The Boston Celtics avenged Wednesday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks with a convincing 121-109 victory -- minus a shaky fourth quarter -- on Friday night.
Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum led the C's in points with 28 and 25 respectively. On Atlanta's side, Trae Young followed up his 40-point performance with a 31-point outburst. Clint Capela added 24 points and 15 rebounds.
Highlights: C's avenge loss to Hawks with big effort from Kemba
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Here's what we're overreacting to from Boston's win, which brings its record to 15-14 on the season.
1. Kemba Walker is back to 100 percent.
Walker sure has looked like his All-Star self over his last few games. In Friday night's win, he was the star with 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting (5-for-8 from 3), six assists, and five rebounds.. He also may have had his best defensive performance of the season with three steals and a block.
That knee looks just fine.
The question is, can Walker sustain this for the remainder of the season? We're only one week removed from that dreadful seven-point, 2-for-12 shooting performance in Utah. The 30-year-old appears to have figured something out since then, but we'll have to see him string together more of these performances.
Boston Celtics
Plus, he was guarded in this game by fellow 6-foot guard Trae Young, who isn't exactly known for his stifling defense. Let's give it a few more games before we get too overzealous.
Verdict: Overreaction
2. The C's don't have a big man problem.
Could the Celtics use a guy like Nikola Vucevic who brings both size and scoring to the table? Of course they can, along with all 29 other NBA teams.
But it probably isn't going to happen, and the Celtics showed Friday night that adding a big man shouldn't be the number one priority at this year's trade deadline. Tristan Thompson, Daniel Theis, and Robert Williams each made a statement in the victory over Atlanta.
Thompson backed up his blunt comments about the C's effort with a 17-point, five-rebound performance. Theis returned to the lineup and made an immediate impact with 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Williams once again was electric off the bench with 12 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, and two steals in 16 minutes (give the man more playing time!)
Rather than trying to fix a big man situation that doesn't need fixing, Danny Ainge's focus should be on adding a wing (Harrison Barnes? JJ Redick?) who can provide some scoring off the bench. Outside of Williams, the second unit only had a combined eight points.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
3. Celtics should bring back Isaiah Thomas.
Before the Celtics' victory over the Hawks, old friend Isaiah Thomas and Team USA took on the Bahamas in the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers.
Thomas admitted there was some rust in his return to the court, but the former C's guard showed he still has something left in the tank as a scorer. He hit three straight 3-pointers to start the game and finished with 19 points.
Obviously, I.T. isn't going to fix all of the Celtics' issues. But what do they have to lose by bringing the two-time All-Star back into the fold? Jeff Teague, who was a DNP on Friday night, simply hasn't panned out. It's hard to imagine Thomas being any less effective as a guard off the bench, so why not give him a shot?
Thomas and Team USA will play again Saturday at 5 p.m. vs. Mexico.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
Next up for the Celtics is a trip to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans. That matchup is scheduled for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.