RSS Celtics Team Notes

[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

 

[Boston Celtics]

Brown drops 50, Celtics beat Clippers for third straight win, 146-115

After back-to-back wins against Utah and Sacramento, the Boston Celtics closed out their west coast road trip with a 146-115 win against the Los Angeles Clippers, who rode into the contest on a six-game win streak. It was a season-high in points for the Celtics, who moved to 22-12 on the season.

Boston was led in scoring by Jaylen Brown with 50 points on 18-of-26 shooting, while LA was led by John Collins and Kawhi Leonard with 22 apiece. Derrick White also added 29 points on 10-of-20 shooting, while Anfernee Simons added 15 off the bench. Jordan Walsh had a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Jaylen Brown vs Clippers:

50 PTS
6 AST
16-26 FG
6-10 3P

Joins Tatum and Bird as the only Celtics with multiple 50-point games. pic.twitter.com/hCnOr4H0eM

— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 4, 2026

Outside of Jayson Tatum, the Celtics had a clean bill of health entering the matchup, while the Clippers saw the return of Ivica Zubac, though their starting lineup featured Brook Lopez at center alongside James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Kris Dunn and John Collins. Boston made its own change to the lineup, putting Sam Hauser in the starting five in place of Jordan Walsh, while the rest remained constant with Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta.

Boston’s starters came out firing on all cylinders in their first stint, shooting 9-of-12 with four 3-pointers and leading 22-15 before the first subs came in. Brown was making an impact all across the floor, hitting his first four shots for an early nine points, while taking a hold of the Leonard assignment on defense.

A star stepback

Vote JB to All-Star at https://t.co/lwoZWC5Nks pic.twitter.com/qu0h8Tr7Tf

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 4, 2026

Hauser, in his sixth start of the season, hit his first two shots for five points, burying a corner three and a turnaround jumper.

The Celtics continued to throttle the Clippers in the first quarter, finishing 7-of-14 on 3-pointers and 62.5% from the field for a 42-28 lead. With their bench on the floor, they got an immediate lift from Anfernee Simons, who knocked down a pair of transition threes, and from Luka Garza, whose defense on Zubac earned the Celtics a stop and another fast break opportunity that ended in a walk-up White three for a 37-23 lead with just over a minute remaining.

Boston’s fiery shooting continued on in the second quarter behind a scorching start from White, who crossed the 20-point barrier with more than four minutes to spare in the half. The Clippers kept pace thanks to a magnet ball performance from Collins, who hit his first eight shots for 20 first-half points. Collins’ first miss was because of a Jordan Walsh block, which led to an open corner three for Hauser.

Both teams shot over 50% from the floor in the first half, but Boston’s edge on free throws and 3-pointers helped them take a 71-63 lead into the break. White and Brown both scored in double figures by the end of the first quarter, and by halftime, Brown had 20 points while White finished with 23.

He's MONEY right now pic.twitter.com/fdJwhwxi9b

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 4, 2026

Brown was unstoppable in the third, hitting shots from all over to cross 30 points halfway through the quarter. Brown hit the 31-point mark with a stepback three, and followed that up with another pull-up three and a hockey assist kick-out that forced a Clippers rotation before a Simons triple. Along with his elite shot-making, Brown’s playmaking also shined bright, and a dime to a rolling Garza for free throws along with an assist to a cutting Walsh helped push Boston’s lead back into double figures.

Has a shot for every spot pic.twitter.com/PEjA2tShSW

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 4, 2026

Simons also provided a solid scoring compliment to Brown, hitting on all three of his third quarter 3-point attempts for nine points.

In the fourth, Pritchard scored his first two baskets of the night in the first two minutes, extending the lead to 117-101. Brown, meanwhile, continued to dominate, hitting bucket after bucket to cross the 40-point mark with less than 9 minutes to go. He didn’t stop there, burying a stepback three from the corner, a layup and a mid-range jumper in quick succession. When the Clippers showed a double, he kicked it out to an open Walsh, whose three continued an onslaught that pushed Boston up 131-107.

With four minutes left, Brown hit 50 points with a contested floater, capping off a career-night for the Celtics star. Pritchard hit a three to push the lead to 30 with less than three minutes to go, and the Celtics were able to cruise to their third straight win on the road.

