The Utah Jazz beat the Boston Celtics 99-94 Friday
The Celtics had what could only be described as an odd, uninspired game Friday night against the Utah Jazz.Kemba Walker and Robert Williams were hobbled with minutes restrictions for the game. Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown were missing entirely. Despite this, the Celtics came out quickly and built a sizable lead in the first, then watched it completely vanish heading into the second quarter thanks to the Conley and Gobert duo.
Conley and Gobert Duo – Dynamic and Deadly
and Gobert duo helped to smother the C’s Friday night.
After slow initial starts, Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert both woke up half way through the first quarter and took over. Mike Conley was everywhere at once, ending up with 25 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. Gobert played Robin to Conley’s Batman and chipped in nine points for seven rebounds for the near double-double. The Jazz buried thirteen three point shots in the first half to demoralize the Celtics and chipped in four more in the second half for good measure and keep their lead.
Tired Celtics and Low Shooting Percentages
The Celtics could not get themselves back on top once the Jazz took over, despite several attempted runs. The C’s got close, pulling within seven points in the fourth with 1:50 left in the game, but it just was not enough. The team as a whole could not score, ending the game with a 37.2% FG shooting percentage, and 27.8% from three. Every bench player ended with a negative plus/minus, with Javonte Green the “best” at just minus four. The starting lineup was not much better as a whole. The team was clearly missing Brown and Hayward’s scoring abilities and ball movement.
Two straight air-ball three pointers for Brad Wanamaker proved to be self-hammered nails into the Celtics’ coffin late in the fourth. The team looked tired, and Utah looked determined to avenge the loss they suffered to the Celtics on their home court not long ago.The perimeter defense was also terrible for most of the game (a disturbing trend). It was a sloppy, uninspired night for the C’s that looked more like a full-speed scrimmage at times. Hopefully Brad Stevens was able to take some lessons from the game and the lineups he was tinkering with for the playoffs, otherwise Friday night’s game was a waste of effort.
Side Notes:
Happy 26th birthday to Marcus Smart. He had a solid night despite the loss. He also took quite the beating for his efforts. Kendrick Perkins (on the announce team) did award Marcus Smart the “Tommy Point” for the game, a nice gift for Marcus.
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