BOSTON, MA – Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum drives past Memphis Grizzlies forward Tosan Ebbuomwan during the first quarter of a game at TD Garden. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)
Joe Mazzula accepted the adversity of the Celtics' disappointing loss to the Lakers, who were without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but also acknowledged that the Celtics need to respond.
Mazzula was excited about the opportunity. He said Saturday's unusual practice day allowed the Celtics to “take a deep breath” after a busy schedule. Little did he know, his team had a chance to right the ship under similar circumstances after a previous setback.
The Grizzlies were absurdly short on players on Sunday. They had already lost Jay Morant and Marcus Smart, but they were also missing stars Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. That was less than half the list. They were missing 13 players and only eight players were available, including several players on two-way contracts. The Celtics should be even more relaxed than they were on Thursday, when they were 19.5-point favorites to win the championship.
But in the end, their talent and firepower were too much. Unlike Thursday, they ran errands. Led by Jayson Tatum's 34 points and Kristaps Porzingis' 26 points, the Celtics got back on track with a dominant 131-91 victory over the Grizzlies on an emotional night at TD Garden, and Smart returned to Boston. Ta.
Sunday's win will be remembered as Smart's comeback and the many well-deserved ovations he received throughout the win. The beloved former Celtics point guard did not play as he is recovering from a finger injury, but he will be in this game alongside a Memphis team led by Luke Kennard, GG Jackson and several other players. Then his presence on the floor would hardly have mattered. These are guys who barely log any time in the NBA.
The Celtics struggled to beat the Grizzlies early on, although the final score didn't suggest it. The Grizzlies scored points early in the second quarter, including on 3-pointers by Kennard and Jacob Gilyard, and narrowed the gap to 40-38, but they still held a two-point lead with 4:55 left in the first half. Ta. Jackson layup. But the Seeds fought back with a 24-6 run led by Tatum, Porzingis and Derrick White.
The Celtics led by 20 points at halftime and never narrowed the advantage to less than 16 points the rest of the way. Four of the Celtics' five starters, with the exception of Jrue Holiday, were able to rest the entire fourth quarter, but when it became clear that the game was out of reach early in the final period, he immediately followed them to the bench.
The lopsided score allowed rookie Jordan Walsh to enter the game with 8:33 left in the fourth inning. He immediately scored his first career point after O'Shea Brissett made a huge dunk in transition.
