooting. Herro wasn’t the only Miami player to go off as they had seven players finish with double digit points as Boston couldn’t slow them down with Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis out.
This is the sixth time this season the Celtics have lost their first home game coming back from a road trip as the intensity level was lacking. Boston did a great job of rebounding the ball and getting second chance points but just couldn’t find their three ball as they shot 28% from three as a team.
The Celtics scoring started with one of the best two man pick and roll duos in the NBA as Jayson Tatum found Luke Kornet for an easy layup. Kornet continued to score for the Celtics as Boston scored their first 10 points in the paint while Tyler Herro was the main catalyst for the Heat’s offense as both teams traded baskets.
Boston’s three point shooting started really slow however and Miami went on a 9-2 run to open up a small lead as the Celtics trailed 29-22 after the first quarter. The Celtics shot 2-12 from three in the quarter and it really slowed their offense down. Kornet led Boston with 10 points and 3 rebounds while Herro led Miami with 8 points. The Celtics did have 11 second chance points which was a byproduct of their tenacious efforts on the offensive glass.
The Celtics offense continued to be ice cold to start the second quarter with Tatum on the bench as the Heat opened up a double digit lead. Frustration started to boil over on the Celtics sideline as after a missed foul call on Luke Kornet and an 8-2 run by Miami, Joe Mazzulla received a technical foul for arguing with the ref.
That seemed to light a little bit of a spark for the team as Derrick White made a couple of fantastic plays in a row. After hitting a fadeaway jumper, White blocked Bam Adebayo on a 2 on 1 fast break and found Payton Pritchard for a corner three after some elite ball movement.
After a Miami timeout the Celtics started to hit a couple shots but couldn’t cut into the Heat’s double digit lead. Luke Kornet received his third foul of the game early in the quarter and the Celtics decided to run a small ball lineup that the Heat were just picking apart.
Boston went on a 15-6 run to cut the Heat’s lead to 9 points towards the end of the quarter but a Haywood Highsmith buzzer beater three gave Miami a 59-45 lead going into halftime. The Celtics shooting woes continued as they finished the half shooting 37% from the field and 17% from three. Jayson Tatum especially struggled as he only scored 8 points on 1-8 shooting.
The third quarter started with much of the same in both sides as the Heat started the quarter on a 14-7 run and opened up a 20+ point lead as the Celtics continued to miss shots. Pele Larrsson started to dominate for Miami as he hit three shots in a row as the Celtics small lineup could not stop the Heat from getting whatever they wanted.
However, Jaylen Brown started to heat up as he scored 10 points as a part of a 20-6 run got the Celtics back in the game and cut Miami’s lead to single digits and forced the Heat to call a timeout.
A Jaylen Brown three caps off a Celtics 14-1 run, and JB tells Spoelstra he needs to call a time out. pic.twitter.com/GD4hWohsT9
The run continued as Tatum started to find his shot with a layup and found Baylor Scheierman for a no-dip corner three to make it a 3 point game with 4:28 left. Miami responded 5 straight points but Brown continued his hot quarter with an and-1 midrange jumper.
Davion Mitchell started to swing momentum for Miami as he not only scored to make it a double digit game again, he also forced Tatum into an offensive foul. Tatum was naturally upset with the bad call and called for another technical foul for clapping, his 14th tech this season.
After Kyle Anderson went on another small run for Miami, the Celtics trailed the Heat 91-81 going into the fourth quarter. Boston shot the ball a lot better in the third quarter, shooting 58% from the field and 54% from three. Brown finished the quarter with 13 points and 5 rebounds on 5-7 shooting as his contributions kept Boston in the game.
The fourth quarter began with Sam Hauser walking into a pull up three and Neemias Queta forcing an and-1 layup as Boston tried to mount a comeback. Kyle Anderson continued to torment Boston however as he scored 6 points to begin the quarter to match every Celtics basket.
Midway through the quarter the Celtics offense went cold once again at the worst time as another Davion Mitchell three put the Heat up 15 with five minutes left in the game. That was when the Celtics waived the white flag and put in the stay ready and ending their 9 game winning streak.
The Celtics next game is on Friday April 4th where they face off against the Phoenix Suns.
The Celtics look to win their 10th straight game as they return home to host the Miami Heat, who are looking to win their 6th straight game.
