Mavericks Pull Away From The Celtics, Win 113-94 At Home

by
Former Writers
November 25, 2018

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The Boston Celtics played in the second half of a back-to-back last night in Dallas. The Dallas Mavericks were 7-2 at home going into the game, and they kept true to that statistic. Through the first three quarters the Celtics were able to stick with the Mavericks, even holding a few slim leads. However, Boston seemed to run out of energy in the 4th quarter. This final stretch was the difference, allowing Mavericks to walk away victorious on their own court.

It was in these final minutes that veteran point-guard JJ Barea pulled some tricks out of his sleeves. Although 34-years old, Barea was able to use his quickness and his high IQ to get good shots. The Celtics offense also decided to take a nap in the most important quarter of the game. This would be the recipe of disaster to end the game.

Following our defeat in Dallas, the players said they need to get back to making teams fear them. https://t.co/jJCsRcmF0D

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 25, 2018

Rough Play by the Bench

I thought the starters played well for the most part. There was definitely inefficiency from every Celtic. However, the starters looked good. Tatum led all scoring with 21, and it seems like he has finally got his legs underneath him. This goes along with Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown, who also had good games as well. Al Horford even grabbed 8 rebounds, which is an anomaly for him.

It was when the bench players came in that the game got away from Boston. Besides Smart, the bench didn’t play very well. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens ran a nine man rotation, and it proved to be a bad move.

Terry Rozier and Aron Baynes only had four points respectively on poor efficiency. The main culprit was Semi Ojeleye, who played 18 minutes and had 0 points. Laying an egg like that is unacceptable, especially for a guy who wants to play for a playoff caliber team.

Player of the Game: Jayson Tatum

I enjoyed Tatum’s attack tonight. He seemed aggressive, and was hitting hard from deep. Furthermore, he was no slouch tonight on defense and added valuable minutes on that side of the ball.

Honorable Mention: Marcus Morris

“I’ll take that.” –@jaytatum0 https://t.co/VqGrHhWZzj

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 25, 2018

Looking Forward to the Next Game

The Celtics continue their road trip to New Orleans on Monday. They will be playing the 10-10 Pelicans who have had a dominant frontcourt. In all honesty, with the Celtics big men playing the way that they are, it won’t be an easy win for Boston.