Celtics’ supporting cast steps up again
Hauser, White shine in 119-109 win
When the Celtics acquired Mike Muscala late this week as they added even more depth to their championship-ready roster, interim head coach Joe Mazzulla had a message for the veteran big man.
“I told him, ‘Cherish this, because it might be one of the best locker rooms you have,’ the group of guys that we have and basketball players,” Mazzulla said.
It hasn’t taken long for Muscala to figure out how uniquely special this group is and the potential of the coming months.
When the Celtics play a national TV showcase game against one of the best teams in the NBA, it’s usually Jayson Tatum’s time to shine.
But even when the Celtics star isn’t playing at an MVP level, he knows he has the supporting cast to lift him up. These C’s might be topheavy on talent, but they’re truly greater than the sum of their parts.
The Celtics didn’t have Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart continued to sit on the bench due to injury and they were suddenly without Malcolm Brogdon moments before tip. But the C’s have a habit of thriving in these situations, without multiple key regulars and even when Tatum is having an off day. They showed it again with an impressive 119-109 victory over the Grizzlies on Sunday at TD Garden.
Derrick White, after a rough start, led the C’s with 23 points and 10 assists, Sam Hauser continued his recent hot streak by matching his career-high with six 3-pointers and they got key bench contributions from Payton Pritchard and Mike Muscala. Al Horford and Robert Williams helped them put a stamp on the victory. Altogether, it was more than enough to make up for Tatum, who went 3-for-16 shooting and finished with just 16 points.
Just another day for the undermanned Celtics, who refuse to make excuses.
“Next man up. Next man up mentality,” Williams said. “None of us in this locker room want to lose no matter who’s playing.”
That mentality was proven time and again Sunday.
When the Celtics started slow — committing six firstquarter turnovers and missing several looks at the rim — their role players ignited them. Hauser, making another start, hit a pair of early 3s, Payton Pritchard drilled a pair of triples late in the period and Muscala gave them another lift.
The Celtics survived the non-Tatum minutes against the talented Grizzlies behind that trio. Then, White — who missed his first five shots, including an airballed 3 — converted eight consecutive points to spark a 13-0 Celtics run.
“I was just really frustrated about the turnovers, too,” White said. “I just wanted to stay with it.”
The Celtics closed the first half on a 25-9 run and led by 13 at halftime, but quickly lost it as Ja Morant and the Grizzlies went on a 15-2 game-tying run to start the second half. But even without their regulars, they stayed together and took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Without Tatum, they didn’t have any issues. Even with different lineup combinations than usual, the Celtics found their spacing and ball movement. Hauser hit his sixth triple and White scored nine points early in the period as the C’s built an eight-point lead. When he returned, Tatum didn’t score a point and took just two shots in the fourth but it didn’t matter. Horford made three 3-pointers in the closing minutes, including the dagger that put the Celtics up 12 with 1:27 remaining.
The Celtics scored 37 points on 7-for-14 shooting from long range in the fourth to put the Grizzlies away. The Grizzlies challenged anyone but Tatum to beat them, and the Celtics passed it with flying colors — again.
“They were denying JT pretty much the whole game,” White said. “And so just trying to find the next guy, and then he’d make a back cut, screen, just doing a lot of selfless things for us, and then Al, Rob, Grant (Williams), Payton, Sam, a lot of guys came today — and Mike — and were able to step up and make big shots for us.
“That’s the beauty of this team. If you load up on one guy, we have other people that can make you pay.”
It was eerily similar to Wednesday, when Tatum was shut down for 12 points but the Celtics prevailed over the 76ers anyway despite missing four starters.
Though his overall numbers weren’t up to standard, Mazzulla credited how effective Tatum still managed to be.
“Two of the last three games, he’s done an amazing job of managing the game,” Mazzulla said. “He’s managing the game by continuing to play defense, managing the game by involving himself but not looking to score and making the right play. Superstars don’t get the credit they deserve when they do that and so, credit to him. And I think that allows our guys to play with confidence and makes our team even harder to guard.”
It was just the latest example of how unique these Celtics are.
“Their ability to just be professional, regardless of the circumstances, is special,” Mazzulla said. “I’m fortunate to be around that.”