After a historic 6-0 road trip, the Celtics return home to take on the Miami Heat. This is the 4th, and final, game between these two teams this season. The Celtics won all 3 of the games between them so far this season. The Celtics are 86-53 overall, all time against the Heat and they are 44-23 in games played in Boston.
The Celtics remain 2nd in the East. They are 4 games behind 1st place Cleveland, who are have lost their last 5 games. They are 8.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York and 12 games ahead of 4th place Milwaukee. They are 24-12 at home and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They are 35-11 against Eastern Conference teams. They have won their last 9 games.
The Heat are 9th in the East, 26 games behind first place Cleveland. They are 1.5 games behind 8th place Orlando and 6.5 games behind 6th place Milwaukee. They are 1 game ahead of 10th place Chicago and 6 games ahead of 11th place Toronto. They are 15-22 on the road and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are 22-26 against Eastern Conference opponents and have won their last 5 games.
The Celtics just completed the first 6-0 road trip in Celtics history. After this game against the Heat, the Celtics will play Phoenix at home on Friday. Then it’s back on the road for back to back games at New York and at Orlando. They will finish the season with 2 games against the Charlotte Hornets at home.
The Heat are playing in the 3rd game of a 3 game road trip. They beat Philadelphia and Washington in the first two games on the trip. They then play 3 games at home, hosting Memphis, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia. They will then play at Chicago and at New Orleans before finishing the season at home against Washington.
The Celtics have 3 players questionable and 1 player doubtful for this game. After leading the Celtics to the win over Memphis, Al Horford is doubtful for this game with the ever bothersome sprained toe. Jrue Holiday is questionable with a right shoulder injury. Kristaps Porzingis is questionable due to return-from-illness reconditioning. Jaylen Brown is questionable due to right knee posterior impingement. All are listed as a game time decision.
I’ve included the questionable players in the starting lineup. I don’t have a clue who would start if any, or all of them, are unable to play. Jaylen Brown needs to play in 6 of the last 7 games or he will not be eligible for any post season awards so he may opt to play in limited minutes rather than sit the game out.
The Heat have 5 players listed as out on their injury report. Nikola Jovic hasn’t played since Feb. 23 due to a fractured metacarpal on his right hand and is out for this game. Duncan Robinson will miss a fifth straight game with a back issue. Andrew Wiggins will miss his 3rd game due to right hamstring tendinopathy. Kevin Love will miss his 4th game for personal reasons. Dru Smith is out due to torn Achilles.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves Payton Pritchard Luke Kornet Neemias Queta Xavier Tillman, Sr Jordan Walsh Baylor Scheierman Sam Hauser Torrey Craig
2 Way Players JD Davison Drew Peterson Miles Norris
Injuries/Out Jaylen Brown (knee) questionable Kristaps Porzingis (rest) questionable Jrue Holiday (shoulder) questionable Al Horford (toe) doubtful
Head Coach Joe Mazzulla
Probable Heat Starters
Heat Reserves Kyle Anderson Haywood Highsmith Jaime Jaquez, Jr Keshad Johnson Davion Mitchell Terry Rozier III
Two Way Players Josh Christopher Isaiah Stevens Dru Smith
Injuries/Out Nikola Jovic (hand) out Kevin Love (personal) out Andrew Wiggins (hamstring) out Dru Smith (Achilles) out Duncan Robinson (back) out
Head Coach Erik Spoelstra
Key Matchups
Jrue Holiday vs Tyler Herro Herro is the Heat’s leading scorer this season. He is averaging 23.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. He is shooting 46.9% from the field and 37.2% from beyond the arc. In 2 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting just 38.2% from the field and 27.8% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him both on the perimeter and in the paint. Jrue may or may not play in this one.
Jayson Tatum vs Bam Adebayo Adebayo is averaging 17.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 48.5% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. In the first 3 games against the Celtics, he averaged 15.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 35.7% from the field and 20% from beyond the arc. He is a threat to score in the paint and grab rebounds and so the Celtics need to box him out and defend him well around the basket.
