#1 – Poor defensive execution to begin the sport
Early within the recreation, it felt just like the Celtics had been out of rhythm defensively. The rotations seemed disorganized, and the self-discipline wasn’t adequate. On the play under, Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown are each on DeMar DeRozan. This takes away any assist on the rim, so they have to keep in entrance of him.
As an alternative, they each bought caught by the guard’s pump pretend, and the double group become an open layup for the Kings star.
In lower than six minutes, the Kings scored greater than 20 factors. They might find yourself scoring solely 75 within the subsequent 42 minutes. Due to their lack of defensive stops, the Celtics couldn’t get their offense going early within the recreation. Certainly, as talked about earlier than, Mazzulla-ball begins on protection.
As soon as the stops began to pile up, the offense was capable of get going.
#2 – Higher protection become nice offense
With improved protection after a timeout, the Celtics’ switches had been extra correct, main the Kings to accept contested mid-ranges and layups. These poor offensive possessions from Sacramento allowed the Celtics’ offense to be shortly reborn after a sluggish begin.
Like Joe Mazzulla stated, the offensive recreation plan relies on whether or not they play off a miss or a make. In opposition to Sacramento’s well-prepared protection, it was exhausting to crack their shell at first, however transition offense gave the Celtics an opportunity to come back again earlier than the lead bought too huge.
Thanks to 2 three-pointers to shut the quarter, the Celtics took the lead earlier than the second quarter regardless of a sluggish begin, and remained in management afterward. One of many causes they had been capable of keep in entrance was the half-court offense constructed round Kristaps Porzingis.
#3 – Porzingis offensive hub
Regardless of ending the sport with solely two assists, it’s protected to say the Celtics try to contain Porzingis within the offensive creation course of. The Latvian is likely one of the finest finishers within the league—on the rim and from deep. Nevertheless, the creation has been inconsistent since he was traded to the Celtics.
The reason being that the Celtics have positioned a giant emphasis on utilizing him off-ball to stretch the ground. Most of his touches come from post-ups as soon as he has a mismatch or to shoot a spot-up triple. But, in the previous couple of video games, we’ve seen him extra concerned in creation.
Final night time, for instance, from the highest of the important thing or on-side actions, the Celtics gave the ball to the large man and moved round him. Along with his dimension, gravity, and contact, taking part in these types of actions breaks the defensive shell.
On the motion under, he’s the initiator but additionally finishes the play, an excellent instance of his general offensive potential. Off-ball, he stretches the ground, however with the rock in his palms, too. These setups typically drag the rim protector away from the paint and pressure the opposing protection to rotate.
It additionally will get forgotten generally that Porzingis can drive, particularly towards one other huge man. Giving him the ball on an empty facet, like on the play under, is one other nice method to contain him offensively, past the standard post-up or pick-and-pop.
Total, there’s a sturdy sense that with extra motion—round him or for him—Kristaps Porzingis might take one other step towards changing into the elite offensive participant he will be.
#4 – Derrick White as an initiator
Behind Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics guard was capable of hold the offensive move going after Jayson Tatum exited because of an ankle damage. The Celtics began the fourth quarter with out their go-to man, holding a 10-point lead. With 4 assists and two made subject targets, Derrick White led the cost and orchestrated the offense to shut the sport.
To begin the fourth, the Celtics teaching workers referred to as a play for him and rookie Baylor Scheierman: a ghost display screen on the ball for quantity 55, adopted by a flare display screen from Luke Kornet. White’s scoring gravity and correct move to Scheierman in movement elevated the result in 13.
On one other defensive cease, White ran with the ball and put the protection on its heels. He faked a handoff with Jrue Vacation and drove to his proper into an open paint whereas the protection was nonetheless attempting to get set.
Slightly later, they ran the identical play from earlier with Scheierman, however this time with Payton Pritchard. Nevertheless, on this setup, White didn’t move to the shooter however gave the ball to Kornet, then instantly ran off one other flare display screen from Vacation.
