Shocking Revelations from Boston’s Stunning Showdown in Orlando: 5 Game-Changing Takeaways!
There was no need for the Boston Celtics to suit up any of their regular starters Wednesday night, playing on the second night of a back-to-back and locked into the East’s No. 2 seed for the playoffs. So they took the opportunity to rest six of their top guys – Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Jayson Tatum, and Derrick White – for the antepenultimate game of the season in Orlando.
Their opponent, meanwhile, still had much to play for; the Magic were seeking to seize the No. 7 seed for the top spot in the play-in tournament, so they went with their regular starters against Boston’s second- and third-stringers and turned in a 96-76 win.
Although the final result wasn’t pretty for Boston, there were still some solid individual performances and electrifying moments worth highlighting:
1. Payton Pritchard’s Facilitation
Earning his second start of the season, Payton Pritchard could’ve used Wednesday night as a chance to go all-out in the scoring department. Instead, he chose to get others, who rarely get a chance to shine, involved.
Pritchard turned in his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 assists. Such volume in the latter department stood out, considering there weren’t many baskets to assist on. Pritchard recorded almost half of his team’s 21 dimes and assisted on nearly one-third of his team’s 32 baskets.
“I definitely look at this as a learning opportunity,” Pritchard said, “because I’m always trying to grow and take the next step.”
Pritchard stepped up and assisted five different teammates. Though he clearly had a favorite in Luke Kornet, who converted four of Pritchard’s helpers.
2. Luke Kornet’s Consistency
Kornet’s reliability in converting those passes earns him the next spot on our list. He was the lone starter to shoot over 43 percent, knocking down 7-of-10 from the field. His 14-point effort represented the seventh double-digit scoring performance in his last nine games, and he has hardly missed the basket during that span.
Further proving his importance, he was the only starter to finish with a positive plus/minus. The Celtics outscored Orlando by two points during his 25 minutes of action and were outscored by 22 during his 23 minutes on the bench.
3. Baylor Scheierman’s Ambidexterity
Baylor Scheierman was elevated off the bench to make the first start of his NBA career, and he did not disappoint. The rookie wing had a well-rounded 15-point, five-rebound, three-assist, one-steal effort while playing more than 35 minutes.
He made all five of his 2-point attempts, including a pair of difficult sweeping layups with soft finishes high off the glass. The two shots were nearly identical stylistically, except for the fact that they were achieved with opposite hands – one with his dominant left and one with his right.
Scheierman continues to impress with his flashy passing and confident 3-point shooting, but those two layups displayed how versatile of a scorer he can be, as well.
4. Neemias Queta’s Power
While Scheierman showed off his soft touch, Neemias Queta exhibited his raw power. Partway through the second quarter, the Portuguese center caught a pass from Pritchard while driving through the center of the lane and threw down a thunderous poster dunk on Wendell Carter Jr.
Analytically, it was one of the more impressive dunks of the entire NBA season. According to the league’s website, it received a dunk score of 113.2, the fourth-highest score of the season. (To learn more about how “dunk score” is calculated, take a peek at this article.)
The Celtics are the only team to have multiple dunks within the top six scores this season; Jaylen Brown’s throw-down on Nov. 29 in Chicago ranks two spots behind Queta’s with a score of 109.6.
5. Miles Norris’ Scoring Milestone
Miles Norris pulled up for his first NBA shot attempt Wednesday night and was sure to make it count.
Making his second appearance with the C’s since signing a two-way contract on March 4, Norris connected on two 3-pointers, including one that he’ll remember forever. He rose up for his first field goal attempt from beyond the arc with about four minutes remaining in the third quarter and sunk it with ease.
What made the shot even sweeter was that it was assisted by none other than Pritchard, who happens to be a longtime friend and former Oregon Duck teammate of Norris.
