BSJ Game Report: Celtics 129, Jazz 119 - White's huge second half, career defensive night, leads C's win.

Everything you need to know about the Celtics win over the Jazz, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics came out slow, got torched, and only ended up down eight thanks to Luka Garza and the bench. The reserves built a 10-point lead but the starters gave it all back and then some, going down five at the half. The third quarter turned into a shootout, which ended with Boston ahead by three. Derrick White owned the fourth quarter to seal the win for Boston.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Derrick White did WHAT?: White blocked seven shots in this game. SEVEN. That's a career high for him, and part of a historic stat line. 

White also scored 13 points in the fourth fuel the win. 

- Bench steps up: Anfernee Simons and Luka Garza were especially good, and the bench as a whole was critical in keeping this game within reach in the first half until the rest of the guys got their heads on straight. 

- Jaylen Brown’s streak over: The 30-point streak is over thanks to a tough first half shooting night, but Brown didn’t really force the issue and he made up for it by being a distributor. I guess he’ll have to settle for just being tied with Larry Bird. 

TURNING POINT

The Celtics broke a 95-95 tie late in the third with an 8-2 run. The Jazz still hung around, but they never retook the lead.

THINGS I LIKED

Derrick White: White was just plain off in the first half, but he woke up after halftime. His final numbers were 27 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and those seven blocks, but 22/2/3/3 came in the second half. The shooting struggles are back, but the one 3-pointer he hit came in the fourth quarter. 

Anfernee Simons: This is probably Simons’ best game as a Celtic. He had 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists off the bench. He played most of the fourth quarter, which is unusual for him, but he took advantage of the opportunity. 

Jaylen Brown: He was just 3-11 from the field to start the game, but he bounced back to go 6-8 in the second for 13 points. He also had half his 10 assists after halftime, What I liked most was he didn’t try to force up any shots late in the game. I thought he’d let at least a couple of 3-pointers fly to see if he could sneak a 30-piece under the wire, but kept it together and made the right play. 

- Luka Garza: He had 15 points and six rebounds, but the screens were once again the big thing with him. He freed up Payton Pritchard for a bunch of shots, taking advantage of Utah’s terrible pick-and-roll defense. 

Also, he caught and finished at some impossible angles in this game. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Keyonte George channeling Michael Jordan: He’s on fire right now, so I’m not going to go too crazy about this, but it also doesn’t mean I have to like it. I thought some size from Jordan Walsh would help here, but it didn’t do much to slow him down. 

- Jordan Walsh: It was more of an up-and-down game for him. He was pretty good in the third quarter, but he started the game getting roasted by George. He was a team-worst -7 in just 13 minutes. 

- The energy at the start of the game: I’m not sure what was up with the starters in the first half, but they lacked energy and focus. It’s already the second time this has happened on the road trip. I’m not making anything of it yet, but put a pin in it. Let’s see how they start the game in Sacramento on Thursday night. 

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- It’s almost time for another rotation flip. 

I’m starting to wonder publicly about Josh Minott being out of the rotation, which means it’s time for a patented Joe Mazzulla change of heart. 

I thought Walsh was out, and now he’s been starting. Then I thought Garza was out, and now he’s being called “Garzilla” on the broadcast. Now I think Minott is out, so …

Maybe it’s time for Walsh to turn back into a pumpkin. His minutes have been spotty, at best, lately. He had nine straight games where he got at least one steal, and now he’s gotten just one in his last five games. His 3-point shooting is coming back down to earth a little bit. And Minott has been a DNP-CD in his last three games. 

It just feels like it’s just about time for Joe Mazzulla to throw us a curve with a new lineup. It feels like I might know where Joe’s head is, which means he’ll do something different.

Or maybe it just feels like the right thing to do. 

Next Up: The Celtics road trip continues Thursday night in Sacramento