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[Boston Celtics]

10 Takeaways from the Celtics storming back against the Pacers

1. Starters lump of coal turned to diamonds​

At the 9:22 mark and the Celtics down 20, Mazzulla pulled all of the starters off the floor out of a timeout, seemingly sending a message due to the lack of effort. The bench unit of Anfernee Simons-Hugo Gonzalez-Sam Hauser-Baylor Scheierman-Luka Garza would come in and immediately make an impact. They rattled off a 10-2 run off the jump and cut the Pacers lead to 8 by the end of the quarter after Brown and White checked back into the game at the 1:15 mark. Boston then outscored Indiana 29-13 in the fourth quarter to seal the comeback victory.

When asked about it postgame, Joe Mazzulla talked about the benching and praised both the starters and the bench guys. “It’s a credit to [the starters] of having an understanding that anybody can impact winning at any time,” he said. “Like these [bench] guys can help us win, these guys can help us win, we need them and they need us. And you take care of the guy next to you. I think it’s just a level of empowerment amongst the guys on the team.”

Joe Mazzulla credits Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard and Derrick White on how they dealt with "benching" tonight:

"It's a credit to them of having an understanding that anybody can impact winning at any time.

"Like these [bench] guys can help us win, these guys can help us… pic.twitter.com/yziUO8QSby

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) December 23, 2025

Jaylen Brown was asked his thoughts on the benching postgame and echoed an approving sentiment towards Mazzulla’s decision. He said, “To be honest, I was pissed. I was ready to play. I felt like we were mailing it in. It was only 3 minutes in but you know we trust our coaching staff so it was the right decision … the 2nd group is the reason we won the game … it was a great call by Joe.”

Jaylen Brown reacts to Joe Mazzulla benching him and the Celtics starters in the 3rd quarter:

"To be honest I was pissed. I was ready to play. I felt felt like we were mailing it in. It was only 3 minutes in but you know we trust our coaching staff so it was the right decision… pic.twitter.com/dww5Sd9g2i

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) December 23, 2025

If Mazzulla didn’t bench the starters in the third quarter, I really don’t think they come back to win this game. This game as also Joe Mazzulla’s 200th win of his NBA coaching career and it came in maybe his best game.

2. Brown guided the sleigh​

Much like Rudolph on that foggy Christmas Eve, Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics victory in the fourth quarter. Brown scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter alone and made some incredible plays to complete the comeback.

Brown was incredibly aggressive when it came to going downhill and attacking the Pacers defense to start the quarter. His first basket of the came on a layup driving on Andrew Nembhard, the second came on a layup attacking Jay Huff, and the third came on this drive of Pascal Siakam to give the Celtics their first lead of the night since early in the first quarter. Brown was stuck in the corner with the shot clock running down, so he used his shoulders to create space on Siakam and contorted his body to make this reverse layup.

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His best play of the night came on his last made shot of the game and gave Pacers fans everywhere PTSD from Game 1 of the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. With 4.9 seconds on the shot clock, Derrick White inbounded the ball to Brown in the corner. Brown caught it and immediately hoisted a fadeaway jumper over Nembhard who was right on top of him in an almost exact recreation from his three from the 2024 playoffs.

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This game was the 7th game in a row Brown has scored over 30 points in a game and the MVP chants he received at the free throw line tonight should tell you how much the Celtics faithful is loving it. No matter what challenge Brown has been thrown in to this year, he has navigated it to almost perfection. He is becoming a special player and needs to win Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December.

Jaylen Brown's past month:

12/22 vs IND – 31 PTS
12/19 vs MIA – 30 PTS
12/15 vs DET – 34 PTS
12/11 @ MIL – 30 PTS
12/7 @ TOR – 30 PTS
12/5 vs LAL – 30 PTS
12/2 vs NYK – 42 PTS
11/30 @ CLE – 19 PTS (triple-double)
11/29 @ MIN – 41 PTS
11/26 vs DET – 33 PTS
11/23 vs ORL – 35 PTS pic.twitter.com/fD9WQvEZ6e

— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) December 23, 2025

3. Feliz Navidad, Hugo!​

I love Hugo Gonzalez. I could end my thoughts with that right there and I think it will get the point across. Gonzalez had another incredible game. He played a career high 37 minutes and it felt like he didn’t play enough. Hugo was the main catalyst behind the Celtics third quarter comeback and was the definition of a spark plug off of the bench.

Before I talk about his second half performance, I wanted to highlight this play in the second quarter. Derrick White blocked the shot on defense and passed it ahead to Gonzalez. Hugo then proceeded to got to another level of speed and blow by everyone for an easy layup.

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Gonzalez showed more of his offensive bag with this play in the third quarter where he, in stride, caught the ball, drove to the basket, and hit Pascal Siakam with a mean Eurostep.

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On the defensive end, he became a pest, giving of shades of Marcus Smart. After a made basket, Gonzalez was pressing against Andrew Nembhard. Nembhard proceeded to elbow Gonzalez in the throat out of frustration and with a little bit of embellishment, the Celtics got the ball back and Nembhard got a technical foul for arguing it. I love this play from Hugo because it shows that he is going to do everything in his power to win.

We got Spanish Marcus Smart let’s gooo pic.twitter.com/plZMNQ6Mim

— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) December 23, 2025

Its hard not to be insanely impressed with the way Gonzalez has been playing. He has shown some elite defensive instincts that most rookies just don’t have and his offense is still serviceable, shooting 53% from the field and 41% from three so far. To quote Jayson Tatum, Hugo is a bad “Bad Mother F——r!”

Jayson Tatum CRASHED Hugo Gonzalez's postgame interview

Tatum: "Yo what i tell you yesterday?"
Gonzalez: "I cant say right now."
Tatum: "You a BAD Mother F––––R"
–@CLNSMedia pic.twitter.com/qFzbJ0tc7K

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) December 23, 2025

4. Luka Garza’s Workshop​

After not playing in a game since December 5th, Luka Garza had a double-double in the Celtics win over the Raptors in their last matchup, putting on a clinic on the offensive boards. In this game, Garza continued to show how much of a rebounding monster he truly is. Garza had 9 rebounds in this game in total and 5 of those being offensive rebounds. Garza was single handedly keeping plays alive with his effort on the glass.

This play in the fourth quarter highlights his efforts the best. White missed a three, Garza dove after the rebound. While being boxed out by Jay Huff, he was able to tap it over to Pritchard who missed the layup, but that shouldn’t take away from Garza laying it all out on the line to give the Celtics another chance at scoring.

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5. A Derrick White Christmas​

Derrick White had a solid game in this one with 19 points and once again showed up when the Celtics needed him most in the fourth quarter. After White made a three to cut the Celtics deficit to 1 point early in the quarter, he followed it up with this nasty crossover move to get around Ethan Thompson. Then, thanks to a beautiful Gortat screen by Garza, White had a wide-open lane to dunk it home and give Boston the lead again.

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6. The Simons Express​

When the Celtics benched their starters in the third quarter, it looked like Joe Mazzulla was giving Anfernee Simons his time to shine and lead the offense. Simmons rewarded his trust by scoring 9 big points in the quarter to chip away at the Pacers lead. Simons looked very Damian Lillard-esque on this side-step three, making a beautiful move while having Jay Huff on an island.

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Mazzulla gave praise to Simons after the game, saying, “We talk about depth, we talk about guys sacrificing and all that. There’s no one that’s done that more than him.”

Joe Mazzulla went out of his way to shoutout Anfernee Simons in tonight’s press conference:

“We talk about depth, we talk about guys sacrificing and all that. There's no one that's done that more than him.”

(Q: @JackSimoneNBA) pic.twitter.com/dlTF2Amyxe

— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) December 23, 2025

7. Rockin’ Around the Rim​

Looking at the box score, it is interesting to look at the Celtics shot diet in this game. Boston only attempted 37 three pointers and absolutely dominated the points in the paint battle. Boston outscored Indiana 52-28, feasting on the Pacers weak interior defense. Behind Luka Garza’s efforts, the Celtics also dominated the boards in this game, out rebounding the Pacers 49-36.

8. Pacers Heatmiser to Snowmiser shooting​

Coming into this game, the Pacers were the worst three point shooting team in the NBA at 32%. However, by halftime Indy was shooting an insane 60% (12-20). Their entire game plan was penetrating the Celtics in the paint and kick out to a wide open shooter before Boston could close out. Thankfully for Boston, Indiana went ice cold after that hot start, shooting only 1-20 (5%) from three and 12-44 (27%) from the field in the second half.

9. Spirit of Never Giving Up​

This game showed how incredible the Celtics will to win really is. A standard of never giving up and fighting until the last second has engrained itself into every part of this organization and it is amazing to watch. You can argue it all starts with the way Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum carry themselves as superstars, but you also have to commend Joe Mazzulla and the rest of the coaching staff on getting them prepared to play in any situation on any given night.

When asked about how Mazzulla has instilled this mentality and education to into the team, Brown gave a great answer, calling it “Celtic University.” Brown said, “Where it’s like, you’re in class and you’ve got to pay attention… It’s like being in school and we’re going through breaking down the footage and trying to really expand our knowledge for the game.”

Jaylen Brown says mentality and education have been a key point of emphasis from the coaching staff. Brown and Mazzulla call it “Celtic University”

“Me and Joe call it Celtic University. Where it's like, you're in class and you’ve got to pay attention… It's like being in school… pic.twitter.com/Uf0hj7863o

— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) December 23, 2025

10. No Celtics on Christmas​

For the first time in a decade, the Boston Celtics will not play on Christmas Day. This Pacers game was their last game of the season until after the holiday passes. It’s such a weird feeling. To put into context how long it’s been since the Celtics haven’t played on Christmas, this was the roster of the team:

I’m happy for the players who will be able to spend time at home with their families, but it will definitely feel like something is missing for Celtics fans everywhere. For me, the routine has always been, open presents, eat brunch with the family, watch the Celtics at normally the 5 pm time slot, and finally end the night by watching Christmas movies and eating dinner.

Now, I’m not sure what to do to fill the void of Celtics basketball but the rest of the games should hopefully be entertaining. The only plus side of the NBA’s slate of games this year is that it is better than the NFL games that are on the schedule, which should give a point to the “Christmas is a basketball’s sport” crowd.

Even with no Celtics game, I hope everyone has a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays!

ONE WEEK AWAY from Christmas Day!

Watch #NBAXmas action all day Thursday, 12/25 on ABC & ESPN with games beginning at 12:00pm/et! pic.twitter.com/nDkl2kxJSt

— NBA (@NBA) December 18, 2025

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...-win-vs-the-pacers-jaylen-brown-hugo-gonzalez

 

[Boston Celtics]

A casual fan’s guide to catching up with the Celtics at Christmas

I have a confession: I’m a casual fan.

No, not of the Celtics, silly. I think 20 years of coverage qualifies me for “die-hard” status, but that’s just me. No, I’m a casual fan of the Bruins, Red Sox, and Patriots. It has been decades since I watched a Bruins game all the way through. I actively checked out on the Red Sox and Patriots when Mookie got traded and Tom Brady moved on, but both teams are pulling me back in.

My point is that there’s no shame in being a casual fan of any team. This site tends to cater to the die-hards, for obvious reasons. However, sometimes a casual fan just needs a place to catch up and see where the team stands. For a lot of folks, that happens right around Christmas. So here’s my attempt to get everyone up to speed. (I’m sure that any number of the die-hards will correct anything I get wrong and expand upon my summary in the comments below.

What gap year?

If you don’t recall, last year’s playoffs ended with Jayson Tatum getting injured and the Celtics getting eliminated from the playoffs by the New York Knicks. Shortly thereafter, Brad Stevens shed big contracts and let some impact free agents walk, all in the name of avoiding the dreaded 2nd Apron penalties (basically rules designed to break apart teams like the previous version of the Celtics). Gone are high level contributors like Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet. So most people assumed that the Celtics would be bad for a year. Perhaps they would do a one-year reset, get a high draft pick, and try to build back up the next year. A textbook “gap year.”

(record scratch)

The thing is, the team is actually …really good. Even without Jayson Tatum.

What is this sorcery? Well, to start with, Jaylen Brown is proving to everyone that indeed he could lead a contending team on his own. Also, there’s a lot of talent left over from the title team. Plus, a lot of younger guys have stepped up (more on that later). And finally, Joe Mazzulla is proving that he’s not just the product of a super-stacked 2024 roster.

Add it all up and the Celtics are sitting in 3rd place in the East with a 18-11 record. For point of reference, they were 21-8 on Christmas last year.

When is Tatum going to return?

No one is exactly sure, but all signs point to the elusive “soon,” which is better than anyone could have hoped for in June. Like most people, I had assumed he would miss this whole season with the ruptured Achillies tendon. However, between some fortunate circumstances and the speed at which they treated the injury, he’s on pace to return much sooner. Everyone’s saying the right things about making sure he’s 110% before giving him the green-light. There are still checkpoints he has to pass, but all things seem to be progressing forward. Add in the fact that he’s a gym-rat, basketball-obsessed, workaholic and you can see how people are starting to get excited. He’s even travelled with the team and been a constant presence around the team.

