CHARLOTTE – The Celtics are looking for their fourth consecutive win over the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte Coach Steve Clifford wants to stop that streak, and for his team to do it, he knows his team will need to stop Isaiah Thomas.
Thomas, who scored a season-low eight points against the Timberwolves Monday night, will be looking for a bounce-back performance from a scoring perspective.
Thomas has made a point of rebounding after he doesn’t make a large impact. The diminutive guard scored just 12 points in the Celtics’ December 15 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers when he shot just 3-for-15 from the field, but rebounded with two strong scoring games. Thomas scored 38 the following game in Detroit, then added 29 two nights later against Atlanta.
“The more you watch him, I would say he’s almost an elite offensive point guard,” Clifford said. “I mean there aren’t many guys (who) when you’re getting ready to play a game that are more difficult to guard than he is.”
Thomas had a strong outing against the Hornets two weeks ago in Charlotte, when he complemented 21 points with a season-high 13 assists. The Celtics walked away with the 98-93 victory that night.
“He’s that good. He’s what you need,” Clifford said, noting that the Celtics are in “an entirely different place” since Thomas joined the team last season. “You can’t guard him with one guy, and when the game’s on the line he’s going to have the ball.”
Thomas certainly has the ball a lot, and he’s been getting to the free throw line with more frequency of late, something the Celtics as a team haven’t done with great regularity. The Celtics average just 21.4 free throw attempts per game; only five teams take fewer trips to the charity stripe.
Thomas hit 25 of his 26 free throws over two losses against the Pistons and Hawks before his off scoring game against Minnesota. But while he wasn’t scoring the ball, Thomas handed out 12 assists in the victory.
– Peter Stringer
