The Boston Celtics earned their third straight victory on Friday night, taking down the Orlando Magic, 109-98.
With Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Enes Kanter each out due to injury, Kemba Walker stepped up with a 37-point performance on 12-of-22 shooting (6-for-11 from 3-point range).
Here are three instant overreactions from the C's win, which brings them to 30-14 on the year and gives Brad Stevens 300 wins as Celtics coach.
1. Shorthanded win shows depth isn't an issue for C's.
Verdict: Overreaction
No Tatum, no Brown, no Kanter, no problem.
With limited manpower, the Celtics took care of business vs. the Magic with Walker and Gordon Hayward leading the charge. Filling in for Brown, rookie Grant Williams dropped nine points on three 3-pointers.
Boston Celtics
But it was the Magic.
As well as the C's played shorthanded, depth remains a concern for this team. Especially given their inability to get their core players all on the court at the same time.
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Boston entered the game 27th in the NBA in bench scoring with 29.6 points per game. Its bench scored 18 Friday with Semi Ojeleye, Javonte Green and Brad Wanamaker chipping in for a combined 18 points. Tacko Fall and Carsen Edwards did not play.
This was an impressive road win for the limited Celtics, but adding a bench scorer before the Feb. 6 trade deadline wouldn't be the worst idea. Davis Bertans, perhaps?
2. Javonte Green has a dunk contest in his future.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
Green has said he isn't interested in the dunk contest, but he may eventually just have to give the people what they want.
The electrifying rookie threw down two massive slams in the C's win, which you can watch below.
Green finished with a modest seven points in 28 minutes, but those were seven of the most memorable points out of the 109 scored by Boston in this game.
3. Gordon Hayward deserves more credit.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
Hayward was the co-star alongside Walker on Friday night, dropping 22 points and adding a season-high 14 rebounds.
While he hasn't been the "star" some C's fans hoped he would be when they signed him to a lucrative contract in 2017, Hayward has been a playmaker this season. When he isn't getting it done in the scoring column, he makes an impact with his passing. When the team is shorthanded, he steps up to deliver a game like this one and reminds us what he's capable of.
For now, the performance should silence the critics (looking at you, Kendrick Perkins), who believe Hayward should be shipped out of town for a center.
Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Pelicans, which begins Sunday at 5:30 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live, followed by tip-off at 6 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.