The Boston Celtics returned home to face off against the Grizzlies Wednesday night. Memphis came into the game with just four wins and off the back off a road loss to New York last night. Boston led all night as the game was never close after the first quarter, Boston securing a big home win, 131-95. Payton Pritchard led the C’s in scoring with 24 points (5-10 threes), Derrick White had 20 points and Jaylen Brown had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
Boston changed the starting lineup with Jordan Walsh replacing Josh Minott. Walsh has been solid in two straight games highlighted by some lockdown defending against Tyrese Maxey in Philladelphia last night. For Memphis, Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke and Zach Edey all featured on the injury report for the visiting Grizz.
Jaylen Brown hit on the game’s first basket with a two-point pull up from the free-throw line. Jordan Walsh made an instant impact on the contest blocking Jaren Jackson Jr. from behind and hitting on a reverse layup down the other end. The Celtics started out strong hitting on 5 from 5 to start the game to lead 13-5 early. All five starters registered on the scoreboard to start the clash as Derrick White hit his first shot on a corner triple.
White was impacting the game early and drew blood and an offensvie foul call on Vince Williams Jr. The shot blocking White also chased down a certain two points as he rejected sophmore Jaylen Wells’ two-handed dunk attempt. Queta was the beneficiary of a bounce pass from White rolling to the basket as the Celtics looked in complete control to start the game, up 12 points, 22-10.
Luka Garza, Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simons were first off the bench for Boston, and Simons and Garza kept the scoreboard moving for Boston as they both converted on their first three-point attempts of the game. Rookie Colin Coward, whom the Memphis front office moved up in the draft to select was first off the bench for the road team and he converted a pair of free throws. Santi Aldama also entered the game and drilled his first catch-and-shoot triple as Memphis kept it within ten points, 31-22.
The Celtics have gotten very nice minutes from Luka Garza recently and he made his second three from the corner in front of the rowdy Celtics bench. In a fun side story of the game, Santi Aldama and rookie Hugo Gonzalez would both share the court simultaneously as the only two Spanish players in the league in 2025-26.
Boston somewhat took their foot of the gas to start the second quarter as Memphis got the lead back to 3 points. Queta rolled to the basket for a loud alley-oop jam off a neat one-hand push lob from Payton Pritchard. A Pritchard heat check three-pointer gave the C’s a small buffer. Joe Mazulla once again went deep with the bench rotations as Chris Boucher saw his first minutes of action in 5 outings.
Jordan Walsh was troubling Jackson Jr. on the defensive end, firstly getting a fingertip block on the Memphis bigman and then drew a hook offensive call on the DPOY. Pritchard hit a nifty step back and then Jaylen Brown nailed an in rhythm three-pointer forcing Finnish coach Tuomas Iisalo to call a timeout with 4 minutes to go in the first half, Boston up 51-39.
The Celtics ended the first half strong with both JB and Derrick White shooting the lights out. Both players combined for 31 points in the half, Boston up big by 21 points at the half, 67-46.
Boston wouldn’t take their foot off the gas in the third quarter, as they scored the first 8 points of the half, as the Grizz were down 30 with a quarter and a half left in the contest. Boston cruised through the third quarter as Memphis went with a younger group of Spencer, Coward, Prosper and Williams Jr. Kentavious Caldwell Pope was substituted with a potential injured shoulder midway through the quarter and Jackson Jr, headed to the bench seemingly for the final time of the night.
Minott and Scheierman found the court for their first times of the night to end the third quarter as Boston rested Brown and White for extended time, during a grueling early season schedule. Sammy Hauser swished a logo three-pointer to end the third as Boston hit the 100-point mark with a full quarter to go, 100-74.
Derrick White returned to the game to start the fourth alongside Minott, Simons, Queta and Scheierman and he had 19 points with a pull up jumper. Scheierman and Minott both knocked down triples as the lead stayed at 29 points with 8 minutes to go. Minott skied for a one-handed putback dunk over two Grizz players as the Celtics looked in complete control 114-81.
Boston rested all the key starters as deep bencher Ron Harper Jr. saw roughly 4 minutes of time and hit a pair of threes in garbage time as the Celtics cruised to a big home win, some Geno time at the Garden and their sixth win of the season. They now move to a 6-7 record on the season, per the commentary team, apparently this is some kind of Gen Alpha meme also ¯_(ツ)_/¯.
Boston now get three full days off before hosting the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday for an afternoon matinee at 3:30pm Eastern.
