Memphis blues: 3 Celtics players who rocked in big win vs Grizzlies

Make that three in a row.  The Boston Celtics delivered some fourth quarter blues in a 109-106 win over the Memphis Grizzlies Monday night at FedEx Forum.

In the battle of young MVP candidates, Jayson Tatum outshined Ja Morant in leading the Celtics to improving their record to 7-3.  Catapulted by a 20-0 second quarter run, which highlighted 10 of Tatum’s 39 points, the C’s displayed some serious toughness in this game by erasing a nine-point deficit to take over the momentum of the game.

Not only did they get hot scoring the ball, but they competed on the boards and countered every punch thrown by the Grizzlies including a 16-5 run to open the fourth quarter.

Boston Celtics finding their identity on the road  in big victory vs Grizzlies

Whether it was clutch shots, the playmaking of Marcus Smart or tough, aggressive defense, the Celtics are starting to find their identity, especially coming against an explosive player like Morant and a top team like the Grizzlies.

With Jaylen Brown struggling through most of the game, the Celtics got key contributions from just about everyone who played.  Malcolm Brogdon only had eight points on the night, but he contributed with 10 rebounds.  Al Horford returned to the lineup with a season-high 15 points and Grant Williams had a couple of key free throws down the stretch to help the Celtics clinch a big victory down in Memphis.

The key takeaway in this game is that when key players have a down night scoring the ball, the Celtics can still turn to their defense and find ways to finish out games like they have done on this current three-game winning streak.

"“The way we keep responding,” Smart said after the game.  “These games are gritty.  We’re finding ways to win.  Last year we weren’t doing that.”"

Despite a couple of tough losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Celtics have gotten off to a nice start by winning 7 of their first 10 games.  Here are 3 players who rocked in their latest road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Boston Celtics big man Al Horford makes his presence known

On a night where Jaylen Brown wasn’t having his best offensive night, the Celtics needed another player to step up and contribute some offense.

One of those players was veteran big man Al Horford, who finished the game with a season-high 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 block shots.

The Celtics stretch big man was also 3-of-3 from beyond the 3-point stripe and hit 6 of his 7 free throws in 32 minutes played on the night.

After sitting out the second half of a back-to-back against the New York Knicks, Horford was the fresh version of himself.  Not only did he look strong after the extended rest, but he also looked youthful with this alley op dunk against the Grizzlies:

Yes, toss it to the OG who continues to help this team by doing the little things on the court and delivering that veteran leadership on and off the court.

The key on the court is the Celtics finding ways to keep him fresh as the season moves forward.  The eventual return of Robert Williams should help that, but also continued strong play off the bench from Grant Williams and Noah Vonleh when called upon.

In all a solid game from Horford who battled on the boards and picked his spots offensively.

The Boston Celtics emotional leader strikes again

Man, Marcus Smart is making a statement as the Boston Celtics starting point guard.

After dishing out 11 assists on Saturday night in the victory over the New York Knicks, Smart continued to play smart ball by having his best night of the season by contributed 15 points and dropping dimes once again with a game-high 12 assists.

While there are some Celtics fans calling for Malcolm Brogdon to start over Smart, the Celtics point guard is really fitting into his role and excelling at it.  He also had a message for those hecklers in the crowd.

"“I had a heckler on their sideline kind of going crazy,” Smart said, via NBC Sports Boston.  “It gave me a little more motivation to come out here and play the best basketball I can.  I was just taking the shots they were giving me and I was taking the looks and the passes they were giving me to find my teammates.”"

In delivering 23 assists over the last two games, Smart has showcased his ability to find his teammates and guide them to easy shots. He has also picked his spots scoring the ball, including this left-hand throw in the middle part of the fourth quarter:

In all, 10-15 points a night along with double-digit assists and strong defense is exactly the type of night’s where Marcus Smart is most effective.  Hopefully there will be a lot more games ahead like this for the Celtics emotional leader.

Boston Celtics young superstar Jayson Tatum delivers a mission statement

In a battle of MVP candidates, it was the Boston Celtics young superstar that came out on top.

With this 39-point performance, Jayson Tatum left little doubt that he is a force to be reckoned with in this league going up against another force in Ja Morant.

Whether it was outside scoring, dunks or getting to the free throw, Tatum did it all in this game and he made it look easy.

What’s good about Tatum’s performance Monday night is that he seems to rise to the occasion against high-level players like Morant.  Not only is he leading his team in scoring, he is doing all the other things on the court to also help his team when like setting up other players for shots and hustling on the defensive end.

Now Tatum and Celtics fans did get a scare due to that hustle.  While chasing a loose ball in the final minute of the game, Morant crashed into Tatum’s knee sending a moment of panic throughout Celtics nation.  Fortunately, Tatum seems find following the collision.

"“It was just kinda like a weird fall,” Tatum said following the game.  “He dove for it, I tried to pick it up get out of the way, nothing intentional.  I guess his knee collided with mine, so I felt a little discomfort there.  But I obviously kept playing, got it looked at, so I’m fine.”"

Whew!

As far as Tatum’s performance to start the NBA season, he is now averaging 31.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists.  Sounds like a viable MVP candidate to me and also a player on a mission to rectify his NBA Finals disappointing performance.