Why Celtics Beating Down Hobbling Grizzlies Was Much Needed

BOSTON — The Celtics played backyard bully when taking on a severely injured Grizzlies team Sunday night, doing exactly what was needed to get done to avert the team’s first real slump this season.

Coming off their most inexcusable loss to date against a Lakers team with no LeBron James or Anthony Davis, Boston put the emotional aspect of Marcus Smart’s return aside and made easy work of Memphis. By halftime, the Celtics grew their lead to 20 points, and the pounding only got uglier to the point where the Celtics were awarded with a consolation prize of being allowed to sit all starters and unload the bench in the final 8:33 of regulation — ahead 109-88.

Back in the win column for an NBA-leading 38th time this season, the Celtics prevented a trio of losses from taking place within a five-game span amid a seven-game homestand. At that point, the narrative would’ve shifted toward, “What’s the problem?” territory rather than the smooth sailing, feet kicked back journey that’s been Boston’s 2023-24 redemption run.

“I thought we did our job,” Mazzulla said after Boston’s 131-91 win over the Grizzlies on Sunday. “The game went how it was supposed to go. I thought we played well, we executed and I thought we came with the right mindset. So, we can’t not appreciate the time we just come in, do our job and get out. I think it’s important.”

Memphis was so out of the running for a win in Boston that it never held a lead throughout all four quarters.

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Aside from the outside noise that a loss to the Grizzlies would’ve prompted, the Celtics are running toward a big shift in their schedule. Boston’s win over Memphis was the first of just nine games the team will play over the course of a 28-day span, which is much different from the 16 games played in 27 days — stretch ended versus Lakers. There’s an obvious opportunity in that breather with the NBA All-Star break approaching.

The Celtics set a high bar in the first half of the season, living up to the hype of their offseason additions in Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. There’s no debating that. But in years prior, the regular season has only proven to be a misleading representation of what Boston was deep down, and it came to life in the playoffs.

As easy going as the season’s been, the Celtics aren’t a perfect team. They’re still plenty vulnerable, although it’s mostly all self-inflicted. Improvement can be shown to help alleviate Boston’s evident flaws in attacking against subpar teams, transitioning to a different offensive game plan when the three ball isn’t falling and limiting turnovers as much as possible.

“I still think we can execute better, whether it’s our defensive reads in certain situations and then our offensive reads and execution,” Mazzulla explained. “Just because we played a good game, that doesn’t mean anything. Just because we played tough quote-unquote doesn’t mean we’re gonna do it the next night. It’s a choice we gotta make every day and we just gotta make that more times than not.”

Boston has five more games scheduled, including two at home, before heading into the All-Star break.