50 POINTS FOR JAYLEN BROWN

HE TIES HIS CAREER-HIGH IN POINTS. pic.twitter.com/9u7bBOPuSM

— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2026

Next up for the Celtics is a return to the Garden for a game against the Chicago Bulls on Monday, January 5. That game starts at 7:30 p.m.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/celtics...-beat-clippers-for-third-straight-win-146-115

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics Daily Links 1/4/26

Herald Celtics’ Jaylen Brown drops 50 points to crush Clippers after snub

Globe Jaylen Brown torches Clippers for 50 points in Saturday night blowout

Jaylen Brown believes he’s the ‘best two-way player in the world,’ and he tried to prove it against the Clippers

Finding the right fit at starting wing position is a work in progress for the Celtics

Celtics Green Comments from the Other Side – Clippers 1/3/26

CelticsBlog 10 takeaways from the Celtics winning the isolation battle against the Clippers

Jaylen Brown’s text to Joe Mazzulla foreshadowed career night

“We’re just hungry”: how Derrick White’s impact vs. Clippers embodied the Celtics

Brown drops 50, Celtics beat Clippers for third straight win, 146-115

Celtics .com Keys to the Game: Celtics 146, Clippers 115

Jaylen Brown Drops 50, Earns ‘MVP’ Chants in LA

NBC Sports Boston Celtics-Clippers recap: Jaylen Brown drops 50-piece as C’s cruise to win

How Garza’s resurgence is bolstering Celtics’ bench in several ways

NESN Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Gives Funny Explanation For 50-Point Game

Kevin O’Connor Explains Clearly Why Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Deserves In MVP Conversation

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Doubles Down On Claim About His Standing Among NBA’s Best Players

Celtics’ Jordan Walsh Makes Stance Clear On Being Removed From Starting Lineup

Celtics’ Jordan Walsh In Awe of Jaylen Brown’s “Wild” Performance

Joe Mazzulla Explains Jaylen Brown’s Request That Set Tone vs Clippers

Jaylen Brown Makes Celtics History With 50-Point Explosion Vs. Clippers

Jaylen Brown Drops 50 Points As Celtics Obliterate Clippers

Mass Live Celtics road trip solves trade deadline conundrum for Brad Stevens

Celtics star makes eye-opening declaration after historic night vs. Clippers

Boston Celtics make history in Clippers win behind Jaylen Brown

Celtics wing has career night after losing starting spot in Clippers win

Jaylen Brown is the Celtics ‘Name to Know’ Player of the Game in Saturday’s win over Clippers

4 takeaways as Celtics crush Clippers as Jaylen Brown erupts for career night

Celtics Wire Brown questions narratives around off-court interests after 50-pt game vs. Clips

Celtics jersey history No. 52 – Norm Cook (1976-77)

Today in Boston Celtics history: Red’s jersey retired; Parish 2k block; Jefferson, Kreklow, Kleine born

Jaylen Brown matches career-high with 50 points in win vs. Clippers

Will the Celtics be buyers or sellers at the 2026 NBA trade deadline?

The Athletic ‘I believe I’m the best two-way player in the world’: Jaylen Brown goes off

Celtics’ Jordan Walsh believes he must do more to regain rotation spot

Boston Sports Journal Karalis: Jaylen Brown’s 50-point masterpiece may be the most on-brand performance you’ll ever see

BSJ Game Report: Celtics 146, Clippers 115 – Jaylen Brown’s career night leads hot-shooting C’s to third straight win

Hardwood Houdini Celtics getting Jordan Walsh reminder from obvious Mazzulla decision

Mazzulla’s stunning Jaylen Brown statement will have Celtics fans buzzing

Derrick White is giving Celtics gift only a few NBA players are capable of

Jaylen Brown delivers painfully clear response to NBA’s latest mistake

Celtics are finally granting Anfernee Simons’ longtime wish

CLNS Media/YouTube Garden Report: Celtics vs Clippers Postgame Show on CLNS – Jaylen Brown DROPS 50 in LA

Noa Dalzell: Jaylen Brown for MVP | You Got Boston: a Celtics Podcast

Joe Mazzulla: Jaylen Brown Asked to Guard Kawhi Leonard Before 50-Point Game

Jaylen Brown on 50 PTS: “I’m the Best 2 Way Player in the World.” | FULL Celtics Postgame Interview

Jordan Walsh on Losing Starting Spot, Wanting to Guard Kawhi & Harden | Celtics Postgame 1-3

Derrick White on Jaylen Brown 50 Piece, Player of Month SNUB | Celtics Clippers Postgame 1-3

Rotowire Amari Williams News: Erupts for 30 points in G League

GLeague Salt Lake City Stars Acquire Returning Rights to Kavion Pippen

Hoops Rumors Celtics Notes: Brown, Bench, Walsh, Roster Opening

Orange County Register Clippers’ winning streak ends against Jaylen Brown, Celtics

