The Celtics held up properly defensively in opposition to the Nuggets.
They did the identical two months in the past. Joe Mazzulla exited the sport assured. He preferred the pictures Boston generated and missed in crunch time earlier than a clunky closing possession price the Celtics the chance to at the least power time beyond regulation. Regardless of the crushing, repeated blows that Aaron Gordon supplied alongside the again line and the staggering visible of 32 factors, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and 0 turnovers from Nikola Jokic, Boston trailed by two factors once more late regardless of a few of the workforce’s most erratic offensive execution costing all of them night time.
“His skill to get the ball within the paint and with the taking pictures and the spacing that they’ve, and the offensive rebounding presence that Gordon brings, it places you in a bind in an in depth recreation as to what you’re prepared to reside with,” Mazzulla stated. “I believed our guys did a terrific job altering matchups and altering the protection.”
Boston began 8-for-12 from the sector, involving all 5 gamers for baskets and doing so in a wide range of methods. Denver adjusted, turning up the warmth on Jayson Tatum’s touches because the Celtics shifted into a much bigger, much less offensively versatile lineup earlier than a flood of unprecedented turnovers began piling up. The Celtics additionally solely hit 14-of-36 (38.9% FG) after their scorching begin, missing 5-of-6 with Xavier Tillman and Al Horford on the floor together to close the first quarter whereas Denver flipped the sport with a 7-2 run capped by a Jamal Murray heave.
The Nuggets matched the Celtics’ distinctive offensive exploits in their very own manner, and whereas Denver’s protection flashed a ready, aggressive method that saved Boston off-balance all through the second quarter, the Celtics would’ve accepted giving up 115 factors to Denver getting in. Boston managed solely 109, even with a herculean Jaylen Brown efficiency, prepared 41 factors on 16-for-29 taking pictures whereas limiting himself to 2 turnovers enjoying in isolation and transition.
Offense misplaced them the sport.
Brown saved the Celtics from a blowout contemplating their poor shot-making and Denver’s overwhelming effectivity inside, however drawing from hero baskets to drive the offense solely additional underscored Boston’s organizational points on that finish. Tatum took solely 13 pictures and scored 15 factors, giving the ball away 5 occasions on performs the place the Nuggets introduced an additional defender into passing lanes behind the 2 gamers they confirmed on the ball.
Jrue Vacation and Derrick White sprinkled in just a few pick-and-rolls, whereas Kristaps Porzingis nearly solely popped in opposition to Jokic’s drop and the Celtics’ fixation on taking what the protection gave them appeared to stroll them proper into traps. Porzingis and Tatum not often acquired clear seems inside. Boston’s offense sped up as Denver’s did to generate deficits. The Celtics’ bench solely scored 10 factors whereas Peyton Watson alone created 11.
“The dynamic of our workforce, when different guys received it getting in a rhythm, in a movement, you gotta area the ground,” Tatum stated. “We all the time speak about respecting different folks’s area. I’m all the time conscious of what’s occurring throughout the recreation, whether or not it’s J.B. or Ok.P. had it going and discovering mismatches, respecting their area at occasions. If that requires being within the nook or passing them the ball, and that’s what we’re making an attempt to do on that possession, you’ve gotta honor that.”
Positive, Tatum needed to defer to Brown at occasions. Their skill to play in a movement and linked as an offense is amongst a number of variations between Boston’s free-flowing and extra stagnant offensive nights. Thursday simply regarded sloppy. Few groups — perhaps just one — can put Boston’s offense on its heels with each artful scheming and well timed taking pictures on the opposite finish. The Nuggets are the usual.
That gives some reduction for the Celtics and classes. They gained’t cope with this degree of resistance in most playoff collection, however self-inflicted challenges, free throw taking pictures, three-point taking pictures and offensive facilitation, along with crunch time effectiveness, will all turn into barometers for the way properly Boston is enjoying whatever the opponent and outcomes.
Michael Malone additionally appeared to handle the sport extra fluidly than Mazzulla on Thursday. He threw a number of seems at Jokic defensively whereas principally sticking to the sport plan on offense and seeing Porzingis and Tatum fade farther from the rim and constant involvement. White’s utilization as a excessive pick-and-roll creator remained underutilized.
A Celtics workforce that devastated mismatches throughout their 11-game win streak and wouldn’t let a single poor defender off the hook allowed Murray to carry Celtics gamers to 3-for-11 taking pictures. They solely transformed on 2-of-6 going after Reggie Jackson and fared higher in opposition to Christian Braun (4-7 FG) — permitting him to play a second half rotation after he was unplayable within the first recreation.
“You must give them credit score, that they had a great recreation plan and so they had been taking some issues away,” Porzingis told reporters. “They had been actually fast to rotate, so after I was getting the ball, both on the rolls or on the pops, they had been already going by my fingers, going by the move. They’re actually good at that, and going ahead, we now have to be a step forward of them. Take a look at that move, however simply throw the subsequent one instantly straight to it, as a result of they’re over-rotating already. Three, 4 of these and a pair within the publish, J.T. dribbled off his foot one time, I received the ball taken away from me, it’s a bit of bit uncharacteristic for us. We needs to be wonderful.”
Sloppiness occurs, however the best way Denver methodically anticipated the passing sequences Tatum would provoke a number of occasions derailed Boston in a 32-26 Nuggets second quarter win. That improved barely to start the third quarter, Porzingis changing consecutive pick-and-pops earlier than Tatum attacked off White, Horford and Vacation.
Denver appeared comfy letting Porzingis shoot from distance over guards, ending 3-for-10, whereas Tatum by no means received again to screening, which grew to become Jokic’s most devastating weapon on the opposite finish.
Vacation’s restricted utilization as an initiator comes into query, too. The Celtics efficiently used him in area late in opposition to Jokic, to the purpose the place Malone needed to name timeout with Boston rallying and three minutes remaining. Vacation poured in two extra pictures over Jokic after, and that gave the Celtics an opportunity to take the lead on a play the place Tatum fed Brown a poor move in transition that pressured a kick-out again to him within the nook, a large open miss.
Mazzulla pointed to that and White’s ensuing open three miss down by 4 because the distinction, however the offensive dysfunction that also fuels fears on this workforce started as early as the primary quarter. They developed solutions to these previous points with scheming and personnel. Neither these, nor Tatum, might save them on this matchup.
“They had been simply making an attempt to interrupt his rhythm a bit of bit,” Brown told reporters, also saying he wishes he guarded Jokic more. “Make him accept some isolation pictures … we received to seek out some totally different spots to assist him out, but in addition while you do get these alternatives, you need to be extra aggressive. Transition alternatives, once they do get the mismatches, you’ve gotta go instantly and stuff like that.”
