The Celtics knew this six-game street journey – with a number of beatable opponents – was vital as they attempt to construct good habits and repair a few of their obtrusive points because the playoffs loom.
But if Saturday’s win over the Hawks was an encouraging signal, Monday was a significant step in the other way.
The Celtics have suffered some puzzling losses to inferior opponents this season and Monday’s defeat is well among the many worst of the season, particularly at this stage of the 12 months. The C’s didn’t begin the evening with the correct vitality and their dangerous habits and deficiencies had been on show in ugly vogue in a expensive, inexcusable 111-109 loss to the Houston Rockets, who’re useless final within the Western Conference with 52 losses and already formally eradicated from the playoff image, and who the Celtics pummeled by 24 again in December.
Forget the No. 1 seed. At this charge, the Celtics will likely be preventing over their ultimate 13 video games simply to take care of the No. 2 seed, which they lead by only one recreation over the 76ers.
Jaylen Brown scored 43 factors, and it could have been worse with out him. The Celtics trailed by 11 with lower than 5 minutes to go and fought again, however couldn’t full the comeback. Down two with seven seconds left, Joe Mazzulla drew up a play and put the ball in Jayson Tatum’s fingers, however the Celtics star missed a layup on the buzzer to seal the loss.
The Celtics had been atrocious from 3-point vary, ending 12-for-42 and 28.9 % from deep. They fell to 11-17 this season after they shoot lower than 35 % from lengthy vary. But, Mazzulla was targeted on the margins that proceed to price the Celtics video games.
The Celtics had been as soon as once more out-hustled on the glass, the place they gave up 15 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance factors to the younger and athletic Rockets. They had been crushed on the free-throw line. And they coughed up 13 turnovers, together with 4 every from Tatum and Marcus Smart.
“Those are concerning, the margins,” Mazzulla advised reporters in Houston. “That’s playoff basketball at its finest, is the ability to win those situations, so it’s concerning that we’re inconsistent in that. We have to be committed to those regardless of who we’re playing, regardless of the situation, regardless of how many games are left. It doesn’t matter. You have to be committed to those.”
While Brown was one of the best participant on the ground for the primary half, Tatum began 3-for-12 from the sphere and was 1-for-7 from 3 at halftime and his efficiency represented a lackadaisical begin from the C’s, who gave up 13 second-chance factors within the first half. Tatum responded with 13 factors within the third, however the dangerous habits continued and so they nonetheless trailed getting into the fourth.
It was an uphill climb from there. Tatum took the blame.
“(The effort) wasn’t too great,” Tatum advised reporters. “We picked it up too late. I take the blame for that. I didn’t necessarily start the best, and I feel like that kind of spread throughout the team. I have to be better to start the game, just from an energy level of being active out there. Towards the end of the game, when we were trying to come back and damn near trying to be perfect, and a couple turnovers or they were hitting shots, they were already in a rhythm. That starts from the beginning, so I have to be better. We have to be better to start.”
The C’s appeared to show a nook late as they picked up some vitality on the defensive finish. Al Horford drew a soar ball that led to a three-point play for Malcolm Brogdon. Smart was then fouled on the free-throw try and he made one to make it a one-point recreation with 1:44 left.
Down three with 52 seconds to go, Brown was fouled whereas capturing a pull-up 3-pointer. But he missed the primary free throw and made the following two to chop the deficit again to at least one. On the following Houston possession, the Celtics’ worst flaw reared its ugly head once more. Kenyon Martin Jr. missed a 3-pointer, however corralled his personal rebound.
The Celtics then compelled a turnover on Jalen Green, however with the ball rolling out of bounds, Tatum tried saving it by making an attempt a behind-the-back move down the court docket to Brown and it was off track. Kevin Porter Jr. received the ball, the shot clock didn’t reset, and Green made each free throws after being fouled.
Mazzulla known as timeout and drew up a play for Brown, who drove for a layup to make it 110-109. Jabari Smith Jr. then made one in every of two free throws, however Tatum’s game-tying try fell off the rim.
It was too little, too late for these flawed Celtics.
“The threes, people like to talk about those. Free throws, offensive rebounds, second-chance points and turnovers. That’s the game. That’s every game,” Mazzulla stated. “Those margins are extremely important. I don’t care if you shoot half-court shots. If you don’t win those three margins, you’re not going to win many basketball games. When we’re at our best, we do that, and when we’re inconsistent, we don’t do that. We have to be committed to those.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com