Audacy Why this Celtics’ season is ‘rare’

HITC Jaylen Brown doing something with Boston Celtics that Jayson Tatum never did after 50-point game

SI .com This Is No Gap Year—Jaylen Brown’s Celtics Are Ready to Prove You Wrong

Dunking with Wolves Former Timberwolves forward is suddenly out of the rotation with his new team

Heavy “Was It the Salsa Lesson?” Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Reacts to 50-Point Explosion

Jaylen Brown Sent Special Text to Celtics HC Before Career Night

Celtics’ Jordan Walsh Has Strong Response to Benching in Win

The Score Celtics’ Brown: ‘I’m the best 2-way player in the game’

NBA/YouTube CELTICS at CLIPPERS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | January 3, 2026

Player of the Night – Jaylen Brown – Jan. 3

Basketball Sphere Hugo Gonzalez shines for Boston Celtics – on track to join Tim Duncan and Chet Holmgren in elite rookie company

The Sports Hub Jaylen Brown drops career-high 50 points in Celtics win over Clippers

TalkBasket Joe Mazzulla praises Brown’s 50-point performance in Celtics’ rout of Clippers

Clutch Points Celtics’ Jaylen Brown matches career-high with Player of the Month 50-point revenge game

Real GM Jan 3, 2026 – Capital City Go-Go 109 at Maine Celtics 112 – RealGM G League Box Score- Amari Williams monster game

Basketball Network “I’m happy he’s disappointed” – Joe Mazzulla reacts to Jaylen Brown’s viral NBA award rant

Bleacher Report Jaylen Brown Credits Salsa Dancing for Helping Score Historic 50 Points in Celtics Win

Maine Celtics/YouTube Amari Williams – NEW CAREER HIGH 33 Points, 16 rebounds!

Jan. 3 Amari Williams Postgame Press Conference (33 pts, 16 reb, 4 ast)

The Sports Rush “Happy He’s Disappointed”: Joe Mazzulla’s Take On Jaylen Brown Missing Out On Player Of The Month

Essentially Sports Jaylen Brown Made Personal Kawhi Leonard Demand Hours Before Celtics vs Clippers, Joe Mazzulla Reveals

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-celtics-daily-links/128327/boston-celtics-daily-links-1-4-26

 

[Boston Celtics]

Parquet Plays: How less playing time fueled Jordan Walsh

This Boston Celtics team is a reminder that the NBA season is waves.

Josh Minott opened the year as a consistent presence in the starting lineup, starting nine consecutive games, yet he hasn’t logged meaningful rotational minutes since December 12.

Conversely, Luka Garza endured a 15-day stretch without seeing the floor, only to emerge as a key contributor in the rotation over the past week.

The latest to have their role shift in their favor though is Forward Jordan Walsh.

Walsh opened the season with limited opportunities, logging just five minutes and 18 seconds across the first six games. Following a conversation between Jaylen Brown and head coach Joe Mazzulla, Walsh’s role expanded significantly, as he went on to start 16 consecutive games.

His momentum was briefly slowed after he logged just 12 minutes in Toronto and then missed the following game due to an illness. Although he returned the game after, his role and impact did not immediately resemble what it had been before. Over the next four games, he failed to eclipse the 20-minute mark and ultimately lost his starting spot against the Clippers.

But instead of sulking, Walsh turned in his best performance of some time with a 13-point 13-rebound double-double. Mazzulla saw the effort during the game and rewarded Walsh with 29 minutes.

“To me, Joe was challenging me to come in and try to be the guy that I was,” Walsh said after the game.

Asked Jordan Walsh about his response tonight to reduced minutes as of late:

“I felt like Joe, to me — Joe was challenging me to come in and try and be the guy that I was, whatever, a month ago.”

“I definitely took that on as a challenge.”

He had 13 points, 13 rebounds https://t.co/riUef9YJZJ pic.twitter.com/XGQaRWwdgS

— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) January 4, 2026

Walsh said his lack of play time lately is “definitely fuel” but reiterated that impacting winning is the main priority. “Starting [or] bench it don’t matter. If I have a chance to come in and make an impact, that’s all that really matters,” he explained.

His play certainly resembled that vs the Clippers.

Walsh got back to the defender we had come to know him to be in this game playing solid defense on Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. He showed that relentless energy and gave multiple efforts which are required on this defense predicated on flying to the ball.

You see some of that here as he begins cutting off the passing lane to Leonard. Ball ends up finding Leonard and he does a nice job fighting over the screen showing high hands. With Leonard at halfcourt, he slides all the way down to the free throw line to help on the drive. He slips but is still able to recover and keep a body on Leonard and force a pass. He ends the possession with a rebound.

