C's Erupt for 30 in 4th behind IT's 29 and 15

January 4, 2017

'A great player, man, and he's getting better and more confident.'

- ROOKIE JAYLEN BROWN On Isaiah Thomas



This was only against one of the best fourth-quarter defenses in the NBA. Matched up with a Utah Jazz team that held its previous five opponents to an average of 14 points in the fourth quarter, the Celtics erupted for 30 during the final 12 minutes in last night's 115-104 win at the Garden.

Beyond another career night from Isaiah Thomas - this time with 15 assists to go along with his 29 points - and a career-high tying five 3-pointers from Jae Crowder on his way to 21 points, the Celtics attacked the big Utah frontcourt with lots of ball movement.

"They did a great job moving the ball, but we got to be more communicative and more accountable in transition defense," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "They got jumps on the possession, and it's tough to catch up because of their quickness. It's a very quick team, very different team. I thought we competed, but we just need to be more connected, specifically in transition."

Thomas, apparently hearing some of the wisecracks about not having an assist in Friday's 52-point performance, responded with the 15 dishes. It was also Thomas' 19th straight game with 20 or more points. Crowder, who has been slowly building back to offensive form, shot 5-for-6 from behind the arc and 6-for-8 overall.

By game's end, Thomas was finding everyone for downtown looks, including a wraparound pass from under the basket out to Al Horford (21 points) at the top of the circle for a 3-pointer with four minutes left. Avery Bradley followed with a pair of treys in a 1:20 span to finally break the Jazz after a 14-point fourth by old friend Joe Johnson.

Rookie Jaylen Brown fed off Thomas' playmaking to score eight points durig the first five minutes of the second quarter on a three-point play, a layup and a 3-pointer. "A great player, man, and he's getting better and more confident," Brown said. "Last game he had 52, and this game he goes for a career high in assists. You can take what you want, but you have to give that man his credit. It was great for me, because he has so much attention on him. Simple plays, simple basketball. He makes the game easy - easier for me and easier for everybody else. When he gets it going like that, it can be scary."

Scarier, apparently, than Brown has seen before.

"I really do think he has eyes in the back of his head," Brown said. "He can actually see behind him, because he'll be in the paint with all the trees and he just whips it out to the 3-point line, and I don't see that. I think he has eyes in the back of his head, man." Thomas' ability to move the ball led to perhaps the Celtics' finest example of ball movement this season.

The C's shot 17-for-31 (54.3 percent) from downtown. The season high of 17 has been reached three times. "I think the biggest thing is we're trying to find the best possible shot for our team, and against a team like this, you know, shooting through (center Rudy) Gobert is not always the answer," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "So you've got to figure out how to space him and attack him. That 3-point line can hopefully spread it out a little bit."