The Boston Celtics are trending in the right direction by winning their third straight victory on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers 117-112.
The win brings C’s over 0.500, as they improved to 18-17 in the campaign. They are now tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with the New York Knicks.
Highlights: C’s beat Clippers for the third consecutive win, 117-112
Is this recent stretch a sign of what’s to come for these C’s in the second half of the season? This remains to be seen, but there is much to be gained from Boston’s last victory:
1. Payton Pritchard and Robert Williams have remarkable chemistry.
Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 25 and 18 points, respectively, but Payton Pritchard and Robert Williams won this game, providing a much needed spark off the bench. Pritchard and Williams were arguably Boston’s two most trusted players in the second unit this season, and that continued on Tuesday night.
Pritchard finished with 14 points and three assists (4 out of 7 out of 3) in 23 minutes. Time Lord was simply electrifying, scoring 13 points with eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
What makes this duo even more fun to watch is their strong chemistry on the court. Just watch the play below.
There are many other quick PP / Time Lord alleys where this came from this year.
Both Pritchard and Williams continue to prove that their success this season is no accident. They are just getting better.
2. The rumors of Kemba Walker’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
Make four consecutive games with more than 20 points for Kemba Walker. If you counted the four-time All-Star after your inconsistent start to the season, there’s still time to change your mind.
Walker led the C’s with 25 points in the victory, going 6 out of 12 in the 3 point range and adding six assists. The knee looks healthy while the 30-year-old point guard is finding his pace towards the All-Star break.
It is no accident that the Celtics have won three consecutive wins, with Walker playing at this level. They need this version of Walker going forward if they want to have any chance of making another deep tiebreaker. It is a good omen for the C’s that they were able to win with Jayson Tatum (14 points, 5-to-16) being cold as ice for most of the game. As long as Walker keeps his foot on the pedal, Boston can afford to play off here and there with Tatum and Brown.
3. Where has Aaron Nesmith been?
Nesmith was a DNP for Tuesday’s second game in a row, and it is somewhat disconcerting as the rookie seemed to be showing improvements with more playing time. The Vanderbilt product last played in Friday’s victory over the Indiana Pacers, but he only scored seven minutes in that game. Before that, he scored 13 points, the best mark of his career, and shot 5 of 7 on the field in 14 minutes against the Atlanta Hawks.
Perhaps it is simply a dispute for Brad Stevens, but Nesmith has shown many flashes of potential in the past month. It would be nice to see the 2020 lottery choice have a chance to shine on Thursday, before the C’s enter the break.
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The Celtics will be aiming for four consecutive wins when they host the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night. The clash tip is set for 7pm (Eastern Time) with the Celtics Pregame Live at 6pm on NBC Sports Boston.