Inside The Celtics

The Top 5 Plays from Monday's Celtics-Grizzlies Game

Headlining the top five plays from Monday's Celtics-Grizzlies game is Derrick White flying in from behind to swat Ja Morant, Boston's best play of the night, and Jayson Tatum's thunderous throwdown.

Bobby Krivitsky

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From Marcus Smart's alley-oop to Jayson Tatum to Derrick White flying in from behind to swat Ja Morant, Boston's best play of the night, Smart's scoop-and-score, and Tatum's thunderous throwdown, here are the top five plays from Monday's Celtics-Grizzlies game.

Marcus Smart Throws the Lob, and Jayson Tatum Takes Care of the Rest

In Monday night's win, Marcus Smart scored or assisted on Boston's first 16 points.

In the play above, Dillon Brooks is anticipating Jayson Tatum will hold the first half of a staggered screen for Jaylen Brown. Instead, Tatum bolts to the basket, and with Al Horford stationed at the top of the key, it pulls Brandon Clarke away from the rim, clearing Tatum for takeoff without worrying about potential challengers.

Derrick White Denies Ja Morant

Horford does well staying in front of Ja Morant to slow him down, making it possible for Derrick White to come flying through and swat Morant's layup attempt from behind.

The Celtics' Best Play of the Night

Malcolm Brogdon quickly gets the ball up the floor after a Morant three, giving Boston most of the shot clock to run its offense.

He then shows off his underrated first step, dribbling between his legs, crossing over, and bursting into the paint. He then lifts a pass over two Grizzlies defenders. Xavier Tillman closes out high and out of control, making it easy for Horford to get into the paint.

That forces Jake LaRavia to stay in and protect the rim. John Konchar doesn't zone two to account for Morant being on Brogdon, instead staying between Jaylen Brown and Horford as the latter drives.

That allows Horford to kick the ball out to Smart, who quickly swings it to Brown. Morant does an excellent job on this x-out, sprinting from the low block to dissuade Brown from launching a three. But LaRavia, a rookie, also goes out towards Brown, making it easy to get the ball to Brogdon, who also has space to get into the paint.

LaRavia does well holding his ground when Brogdon bangs into him and leaves the latter with nowhere to go. But with Brooks ball-watching, Tatum cuts in front of his face. And while his two-footed floater doesn't go down, he draws two defenders, resulting in Horford and Brogdon not getting boxed out.

The former then wins a 50-50 battle with Brooks, tipping the rebound, which ends up in the hands of the latter. Brogdon then drops the ball down to Tatum, who goes up strong, finishing on the other side of the rim.

From the ball movement to the cutting and the effort on the glass, it was a play the Celtics will highlight in the film room.

Marcus Smart's Old-School Three-Point Play

Tatum and Smart go into one of their patented plays where the former enters the ball to the latter and quickly gets it back along with a screen from Smart.

But with Desmond Bane, who was guarding Tatum, in the way of Tyus Jones, who was defending Smart, the Celtics' floor general breaks to the basket, where he absorbs the contact from Santi Aldama, scooping and swishing a shot with his left hand. He then tacked on the free throw.

Jayson Tatum's Rim-Rattling Thunderous Throw Down

The fifth and final of Monday's top five plays is as self-explanatory as it is thunderous as Tatum rocks the rim with a one-handed flush.

Further Reading

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Grizzlies: Jayson Tatum Outduels Ja Morant as Boston Hangs on to Hand Memphis First Home Loss this Season

Exploring the Celtics' Options with the Disabled Player Exception Granted to Them for Losing Danilo Gallinari

Celtics Granted Disabled Player Exception for Danilo Gallinari

The Top 5 Plays from Saturday's Celtics-Knicks Game

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Knicks: Boston Sets Franchise Record for Threes and Saves Its Best Quarter for Final Frame

Eager to Skip Ahead to the Playoffs, the Celtics Must Not Squander the Time Leading Up to It

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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