What did the Celtics miss about containing Charlotte's Kemba Walker? He was coming off a career night on Saturday, pouring in 60 points on 62% from the floor. As I wrote in my CelticsLife article prior to the game, Boston absolutely needed to make every attempt to stop him. They didn't.
Kemba scored 43 points last night on 56% on field goals, 54% on treys and 89% on free throws. That can not be called containment. His plus/minus for the contest was a game-high +17.
The tweet below might be an indicator of Boston's mistake. It is rare for an NBA [player to follow up a career-scoring night with another gem. But that is what Walker did.
But it wasn't all about stopping Walker. The Celtics offensive game needs attention. They rely too heavily on 3-pointers and too little on drives to the rim. It happened again towards the end of the losing effort.
As of this morning, Kemba leads the NBA in scoring at almost 30 points per game (29.6 PPG), thanks in part to Boston allowing him to pile up two terrific scoring runs in a row. They should have been ready.
Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC, @CelticsSentinel and Facebook
Photo via Chuck Burton/AP Photo
Kemba scored 43 points last night on 56% on field goals, 54% on treys and 89% on free throws. That can not be called containment. His plus/minus for the contest was a game-high +17.
Kemba Walker hits dagger 3...yells "THIS IS MY CITY" pic.twitter.com/sE6btblBcB
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) November 20, 2018
The tweet below might be an indicator of Boston's mistake. It is rare for an NBA [player to follow up a career-scoring night with another gem. But that is what Walker did.
Kemba Walker is just the sixth player in NBA history to follow up a 60-point game with a 40-point game. The others are Wilt Chamberlain, Pete Maravich, Michael Jordan, Tracy McGrady, and Kobe Bryant.
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) November 20, 2018
But it wasn't all about stopping Walker. The Celtics offensive game needs attention. They rely too heavily on 3-pointers and too little on drives to the rim. It happened again towards the end of the losing effort.
Celtics finish the game 4 of 15, relying heavily on jumpers, only 2 looks near the rim. They have to play better offense pic.twitter.com/EH5pIA52SH
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) November 20, 2018
4Q scoring-
— Justin Phan (@jphanned) November 20, 2018
Kemba: 21 points on 10 shots
Celtics: 25 points on 20 shots
As of this morning, Kemba leads the NBA in scoring at almost 30 points per game (29.6 PPG), thanks in part to Boston allowing him to pile up two terrific scoring runs in a row. They should have been ready.
Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC, @CelticsSentinel and Facebook
Photo via Chuck Burton/AP Photo
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