Jared Sullinger got the Celtics started Wednesday night at the Garden while playing… point guard?
That’s right, the big man – who stands in at 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds – showed off his passing skills during the most critical juncture of Boston’s 116-96 win over Memphis.
Sullinger’s first dime of the night looked easy thanks to the help of Avery Bradley. Bradley, who had been standing in the left corner of the court while Sullinger had the ball on the left wing, lost his defender on a ultra-quick back-cut and was left with a clear path to the basket. Sully tossed him a perfect, right-handed bounce pass between two defenders that led to an uncontested two for Bradley.
That was assist No. 1.
It didn’t take long for No. 2 to arrive – 25 seconds, to be exact.
Sullinger reached high to pick off a pass by Jarell Martin on Memphis’ ensuing possession. He took one dribble from the free-throw line and toward Boston’s basket before tossing a bounce pass ahead to Isaiah Thomas, who was streaking ahead and down the right side of the court. Thomas put home one of his patented acrobatic layups to make it 69-63 in favor of the Celtics, which marked their largest lead of the game to that point.
Boston’s lead would swell much larger, and in timely fashion. The C’s would tally an 18-4 run to close the third period and owned an 83-67 advantage heading into the final quarter.
Clearly, more plays were needed for Boston to gain its insurmountable lead. Most noteworthy may have been Thomas’ trey at the 1:25 mark, which sent the crowd into a frenzy. That bucket capped an 8-0 spurt by the C’s that took just 64 seconds to reach completion.
Memphis never stood a chance after Boston’s run. The Garden was rocking, the Celtics were flying around, and momentum was fully in their favor.
And it all started with Sully’s point guard skills.
Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics in scoring. But that’s expected nowadays from the team’s starting point guard and primary playmaker, isn’t it?
Evan Turner isn’t a starter, and you never know what type of numbers he’ll provide on a nightly basis (that’s more of a testament to his versatility than any sort of inconsistency). This is why he gets the nod for our Key Player of the game.
Turner came off the bench and turned in 16 points Wednesday night, marking the third consecutive game during which he has scored in double-figures. This was the second time in those three games during which he scored at least 16.
As always, the Swiss Army knife provided plenty in other categories as well. He tallied a game-high eight assists, his highest total since dishing out nine against the Heat on Feb. 27. Turner also grabbed four rebounds and a steal during his nearly 30 minutes of action.
And you know it’s a good night when Turner drains a 3. He did so Wednesday, nailing his one and only attempt from long distance.
Brad Stevens on his message to the team at halftime.