Honorable Mention Kristaps Porzingis vs Kel’el Ware Ware is averaging 9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 56.2% from the field and 31.7% from beyond the arc. In 2 games against Boston this season, he averaged 7.5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block per game while shooting 43.8% from the field and no threes. Porzingis is questionable for this game and with Horford doubtful, we may see Queta or Kornet to start.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense will always be the biggest key to winning every single game. The Celtics are 5th with a defensive rating of 110.2. The Heat are 9th with a defensive rating of 112.0. The Celtics need to defend the perimeter especially since the Heat attempt 37.4 threes a game and shoot threes just slightly worse than the Celtics at 36.5%. The Celtics need to work hard on defense and make that their priority.
Rebound - Along with defense, rebounding is always a key to winning. As Pat Riley once said “No rebounds, no rings.” The Celtics average 45.1 rebounds per game (10th) while the Heat average 43.1 rebounds per game (22nd). The Celtics are 32-6 when they out-rebound opponents. It takes effort and hustle to get rebounds and the Celtics need to give more effort and hustle than the Heat to grab rebounds if they want to win this game.
Move the Ball - The Celtics are tough to beat when they keep the ball moving and find the open man but when one player over dribbles and lapses into hero ball, they falter. The Celtics are 41-2 when they have more assists than their opponent. Keep the ball moving and don’t lapse into iso ball, whether in the first quarter or the 4th quarter. Hero ball rarely ends well.
Next Man Up - With 4 players questionable for this game and one player doubtful, the Celtics will need every player to step up their game and contribute on both ends of the court. They need the starters to come out strong and get off to a good start. The reserves need to come in and keep up the energy and hit their shots and most importantly, every player must play lock down defense and also crash the boards.
X-Factors Home Game and Fatigue - The Celtics are just coming off a 6 game road trip and the first game at home is always a tough one. The Heat will be playing in front of a hostile crowd and in an unfamiliar arena while the Celtics will have the crowd behind them to give them motivation. The Heat have 5 players out and so fatigue may come into play down the stretch for both teams.
Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game. The more aggressive team will usually get the benefit of the calls and so the Celtics need to be the more aggressive team.
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Al Horford stepped up in March with increased usage, sharper efficiency, and a bigger role on both ends of the floor. The Celtics leaned on him to punish mismatches offensively and switch defensively, unlocking a versatile version of Horford just in time for the playoffs.
In June, during the next NBA Finals, Al Horford will turn 39 years old. Earlier this season, there were some doubts about his ability to keep performing with another long season ahead, and Kristaps Porzingis sidelined for the first few months. However, when March was around the corner, Al Horford buried those doubts.
While Kristaps Porzingis was dealing with a mysterious illness, Al Horford started the month with a defensive masterpiece against the Denver Nuggets and kept performing through March’s 10 games. Before deep-diving into the film, let’s have a look at Al Horford’s season averages vs. his stats in March.
March Madness.
With a slight change in his offensive role close to the rim (+20% Points in the paint, +185% Free throw attempts), Al Horford's performed at his best in March.
Defensively too, there was a twist, with more switching.
As his minutes increased from 27 to 32 in March, all the statistical indicators also went up significantly. His usage rate (a measure of offensive load) went from 13.5% to 17%, showing that the Boston Celtics coaching staff gave him more responsibilities on offense. While his load increased, so did his efficiency — from slightly above average (56.2% true shooting) to an elite mark (61.3%) — and this is not because of shooting luck.
His three-point percentage remained the same, but the Celtics decided to get Al Horford closer to the rim, into the paint. In March, he more than doubled his number of free-throw attempts per game and went from 29% of his points in the paint to 35%. The rebounding volume also shows that Al Horford was asked to be more aggressive inside — and it worked!
One last statistical argument that leads us to think the Celtics have involved Al Horford a lot more during this recent stretch is his number of assists in March: 3.5 — more than he has ever averaged since being traded from OKC back to Boston. Nonetheless, numbers are interesting, but how does it translate on the court? What did the Celtics coaching staff design to involve Al Horford offensively? And also, what changed defensively?
Empty side pick-and-roll
These actions were very important for the Boston Celtics’ success last season. This is a great way to shamble the defensive organization, no matter the defensive coverage. Often, the defense may try to switch and therefore avoid giving the Celtics a gap. But by switching, they are giving the Celtics a mismatch. Let’s look at these two actions against the Denver Nuggets, early in March.