If I had to guess, I would expect him back in late February or early March, but that’s pure speculation based off other people’s wild guesses. I am going to try to temper my expectations for the level of play he returns at. I expect minutes restrictions and a general lack of full speed athleticism at first. But again, guesses and speculation.

What’s going right?

As mentioned above, Jaylen Brown is a star and currently playing at “in the MVP conversation” levels. Also, Payton Pritchard has stepped up like he’s playing in Pro-Ams. And of course Derrick White is Derrick White, which is to say perfect in every way.

On top of all that is the development of the younger bench players. While the Celtics are playing their way out of a high draft pick, fans should appreciate the fact that the team is seeing tremendous strides by players born in the 2000’s.

The big question heading into the season was what the team would do at the Center position. Neemias Queta has been a revelation. The 7 footer has established himself as a legit rotation center, and perhaps even a long term starter. Then there’s the all the energetic wings. Jordan Walsh, newcomer Josh Minott, and rookie Hugo Gonzalez are all hyper-aggressive defenders that are all shooting over 40% from 3 right now (probably not sustainable, but still a great sign).

Joe Mazzulla is pushing all the right buttons, motivating with equal parts love and psychotic intensity. There’s a lot of season left, but he should be getting early consideration for Coach of the Year.

What’s going wrong?

As great as things are going, there have been some minor areas of concern. Anfernee Simons is coming off the bench and his per-36 scoring numbers are actually only down slightly from last season. However, he’s a very expensive 6th man and his defense is about as advertised (not great).

Newcomer Luka Garza has been in and out of the lineup, mostly due to his own defensive struggles (but he has shown signs lately, in particular with his rebounding). The other big man brought in this offseason was veteran Chris Boucher, and he simply hasn’t been part of the rotation (appearing in only 8 games thus far).

Lastly, it is worth noting that Sam Hauser has been shooting well below his career averages from 3 this year. Personally, I’m not concerned because I expect a hot streak or two to raise his season average before the end of the year.

Any trades coming?

I would think so. As good as Queta has been this year, the team is still very shallow at center. To the point where they have to use a lot of small-ball lineups just to get by. That has been an area of need since the offseason and the most obvious area of potential upgrade before the trade deadline in February. There’s always room to add a legit starting big man, shifting Queta into a very competent backup/rotation guy. Or a smaller deal could give Queta more depth help.

The Celtics might also want to shed a little more salary to get off some additional luxury tax penalties. Or they could pivot the other direction and add longer term salary for a useful player. They can afford to add some salary this season without exceeding the 2nd apron again – but it would have to be for the right player.

If a significant deal is made, it will likely include moving Anfernee Simons and his $27.7M salary. Brad Stevens has proven himself resourceful and creative in the past. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

So is this team a real contender?

In short: I don’t see why not.

No team is running away with the East as of yet. The Celtics are right in the mix and at some point will get Jayson Tatum back. If they make a deal for another big man and keep shooting well, I don’t see any need to put a ceiling on this group.

There’s a lot of season left, and that’s the fun of it all. But so far, so good.

So enjoy the NFL playoffs, follow along with the baseball offseason, and catch a few more Celtics games in the coming days. I think you’ll be happy with the way things are going as well.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...-to-catching-up-with-the-celtics-at-christmas

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics Daily Links 12/25/25

CelticsBlog Unwrapping a gift from each member of the Celtics

ESPN NBA Christmas Day matchups that lived up to the hype

2025-26 NBA championship odds: Thunder remain big favorites; Nuggets, Rockets, Lakers, Knicks next

CLNS Media Why Joe Mazzulla Deserves NBA Coach of the Year for Celtics’ Success

NBC Sports Boston The Celtics’ biggest holiday gift? Being ahead of schedule

NESN Proposed 3-Team Trade Lands Rim-Runner With Celtics

NBA Insider Unsure About Anfernee Simons’ Playoff Fit With Celtics

NBA Analyst Weighs In on Jayson Tatum’s Potential Return

Celtics Linked to Purdue Guard in New Mock Draft

Why Trading Anfernee Simons Isn’t Simple for the Celtics

Celtics Wire Celtics jersey history No. 50 – Ryan Hollins (2012)

Celtics players try to wrap gifts to hilarious effect

The Boston Celtics surprise superfans with gifts under a tree at TD Garden for holidays

Today in Boston Celtics history: Tommy Heinsohn scores 45 on Christmas Day

Who should be on the Celtics naught and nice lists for the holidays?

Celtics’ Derrick White celebrates holidays on new ‘White Noise’ podcast

Boston Sports Journal Karalis: Putting together my Celtics and NBA Nice and Naughty list

Fadeaway World Dangerous Trade Idea For The Boston Celtics To Acquire Ja Morant When Trade Value Is Historically Low

SI .com Brad Stevens Clearly Soured on Long-Term Investment in Jrue Holiday

Is Luka Garza’s Play Sustainable For the Boston Celtics?

Sportsnaut Rumor Points to Huge BOS Celtics Addition For NBA Finals Run

Blog de Basket Ben Simmons signs with a fishing team while waiting to return to the NBA

Bleacher Report Jayson Tatum Injury Timeline Update as Celtics Star Reportedly ‘Determined’ to Play

Clutch Points Is Jaylen Brown the best player in the NBA? ‘Nobody doing it better than me’

ABC News Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier asks judge to throw out betting charges

Locked on Celtics NAUGHTY OR NICE: Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens, and Jaylen Brown DOMINATE Early Season Surprises

Heavy Celtics’ Simons Trade Plan Takes Shape, Per NBA Insider

Fan Recap Hornets Waive Former Celtics Champion After Just 25 Games This Season

10 WBNS Indiana hosts Boston, aims to stop home losing streak

BasketNews Jayson Tatum sends strong message with Christmas Eve workout

Hot New Hip Hop Jayson Tatum Goes “Bruce Lee” On This Jordan Tatum 4

NBA .com Game Preview: Pacers vs Celtics

Hoops Habit The Celtics already have the perfect Christmas gift in mind to topple the East

Andscape Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart’s foundation is fighting cancer, empowering inner-city youth

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-celtics-daily-links/127625/boston-celtics-daily-links-12-25-25

 

[Boston Celtics]

Question Marks: Three keys to Celtics rematch with Pacers

Healthy and rested after a few nights off, the Celtics and Pacers meet again. Boston traveled to Indiana for the second matchup this week with an opportunity to extend their winning streak to four straight. Monday’s 103-95 victory was a tale of two halves with the Celtics outscored 61-43 in the first half, then responding with a 60-34 second half. With several key rotation players still unavailable for the Pacers, and the Celtics looking to maintain their position in the standings, here are three big questions heading into tonight’s rematch.

Can Jaylen Brown Continue a Historic December?

Jaylen Brown has been a usage monster this season, and he’s putting together a dominant December. Through seven games, he’s averaging 32 points, seven rebounds, and five assists with 52-42-81 shooting splits. Monday marked his seventh consecutive 30-point game, putting him just two games away from Larry Bird’s Celtics record of nine.

Brown had a nine-point first quarter against the Pacers, but his best work came in the fourth as his 14 points helped them slam the door shut. There was no answer for his rim pressure as he powered through or past every defender Indiana threw at him.

Indiana simply doesn’t have the personnel to match Brown’s physicality on the wing, especially with their rotation thinned out. Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam can compete, but neither offers the kind of one-on-one resistance that should slow Brown’s downhill attacks without help.

Brown is going to put points on the board, but the Pacers will look for ways to force him into tougher decision-making earlier in possessions. If they show bodies in his driving lanes and make him a passer, Boston’s supporting cast has to be ready. If Rick Carlisle can’t push the right buttons, Brown may put himself one step closer to history, cruising to another 30-point evening.

How Does the Bench Look with Jordan Walsh Back?

Monday’s comeback win forced Joe Mazzulla to get creative, and he landed on the right combinations to provide a spark and shift momentum.

Brown, White, Pritchard, and Queta left the game, replaced by Simons, Scheierman, Hauser, and Garza alongside Hugo Gonzalez. That group inherited a 20-point deficit (69–49) and chopped it down to 10 (80–70). From there, Brown returned to take control of the scoring and complete the turnaround.

For Boston, the absence of Jordan Walsh was noticeable early — particularly in their ability to match the Pacers’ pace and physicality. Walsh has consistently provided an instant boost of athleticism, energy, and defensive activity when he’s on the floor. On Monday, it was Gonzalez and Garza who filled that role instead, changing the tone of the game with their effort and presence.

Gonzalez played a team and season-high 36 minutes, finishing as a +21 and reaching double-digit rebounds for the second straight game. Over his last four games, he’s averaging eight points and eight rebounds with a steal and a block per night. Garza, meanwhile, helped stabilize the bench unit with his screening and rebounding, giving Boston a lift when small-ball wasn’t the solution.

With Walsh sidelined by illness, Gonzalez absorbed many of those energy minutes. Now that Walsh is available, the rotation is due for an adjustment. It’s not necessarily Walsh versus Gonzalez — they can complement each other — but with Garza fighting to earn his spot back, some minutes will have to shift.

That’s what makes tonight interesting. If the Pacers get off to a quick start, does Mazzulla reward Gonzalez and Garza with another extended look, or does Walsh’s return pull the rotation back toward its familiar shape?

Can Boston Avoid Another Slow Start?

While the Celtics eventually put the Pacers away, the first half really wasn’t pretty. Monday’s opening 24 minutes were a defensive nightmare, as Indiana—the league’s worst 3-point shooting team—exploded for 61 first-half points. Boston looked a step slow, allowing the Pacers to build up their lead without much resistance.

The Celtics gave up a number of open looks, over-helping and failing to rotate in time. They also had difficulty bothering Siakam, who scored 23 in the first half.

That changed quickly when the defense locked in, holding Indiana to just 34 points in the entire second half and forcing them into a miserable 1-of-20 performance from beyond the arc after the break. Siakam managed just two more points as well.

This isn’t the same Pacers team that Boston is used to, and their 6-24 record reflects that. Indiana has dropped six straight games, and they haven’t tasted victory since December 8th. Without Tyrese Haliburton, it’s clear the franchise has its sights set on the draft in this transitional year.

But they are still a well-coached group that won’t go down easy, and the team is looking to secure Rick Carlisle’s 1,000th career victory. That’s a good recipe for a trap game.

The Celtics need to come out of the gates strong to squash that idea before it turns into confidence. While benching the starters on Monday turned into a stroke of brilliance for Mazzulla, it should be a one-time lesson for that unit rather than the norm. They don’t want to make it a habit of playing behind against worse opponents, and tonight they won’t have the boost of the Garden crowd.

If Boston dictates the terms from the jump, they can keep Carlisle waiting for that milestone and cruise to their fourth straight win.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-...rks-three-keys-to-celtics-rematch-with-pacers

 

[Boston Celtics]

10 Takeaways from the Celtics offensive explosion vs the Pacers

1. Another Jaylen Brown 30-piece​

In Celtics history, when you start to enter conversations with Larry Bird as the only record holder above you, that means you are doing something special. For the 8th consecutive game, Jaylen Brown has scored 30+ points and is one game away from tying Larry Bird’s record of nine. Brown has had a special run in the month of December and is playing the best basketball of his entire career.

Most Consecutive 30 Point Games in Celtics History:

Larry Bird: 9
Jaylen Brown 8 (active)
Paul Pierce 7 pic.twitter.com/6GRWFjYI1A

— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) December 27, 2025

This sequence in the third quarter was the best of the night and a microcosm of how good he has been this year. Brown starts by getting the switch on to the Pacers’ Ethan Thompson where he takes him to the post. Brown does a spin into contact and rises up for a beautiful mid-range jumper. Then on the next possession, he forces a steal on Andrew Nembhard, saves it out of bounds, and makes a behind the back pass to Luka Garza for an easy layup. This is just elite level stuff from Brown.

Nah Jaylen Brown really on a different level man can we be real pic.twitter.com/SYx8Gp5IFZ

— NikNBA (@NIKNBAYT) December 27, 2025

2. Pritchard’s Ridiculous Second Quarter​

Payton Pritchard was frying the Pacers all night long, finishing with 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists while shooting 10-17 from the field. Where Pritchard did most of his damage was in the second quarter where had 14 of his 29 and was the conductor for the Celtics 47-point quarter.

His first shot of the second quarter was a beautiful ankle breaker that had Quenton Jackson looking lost. Pritchard turned his behind the back dribble into a step-back three that really was a precursor to the big quarter he was about to have.

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Pritchard then went on a run with 5 straight mid range jumpers where he was looking like prime Kyrie Irving with his ball handling — nothing more evident than this one where he had to relocate after getting stopped on a drive. After receiving a pass from Neemias Queta, he hit a crazy cross over on the move that had Siakam stumbling back and splashed a mid-range jumper.

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3. Sam Haus3r​

Sam Hauser has not had a great start to the season, but when it came to shooting the three-ball in this game, he fully turned it around, scoring 23 points on 7-8 shooting from beyond the arc. It really was just a matter of time before Hauser got it going again because this is a guy who can absolutely take over a game.

His first two three pointers came in the first quarter when the Celtics were trailing to the Pacers who were on their own hot shooting run. Hauser was wide open after Anfernee Simons found him in the corner for an easy three and the second came on a nice play where he caught the ball in the corner and ran around a Luka Garza three for a pull-up shot.

