Celtics lovin' the lift they are getting from rookie Romeo Langford

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BOSTON -- Romeo Langford was playing major minutes for the second straight game. And for large chunks of Friday’s game against Atlanta, the 20-year-old Langford was matched up against Vince Carter who has been in the NBA (22 years) longer than Langford has been alive. 

It has indeed been a whirlwind of a week for Romeo Langford.

But Langford became the latest standout member of the Celtics’ next-man-up club, having a career night in helping Boston edge past Atlanta 112-107. 

Langford finished with a career-high 16 against the Hawks (he came in averaging less than three points per game) along with playing solid defense against a multitude of Atlanta players including Carter. 

“It took me a little bit (of time) to get the rhythm of the game,” Langford said. “But once I got running up and down the court a little bit, I felt like I belonged out there.” 

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Which is saying a lot when you consider not just his lack of experience in the NBA, but the lack of playing time he has garnered this season. 

Langford came into tonight’s game having played in 15 games while averaging 2.5 points per game. 

To sum up Langford’s lack of playing time, it has primarily been due to injuries, illnesses and a bevy of wings ahead of him on the depth chart. 

“Listen, we have a lot of guys on that bench that can actually go and play and really make contributions,” said Boston’s Marcus Smart. “It’s just tough for them now because we got so many guys that have been here, more experienced and are already established.”

We certainly saw that from Langford who in addition to scoring, also had five rebounds and a career-high three blocked shots in addition to guarding Carter who had 10 points to bring his career total to 26,674 points which ranks 19th on the NBA’s all-time scorer’s list. 

“It’s surreal; I’m 20 and I would never have thought I would be playing against Vince Carter,” Langford said. “Play with him on (PlayStation) 2K and against him, and now I got to guard him; it’s a blessing.”

Enes Kanter had a strong game with 16 points and 15 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. 

But after the win, Kanter was more into praising the play of Langford. 

“I want to give a huge shout-out to Romeo,” Kanter said. “Both ends of the floor, offensively, defensively, he’s playing hard. He’s having fun, he’s learning, so I’m really proud of him. It’s nice to see him grow into that.”

And a big part of that growth is recognizing opportunity and seizing it once it manifests itself. 

“All these rookies, we tell them, there are going to be times when guys are hurt,” Smart said. “That’s your time to accept the challenge and take advantage of your opportunity; they all have. Rome, he just keeps … he didn’t start off getting as much playing time as the other rookies. But his time has come … he gave us what we need.”

Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Thunder, which begins Sunday at 2:30 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live followed by tip-off at 3:30 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.

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