Jeff Green leads Celtics over trifling Pistons
| Greg Monroe, C 39 MIN | 11-22 FG | 2-3 FT | 17 REB | 3 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 6 TO | 24 PTS | +3Monroe has averaged 18.3 points, 13.2 rebounds on 59 percent shooting in six games against Boston over the last two seasons. Tonight he was great offensively and on the boards, but he also turned it over, partially because he gets the ball too far from the basket, and the Celtics double him hard late in possessions. But he wasn’t bad defensively, either, especially on the times he switched out on Paul Pierce or Jeff Green. | ||
| Andre Drummond, C 21 MIN | 4-6 FG | 0-3 FT | 9 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 8 PTS | -10The only reason the Pistons had any business being in this game was because Drummond and Monroe dominated the undermanned Celtics frontcourt on the offensive glass. Drummond’s bounce definitely hasn’t been hindered since his return from the back injury — unfortunately his free throw shooting since returning (1-for-12) is still turrible. | ||
| Brandon Knight, PG 37 MIN | 2-10 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 4 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 7 PTS | +3I don’t even know how to describe this. Some days it looks like Knight’s lost because he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, then he gets a night like tonight where he and Stuckey are the ONLY ball handlers and this happens. Defense wasn’t bad, but the offense, topped off by missing a wide-open layup in the final minutes, oye, it wasn’t pretty. | ||
| Rodney Stuckey, PG 37 MIN | 5-16 FG | 11-15 FT | 2 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 22 PTS | -13You know who hates losing games late in the season when teams are jockeying for draft position? Stuckey. He’s always had a knack for finishing the year strong (outside last season) and that’s been no different with this year’s late-March, early-April run. Hopefully next year’s April starting shooting guard — heck, or small forward — is someone like, say, Andre Igoudala, and not Rodney Stuckey? | ||
| Kyle Singler, SG 25 MIN | 3-7 FG | 1-2 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 7 PTS | -6The Celtics packed the house in a game against the Pistons, isn’t that cool to see in an NBA arena the Pistons are playing in? Anyways, Singler was one of the few Pistons murdered on defense by Jeff Green. There was much blood, much effort, but very little result on the part of Singler. | ||
| Jonas Jerebko, PF 27 MIN | 6-10 FG | 5-5 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 19 PTS | +5He was also a member of the “let’s try to defend Jeff Green” club. Tonight wasn’t a great one on that side of the ball for Jerebko, but he was again productive on offense. He’s moving without the ball and taking what the defense — or extra pass — gives him. | ||
| Charlie Villanueva, PF 23 MIN | 2-17 FG | 0-0 FT | 9 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 4 PTS | +1F- is the grade I’d give if I could. I don’t get why he plays big fourth quarter minutes. I don’t get how he’s still so out of shape. I don’t get why he’s playing over Drummond in the fourth (ok, I do, the minute limit), and I don’t get how he goes from missing an open-ish 3-pointer with a minute left to completely not guarding Jeff Green, who made the dagger 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. Brittany Griner would have helped more tonight. | ||
| Khris Middleton, SF 23 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -3He tries, you have to give him that. Middleton’s not a great defender, but he gets some steals and when he gets open shots, he’s proven he’s capable of making some. Too bad he’s stuck out there most nights with black holes like Stuckey and Charlie V. | ||
| Kim English, SG 7 MIN | 0-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -5He was a non-factor, but he did find a way to crank up a 3-point attempt, which is good, I guess, considering that’s what he’s out there to do? | ||
| Lawrence Frank He’s feeling the rest of our pain with the Andre Drummond minutes limit, but overall he’s done a decent job getting guys in positions to succeed this week. He can’t control two of his rotation guys shooting a combined 3-for-27. I still don’t understand how Charlie V missed the potentially game-tying 3-pointer in the final 50 seconds. That play, along with the previous one for Monroe, were the best late-game plays Frank has drawn up all season. |