Game 6: Celtics 109 — Sixers 108
📊 Key Stats
23 of the Celtics’ shots came from the “long mid-range,” which is between the free-throw line extended and the three-point line.
They shot 58.3% from that area, with Payton Pritchard, Derrick White and Jaylen Brown both finding success.
Both Pritchard and White’s adjustment to attacking space against the Philadelphia 76ers' drop defense allowed them to find some offensive rhythm, even though their perimeter game continues to enjoy its vacation.
Above is a combined shot chart for Brown, White and Pritchard. As you can see, the majority of their scoring work came on or above the free-throw line extended.
Once again, the Celtics found a way to win the rebounding battle, out-boarding the Sixers 40-45.
Mazzulla’s team made the most of that advantage by winning the second-chance points battle 17-11
Boston’s rebounding was a team effort, with no single player getting into double-digits for their efforts on the glass. Josh Minott came closest with 8 rebounds to his name.
Seeing such a well-balanced approach to rebounding is reminiscent of the rebuilding years under Brad Stevens, where “rebound by committee” became somewhat of a buzzword catchphrase.
There will be nights when one or two guys dominate on the glass; however, when facing a team with multiple high-level bigs, having everyone commit to controlling the defensive glass is a good sign and should produce desirable results more often than not.
The Celtics have got to do better from the free-throw line.
They shot 58.3% from the line on 7-of-12 shooting
After 6 games, the Celtics are dead last in free-throw attempts per game
They’re also 16th in free-throw percentage.
If you’re not getting to the line frequently, you have to capitalize on the limited opportunities you do get.
I’m continuing to track the White and Pritchard slump.
They went a combined 3-of-16 from deep last night
They’re now a combined 24-of-109 over the first six games, good for 22% from deep.
Sooner or later the shooting slump will come to an end. They’re both too talented for this slump to define their season.
Still, I find it interesting that they’re both slumping at the exact same time. It could be adjusting to new roles, new tempo, how shots are created or a number of other factors.
I’ll be tracking this until the slump breaks, though.
💫 Star of the Game
Jaylen Brown has been fantastic recently. He’s really growing into his role as the primary option.
His defense will be glossed over, but I think it’s important to point out that he held his matchups to a 25% defensive field goal percentage. Players shot 2-of-8 when Brown contested the shot, including 1-of-5 from deep.
For reference, that DFG% led the Celtics. Josh Minott and (impressively) Anfernee Simons were joint second. Simons held his matchups to 4-of-14 shooting.
Brown was his usual impactful self on offense, ending the night with 32 points on 13-of-19 shooting, including 4-of-7 from deep.
He’s now scored 30 or more points in three of his last four outings…41 against the Pistons, 30 against the Cavaliers and then 32 last night against Philly.
I’m still monitoring Brown’s turnovers, though.
He’s got 23 turnovers to his 25 assists this year.
Perhaps that’s why Pritchard and White have both assumed such a large role in terms of creation, as that eases some of the playmaking pressure on Brown, and in turn, allows him to be aggressive when looking to score.
Touches are usually a great indicator of playmaking load. White is leading the Celtics with 85.7 per game, Pritchard is second with 69.8 and Brown is third with 64.5.
Therefore, it tracks that the Celtics offense is being “guard led” in terms of intiation and primary creation.
📈 Improved Performer
Hugo Gonzalez was everywhere — or so it felt like.
His effort and intensity continue to be a factor whenever he’s on the floor. I have like 3 plays clipped that all start with “Gonzalez Hustle.”
Simply put, he makes things happen. He’s very Marcus Smart-like in how he approaches defense.
I like that he also knocked down a three, as that shows scalability for the future.
Still, right now, it’s the rebounding, switcability, and high-motor that are his greatest assets. It’s easy to forget how young and inexperienced he is (at the NBA level), I’m really excited about the player Hugo could become.
📋 Playbook Observation
The Celtics have been initiating a lot of action on the wings recently.
I liked this early play. An angled Ram Action that flowed into a Spain PnR — although Hauser got a bit caught up on the defense
Hauser’s pop helped create the lane for Anfernee Simons to get straight to the rim.
If the defense had shut him off, Simons would have had Garza around the rim and Hauser on the perimeter as release valves.
💬 My Take on the Game
I’m late getting to this newsletter today. So, i’m keeping things short and sweet. I’m also aware that we haven’t looked at any analysis yet this season. And, as this is the last week of free content across the board, I want to make sure we get at least one done — which will be on Monday. Paywall will return on Tuesday — with Monday’s always being free, and a potential second free post on the weekend if time allows.
Anyway, here are some very quick, very surface-level thoughts.
With this win, the Celtics are now .500 on the season. They’re slowly acclimating to their new style of play and finding ways to win games — be that on the glass, scoring in the mid-range or mucking things up and dragging teams into the trenches. I’ve really enjoyed this new style, and think Josh Minott is proving himself to be a shrewd pickup.
It’s easy to point at the Sixers and say, “Oh, well, without Paul George, they’re not at full strength,” but as always, you can only beat what’s in front of you. And we need to give credit to Mazzulla, too. He’s clearly bringing out the best in this team, coaching them hard and setting high standards.
Beating the Sixers will always mean something, especially when they beat you on opening night. I loved the intensity, commitment and hustle this team played with. And now, I’ll be hoping to hear from them on Monday, too.