NBA Game Notes: Celtics big comeback, Nuggets-Mavs play a playoff game

Notes from: HOU-DET, BOS-MIL, MIA-MIN, DAL-DEN, plus a few other stray notes!

Thanks for your patience with no notes from the last few days, as I was traveling. But we’re back and rolling! It was a busy Sunday around the NBA and here’s what I saw!

Houston Rockets - 101 at Detroit Pistons - 99

• Ime Udoka is playing a very set rotation. That has guys locked into the roles. The one challenge: It’s hard for guys to crack that rotation.

• Related to the above: Reed Sheppard isn’t playing a ton. But he is playing. That’s the good news. His time for more will come eventually.

• This win is owed to Alperen Sengun and Tari Eason. Sengun took advantage of an undermanned Pistons frontline and mostly did what he wanted. Eason came in and played with his always great energy. With Isaiah Stewart starting for Detroit, they didn’t have anyone to match Eason’s bounciness off the bench.

• Speaking of Stewart…he did a nice job offensively. Defensively, Sengun is a tough cover for Stewart.

• Need to see Ron Holland II attack more. He’s not taking bad jumpers, but he’s taking too many jumpers. Holland should be able to put the ball on the floor more than he does.

• This game was a close, because the Pistons defended well, and the Rockets shooting is really shaky. On offense, it was a step back for Detroit. A lot of Cade Cunningham and not enough from everyone else.

Boston Celtics - 113 at Milwaukee Bucks - 107

• Tale of two halves for Boston. They were a mess on defense in the first half. Effort was there, but execution was awful. Blown switches, letting Giannis Antetokounmpo get to the paint before trying to wall him off, not recognizing shooters.

  The second half was some of the best defense the Celtics have played this season. They were flying around for deflections, steals and blocks. Switches were almost perfectly executed.

  When Boston is at their best on defense, they attack. That term is usually reserved for an offensive approach, but watch the second half of this game and you’ll see what I mean.

• Payton Pritchard kept the Celtics in the game in the first half. He’s been terrific this season and should be the early leader for Sixth Man of the Year. Pritchard is a great shooter in every form: spot-up, pull-up, movement off screens, drives. Look at how deep this pull is on a catch-and-shoot off a screen. This is a lot harder of a shot than Pritchard makes it look like:

• Neemias Queta has played really well for the Celtics. He’s a much-improved screener. Next up is getting better at sealing his man when rolling. Queta plays too straight up-and-down right now. He needs to get better at putting his backside into the defender to wall them off from the pass. That will come with more time and experience.

• There are no easy fixes for Milwaukee. Boston spent the entire second half targeting Damian Lillard. The Bucks were -22 in Lillard’s 18:52 of second-half playing time.

  Targeting Lillard is nothing new. But Brook Lopez isn’t simply hanging around the rim in Doc Rivers’ defensive system. Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t been engaged as a help defender all that often this year. It’s going to take major scheme adjustments or personnel changes to make this defense workable.

• AJ Green has been getting more playing time, but he needs to get even more. He’s a terrific shooter, and he’s engaged defensively. Green gets around his limitations with better-than-you-think strength, hustle and IQ. Buck need more of him.

• I won’t go as far as Jaylen Brown did with calling Giannis Antetokounmpo a “child”. But the fake handshake thing was silly. Maybe Antetokounmpo was trying to lighten up a tense moment after catching Brown with an elbow. But Antetokounmpo has a history of firing up the Celtics in their matchups and it often seems to come with unnecessary actions.