Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown set the Mavericks on fire in the Celtics’ victory: 8 takeaways

celts

Brown spent much of the match burning Luka Doncic.

Luka Doncic. Tim Heitman/Getty Images

The Celtics used a big second quarter to build a lead against the Mavericks, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown recovered from a cold snap to help them earn their second road win in as many nights, 119-110.

Here are the conclusions.

1. You usually don’t worry about Tatum and Brown struggling for a couple of games in a row because a return to the mean is coming, and on Monday, the duo returned. After cold nights against the Nuggets (in a loss) and Rockets (in a win), they more than made up the difference with Derrick White struggling (2 of 12 from the floor) and Kristaps Porzingis out, lighting the Mavericks on fire. ‘ Mediocre lateral defense for a combined total of 73 points.

Tatum led the game with 39 points, doing much of his damage from the free throw line, where he finished 15 of 19. He shot just 2 of 8 from 3-point range, but frequently broke away in transition, and the Mavericks had no one who could really catch up to him or challenge him when he rose into the air.

The single-game over/under for an individual player is almost meaningless (Brown, who we’ll get to in a minute, was -6, which clearly didn’t represent how he played), but Tatum was +27, which is a so big that it is impossible not to notice it. The Mavericks have two All-Stars and some good role players around them, but against a player with Tatum’s build and skill level, they were in trouble.

2. Meanwhile, Brown spent much of the game burning Luka Doncic, and seemed to enjoy doing it immensely. Doncic couldn’t stay in front of Brown, couldn’t get high enough to contest anything Brown tried from mid-range, and fell into a nasty crossover.

As a team, the Celtics shot 66.7 percent at short and long midrange (98th percentile), and Brown’s 11-15 performance inside the arc was a big reason why.

Social media has often debated the merits of Tatum vs. Doncic, pitting Doncic’s ability to manipulate a defense and make an entire offensive system run smoothly against Tatum’s two-way stardom and efficient offensive production. A performance like Brown’s on Monday also serves as a tick in Tatum’s column, because Doncic’s inability to do anything against Brown hurt the Mavericks down the stretch.

3. Brown’s crossover against Doncic was so bad for the Mavericks star that it caused some drama on his bench. After the play, the Mavericks’ scoreboard made the very questionable decision to show it again, and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Markieff Morris both went. less than satisfied.

“Are we home or away?” Hardaway asked. Mavericks scoreboard operators, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.

Frankly, it’s a fair question. And no less than on the Slovenian Mavericks Night!

4. In his first meeting with his old team, Grant Williams played just 17:46 and finished 1 of 5 from the floor, 0 of 4 from behind the arc. He seemed to bother Tatum on one possession shortly before the end of the first half, and when Williams got the ball and tried to take a shot from half court, Tatum put a little more heat behind his swing as he hit it out of bounds. limits. After the play, Tatum walked to the locker room looking at Williams with some venom.

Tatum after told reporters that “he tried to kick that shit…” and that he couldn’t repeat what he said when he got up from the court. However, he and Williams hugged each other with big smiles after the game.

Admittedly, we haven’t watched the Mavericks as extensively as the Celtics this year, but the best thing Williams did in his final season with the Celtics was ramp up the intensity for certain defensive matchups. It seemed a little strange that Dallas didn’t give him more opportunities to harass the Celtics’ best players.

5. You have to give the Celtics credit for their strategy of staggering Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis in back-to-back games, which has not only kept minutes for both players low but has also ensured that, no matter what, a man large with titular caliber will continue standing. be available on any given night. With Porzingis on the court and Horford out, the Celtics are outscoring their opponents by 12.1 points per 100 possessions (stats via Glass Cleaning). With Horford in and Porzingis out, that number drops to 8.1. Overall, the Celtics outperform their opponents by 9.9 points. There’s a slight dip with Porzingis out, but Horford still helps the Celtics become an overwhelmingly positive team.

Horford finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists against the Mavericks, going 4 of 7 from the floor and 3 of 6 from behind the arc.

6. Two games removed from turning the ball over just twice against the Nuggets, the Celtics turned the ball over just six times against the Mavericks. Neither Brown nor Tatum recorded a single one.

7. Jrue Holiday won’t be the center of attention given the Blue Jays’ exploits, but he’s presumably used to that by now, and he quietly finished with a good game: 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while also scoring five 3s .-pointers (6 of 13) in general. Outside of Holiday (5 of 12) and Horford (3 of 6), the Celtics were 7 of 28 from deep (25 percent), so Holiday’s spacing proved to be a major factor.

8. After a hectic January, the Celtics finally have two days off before their next game: the finale of their three-game road trip in Miami against the Heat on Thursday. They finish the month with home games against the Clippers, the Pelicans and (yes, once again) the Pacers.

Thursday’s contest begins at 7:30 pm on TNT.