BOSTON — Jaylen Brown received a second-row seat to watch Blake Griffin take flight for his first slam in a Celtics uniform. Derrick White caught a pass on the short-roll, Griffin snuck across the back line from the right corner, rose up and tossed back an alley-oop slam like it’s 2015.
Brown didn’t need to stay much longer to see the result, but Al Horford stuck around on his now routine night off on the second half of back-to-backs to watch his fellow centers shine. Griffin — who has become the regular starter in Horford’s place despite piling up DNP-CDs early this season — scored nine points and Luke Kornet added nine more with 13 combined rebounds in high-flying efforts. The Celtics soared to 130 points for the second straight game, a 140-105 win, stealing rest for Jayson Tatum and Brown in succession without interruption.
“I like Blake, because he’s a great person, he’s been great for our team on and off the court,” Joe Mazzulla said. “Plays hard, super aggressive, great teammate. I thanked him for his professionalism and his work ethic to stay ready. It’s a long year and we’re going to need more of that this season for sure. (He’s provided) perspective, constantly in our young guy’s ears, just giving guys his experience, how his career has gone and where he was successful. Just a sense of humor and just an overall great guy. So guys flock to him.”
” … he can give us a lot. He’s really physical, he screens well, his ability to crash the offensive glass and his defensive communication is really good for the system that we have … there’s going to be moments where we’re going to need him.”
Griffin hit a three on the first shot of the game, his first appearance since Nov. 16, then ran to the rim plays later to tip out a pair of offensive rebounds. Derrick White converted a pair from deep, Tatum scored nine straight inside and out, and the Celtics almost instantly held their 18th double-digit lead of the season. Where he usually sits to start each game, Griffin built a habit of talking to all of his teammates individually each night with insight.
Kelly Oubre and the Hornets hit their first six shots in the paint to draw Luke Kornet into the game, and Tatum scored five more points to begin a 13-0 run that pushed the Celtics ahead by 27. Boston threw the ball around too much to touch the 55-point effort in April by the Grizzlies that set an NBA record, but exited the first quarter with a 45-19 advantage. Steve Clifford admitted Charlotte would need to catch some breaks to win without LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier sitting as a late scratch, and they did not.
“We could never beat them right now 4 out of 7 with the rosters that we’re going to throw out there tonight,” Clifford admitted pre-game.
Griffin’s first dunk followed a Marcus Smart three and pair of Tatum finishes in the lane, pushing the Celtics ahead, 63-39, midway through the second quarter. Smart served 15 assists in 30 minutes to reach 62 over his last seven games. Brogdon, White and Smart scored nine straight to extend the lead to 30 before halftime before Griffin checked back in with a charge take and a drop step into a right-handed hook over P.J. Washington.
He admitted it took several weeks to reach full strength after signing with the Celtics into training camp once Kornet suffered an ankle injury. Griffin received a chance to compete for minutes, but fell behind Noah Vonleh as he ramped up. Kornet returned into the regular season and quickly cemented himself as the backup.
Despite a flurry of good passing, screening and rim protection, Mazzulla got away from Kornet for almost the entirety of last week, culminating in a DNP-CD against Dallas. Griffin had reminded Payton Pritchard and Kornet things can change in an instant, and after both didn’t play in the first half on Friday, they keyed a win.
“(Pritchard) and Luke got thrown into the game in the third quarter against Sacramento, and they changed the game,” Griffin told CLNS Media after Monday’s win over Charlotte. “Those things matter, those things matter to coaching staffs and fans see that. People appreciate that and this fan base appreciates guys that play hard.”
Kornet benefited from the encouragement after not looking for his own shot in some of his earlier appearances in the schedule. Since the Celtics’ win over Denver where he attacked De’Andre Jordan, Kornet played more free, chasing down put-backs, firing up the occasional three and rolling to the rim harder off screens.
In the second half, he threw down a put-back, landed a rolling dunk in the lane and ran ahead of the Hornets defense to catch a lob from Smart. Kornet quipped about his athleticism after the game and flashed a floating dove celebration all the way to the bench after Charlotte called timeout down 97-66. He credited the celebration to Grant Williams, whose dunks drew it out of trainer Paul West and the sideline in tribute to Stromile Swift, a former Grizzlies No. 2 overall pick, back when Kornet sat at the end of the Celtics bench awaiting his chance.
“(Blake’s) a great teammate,” Kornet told CLNS. “He’s always uplifting guys and helping guys. It’s a great balance of a great person to have around, and also just when it comes to the game, he’s all business. You can tell he goes out and plays and does everything he can to contribute. We’re very fortunate and lucky to have.”
