Tremendous win! Yes, the Celtics were missing Kemba & Brown, but we were playing without Oubre and Cam... OK, Boston was missing more firepower than we were, but, Boston is more talented across the entire roster and we were in Boston...
I honestly don't care at all that the Celtics made it tight in the end...bottom line is the team found the way to battle long enough and well enough to get the W. And I am certain this game will serve as another growth and learning oppty for this young team.
Ayton was flat-out balling once again. He is such an incredible deterrent on defense. Though, I still can't believe Tatum hit that 3 pointer late in the 4th with Ayton on him. The great thing about that play was the Deandre was smart enough not to put himself in a position to be called for a foul!
He missed a few bunnies... but you would have to be blind not to see his engine all revved up now. It's clear his conditioning has vastly improved since he's come back from the ankle injury. He's now played bigtime starter minutes in back to back games. He looks a little winded late in the game today, but overall he appears to be close to top form.
He's battling for boards and working hard to get into position where he can be fed the ball and do some damage.
Hard not to mention Bridge's coming out party tonight! 40 bigtime, influential minutes & 26 points, along with 2 blocks and his standard pesky defense.
Saric was up & down and largely inconsistent. But 37 mins and a +/- of +19 with his double-double.
And Booker essentially had a triple-double. Another fantastic performance for Devin.
Our bench is brutal and will keep us from grabbing some W's. No doubt a key focal point for Jones next year.
All in all, a fantastic win as this team continues to learn, develop and grow.
