9 takeaways as Jayson Tatum, Celtics offense continues red-hot start in win over Pistons
Tatum scored 31 points and Jaylen Brown had 30 to lead the Celtics to an easy victory on Wednesday.
The Celtics rolled a comfortable 128-112 victory over the Pistons on Wednesday, claiming their fourth straight win and improving to 8-4 this season.
1. At this point, it might be more worthwhile to note when Jayson Tatum doesn’t score 30 points. After a quiet first half, Tatum exploded in the third quarter — dropping 16 points in the first 5:04 of the second half, including four of his five 3-pointers. Tatum finished with 31 points on 10-for-20 shooting in 31:35. Like the rest of the starters, Tatum got a lengthy break as the fourth quarter wound down.
“I had five points, and I was playing a little sluggish, so I just wanted to come out with a little more sense of urgency, whether or not shots fell,” Tatum told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin. “I just wanted to play better. And I tried to.”
Tatum has been more consistent this season largely because of his 3-point shooting and frequent trips to the free-throw line, but every once in a while, he reminds you what makes him great — a bottomless bag of dribble moves and footwork that has been polished to an eye-catching shine.
There’s only so much you can do with a 6-foot-9 star who can do things like that, especially when he supplements his scoring with distribution. Tatum finished with five assists as well.
2. Like Tatum, Jaylen Brown was boosted by a couple of hot stretches, which helped him build up 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting. The most impactful run from Brown may have been just before halftime — he posted eight points in the final 4:21 of the second quarter and six points in the final 1:51 which pushed the lead to 14 before the break. That set the stage for Tatum and Sam Hauser to break the game open in the third.
“Just playing basketball, at the end of the day,” Brown said. “Focusing on the game, seeing the floor, making the reads, playing, having fun, and taking advantage of opportunities. That’s what you see on the floor, just some guys having some fun.”
3. Marcus Smart pieced together another maestro performance offensively. He finished just 1-for-6 from the floor and scored just two points, but he dished out 11 assists and recorded just one turnover. Smart has now tallied 34 assists and four turnovers in his last three games, and this is the first time he has finished with double-digit assists in three consecutive contests.
Smart also had the highlight of the game — a play that will likely show up on Celtics highlight reels for the rest of the season. In the fourth quarter as the Celtics started to pull away in earnest, Smart pursued a loose ball to the sidelines and saved it from going out of bounds. Somehow, he managed to thread a needle past Pistons forward Saddiq Bey and found a streaking Tatum, who added a little extra flair to the slam.
Smart may have stepped out of bounds (it sure looks like he did by one angle), but he helped Tatum get over the 30-point threshold with his acrobatics.
4. Grant Williams was part of the starting lineup for the second consecutive game, and once again, he didn’t do much offensively — five points, 2-for-4 from the floor, 1-for-3 from 3-point range.
Still, Williams was plus-15 and Mazzulla pushed back insistently when a reporter suggested Williams had struggled in his new role.
“I thought he did a tremendous job on the defensive end against [Ja] Morant [on Monday], executing our switches, keeping the ball in front of him, helping rebound on the defensive end,” Mazzulla said. “And tonight I thought he did the same thing as far as Cade Cunningham. When he’s able to guard point guards and our pick-up points are good and he’s navigating the switches, that really helps us.”
Other members of the starting lineup appreciate having Williams involved.
“Grant can guard anybody,” Al Horford said. “He’s guarding Ja, Cade. He’s a great player and he did a great job on him tonight. On Friday, he’ll probably guard [Nuggets superstar center Nikola] Jokic. He has that type of versatility and he’s been huge for us with what we try to do and how we try to play.”
5. For the second time in three games, Sam Hauser set a career scoring high — this time a 24-point explosion in a career-high 31 minutes. Hauser shot 9-for-15 and 6-for-12 from 3-point range.
“Sam is a valued asset to our team, the way he spaces the floor, the way he shoots the ball, but also the way he reads the game,” Brown said. “Continuing to find ways to get him going and develop him, he can be a valuable asset down the line.”
The Celtics also involved Hauser as a cutter and screener, and he scored three baskets around the rim — a floater and a pair of cutting layups. In three games this season when he played 20 or more minutes, Hauser averaged 17 points.
“I think it goes to a comfort level of getting used to playing with guys like Jayson or Jaylen,” Hauser said after the game. “I didn’t really have much opportunity to do that last year in a game setting, so these first 10 games have been huge, and even preseason as well, to get a feel for what they like or where they like me to be, how they like me to help them, help me, I think it all ties into that.”
6. In more concerning news, Malcolm Brogdon left the game after the first half with a right hamstring injury. Mazzulla said the team was still evaluating Brogdon, and that they would have more answers on Thursday.
7. The Celtics made a point to limit Cunningham defensively with a variety of different looks and defenders, and that worked wonders. A stymied Cunningham scored just four points on 1-for-11 shooting and recorded just two assists.
Rookie guard Jaden Ivey, however, looks like a great addition to the Pistons’ young core — an athletic, powerful driver who can hit from three and do a little bit of everything. With Cunningham struggling, Ivey posted 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting (2-for-5 from three) as well as 10 rebounds and six assists.
Jalen Duren, meanwhile, added 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. The 18-year-old rookie big man looked like a future starter at the NBA level.
The Pistons aren’t quite there yet, but they are building something interesting.
8. Last season when the Eastern Conference finals came to TD Garden, Pistons coach Dwane Casey was spotted sitting near the court with Cunningham. On Wednesday, a reporter asked him about his decision to attend the game, and Casey said he wanted his young star to experience the atmosphere of a deep playoff run.
“A lot of those guys had not been to a playoff game before, so we wanted to get that feeling ingrained in them,” Casey said. “And it may be something that’s quirky or odd, but there’s something to that, where they feel that and see that.”
“I just thought it would pay dividends,” Casey added. “I thought it was a great time.”
Far from quirky or odd, our two cents is that Casey showed a lot of foresight by showing Cunningham what he can aspire to one day achieve.
9. Before the game, Mazzulla was asked once again about Ime Udoka, who reportedly will not be the new Nets head coach. Mazzulla said he wants players to feel comfortable speaking with him about any concerns they may have.
“I just have a job to do. Just focus on that,” Mazzulla said. “The guys are bought in. They trust me for the position that I’m in. And I just can’t take that trust for granted.”
The good news for Mazzulla? His players feel very comfortable with him.
“Joe is super open,” Brown said with a smile. “Even times when I don’t want to talk to Joe, Joe is like, ‘Nah, you’re gonna talk to me.’ So I appreciate that relationship from a head coach, and I’m looking forward to it.
“We all believe in Joe. I believe in Joe. So I’m excited about the journey.”
The journey continues on Friday at 7 p.m. with a game against the Nuggets.
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