View Link

Along with the defense, Walsh had an absurd stretch of shooting the ball. At one point he hit 19 of 21 shots. I’m certainly not expecting him to get that hot again, but his shooting splits have dropped to 45/33/85 over his last six games which aren’t necessarily abysmal.

In this game he showed great touch shooting 3-4 from behind the arc. Queta’s roll after his wide pin down for Anfernee Simons made Leonard step to him, leaving Walsh open.

View Link

Here Walsh shows that role player IQ he spent a ton of time in the offseason working on. He sets the Exit screen (screen for someone to cut to the corner) for Sam Hauser and while that’s happening, Queta rolls. These two things occurring together make Nic Batum have to choose between getting to the corner or stopping the roll.

The layup seems like the more immediate danger, so Batum steps up to Queta. This now leaves a 2-on-1 in the corner with Walsh and Hauser, but wea are able to take advantage of this because Walsh smartly cuts making Leonard choose which guy to cover. He goes with Walsh, leaving Hauser open.

Walsh then shows great hustle getting the offensive rebound but does step out of bounds. Mistakes are acceptable when you play this hard.

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Here Walsh does a great job recognizing that his teammate has a height disadvantage. He uses that length to get the block from behind on Collins leading to a Hauser three.

View Link

He shows more of that IQ, making another timely cut. With Brown being as hot as he was, it proved imperative that guys played off of him correctly, and Walsh did all night.

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Good recognition of time and score plus gameplan here by him. He gets switched off of Harden at the end of the quarter, and that’s of course not what the Celtics want. He immediately goes to trap, and it gets the ball out of Harden’s hands. Payton Pritchard does a great job forcing Brook Lopez to pump fake, which gives Walsh the time to come over and get a good contest.

Mazzulla approves.

View Link

The Celtics have struggled to close out possessions throughout the season, but if Walsh can consistently provide this level of aggressive rebounding, brighter days may be ahead.

View Link

Walsh sits in the corner here with his hands shot ready, but Brown does bad all by himself. On the other end though, Walsh uses those freakishly long arms again to force a Leonard airball. Brown comes down the court looking for another score, but the Clippers trap and Walsh again prevails playing off Brown.

View Link

It was so good to see Walsh play at a high level again and respond to the call. He has the ability to impact winning in so many ways and maintaining that consistency will keep him on the floor.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/128440/parquet-plays-how-less-playing-time-fueled-jordan-walsh

 

[Boston Celtics]

Chicago Bulls (17-18) at Boston Celtics (22-12) Game #35 1/5/26

Chicago Bulls (17-18) at Boston Celtics (22-12)
Monday, January 5, 2025
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #35, Home Game #16
TV: NBCSB, Chicago Sports Network, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WSCR 670 AM
TD Garden

The Celtics return home from a 4-1 road trip to host the Chicago Bulls. This is the 1st of 3 games between these two teams this season. They will play on January 24th in Chicago and on February 11 in Boston. The Celtics won the series 3-1 last season. The Bulls haven’t won the season series with the Celtics since 2020-21. The Celtics are 137-110 overall all time against the Bulls and they are 78-40 in games played in Boston.

Unlike the Celtics, who have 8 new players this season, the Bulls haven’t changed their roster all that much since last season. They made one trade that sent Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers in exchange for Isaac Okoro. They had signed Ball to a 2 year extension in February but traded him in the off season. The Bulls also drafted noa Essengue with the 12th pick in the draft and they chose Lachlan Olbrich with the 55th pick, and signed him to a 2 way contract.

The Celtics are 3rd in the East, 3.5 games behind 1st place Detroit, and half a game behind 2nd place New York. They are 2 games ahead of 4th place Toronto, 2.5 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 3 games ahead of 6th place Orlando. The Celtics are 15-8 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 10-5 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 3 games.

The Bulls are 9th in the East, 9 behind first place Detroit, 2.5 games behind 6th place Orlando, 2 games behind 7th place Miami and 9th place Cleveland. They are 1 game ahead of 10th place Atlanta and 2 games ahead of 11th place Milwaukee. The Bulls are 13-12 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 7-9 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game.

The Celtics just returned from a 5 game road trip in which they beat Indiana, Utah, Sacramento and the Clippers but lost to Portland. This is their first game back at home after the trip and this game begins 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 Bulls are playing in the first of 2 road games and will play at Detroit before returning home to host miami and Dallas. They then play at Houston, and home against Utah before a home and home series vs Brooklyn. Then they host the Clippers, play at Minnesota and then host Boston and the Lakers before a 5 game road trip through Indiana, Miami twice, Milwaukee, and Toronto.

