20161116-DALBOS

Taylor Snow

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BOSTON – The Boston Celtics were tired of hearing about their lack of rebounding through the first 10 games of the season, so Wednesday night they put forth their best effort to correct the issue.

Prior to its matchup with the Dallas Mavericks, Boston possessed the second-worst rebounding differential in the league. The C’s completely flipped the switch against Dallas, however, by producing their largest single-game rebounding advantage in more than two years.

Boston out-rebounded the Mavs 53-32 during Wednesday's 90-83 win, which marked the team's greatest advantage on the boards since Nov. 5, 2014 when it produced a massive plus-31 on the glass against the Toronto Raptors.

Last week, the Celtics found themselves ranked dead-last in the league in rebounding differential, averaging 8.0 less rebounds per game than their opponent.

So what did they do differently Wednesday night?

“We were boxing out,” answered Avery Bradley. “We were attacking the glass as a team.

“Guys like Jonas (Jerebko), Amir (Johnson) was boxing out, Kelly (Olynyk) was attacking the glass, Terry Rozier does every single night, Marcus Smart... We just did a great job as a team getting rebounds, and that’s what we need to do every single night.”

One major name that Bradley left off his lengthy list of top rebounders was his own. The seventh-year guard corralled a career-high 13 boards Wednesday night, nine of which he tallied by halftime. Prior to this season, he had collected nine rebounds during an entire game just three times.

Bradley was never known for his rebounding, as he entered this season with a career average of 2.6 rebounds per game. But he has been Boston’s brightest spot on the boards this season, boasting an average of 8.7 RPG through 11 contests.

“I think he’s made it a point of emphasis to just get [in] there,” Isaiah Thomas said of Bradley’s improvement on the glass. “He’s very athletic. He’s a strong guard. Most of the time on his rebounds he’s really going to get (it), they’re not just falling in his hands, and that says a lot about who he is as a player.”

Several of Boston’s guards had that ‘go-get-it’ mentality on the glass Wednesday night. Bradley, Smart, Thomas and Rozier combined for 27 rebounds, which is an unusual feat for a group of exterior players. Meanwhile, Dallas’ five guards combined for 12 rebounds on the night – one shy of Bradley’s individual total.

“We just wanted it,” Smart said of Boston’s guard-dominant effort on the glass. “We talked amongst each other that we needed to do a better job – the guards – of coming in and helping our bigs.”

Wednesday night, they did just that: The bigs were able to consistently box out the opposition, which then cleared a path for the guards to run in and snag the rock off the glass.

“I think that that is exactly what we’re trying to accomplish,” said coach Brad Stevens, “because none of our bigs have been career double-figure rebounders.

“(We have) good, solid interior players that do a lot of great things, but we’re asking Amir to guard up a spot most of the game – he’s guarded 4s mostly. And so for him to get his guy off has got to be enough, and then somebody else has to go get the ball.”

The Celtics struggled with that concept during the first couple of weeks of the season, but they’ve begun to show some improvement on the boards lately.

Prior to Boston’s rebounding outburst Wednesday night, it had actually possessed a plus-1 rebounding margin over its last three games. Now the C’s can say they have a plus-22 advantage on the glass over their last four contests.

“I’m not ready to anoint us the greatest rebounding team in the world yet,” Stevens quipped with a smile.

But at least the C’s are progressing in that department.

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C's Wipe Away Mavs with Huge Effort on the Glass

Marc D'Amico

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Just when things felt as if they were slipping away from the Celtics Wednesday night at the Garden, Isaiah Thomas brought them back.

Boston had blown what had once been a 12-point lead and allowed the visiting Mavericks to take a 70-66 lead – its largest of the game – on a 3-pointer by Wesley Matthews at the 6:15 mark of the fourth quarter.

Following that bucket, groans could be heard inside TD Garden.  It was as if every fan in the building was simultaneously thinking, “We’re going to lose to a far less talented team for the second time in as many games?”

It sure felt like such was going to be the case.  At least until Thomas took over.

Thomas dropped in a trey of his own just 17 seconds after Barnes hit his to bring Boston back within one.  Then, after Barnes scored another basket, Thomas canned three free throws after he was fouled on another 3-point attempt from the right wing.  Those freebies tied the game up at 72-72.

And it didn’t stop there.  The ultra-quick point guard went coast-to-coast after a turnover by Barnes to make it seven Celtics points in a row and to put his team back on top 78-76 with 3:17 remaining.

By the time the final buzzer sounded, Thomas had tallied 22 points during the fourth quarter alone and 20 during the final 5:58 of the contest.  His scoring single-handedly pushed the Celtics ahead by 10 points and allowed them to pull out the 90-83 victory.

Thomas may be only 5-foot-9, but he put the entire Celtics team on his back Wednesday night.

We already gave Isaiah Thomas his love.  We can’t pass on giving Avery Bradley his, too.

Bradley recorded Boston’s only double-double Wednesday night by tallying 18 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.  His 13 boards were nearly double the next-highest total by any Celtic, which was seven by Marcus Smart.

Wednesday’s performance marked the sixth double-double of Bradley’s season (11 games).  The rest of Boston’s team combined has totaled only two double-doubles.

To make this occurrence even more fascinating, try this stat on for size: Bradley had totaled only two double-doubles during his first six seasons in the NBA.  He now has six in the last 19 days.

