1. Ugh.
Just ugh.
The Boston Celtics seven-game homestand is off to a terrible start with back-to-back losses to the Orlando Magic. We said after Friday’s loss that Orlando is better than most realize, especially now that they are getting healthy. But this is still a team Boston should be handling at home, even if Jayson Tatum is out.
The Celtics have the New England Patriots to thank for keeping them off the front page as a “What’s wrong with the Celtics?” story and as the lead topic of every sports radio show. The Pats epic debacle in Las Vegas knocked the Celtics off the map for at least a day or so.
2. Boston cleaned up a lot of their defensive issues from the first lost to Orlando. That included the defensive rebounding…for most of the game.
Late in the game, it became a problem again for the Celtics. And, as per usual when this is an issue, Boston is just outhustled for the ball.
No one gets a body on Markelle Fultz here and he finds Franz Wagner for the second-chance triple:
Down by one, the Celtics get the stop. But Two-Way player Kevon Harris outraces everyone to the loose rebound. Also, why is Grant Williams holding is block out for so long and not pursuing the rebound?
Needing to get a stop again, Boston comes up with one. But once again, Fultz outhustles everyone to come up with the big rebound:
Three times in the final two minutes of a close game the Celtics let guards beat them to the boards. That can’t happen.
3. The last Markelle Fultz rebound above didn’t come back to kill Boston, because Fultz committed a turnover on the inbounds play. Unfortunately, the Celtics gave it right back.
It’s unclear who was at fault here and no one was talking postgame, beyond “Didn’t execute”. Did Grant Williams lead Jaylen Brown too far? Did Brown stop his cut too early? Either way, this was bad:
Still, the Celtics had life. Down three, there was more than enough time left to get a good look up. Credit to the Magic for having everything covered, but the Celtics have to get a better shot than this:
Ball game. Back-to-back losses and four losses in the last five games.
4. The above were just the late-game follies that cost Boston. The main issues throughout the game were poor shooting and turnovers.
Only Malcolm Brogdon (3-of-6) and Marcus Smart (3-of-7) were decent from downtown. Everyone else combined to shoot 6-of-34 on three-pointers. And, for what it’s worth, Brogdon and Smart combined to shoot…
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