BOSTON — The Celtics welcomed Marcus Sensible again to TD Backyard on Saturday evening for outdated East-West conflict with the Grizzlies, and proper from the beginning one factor was clear: Memphis confirmed up able to play.
With no Al Horford, who was dominated out with a left huge toe sprain, and simply 9 minutes of Sam Hauser, because of proper adductor tightness, the Celtics had been instantly put to the take a look at. The Celtics took a slim fourth-quarter lead, however finally had been despatched off with their third loss at dwelling this season whereas the Grizzlies improved to 15-8. The Celtics now stand at 19-5.
Listed here are three studs and three duds from Boston’s 127-121 loss to Memphis:
STUDS
Jrue Vacation
Scoring grew to become an ample battle for the Celtics, who solely managed to place 27 factors up on the scoreboard every within the first and second quarters, however with out Vacation the deficit might’ve grown a lot uglier. Vacation scored a team-leading 23 factors to go together with 4 rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Ja Morant
The franchise cornerstone himself placed on a present for Memphis and didn’t concern the defending champs in any respect, ending with a game-high 32 factors, slicing by way of Boston’s protection like a deli chef. Morant compiled spotlight play after spotlight play with wizard-like finishes on the rim to stroll away capturing 11-of-20 from the sphere with 9 rebounds and 9 assists to almost full a triple-double masterpiece.
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Payton Pritchard
It was an evening of redemption for Pritchard because the undersized guard was contemporary off a disappointing and uncharacteristic zero-point efficiency in opposition to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. Pritchard left his 24-minute dud within the rearview mirror and bounced again, giving the Celtics 22 factors off the bench whereas sinking six 3-pointers within the course of.
DUDS
Marcus Sensible
Sensible’s first return to Boston as an lively member of the Grizzlies began as anticipated. The previous nine-year Celtics guard checked in throughout the first quarter, greeted with a huge spherical of applause from TD Backyard’s dwelling crowd. However Sensible couldn’t observe it up with a efficiency to rattle his outdated Celtics teammates. The 30-year-old completed with three factors on 1-for-11 capturing.
Jaylen Brown
Effectivity has been an issue that’s plagued Brown a number of instances early on this season, and the development continued Saturday evening. Brown dedicated a game-high 5 turnovers whereas contributing 22 factors of offense with three rebounds and 6 assists. Ball safety performed its think about lending Memphis a serving to hand because the Grizzlies scored 24 factors off 14 Celtics turnovers, explaining the nail-biting race to the end line.
Boston’s free-throw capturing
It’s exhausting to win on any evening when free scoring alternatives are squandered and the Celtics needed to study that the exhausting means. Boston missed 9 free throws to file a season-low 67.9% charity stripe efficiency, hampering the workforce’s potential to place collectively any kind of scoring hole all through the evening.
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