Lacking consistency so far in the Bubble, the Celtics returned to their winnings ways in blowout fashion Wednesday against the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets, 149-115. This was a solid bounce-back performance after a disappointing showing against the Miami Heat, the team directly south of them in the Eastern Conference standings. Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics with 21 points while connecting on five three’s on nine attempts.
Free Romeo
With Jayson Tatum in early foul trouble, rookie Romeo Langford was the first in off the bench. While his box score might not be impressive, his impact was huge on the defensive end. You can tell he has taken some classes at the Marcus Smart School of Defense, as he did a great job of harassing Caris LeVert and blew up a couple of plays early in the shot clock to disrupt the Nets’ offense. Langford ended the night a +27, while adding four points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
Bench Produces
It has been known all season that a big weak spot for the Celtics is their bench production. On Wednesday, however, every player on the Cs contributed, as the bench racked up 69 points, led by Robert Williams III and Brad Wanamaker. Williams had arguably his best game of the season, as he showed discipline on defense and played within his role on offense. He had 18 points on a perfect 7-7 from the field, while adding five rebounds and three blocks. Wanamaker finished with 13 points and five assists on 4-7 shooting. It’s also worth noting that every active Celtic had at least three points on the night.
Red-Hot From Three
After a dreadful shooting performance against the Heat, which saw them shoot just 30.3 percent from three, the Celtics were able to bounce back as they shot a scorching hot 51.3 percent from deep. Brown and Tatum led the way with five made three’s apiece. They did a great job generating open looks no matter if the Nets were in man or zone, which is encouraging considering that the Heat zone gave them fits.
The third-seeded Celtics are back in action Friday against the Toronto Raptors and will look to increase their 2.5-game buffer on the fourth-seeded Heat.
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