The Boston Celtics fell to 10-10 on the season after two disappointing losses to the Nets and Spurs.
Brooklyn just dominated the Celtics on Wednesday night, winning 123-104. They had five players score in double figures and three of those players scored at least 20. It’s hard to overcome any team with that much balance but it’s virtually impossible when the two star players struggle.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both had forgettable games, scoring a combined 28 points on 9-for-31 shooting. This has become a trend this season with these two guys and it couldn’t have happened again at a worse time against one of the league’s best teams.
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Marcus Smart played well, scoring 20 points and dishing out eight assists but his contribution wasn’t enough to overcome the struggling Jay’s.
A disappointing loss for sure, but one that shouldn’t be concerning to fans as the Celtics prepare for a bounce-back game against the lowly San Antonio Spurs.
That’s what they thought at least.
Friday night’s loss against the Spurs was somehow even uglier than the blowout loss just two nights before.
The Celtics struggled to get going from the opening tip, hitting just three of their first 21 attempts from the field. The Spurs took advantage of this and jumped out to an early 24-point lead.
It seemed like it was gonna be another one of those off days for the Celtics but they managed to cut that deficit all the way to single digits in the first half. Things were looking good until the Celtics allowed the spurs to close the half on a 10-2 run and regain a 15-point cushion before halftime.
After a much better start to the second half, the Celtics managed to fight their way back again and this time came all the way back and took their first lead early in the fourth quarter. The lead ended up getting as high as seven points with just a few minutes remaining and it was due in large part to Tatum’s second-half play.
The two-time all-star scored 21 of his 24 points in the second half and made tough plays to put the Celtics in front. It seemed like after a rough start the C’s were ready to walk away with a big comeback win, but in the end, they couldn’t shake their old habits.
The offense fell flat in the final few minutes and the defense couldn’t handle Dejounte Murray. The Spurs closed the game on a 15-0 run to take an eight-point win.
The Celtics had three really poor stretches in this game, the whole first quarter, the end of the first half, and the end of the second half. They are clearly not a good enough team to withstand these poor stretches and they happen far too often to be considered a coincidence.
Something needs to change quickly if the Celtics are going to find a way to find a consistent play or else they’ll never get over the hump.
(Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)