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After one more three in the second quarter, Hauser then got hot in the third quarter where he rattled off four in pretty quick succession. The first one came when Pritchard got into the paint and kicked out to a wide open Hauser on the wing, second came on a cross-court pass from Brown in the same exact place, third came on a pull up three going around another Garza screen, and finally the fourth came on a pass from Pritchard right when he passed the half court line.

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4. Derrick White’s Defense​

Derrick White is one of the best defenders in the NBA and this isn’t a new sentiment, but games like this really remind me how elite of a player he is on that side of the ball. He finished with 2 steals and 1 block and his impact was felt everywhere.

Three minutes into the first quarter White got his first steal of the game when he hawked down Bennedict Mathurin when he was starting to sprint down the court. White back tapped him and the ball rolled to Jordan Walsh who found a cutting Jaylen Brown for an easy layup.

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White’s ability to draw offensive fouls was something that really impressed me tonight as well. the first came when he was jockeying for position with Pascal Siakam on the block and forced Siakam to push him to the ground. The second came on a great contest on Andrew Nembhard who fouled him on the way up.

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5. Luka Garza’s Impact​

Luka Garza has continued his great stretch of games this season with a perfect performance off the bench with 15 points on 5-5 shooting. Garza did another great job on the offensive side of the ball when it came to always being in the right place at the right time coming out of a screen.

A great example of this came in the second quarter where he received the ball and made a pass back to White. Then he was able to seal off two defenders to receive a great bounce pass as he was cutting towards the basket for a wide-open dunk.

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Another play I loved from Garza was when he set a screen for Pritchard who was driving into the middle of the lane. Instead of rolling to the rim, Garza took a step back to the three-point line where Pritchard found him and he drilled the wide-open shot.

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6. Baylor Scheierman Shoutout​

A very underrated story line from the Celtics season so far is the development that Baylor Scheierman has showed this season in limited playing time. His stats might not jump off of the page in this game. In 20 minutes, he scored 3 points and had 5 rebounds, but Scheierman finished with a +18 on the night, which was the third highest on the team.

When Scheierman is in the game, you know he is going to give all his effort, even in a blowout. In the fourth quarter, Johnny Furphy was trying to post him up. Baylor absorbed the contact and drew the charge that got him and everyone on the Celtics bench hyped. This is an elite skill that Scheierman has acquired as his 1.2 offensive fouls drawn per 100 possessions is in the 95th percentile of NBA players this year.

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I’m glad to see Scheierman carving out a role for himself on this team and hope to see him develop more over the course of the season.

7. McConnell-Walsh Dust Up​

At the 1:24 mark of the third quarter, TJ McConnell decided to shove Jordan Walsh and a little bit of a dust up ensued. On the play, after Hauser’s missed three, McConnell ran into Pacers center Micah Potter which resulted in the easy basket for Pritchard. McConnell must have thought it was Walsh that tripped him, because he immediately went over to confront him, starting this whole brouhaha and ended with both players receiving offsetting technicals. My favorite part of the entire ordeal was Joe Mazzulla being hyped that Walsh was able to get under McConnell’s skin, going over to him during the official review and high-fiving him.

Pacers seem to run into each other leaving Pritchard an open lane to the bucket, then McConnell gets heated pic.twitter.com/ZBAFRrosKj

— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) December 27, 2025

Joe Mazzulla, clearly pleased with Jordan Walsh after his dust-up with TJ McConnell. pic.twitter.com/bS5xJqHpQA

— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) December 27, 2025

Postgame, Walsh said that Joe Mazzulla was “more than happy” to see him get into the shoving match with McConnell. This gave shades of when Walsh was ejected in a Summer League game earlier this year and Mazzulla texted him afterward saying he was proud of him.

Jordan Walsh said that Joe Mazzulla was “more than happy” to see him get into a shoving match with TJ McConnell pic.twitter.com/KvGMA3i7q8

— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) December 27, 2025

8. Celtics second quarter run​

The Celtics were down 39-28 after the first quarter with the Pacers recreating their hot shooting start from the game on Monday. Boston then proceeded to take that personally and rattled off 47 points in the second quarter and squashed any chance of Indy coming back in the game. As a team, Boston shot 16-25 (64%) from the field and 6-12 (50%) from three with 0 turnovers. This was one of the best quarters of basketball they’ve played all season long and it was really what swung this game to a Celtics victory.

9. Threes Falling = Celtics Win​

When three pointers fall for the Celtics, they normally win games. This is not breaking news by any means, but it really is just that simple when it comes to the way Boston has been able to dominate games the last few years. This phenomenon occurred vs. the Pacers in this game when they shot 20-39 (51%) from three as a team and really killed any momentum that Indiana was trying to start.

Over their last 10 games, the Celtics have shot 39% from three which would put them top 5 in the NBA. After starting 0-3 this year, Boston’s ability to simply make shots has been a big reason as to why they have a 19-11 record through 30 games and are a top-3 team in the Eastern Conference.

10. This team gets to add Jayson Tatum​

This season has been pretty fun as a Celtics fan to watch play out. Jaylen Brown is playing at an MVP level, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard have been solid when it comes to a bigger work load, and the development of guys like Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Hugo Gonzalez, Josh Minott, Jordan Walsh, and Baylor Scheierman has been a pleasent surprise that no one saw coming. All of this has been great, but do you know what’s even better? Boston gets to add a consensus top-5 player in the NBA when healthy in Jayson Tatum.

Everyone has been excited about a Tatum return this season and the 5 second video he posted on his Instagram story of Brad Stevens helping him with workouts that involve driving dunks has made the excitement level hit an all-time high.

Brad Stevens joined Jayson Tatum’s workout today in Indianapolis

(Via Jayson Tatum’s IG) pic.twitter.com/UGfDDRvAOQ

— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) December 26, 2025

I think about how this team is going to work when Tatum comes back and I think he is going to fit like a glove. Even if it takes time for his scoring touch to come back, what he provides as a passer and a rebounder will make this Celtics team reach another level. I can’t wait to see him play minutes with Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh and give defenses nightmares, I can’t wait to see Derrick White and Sam Hauser shoot a million open catch and shoot threes off of Tatum’s gravity, and I especially can’t wait to see the best duo in the NBA with Jaylen Brown playing his best basketball ever, dominate teams on a nightly basis.

It feels almost set in stone that he is going to return this season and with everything we have seen with this Celtics team already, there is a legitimate chance that Boston could make it out of this weak Eastern Conference with maybe an 80% healthy version of Tatum and that is something I can’t wait to see play out.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...e-pacers-jaylen-brown-sam-hauser-jayson-tatum

 

[Boston Celtics]

‘He should be in the MVP conversation’: Jaylen Brown’s growth as a Celtics leader is accelerating

For much of his career, Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown has faced underappreciation while sharing the floor with co-star Jayson Tatum. This season, however, that isn’t the case.

Brown’s maturation in the driver’s seat has been Boston’s greatest gift this holiday season. He’s checked off all the boxes — particularly throughout December — leading the Celtics while elevating both the team’s position in the Eastern Conference and his own standing among the NBA’s brightest stars heading into 2026 — a development that hasn’t gone unnoticed in the locker room.

“To me, it’s just balance,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after Boston secured its fourth straight victory on Friday night. “He just picks and chooses his spots really well. We’re obviously playing a little bit faster, so he’s getting some easy baskets in transition. I think he’s finding the great balance of knowing when to score within the offense versus letting the guys do their thing.”

For the eighth straight night, Brown scored 30 points, placing him second only to Larry Bird (in 1985) for the most consecutive 30-point games in Celtics history. He went 13-of-20 from the field against the Pacers, adding three rebounds, four assists, and four steals to surpass Paul Pierce (7) and kept the fire burning in his red-hot run to close out the calendar year. If Brown can pull off two more, the four-time All-Star will stand alone in Celtics history, marking the biggest leap of his career at one of Boston’s most critical moments.

It’s also allowed Brown to stand out among everyone in the league this month.

Brown, while chasing Bird’s record, has averaged 32.1 points in December, leading the NBA in scoring during that stretch. He scored 42 points against the No. 2 seed Knicks, 34 versus the conference-leading Pistons, and 30 in a 20-point come-from-behind win over the Pacers, keeping the Celtics just two games back of New York and 4½ behind Detroit.

Doubt about Brown’s ability to lead a talent-depleted Celtics team has shifted to a conversation that teammate Payton Pritchard believes he belongs in.

“He’s just a top player in this NBA,” Pritchard said. “He should be in the MVP conversation, for sure, and he shows it every night. JB is a tough cover — he can shoot it at all three levels, is athletic and strong, and he’s got a good handle and pull-up game. So he’s just a tough cover, and he’s showing it.”

So far, Brown has led the Celtics with a career-best 29.4 points per game, while ranking second on the team in rebounds (6.4), third in assists (4.9), and third in steals (1.1) across 27 games. Compared with the rest of the league, including early MVP favorites, Brown ranks sixth in scoring — trailing only Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese Maxey in the East — while carrying the Celtics to a better record than both the Cavaliers and 76ers.

Brown is proving himself as both an elite scorer and an elite playmaker. He’s opened the floor for teammates, veterans and newcomers alike, to excel in their roles while everyone embraces the next-man-up approach Mazzulla and the coaching staff have crafted. Without Tatum and offseason departures Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet, the Celtics have competed at a remarkable level, keeping them in the hunt for the No. 1 seed.

However, his name is rarely mentioned in discussions for league MVP, but Brown’s impact is evident.

“He just spends a ton of time reading the game and the execution of the game,” Mazzulla said. “And obviously he’s very, very talented, so it has a lot to do with it. I think his desire to continue to work and play versus different coverages — that’s really helped. Then his ability to pick and choose his spots really well.”

Lakers superstar Luka Dončić is the only player with a higher usage percentage (36.7) than Brown (35.5). The offense Brown has generated highlights the maturation that has worked wonders for the underdog Celtics. He’s averaging 10.7 points on pull-up jump shots — fourth among all players — with 19.1% of his points coming from midrange attempts, the fifth-highest rate in the NBA.

If justice is served, the new year should open the floodgates for plenty of Brown-for-MVP chatter, spotlighting what has been an overlooked campaign from the energy-shifter himself.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...ns-growth-as-a-celtics-leader-is-accelerating

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics Daily Links 12/27/25

Herald Jaylen Brown, Celtics veterans lead Boston to blowout win over Pacers

Globe Jaylen Brown scores 30 points and the Celtics make 20 3-pointers to beat the Pacers 140-122

Celtics star Jayson Tatum could look to Heat’s Dru Smith, who rehabbed successfully from Achilles injury

Celtics practice patience, defeat Pacers on the road

Celtics Green Comments from the Other Side – Pacers 12/26/25

CelticsBlog 10 Takeaways from the Celtics offensive explosion vs the Pacers

‘He should be in the MVP conversation’: Jaylen Brown’s growth as a Celtics leader is accelerating

Luka Garza never felt far from return to Celtics rotation

Sam Hauser needed a game like that

Celtics outpace Pacers, win 140-122

CLNS Media Noa Dalzell: Celtics Are One of the NBA’s Best Teams | You Got Boston

Celtics .com Keys to the Game: Celtics 140, Pacers 122

NBC Sports Boston Celtics-Pacers recap: Brown extends 30-point streak in 140-122 win

NESN NBA Exec Sounds Alarm on Celtics’ Anfernee Simons Trade Market

Former 2nd-Round Draft Pick Floated As Logical Trade Target For Celtics

Celtics’ Guard Makes Bold MVP Case for Jaylen Brown

Celtics’ Payton Pritchard Earns Unlikely Praise After 29-Point Night

Pacers Coach Praises Celtics’ Offensive Firepower After Loss

Jaylen Brown Extends Historic Scoring Streak As Celtics Clobber Pacers

Jaylen Brown Closing In On Insane Larry Bird Record With Celtics

Mass Live Celtics reserve lifting Boston’s offense to new level amid hot streak

Celtics backup center compels surprise change in win over Pacers

Jaylen Brown inching closer to Larry Bird’s legendary Celtics streak

Pacers react to chippy Celtics skirmish: ‘That was great to see’

Sam Hauser is the Celtics ‘Name to Know’ Player of the Game in Friday’s win over Pacers

4 takeaways as Celtics crush Pacers after historic quarter

Celtics Wire The streak of 30-point games continues for Celtics star Jaylen Brown

Jayson Tatum is visiting schools to preach the importance of education

The Boston Celtics just annihilated the Indiana Pacers 140-122 on their own home court

Boston Celtics jersey history No. 50 – PJ Dozier (2018-19)

Who are the top five Celtics since the millennium?

