BOSTON — Baylor Scheierman checked into a 70-66 game, the Nets leading late in the third quarter, with the Celtics in play to score their fewest points since the 2021-22 season. Jaylen Brown sat, Jayson Tatum became a late scratch and Scheierman, who appeared in only 15 NBA games, maxing out at 10 minutes before March began, returned to the rotation for the second straight night.
Prior to that second half rotation, the game played out how most of his rookie season had, scoring three points after posting 30 in 143 minutes prior. Scheierman spent most of his first season in Maine, but after a drop-off pass from Jrue Holiday that cut the lead to two, he hit four straight shots and scored 17 of the Celtics’ next 26 points on a run that put Boston up by eight. They held on against a late Nets rally, again, and won, 104-96.
Scheierman scored 20 points, a career-high, and shot 7-of-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from three. He became the fourth Celtic to hit six threes in a game.
“It was pretty special,” Scheierman said. “That was a top-three environment that I’ve ever been a part of, and obviously, I’ve played in a lot of big games.”
Sam Hauser started and Al Horford replaced Tatum next to Kristaps Porziņģis in the first Celtics game of the season without Brown and Tatum. Boston narrowly won the prior 330 minutes without both by 0.79 points per 100 possessions, posting a measly 107.3 offensive rating that’s 12 points below the team’s average for the season.
Derrick White started slow, Boston shot 35.9% from the field in the first half and started 6-of-24 from three while mostly playing double-big minutes. Scheierman entered and hit a three while Torrey Craig joined him after Joe Mazzulla reflected pre-game that the Celtics had played many of their experimental lineups already.
“We’re more flexible (than in the past),” he said. “We didn’t get a ton of Luke-K.P. minutes last year, we’ve had those this year for different reasons. Neemy-Al minutes have been good, you saw it in the Miami game … Al at the five has always been good for us. K.P. at the five.”
On Tuesday, Mazzulla felt the need to flip from larger lineups into small-ball, something Jordan Walsh, Jaden Springer and Scheierman’s lack of experience hadn’t allowed Boston to do often earlier in the year. Two-way wing Drew Peterson’s opportunities matched and perhaps surpassed theirs earlier in the year before Boston traded Springer and signed the veteran Craig.
Something seemed to click with seconds left in the third quarter, Brooklyn playing prevent defense on Payton Pritchard, who shuffled the ball to Scheierman to his left after crossing half court, who buried a long three off the glass. Only Brooklyn took a foul on Pritchard before he passed. Scheierman stayed in, in-bounded the ball to Porziņģis, who touched-passed back to him for the buzzer beater.
Baylor Scheierman had a buzzer-beater bank shot waived off.
So what does he do?
Swishes a three from the same spot, sending Boston into the 4th quarter with a one-point lead. pic.twitter.com/HK2jdCiGcN
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) March 19, 2025
He hit four threes after to begin the fourth, though Mazzulla resisted pumping up the rookie after. The head coach didn’t exactly see a breakthrough while complimenting Scheierman’s FU playing style and toughness. He pulled him from the game for White late, because Scheierman’s a rookie and White’s their starting point guard, he said.
“Confidence is an overused term,” Mazzulla said. “In reality, this kid just got here, he’s been here for three months. What do you expect him to look like 10 games in and playing sporadically? So he’s always had that confidence. A lot of it is a matter of timing, a lot of it is a matter of opportunity and a lot of it is, the moments you get, you gotta deliver … it’s easy to focus on him because he (had) 20, but to me, winning one minute is just as important as scoring 20 points when you’re in the roles that they’re in … Torrey’s a 33-year-old veteran and he’s played 4-5 minutes per game, and he helped change the complexion tonight. To me, that’s just as important.”
It’s worth exercising caution on calling this a turning point for Scheierman, 24, who the team did expect would arrive as the No. 30 pick more prepared than he proved to be. The Celtics knew he needed to improve his agility, athleticism and defense to impact the NBA level despite the shooting, passing and rebounding skills that made him so intriguing. Boston even suggested during his 2022 draft workouts that Scheierman return to college before he transferred from South Dakota State to Creighton. He did that and then logged 25 games with the Maine Celtics, averaging 20.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 41.1% from three on 10.1 attempts per night over his last 14 appearances following a slow start.
Shot-making never became a concern even after a lackluster preseason putting the ball in the basket. He knew that too, more concerned about catching up with terminology and the team’s complicated defensive system. That threw him off at the start of the fourth quarter on Saturday in Brooklyn, and remains the largest hurdle in him breaking through in the short term. He’ll inevitably watch the playoffs from the sideline, but with 13 games left, rest becoming a priority for the Celtics and development necessary to sustain the team’s success beyond this season, Scheierman could quickly become central to Boston’s future. Mazzulla noted how many players developed at the beginning of their career in the G-League, then emerged as regular contributors. Better late than never.
“Half the locker room was in the position that he’s been in at some point,” Mazzulla said. “Derrick was in that position, Sam was in that position, Payton was in that position, Luke was in that position, Neemy was in that position, Jordan was in that position, X was in that position when he was younger.”
- Tatum entered the day questionable with right knee tendinopathy that’s kept him on the injury report for most of the week. The team scratched him less than one hour before the game, Tatum previously acknowledging his resistance to rest. He sat out last week against Utah and the week before against Portland. Brown, who left Saturday’s win in Brooklyn with back spasms, was ruled out far earlier with a lingering knee injury, though he said he felt better than he had previously after last week’s Thunder game.
- The Celtics begin a six-game road trip through the end of the month at Utah, Portland, Sacramento, Phoenix, San Antonio and Memphis later this week.
- Boston activated two-way players JD Davison, Miles Norris and Peterson, who did not play in the win. Norris logged his first five games with Maine after signing with the Celtics earlier this month. He averaged 14.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 1.0 APG on 43.6% FG 40% 3PT with 8.0 attempts from three per game and 3/3 FT.
- Nets coach Jordi Fernández, who brought heavy pressure against Tatum in Saturday’s win, explained his philosophy pre-game: “I don’t know how to guard him,” Fernández joked. “He’s too good.”
Jordi Fernandez asked how he likes to defend Jayson Tatum: “I don’t know how to guard him. He’s too good.” 😂
⚡️ by Prizepicks pic.twitter.com/WVEP3Xxzxv
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) March 18, 2025