Jayson Tatum (Achilles) remains the only player on the Celtics injury report. For the Bulls, Zach Collins is out with a sprained right toe. Noa Essengue is out for the season after having shoulder surgery. Trentyn Flowers will miss his 5th straight game due to a sprained right knee. Josh Giddey is out due to a left hamstring strain. Jalen Smith is out due to a concussion. Coby White has missed the past 3 games due to a calf injury. He has been upgraded to probable for this game and will likely move back into the starting lineup at shooting guard.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Tre Jones

SG: Payton Pritchard vs Coby White

SF: Jaylen Brown vs Isaac Okoro

PF: Sam Hauser vs Matas Buzelis

C: Neemias Queta vs Nikola Vucevic

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

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

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Bulls Reserves
Jevon Carter
Ayo Dosunmo
Kevin Huerter
Julian Phillips
Dalen Terry
Patrick Williams

2 Way Players
Trentyn Flowers
Emanuel Miller
Lachlan Olbrich

Injuries/Out
Zach Collins (toe) out
Noa Essengue (shoulder) out
Trentyn Flowers (knee) out
Josh Giddey (hamstring) out
Jalen Smith (concussion) out
Coby White (calf) probable

Head Coach
Billy Donovan

Key Matchups
Neemias Queta vs Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic is averaging 16.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 50.6% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc. Over his career against Boston, he has averaged 16.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards, but they also need to defend him on the perimeter as he is a good 3 point shooter.

Payton Pritchard vs Coby White
White is averaging 19.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 44.5% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him on the perimeter because, although he is streaky, he can catch fire from out there. He has missed the last 3 games with a calf injury and was originally questionable but has been upgraded to probable for this game.

Honorable Mention
Sam Hauser vs Matas Buzelis
Buzelis is averaging 14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.9% from the field and 33.9% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he averaged 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds. With Coby White likely returning to the starting lineup, I’m guessing that Buzelis will start here, but that is speculation on my part.

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics are 15th in the league with a defensive rating of 114.5. The Bulls are 23rd with a defensive rating of 117.2. The Bulls are 21st with an offensive rating of 113.5 while the Celtics are 2nd with an offensive rating of 122.3. The Celtics need to get a strong defensive effort from every player on the court and they need to make defense a priority for all 48 minutes with no slacking off. The Celtics need to especially guard the 3 point line as the Bulls attempt 38.9 threes per game (9th) and they make 14 threes per game (10th).

Rebound – The Celtics must box out and crash the boards. They can’t score without the ball and it will take extra effort on their part to beat the Bulls on the boards. The Celtics are averaging 43.8 rebounds per game, which is 18th in the league. The Bulls are averaging 45.6 rebounds per game, which is 6th. The Celtics have to put out more effort to get to the rebounds before the Bulls and give themselves extra possessions and limit those possessions for the Bulls.

Energy and Effort for 48 Minutes – The Celtics have to start the game with energy and have to play harder than the Bullsd from the opening tip until the final buzzer. The Bulls are 7-3 in their last 10 games and 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 Bulls best effort and so the Celtics must work harder than the Bulls with no let up.

Three Point Shooting – The Celtics often shoot 3s at a historic rate but there are times when their shots just aren’t falling. The Celtics are 2nd in the league, taking 43.1 threes per game. The Bulls are 9th, taking 38.9 threes per game. The Celtics make 15.8 threes per game while the Bulls make 14 threes per game. The Celtics need to focus on taking good shots and they need to move the ball so as to get open shots. If the 3s aren’t falling, they need to get to the basket or take mid-range shots.

X-Factors
Back at Home – The Celtics are at home and will have the crowd behind them to give them extra motivation. This is the first game home after a long road trip and often that is a tough game for teams to win, especially after a big win in their last game on the road trip. The Bulls have all the distractions of playing on the road including travel, staying in hotels, playing in front of a hostile crowd and on an unfamiliar court.

Officiating – The officiating is always an x-factor. Sometimes a crew will call the game tight and blow a whistle on every play. Other times they will let them play and let the game get physical. Sometimes they will favor one team over the other and other times they will call it even. Sometimes they are just bad. The Celtics need to adjust to the way the game is called and not let missed calls or bad calls affect their focus. If the calls are bad, they just need to play harder to make up for them and not waste time arguing with the officials.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-...-17-18-at-boston-celtics-22-12-game-35-1-5-26

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics cap Q&A with former CelticsBlogger and Spotrac’s Keith Smith

I think by now most understand the dangers of the dreaded 2nd apron. However, I’ll sheepishly admit that I may have missed the differences between the 1st apron and the luxury tax lines. Can you help clarify and provide some context to why the Celtics might be motivated to further cut salary this year (or not)?

