BOSTON – Derrick White hailed the depth of his team’s roster, as he had 23 points and 10 assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a 119-109 victory over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
National Basketball Association (NBA) league-leading Celtics’ All-Star guard Jaylen Brown was absent after a facial fracture in the win over the Philadelphia 76ers last Wednesday.
Brown said before the game he was feeling better and taking it day by day, adding: “I’m just letting the swelling go down, letting the pain subside, and then I’ll kind of go from there.”
Marcus Smart also missed a 10th straight game and Malcolm Brogdon was sidelined with a sore Achilles tendon.
Said White: ‘’That’s the beauty of this team. We’re just so deep. We’ve got a lot of guys that can do a little bit of everything.’‘
Sam Hauser (20 points) tied a career-high with six three-pointers, as Boston finished 21 of 51 from downtown en route to their fourth straight win.
He said: “We have some of our top dogs out now and it’s just an opportunity for guys to showcase what they can do.
“Try to fill that void of the guys that were out. They bring a lot to the table. We try to do our best, to do whatever we can to help the team win.”
Jayson Tatum and Al Horford each had 16 points. Tatum did not record a field goal in the second half, but did add two steals and two blocks for the game.
Robert Williams III had a 10-point, 16-rebound double-double as eight Celtic players finished with at least 10 points.
“Credit to our locker room,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said of the role players stepping up amid the injuries to keep Boston (41-16) ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks (39-17) atop the East.
“Their ability to just be a professional regardless of their circumstances is just exceptional.”
Mazzulla was far from concerned about Tatum’s scoring output, which came on the heels of a 41-point barrage against Charlotte on Friday.
“Tatum is not going to get enough credit for the way he has played,” Mazzulla said. “Last game he had 41. He did a great job scoring. Two of the last three games he has done an amazing job managing the game, managing the game by continuing to play defence, managing the game by involving himself, not looking to score, making the right play.
“Superstars don’t get the credit they deserve when they do that. I think that allows our guys to play with confidence and makes our team even harder to guard.”
REUTERS, AFP