Celtics history: Chaney-Washington-Scott trade; most FGAs in one game

Celtics start West Coast road trip off right, beat Pacers 140-122 (PHOTOS)

Celtics halt another early onslaught, beat Pacers 140-122

Brad Stevens traded the front office for the court to work out with Jayson Tatum

The Athletic Referee Bill Kennedy’s coach’s challenge verdicts becoming must-see TV

Back to school: Joe Mazzulla wants young team to keep learning at ‘Celtic University’

Boston Sports Journal Karalis: Runaway win in Indiana is the clearest vindication of ‘Mazzulla Ball’ this season

BSJ Game Report: Celtics 140, Pacers 122 – C’s shake off Indy’s hot start, ride hot shooting to fourth-straight win

Hardwood Houdini Celtics’ free agency steal is making NBA look silly for letting him go

Celtics are sending Sam Hauser a message he can’t ignore

Mazzulla said what everyone should know about Jaylen Brown’s latest step

Celtics are giving Jayson Tatum best gift he could possibly ask for

CLNS Media/YouTube Garden Report: Celtics vs Pacers Postgame Show on CLNS Media – Jaylen Brown Making HISTORY!

TalkBasket Joe Mazzulla: Jaylen Brown picks and chooses his spots really well

Heavy Celtics’ Jaylen Brown is Closing in on Franchise History

Celtics’ Brad Stevens Makes Surprise Appearance in Jayson Tatum Rehab

Essentially Sports Jayson Tatum Injury Update: When Is Celtics Star Expected to Return From Achilles Injury?

NBA .com Starting 5: Bulls, Celtics keep rolling along

Jaylen Brown extends 30-point-plus scoring streak to 8 straight games

Locked on Celtics Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard DOMINATE in Boston Celtics win | Mazzulla Ball VINDICATED

Hoops Habit Unpopular Celtics trade would instantly make Boston a title contender

AS USA Jaylen Brown threatens Larry Bird record as Celtics stars keep exceeding expectations

BasketNews Joe Mazzulla explains why Jaylen Brown is dominating

NBA/YouTube CELTICS at PACERS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | December 26, 2025

Audacy 7 takeaways as Jaylen Brown continues incredible December streak

Fox Sports Portland faces Boston on home skid

Fadeaway World Celtics Win 4th Game In A Row After Jaylen Brown Torches Pacers For 30 Points On Friday Night

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-celtics-daily-links/127714/boston-celtics-daily-links-12-27-25

 

[Boston Celtics]

Parquet plays: how Sam Hauser caught fire in Indy

The Boston Celtics earned their fourth consecutive win with a 140–122 road victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard led the way, combining for 69 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, while Sam Hauser provided a decisive spark off the bench. Hauser caught fire from beyond the arc, scoring a season-high 23 points and knocking down seven of his eight three-point attempts. The performance marked a sharp turnaround after a brief shooting slump — he had eclipsed the 33 percent mark from deep just once over his previous five games.

Coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame that of course it’s good when Hauser hits his shots, but it’s different when guys are looking for him.

“It’s great when he’s making shots but it’s even better when we find him. I thought tonight we did a great job hunting for him — pin downs in transition, getting him going off kicks out.”

And that approach becomes obvious when you look at the film.

Here the Celtics play perfect Mazzulla ball, taking advantage of numerical outnumbering getting Hauser his first three.

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Luka Garza, who did a great job screening all night, sets the screen in transition for Brown and that starts everything. The screen forces the opposing center, Tony Bradley, to be at the level at the screen for just a second. As Garza rolls, Bradley drops, but Brown does a great job attacking which eventually forces the switch. Brown gets off the ball; Hauser sets a Ghost screen and gets to the corner.

Ball finds Brown at the top of the key and that switch he got earlier pays dividends. Pacers take no chances and double Brown as soon as he dribbles. He kicks out and the right passes are made for a score.

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Next Hauser gets an open look because of the Garza big body.

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To start, Hauser smartly rejects the Flare Garza was about to set him because of the aggressive defense of Jarace Walker. Garza and Pritchard get into a two-man game and when the ball finds Garza again, he immediately gets it to Hauser. They get into a pick and roll, and a great screen is followed by a great shot.

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Here the Celtics go to “Finland” action.

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“Finland” is a screen the screener action that the Finnish national team loves to run for Lauri Markkanen and it’s when “77” action is combined with a back/rip screen into a pin down.

77 action, is two on ball screens which can also be called “double drag.”

As you see here, Baylor Scheierman is the first screen and Neemias Queta is the second one.

Then after Baylor screens, Hauser signals to him that he’s going to set the back screen.

Pascal Siakam diagnosis and avoids the screen, but the mission was accomplished. The point of the shooter setting the back screen is to get his defender to either pause for a second, get off his body to help on the screen, or miscommunicate the coverage with his teammate.

Johnny Furphy stops his feet for a little amount of time, but that gives Hauser all the separation he needs. Hauser then runs to the Queta pin down.

This slightly turns into a Flare because of how Furphy played it.

Hauser knocks it down.

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On this play, the Celtics run “Horns Chest” to flow into “Turn Zoom.”

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Chest is an action that the team has really loved this year. This is when a shooter sets an on-ball screen then receives a Flare screen. The on-ball screen can either be a regular one or a Ghost screen.

Usually this is the main action, and the ball would go to Hauser here for a look but right after they get into the Turn Zoom. “Zoom” is a type of dribble handoff where there is a pin down for someone to go get the handoff. The “Turn” part is added here because Jordan Walsh literally turns into the pin down.

The great screen by Walsh gets Hauser so much separation from his defender, and he receives the handoff and drains the three.

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Remember when Mazzulla talked about those pin downs in transition? Here they are.

Celtics are going to have Luka Garza set “Veer” screens on the next two plays. Veer screens are when a big acts like they are going to set an on-ball screen, then sprints into a pin down as you see Queta do here.

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This first one doesn’t get Hauser a three but a back screen after the Veer lets him cut open and get fouled.

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The very next possession, we get a really good one from Garza, opening up Hauser for a shot.

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Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/celtics-videos/127787/parquet-plays-how-sam-hauser-caught-fire-in-indy

 

[Boston Celtics]

Celtics fumble ball late, lose to Trail Blazers 114-108

Boston traveled to Portland Sunday night having won the past six meetings between the two teams. The Trail Blazers came into the game with many injured players, their youngsters hanging tough with the seasoned Celtics to snatch a big 114-108 home win. Jaylen Brown had 37 points for Boston in a historic record-setting game for Boston.

Boston rolled with what is now considered their regular starting five of Brown, Payton Pritchard, Jordan Walsh, Derrick White and Neemias Queta. Chris Boucher was still out for personal reasons and for Portland, they started Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Toumani Camara and Kris Murray.

Jaylen Brown scored the game’s first four points in the opening minute of action. Payton Pritchard returned home to Portland and nailed his first corner triple attempt on a stepback over Sharpe. Boston raced out to an early 9-1, before Portland’s acting head coach and former Spur, Tiago Splitter, called the game’s first timeout.

Shaedon Sharpe scored the Blazers first field goal as he drove and skied for a layup bumping off Neemias Queta’s chest and banking it home. Jordan Walsh drained a three-pointer over 7-foot, 2-inch big man Clingan in front of the Boston bench.

Portland had four early turnovers as Boston was looking to get out in transition and get some easy buckets. Jordan Walsh went to the bench with 3 first quarter fouls as Hugo Gonzalez checked into the game. Clingan hit a straight on three-pointer from the top of the key to make it 16-13, Boston up by 3 with 6 minutes remaining in the first.

Former Blazer Anfernee Simons checked into the game and immediately hit his first triple attempt in his return to Rip City. Jaylen Brown continued to feel good early, he had 13 first quarter points on a super-efficient 6-9 from the field on a mix of mid-range jumpers and contested paint scores.

Donovan Clingan was feasting inside for Portland in the first quarter, the sophomore Center had 11 points and 9 rebounds in the first quarter, before being substituted for crowd favorite, Rookie Yang Hansen. Caleb Love came off the bench and provided a spark for the home team scoring 5 quick points, the Blazers took a 31-30 lead after one quarter.

Baylor Scheierman started the quarter in his first minutes of the game and got his hands on a dribble hand off between Hansen and Avdija before being fouled at mid court and falling to the ground. Portland was not taking care of the ball at all, they had 10 turnovers at the 9-minute mark of the second quarter. However, Boston was not capitalizing and could not get any consistent scoring from anyone outside of Jaylen Brown who was on the C’s bench.

Portland went on 10-4 run to start the second quarter before Jaylen Brown returned to action. “Portland” P drilled a three-pointer from the 45 and Hugo Gonzalez stole an errand pass a half court and jammed home a one-handed dunk to cut it back to 2 points, 39-41.

Portland and Boston traded buckets as Avdija and Brown went back-to-back on four consecutive plays. Pritchard’s second three-pointer off a Jaylen Brown assist gave the Celtics a 51-45 lead. Brown exploded for the Celtics to end the half, with 27 points, on 11-16 shooting and scoring 10 of the last 12 points. Boston took an 8-point lead into halftime, 63-55.

Portland reeled off 7 points to Boston’s 2 to start the second half. Jaylen Brown drove and scored his 29th point of the game, moving into twelfth all time on the Celtics scoring list with 12,289 points. The Blazers took the lead at the seven-minute mark, as Deni Avdija hit a step back jumper over Derrick White.

It was an historic night for Jaylen Brown who tied Larry Bird’s franchise record for consecutive 30-point games with nine straight. Portland outscored the Celtics 25-14 in the first 10 minutes of the third quarter, Avdija leading the way for the home team. Boston bounced back on the scoreboard as Simons scored 6 straight points, the home team took a 1-point lead into the third quarter break at the Moda Center, 86-85.

White was shooting the ball extremely poorly on the night, going just 2 for 12, before he finally hit his third shot on a push attempt over Clingan. Boston was shooting just 23 percent from three midway through the fourth quarter. Both teams traded empty possessions before Jaylen Brown sticked his 34th point of the game.

Sam Hauser was whistled for a foul on Caleb Love, but the Celtics coaches challenged the play and it was ruled successful and overturned at 95-92, Portland. Hauser hit a much needed three-pointer, his first of the night off a sweet Hugo Gonzalez dime. The Spanish rook splashed a huge three-pointer from in front of the Portland bench to tie the game at 98 apiece with 5 minutes to go.

Derrick White had a great chase down block on Sharpe and Jaylen Brown came down the end and drove hard connecting with Deni Avdija’s chin. Brown was whistled for a flagrant foul 1, and Avdija missed both free throws. The Celtics managed to escape the flagrant and the resulting possession with no points conceded.

Brown drove and dished to Queta who dunked it home to make it a one-point game. Sharpe connected on his 25th point of the night with a triple, JB wasn’t done, hitting his own triple and 37th point of the game. Boston was down 1 with a minute to go and was stripped in a double team, Sharpe ran the break was fouled and hit just 1 of 2 shots. Brown then turned the ball over at half court.

Derrick White hit a massive three to get it back to one point once more, Donovan Clingan grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled, the Blazers in the driving seat, 112-108 with 22 seconds to go. Boston unraveled down the stretch to hand Portland the win.

Boston next face the Jazz in Utah on December 30th at 9 pm EST.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/celtics...umble-ball-late-lose-to-trail-blazers-114-108

 

[Boston Celtics]

Jaylen Brown just got another award amid ridiculous December

Jaylen Brown has been named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from December 22 to 28, the NBA announced today. Brown averaged 32.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.7 steals this week, while shooting 55.9% from the field, 42.9% from three, and 80% from the free-throw line

The selection marks Brown’s sixth career weekly Player of the Week honor — and his second in three weeks. He was also named Player of the Week in the first week of December. Brown is now averaging 32.7 points per game, the highest scoring average any Celtic has had in a single December.

Brown posted 31 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal in a comeback win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday and followed that up with a 30-point, 4-assist, 4-steal performance against the Pacers on Friday.

On Sunday, in a loss to the Pacers, Brown tallied 37 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, marking his ninth consecutive game with 30+ points, a Celtics record he now shares with Larry Bird.

In the Eastern Conference, Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., and New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns were all nominated for Player of the Week.

In the Western Conference, Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard was named Player of the Week.

Could Jaylen Brown be named Eastern Conference Player of the Month? ​

Having earned two Player of the Week selections, Brown is a front-runner for the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Month award for December. Last month, Cade Cunningham won the award in the East, while Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic won it in the West.

Brown has never won Player of the Month before. But this month, he leads the NBA in scoring, averaging 32.7 points per game. He’s also tallying 6.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

The East’s other strong candidate is Jalen Brunson, who was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week last month, and is averaging 31.1 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Brown has been more efficient than Brunson this month, shooting 54.5% from the field and 43.2% from three (Brunson, meanwhile, is shooting 48.4% from the field and 39.4% from three).

Brown has one more game to make his case in December; the Celtics face the Utah Jazz in their final game of 2025 on Tuesday night.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/127978/jaylen-brown-nba-player-of-the-week

 

[Boston Celtics]

A three-point check-in

It happened again.

The late-game turnovers stole the headlines (pun intended) in the Celtics’ 114-108 loss in Portland, but big picture, it was just the sixth time in 31 games that Boston shot under 30% from behind the arc (13-of-34 for 29.5%). They’re now 1-5 on those cold-shooting nights.

In the past, it’s been a little bit of a bugaboo for Boston. In their championship run, they were 4-8 in the regular season when they couldn’t get over that Mendoza line. Last season when they increased their three-point shooting from 42.5 attempts to 48.2, they similarly had a 4-9 record in those games. That averages out to about every 6th or 7th game where the Celtics are going to have a dud from 3.

