Celtics

Tatum scored 36 points and 10 assists, but fell one rebound short of the triple-double.

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics responded to Tuesday’s loss to the Hawks by beating the Nets 139-114 on Wednesday, outscoring Brooklyn by 20 in the second half.

Here are the takeaways.

Jayson Tatum nearly had an MVP-caliber triple-double.

Tatum nearly posted an eye-popping triple-double: 36 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. He half-heartedly chased a triple-double on his last few possessions, clearly aware of the number of rebounds he had, but also aware that chasing triple-doubles looks bad, and he fell respectably short while his replacement was waiting on the sidelines. When Joe Mazzulla asked if Tatum wanted to stay in and pursue the triple-double, Tatum declined. A good game and a good atmosphere everywhere.

The sore ankle that affected Tatum against the Hawks and had people (including us here) wondering if he would play on Wednesday didn’t appear to be a problem. Tatum punished smaller defenders and he caught a heater from three-point range that was never doused: 12-for-19 from the floor and 5-for-6 from behind the arc. He was +24 in box score, second only to Brown at +27, who was on the floor longer during the Celtics’ third-quarter run that broke the game open.

Tatum now leads the league in points, as well as points + rebounds + assists. In other words, he’s one of the NBA’s best players in raw production to date, and his team is nearly five points per 100 possessions better when he’s on the floor, which is pretty impressive considering they outscore teams by 12 points per 100 points. A total of 100 assets.

There are other MVP-caliber players in the league, and Nikola Jokic in particular has *on average* a triple-double, so Tatum may not be the favorite at this stage, but he was and is not only excellent, but the type star that his enormous potential always promised he could become.

“It’s only thirteen games left, so we still have a long way to go if we want to compare it with other seasons,” Tatum told reporters afterwards. “But I think I’m getting older in the sense that I’m in better physical condition. Being 26, this is the best I’ve felt physically compared to other years, and I think I’m just coming into my own, and just picking up where we left off last year, and knowing what we’re trying to achieve. and knowing that it starts from day one.”

Jaylen Brown took responsibility and then responded.

Brown called out himself and Tatum after the loss to the Hawks, saying they both needed to be better.

On Wednesday, Brown was also significantly better: 24 points, 12 rebounds and four assists with no turnovers after committing six turnovers against the Hawks. Brown scored 13 of his points in the second quarter, in which the Celtics did not pull away, but turned a four-point deficit into a five-point lead before halftime.

“Yesterday we had 11 combined turnovers,” Brown said, referring to himself and Tatum. “Tonight we only had one. So much better. We just have to make that a habit and do it consistently all year round.”

Brown is trying to start something with his sneakers.

Brown unveiled his signature shoe from his own company, 741 Performance, ahead of the season.

On Wednesday, a reporter asked Brown how things were going and how involved he was in the process.

“Extreme. It was a fun trip,” Brown said. “Learning about the sneaker industry, but also being able to make decisions based on what I feel like is ethical, but also what I feel like can also have an effect on how athletes look, and I looked at it from a business perspective.

“I think there are a lot of industries that have built organizations based on talent and influence, but we never see a lot of the talent and influence that a lot of those organizations have built themselves and can benefit from. That goes for the music industry, that goes for media companies, that goes for the sneaker industry. So I participate in that and encourage that. Hopefully in the next 10-20 years we will see more athletes, more entertainers, more artists in general, actors and actresses, who can create and produce and produce their own companies and organizations. .”

Payton Pritchard is having a breakout season.

Pritchard hasn’t been so much a different player this season as a fully realized version of himself: feisty, highly competitive, tough as nails and simply very good at every facet of basketball.

On Wednesday, Pritchard was spectacular off the bench again: 23 points, five rebounds, eight assists, 8-for-13 shooting (5-for-9 from three), two steals and generally disruptive on-ball defense. He made three-pointers. He made some tricky twos. He played very effectively on both ends of the court and was part of the late Celtics run that helped put the game away.

Earlier this week, Brian Scalabrine said he thought Pritchard would average 27 points per game if he started for another team, which is probably an exaggeration (Pritchard is averaging 20 points per 36 minutes this season), but that’s fair considering the production he put in. this season.

“Payton has been great, and that’s what we need,” Brown said. “He is a superstar in his role. It’s kind of expected because he’s done it so many times, and he’s done it so well.

“But it’s obviously a long season. We have to keep encouraging him, finding him, and sometimes even playing through him so that Payton is in charge. I don’t care. Especially when the guys have a role and just have the mentality that we’re a team and we’ll do whatever it takes to get it done.”

Pritchard the high flyer

In the second quarter, Pritchard somehow managed to sneak this putback over the edge for two of his 23 points.