The Boston Celtics’ three-game win streak came to an abrupt end on January 14, as they convincingly lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. And coach Ime Udoka says it’s on him.
“I see it more as an aberration rather than the norm. We’ve been competitive in most games. Even when we don’t score, we still defend at the proper level. So, a little bit off tonight, and it happens in the NBA at times, but we’ve got to do a better job of getting our guys ready to play against a tough opponent. They were obviously coming off a loss and played a little harder than we did, and that’s on me,” Udoka said following Boston’s 12 point loss to the Sixers.
The Celtics struggled from the opening tip against their rivals, turning the ball over eight times in the first quarter, and 20 times overall. There was no offensive cohesion, and the Sixers often got whatever shot they wanted due to a lackluster Celtics defense. The two Eastern Conference teams have played each other three times this season, with the Sixers winning the last two contests.
Shockingly, this game wasn’t one where the Celtics struggled shooting the ball. The Celtics went for 47.8% shooting from the field and 35.5% shooting from three throughout the contest, but they could not get stops and take care of the ball that opened the door for the Sixers to dominate.
“It’s a team that has been playing extremely well, that’s coming off a loss. They’re a rival that we’ve played them pretty well this year. We can’t come in expecting to go as it has in the past. They have some players back. At the start, we make them aware of what they have out there, which is two elite defenders. I think that really affected us,” Udoka said.
Tatum Regrets Lack of Aggressiveness
Jayson Tatum ended the game with seven turnovers to his name and only five assists. It was clear from the jump that the Sixers were out to pressure the All-Star whenever he was tasked with leading the offense, and it took him by surprise, with four of his turnovers coming in the first quarter.
“I don’t think I was being aggressive enough coming off those pick-and-rolls; sometimes, I wasn’t even looking at the basket. Trying to do too much, trying to create something out of nothing. Sometimes, it doesn’t hurt to be aggressive, and that will open things up as well. Especially at the beginning of the game, that’s what was wrong from my standpoint, and we were being a little too. Weive, being careless with the ball,” Tatum said following the game.
However, Tatum wasn’t the only one who struggled to take care of the rock. His All-Star running mate, Jaylen Brown, also supplied the Sixers with easy buckets, courtesy of five turnovers. That means the Celtics’ two best players were responsible for the lion’s share of mistakes when making the right pass or taking care of the rock in the half-court. Still, it’s worth remembering that seven other Celtics players turned the ball over at least once against Philadelphia.
The Celtics have now participated in five games where they have turned the ball over 20 or more times, winning two of them and losing the other three, but Celtics fans everywhere would instead take care of the ball to avoid those situations.
Marcus Smart’s Presence was Missed
It’s clear the Celtics are lacking a high-level playmaker heck; even a solid ball-handler would do at this point. Still, when healthy, Marcus Smart has done an admirable job of deputizing as the team’s starting guard and has grown in stature throughout the season.
When Smart is on the floor, Tatum and Brown have a reliable ball-handling option should a team blitz the wings to get the rock out of their hands. Against the Sixers, the star duo had no such outlet, which played a significant role in their turnover numbers on the night.
Unfortunately, Smart is just the latest name from the Celtics to enter health and safety protocols, with the team being hit incredibly hard throughout the closing weeks of December. Luckily, Payton Pritchard has recently returned from his stint in the league’s protocols and should be able to provide a modicum of ball handling if called upon.
Smart, who is out due to health and safety protocols, doesn’t project to feature in the Celtics’ next game, on January 15 against the Chicago Bulls, and the Celtics are yet to provide an update on when they expect him back with the team.
Celtics’ Udoka Makes Strong Claim on Sixers Loss