Celtics blow past Memphis, 119-95

Memphis and its exciting young star, Ja Morant, have excelled at draining the value from the top-6-protected pick the Celtics have the rights to this June.

But at least the Celtics could do their part to bring home an unprotected 2021 first round selection with last night’s 119-95 win over the young Grizzlies, following up a 32-point win over the Lakers Monday with a 24-point roll.

Before straining his right groin late in the third quarter, and spending the rest of the game on the bench with a large ice wrap on his leg, Jayson Tatum had made up for the ankle-related absence of Jaylen Brown with a 23-point, seven-rebound, 9-for-18 performance. Daniel Theis tied a career high with 3-for-3 3-point shooting as the crux of his 14 points, and the likes of Gordon Hayward, Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart were allowed to take care of the rest with low double-figure nights

Morant would only hit once, for a two-point night, and old friend Jae Crowder wouldn’t do much better with a three-point, 1-for-8 performance. But with the Celtics igniting for another big night from downtown, this time with 43.8 percent (14-for-32) shooting, the night was decided early.

The sight of Tatum heading for the locker room with a strained right groin late in the third offered a sobering counterpoint to what the Celtics had just put on the board. After bowling over the Grizzlies with a 23-0 run in the last 6:23 of the second quarter, they threw another haymaker in the third with a 22-3 run that pushed Memphis back into a 30-plus deficit.

Tatum would not return, though he rejoined the bench with a large wrap on his left thigh, and the Celtics reserves took the floor with an enormous 99-63 lead.

The Celtics cracked open a chasm with a 23-0 run that included 10 of Tatum’s 21 first half points, and seven of Theis’ 12.

The Celtics center was 3-for-3 from downtown, tying his career high, and after a cold start, the Celtics dominated the last half of the second quarter. They led at the half, 58-44, despite neither Walker or Hayward hitting a basket in the first 24 minutes.

By the time Smart buried his second three of the night at the 9:48 mark of the third, the Celtics had boosted their lead to 63-47. They scored on their next six possessions, including a Smart 18-footer and, beginning with the first buckets of the night by Hayward and Walker (both 3-pointers), the start of a fresh 13-0 run for a 78-51 lead.

Brandon Clarke hit a 3-pointer for Memphis, and the Celtics extended the run to 22-3, with Hayward adding the Celtics’ 12th 3-pointer of the night for an 87-54 lead.

The Celtics continued at this clip, now with Memphis answering, and carried a 99-63 lead into the fourth, with Enes Kanter scoring the last six Celtics points of the third.

After their high level performance from 3-point range on Monday night against the Lakers, the Celtics’ start from downtown last night came at a crawl.

They missed eight of their first nine attempts, before Semi Ojeleye hit, cutting the Memphis lead to 15-12. Ojeleye scored again a minute later, driving off a closeout and again cutting the Grizzlies lead to three points. Wanamaker cut that lead to a point on the next possession, and though Memphis re-opened some space, Tatum hit a 3-pointer that cut the lead to 27-25 with 9.5 seconds left in the quarter.

Tatum then tied the game with a baseline drive on the first possession of the second, and came back with a rainbow jumper in the midst of a double-team in the lane the next time down for a 29-27 lead.

The Celtics, with the Grizzlies answering each time, took the lead four times in a three-minute span. Memphis answered with a lead-taking 9-0 run, only for the Celtics to come back with a 23-0 burst that started with a Theis 3-pointer, a Tatum three, and then another Theis bomb.

Including a Javonte Green three-point play, the run was powered by five three-point possessions, but above all consumed a blistering 6:12 stretch. It replaced a 42-35 Grizzlies edge with a 58-42 Celtics lead, chipped by two when Jonas Valanciunas scored with a second left in the half.

Tatum scored 10 of his 21 points in the run, and Theis seven of his 12.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2NUAQCS