Getty Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics took care of business on Sunday, April 3, as the team steamrollered their way to a 42-point win against the Washington Wizards.
In recent days, the Celtics have been struggling on the defensive end, as they continue to adjust the Robert Williams absence, caused by a meniscus tear. The Celtics had lost to the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat, before struggling to overcome a short-handed Indiana Pacers team.
Still, any concerns about the Celtics’ defensive struggles were put to bed on Sunday, as the Celtics shut down Washington from the opening tip, and dominated proceedings on both ends of the floor. Of course, as is par for the course these days, the team did struggle to limit “the Celtics killer” Ish Smith, though.
Season-high 39 assists for the Celtics, who down the Wizards 144-102 while shooting 52.3% (23-of-44) from long range.
The Celtics’ offense was operating at an elite level with the team setting a season-high in assists with 39. However, it is worth noting that the Wizards were playing without their star scorer in Bradley Beal, while impressive wing Kyle Kuzma was also out of the rotation with injury. But, you can only beat what’s put in front of you, and that’s precisely what the Celtics did.
Celtics Twitter Goes Wild For 42-Point Win
Social media is always a good barometer for how people are feeling, a quick scroll through the timeline usually tells you everything you need to know about a specific trending subject. And last night, Celtics Twitter was on top form.
It all started with praise for Jaylen Brown, who was unquestionably the most talented player on the floor.
Jaylen Brown over the last 9 games:
28.9 PPG
5.8 RPG
3.2 APG
56.7% FG
50% 3-PT
Celtics 8-1.
jaylen brown is fully in contention for an all nba spot by the way. he’s been nothing short of incredible
“Jaylen Brown should’ve been an All-Star. RT if you agree,” @alex_walulik Tweeted.
“Jaylen Brown: ‘I feel like the stars are aligning, we’ve just got to make sure that we take care of business,'” @TheCelticsFP shared.
But, after such an impressive performance, fans came out in their droves to praise the team, and postulate how far the Celtics can go once the post-season starts on April 16.
“You’re telling me the Celtics bench is knocking them down in the fourth? seems like all the pieces are coming together for what’s bound to be the most hype playoff run the c’s have had in recent years,” @SmarfWater Tweeted.
Celtics Seeding Still Not Finalized
Boston currently sits second in the Eastern Conference, two games behind the Heat, and half a game ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. Each team still has remaining games to play, and as a result, the conference’s final seeding is subject to change.
Boston could potentially still finish top of their conference, but also have a realistic chance of sliding down to fourth. Seeding is especially important this year, because the conference is so tough, and there are some teams that project to be dominant in the playoffs languishing towards the bottom of the seeding table.
10 days, 5 games to go. Celtics updated seeding probabilities from @bball_ref’s daily sims:
1: 9.8%
2: 25.1%
3: 31.5%
4: 25.5%
5: 7.5%
6: 0.6%
For instance, the Brooklyn Nets are currently the 10th seed and will need to enter the playoffs via the play-in tournament. If the season ended today, and the Nets successfully navigated their way into the post-season, they would face off against whoever finished second in the conference. So, teams will be very cautious about how they approach the final few games of the season.
Still, for a Celtics team that mightily struggled out of the gate, they have turned their fortunes around and will be one of the tougher match-ups in the Eastern Conference, especially if they last long enough to see the return of Robert Williams.