It may seem very basic, but it opens up so many great things for the Celtics. Let’s look at the setup first. Payton Pritchard and Al Horford are playing a pick-and-roll next to an empty corner (that’s why it’s called an empty side action). Because of that, nobody can come from the strong side to help. At the top, you have Jayson Tatum. His gravity makes it impossible for Christian Braun to come and stunt if Pritchard goes left.
On the other side, Luke Kornet is in the slot. Joe Mazzulla has made a habit of positioning him there to maximize his connector skills and drag away the opposing center. Then, you have Sam Hauser in the corner — and all that takes away the weak side’s help. Because of the court mapping, if the Denver Nuggets switch, they are leaving a mismatch with no help. If they decide to stay with their man, nobody can cover the roll or help on Pritchard’s potential drive or pull-up. They were doomed before it started.
As Al Horford gets his matchup and bullies Jamal Murray toward the paint, Kornet slides down to the dunker spot. At first, you might think that would be a problem because it could take away spacing. However, he places himself deep enough under the rim, on the other side of the paint, that Nikola Jokic cannot leave him alone. Despite being in the paint, the Joker must leave his teammates alone against a taller and stronger player in the post.
On the very next possession, the Celtics ran the same play. This time, Kornet stays up, but Jokic goes to help in the paint anyway. Pritchard swung the ball to the Celtics’ center, who got into a handoff action with Hauser. This simple move drags Jokic out of the paint, and Horford is again all alone against Murray in the paint, able to finish at the rim.
Another example below with different players but the same court mapping. See how Kornet moves up while Horford runs to set a screen for Jaylen Brown. As the screen happens, Horford finds a way to put his matchup on his back, giving him free access to the rim, and Brown can find him with a single pass. Once again, they use Kornet to connect, and Horford is free at the rim thanks to an empty side pick-and-roll.
That isn’t just a glitch or a random event — the Celtics literally spammed this action against the Lakers to start the third quarter. The goal was to force LeBron James to switch and be far from the paint, while Al Horford could easily attack Austin Reaves. With that offensive approach, the Celtics created a big enough gap to win against the Lakers in March and ended their home winning streak in the most anticipated game of the season.
What feels different compared to earlier this season is that Al Horford now has plays designed for him to attack mismatches. This explains why his number of free throws, his efficiency, and his percentage of points in the paint are all rising this month. We also see him being more aggressive after a closeout, driving to the paint instead of passing the ball. In this example against LeBron James, it’s clear that Horford is more aggressive than he ever was this season.
Yet another notable change in March is harder to capture with stats because it’s on defense. Since tracking data on defensive coverages is hard (impossible?) to get, I don’t have the proper numbers to validate my hypothesis. Nevertheless, there is something different about Al Horford’s defense.
Switch-Al is back
Earlier this season, in some of the 10 takeaways I wrote, the Celtics coaching staff’s tendency to ask Al Horford to drop didn’t make sense to me. The big man isn’t the best at protecting the rim in drop coverage. The way he positions his hips and feet isn’t always accurate, and he isn’t a seven-footer who can compensate for those slight errors with size at the rim.
However, Al Horford always has been — and remains — a beast when he is asked to switch. And that’s exactly what the Celtics asked him to do over the last few weeks. While I couldn’t access the tracking data regarding pick-and-roll coverage for Al Horford, there is a statistical indicator that leads me to think it is working well.
Opponents’ rim frequency has dropped from 29% to 25% in March, and there’s a fair chance that’s due to the switching defense. And Al Horford didn’t switch on just any players in March. As the Celtics played against OKC, the Nuggets, the Lakers, and other competitive teams, Al Horford had to switch on some of the best players in the league.
His three defensive masterpieces came against the three teams mentioned above, where he was able to switch onto former MVPs like Nikola Jokic and LeBron. His ability to switch 1 through 5 on sequences makes him a very important alternative to Kristaps Porzingis’ deep drop approach. Because Horford can switch like that, the Celtics can deploy a defensive army with Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum — and now Horford — where no one is a natural mismatch.
With the recent offensive adjustments and the accurate defensive approach, the Boston Celtics can be confident they have one of the best defensive bigs in the league — with an efficient and versatile offensive game — ready to help the Celtics win a back-to-back, like he did with the Florida Gators in 2007.