Brad Stevens on Isaiah Thomas' 22-point fourth quarter.

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 90, Mavericks 83

Wednesday, November 16 - Mavericks at Celtics

Pregame – Former Celtic Powell Thriving in Dallas

BOSTON – Dwight Powell spent only a few months as a Boston Celtic, but that short time span was all that was needed to make a positive impression on coach Brad Stevens.

The 6-foot-11 power forward began his NBA career in 2014 with the Celtics, before being traded that December with Rajon Rondo to Dallas as a part of the deal that brought Jae Crowder to Boston. Powell has since been thriving in the Mavericks’ system and signed a multiyear deal with the franchise this past summer.

So far this season, Powell is averaging 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while playing 18.9 minutes per contest off the bench. And his former coach couldn’t be happier for him.

“You knew Dwight would make it because Dwight has a great work ethic,” Stevens said Wednesday evening before tipping off against Powell and the Mavericks at TD Garden.

“Dwight has a great way about him. He’s a really good teammate, he’s a guy you like having around, so I was really happy for him that he signed the contract that he signed this summer because you root for a guy like that to make it and do well.”

Powell was drafted 45th overall by Charlotte in 2014 and, on Draft Night, was traded on Cleveland. The Cavaliers then shipped him to Boston two months later and he spent four months with the C’s until they dealt him to Dallas.

The Mavericks have relied heavily on Powell lately as Dirk Nowitzki has missed six contests this season – including four straight – with a sore right Achilles. The 25-year-old forward even earned a start last Wednesday against Golden State, and he delivered with a 14-point, nine-rebound performance.

“He’s gotten better each year,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, who played three seasons with the Celtics in the 1980s. “He’s a tireless, relentless worker that any team in this league would want in their culture, so we’re really thrilled to be able to get him back.

“He’s playing more and more, plays two positions for us (center and power forward), and he’s going to continue to get better because he works so hard.”

Powell will put that hard work to the test again tonight under special circumstances as he takes on the team that he began his NBA career with.

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Post-Ups: Former Celtic Powell Thriving in Dallas

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Here are five things to watch out for when the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight at TD Garden.

Al Horford and the Celtics have been playing the waiting game for more than two weeks in regard to Horford’s possible return to the lineup from a concussion.  Will that waiting game turn into a playing game tonight?

Horford is listed as doubtful for this contest.  He fully participated in Tuesday’s practice, but it was a light practice with minimal contact, according to Brad Stevens.  Horford told reporters after practice that he’s “not where I want to be right now,” indicating that the C’s will almost certainly be without him tonight for the eighth consecutive game.

The Dallas Mavericks have missed the Playoffs only once during the last 16 seasons.  It’s sure looking like they will double that total this season season.

These Mavericks aren’t your typical Mavericks.  They head into tonight’s game with a woeful 2-7 record, matching the New Orleans Pelicans for the worst win total in the Western Conference.

It is likely that Dirk Nowitzki, who is nursing a strained right Achilles, will play tonight for the first time since Nov. 4.  However, the players who are slated to start around him (Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut), with the exception of Barnes, are having very underwhelming campaigns thus far.

There is no doubt that Boston is highly reliant upon the long ball at the offensive end of the court.  Monday night was the most recent example of that fact.

The C’s fired up a whopping 41 3-pointers during Monday’s loss in New Orleans, making 12. The team is averaging 29.9 3-point attempts per game this season, which ranks seventh in the NBA.  Fortunately for Boston, it has shot the ball well from long range this season, having converted on 36.1 percent of its attempts.

Dallas, likewise, is a heavy 3-point shooting team.  The Mavs rank fourth in the league in 3-point attempts per game with an average of 30.9.  However, Dallas has not shot the three-ball well, as it has only made 30.2 percent of its 3s this season.  That percentage ranks third-to-last in the league.

One thing we know heading into this game is that both teams will be firing from downtown on a regular basis.  The numbers say that Boston should hold the edge in that category.

New Orleans downed the C’s Monday night, and that simply wasn’t supposed to happen.  The Pelicans entered that game with only one win on the season, while the Celtics are regarded as one of the more talented teams in the league.

Tonight, Boston will be playing under similar circumstances.  Dallas enters action with only two wins to its name and the fifth-worst scoring differential in the league.

Boston may be without two of its key players in Horford and Jae Crowder, but it should still win this game.  Let’s hope the result is much different than it was Monday night, when it played under similar circumstances.

It has been a rare occurrence this season that the Celtics have won the battle at the free-throw line.  The numbers say tonight could be an exception to that trend.

Boston ranks 17th in the league with an average of 23.7 free throw attempts per game.  That’s not great, but Dallas is even worse – much worse.  The Mavericks rank dead last in the league in getting to the free-throw line, and by a large margin, with an average of 17.6 attempts per game.

Isaiah Thomas, who attempts an average of nearly 10 free throws a night, paces the C’s at the free-throw line every time the team takes the court.  Dallas, on the other hand, doesn’t have many players who put the ball on the floor to attack the basket and draw fouls.  The combination of those two facts should lead to the C’s having an advantage in this key category during tonight’s game.

20161116‑DALBOS

C's Wipe Away Mavs with Huge Effort on the Glass

Keys to the Game: Celtics 90, Mavericks 83

Post-Ups: Former Celtic Powell Thriving in Dallas

Watch It! – Mavericks at Celtics