The Celtics accomplished their first, and primary goal, this offseason when they got under the second apron. That had to happen to begin resetting the penalties from being over the second apron in previous seasons (thawing out the frozen draft pick, not seeing a pick moved to the end of the first round, etc.). Now, the real question is if Boston wants to get out of the tax entirely.

There is no real benefit to getting under the first apron (Celtics are currently about $4M over the apron), minus freeing up a few restrictions that aren’t likely to matter much for the Celtics anyway. And, of course, lowering the luxury tax bill or eliminating it. And therein lies the idea of getting out of the tax entirely. As it stands today, Boston is a tax repeater team. That means that they get dinged at a higher tax rate than just being a regular tax team. Getting under the tax line (Celtics are currently about $12M over the tax threshold) would start the process of no longer being a tax repeater. That probably has some interest to Celtics ownership (and, by extension, the front office). But there are two important things to note:

1. Like the second-apron penalties and restrictions, getting under the luxury tax line for one year isn’t enough to reset everything. To keep things simple: getting under the tax line this year and then again next season, would rest the tax repeater clock.
2. This is the important one: Brad Stevens said there is no mandate from ownership to get under the tax line. That’s huge for this current season’s overachieving group, because it means they don’t need to shed talent simply for tax reasons. That means that any trades the Celtics make ahead of the trade deadline will be about basketball, not bank accounts.

Most people have assumed that the Celtics will be looking to trade Anfernee Simons this year. However, as you’ve pointed out, there’s a real chance that the team simply decides to hang onto him. Can you walk us through a few scenarios that the team might consider this offseason if he isn’t traded (let walk, re-sign, sign-and-trade)?

Anfernee Simons has played really well for Boston. While we’ve gotten all atwitter about Hugo Gonzalez’s ridiculous plus/minus stats, Simons has been nearly as impactful. The veteran combo guard has given the Celtics consistent scoring, ballhandling and playmaking. That’s been huge for Boston’s bench production.

Moving forward, if the Celtics keep Simons though the deadline, they’ve got all kinds of options. They can re-sign Simons, likely for a good amount less than the $27.7 million he makes this season. That will likely be impacted by the growth of the team’s younger players, as well as what things look like rotation-wise when Jayson Tatum returns to the lineup.

Boston could also let Simons walk. That would remove a big chunk of salary from the books and could possibly open up the projected $15.1 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception. Having the full NTMLE would be a boon to finding a rotation piece to a team that looks poised to be right back in title contender status, assuming they aren’t still there already.

The last viable option would be to move Simons as part of a sign-and-trade. This one is a bit more difficult, as some of the teams who might want Simons could simply sign him outright in free agency using cap space. And acquiring a player via sign-and-trade hard-caps a team at the first apron. So, it’s a bit trickier to make work, but certainly a path Boston could go down, assuming Simons agrees. Let’s not forget that a sign-and-trade involves the “sign” portion first, which means the player still has the control here.

Put on your GM hat and give us your best (legal) trade ideas for the Celtics this season. I’d prefer to find some big man depth, but I’m open to anything that makes us better for the next few years.

We’ve worked together long enough that you know I don’t live in fantasyland when it comes to trade ideas. I tend to be a bit of a wet blanket when people start dreaming about acquiring superstars or three-, four- or more team trades.

That said, I do think Boston will do something. I think the general idea will be to improve the team this year, while adding helpful players (or movable future salary) for upcoming seasons. I don’t think any moves will be rest-of-season additions only, unless they are fairly minor end-of-bench types of transactions.

One of the ideas that has floated in my head all year is to trade Anfernee Simons to the Brooklyn Nets for Terance Mann. The Nets would use some of their $15 million in remaining cap space to bring in Simons, without taking on any long-term salary. Boston would get a ballhandler in Mann to replace Simons, albeit not nearly as good a shooter/scorer. And, crucially, Boston would bring $15.5 million in tradable salary onto the books for next season. Think of that is a pre-agency MLE addition, with the added benefit of being able to flip Mann in a future trade down the line. Do I think that will happen? Probably not. But that’s the kind of trade to be on the lookout for.

