BOSTON – When James Harden erupts for 37 points, draining nine in the final 30 seconds like a man possessed, you’d figure the postgame buzz would be all about the bearded maestro’s vintage magic. But in the Celtics’ gritty 121-118 thriller over the Clippers at TD Garden on Sunday, the real hero’s chorus was reserved for a 21-year-old underdog: Jordan Walsh.
Yeah, you read that right. The third-year wing, making just his second start of the season, turned heads with a defensive clinic that had Joe Mazzulla, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White tossing around “great” like confetti after the win.
“His defense over the last however many games has been great,” White raved, shaking his head at the memory. “Obviously, a lot of different types of matchups, and tonight’s a challenging one. Like, a couple times, we didn’t get the calls because he’s a young kid trying to figure it out. So I think it’s great for him to grow and learn from these matchups. He’s competing at a high level, and he can do a lot of different things defensively. So he’s been great for us, and it’s great to see.”
Walsh has been Boston’s secret weapon lately, locking horns with the league’s elite: Orlando’s Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, Philly’s Tyrese Maxey, Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. Against Harden? He straight-up suffocated the Clippers’ star, limiting him to five first-half points on a brutal 1-of-7 shooting. Walsh swiped two steals, swatted one shot, and crashed for eight rebounds, turning the paint into his personal playground. Even Clippers coach Tyronn Lue had to tip his cap: “He did an outstanding job trying to frustrate James, wear him down, make him tired.”
Payton Pritchard piled on: “I think he’s been doing a heck of a job defending. We need that. He brings the energy guarding the best defender every night. I think that’s his calling card, and he needs to continue it, because he has great potential in that area. As his offensive game grows, his defensive game—that’s what will keep him on the court.”
Of course, no masterpiece is without its smudges. Walsh’s Achilles’ heel? Fouls. As White pointed out, the kid racked up five shooting whistles on Harden—some blatant, others hair-splitting ticky-tack calls that lit the fuse for the former MVP’s second-half explosion.
“There’s some room for improvement,” Brown admitted with a grin. “You don’t want to give a guy free throws, and I think he put him on the line a lot in the second half. That kind of gets guys going, when they see a bunch of free throws. I think we sent him to the line three straight possessions, and then that got him going. But I think Jordan has been doing an excellent job. I think it’s his energy level. His physicality has been good. He’s just got to keep building on it, because we need a guy that’s going to guard the best players night in and night out.”
The dagger? With 21.8 seconds left and the Garden holding its breath, Walsh fouled a red-hot Harden on a missed 3-pointer. Harden sank all three charity tosses, then buried two more bombs before clanging a potential game-tying buzzer-beater off the iron. Oof.
Mazzulla, ever the steady hand, defended his young gun like a grizzled vet. “He’s one of the best foul-drawers in the league,” the coach said of Harden, who once feasted on 10-plus freebies a night in his Houston heyday. “I think (Walsh) did a great job. I’d prefer not to get a flagrant foul on a three-point shot, but it’s easier said than done when you have to guard him for as long as he did, for 33 straight minutes. So I thought he was very good, and I thought he made some winning plays throughout the entire game, and that’s the role. That’s what you have to become, is a guy that can guard anybody on any given night, and he’s embracing that.”
That dogged mentality has catapulted Walsh up Boston’s depth chart, vaulting past fellow young guns like Josh Minott, Hugo Gonzalez, and Baylor Scheierman. From a healthy DNP in four of the first eight games, he’s now a fixture, logging at least 18 minutes in six straight—and the Celtics have outscored foes with him on the floor every damn time. His 33 minutes against LA? A career high, baby.
“What the team needs is somebody that can go out and guard (the opponent’s) best player every night,” Brown said. “And even when Jordan wasn’t playing, I was telling him, ‘That guy could be you.’ He’s got his opportunity, and he’s playing well right now, so we’ve got to keep that going.”
Bench Goes Quiet in the Clutch
Not every reserve lit up the scoreboard, though. Sam Hauser, Boston’s early-season sharpshooter, drew his shortest leash yet—just seven minutes—and went ice-cold: zero points on 0-for-3 bricks.
Hauser’s been in a rut, hitting just 5-of-34 from deep (14.7%) and 1-of-6 from two over the last seven games. Double figures? Twice this year, last on Oct. 29. Rough stretch for the reliable sniper.
Anfernee Simons notched his first Celtics goose egg too, misfiring on all three shots with two turnovers in 12 minutes. Baylor Scheierman (+12) was the lone bench spark with a positive plus/minus.
Luka Garza flashed some fire with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and three offensive boards, but the backup big finished minus-14 and fouled out after 14 minutes. Bench production? A work in progress.
Lue’s Family Ties: Rallying for Tatum’s Comeback
On the sidelines, Clippers boss Tyronn Lue wore two hats—head coach and proud cousin to the sidelined Jayson Tatum. As the latter, he’s been Tatum’s rock during the star’s Achilles rehab grind.
“Just being very supportive,” Lue shared. “Just being positive. Just telling him about the process and what he has to go through, but when he comes back, be a better player—areas he can work on to be a better player and just to see the game from a different light. When you’re sitting back and watching the game and you’re not playing, you can kind of see what your value is, what you can bring to the team, what you can do better. And so he’s been great. His spirits have been great, and he’s doing a great job attacking his rehab.”
Teammates echo the sentiment. Tatum’s been a ghost in the best way—haunting the Auerbach Center daily for training and showing up courtside for nearly every game, home or road. Neemias Queta calls him “a kind of coach” from the bench, dropping gems mid-action.
Brown’s all in: “He’s been super active. He’s been around. It’s been dope to see. He’s been engaged. He’s been on a majority of every flight. He’s been in almost every film session. So that level of dedication—you can tell he’s eager to get back. A lot of guys that know they’ve got a lot of time, they’re going to separate themselves mentally a little bit or whatever. He’s been there. He’s been like an extra coach, almost, in a sense, so it’s been kind of cool to see.”
Off the Rim: Pats Stars Crash the Garden Party
With the Patriots riding high off a Thursday Night Football smackdown of the Jets, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and running back TreVeyon Henderson traded Foxboro for the Garden. The duo earned roaring ovations when the Jumbotron spotlighted them in the first half—proof Boston’s sports faithful bleed green, black, and silver alike.