Back in mid-November, the Celtics found themselves sitting with a 5-7 record – still searching for consistency, struggling to close out tight games and trying to find their identity.
Since that point, they’ve looked like a mature and battle-tested team that has the answers to the test. The Celtics are playing inspired basketball and have been one of the league’s most dangerous teams in recent weeks.
After Friday’s 126-105 win over the shorthanded Lakers, they’re now 14-9 and showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Here are 10 takeaways, as Boston took care of business once again to secure its fourth straight victory.
Jaylen Brown was once again the best player of the floor. He racked up 30 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, highlighted by a 15-point third quarter that prevented the Lakers from coming back.
Brown got just about wherever he wanted and made the game look easy. He’s now scored 30-plus in five of Boston’s last six games and is playing with a first-team All-NBA swagger.
He lets the game come to him, sizes up the opposition then picks the perfect moment to strike.
LeBron James (sciatica/arthritis), Luka Doncic (birth of child) and Marcus Smart (back) all missed Friday’s game.
Smart, perhaps as a subtle nod to his original NBA home, sported a black jacket with green spots. He posed for pictures with fans and genuinely looked delighted to be back in Boston.
The Lakers were shorthanded, yes, but the Celtics deserve credit for not taking their opponent lightly and leaving no doubt.
3) Assist-ematic wear-down
The Celtics sizzled to start, shooting 64 percent in the first quarter and building a commanding 69-46 halftime advantage.
The ball movement was pristine, and having Brown on their side certainly didn’t hurt. They’ve now scored a combined 271 points in their last two games and haven’t finished with fewer than 115 since Nov. 21.
Boston ended up with 31 assists, and it honestly seemed like even more.
Jordan Walsh, who shot 4 for 4 on Tuesday and 8 for 8 on Thursday, kept it rolling with a 6-for-7 performance Friday night. Yes, that’s 18 for his last 19. Yes, that’s very, very good.
Walsh (17 points) is playing with supreme confidence and continues to carry himself like one of the better wing defenders in the league. His shot has come a long way, and shot selection has also played a critical role.
He also displayed his passing ability, letting a defender fly by and delivering a pinpoint wrap-around pass to Neemias Queta. Walsh deserves a great deal of credit for actualizing the potential he’s always had. Now, it’s about sustaining it.
Payton Pritchard’s balance and body control have always been elite, but it feels like he’s taken it to the next level lately. His ability to create off the dribble when nothing else materializes separates him from the pack. Pritchard’s step-backs are money, his feel for the game is terrific and his touch is elite.
He hit three tough mid-range jumpers and rattled home a corner 3 in the first half, to go along with four assists. Pritchard contributed 15 points and six assists overall and served as a stabilizer all night.
The Celtics shot 53 percent from 3-point range, connecting on 24 of their 45 attempts in a truly lights-out showing.
Derrick White (19 points, six assists) led the way with five, Sam Hauser and Walsh were right behind him at four and Brown and Pritchard added three each.
Eight Celtics hit a 3, and every player who attempted at least one shot at least 42.9 percent. That’s a product of great shooting, yes, but it also speaks to the ball movement and overall flow of the offense.
Lakers coach JJ Redick seemed to have an idea what was coming. Before the game, he put it well, noting: “I feel like with them, it’s a lot of math.”
The math was mathing on this particular night, as it has during most of this stretch.
It wasn’t just the offense, as the Celtics defense also executed at a high level in the win. The Lakers shot 23 percent from the floor in the first quarter and looked lost.
They started to figure it out in the third, but once they did, the Celtics responded to stop the threat almost immediately.
Having Walsh, Josh Minott and Hugo Gonzalez is a luxury, and Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla knows it. The Celtics went small early in the fourth and played the game on their terms, as they did the bulk of the game.
The only Laker who had his way most of the night was Austin Reaves, who is, in fact, as good as advertised.
He started off slowly, but ended up dropping 36 on 9-of-18 shooting. He racked up 15 free throws to go with eight assists and displayed why he’s now regarded as one of the premier offensive players in the league.
In a video on the Jumbotron, Brown named his all-time Celtics starting five: Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett and Bill Russell.
No qualms here. It’s a matter of opinion, but that’s a pretty solid list.
For a while, the Celtics looked like a team destined to finish around .500.
Now, they look like a team that could make some noise in the playoffs.
If they do, this stretch will likely be viewed as the turning point, when they turned potential into production and found a winning formula.
