Before Wednesday’s sport towards the Pistons – the ultimate one earlier than the All-Star break – Celtics interim coach Joe Mazzulla was requested what his message to his gamers can be going into the week off.
“It depends on how tonight’s game goes,” Mazzulla mentioned.
“I have five answers,” he added. “I have five suggestions depending on the results of tonight.”
Safe to say, one in every of them was what he hoped for.
Wednesday might have served as one thing of a lure sport for the Celtics, lower than 24 hours faraway from an exhausting loss in Milwaukee and with flights to holidays able to be boarded. But they approached it with the seriousness it required, even towards the lowly Pistons. The returns of Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum confirmed that, and the duo adopted via by main an intensive 127-109 victory at TD Garden because the C’s went into the break on a well-deserved excessive be aware.
Tatum scored 38 factors – together with a career-high 24 within the third quarter – with 9 rebounds and 7 assists, and Smart returned from an 11-game absence to stuff the stat sheet with 9 factors, seven rebounds, six assists and 6 steals. Malcolm Brogdon, an evening after logging 39 minutes, offered one other huge bench increase with 25 factors.
The C’s received seven of their last 9 video games going into the All-Star break as they stayed atop the Eastern Conference.
Source: www.bostonherald.com