5 takeaways as Kemba Walker’s big night lifted the Celtics over the Pacers

The Boston Celtics carved out a little wiggle room on Friday, ending a three-game losing streak with a 118-112 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Five takeaways with a sigh of relief for Boston.

Kemba Walker changed his tone in the first quarter.

The Celtics clashed early and looked like they were on the verge of another catastrophic loss as the Pacers almost instantly climbed to a double-digit lead.

Then, with the Celtics down 18-4, Kemba Walker took over. Walker collected 10 points and distributed two assists in the only first quarter en route to a great night (32 points on a 10 in 19 shot, six assists, three rebounds). Boston’s 14-point deficit evaporated and the Celtics resumed a 32-31 lead after one.

Walker’s performance was somewhat reminiscent of how the Celtics used Isaiah Thomas – offensive pick-and-roll with Walker dribbling around screens and circling in paint off of dribble sets. His offense was a huge lift.

The Celtics need to play Robert Williams every minute they can.

Walker was Boston’s best player on Friday, but Williams may have been second – 14 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Offensively, Williams put pressure on the defense around the rim and made some high-level passes. Defensively, he swallowed up the rebounds and made the pilots think twice.

Stevens said the Celtics have limited Williams’ minutes in hopes of speeding him up as the season progresses. Williams’ hip is a concern, and the Celtics are rightly paying attention to his health – the last thing they want is a lingering light injury that turns into something more serious.

Still, the Celtics should take every minute they can get from Williams. He played well and continues to show high-level potential in center position, although the Celtics still hand solid veteran Daniel Theis into the final minutes.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finally got support.

Tatum and Brown were a combined 9 for 30 from floor with 24 points. Tatum in particular struggled, posting just nine points on a frozen 4-for-18 shot.

And yet the Celtics still won 51.2% from the field and 40.9% from the 3-point line. Remove Brown’s and Tatum’s lines from the box score, and Boston shot 63.4% as a team.

It is the power of depth. Boston’s season was on the verge of outright collapse (and frankly, she might have already started her descent), but if Friday’s game sparks anything before the break, it might not be. An exaggeration to say that Kemba Walker’s 32-point night saved the Celtics’ season.

Q4 Collapse Response

The Celtics took a double-digit lead nine minutes from time. Almost instantly, the Pacers rocked him with a 9-0 run covering just 1:02 of playing time.

The Celtics’ response, however, was encouraging. Once again, Walker prompted him – he buried a float, then a long jumper to reduce Boston’s advantage to six. The Pacers got it down to three late, and Aaron Holiday’s wide-open triple with just under a minute to go felt like a lock to tie the game.

Instead, he rocked the rim and Daniel Theis hit a 3-point corner pointer on the other end which put the Celtics in control. Free throws on the stretch froze the contest, despite a strange 3-point pointer from Domantas Sabonis who bounced off the top of the backboard and fell through.

The Celtics’ fourth quarter issues aren’t resolved after a win, of course – they always fouled early and often, and they still had chances to retire which they gave back.

But Friday’s performance – not least because it was boosted by Walker – was certainly a step forward.

The Celtics’ rotations were intriguing.

Interestingly, Grant Williams and Semi Ojeleye did not play on Friday. Aaron Nesmith, who recently got an extended look, only played seven minutes, while Javonte Green started the fourth quarter and was pulled out shortly after.

Stevens’ rotation to help his team clinch a win was mostly made up of veterans plus Payton Pritchard, who has gone over 30 minutes for the second time this season.

The Celtics will be eyeing Williams, Ojeleye and Nesmith many times in the future, of course, but Stevens cut the minutes for young players which was remarkable.