Celtics four leaf clover: 4 takeaways from roaring win over Grizzlies

For their third win in a row, the scorching Boston Celtics led wire-to-wire against the struggling Memphis Grizzlies.

Kyrie Irving balled out. The bench played like a starting five. The Boston Celtics won. Rinse and repeat.

Whether it is rest, health, or just coincidence, the Celtics are back on track. After a rough patch left many fans doubting their true skill, Boston responded in a big way. In the 3 games following the All-Star break, the Celtics went 3-0 and outscored opponents 340-308.

The win last night against a low-tier Memphis Grizzlies team continued to show the improvement of an already great team. Here are the four clovers from the very relaxing win.

Blowouts are fun

In the last three games, the Celtics have won games by 12, 9 and 11 points. Against the Pistons and Grizzlies, the outcome of the game was decided by the fourth quarter. It feels good to relax again as a Celtics fan.

The last time a Celtics game was decided entering the fourth quarter was the blowout loss to the Cavs on February 11.

In a Celtics win, the last time was way back on February 2 against the Hawks.

Blowout wins like last night allow the fans and most importantly the players to get some rest on game nights. Al Horford played just 24 minutes. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum played just 26 apiece. Kyrie Irving played just 25 (and still put up 25-6-5, by the way). I’m sure they were perfectly fine with Abdel Nader and Semi Ojeleye getting some minutes.

Daniel Theis fits

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In this three game winning streak, Daniel Theis has stood out more than any Celtics player besides Kyrie. He put up 21 MPG, 12 PPG, and 7 RPG on 15-21 shooting. Without a doubt, he is playing the best basketball of his very short NBA career.

Also, Theis has quickly earned the respect of Brad Stevens. When Aron Baynes missed a game with an injury, Theis got his first career start. When Baynes came back, Stevens brought Theis as the primary center of the bench instead of Greg Monroe.

It feels weird to say, but Daniel Theis might be the rightful starting center for the Celtics. I made this point after the last game: Theis should start against lower level centers and Baynes should start against guys like Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond. Monroe could either come off the bench if the bench is struggling to score or remain on the bench like he did tonight.

Wow, who would have thought one month ago that the Celtics would have a logjam at the 5 spot?

Another highlight for Jaylen

Another game and another spectacular highlight from Jaylen Brown. Hopefully, Celtics fans will be in for a treat for years to come. Quite a play from someone who could be a junior in college.

https://twitter.com/celtics/status/968313224717365248

Put ’em in the washing machine, Jaylen!

The Lakers ruin everything

Even on a night where the Celtics could do no wrong, we still have to look at the future. With the Memphis Grizzlies coming to town, the Celtics front office got a reminder of how many teams are currently tanking. Unfortunately, that list does not include the Los Angeles Lakers.

Last night, the Lakers won their third straight game and improved to 7-3 in their last 10. Currently, they have the 10th worst record in the league. With each passing day, it looks like the Lakers pick will not fall between 2-5 and the 76ers will receive the pick instead.

Even on a good night, the Lakers will always find a way to bring misfortune to Boston.

What’s Next?

On Wednesday, the Celtics will face their fourth opponent in a row under .500 . The Charlotte Hornets, a team Boston has routinely dominated, come into the TD Garden.

Next: Boston Celtics: 5 reasons Charles Barkley should not dismiss C’s

Will there be more highlights? Will Kyrie Irving go for 50? There is only one way to find out: check in the moring after the game for another edition of Four Leaf Clovers here on Chowder & Champions.