Top Individual Efforts of Boston's Road Trip

Marc D'Amico
Team Reporter and Analyst

BOSTON – You know the saying, "Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”? In the same light, you shouldn’t judge Boston’s road trip by its record.

The Celtics may have lost all five of their games on their West Coast trip but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some positive takeaways. They battled against several presumed title contenders and hung tight with a trio of them. The only way to do that is by having many players put forth stellar performances.

Listed below are some of Boston’s top performances from the trip in chronological order. As you’ll see, the team received solid contributions across the board.

Vitor Faverani – Jan. 7 in Denver

You haven’t heard this guy’s name very often of late, have you? That’s what makes his performance against the Nuggets that much more impressive.

Vitor Faverani hadn’t logged double-digit minutes since Dec. 22 against the Pacers but he stayed ready during his downtime. Brad Stevens called his name against the Nuggets and left him on the court for 16 minutes. Faverani capitalized on his playing time by logging 10 points and five rebounds. He shot 4-of-8 from the field during the game.

This 10-point, five-rebound performance was Faverani’s best since a game Nov. 23 game against the Hawks. That’s the last time he scored in double-figures and grabbed at least five boards.

Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford– Jan. 8 in Los Angeles

Avery Bradley

Avery Bradley, along with Jordan Crawford, torched the Clippers' defense on January 8.
Kevin C. Cox/NBAE/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Clippers were without their two starting guards when the Celtics visited them on Jan. 8. Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford took notice of their absence and went right at L.A.’s defense.

Boston’s starting backcourt combined for 48 of the team’s 105 points. Both Bradley and Crawford tallied 24 points while also combining for six rebounds and 10 assists. Bradley shot a stellar 10-of-18 from the field, while Crawford shot 7-for-17.

Jeff Green – Jan. 10 at Golden State

If you’ve been waiting for Jeff Green to break out, Jan. 10 was your night. Green tallied his biggest double-double of the season, and second in as many nights, while dominating Golden State’s defense.

Green was aggressive all night long and wound up scoring a game-high 24 points in the contest. He shot better than the league average in every area of the floor from which he attempted a shot en route to an 11-of-17 shooting performance.

The scoring was great, but what stood out most was Green’s pursuit of loose balls. He hauled in 11 rebounds for the second consecutive night. To put that into perspective, prior to the night before, Green hadn’t reached double-digits in the rebounding department since March 26 of last season.

Jared Sullinger – Jan. 10 at Golden State

Stevens returned Jared Sullinger to a reserve role on Jan. 8 when he inserted Kris Humphries into the starting lineup. Sullinger struggled in his first game as a reserve, but he excelled in his second.

The second-year big man was fantastic off the bench in Golden State against one of the league’s elite rebounding teams. He hauled in 11 rebounds on the night, all while scoring 21 points. Ironically, he shot better the farther he was from the basket. He shot 3-of-4 on deep jumpers, including a 2-of-3 performance from long range. Sullinger shot 9-of-16 from the field overall and the Celtics outscored the Warriors by six points during his 31 minutes of action.

Avery Bradley – Jan. 11 at Portland

To put it lightly, Avery Bradley was unstoppable Saturday night in Portland. The Trail Blazers had no answers for him as he racked up a game-high 25 points.

Bradley was electric at the offensive end from all areas of the court. He made five of his eight shot attempts in the paint and shot 5-of-8 on long midrange shots. Bradley also contributed five rebounds and three assists as Portland struggled to keep up with his energy and efficiency.

Jerryd Bayless – Jan. 11 at Portland

Boston acquired Jerryd Bayless to be an instant-offense option off the bench. He was exactly that against the Trail Blazers.

Bayless came off the bench to score 12 points for Boston on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Those 12 points accounted for Bayless’ top scoring performance and second double-digit scoring effort since being acquired by the Celtics on Jan. 7.

The guard showcased his scoring abilities all while dipping into his true point guard roots. Bayless dished out six assists during his 21 minutes of action, which tied for the team high. It’s a safe bet to assume that Stevens and his coaching staff will be enamored if Bayless can contribute such efficient scoring and solid passing for the remainder of this season.