INSTANT REACTION: Celtics improve to 19-0 at home with blowout win over Houston Rockets

INSTANT REACTION: Celtics improve to 19-0 at home with blowout win over Houston Rockets

Better rebound Hower oh prur that’s a Tommy point for the whole possession absolutely all right in Celtics with a commanding 145 to 113 win over the Houston Rockets Tom JS in for Amina Smith tonight got Eddie house a nice 32-point win for the Seas they shot phenom Al from deep and Eddie we talked

About it at halftime Celtics were sitting there with an 11-point lead against em udoka and the Houston Rockets and how important that third quarter would be and uh the Celtics certainly took advantage as they that’s where they pulled away from from Houston in this one huge third quarter for him uh plus

15 43-28 but Jaylen brown big time third quarter was seven for 10 and usually we look at him what he does in the first quarter for the Celtics he usually is the the tone Setter and tonight it was a third quarter and and it doesn’t matter

Whatever quarter it is if if it’s going to equate to wins like this or equal wins like this I’m taking it he was efficient in the third quarter 21 points four or five from three uh and I thought that our defense we only had two turnovers number one but I thought that

Our defense was really uh they they were locked in you know uh held them to 34% from the from the field and and 25 from three in that third quarter so the ball’s moving we here’s another stat I give you seven assists on 15 field goals so that all sounds like Celtics

Basketball that’s the Celtics basketball that we’re used to seeing that we have grown accustomed to seeing on a night in and Night Out basis and it was good to be on the other end of a blowout absolutely a couple games ago we were looking at an overtime win over

Minnesota since then we’ve a couple lopsided uh games here but Jay Le Brown you brought him up just in general just an extremely efficient night for him tonight for JB and it was it was a little bit of everything you know four of six from Deep sometimes you know

You’re talking about Jason Tatum going third 30 plus and having those really efficient nights JB though uh was really the guy and as you pointed out it was him kind of leading the way coming out of the break yeah and again most of the time we we expect him to come out and

Set the tone in the first quarter you know it didn’t it didn’t happen like that and he ended up only having 11 points in the first half and but he gives it to you when you need it the third quarter that’s where he set the

Tone if it was getting steals if it was out there just leading the break making the right play getting to the basket or just taking advantage of a one-on-one matchup that he liked and getting to his spot and elevating up and knocking it down it was that but that big time block

That’s the other part of his game that I think has taken a huge step we all know that he was been able to score the basketball at will and do those type of things but he has taken the challenge of being one of those Premier perimeter Defenders whether it is meeting somebody

At The Rim getting a block shot or just taking a challenge on somebody who is a a Walkin bucket like Anthony Edwards or if it’s a SG whoever he’s going to take that match up all right Jaylen Brown so again with a uh a game high 32 points in

This one and JB standing by with Abby chin let’s send it out to Abby at the Garden Jaylen Brown fresh off a jersey exchange with my friend Ice Cube I talked to him earlier uh JB tonight is it as simple as this is what Celtics basketball looks like when you guys get

A little rest yeah I think we felt it felt good to sleep in your own bed and come out and just play some some ball that we know how to play and uh um last game we didn’t feel like we were at our best you know scheduling so today we

Wanted to come out and make sure we stayed undefeated today on a home court as usual you were excellent on both ends tonight defensively put on a show you trying to make that argument for all defense absolutely I feel like I’ve been uh been playing like one of the best

Defensive uh kind of years of my career and I think I can continue to go up and continue to grow I’m starting to try to make some more plays at The Rim um cuz that’s what people want to see but uh I think I’ve been really good on defense

But I’m going to keep trying to set the tone for us how did that Translate into offense for you 21 points in the third quarter alone just being aggressive you know a lot of times that defense kind of gets you going so I’m getting out and

Run and in transition I think we when we play like that we’re tough to be JB finally I saw you uh get shoved into eay shared a little Embrace and a smile what was it like facing off against him for the first time no it was great it was

Great you know I’m glad to see em May back coaching on the sideline I’m glad to see a lot of the staff that we spent a lot of time with um that are over there in Houston so I wish those guys the best of luck JB thank you congrats all right thank you

All right so again Jaylen brown with 32 points Celtics cruising in this one as they win by 32 points we got Scout joining us now at the Garden at Scout what just in general what impressed you most about this win you know Houston’s a physical team and you know historically I don’t think

This year as much but historically we’ve struggled a little bit with those teams that are handsy that jaw a little bit but no struggles today at all I just thought we got what we wanted we played hard we didn’t speed up get sped up even though we played fast and um just a

Really good executing win where we read uh really read the game well especially in that second half yeah as far as the three ball goes I mean this was the second most threes in Celtics have hit this year with 24 of them uh is this just one of those nights or also they

Were getting Great Looks against Houston I mean like anytime I say like we’re getting great looks like you throw Tatum and brown out of the equation like those guys can make their own looks but for the the rest of the guys I just thought we read it well like you saw they were

Blitzing us at the top of the key you heard me say you can’t do that against us anymore we’re not that team anymore those we will make you pay by moving that basketball with the shooting that we have so I just thought we read the game really well and then you know it’s

A law of averages we were one for 16 against um Milwaukee in the first half so we’re going to definitely shoot it better tonight yeah I thought that what they did was move the ball you know they had they had good looks and uh but they

Will pass up a good look to get a great look or they would take advantage of a matchup that they felt like they had that good matchup um also I I think the other thing too is that when you play really good defense I thought we played good defense and and everybody was

Locked in and engaged on that side of the ball we took care of the ball that ends up translating to you having good opportunities on the offensive end and then when it’s it’s contagious a scout you notice everything is contagious in hoop you see guys start missing free

Throws that becomes contagious when you start sharing the basketball and that Mo ball starts hopping around and you see your teammate make a shot that becomes contagious as well and I think that’s part of what happened as well tonight plus they want to get back on the

Winning side of things and I think what also what’s important and you hear Joe talked about it when they set the record last uh last home game you uh seen uh uh Jason Tatum show emotion and then also what Jaylen Brown just said with Abby was hey we want to protect our home

Court so that is really important to them and so when they have that mindset that’s something to me where they’re focused on that like we’re we’re trying to take care of home court home home court every time we get out there it seemed like the defense was also

Contagious at times too you know protecting the rim and I know that you brought it up Eddie but Jaylen talked about it just his his defensive abilities and and how far he’s come scal what have you seen from Jaylen Brown particularly in this defense as a whole I think he’s taken the individual

Challenge and I think he can sense that he will be an all NBA first team all defensive type of player or there there might be enough momentum to have conversations about Defensive Player of the Year like Drew holiday is good Tatum is good and you know like it’s it’s it’s

A way that you could be selfish in this league is I want to be the best defensive player on the team no no no I want to be the best defensive player on the team so I’m kind of getting the sense that all these guys are taking

Upon themselves to raise their level not you know not to be uh hey I’m just a guy that scores 30 no I want to be one of the better two-way players in the league and I really think if you think about two-way guys Tatum and brown they’ll be

The best two-way guys that you’ll find as far as a duo in the NBA yeah and uh that’s a great point there you know that’s that’s a selfish way to say I want to be the best defensive player I love that

Eddie House, Tom Giles and Brian Scalabrine offer instant analysis and reaction to the Celtics’ 145-113 win over the Houston Rockets. Plus, Abby Chin talks exclusively with Jaylen Brown after the game

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