Whenever the Celtics don’t make shots and lose, their shot diet from 3 has always been the easiest scapegoat. During the preseason, head coach Joe Mazzulla bristled at yet another question about Boston’s three-point shooting volume, stating that the offense was less about finding threes and more about finding the 2-on-1 or 3-on-2 advantage on the floor.

He further explained on 98.5’s Zolak & Bertrand that “this is the first year we don’t have a stretch-5. Not having a stretch 5, that’s at least 8-10 threes that you’re going to have to turn into different types of shots, you’re going to have to create different kinds of 2-on-1s. Over the last two years, we’ve had five guys on the floor at all times that have shot 36% from three or higher, so when there was a 2-on-1, it was a very difficult decision for the defense to make and it was a very pass-pass situation, so that created catch-and-shoot opportunities.”

“Your shot profile is always going to match the strengths of your roster. We have different types of strengths. We’re a little bit younger. We’re a little bit faster. We’re a little bit more athletic. At the end of the day, we’re going to take the shots that the defense gives us and we’re going to look to find different ways to create 2-on-1s.”

Without Jayson Tatum, the trio of Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and Jaylen Brown have been taking more or less the same number of threes that they did last season. Sam Hauser is eating about the same, too. Anfernee Simons has basically replaced Jrue Holiday’s allotment. And yes, the biggest change has been in the frontcourt: Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis combined for about eleven threes a game; this year, we’ll get the occasional single shot from Luka Garza.

But as a whole, not much has changed in Mazzulla’s approach and most likely, nothing will moving forward. Against the Trail Blazers on Sunday night, they took around their average (42.8) with 44 triples and really, it was the nineteen turnovers that did them in, particularly at the end of the game.

However, here’s some food for thought: winning the margins. Mazzulla always talks about winning the margins. In the past, the Celtics could rely on a devastating margin from 3. In ‘23-24, they hit five more threes than their opponents. That shrunk to 3.6 last year. This year? It’s only 1.5.

I’d imagine if we asked Mazzulla about that margin, he’d either say “we need to guard the three-point line better” or “those are the shots were going to live with.” And maybe all this is still water finding its level. Maybe it won’t matter when Tatum comes back. And maybe a random late-December cold spell in a loss is just that.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/127966/a-three-point-check-in

 

[Boston Celtics]

Preview: Boston Celtics (19-12) at Utah Jazz (12-19) Game #32 12/30/25

Boston Celtics (19-12) at Utah Jazz (12-19)
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
9:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #32 Road Game #17
TV: NBCSB, KTZZ, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, KSL 97.5, Sirius XM
Delta Center

The Celtics visit the Utah Jazz for the 2nd and final meeting between these two teams this season. The Jazz won the first meeting 105-103 in Boston on November 3. The Celtics won the series 2-0 last season winning at home and on the road. The Celtics are 63-47 against the Jazz overall, all time. They are 24-31 all time in games played in Utah. Utah last played on Saturday and Boston last played Sunday. Both play again on New Year’s Day.

These teams have quite a few connections between them. First of all, after playing for the Celtics from 1981-1989 and then serving as the General Manager for the Celtics for 18 years, Danny Ainge is now the CEO of basketball operations and alternate governor of the Utah Jazz. Will Hardy was an assistant coach for the Celtics before being hired as the head coach of the Jazz. Svi Mykhailiuk played on the Celtics 2024 championship team. Georges Niang was traded to the Celtics in the offseason but was traded to the Jazz before playing for the Celtics. Jazz assistant coach Jason Terry played one season for the Celtics in 2012-13.

The Jazz made a few significant changes in the off season. They traded Collin Sexton to Charlotte for Jusuf Nurkic. They traded John Collins to the Clippers in a 3 team trade that brought back Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson. They traded RJ Luis to Boston for Georges Niang. They lost Jordan Clarkson as a free agent to the Knicks and waived Jaden Springer. They also added Ace Bailey with the 5th pick in the draft and Walter Clayton, Jr with the 18th pick in the draft.

The Celtics are 3rd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit, and 3 games behind 2nd place New York. They are 1 game ahead of 4th place Toronto, 1.5 games ahead of 5th place Orlando and 2.5 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 7th place Miami. The Celtics are 4-4 against Western Conference opponents. They are 9-7 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They lost their last game after winning the previous 4 games.

The Jazz are 11th in the West, 6 games behind 7th place Phoenix, 3.5 games behind 8th place Golden State, 2.5 games behind 9th place Memphis and half a game behind 10th place Portland. They are 1 game ahead of 12th place Dallas and 2 games ahead of the 13th place Clippers. They are 5-5 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 8-10 at home and 4-6 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.

This is the third game of a 5 game road trip. They started the trip with a win in Indiana and then lost in Portland. They will continue the trip through Sacramento and the LA Clippers. All 5 teams on this road trip are below .500. After the trip, they will head home for a 4 game home stand where they host Chicago, Denver, Toronto, and San Antonio before a 4 game road trip through Indiana once again, Miami, Atlanta and the final game at Detroit.

After this game at home, Utah will start a 4 game road trip on Thursday that will take them through the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State, Portland and Oklahoma City. They will then host Dallas and Charlotte before another 5 game road trip through Cleveland, Chicago, Dallas (twiice) and San Antonio. Then they have a 6 game home stand where they will host Minnesota, San Antonio, Miami, the LA Clippers, Golden State and Brooklyn.

Jayson Tatum (Achilles) and Chris Boucher (personal) are once again out for the Celtics. Kevin Love missed Saturday’s game for rest and will be rested in this game as well. Ace Bailey will miss his second straight game due to a left hip strain. George Niang has yet to make his season debut due to a stress reaction in his left foot and will miss this game. Walker Kessler underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum and will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season. Keyonte George is questionable due to a non-covid illness.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Keyonte George

SG: Payton Pritchard vs Brice Sensabaugh

SF: Jaylen Brown vs Svi Mykhailiuk

PF: Jordan Walsh vs Lauri Markkanen

Center: Neemias Queta vs Jusuf Nurkic

Celtics Reserves
Anfernee Simons
Hugo Gonzalez
Xavier Tillman
Josh Minott
Sam Hauser
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman

2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Chris Boucher (personal) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Jazz Reserves
Kyle Anderson
Isaiah Collier
Walter Clayton, Jr
Kyle Filipowski
Taylor Hendricks
Cody Williams

Two Way Players
Elijah Harkless
John Tonje
Oscar Tshiebwe

Injuries/Out
Ace Bailey (hip) out
Walker Kessler (shoulder) out
Georges Niang (foot) out
Kevin Love (rest) out
Keyonte George (illness) questionable

Head Coach
Will Hardy

Key Matchups
Jordan Walsh vs Lauri Markkanen
Markkanen is leading the Jazz with 27.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He is shooting 47.6% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc. He attempts 8.2 threes a game. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 41.2% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. He is a handful for any team to defend and the Celtics can only hope to slow him down.

Derrick White vs Keyonte George
George is averaging 24.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game. He is shooting 45% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc, shooting 6.9 threes a game. In the first game against the Celtics, George finished with 31 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 56.3% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. Derrick White took the blame for Sunday’s loss and so I expect a good game from him in this one. George is questionable due to illness and will be a game time decision.

Honorable Mention
Neemias Queta vs Jusuf Nurkic
Nurkic is averaging 9.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 48.4% from the field and 30.2% from beyond the arc on 1.5 threes attempted per game. In the first game against the Celtics he finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block while shooting 41.7% from the field and going 0-2 on three pointers.

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the key to winning games. The Celtics are 14th with a defensive rating of 114.2. The Jazz are 29th with a defensive rating of 121.3. The Jazz are 12th with an offensive rating of 115.0 and the Celtics are 4th with an offensive rating of 120.8. The Celtics will need to play tough defense to limit their scoring in this one. They need to especially defend the perimeter where the Jazz are 8th, taking 39.6 threes a game and they are 9th, making 14.1 threes a game.

Rebound – Rebounding may be the biggest key to winning right now since the Celtics’ losses are largely because they weren’t able to rebound. The Jazz are 8th with 45.2 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 20th with 43.9 rebounds per game. They simply have to fight harder than the Jazz to grab rebounds. Every Celtic has got to crash the boards and fight for every rebound. Their effort on the boards will make all the difference.

Don’t Underestimate – For the 3rd straight game, the Celtics are facing a team that is under .500 with several players out. It would be easy for the Celtics to underestimate the Jazz and expect an easy win against a shorthanded 12-19 team. But that would be a mistake because this Jazz team has already beaten the Celtics once this season. In their last 2 games, the Jazz have beaten the Pistons and the Spurs so they aren’t an easy team to beat. The Celtics have to come out strong from the start and play hard right up until the final buzzer. The Jazz are very capable of beating them if they don’t play their best.

Effort and Focus – Against the TrailBlazers, the Celtics lacked effort for much of the game. They also lacked focus as they turned the ball over 19 times and shot just 29.5% from beyond the arc. The Celtics must stay focused on playing the right way and on taking and making good shots. They also have to stay focused on handling the ball and on making good passes. They have to stay focused and play with maximum effort for all 48 minutes.

X-Factors
On the Road – The Celtics are playing in the third game of a 5 game road trip. They have to stay focused on playing Celtics basketball and block out all the distractions that come from playing on the road like travel, playing in a different time zone, staying in hotels and in front of a hostile crowd.

Coaching – Joe Mazzulla and Will Hardy are both former Celtics assistant coaches and both are 3rd year head coaches who have done well in their first 2 seasons. Of course, Joe won a title so he did much better than Hardy in his second season. Joe Mazzulla won both games last season but he lost the first game in Boston this season. Which former assistant will lead their team to the win in this one?

Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. Will they let them play or will they call every ticky tack foul? Will they favor the home team or will they call it evenly? We never know what any given crew will do. The Celtics need to stay focused and not allow bad calls or lack of calls take away their composure and take their focus off of the game.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-...ics-19-12-at-utah-jazz-12-19-game-32-12-30-25

 

[Boston Celtics]

White, Brown push Celtics past the Utah Jazz, 129-119

On the second stop of their west coast road trip, the Celtics traveled to Delta Center to take on the Utah Jazz in a rematch of a 105-103 Boston loss on Nov. 3. This time, the Celtics (20-12) got a balanced scoring effort and all-around Derrick White performance, beating Utah (12-20) 129-119 on Tuesday night.

The Celtics were led in scoring by White, who shook off early shooting struggles to finish with 22 points in the second half and 27 for the night, while the Jazz were paced by Keyonte George’s 37 points. White also finished with seven blocks for the first time in his career. Jaylen Brown had a double-double of 23 points and 10 assists.

The Celtics had a mostly clean injury report, with Jayson Tatum still sidelined along with Chris Boucher, who missed his third straight game due to personal reasons. The Jazz were without Ace Bailey, Kevin Love and Georges Niang, along with Walker Kessler, who is out for the season.

The first quarter opened with the Jazz hitting on six of their first 10 shots, jumping out to a 15-6 lead in over three minutes. The Celtics offense eventually caught up, with Neemias Queta hitting his first four shots for an early eight points, but sluggish defense kept the Jazz ahead, and consecutive short-handed layups from Lauri Markkanen with Keyonte George down on the baseline forced a Celtics timeout down 10 with 4:39 left in the quarter.

Boston chipped away slightly out of that timeout, cutting the deficit to seven entering the second quarter. Luka Garza, checking in for the first time during that timeout, scored eight quick points, including on two connections with Jaylen Brown, who hit Garza as the roller when the Jazz blitzed the pick-and-roll. Still, George’s 15 points in the quarter helped keep Utah in front, 38-31.

That JB X Garza connect pic.twitter.com/nPls2ECHTn

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 31, 2025

Boston didn’t take long to find its first lead of the game, starting the second quarter on an 18-2 run that began with back-to-back threes from Anfernee Simons and Sam Hauser. A Simons jumper put Boston ahead for the first time nearly four minutes into the quarter, while corner threes from Garza and Hugo Gonzalez extended Boston’s run into a 51-42 lead.

OUT OF HIS MIND pic.twitter.com/CchVimfNUM

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 31, 2025

A 16-3 Utah run brought the Jazz back in front, and a spin-cycle stepback three from George extended Utah’s lead to seven in the final minute, though a pair of free throws from Brown made it a 64-59 Celtics deficit entering the break. George was lights out in the first half, finishing with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting, while Boston was led by Garza’s 11 points.

Out of halftime, an 8-2 Celtics run gave them back the lead with 10:37 left to go. Brown led the charge, scoring two early buckets and pushing the ball ahead after a steal for an easy Pritchard lay-in that made it 67-66.

Too fast pic.twitter.com/tJ4uetVgeC

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 31, 2025

For the remaining 10:37 of the third quarter, the lead changed hands 10 more times, ending with Boston on top entering the fourth quarter, 99-96. Pritchard came alive from the mid-range in the third, scoring on all four of his 2-point attempts for nine points. White also found a groove, coming back from 2-of-8 first half shooting by hitting on three of his four shot attempts in the quarter. With under a minute left, a Simons layup and a steal-and-score from Brown gave Boston its 3-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Opening with a bench-heavy lineup, the Celtics kept a slim edge over the Jazz in the fourth’s first few minutes, though the Jazz entered the bonus with 8:34 left when Boston picked up its fifth team foul. White’s third quarter momentum carried over, and he hit his first three shots and a pair of free throws for nine points in the fourth quarter’s first four minutes.

