After their initially meteoric rise, the Celtics have slacked off a bit in recent weeks. For a long time, Boston rode ahead of the field as the leader of the table, but the day before yesterday they suffered an avoidable 117:118 defeat.
Because you shouldn’t have lost against the Jazz like that, especially since the C’s were in the meantime even more than 20 points ahead. But the NBA-savvy reader knows, of course, that such leadership doesn’t have to mean much these days.
The way basketball is played these days means that a lead like that can melt away quickly, even in the final quarter. But the bankruptcy against Utah is primarily due to technical reasons.
The main reason the Celtics were down against Utah but I see them up against the Kings has to do with Rob Williams being back on the court tonight, unlike Al Horford and Marcus Smart who are still recovering from injuries will stand.
His contribution is so important because he is invaluable when it comes to winning the ball. Utah could only win the game the day before yesterday because they secured 17 offensive rebounds and subsequently beat the C’s on the basket in second chance points 20:8.
With such a blatant deficit, even a Jayson Tatum – who is currently playing outstanding basketball – cannot ensure that his team has the upper hand until the end. Disadvantages on the board are currently a problem for Boston without Williams, no question.