The pendulum keeps on swinging, and this time, it was in the Boston Celtics’ favor.
No Ja Morant, Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke meant the Memphis Grizzlies came into the game shorthanded, and the Celtics did exactly what they were meant to do: take advantage.
Game 13: Grizzlies 95 — Celtics 131
📊 Key Stats
The Grizzlies tried to play Boston at its own game. 45% of Memphis’ offense came from deep, although they only converted on 25% of those looks.
The Celtics, on the other hand, saw 48% of their offense come from the three-point line, with 38.1% finding the bottom of the net.
Importantly, both Payton Pritchard and Derrick White found some success, with both shooting 50% from deep (Pritchard was 5-of-10 and White 3-of-6).
The Celtics need some more out of Sam Hauser on nights like this, as he went 1-of-7 from deep and registered just 5 points in 22 minutes of playing time. He’s shooting 17.2% from 3-point range over his last five games, on 4-of-23.
Without Edey on the floor to crush the Celtics on the defensive glass, Joe Mazzulla’s team handily won the rebounding battle 58-41.
Still, the Celtics gave up 15 offensive rebounds; fortunately, their defense was playing well, holding the Grizzlies to just 12 second-chance points.
Even when the opposing team’s best rebounder is on the shelf, and Jaren Jackson Jr. had a cold night on the glass, the Celtics' inability to limit offensive boards was a problem. Against a better team, those secondary possessions could have haunted them.
The Celtics didn’t fare much better, adding 12 points to their total on 18 offensive rebounds. They’ve got to do a better job executing on second-chance possessions.
The Celtics are purposely hunting for Brown on offense.
