Three key scenarios
- Derrick White comes out of a 3-point slump
- Jayson Tatum ends his road trip on a high note
- C’s frontcourt in good hands with Luke Kornet
The Boston Celtics finished their five-game road trip with an entertaining victory in Utah.
After starting the trip with two straight losses, the C’s have won three in a row on the road against the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and finally the Jazz on Tuesday. Despite being shorthanded on the second night of a row, they put up 44 points in the first quarter to tie a season high and a whopping 72 first half points. It was their 15th 70-point first half of the season, a franchise record.
The Celtics saw their 17-point lead cut to two in the third quarter, but they dominated the fourth to escape with a 123-107 victory. They improved to a league-best 9-2 on the second night of a back-to-back and did so without Jaylen Brown (sacroiliac strain), Al Horford (sprained left big toe) and Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring strain). -straight legs).
Jayson Tatum and Derrick White carried the load offensively with 38 and 24 points respectively. Jrue Holiday had 16 points and eight assists in his return to the Celtics lineup.
Keyonte George led the Jazz with 26 points while Collin Sexton added 20.
The Celtics (51-14) will return home to face the Phoenix Suns (37-27) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Before we look ahead to this matchup, here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s game.
Derrick White comes out of a 3-point slump
White struggled to find his 3-point shot throughout the road trip. He went an uncharacteristic 1-of-14 from beyond the arc in his last four games on Tuesday.
The C guard ended Utah’s slump emphatically, forcing its first four 3-pointers of the night and finishing a torrid 7 of 11 from deep. His seven made 3s tie his season high and are just one short of his career high.
White scored 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting and, as usual, was the difference on the defensive end. He had three blocks and a steal while grabbing six rebounds. His 77 blocks this season are a new career high.
Jayson Tatum ends his road trip on a high note
Tatum scored at least 26 points in all but one game during the Celtics’ trip, but it was far from his most efficient shooting streak. The five-time All-Star failed to shoot better than 40 percent from the floor in the first four games. The one game he’d really like to return to was his 15-point performance in the loss to Denver.
On Tuesday though, Tatum looked more like his MVP caliber. He came out with 15 points in the first quarter to set the tone for victory. When the Jazz cut the Celtics’ 17-point lead to two in the third quarter, Tatum came through with two much-needed buckets to swing the momentum back in Boston’s favor.
Tatum finished with a game-high 38 points – his highest total since February 13 – on 13-of-25 shooting (4-10 3PT). The 26-year-old added six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block to remind the NBA world that he still has a place in the MVP conversation.
C’s frontcourt in good hands with Luke Kornet
With Porzingis missing, Kornet stepped in and produced good minutes for the C’s. He played an important role during the team’s victory against Phoenix and made his presence felt again during the victory against Portland.
On Tuesday, Kornet was the Celtics’ starting center, with Porzingis and Horford both out. Once again, he took advantage of his opportunity.
Kornet wasted no time as he scored eight points and six rebounds in the first half. He remained productive for the rest of the game, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds (four offensive) and six assists to tie his career high. He also set a career high for offensive rebounds in a season with 87.
As great as Kornet has been, Boston is hoping they don’t have to rely on him as much in the future and that Porzingis returns to the lineup Thursday at TD Garden. If the Latvian big man remains on the sidelines, Kornet has at least shown himself capable of gaining momentum in his absence.
It’s also worth noting that trade deadline addition Xavier Tillman was ready to take on the task Tuesday night. The former Memphis Grizzlies forward recorded seven points and eight rebounds in 27 minutes coming off the bench.
