BSJ Game Report: Celtics 117, Grizzlies 112 - White, Garza save Boston late

The Boston Celtics ran into a brick wall on Wednesday night, and they were forced to recover in real time. An injury-plagued Memphis Grizzlies squad, with 11 guys listed on their injury report, blitzed the Celtics with pace, hustle, and impressive defensive principles.

Tuomas Iisalohad his guys ready to play. It wasn't perfect. A few guards got stuck on Boston's big men in the paint. But for the most part, their defensive intensity disrupted Boston's offensive flow.

Payton Pritchardcounteracted that reality in the first quarter. He was the Celtics' best source of offense, thriving in isolation. In the first quarter alone, he had 10 points, two rebounds, and one assist on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 shooting from deep.

Alongside him, Jaylen Brown managed to force his way inside, though he shot just 4-of-11 from the field in the first half (but 6-of-6 from the free-throw line). Jayson Tatum, meanwhile, started the game 0-of-8 from the floor.

Boston did have an inherent advantage on the offensive glass. The tallest active player for the Grizzlies on Friday night was 6-foot-7, so Neemias Queta and Luka Garzawere able to find success inside. The Celtics grabbed 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, totaling 14 second-chance points.

The Grizzlies' offense was much more spread out. In the first quarter, five different players made at least two shots, and by halftime, Tyler Burton led the way with 14 points off the bench.

Memphis did a great job of sending extra pressure and taking away the easiest pass for Brown or Tatum to make. This slowed down the Celtics' offense and forced a few turnovers, but Boston also got in its own way.

Slow-paced offense, missed layups, and sloppy turnovers helped the Grizzlies get out in transition and take advantage of the Celtics' mistakes.

That trend carried over into the third quarter.

The one-point lead Boston brought into the third quarter quickly faded away as the Grizzlies took a small lead of their own. They were outrunning the Celtics, getting easy shots in the paint, and Boston looked a step behind the eight-ball.

Cam Spencer led the Grizzlies' third-quarter charge. Memphis employed some great ball pressure that helped them get out in transition on the other end, but Spencer's shot-making was spearheading their efforts. He and DeJon Jarreauwere flowing nicely on offense.

Brown did his best to lift Boston's offense, and the Celtics' offensive rebounding continued to find success, but the third quarter was all Grizzlies.

Spencer and Jarreau combined for 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor and 3-of-3 shooting from deep.

The fourth quarter started ugly. Ty Jerome nailed two ridiculous threes over Boston's defense. Joe Mazzulla called an early timeout, and that's when Derrick Whitecame flying in to save the day.

White had been cold the entire night. He couldn't get much to fall. But he went on a personal scoring run to help the Celtics regain their footing.

The three-man combination of White, Garza, and Baylor Scheiermanwas absolutely dominant in the fourth. White ran the offense, Garza used his size down low, and Scheierman attacked the glass. It was a beautiful on-court combination.

White and Garza combined to score the Celtics' first 18 points of the quarter.

Once Brown and Tatum checked back in the game, Brown helped calm things down with his scoring, and Tatum with his rebounding. And that was that.

What was once a seven-point Grizzlies lead quickly flipped into a nine-point Celtics lead. And that was that in Memphis.

Big winner: Though Scheierman also played a great game, this was the night of White and Garza.

White's fourth-quarter efforts were nothing short of amazing, and it wasn't just his scoring.

Sure, his buckets were what helped Boston claw its way back in the scoring column, but the rest of his game was awesome, too.

White swung the ball when the Grizzlies pressured him. He was a wrecking ball on the defensive end. He even found a way to impact the offensive glass.

As for Garza, his offensive rebounding was one of the only reasons Boston stayed in this game. He never stopped working in this game, taking advantage of the Grizzlies' lack of size every chance he got.

Ouch, tough one: It looked like the Celtics weren't ready to compete on Friday night. They walked into FedEx Forum expecting the Grizzlies to roll over.

They didn't.

And credit goes to Memphis. They looked good. Iisalo had them ready to roll, and Boston was clearly caught off guard (on the offensive end, especially).

This Grizzlies team forced Nikola Jokicinto 10 turnovers on Wednesday night. They know how to pressure the ball. And yet the Celtics were still throwing haphazard passes.

Boston fell flat against a Memphis defense that had nothing to lose, and from there, the Grizzlies were able to get out in transition and put up points.

The big picture: Boston's comeback in this game is a testament to its role players.

It was all White, Scheierman, and Garza. They were the reason the Celtics won on Friday night.

Having guys like that who impact winning at such a high level is an incredible luxury that the Celtics have. The Grizzlies were the better team for over 40 minutes of basketball.

But when it mattered most, the Celtics' role players were able to grind out a victory.