Skip to main content

Danny Ainge’s drafting-and-dealing on display in Celtics 126-114 win over Raptors

Image
By

 


With three of Boston’s top options at point guard among the missing last night, the Celtics were able to upset the Toronto Raptors , with the final score at 126-114. Marcus Smart, Jeff Teague and Kemba Walker were all out of action with various injuries, but it didn’t matter.

The main take from the victory may be that Danny Ainge, despite occasional negative noise about his decisions, has made some great moves over the years – and a number of them were on display last night. It starts with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, taken with the 3rd overall picks in consecutive drafts via the Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett trade with the Nets.

Tatum had a team-high 40 points and went to the foul line 13 times, making all of those attempts. He also came away with plus/minus honors with a +24.  Brown notched 19 points, along with five boards and three assists. The Jay Team has become consistently potent.

Rookie Payton Pritchard is starting to look like the steal of the 2020 draft. He was taken 26th-overall in the 2020 draft. In 32 minutes of action, Payton put up 23 points and passed off for eight assists. This was a further test for the youngster, and he passed it (literally) with ease. 

Rob Williams was on the hardwood for 20 minutes, coming away with a double-double consisting of 11 points (4-of-5 on FGs) and 15 rebounds. The 27th-overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft was also 3-of-3 from the foul stripe. We may have another gem in this athletic phenomenon. 

Semi Ojeleye (37th pick in 2017) and Grant Williams (22nd pick in 2019) may still be sparring for a long-term roster slot, and they were both on target versus the Raptors. Semi had his second productive outing in a row, notching 12 points – hitting 4-of-9 on field goals and 3-of 5 on treys. Ojeleye also took down eight rebounds. Grant came up with 14 points, six boards and three blocks.

Ainge has kept his team in contention ever since his arrival in Boston, and he has accomplished that without the shameless tanking exhibited by the Philadelphia 76’ers. One choice Danny has made in picking Brad Stevens to coach his team has come under fire lately, perhaps with some basis. But I suspect that, beyond injuries and caution, one or more of the “walking wounded” were held out of last night’s game, in part, to test the subs. It seems Brad is loosening the strings on his troops, and it worked – at least for last night.







Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

By
 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
9 comments
Read more

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

By
 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
42 comments
Read more

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

By
 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
Post a Comment
Read more