Boston got its lead up to nine after a Pritchard left-hand layup, but Utah didn’t go away. At 5:21, Jaylen Brown checked in for the first time in the quarter with Boston up four, and he immediately made an impact, finishing on a mid-range jumper on his first possession. Brown then completed his double-double with a drive-and-kick to an open Simons in the corner, who buried a three for an 11-point lead with under four minutes to go.

A pair of tough Brown mid-range finishes kept Boston in front by double-digits in the final two minutes, including one on an island against Markkanen. That final scoring touch was enough to hold off Utah for Boston’s second win on their road trip.

Midrange Maestro pic.twitter.com/Jx4DDgkiqU

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 31, 2025

Boston’s third stop of the west coast road trip takes them to Sacramento, where they’ll take on the Kings (8-24) on New Year’s Day at 10 p.m.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/celtics...brown-push-celtics-past-the-utah-jazz-129-119

 

[Boston Celtics]

Derrick White’s 7-block performance is a reminder that there is no one quite like Derrick White

To record seven blocks in a single game, for any frontcourt rim-protector, automatically equates to an elite shot-blocking performance.

For Derrick White, a 6-foot-4 guard, it’s a rarity.

White, who was the fifth Celtic in the last 25 years to record seven blocks and the first since Robert Williams did it in 2022, has now tied the record for most blocks in a game by a guard, per StatMuse. Only the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama has more blocks in a game this season with nine.

View Link

Of White’s seven blocks, four of them came on shots from Lauri Markkanen, who stands at 7’1”.

Guards with 7 blocks in a game, per @statmuse:

Derrick White
Dennis Johnson
Shane Battier
Doug Christie
Julius Erving
George Gervin

Animal! pic.twitter.com/KbtWf1Fx8R

— SleeperCeltics (@SleeperCeltics) December 31, 2025

Even White didn’t seem to know what to say about his career-night as a shot-blocker.

“Just trying to help us win anyway I can, and that was kind of a crazy one,” he said. “So yeah, that was crazy. I don’t know what to say.”

On top of his shot-denying mastery, White also provided a huge lift in multiple areas. He scored 22 of his team-best 27 points in the second half, overcoming a 2-of-8 first half by converting on six of his next eight second half shot attempts. He was also perfect from the line on the night, making all nine attempts, while dishing out six assists with only one turnover and grabbing seven rebounds.

Joe Mazzulla highlighted White’s expanded role this season and the ways in which he can impact the shot. At times, he’s roaming like an off-ball big would, finding opportunities to step in as a helper. On other possessions, he’s guarding the primary scoring option and fighting around screens to contest off-the-dribble shooters.

“This year, his role has grown,” said Mazzulla. “Tonight, when we went with Derrick, Payton, Anfernee and Jaylen, he has to guard the other team’s best player.

“In the beginning of the game when he’s roaming and on guys we can shift off of, he does a good job of coming in and knowing when to help and not.”

As far as his offensive impact, Mazzulla focused on how the team’s guards handled Utah’s blitzing pick-and-roll approach and how it opened up driving lanes. Utah, like Portland on Sunday, was not afraid of taking an aggressive approach against Boston’s screen game, and in comparison to a 19-turnover night against the Trail Blazers, Boston had just eight giveaways against Utah, keeping the ball moving for creators like White to attack.

“We did a great job of not hanging onto the ball, and I thought (Jaylen) started that and then (Anfernee), Payton and Derrick did a great job of getting it side to side. I thought our pick-and-roll attack was really balanced, and when we did that we were able to attack closeouts. I think that got Derrick downhill for some easy shots.”

White’s reputation as an unusually proficient shot-blocking guard is well-documented, but he’s somehow still finding ways to improve in that department. After tonight, White’s per game block average is at 1.48, which would be a career-best after his 1.2 blocks during the 2023-24 regular season. That year, he had 87 blocks in 73 games, a career-best figure that he’s now 42 blocks from breaking after just 31 games.

After tonight, he also jumped seven players in the league standings, including reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley, to rank 10th in the NBA in blocked shots.

At a certain point, it may not be completely crazy to label Derrick White an honorary center.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...that-there-is-no-one-quite-like-derrick-white

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics Daily Links 12/31/25

Herald Celtics notebook: Ranking Derrick White’s seven blocks; Anfernee Simons hitting stride

Derrick White’s record-setting block party powers Celtics past Jazz

Globe Derrick White has 27 points and 7 blocks to lead Celtics past Jazz 129-119

When Derrick White clamps down on defense, like he did Tuesday night against the Jazz, the Celtics are an elite team

Derrick White, Payton Pritchard lead the way in Celtics’ road win over Jazz

Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez puts in the time so that he can make the most of it on the court

Celtics Green Comments from the Other Side – Jazz 12/30/25

CelticsBlog Ten takeaways from a Celtics philosophy battle in Salt Lake City

Derrick White’s 7-block performance is a reminder that there is no one quite like Derrick White

Anfernee Simons craves fourth-quarter pressure, shines late for Celtics vs. Jazz

Must Cs: Derrick White sets new career-high in blocks

New Year’s Resolutions: Jaylen Brown

What did you learn about the Boston Celtics this year? (Staff Roundtable)

White, Brown push Celtics past the Utah Jazz, 129-119

CLNS Media Jaylen Brown’s Streak Ends But Derrick White Makes NBA History | You Got Boston w/ Noa Dalzell

Celtics .com Derrick White Silences Jazz with Historic Shot-Blocking Effort

Keys to the Game: Celtics 129, Jazz 119

NBC Sports Boston Celtics-Jazz recap: Derrick White does it all in C’s bounce-back win

December to remember: Digging deeper on Jaylen Brown’s dominant month

NESN Jaylen Brown’s Latest X Post About Himself Has Celtics Fans Going Crazy

Celtics Broadcaster Brian Scalabrine Goes Viral For Reaction To Ridiculous Dunk

Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Highlights Underrated Part Of Jaylen Brown’s Game

Celtics’ Brad Stevens Receives High Ranking On New List Of Boston Sports Figures

Paul Pierce Makes Bold Claim About Jaylen Brown’s MVP Case

Jaylen Brown Made Celtics History During December To Remember

This Defensive Stat Show Celtics Are Becoming a Real Threat

Surging Celtics End Rollercoaster 2025 On High Note

Jazz Executive Takes Playful Jab at Joe Mazzulla After Celtics Win

Derrick White Joins NBA History In Celtics’ Win Over Jazz

These Stats Show Just How Much Derrick White Is Carrying the Celtics

Celtics’ Derrick White Explains How He Managed Seven-Block Game Vs. Jazz

Jazz Coach Delivers Strong Praise for Celtics’ Derrick White

Mass Live Brad Stevens facing unexpected trade conundrum with Celtics guard

Jaylen Brown falls short of snapping Larry Bird’s legendary Celtics streak

The 25 people who will shape the future of Boston sports for the next 25 years

Derrick White tied impressive NBA record in win over Jazz

Derrick White is the Celtics ‘Name to Know’ Player of the Game in Tuesday’s win over Jazz

4 takeaways as Celtics beat Jazz amid historic night for Boston guard

Celtics Wire Jordan Walsh credits Maine, Celtics coaching staff for breakout season

What is a realistic Anfernee Simons trade scenario for the Celtics?

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White put up a career-high 7 blocks vs. the Utah Jazz

Boston Celtics avenge early-season loss to Utah Jazz, win 129-119 on the road (PHOTOS)

The Knicks may need to fear the Celtics

What teams are a threat to the Celtics in the East?

Why the Celtics should avoid trading Anfernee Simons

The Celtics finished 2025 on a high note by beating the Jazz 129-119

Celtics jersey history No. 51 – Todd Mundt (1996)

Celtics get back in win column with big second half vs. Jazz

The Athletic The Bounce: Scandals, sales and a shocking trade highlight top 10 moments of 2025

Why Derrick White’s shot blocking is ‘an art form’

Boston Sports Journal NBA Notebook: Biggest Celtics stories of 2025 and an early All-Star ballot

Karalis: A closer look at Derrick White’s seven blocked shots in Utah

BSJ Game Report: Celtics 129, Jazz 119 – White’s huge second half, career defensive night, leads C’s win.

Hardwood Houdini Celtics trade deadline wish list becomes clearer if latest rumors are true

Anfernee Simons is making Celtics’ trade deadline decision more difficult each day

Hugo Gonzalez is unquestionably the steal of the 2025 NBA Draft and it’s not close

Celtics should consider deadline reunion with big man they gave up on too soon

Derrick White’s impact just reached the Victor Wembanyama tier

Dru Smith’s Achilles recovery: An inspiration for Tatum and a warning to the East

Celtics built a new school identity but an old school fix is saving them

Marcus Smart just proved the Celtics dead wrong again

Chowder and Champions Josh Minott Is Officially on Thin Ice with Celtics to Begin 2026

CLNS Media/YouTube LIVE Garden Report: Celtics vs Jazz Postgame Show on CLNS Media – Derrick White GOES OFF!

Larry Brown Sports Jaylen Brown slams NBA All-Star voting as a ‘PR contest’

Fansided NBA Power Rankings: Why the Celtics are for real and the Hawks are definitely not

Basketball Network “Reggie made the game look easy by just being around” – Bob Ryan draws a clear line between Jaylen Brown and a Celtics legend

The Sports Hub Celtics top Jazz behind Derrick White’s 27 points

Heavy Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Begs Anfernee Simons to do This Every Game

Barstool Sports My Genius Plan Was For The Celtics To Tank This Season Without Jayson Tatum And It Was One Of The Worst Takes Of 2025

After Making Some NBA History Of His Own, Derrick White Might Be The Closest Thing We Have To A Perfect Basketball Player

NBA .com Who was the NBA Player of the Year for 2025?

The Score NBA Power Rankings: New Year’s resolutions for each team

AS USA How a late first-round pick found his place with the Boston Celtics

Essentially Sports NBA Hot Takes for 2026 ft. Lakers’ and Celtics’ Playoffs Chances

Locked on Celtics Derrick White DELIVERS Defensive MASTERCLASS | Celtics BENCH has BIG night

NBA/YouTube CELTICS at JAZZ | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | December 30, 2025

SLC Dunk Utah Jazz vs Boston Celtics: Recap and Final Score

NBA Analysis Derrick White equals NBA record with Michael Jordan-like performance in Celtics win vs Jazz

Lindy’s Sports Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Makes Bold Claim After Jazz Game

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-celtics-daily-links/128023/boston-celtics-daily-links-12-31-25

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics (20-12) at Sacramento Kings (8-25) Game #33 1/1/26

Boston Celtics (20-12) at Sacramento Kings (8-25)
Thursday, January 1, 2026
10:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #33, Road Game #18
TV: NBCSB, NBCSCA, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 1140 AM, Sirius XM
Golden 1 Center

The Celtics play their 4th game of a 5 game road trip as they visit the Sacramento Kings. This is the first of 2 games between these two teams this season. They will play the 2nd, and final, game in Boston on January 30. They split the series 1-1 last season with each team winning on the road. The Celtics are 193-120 overall all time against the Kings and 71-75 in games played in Sacramento. The Kings are playing in the first of back to back games and will play at Phoenix on Friday.

The Kings have made a few moves since last season. They traded Jonas Valanciunas to Denver for Dario Saric in what is likely a salary move. They lost Jake LaRavia as a free agent to the Lakers. They signed Drew Eubanks, Dennis Schroder, Precious Achiuwa, and Russell Westbrook as free agents. They drafted Nique Clifford with the 24th pick in the 2025 draft that they acquired from OKC for a 2027 protected first round pick. They also drafted Maxime Raynaud with the 42nd pick.

The Celtics are 3rd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit, and 2.5 games behind 2nd place New York. They are 1.5 game sahead of 4th place Toronto, 2 games ahead of 5th place Orlando and 2.5 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia. The Celtics are 5-4 against Western Conference opponents. They are 10-7 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.

The Kings are 14th in the West, 20 games behind 1st place Oklahoma City, 12.5 games behind 6th place Minnesota, 6 games behind 10th place Portland, 5 games behind 11th place Utah, 4 games behind 12th place Dallas, and the 13th place Clippers. They are half a game ahead of 15h place New Orleans. They are 2-4 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 5-10 at home and 2-8 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last 2 games.

This is the 4th game of a 5 game road trip. They started the trip with a win in Indiana and then lost in Portland and then beat the Jazz. They will conclude their trip with a visit to the LA Clippers. All 5 teams on this road trip are below .500. After the trip, they will head home for a 4 game home stand where they host Chicago, Denver, Toronto, and San Antonio before a 4 game road trip through Indiana, Miami, Atlanta and the final game at Detroit.

The Kings complete a back to back set at Phoenix on Friday. After that, they host Milwaukee and Dallas before a game at Golden State. They then have a 7 game home stand where they host Houston, the Lakers, New York, Washington, Portland, Miami and Toronto. They then head out on a 6 game road trip through Cleveland, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington.

