Skip to main content

10 takeaways from Celtics 116-105 loss to Houston's Deadly Duo

Mike D'Antoni's "experiment" employing his Deadly Duo of Russell Westbrook and James Harden to continually attack Boston's defense worked like a charm, giving the Houston Rockets the 116-105 win over the Celtics. Here are 10 takeaways from last night's contest.

#1) Boston had no answer for Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

The numbers don't tell it all, but here they are. Houston's Deadly Duo combined for 78 points, 18 boards and 12 assists. Westbrook was able to get to the rim repeatedly, either scoring or picking up a foul on most of his drives. The two guards shot a total of 31 free throws and made 27 of them. Westbrook, particularly, benefited from Mike D'Antoni's small-ball experiment. With no Rockets big man clogging the middle, he had his way with with any Boston defender trying to stop him.


#2) Brad Stevens quickly noted Enes Kanter's ineffectiveness against Houston's attack

Kanter played a mere eight minutes in this one, missing his only two shot attempts - creating two turnovers and picking up two fouls. Enes had trouble countering P. J. Tucker's toughness underneath and working Stevens' switching defense against such a small-ball lineup.

#3) Celtics defense was decent, but the offense was stagnant.

Boston simply did not move the ball around, often settling for one or two passes and then letting it fly. Stevens did acknowledge that Houston's physical brand of defense may have played a role.

#4) Celtics 18 turnovers contributed to the loss

Boston ranks 8th in turnovers for the season, losing control of the ball 13.8 times per game. They were clearly frazzled by Mike D'Antoni's offensive and defensive schemes.

#5) Jaylen Brown was clearly hampered by two sore ankles

Jaylen did have a decent game, scoring 19 points on 8-of-14 from the field and 4-of-8 on 3-pointers, but he only grabbed three boards and passed off for one assist. He also had a team-high five turnovers.

#6) Jayson Tatum seemed discombobulated

Jayson came away with 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals, but he shot only 33% from the field, while missing all seven of his treys. He also picked up a few fouls going for pump fakes.

#7) Gordon Hayward is the stabilizing influence for Boston

Gordon doesn't make many errors, and he usually make the right pass, grabs key rebounds and shoots the ball in the right situations. He came away with 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and only two turnovers. He seemed to be one of the few Celtics players not frazzled by Houston's "experiment".

#8) Brad Wanamaker making a mark as a solid substitute

Brad had another fine game, scoring 11 points on 5-of-9 on field goals and 1-of-2 from beyond the arc. He added three assists and two steals, and came away with team-high plus/minus (players with double-digit minutes) of +7.

#9) Grant Williams has the physique and toughness to match Houston's P. J. Tucker as a small-ball center

Grant grabbed four rebounds in only eight minutes of action. He is a strong, physical wide-body that fights for, and gets, great position under the boards.


#10) Celtics need to find a way to defend Harden and Westbrook without fouling

Houston shot 42 free throw attempts to Boston's 25. The Rockets Deadly Duo accounted for 27 points at the free throw line. Almost everything the Celtics tried failed. They need to find a way.

Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel, @CausewayStreet and Fascebook



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on four occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts 2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 3.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the stage is often set for true horror. Such was the case with triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante . As a 16-year old , he quickly transitioned from: Minor thefts and breaking into homes To: Taunting and threatening a father and his two daughters as an unseen

Rules of survival: When search-and-rescue turns into body recovery

 How the Hell did this happen? Two days after 19-year-old Emily Sotelo was supposedly dropped off in Franconia Notch (NH) at roughly 5:00 AM ET, Sunday, November 20, 2022 by her mother, to hike several mountains alone, the search continues for the young lady. Photo by Linda Lane The information from news agencies indicated that Emily started hiking the trails while it was still dark. She was supposedly wearing only sneakers, a coat and workout pants. I can persona;ly attest that the weather in the area was very cold with high wind speeds, and gaining elevation on the trails would only add to the horrendous conditions. Ms. Sotelo was reportedly a seasoned hiker, but had little or no experience hiking in winter. At the peaks, temperatures on that Sunday dropped to zero degrees with a wind chill of minus-30 degrees. It is beyond my comprehension to imagine a hiker-of-experience tackling that kind of travel - in extreme weather - with only basic clothes and few (or no) supplies. I have hik

Nik Stauskas adds "shooting with size" voiced by Brad Stevens

 As a 6'6" shooting guard, 28-year-old Nik Stauskas adds that shooting with size sorely needed by the Boston Celtics. Drafted 8th-overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2014, Stauskas has bounced around to various teams since then. Nik Stauskas' deal with the Boston Celtics includes non-guaranteed salary for the second season in 2022-23, a source tells @celticsblog . — Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 4, 2022 Nik has never averaged more than 9.5 points per game in the NBA, but Boston is most likely counting on his production for Grand Rapids in the G League as the incentive to sign him. In 17 games thus far, he has averaged 24.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.8 APG - while shooting 50% on field goals and 45% on treys. Nik Stauskas is signing a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Stauskas had an historic week, scoring 100 points on 57 and 43 point performances in back-to-back games for Grand Rapids. — Adrian Wo