The Boston Celtics suffered their fifth loss of the season on Saturday night, falling to the Memphis Grizzlies at TD Garden. Despite having several open looks, Jrue Holiday struggled, making only 4 out of 17 attempts from beyond the arc, while Jayson Tatum shot just 1 out of 10 from deep.

Holiday finished with 23 points, and Jaylen Brown chipped in with 22, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Ja Morant’s stellar 32-point performance. After the game, Brown reflected on the Celtics’ lackluster effort, acknowledging their sloppy play. “I thought we fought as a team, we didn’t let go of the rope, we didn’t give up,” Brown said. “Definitely some shots didn’t go in, it was an ugly game, a lot of turnovers. It just didn’t feel like a typical Celtics game, but I give us credit—we fought until the end.”

As Brown mentioned, the loss against the Grizzlies wasn’t typical for the Celtics, but the team showed great effort despite the setbacks. They will undoubtedly look to bounce back in their next matchup. It was also a memorable night for Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart, who received a heartfelt welcome upon his return to TD Garden.

When asked about the emotional exchange between him and Smart, Brown shared, “It was weird, but it was great. Marcus is like family at this point. To be able to see him and congratulate him on starting his family, and everything off the court is amazing. All of that is good, but it’s definitely good to see him.”

For Brown, seeing Smart in a different jersey was an unusual experience, but he emphasized their strong bond. Despite scoring only three points, Smart enjoyed the satisfaction of bragging rights, being part of the victorious Grizzlies team. Now, let’s take a closer look at how the game unfolded.

Shooting woes hurt the Celtics as the Grizzlies won for the first time in Boston in a decade

The Boston Celtics were completely out of sync on Saturday night as the Grizzlies grabbed their first taste of victory since 2013 and their star point guard Ja Morant deserves the majority of the credit dropping a fantastic performance on the night. As mentioned before, Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum had an off night, whereas sharpshooter Sam Hauser had to exit the game in the first half due to right adductor tightness.

Soon, center Kristaps Porzingis also left for the locker room which seemed to be because of an ankle problem, but did return to finish the game. Interestingly, Boston shot 18 out of their 60 attempts from beyond the arc indicating no efficiency while Memphis was 15-for-33. The paint was the key stat on the night as the Grizzlies outscored the Celtics in that department 64-40.

Ja Morant has shown great signs since returning from his injury and has been the focal point in Memphis’ eminent run of form. The Grizzlies will visit the Wizards on Sunday while the Celtics will have a four-day break to recollect themselves from this loss, as they host the Pistons on Thursday. Can the Celtics make a return in their next outing? Tell us in the comment section below!