Gordon Hayward is finally, truly back

We have that and more in Wednesday’s NBA newsletter.

By Tom Ziller Nov 6, 2019, 7:37am EST

In a Boston win on Tuesday, Gordon Hayward had perhaps the best game of his NBA career (which is saying something, he’s had some great games) and definitely his best game as a Celtic. Sure, it was against the Cavaliers, possibly the worst squad in the league. But it still counts! Hayward scored 39 points on 17-for-19 shooting (16-16 inside the arc, tying Wilt Chamberlain’s mark for most made two-pointers in a game without a miss). That’s 1.84 points per shot. Pretty good.

As Keith Smith writes for CelticsBlog, with Hayward it’s more than just the boxscore: Gordon finally looks comfortable and carefree out on the court, now two full years after his devastating leg injury. It’s worth noting that seven of his makes on Tuesday came at the rim. While Hayward has never really had a high share of shots at the rim, in Utah he was good at drawing fouls. That basically disappeared last year, and while the presence of Kyrie Irving could partially explain that, comfort at getting inside off the bounce or the dish could make Hayward more effective. And that makes Boston more effective.

Boston isn’t a perfectly built team, but if Hayward is an above-average player and one of Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown break out and Kemba Walker continues to play well, this is a threatening team in the East. It’s good to see the Celtics bring back to good vibes after an unsettling 2018-19.

Scores

Pacers 120, Hornets 122 (OT)
Celtics 119, Cavaliers 113
Spurs 100, Hawks 108
Lakers 118, Bulls 112
Magic 94, Thunder 102
Heat 89, Nuggets 109

Schedule

All times ET. Games on League Pass unless otherwise noted.

Knicks at Pistons, 7 p.m.
Wizards at Pacers, 7 p.m.
Bulls at Hawks, 7:30 p.m.
Kings at Raptors, 7:30 p.m.
Warriors at Rockets, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Wolves at Grizzlies, 8 p.m.
Magic at Mavericks, 8:30 p.m.
Sixers at Jazz, 9 p.m.
Bucks at Clippers, 10 p.m., ESPN