The two-way Celtics guard had a career year in Maine. Now, he’s been awarded the league’s highest individual honor.
Maine Celtics guard JD Davison has been officially named the 2024-25 Kia NBA G League Most Valuable Player, the NBA announced Wednesday morning. In his third season as a two-way player with the Celtics, Davison averaged 25.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 48.2% from the field and a career-best 33.3% from three.
Davison, who was selected 53rd overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, led the Maine Celtics to a 21-13 regular season record.
In Tuesday’s opening game of the G League playoffs, a Maine Celtics blowout win over the Capital City Go-Go, Davison exploded for 38 points on 15-22 shooting, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. He was also a +38 in his 37 minutes.
“He’s just really in control of whatever he’s thrown at him,” Lashbrook said after the 115-95 victory. “He’s basically — at this point through this season and last season — seen every coverage that you could possibly see, whether people are being aggressive with it, whether they’re trying to go under, whether they’re weakening, whether they’re playing zone, he’s seen all those coverages. He works on those coverages every day, and he’s got answers for all of them.”
Lashbrook also noted that Davison improved tremendously as a defender this season.
“Just trying to be one the best defensive players on the court every night, just knowing, to get to the next level to play every night, you got to be able to guard guys,” Davison said.
Davison’s Celtics teammates expected him to win the award.
“That’s the G League MVP,” center James Banks III told CelticsBlog last month.
And, the veterans on the Boston Celtics have also seen a remarkable improvement in his game.
“You could tell he took it to another level in training camp,” said Jaylen Brown. “I think he’s been able to learn from our guys, going against Payton [Pritchard], going against Jrue [Holiday] and Derrick [White].”
Jaylen Brown, who calls JD Davison ‘Bama’, has been impressed with what he’s seen from the two-way this season.
Holiday said he’s confident that Davison is going to be a really good NBA player.
“You can tell anytime he comes back, and we throw him out there – he’s so comfortable. He fits right in,” said Jrue Holiday.
Utah Jazz two-way forward-center Oscar Tshiebwe (Salt Lake City Stars) and Capital City Go-Go guard Jaylen Nowell finished second and third in voting, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Maine Celtics continue their quest for a franchise-first G League title on Thursday against the Westchester Knicks.
In the cabinet of cursed takes, I’m uncorking the mother of them all. On a 9-game win streak, what if Boston is just invincible and never loses again?
The Boston Celticsprobablywon’t sweep their remaining seven regular season games, go 16-0 in the playoffs and finish the season on a 32-game winning streak and go down as the greatest team in NBA history…
…but they could.
In the words of Gandalf the Grey (or White, if we’re watching The Lord of the Rings: Return of the KingExtended Editionrather than the lame normal one), this part of the NBA season is the “deep breath before the plunge.” It’s quiet and calm — the basketball makes sense and the takes are more measured than usual, having been tempered by a full season of information. But come April 15, all hell breaks loose.
So, to get ahead of things, I’m breaking hell loose earlier than expected and ripping an absolutely insane take: what if the Celtics never lose again?
Once the postseason kicks off, anything could happen… including that. The Celtics could lose a game to the Chicago Bulls. They could shoot 7% from three in Game 3 and lose by 47 to the Pacers in Round 2. Someone could get injured. Multiple someones could get injured. Joe Mazzulla could rob Fenway Park and get suspended for 25 games.
But they could also just… not lose another game, since they’ve been playing with a swagger and certainty that makes this article at least 11% serious. I’ve watched the last nine games without wondering for a secondif Boston is going to lose. I don’t just expect them to win — I know they are going to. It’s not the same emotional door-slamming, fire-starting, world-destroying strength they showed last year, but it might actually be better.
There’s a calm to their dominance this time around. They aren’t dropping nuclear bombs on teams every night like last year — though that certainly still happens. There’s something far more methodical. Instead of smashing their opponent’s Lego sets, the Celtics are taking them apart brick by brick, individually wrapping each piece and putting them in their basement for safe keeping. Every time they need a clutch three, they hit it. Every time they need to make the extra pass, they find it. A game-icing stop? Done. Hero steal? Yep. Killer offensive rebound? You know it.
Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images
It all starts, ends and runs through Jayson Tatum, who has gone from incredible to irreplaceable to downright required for the Celtics to succeed. An offense that used to feature him now runs by, of and for him. There is not a defender in the league he can’t destroy; not a coverage in the world he can’t hack; not a skill that he can’t crank up to 11. Boston has a T-1000 Terminator on their team, and the league is basically screwed as long as he’s standing upright.
If I’m betting on the Celtics to never lose again — which… I’m not (really) doing — I’m staking that ticket on Tatum being the best guy on the court in any series. His basketball brain has to go supercomputer mode and figure everything out, basically becoming LeBron James without the 40-year-old debuffs. He will have to carry inconsistency from everyone else, and know exactly who to trust and when. And Joe and Co. will have to trust him with the keys to the Ferrari, which they do.
Boston’s biggest flaw is they aren’t thatdeep, though their top-6 is so good that 7-10 are pretty much irrelevant. And if we’re trying to not lose again, who even needs a good bench? Winning 25 straight will require impeccable health, something the Celtics (crosses all fingers and toes) basically have at the moment.
Photo by Jamie Sabau/NBAE via Getty Images
Save for a slightly confusing Jaylen Brown injury — and he’s so durable, I have no doubt he’ll be ready for the playoffs — everyone is ready to roll. Jrue Holiday has rebounded nicely from his mallet finger, and Kristaps Porzingis looks (crosses all fingers and toes) really healthyand dominant. Meanwhile, Al Horford continues to prove that he should launch the AH42 Method and give Tom Brady a run for his money.
But again, it’s Tatum who is the Celtics’ best shot at this. In his perpetual war against load management, he just… plays every game. Why? Because he’s the best, and everyone else is a total loser, that’s why. When Tatum is on the court, we might just not lose.
With him playing like he is, the Celtics feel invincible.It’s legitimately exhilarating, and I haven’t had this level of confidence in a Boston athlete since Brady was guaranteeing Super Bowls every other year when I was a kid. I’m only kindakidding when I say that the NBA could roll out the 2018 Golden State Warriors and I wouldn’t be scared. Tatum and this team are that sick.
Sure, they have better competition this year with actually-competent Cavaliers and Thunder teams unlike the bums they played last year, but that will serve only to enhance their power. Everyone knows a true rival brings out the best in a team, and if this isn’t even their best… the league is beyond cooked. 32 to go. Check ball.
The Maine Celtics made history with a playoff franchise record of 20 three-pointers, blowing out the Capital City Go-Go to advance to the next round of the G League playoffs.
PORTLAND, Maine. — The Maine Celtics beat the Capital City Go-Go, 115-95, to begin their pursuit of a franchise-first G League title after falling short in the Finals last season.
But there were no outward celebrations after the resounding playoff victory. Instead, the Celtics immediately looked ahead to their next postseason game, which will take place on Thursday against the Westchester Knicks.
“It’s a short turnaround, you know what I’m saying?” said Maine center James Banks III, who protected the rim with fury and set screens all night to get shooters open. “We thinking about New York right now.”
The Celtics set a new franchise record for most threes in a playoff game, hitting 20 in total (and 9 of their first 11 attempts). They led by as many as 34 and never allowed the Go-Go to make a real run, playing stifling defense and continuously hitting a barrage of three-pointers.
“They had no answers,” said Jordan Walsh, who was assigned to the G League last-minute for the game. “They had no answers at all.”
JD Davison, consistently one of the league’s best players this season, led the charge with 38 points and 12 assists, hitting 7 of 10 from beyond the arc. The Celtics’ two other two-way players — Drew Peterson and Miles Norris — started alongside Davison, as did Walsh, who was primarily on the Maine Celtics last year but has been mostly with the parent club this season. Norris hit his first four three-pointers to help the Celtics blow the game open early on.
Celtics general manager Brad Stevens, assistant general manager Mike Zarren, and Ashley Battle, the assistant general manager for the Maine Celtics, all sat courtside for the game.
Here’s what stood out from on the ground in Portland.
JD Davison is unstoppable
Davison put together a ridiculous performance against the Go-Go, tallying 38 points on 15-22 shooting, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. He was also a +38 in his 37 minutes.
Head coach Tyler Lashbrook said that Davison has figured out how to navigate all types of defenses.
