'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Boston Celtics came away with a win at the TD Garden with a scoreline of 122-116 over the struggling Memphis Grizzlies.
The match was tight throughout and despite a 20-point third-quarter outburst by Kyrie Irving, the Memphis Grizzlies refused to go away. Irving scored 28 of his game-high 38 points in the second half.
This was the seventh consecutive victory for the Celtics over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are struggling deeply at the moment, having lost 10 out of their last 11 games. They are now the 14th ranked team in the Western Conference with a 29-26 record. Meanwhile, the Celtics have now won two in a row at home after losing three straight road games. They are the 5th ranked team in the East with a 27-18 record.
Let's have a look at the best and the worst players from the match:
Flop - Marc Gasol:
The former defensive player of the year is having an inconsistent year for the Grizzlies. His form of late is something of a concern for the team.
Marc Gasol struggled inside the paint for the entire night. He finished with a double-double with 11 rebounds and 12 assists but could not help the team with his scoring. He went 1-10 from the field, including 0-4 from the 3PT line for his 4 points in 35 minutes of action. An effort like this from one of your best players was never going to get the Grizzlies to the finish line.
Gasol has been averaging 15 points with 8.4 rebounds per game for the season. But he has been inefficient from the field shooting only 44%. The Grizzlies need a far better performance from their center if they want to mount a run for the playoff spot.
Hit - Mike Conley:
Mike Conley is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. He is the driving force for the Grizzlies unit and his performance is always very critical to the success of the team.
Conley led the Grizzlies in scoring with 26 points. He kept the scoreboard ticking for the Grizzlies at crucial junctures of the match. After he converted a three-point play late in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies were just 2 points behind the Celtics. But they could not hold on the late surge from the Celtics and lost the match. Conley also shot 4-9 from behind the arc in a good shooting night for the Grizzlies as a team.
He has been averaging 20 points per game for the Grizzlies and is the team's leading point scorer. He needs to keep performing at this high level for the Grizzlies for them to have any chance of making the playoffs.
Flop - Jason Tatum:
The second-year forward is considered one of the best players from the 2017 NBA draft after he led the Celtics to the Conference finals last season. But he has not lived up to the hype this season.
Jason Tatum struggled mightily in the match. He finished the game with just 2 points with 0-6 shooting from the floor and 0-2 from the 3PT line in 28 minutes of playing time. Tatum is the second most talented scorer for the Celtics behind Kyrie Irving but he has found life tough playing alongside Irving. His best games have come without Irving in the side.
He has been averaging 16.6 points an 6.3 rebounds on 45% shooting from the field for the season and needs to improve upon his performances if the Celtics are going to live up to their pre-season expectations.
Hit - Kyrie Irving:
Kyrie Irving is one of the most talented scorers in the NBA right now. After finishing with 27 points and 18 assists in a tough match against the Toronto Raptors, he closed out the match against the Grizzlies again.
Irving scored 28 points in the second half and closed out the game for his team with a dagger three-pointer in the dying minutes and finished the game with 38 points and 11 assists on a sensational 14-21 shooting from the field. He has closed out a lot of games for the inexperienced Celtics team this season.
In fact, Irving is having a very good year on an individual front for the Celtics. He is the team's leading scorer, averaging 23 points per game on 49% shooting from the field. With the East stacked up at the top, the Celtics need every bit of magic from Irving to go deep in the playoffs this season.
