HOUSTON — The Boston Celtics took the floor on Wednesday night as clear underdogs. Had Boston been fully healthy, on a full day’s rest, and playing at home, the Houston Rockets still probably would have been favorites.
But none of those were true. Jaylen Brown and Sam Hauser were sidelined, and Anfernee Simons remained in limbo following his reported trade. The Celtics had played the night before in Dallas. They were on their second leg of a road back-to-back.
And still, they absolutely stomped the Rockets.
There’s only so much that can be done against Kevin Durant, one of the best scorers in NBA history. He’s going to get to his spots. He’s going to get his buckets.
“You’re never going to stop him, but you just have to try to make it difficult,” Joe Mazzulla said post-game.
On Wednesday, Baylor Scheierman and two-way guard Ron Harper Jr. were tasked with guarding Durant. One guy is in his second NBA season, and the other had logged just 35 total NBA minutes before tip-off. Mazzulla put them in charge of slowing down Durant.
And they made it their mission to do just that.
“I thought both those guys, Ron and Baylor’s attention to detail on the scout and what we were trying to do from a tendency standpoint, I thought they executed that,” Mazzulla said. “And you’re just gonna have to live with some of what he’s able to do because of how good he is. But I thought those two guys’ attention to detail was really good on the defensive end.”
Durant finished the night with 15 points—the fourth-lowest he’s scored in a game all year. He shot 4-of-11 from the floor, tying the mark for the fewest shots he’s attempted in a game this season (tied with the other game he played against Boston).
That’s no coincidence. The Celtics tried their best to get the ball out of his hands.
Scheierman face-guarded him from the opening tip. His lone goal on defense was to keep Durant away from the basketball. Don’t even let it touch his hands.
Harper got the more aggressive version of Durant. The version that realized he would have to force up some shots if he wanted to win the game.
But even when he did that, Harper played him well.
“Just stay physical,” Harper said. “Stay physical. Stay connected. I know these guys got my back on the back end, so if I get beat, they’re gonna have my help, but just trying to stay physical, and stay connected, and just try to frustrate him.”
Mazzulla felt comfortable letting Scheierman and Harper battle, but that wasn’t always enough. He deployed Derrick White, too.
For the second straight night, White was on the prowl. It’s a role he’s played for most of the season, constantly waiting for his chance to help off the ball. On Tuesday night, he set his sights on Cooper Flagg. On Wednesday, it was Durant’s turn.
“Obviously, they’re big-time players, and we got a lot of good defenders, but anytime we’re trying to show a crowd, and just trying to make them hesitate for a second, it gives us an advantage,” White said. “So, sometimes I overhelp, and sometimes I do it at the right time. And so, I’m just trying to read the game and to show that crowd for them, and just trying to make it difficult for them.”
2. Ron Harper Jr.’s big break
Harper’s defense on Durant was the highlight, but everything about the way he played on Wednesday night was noteworthy.
He ended the night with a career-high 11 points to go along with nine rebounds (four offensive) and three assists. The Rutgers product shot 4-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-7 from deep.
And he didn’t even know he was starting until the morning of the game.
“This morning. Team meeting,” Harper said. “My name was up there on a matchup, so I knew I was getting the start, and I just knew I had to be ready.”
It was the first start of the 25-year-old’s NBA career. “Before tonight, only time I heard that was in MyCareer on 2k, so it was definitely great to hear. Just hear your name come out, your college, and then go out there, shake the guys’ hands. All these guys embrace you. They were really excited for me. So shout out to them.”
It wasn’t an easy position to be in. Harper was thrown into the fire against one of the best teams in the Western Conference. And asked to play a major role on both ends of the court.
“It obviously hits in when you’re checking guy like Kevin Durant, full-court denying him,” he said. “It definitely hits you as a little reality check. But just going out there and just having fun is the most important part.”
If winning constitutes “fun” for Harper, which it almost certainly does, then he definitely had fun on Wednesday night.
He even got to mix in a put-back slam amid his defensive display and three-point shooting. Even his dad took notice.
