BOSTON – The narrative on Marcus Morris has evolved since he became a Celtic.
Known for being a gritty defender, Morris’ biggest contributions this season have come as a scorer...until Monday night.
Morris’ 11 points off the bench were certainly a plus in Boston’s 117-101 win over the Sixers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. But more important, was his defense against Sixers point guard Ben Simmons.
The 6-foot-10 Simmons had a respectable game statistically with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. But he also turned it over seven times – just three less than the turnover total for the entire Celtics team.
And Morris’ defense had a lot to do with that.
“That’s one of my assignments,” Morris told NBC Sports Boston. “If I can slow down guys like him, that affects the team as a whole. Because when he gets going, the whole team gets going.”
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Morris spent 23 possessions in Game 1 guarding Simmons, more than any other Celtics player. In that span, Simmons scored two points on 1-for-2 shooting with one assist.
Boston Celtics
At 6-foot-10 playing point-forward, Simmons isn’t used to going up against players that can literally look at him eye-to-eye the way the 6-9 Morris can.
But more than anything, Morris brings a physical brand of basketball to the game that, at least in Game 1, gave Simmons problems.
Morris believes his physical style is a problem for most of the players he faces.
“You got one in Cleveland. The rest of them, they feel me. Other than that, I’m going to try and force my will defensively, play both sides of the ball and help my team as much as I can.”
Here are five more takeaways from the Celtics Game 1 victory:
DEFENDING EMBIID
RED-HOT ROZIER
TATUM COMING OF AGE
SMART PLAYS
LOW TURNOVERS