If you want frontcourt depth, the Celtics should have the ability to add someone without having to give up too much. Players like Nick Richards, Jalen Smith, Marvin Bagley III, and Drew Eubanks are all acquirable players without tripping back over the second apron. At the beginning of the season, adding a starter-level center would have been a goal, but Neemias Queta has more than held up as a starter. Could the Celtics upgrade over Queta? Sure. Do they desperate need to? Nope.

Are there any pet topics that you would like to help Celtics fans understand this year?

I’ll reiterate that Boston doesn’t have to get under the first apron or even get under the tax this year. That’s been a somewhat common misunderstanding I’ve seen from parts of the Celtics fanbase. If they do so, it’ll be something that happens vs being the primary motivation of a deal.

Boston has a huge $22.5 million TPE that they can use a chunk of at the deadline to make an unbalanced trade. They also have a good-sized $8.2 million TPE too. And then a couple of smaller TPEs too. Could they be used at the deadline? Sure. But I think they’ll probably hold those until the offseason. A reminder on TPEs: They can’t be combined with other TPEs or outgoing salary to bring in more salary than the TPE is worth by itself.

What are you working on next?

I appreciate the opportunity to plug some work I’m doing! Over on Spotrac, I’ve got a piece up about G League players to watch for 10 Day callups (the Celtics do have an open roster spot!) and for two-way movement. I also recently wrote about contracts that become fully guaranteed if the players aren’t waived by January 7. We have the best Trade Machine in the business, which people are using a LOT! As real trades happen, I’ll be writing up reaction pieces for the site. Every deal will be covered from blockbusters to salary-dumps!

In addition, if you like all the stuff we covered here, check out NBA Front Office Show on YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Trevor Lane (yeah, he’s a Lakers guy, but we make it work!) and I cover all the latest news and notes from the NBA with a focus on roster- and transaction-related topics. We have a lot of fun and try to be informative and educational as we break down all the latest around the Association.

Lastly, thanks for the opportunity to come “home” again and contribute to the best Celtics site there is! I wouldn’t be where I am without the time I spent at CelticsBlog, and I’m forever thankful for everyone on the team and the audience on the site. Go Celtics!

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...ormer-celticsblogger-and-spotracs-keith-smith

 

[Boston Celtics]

Injury report reveals Celtics could face very shorthanded Nuggets team

BOSTON — The Celtics (23-12) will look to make it five straight wins when they face the Denver Nuggets (24-12) on Wednesday night at 7pm at TD Garden.

Boston enters the matchup relatively healthy; they’ll only be without Jayson Tatum, who continues to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon, and Josh Minott, who is out with a left ankle sprain. Minott has fallen out of the Celtics rotation in recent weeks, having received a DNP in 5 of his last 6 games. But, for the season, the Celtics forward is averaging a career-best 6.3 points and 4 rebounds on 50.4% shooting.

Alongside the team’s four perennial starters — Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, and Neemias Queta — Sam Hauser has started the past two games, replacing Jordan Walsh in the starting lineup. Prior to that, Walsh had started 20 straight games for the Celtics.

The Nuggets arrive at TD Garden hampered by injury​

The Nuggets, meanwhile, will be without Nikola Jokic (knee), Cam Johnson (knee), and Jonas Valanciunas (calf). Jamal Murray (ankle), Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Christian Braun (ankle), and Tim Hardaway (illness) are all questionable.

The Nuggets, who have the fourth-best record in the Western Conference, are 2-2 without Jokic. They picked up wins against the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers, while dropping games to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets.

In the Nuggets’ Monday night victory over the 76ers, a trio of bench players led the way: Jalen Pickett exploded for 29 points, Peyton Watson tallied 24 points, and Bruce Brown scored 19.

Nuggets head coach David Adelman praised their performance: “This is a bunch of guys finding a way to get it done with grit and effort and timely shot making. And I think that’s something that, when they’re older, 20 years from now, they’re probably gonna have a beer and talk about this game.”

Who is available to suit up for the Nuggets remains to be seen, but Denver will once again need big-time performances from their bench players to hold their own against Boston. Celtics-Nuggets will tip off on Wednesday at 7pm.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/128617/celtics-nuggets-injury-report

 

[Boston Celtics]

It’s Time to Reset Expectations for the Boston Celtics

The 2025-2026 Boston Celtics are exceeding even the most optimistic expectations. This season was supposed to be a retooling year and a gap year when the Celtics would finally pick inside the top-20 in the NBA Draft, maybe even quietly put their thumb on the scale and stealth-tank their way into the lottery.

