Celtics' Stevens: 'no brainer' to bench starters in double OT loss
The Boston Celtics went down Monday without their best players on the court.
Boston's three-game winning streak was snapped in a 133-132 double-overtime loss to the Washington Wizards, as point guard Rajon Rondo and other starters watched from the sidelines during crunch time. It's a decision head coach Brad Stevens stands by.
The Celtics overcame a 16-point deficit to start the fourth quarter and forced overtime after Evan Turner nailed a 3-pointer with under a second remaining in regulation. Stevens' bench - including Turner, who logged the second-most minutes with 39 - was a big reason for the comeback.
So much so that the second-year head coach primarily ran with his second unit for the overtimes.
"A no-brainer," Stevens said of keeping his starters on the bench, according to Jay King of Masslive.com. "Those guys deserved to play at the end because they got us right back in it. It was nothing against the guys that started."
The Celtics' bench scored 82 points in the game to set a franchise record.
Turner, Marcus Smart, Brandon Bass and Kelly Olynyk each logged more than 30-plus minutes off the bench. Olynyk played a team-high 41 minutes, dropping 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Smart's 35 minutes represented a season high.
Smart responded by scoring a career-high 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting while dishing out five assists. It was easily the best game of his young career and a positive sign after he missed 10 consecutive games earlier in the season with a severe ankle sprain.
Rondo, who was held scoreless in 21 minutes, said he understood his coach's decision to opt for the rookie instead.
"I'm very competitive," Rondo said. "I wanted to play. I wanted to compete and be on the floor. But the guys in front of me, the guys who were out there, were playing great. And I didn't want to mess up any momentum.
"There was no communication (between him and Stevens) but there was nothing needed. Like I said, the guys did a great job making a run out there. Our bench did a great job tonight and they deserved to play."