3 takeaways from the Boston Celtics 135-87 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers

WCVB

Jaylen Brown scored 29 points and Jayson Tatum added 28 as the Boston Celtics rolled to their ninth straight victory, this time over the Philadelphia 76ers. Here are some takeaways from the game.

3 takeaways from the Boston Celtics win vs. the Philadelphia 76ers

1. The bench played well

While the outcome was never in doubt after halftime, it was good to see Aaron Nesmith, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Daniel Theis get some extended minutes, in which they did not disappoint. Nesmith (18), Derrick White (11), and Hauser (9) were part of a Celtics bench unit that shot 9-of-18 from the three-point line.

They all helped the Celtics shoot 25-of-45 from deep, setting a new franchise record for three made in a single game. It was good to see so many threes go down with how badly the team has struggled from distance all season. 

2. The C’s will go as far as the Jays take them

When Brown and Tatum play like they did on Tuesday night, this team is phenomenal! JB got the Celtics going early as he seemed to catch fire from the opening tip, hitting his first five three-point attempts en route to a 26-point first half.

Tatum was super aggressive going inside and had 16 at the break. They also combined to get 17 rebounds. They were drawing so much attention early that it opened the floor, creating open looks for their teammates. The duo also moved the ball, as Brown and Tatum combined for nine of the 28 Celtics assists recorded in the game.

3. 90 points allowed is the new standard

For the ninth time in the past 12 games, the Celtics held their opponent to 100 points or fewer. In addition, they have held four of those opponents to less than 90 points.

Since losing to the Atlanta Hawks on January 28, not only have the Celtics not dropped a game. Plus, they are holding teams to 94.1 points per game over that aforementioned 12-game span.

This stretch of defensive prowess has lifted the C’s to be the second-best defensive team in the NBA this year, only trailing the Golden State Warriors.