There is not one thing you can point to behind the Boston Celtics 110 – 99 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on the road Wednesday night. But, a lack of healthy bodies was a huge part, as were defensive lapses and a lack of scoring options materializing with any sort of consistency outside of forwards Jayson Tatum and Grant Williams.
The latter player spoke with the press after the loss and was asked how much Robert Williams III’s absence impacted the tenor of the game. The Tennessee product admitted it was a hard loss, but also pointed to a more comprehensive list of issues the team is working through.
“Rob’s a huge piece of what we want to do, so it was difficult, but we did a good job defensively most of the game,” Williams explained.
WATCH: The Boston Celtics’ shooting is broken, and it needs fixing now! https://t.co/iQ0FQiJENq
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“We’ve just got to put the ball in the basket a little bit better,” he added.
“(I had) a little bit frustration myself defensively, because a little bit of that third-quarter run was kind of on me I feel like, so that’s probably the biggest frustration right now. But we have to watch the tape, bounce back from it and play a talented Lakers team moving forward that’s on the same path, trying to find their own way.”
“So as much as we want to focus on this game, what we did wrong, we have to get going for the next one too,” suggested Williams.
The German floor general has been a key player for the Celtics so far. https://t.co/xxhxf8hhHb
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Boston could have not only Timelord but also Jaylen Brown back in time to meet a Los Angeles Lakers squad this Friday who are also lurching back towards full health with news LeBron James has a shot at returning to action in that game as well.
And as Williams notes, both teams are hungry for victories after an underwhelming start to their season, adding an extra layer of intensity to one of the most consistent rivalry games in the league.
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The Celtics come up short despite Tatum’s 34 points https://t.co/Vf371ZndB4
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) November 18, 2021
