Celtics Beat Grizzlies In Convincing Fashion, 109-98
You can make that three wins in a row for the Boston Celtics after Monday night’s convincing, 109-98, win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
In the first of back-to-back home games, the Celtics came out firing, knocking down six of their first nine three pointers and later finishing the quarter with eight.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Celtics jumped out to a 14-10 lead with less than five to play in the first, following a 13-2 run and they never looked back.
Kyrie Irving was feeling it in the first, dropping 11 points (4-5 FG) of his team-high 25 points just in that quarter. He shot an impressive three-for-three from three in the first and finished the game shooting 62 percent from the field.
Kyrie from waaaay downtown! https://t.co/IwmZg93K1P
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 27, 2018
The Celtics distanced themselves from the Grizzlies by a huge margin in the second quarter behind a 10-minute, 37-11 run, giving them a 60-33 lead with 2:40 to play in the second. The C’s run was a testament to good ball movement, knocking down open buckets and playing strong team defense.
Terry Rozier III gave the C’s a nice spark off the bench with 12 points (4-4 FG/ 2-2 3PT) in eights minutes of play in the first half. And he’d go onto finish with 15 points on five-of-eight shooting.
Terry and-one! 😤💪 https://t.co/xLgtj9NQu8
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 27, 2018
After shooting 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from three, the Celtics took a 67-41 lead into halftime.
This seems to happen a little too frequently but there was a more than two-minute stretch late in the third where both teams struggled to score. It took eight combined possessions for the scoring draught to end when the Grizzlies finally made a basket.
The Adam Jones Show [AUDIO]: Celtics-Grizzlies Reactions With Adam Jones and Joe Murray
The Celtics took a hefty 86-69 lead into the fourth quarter and it was looking like a complete blowout but the Grizzlies never gave up. They were able to cut the C’s lead down substantially but it wasn’t enough, with the Celtics winning 109-98.
After out-scoring the Celtics in the third and fourth quarters, the Grizzlies just couldn’t overcome a double-digit deficit behind JaMychal Green’s 21 point, 11 rebound, double-double.
With Monday night’s Celtics’ win, the C’s have now won three in a row, since losing three in a row prior to the All-Star break. And the Grizzlies have now lost an NBA leading 10 in a row.
It was a down night for Al Horford and Jayson Tatum, combining for 10 points and eight rebounds. But that was okay because the C’s bench picked up the slack with 52 combined points.
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Every Celtic but one that played in the game, made at least one basket in the game and five finished with double-digit points. But unfortunately the odd man out was Semi Ojeleye. And that’s because he didn’t attempt a single field goal. Also it’s not the first time he’s played more than 10 minutes in a game and didn’t attempt a single field goal either.
With Aron Baynes (left elbow) back in the line-up, Daniel Theis still had himself a night with 12 points (5-8 FG) and seven rebounds. And Marcus Morris had 13 points and eight rebounds, despite missing nine of his 15 shots.
Morris 🆙
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 27, 2018
Theis ⬇️ https://t.co/Zpqy5i9QYj
In his third game back, Marcus Smart played solid defense but didn’t shoot the ball well. He finished the game with six points (2-9 FG) and five assists in 22 minutes on the floor.
The Celtics took full advantage of wide-open looks from beyond the arc all throughout the game, especially in the first half. The C’s missed 14-of-the-15 three-pointers they attempted in second half, finishing the game with a 32 percent mark from deep.
The C’s will look to bring another balanced effort to the court on Wednesday night when they welcome Dwight Howard and the Charlotte Hornets to the TD Garden.
UP NEXT: The Celtics (43-19) will play the second of back-to-back home games Wednesday night, against the Charlotte Hornets (27-33). Catch the call of the game with Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell live on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Pre-game coverage begins at 7:00 p.m., with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m.
— By John ‘The Dude’ Hardiman, 985TheSportsHub.com