Jayson Tatum remains out as he rehabs the Achilles he tore in last year’s playoffs. Chris Boucher, who missed the last 2 games for personal reasons, is listed as questionable for this game. Zach LaVine will miss his seventh straight game due to a left ankle sprain. Domantas Sabonis has been rehabbing from a partially torn meniscus in his left knee that he sustained in mid-November and will miss this game.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Russell Westbrook

SG: Payton Pritchard vs DeMar DeRozan

SF: Jaylen Brown vs Keegan Murray

PF: Jordan Walsh vs Precious Achiuwa

C: Neemias Queta vs Maxime Raynaud

Celtics Reserves
Anfernee Simons
Hugo Gonzalez
Xavier Tillman
Josh Minott
Sam Hauser
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman

2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Chris Boucher (personal) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Kings Reserves
Devin Carter
Nique Clifford
Keon Ellis
Drew Eubanks
Doug McDermott
Malik Monk
Dario Saric
Dennis Schroder

2-Way Players
Dylan Cardwell
Daeqwon Plowden
Isaiah Stevens

Injuries/Out
Zach LaVine (ankle) doubtful
Domantas Sabonis (knee) out

Head Coach
Doug Christie

Key Matchups
Payton Pritchard vs DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan is averaging 18.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 50.1% from the field and 36.0% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he has averaged 21.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists. DeRozan especially needs to be defended for mid-range shots where he excels.

Jaylen Brown vs Keegan Murray
Murray is averaging 14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 43.1% from the field and 26.3% from beyond the arc. Over his career, he has averaged 12.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.

Honorable Mention
Derrick White vs Russell Westbrook
Westbrook is averaging 14.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 42.7% from the field and 36.0% from beyond the arc. Over his career, he has averaged 22.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is still a threat for a triple double every game and is a very good rebounding guard.

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the key to winning every game. The Kings have a defensive rating of 119.5 (28th). The Celtics defensive rating is 114.3, 15th in the league. The Celtics need to defend the paint as the Kings average 49 points in the paint per game. The Kings average 30.5 three pointers attempted per game, which is 29th in the league and they are last with 10.6 3 pointers made per game. The Celtics need to make defense a priority and commit to playing tough lock down defense for 48 minutes, regardless of the opponent’s statistics.

Rebound – The Celtics have to put out extra effort to grab the rebounds on both ends of the court. By doing so, they limit the second chance points and fast breaks for the Kings and also give themselves extra possessions. The Celtics are averaging 43.9 rebounds per game to 41.0 rebounds per game for the Kings. The Kings average 14.0 second chance points per game and extra effort from the Celtics can limit those. The Kings are missing their best rebounder (Sabonis) but that doesn’t mean the Celtics can relax on the boards.

Don’t Underestimate – For the 4rd straight game, the Celtics are facing a team that is under .500. It would be easy for the Celtics to underestimate the Kings and expect an easy win against an 8 win team. That would be a mistake because this Kings team has beaten Denver, Minnesota, Miami and Houston so they aren’t an easy team to beat if you don’t bring the effort. The Celtics have to come out strong from the start and play hard right up until the final buzzer. The Kings are very capable of beating them if they don’t play their best.

To 3 or Not to 3 – The Celtics are 3rd in the league, attempting 42.9 threes a game. When they fall, the Celtics are tough to beat. But, when they aren’t falling, the Celtics struggle. Against the Jazz, the Celtics shot just 29.5% on threes but drove more and shot midrange shots in the 4th. If the Celtics aren’t hitting their 3s, they have to go to Plan B and take the ball to the basket or shoot from midrange. If the 3s are falling, great!! If not, go to Plan B.

X-Factors
Fatigue on the Road – This is the 4th game of a 5 game road trip. The Celtics have had to travel across the country and across 3 time zones. Fatigue could come into play for them. Also they need to ignore the distractions of travel, an unfamiliar arena and a hostile crowd and concentrate on playing together, playing hard, and playing the right way.

Officiating – Officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew will call the game differently. Some will call every little thing and the game will have no flow. Others will let a lot go and let them play. Some crews favor the home team while others call it evenly or have a personal agenda. The Celtics need to adjust to how the game is called and not let the officials mess with their focus.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-...20-12-at-sacramento-kings-8-25-game-33-1-1-26

 

[Boston Celtics]

10 Takeaways from the Celtics all-around team win vs the Kings

1. Jaylen Brown Big 2nd Half​

After his 3o point streak came to an end against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, Jaylen Brown started the game off cold in the first half against the Kings, scoring 10 points and shooting 4-12 from the field. Then after halftime Brown found his stroke as he scored 11 points in the third quarter and 8 big points in the fourth quarter to help close out the win for the Celtics.

You could tell Brown had a different energy about him on his first basket of the second half when he put Precious Achiuwa in the weight room underneath the basket for a layup.

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I would say his best baskets of the game came in the fourth quarter when the Celtics needed them most. His first bucked of the quarter was a fadeaway jumper over Keon Ellis where he was fouled and hit the And-1. Brown’s other basket was him once again bulldozing his way past Dennis Schroder to the paint and finishing a nice layup over the out stretched arms of Keegan Murray.

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2. Derrick White 4th Quarter Closer​

Although Derrick White was making an impact on defense, he had a rough first three quarters of this game on offense. With 2 points on 1-6 shooting it was looking like a bad night for White, until the fourth quarter hit and he turned into 2017 Isaiah Thomas. White had 14 points in the fourth quarter and squashed any chance of the Kings making a comeback.

Fourth Quarter Derrick White made his first appearance at the 10:45 mark of the quarter as after Hugo Gonzalez made a great athletic play to keep the ball in bounds, White hit a three over a late closeout by Maxime Raynaud. His second basket came on a great play design where Luka Garz and Sam Hauser set a screen for White as he took on Raynaud under the basket for a nice finish on a layup.

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You could tell White was feeling it on his last two baskets of the game. The first came when the Kings were trying to switch Raynaud off of White but he buried a deep three over the contest of Keegan Murray. His second shot was an incredible isolation midrange pull up that had Raynaud in hell trying to guard him.

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3. Neemias Queta Revenge Game​

On September 12th, 2023 the Sacramento Kings waived Neemias Queta after he played 20 games over 2 seasons. On the NBC Sports Boston broadcast, they said that his lack of being able to navigate the pick and role quickly was a reason the Kings gave for waiving him. Boston put a claim for Queta on September 17th, 2023 and he has turned into a starting caliber center for one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

This game was a chance for Queta to show the Kings what they gave up on and he had a solid game, finishing with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 5-6 shooting. One of the plays that stood out to me the most in this game was at the 7:44 mark of the first quarter where Queta ran the two man game with Derrick White to perfection. After setting the screen, White found Queta cutting to the basket on a bounce pass and Queta finished with a dunk through contact for an And-1.

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My other favorite play of the night from Queta came at the 3:54 mark of the second quarter. Jaylen Brown dribbled into traffic and passed the ball out to Queta who had to reach out for it to save a turnover. Queta then turned around and like a rocket threw down a monstrous dunk that made Precious Achiuwa move out of the way to avoid a poster.

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4. Celtics Bench Stepped Up​

The bench has been inconsistent for parts of the season so far for the Celtics but in this game vs the Kings they really stepped up big time. Sam Hauser, Luka Garza, Anfernee Simons, Hugo Gonzalez, and Baylor Scheierman in total scored 46 points on 17-29 (59%) shooting from the field and 12-17 (71%) from three. This scoring out put from the bench was huge in the first half with Brown and White struggling. A cool stat to keep track of via Steve Bullpett on X, the Celtics have improved to 15-3 when the bench scores at least 35 points and 16-2 when the non-starters deliver at least seven three pointers.

In Derrick White’s postgame interview he praised the bench saying: “All year they’ve been huge for us. They come in, kind of change the game, bring energy, 50-50 balls, make shots. They do a little bit of everything for us…We’re a complete team and we need everybody.” Overall a great showing from the second unit.

Derrick White to @tvabby on the Celtics’ second unit:

“All year they’ve been huge for us. They come in, kind of change the game, bring energy, 50-50 balls, make shots. They do a little bit of everything for us…We’re a complete team and we need everybody.”

: @NBCSCeltics https://t.co/prcOGV3U3x pic.twitter.com/TTBqBSt1mc

— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) January 2, 2026

5. Big Sam Hauser Game​

There are times where Sam Hauser can seriously be the Celtics most dangerous offensive player on the floor and tonight was a great example. Hauser finished with 15 points and 5 rebounds on 5-7 shooting from three as he was on fire all night long.

Hauser’s second three of the game was the first that really impressed me as the entire play was beautiful. As Hauser was going around a perfect screen set by Luka Garza, Derrick White made a bullet pass into the corner and all one motion led to a wide open three.

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A good example of how dangerous Hauser can be when he’s hot came at the 9:00 minute mark of the third quarter. After getting a pass from Pritchard, Hauser pump faked DeMar DeRozan and relocated to the wing where he was able to get off a wide open three.

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6. Luka Garza is Awesome​

Luka Garza has been playing some of his best basketball of his NBA career over this most recent stretch of games. NBC Sports Boston ran a segment on him during the game where they said in the Celtics last five games, their Net Rating was a +29 when Garza was on the court, which is absolutely insane. Garza once again found success against the Kings as he finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals on 5-6 shooting.

Luka Garza has been playing out of his mind recently pic.twitter.com/1qAzLYkxYr

— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) January 2, 2026

A good example of the development of Garza over this recent stretch of games came at the 8:11 mark of the third quarter. Garza set a great screen on Keon Ellis and cut to the basket where Derrick White found him on a bounce pass. Then for maybe the first time all season, Garza went up and dunked the ball with one hand, giving the Celtics their first lead of the game and forcing the Kings to call a timeout.

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Garza’s development in the Celtics system kind of reminds me of the way Luke Kornet was able to evolve his game. I don’t think Garza will turn into a rim-running God like Kornet, but Boston’s player development staff has definitely turned him into a playable big man and that is all the Celtics need right now.

7. Beasts in the Paint​

The Celtics had a great night when it came to both scoring points in the paint and rebounding the ball. Boston scored 50 points in the paint in total and won the rebounding battle 40-32. It was also good to see them finish with 6 blocks as their defense was locking down. The only real failure they had in this position was in the fourth quarter when Hugo Gonzalez smoked a fast break layup and Joe Mazzulla called a timeout immediately after to yell at him about not dunking it. This wasn’t the main reason Mazzulla called the timeout as it was a use it or lose it situation but it was both a lighthearted and good teaching moment for the rookie.

Joe Mazzulla reminding 19 year old rookie Hugo Gonzalez that he can dunk it

Celtics winning in Sacramento tonight pic.twitter.com/kOnHcRrnQN

— Darko Dželetović (@DarkoBasketball) January 2, 2026

8. Kings Three Point Luck Ran Out​

When the Celtics played the Pacers they were able to find success early in the game due to a hot start from beyond the arc despite being one of the worst three point shooting teams in the league. They eventually regressed to the mean in the second half, leading to Boston being able to win. The Kings followed a similar sentiment in this game, shooting 12-26 (46%) from three through the first three quarters of the game despite averaging 10.7 a game on the season. The fourth quarter was where Sacramento’s luck ran out as they shot 0-10 from beyond the arc and the Celtics were able to take advantage of their slow offense to close out the win.

9. Another short night for Jordan Walsh​

Jordan Walsh’s minutes have been very weird for a while now and it looked like he got benched after playing the first 5 minutes of the game and not seeing the court for the rest of the night. Walsh normally would only play a short amount of time in the first quarter when he got into foul trouble but that wasn’t the case tonight as he had no fouls. I don’t know if there was an illness or injury that wasn’t reported or if it was due to a lack of hustle when the Kings started the game hot but Mazzulla must have seen something that made him want to pull him from the game early.

The only thing I can think of when it came to his on the court play was when Walsh was blocked on a layup attempt and was late getting back on defense, leading to a put back layup for the Kings. I don’t know if this means anything for certain or the rest of the bench guys being on fire led to Mazzulla riding the hot hand but it is a confusing situation.

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10. Celtics solidifying a rotation?​

Joe Mazzulla ran a 9 man rotation in the Celtics win over the Kings and it makes you wonder if he’s finding a rotation that he wants to stick with. Mazzulla said earlier in the year that the rotations will always be changing but he’s been riding the same starting lineup for a while and found what looks like a good mix of bench minutes from Anfernee Simons, Sam Hauser, and Luka Garza with Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman coming in for energy at any amount of time.

I wonder if Walsh playing only 5 minutes and Josh Minott continuing to get DNPs means that Joe has found a rotation he likes and will be riding it for a while. Either way it is impressive to see Mazzulla push all of the right buttons on any given night and find enough minutes for the Celtics have a 21-12 record.

The Celtics are now…

16-0 when scoring 117+ points
15-0 when shooting 47%
17-0 when averaging 1.2 points per possession
11-0 when making 17+ 3's.

They hit all four of those markers Thursday at Sacramento.

— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) January 2, 2026

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...m-win-vs-the-kings-jaylen-brown-derrick-white

 

[Boston Celtics]

Joe Mazzulla earns Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors

For the fifth time in his young career, Joe Mazzulla is the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month.

Mazzulla steered the Celtics to a 9-3 December, highlighted by wins over the Knicks, Raptors (twice), and Heat.

Joe Mazzulla was named the NBA's Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for December after the Celtics went 9-3 pic.twitter.com/IQYHx0ACqK

— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) January 2, 2026

The Celtics are 21-12, just 3.5 games out of first place in the conference with Jayson Tatum still sidelined. They’ve allowed 110.6 points per game on the season, which is the second-fewest in the NBA after juggernaut Oklahoma City.

In December specifically, the Celtics averaged 120.3 points per game and boasted an offensive rating of 124.3 and defensive rating of 113.3. They had the second-best net rating behind only the Thunder.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson and Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in December. pic.twitter.com/QHuJfHOy98

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 2, 2026

Mazzulla leads the NBA in Coach of the Month awards since he became Boston’s head coach in October of 2022.

Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs garnered December’s award in the Western Conference.

The Celtics, fresh off a win over the Sacramento Kings, are back in action against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. EST. Boston has won two straight, six of seven and 11 of 14 after starting the season 10-9.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...-eastern-conference-coach-of-the-month-honors

 

[Boston Celtics]

Jaylen Brown isn’t bothered by your disrespect

Jaylen Brown never got the chance to be a number one option in the NBA. When he was drafted by Boston, he was playing behind Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford. Just one year later, Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, and Jayson Tatum joined the team, and all it took was one amazing playoff run from Jayson for the Celtics to be dubbed Tatum’s team.

It didn’t take long for JB to be looked at as the definitive second option, but he didn’t get much more credit than that. In fact, it seemed like the only times where Jaylen was given praise was when opposing fans and pundits were trying to pit him and Jayson against each other. Even then, Brown suffered from his fair share of scrutiny, constantly being ridiculed for having “no left hand” despite being a 4-time All-Star, and All-NBA player in 2023, and an Eastern Conference Finals MVP, Finals MVP, and NBA champion in 2024.

This season, for the first time in Jaylen’s NBA career, he’s been given the opportunity to be the number one option, albeit through unexpected and unfortunate circumstances. Some fans across the league were expecting it to be a dark season for Boston, partly because of the sharp talent drop-off from the roster as a whole, and partly because they didn’t believe in JB.

JB believed in himself, though. He’s heard your criticism and your praise, and he’s put it all behind him enroute to an MVP-caliber season. Brown is having a career year, averaging 29.5 points, 5 assists, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game — all career-highs outside of the rebounds.

Being a number one option also means increased focus from defenders, but that hasn’t bothered Jaylen. He’s scoring with a career-high in field goal percentage at 50.5%, and is at a five-year high in three-point percentage at 37%. Increasing your efficiency and scoring output while becoming the main player that the opposing team is game-planning for is an incredible feat, and a testament to the player JB is.

Now, it seems that opposing players are trying to pull out some extra stops to get under Jaylen’s skin in an attempt to slow him down. Brown, who used to be fairly private and quiet off of the court, has become more active this year. He’s given fans a closer look into his life and his mindset through Twitch streams, often times talking about what he’s seeing, doing and hearing on the court. In a recent stream, Jaylen called out some of the on-court antics he’s been facing lately.

“Trash talk is a part of the game. Recently, it’s been getting real disrespectful for whatever reason… Mad disrespectful on the court out of nowhere,” he said. Based on Brown’s reaction, it was pretty clear that it’s different than what he’s seen and heard in years past. However, he also seemed to take it on as a challenge, saying “That s**t ain’t gonna work. Keep it up.”

Jaylen Brown said that recently, more players have tried to antagonize him:

“It’s been getting real disrespectful…the last 3 out of 4 games…Some dude on the other team trying to get a reaction.”

Brown’s response?

“That s**t ain’t gonna work, keep it up.”

@FCHWPO pic.twitter.com/BdHRCF1qBt

— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) December 23, 2025

The cameras have even captured some of the disrespect live. In a matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, Kyle Kuzma was caught talking trash from the free-throw line to Jaylen, saying “this ain’t one of your Twitch streams.” To Kuzma’s credit, the Bucks won the game off of one of the best games of his career, but JB had an extremely efficient 30-point performance of his own, stepping up to the challenge.

In fact, that was Jaylen’s fourth-straight game of 30+ point performances, a streak that would end at nine-straight games, tying a Celtics record set by Larry Bird. Brown had 10 other games at or above 30 points prior to that streak as well, now reaching that mark in 19 out of 30 games played this season.

In the game just before his streak started, a game which broke up another three-game streak of 30+, JB tallied double digit assists, with a stat-line of 19 points, 11 assists, and 12 rebounds, his first triple-double of the season. Similarly, in the game that ended his most recent streak, he again had double-digit assists, a final stat-line of 23 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds.

Brown has been prepared to do whatever the Celtics need from him to win games, and has shown that he is one of the best players in this league. When people aren’t willing to see it, he’s happy to say it with his chest, too. After initial results from the fan voting for All-Star starters, he found himself with the sixth most votes in the East, sitting on the outside looking in. He took to twitter to express his dissatisfaction with the process, calling it a “PR contest.”

I agree PR contest https://t.co/Qpsswy0VNs

— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) December 29, 2025

In addition, he shared a couple tweets in the past day standing up for himself. In one of them, he simply said “Best 2 way player in the game.” In the other, “Nobody watches you harder than people who doubt you give them a good show.” Safe to say, JB has been giving the league a fantastic show this season, leading the Celtics to a 21-12 record, the third-best record in the East so far.

Despite that, Brown was snubbed of the December Eastern Conference Player of the Month award. Jalen Brunson walked away with the honor despite Jaylen averaging more points, rebounds, and steals on better efficiency. Not only that, but Brown outscored Brunson 42 to 15 in a Celtics win when Boston and New York matched up in the month. Jaylen again voiced his displeasure with a simple tweet: “Smh.” Though, based on the season so far, it seems like he’ll be prepared to do more of the talking on the court.

There’s still a lot more basketball left to be played, but Jaylen has been having an unreal year while facing more scrutiny than ever before. As he would say, and has been proving for years, faith, consistency, and hard work pays off, aka FCHWPO.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/128179/jaylen-brown-isnt-bothered-by-your-disrespect

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics (21-12) at Los Angeles Clippers (12-21) Game #34 1/3/26

Boston Celtics (21-12) at Los Angeles Clippers (12-21)
Saturday, January 3, 2026
10:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #34, Road Game #19
TV: NBCSB, FDSN SoCal, NBA-TV
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, KLAC 570, Sirius XM
Intuit Dome

The Celtics visit the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2nd, and final, game between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 121-118 in Boston on November 16. The Celtics won the series 2-0 last season. They are 93-46 overall all time against the Clippers and they are 43-28 in games played in Los Angeles.

The Clippers made some changes in the off season. They traded Normal Powell to the Heat in a 3 team trade that brought John Collins to LA from the Jazz. They also traded Mohamed Diawara and Luka Mitrovic to the Knicks for Kobe Sanders and signed him to a 2 way contract. They also signed Brook Lopez, Bradley Beal, and Chris Paul as free agents. They have since sent Chris Paul home and although they haven’t waived him or traded him, he is no longer with the team.

The Celtics are 3rd in the East, 3.5 games behind 1st place Detroit, and 1.5 games behind 2nd place New York. They are 2 games ahead of 4th place Toronto and 2.5 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 6th place Miami. The Celtics are 6-4 against Western Conference opponents. They are 11-7 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games. The Celtics were in 11th place when these two teams played in November.

The Clippers are 11th in the West, 16.5 games behind 1st place OKC, 8.5 games behind 6th place Minnesota, 7 games behind 7th place Phoenix, 3 games behind 9th place Memphis and 1.5 games behind 10th place Portland. They are tied with 12th place Utah and 1 game ahead of 13th place Dallas. The Clippers are 3-7 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 8-8 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 6 games.

This is the last game of a 5 game road trip for the Celtics. They started the trip with a win in Indiana and then lost in Portland and then beat the Jazz and the Kings. All 5 teams on this road trip are below .500. After the trip, they will head home for a 4 game home stand where they host Chicago, Denver, Toronto, and San Antonio before a 4 game road trip through Indiana, Miami, Atlanta and end the trip at Detroit.

The Clippers are playing in the 4th game of a 5 game home stand. They have already beat Detroit, Sacramento and Utah and will play Golden State to finish the home stand. They will then play New York, Brooklyn and Detroit on the road before heading home to play Charlotte and Washington before another road trip through Toronto Washington, and Chicago.

At this time, Jayson Tatum is the only name on the Celtics injury report. For the Clippers, Bradley Beal is out for the season after being diagnosed with a left hip fracture and having season-ending surgery. Bogdan Bogdanovic is out due to a left hamstring injury. Ivica Zubac is expected to return to action in this game after a 5 game absence with an ankle sprain. Chris Paul is not with the team because, Clipper things.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs James Harden

SG: Payton Pritchard vs Kris Dunn

Jaylen Brown vs Kwahi Leonard

PF: Jordan Walsh vs John Collins

C: Neemias Queta vs Ivica Zubac

Celtics Reserves
Anfernee Simons
Chris Boucher
Xavier Tillman
Josh Minott
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman
Sam Hauser

2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Clippers Reserves
Nicolas Batum
Kobe Brown
Cam Christie
Derrick Jones, Jr
Yanic Konan Niederhauser
Brook Lopez

Two-Way Players
Jordan Miller
Kobe Sanders
TyTy Washington, Jr

Injuries/Out
Bradley Beal (hip) out
Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) out
Ivica Zubac (ankle) available
Chris Paul not with team

Head Coach
Tyronn Lue

Key Matchups
Derrick White vs James Harden
Harden is averaging 25.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 7.9 assists while shooting 43.2% from the field and 36.2% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 37 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 40.9% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc. He took 15 free throws in that game. He is very dangerous from both inside and on the perimeter and the Celtics need to stay with him on defense without fouling.

Jaylen Brown vs Kawhi Leonard
Leonard is averaging 28.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 50.2% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. He didn’t play in the first game against the Celtics. He is coming off a game in which he scored 45 points. This should be a good matchup of 2 of the best two way players in the league.

Honorable Mention
Neemias Queta vs Ivica Zubac
Zubac is averaging 15.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists nd 1.0 blocks. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 1 block while shooting 60% from the field with no 3 pointers. He has missed the last 5 games with a sprained ankle but is expected to return for this game.

Keys to the Game
Defense – As always, defense is a key to getting a win in this game and in every game. The Clippers have an offensive rating of 115.3 (11th) while the Celtics have an offensive rating of 121.3 (4th). The Celtics are 15th with a defensive rating of 114.2 while the Clippers are 22nd with a defensive rating of 116.6. In Thursday’s game, the Celtics allowed the Kings to shoot 55.6% from the field and 50.3% from beyond the arc in the first half, but held them to 37.5% from the field and 20.3% from beyond the arc in the second half. The Celtics need to play tough lock down defense for the entire game and not just for 1 or 2 quarters.

Rebound – Rebounding is also a big key to winning. It is very important now because the Celtics have struggled on the boards in their losses this season. The Celtics are 6-8 in games in which they are out-rebounded by their opponents. They simply have to fight harder to grab rebounds than their opponents. Every Celtic must crash the boards and fight for rebounds.

Energy and Effort for 48 Minutes – The Celtics have to come out with energy and have to play harder than the Clippers from the opening tip until the final buzzer. 100% effort from every Celtic will be needed to get a win in this one. The Clippers have been playing very well and the Celtics can’t expect to win with less than 100% effort for all 4 quarters. They have to be the more aggressive team, getting off to a fast start and playing hard right up to the final buzzer with no let up. They will get the Clippers best effort and so the Celtics simply must work harder with no let up.

Bench Contributions – In the first game against the Clippers, the Celtics got just 16 points from their bench while the Clippers reserves gave them 37 points. Against Sacramento, the Celtics reserves chipped in 46 points. The Clippers have a very good starting lineup and so the game may come down to how well reserves from both teams play.

Don’t Underestimate – For the 5th straight game, the Celtics are facing a team that is under .500. It would be easy for the Celtics to underestimate the Clippers and expect an easy win against an 12 win team. That would be a mistake because the Celtics barely beat them in Boston without Kawhi Leonard. With Kawhi, they are a tough team to beat. The Celtics have to come out strong from the start and play hard right up until the final buzzer. The Clippers are very capable of beating them if they don’t play their best.

X-Factors
Last Game On the Road – The Celtics are on the road, playing in the Pacific time zone and have the distractions of travel, hotel stays, missing family, and playing in front of a hostile crowd. They have to overcome all those distractions and stay focused on playing as a team and on giving their best effort. The last game of a long road trip is always the toughest and so the Celtics need to stay extra focused and play their hardest if they want to win this one.

Officiating – I know that I say this every game, but the officiating always can be an x-factor in every game. Every crew calls the game differently whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. Some refs favor the home team and some not so much. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let the officiating take away from their focus.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-...-at-los-angeles-clippers-12-21-game-34-1-3-26