“Oh, man, yeah. I mean, I had a whole runway,” Harper said with a smile. “My damn eyes lit up when I seen it come off the rim like that, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I gotta go get this.’ So yeah, I was definitely happy. My dad told me I was looking like him out there. I was like, ‘Let’s tone that down, but.’”
3. Rebounding and double bigs
Harper’s rebounding efforts were clear from the start of the game, but Neemias Queta led the charge on that front. The Celtics starter finished the night with 19 rebounds, one shy of matching his career high.
The double-big lineup of him and Luka Garza found a real rhythm.
“It just helped us on multiple fronts,” Garza said. “It helped us defensively, obviously the boards. It helped us offensively with matchup recognition. We were kind of easier to be in our matchups because of that, and I thought those guys did a great job.
“I thought Luka and Neemi were great tonight. Neemi was kind of the best version of him, and even though he only had 3-for-4, but you just felt his presence. And I thought Luka’s ability to make things difficult on Sengun and then help us on the offensive end. I thought those guys were great.”
For both guys, positioning is key. Garza thrives on the offensive glass because of his willingness to do the dirty work before the play unfolds completely.
The same goes for Queta’s ability to control the defensive boards.
“It’s mostly positioning, getting there early, wedging guys under the rim, and going to get rebounds with two hands,” Queta said. “I think I did a pretty good job at that tonight. That’s an emphasis for me. I’m trying to go get it with two hands at the highest peak. And also, you got to get fortunate enough to get a couple of those. But I think mostly, it’s that positioning, and then going to get it with two hands.”
4. Neemias Queta’s crowd journey
Early in the fourth quarter, Queta blocked Tari Eason on a drive to the basket, but he got tripped up afterward. And the momentum sent him stumbling into the stands.
When he got there, he and a fan shared a moment, and Queta laughed. But when he got back onto the court, he realized that Boston had turned the ball over.
He pivoted quickly, ran back to the rim, and blocked Reed Sheppard.
The Rockets still scored, but the highlight of the moment went viral.
“Yeah, I think Eason and I got kind of tangled up, and I lost balance, and it kind of threw me all the way up to like the fourth row,” Queta said. “Chopped it up with a fan on the way. And on the way down, I was looking at the bench, and they get the ball, and my momentum was taking me the other way.
“But [I] stayed patient, just trying to stay poised, and got the block, fortunately. But at the end of the day, would have been a highlight if they didn’t score, at the end of the day. So that wasn’t that great.”
Despite Queta’s block being in vein, his teammates definitely enjoyed the crowd work.
“That was hilarious. Neemi’s hilarious,” White said with a smile. “I was just watching him keep going up, bro, I’m like, ‘Just stop.’ That was hilarious. And then, I didn’t even see the turnover, and then I turned around, that ball’s coming in, he [got up and got] that other block.
“So, it was really funny. I mean, obviously, wish we got the ball, but he was big-time for us tonight. Kind of protecting the paint, rebounding. Did a lot of great things for us.”
And what did Queta say to the fan?
“He said something,” Queta said. “I don’t quite remember. I just smiled at him and got back down into the play.”
5. Derrick White’s confidence
It had been a rough few games for White. From an efficiency standpoint, the whole season hasn’t been ideal. But Wednesday night was a glimpse into the prime version of White.
He was shooting with confidence. Every three, floater, and drive was purposeful. Largely because it had to be.
With Brown sidelined and Payton Pritchard coming off the bench, the first few minutes required White to be aggressive. Whenever Pritchard wasn’t on the floor, White had to be aggressive.
The third quarter was his true shining moment. He scored 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from deep range. It was the first time in a while that White looked completely unafraid.
And that’s a great sign moving forward.
Ime Udoka and Alperen Sengun both got tossed from this game. Udoka got two straight techs at the end of the third quarter, and Sengun got ejected in one fell swoop mid-way through the fourth. He seemed to be screaming obscenities at a referee.
Obviously, the drama itself was enough, but the Celtics’ bench reactions made the entire situation hilarious.