“He’s just really in control of whatever he’s thrown at him,” Lashbrook said. “He’s basically —at this point through this season and last season — seen every coverage that you could possibly see, whether people are being aggressive with it, whether they’re trying to go under, whether they’re weakening, whether they’re playing zone, he’s seen all those coverages. He works on those coverages every day, and he’s got answers for all of them.”
JD Davison, Maine Celtics
38 PTS, 12 AST, 3 TOV, 15-22 FG, 7-10 3P
JD Davison has developed into a pretty well-rounded guard over a few seasons in the G League, much more confident in his shot from deep. Being able to get downhill and make the easy read helps too. pic.twitter.com/xT1cZlr7oJ
His teammates are no longer surprised at these types of performances.
“He’s one of the best basketball players,” Banks said.
While Davison has always been elite at playmaking and driving to the basket, he’s making strides in other aspects of his game, like three-point shooting, defense, and being a vocal leader.
He struggled from beyond the arc earlier in his career, shooting 26.6% from three last season. This year, he’s shot a career-best 33.3% from three, and he hit 7 of 10 in Tuesday’s victory.
“I definitely didn’t change anything,” Davison said of his improved shot. “It’s just trusting my work that I put in this summer, put in during the season.”
Davison also said that this season, he’s been more outspoken — and said that some of that has come from seeing the guards on the Boston Celtics assert themselves as leaders on the court too.
“They told me to keep being me,” Davison said. “Just watching guys like Payton, D-White and Jrue — they talk to guys, they tell JT things.”
JD Davison, after a 38-point, 12 assist performance, said he’s been a lot more vocal this season.
Asked him what inspired that:
“They told me to keep being me. Just watching guys like Payton, D-White and Jrue — they talk to guys, they tell JT things.” pic.twitter.com/Lucgy9eFeu
He’s also made it a point to improve as a defender — in this one, he matched up with Kira Lewis Jr. and helped hold him to 2 points on just 1-7 shooting. Lewis was drafted 13th overall in 2020 and played in the NBA for four seasons, which Davison said motivated him.
“Just trying to be one the best defensive players on the court every night, just knowing, to get to the next level to play every night, you got to be able to guard guys,” Davison said. “So just trying to come out and battle. Especially tonight, I took that matchup kind of personal with Kira Lewis, because he was in the league for a little minute.”
Every game, the coaching staff awards a player on the roster a defensive chain, recognizing their defense that night. On Tuesday, it was Davison who fittingly won the honors.
Jordan Walsh was happy to be assigned to the G League for the game
Walsh, who has spent the season with the Boston Celtics, joined the Maine Celtics for Tuesday’s single-elimination game. He finished with 11 points (4-12 FG), 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 26 minutes.
It was a last-minute call-up for Walsh, who was with the Celtics for their six-game Western Conference road trip but only got 9 minutes of on-court action. The second-year forward got home from Memphis at 3 am late Monday night, and soon after, he got a text letting him know he’d be playing with Maine the following night in their first postseason game.
So, he got up in the morning, packed his bags, and headed to Portland, where he spent most of his rookie season.
Jordan Walsh got the text last night at 3am when he got back from Memphis that he’d be playing in the Maine Celtics playoffs tonight:
“I was happy… I’m glad to help. But did not look like they needed me out there.”
“I was happy,” Walsh said. “I wanted to get some reps, I wanted to play. Being the playoffs, and us getting so close last year, I wanted to come back and try to make a step for trying to get over the hump that we didn’t get over last year. So, glad to help. It did not look like they needed me tonight. They were on fire.”
The crowd welcomed Walsh with cheers, with a particularly loud pop coming when he was introduced before the game. He became a fan favorite in Portland last winter but hasn’t been around much this year.
Nice crowd pop for Jordan Walsh, who is playing his second game with the Maine Celtics tonight
Walsh’s insertion into the starting lineup meant that DJ Rodman, who has been starting for Maine for the past few weeks, was moved to the bench. But, the scrappy forward had no complaints, Lashbrook said.
“That’s not our group,” he said, adding: “DJ, he was excited just to be in the rotation and be playing in playoff minutes and be doing it at a high level, so he wasn’t affected. And I feel really lucky and grateful that I have a group that’s like that.”
Davison said the team was excited to have Walsh on board.
