The Boston Celtics dominated the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night in a great all-around effort from the team.
For a while, the hottest team in Boston was the Bruins, but it seems like that title solely belongs to the Boston Celtics now. They can not stop winning and no one is complaining.
It seems like it might in fact be true that there can be addition by subtraction. Now that Kyrie Irving is gone the Celtics look like a much better team.
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On Veterans Day, the Celtics had a tough matchup. The Mavericks might not have an amazing record but they definitely have a talented roster. Luka Doncic is one of the league’s brightest young stars and is paired alongside “the unicorn” Kristaps Porzingas.
This game wouldn’t be a walk in the park for the Boston Celtics, especially without Gordon Hayward. They will have to get used to him being gone.
Hayward fractured his hand and will be out 6 weeks. This can only be described as a series of unfortunate events.
This seemed like Hayward’s comeback season. He was thriving and looking like Utah Gordon Hayward. Now that has been put on hold.
Hayward needs to rest and take his time returning. Then he will hopefully come back and play just as well as he did before his injury.
Thankfully the Boston Celtics were able to get the victory on Monday night and put on quite the performance. Here are the 3 major takeaways from Boston’s 116-106 mashing of the Mavs.
1. Jayson Tatum was ice cold
Monday was one of Jayson Tatum’s worse of his career. He couldn’t have paid to get a bucket.
Most of Tatum’s points came from the free-throw line. He only hit one shot from the field. Tatum finished the night 1-18. He was far and away the Celtics worse shooter on the night.
Now I am pretty sure this is more of an anomaly than a red flag. Tatum can’t be shooting lights out every day. It simply isn’t possible. Tatum couldn’t have had a worse night while still scoring points.
But the Celtics definitely need a more productive Jayson Tatum. He will be looked upon for most of the scoring while Gordon Hayward is out.
Hopefully, Tatum will be able to drive to the paint and rack up some more points in the Celtics next game. Monday night will definitely not be one that Jayson Tatum will want to remember.
2. Jaylen Brown takes over for Gordon Hayward
With Gordon Hayward out the Boston Celtics are going to need some more production from some players. On Monday night Jaylen Brown was the star.
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Brown recorded a double-double and was almost the Celtics leading scorer. He had 25 points and 11 rebounds in 38 minutes.
It seemed like Brown could get to the rim with ease, but also he was shooting the ball rather effectively. He shot over 50 percent from the field as well as the 3 point line.
This is a promising sight. It seems like Brown is taking the next step. He is averaging close to 20 points a game. Those are the type of numbers you see from All-Stars.
All signs are pointing towards Brown having a career year and proving a lot of doubters wrong. Expect performances like Monday nights to be more commonplace for Brown this season.
Just like the Celtics, Jaylen Brown is surprising people this season.
3. Kemba Walker was lights out
The Boston Celtics acquired Kemba Walker to make sure that they had a player who could take over games and make the shots that win games.
Walker didn’t have an amazing start to the game but he definitely had a strong finish. In the 4th quarter, Walker nailed a trio of 3 pointers in just over a minute. He finished the night with 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.
These are the games that show why Kemba is perfect for the Celtics. He is able to get hot quickly and can put games away for the team. He is an amazing point guard.
He is the perfect star for Boston and so far he has lived up to expectations. Maybe Walker will even be able to lead the Boston Celtics deep in the playoffs. The Celtics have already surprised us this season. I don’t think that they will be stopping anytime soon.