Good play name to get the offense going with out Jayson and Jaylen.
First, an Ghost Flare Motion for Pritchard. White ship the ball to Kornet on the high and run into Vacation Flare Display screen.
Nice design to generate a catch-and-shoot with out elite playmaker or a drive. pic.twitter.com/ApERlt6lLA
— Azad (@azmatlanba) March 25, 2025
The lead was now as much as 15—an excellent instance of how the Celtics teaching workers can optimize Derrick White’s nice really feel for the sport to maintain performing with out the All-Stars on the court docket.
#5 – Kornet vs. Sabonis and the rebound battle
The final time the Celtics confronted the Kings, they had been dominated within the paint, with 28 rebounds from the Kings huge man—eight of them on offense, resulting in defensive breakdowns from the Celtics. However final night time, Kornet and the Celtics had been having none of it.
Whereas Kornet dominated on each boards, the Celtics as a group restricted the Kings’ offensive rebounding quantity. On the finish of the sport, Sacramento was held to a 19% offensive rebound price—removed from their season common (28%).
#6 – Celtics defensive playmaking
One other instance of how the Celtics teaching workers loves to remove opponents’ strengths was the emphasis on defensive playmaking. Defensive playmaking is the power—or willingness—to create turnovers and quick breaks from steals and blocks. Final night time towards the Kings, among the finest groups at taking good care of the ball, the Celtics had been extra aggressive than standard, resulting in extra steals and blocks than regular.
As talked about in #2, piling up defensive stops results in higher offense, giving the Celtics a chance to assault the Kings earlier than they may arrange in zone protection. But, when the Kings did settle in, the Celtics used their offensive joker: Payton Pritchard.
#7 – Pritchard the zone buster, assist beater
The Sacramento Kings protection was designed to remove Celtics drives and shut entry to the rim. It labored fairly nicely—the Celtics had solely 9 shot makes an attempt on the rim. Nevertheless, they had been capable of compensate due to Payton Pritchard as a zone buster.
By positioning the Celtics’ sixth man above the break, one move away from the ball handler, they had been able to punish any aggressive zone protection or any assist from the sturdy facet.
This good court docket mapping with Pritchard neutralized the Kings’ defensive scheme.
#8 – Scheierman successful minutes
With Jayson Tatum out for the fourth, the Celtics wanted the rookie to step up—once more. And he delivered—once more. To open the fourth, he nailed the three-pointer from the play the Celtics teaching workers designed for him, as talked about above.
Within the final quarter, he supplied stable minutes as soon as extra—dominating the boards, staying in entrance on protection, and taking pictures the ball each time he was open. 28 minutes general, confirming the belief the teaching workers has in him.
#9 – Two hidden gems from Jaylen Brown
Sadly, passes that don’t find yourself in an help are sometimes forgotten. Final night time, Jaylen Brown had two of these in his return to the court docket. First, a ravishing drive-and-kick to seek out Jayson Tatum open for 3 after attacking Sabonis.
The second got here within the third quarter, after a pick-and-roll with Kornet, who was in a position to attract the foul. Brown crossed Murray and located the Celtics heart rolling to the rim regardless of a crowded paint.
An ideal illustration of Jaylen Brown’s improved passing and the constraints of the field rating.
#10 – A play to sum up the bench efficiency
Final night time’s bench unit was essential, as Jaylen Brown was simply getting back from damage whereas Sam Hauser and Al Horford had been resting after the Portland recreation. Payton Pritchard, Baylor Scheierman, and Luke Kornet had been all required to carry out on each ends—they usually did. This play sums all of it up:
Luke Kornet switches onto DeMar DeRozan and baits him into driving, then blocks his shot to launch one other transition alternative. Regardless of a primary miss, Pritchard and Scheierman adopted up with an excellent spotlight. 22 factors for PP, 13 for Kornet (alongside 4 offensive rebounds), and three-for-six from deep for the rookie—an excellent bench manufacturing general.