“I think a lot of people know what Jordan brings to the table,” Davison said. “He got a 7’2 wingspan, he can guard, he can shoot the ball. We knew when he was coming down, we knew we kind of had an advantage. We’ll take that”.
Miles Norris canreally shoot
Miles Norris, who signed a two-way contract with the Celtics last month, hit his first four three-pointers en route to a 16-point night. He shot 5 of 6 from the field and also racked up 3 steals and 2 blocks in 27 minutes.
“It was good to see him aggressive,” Lashbrook said. “It was good to see him take those opportunities. I thought that he impacted the game on both ends — just his athleticism, his size, his attention to detail on the all the game plan stuff I thought was massive. He was huge.”
The Maine Celtics’ defense is stifling
The Celtics held the Go-Go to 95 points on 39.5% shooting — and to just 35 points in the first half. The players attributed the team’s defense to the coaching staff, who had a few extra days to prepare for the matchup against the Go-Go.
“Man, it was our game plan,” Banks said. “Our coaches did a great staff at breaking everybody down, breaking down on what they do, breaking down the personnel. What you guys saw tonight on defense was all to the coaches.”
Lashbrook liked the high-level defensive execution that he said.
“I saw a group that was really dialed into the gameplan,” he said.
Walsh played with several of the current guys in Maine last season, like Davison, Peterson, Banks, Jordan Shakel. Coming in, he was immediately struck by how strong the chemistry and camaraderie on the team were.
“Their togetherness is on a different level — guys making jokes on the sideline, everybody’s just connected,” Walsh said. “They’re moving as, like, a single machine. And it’s pretty cool to watch, for sure.”
Everyone is bought into doing the “thankless” work
Davison will get the credit, but the screen-setting by guys like Banks and backup center Hason Ward also played a massive part in getting the onslaught going.
“That’s thankless for me, but end of the day, my ego lies in how far this team goes, how much we win, what our ratings are on offense, defense, how good of a team we are, how good of a team we can be,” Banks said.
Lashbrook gave a lot of the credit for the Celtics’ shooting performance to the team’s screensetters.
“Those guys work on their screening every single day,” Lashbrook said. “I mean, there are drills where they might not shoot the ball. They’re working specifically on their angles.”
Next up: the Westchester Knicks
Next up, the Maine Celtics will face the Westchester Knicks on Thursday at 7 pm ET. The two teams faced off in the final game of the regular season, when Maine suffered a scrappy 122-113 loss.
Everyone expressed their excitement to get a chance at a rematch with Westchester.
“No bullet board material, but we want more,” Banks said.
The winner of Thursday’s game will play in the conference finals on April 6th, with the G League finals beginning on Tuesday, April 8th.
Keep up with the Boston Celtics on TikTok for behind-the-scenes team activity, highlight replays, fun facts, roster transactions, and community news and video.
Online sites for Boston Celtics basketball NBA live stream
Fans of the Boston Celtics can watch their team on various streaming services. Here's a guide to help you find the best options, prioritizing free services and those with free trials:
Free Streaming Options:
1. NBA.com: The NBA and its broadcast partner TNT occasionally offer free streamed presentations of particular games. To check availability, visit NBA.com and look for the "Watch" link next to the scheduled game. If available, you'll see "Watch TNT" as an option.
2. TNT Overtime: Sometimes available within the NBA League Pass selection box on NBA.com, offering free streaming for select games.
Paid Streaming Services with Free Trials:
1. YouTube TV: Offers a free trial period. Sign up here.
2. Hulu + Live TV: Provides a free trial. Sign up here.
3. fuboTV: Includes a free trial period. Sign up here.
Regional sports networks (RSNs) often air local NBA games. Ensure your streaming service package includes the relevant RSN.
Some streaming providers allow sign-in using credentials from your existing cable, satellite, or telco TV provider without additional cost.
By exploring these options, you can find the best way to watch Boston Celtics games, whether through free streams or by taking advantage of free trials from paid services.
TD Garden Arena location and map
TD Stadium Arena 100 Legends Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 Phone: 617-624-1331 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. https://www.tdgarden.com/
Contact the Boston Celtics NBA Basketball organization Boston Celtics Arena and Headquarters 226 Causeway Street, Fourth Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 Phone: 866-4CELTIX Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. http://www.nba.com/celtics
