As the Celtics built the NBA’s deadliest starting five last summer, they faced questions about their bench. Their trade for Jrue Holiday on the eve of training camp was a blow to their talent, and they briefly remembered that Monday night in Portland while visiting old friends Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams, both absent due to injury.
But despite outside concerns about their bench, the C’s maintained strong confidence in those who remained. And as they have risen to the top of the league standings this season, that depth has played an important role.
The latest example occurred on Monday. With Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis both out, the Celtics didn’t miss a beat. Payton Pritchard entered the starting lineup with a big effort, Sam Hauser turned out the lights and the Celtics easily cruised to a 121-99 victory over the inferior Blazers.
Jaylen Brown led the way with 27 points and Jayson Tatum added 26 points as the Celtics stars shouldered the scoring burden, but Boston’s reserves carried this victory to the finish line. Pritchard, in his first start of the season, had a near triple-double with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Hauser had a season-high 22 points on six 3-pointers.
One game after the bench geared up for a big performance in Saturday’s win over the Suns, the Celtics continued the same theme by getting contributions from up and down their roster — from Al Horford to Luke Kornet and Oshae Brissett – in managing the Blazers.
“Really confident,” Hauser told NBC Sports Boston of the bench group. “Our job is to come in and bring energy and do the little things really well, and sometimes we have nights like this where we’re a little more involved. We are always ready when our number is called and that’s why we work every day.
The Celtics became the first NBA team to reach 50 wins this season, and they still have 18 games remaining. This was the third straight season they reached this win total.
They did this by controlling the game in virtually every aspect. The ball moved like a hot potato as the Celtics produced 34 assists with just three turnovers, which marked the sixth-most assists with three or fewer turnovers in league history. They were stifling defensively and turning stops into 23 fast break points.
The Celtics were precise in the details, even against a far inferior opponent on an otherwise unremarkable Monday night in March. Joe Mazzulla told reporters in Portland that he was pleased with how his team incorporated some lessons from their film session into the game.
“We’re always trying to find, win or lose, a few areas we’re trying to improve in, a few priorities. I like that we continue to maintain our defensive identity while trying to develop. …
“Tonight we went to the 3-2 zone and the guys did a great job executing it, and on the offensive end we got really good feedback from the film session as far as how we have to get better at executing. It doesn’t matter if we win or lose, as long as we keep these things, that’s the most important thing.
The Celtics led by as many as 24 and, aside from a few brief runs by the Blazers, maintained a double-digit advantage for most of the night. They had little problem scoring against the young, short-handed Blazers. Brown went 1 of 8 from 3-point range, but worked his way inside for easy points. The Celtics went 21 of 25 at the rim while crushing the Blazers for 60 points in the paint.
Pritchard, a Portland-area native, made the most of his start in front of friends and family while controlling the game offensively. But Mazzulla, for a second straight game, went out of his way to notice Pritchard’s defense.
“The best thing about Payton that people don’t like is his defense and just his toughness,” Mazzulla told reporters. “We all know he can score, we all know he can shoot, but his level of defensive intensity has been huge for us throughout this year, and he’s really developed a role in his defense and his bounce.”
Hauser overcame a slow start in the first half and scored 17 points in the second half, including four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter that buried the Blazers for good. Portland has been among the league’s best at defending the 3-point line this season, but Mazzulla was happy to have a film point brought into the game. The C’s generated plenty of open looks and allowed Hauser to get going.
“That’s what we talked about today, and how we have to find ways to break down those layers and understand shot selection at different times,” Mazzulla said. “Guys like Sam are open on the second or third layer of possession, because you break that down, and I thought Jaylen, Jayson and Derrick (White) and our pick-and-rolls did a great job of breaking those down. diapers, and bring it to him.
Initially a question mark, the Celtics bench has allayed those concerns. This unit has an average plus/minus of plus-3.3, which is the best mark in the NBA.
Boston’s depth proved its worth again Monday. In addition to Pritchard, Horford entered the starting lineup and scored 11 points – including three 3-pointers in the first quarter – with four assists and three blocks. Kornet was everywhere with six points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and several other strong fights at the rim. Even Brissett — who hasn’t seen regular rotation minutes this season — snuck in for four offensive rebounds.
“Top to bottom, you look at Sam, Oshae, Luke, top to bottom, guys are always ready to play,” Mazzulla said. “From a team standpoint, bring a mindset every night and guys are always ready to play.”