In hindsight, it should have been obvious that Joe Mazzulla and Jaylen Brown would never take the cowards way out. Thirty-five games into the season, the Boston Celtics are the two seed in the Eastern Conference and it’s time to reset expectations.

If we’re talking about the most surprising teams in the NBA — in a good way — the conversation starts with either the Boston Celtics or the San Antonio Spurs. This is a Celtics team that won 61 games last season and then lost five of its top eight rotation players. Jayson Tatum went down with an Achilles tear. Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet, and Kristaps Porziņģis were casualties of salary-cap pressure. And not only did they lose some of the league’s best star role players, but they replaced them with completely unproven talent. And yet, the Boston Celtics rank 4th in net rating, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Detroit Pistons. They boast the second-ranked offense in the league, and a league average defense (15th), with the lower ranking driven almost entirely by one glaring weakness: defensive rebounding. Zoom in further and over the last 15 games, the Celtics rank first in the NBA in net rating. The Celtics are building the statistical profile of a legitimate championship contender.

I view the success of this team through the lens of a two-headed tiger snake: Joe Mazzulla and Jaylen Brown. Mazzulla assessed the capabilities of his roster to perfection; to make up for their defensive rebounding deficiencies, he has hyper-focused on dominating the possession battle in other phases of the game. Boston turns the ball over less than any team in the league and ranks sixth in offensive rebounding rate. Mazzulla has also changed his defensive philosophy; in years past, it was about not fouling, forcing tough shots, and closing possessions with a rebound. In his endless quest for more possessions, the focus has shifted to forcing more turnovers. Last season, the Celtics ranked 24th in forcing turnovers and this season, they rank 12th. Add it all up, and you get a formula that not only offsets the team’s biggest weakness, but allows them to consistently control the possession battle. Joe Mazzulla should be at the very top of the Coach of the Year ballot.

You can not overstate Jaylen Brown’s role in this improbable Celtics season either. Coaching philosophies mean nothing without buy-in, and buy-in is never an issue when your best player is also your hardest worker. Jaylen Brown was already a lock to have his jersey in the TD Garden rafters when he secured the 2024 Finals MVP, but this season is his most impressive yet. If the season ended today, no one would bat an eye if Jaylen Brown ended up on All-NBA First Team.

Players taking significant development steps in their 10th NBA season is beyond rare, but every time I think Jaylen is at his ceiling, he smashes through it. Jaylen Brown is putting up legitimate MVP numbers: 29.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on 59% true shooting. He’s also doing it while taking on the challenge of guarding players like Kawhi Leonard. The leadership has been just as impressive. Brown has empowered young players like Jordan Walsh, set the tone daily, and demanded accountability. That leadership has even forced players like Anfernee Simons — a player not known for dirty work — to crash the glass and guard his yard. I am blown away by Jaylen Brown this season.

There was a reason Boston’s projected win total hovered around 41.5 entering the season.

When you throw six late draft picks or undrafted players into your rotation, hitting on one is a win. Hit on two, and the GM gets praised as a roster-building wizard. Hit on all of them? Then it might be time to start asking whether Brad Stevens made a deal with the devil, was touched by powers beyond our comprehension, or maybe both.

Even Jaylen agrees that what the Celtics are doing is not normal.

“I want to speak to how rare it is to have like 5-6 new players come in and add to winning right away. It says a lot about our leadership. It says a lot about our coaching staff, because that does not happen in the NBA, and I think that should get talked about more…most of those guys have not played in the league consistently, and for us to be where we’re at, is a testament to our leadership, our organization.”

The development and immediate impact of this unproven group is the next pillar of this storybook season. Neemias Queta has developed into a defensive anchor that the team can rely on night in and night out. Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, and Josh Minott are Joe Mazzulla’s Swiss Army knife chaos agents that leave opposing teams stunned in the wake of stocks and offensive rebounds. Luka Garza is earning his Garzilla nickname by mashing people on the offensive glass, while being an offensive connector who is shooting 47% from the three-point line. Baylor Scheierman is earning minutes as an energy guy that will sprinkle in some spicy passes and no-dip three-pointers from the corners. All six of these players have exceeded expectations to varying degrees — just a flabbergasting level of impact from the unproven platoon that Brad Stevens believed in.

The Celtics are not only statistically at the top of the conference with the Pistons and Knicks, but head-to-head, they have proven they can hang. The Celtics are 1-1 against the Knicks and 1-2 against the Pistons, but all three games against the Pistons have gone down to the wire. Now that this team has established that they can play with anyone, especially anyone in the Eastern Conference, it’s time to think bigger. This is Boston after all. Cinderella stories are fun, but if there’s a chance to make a run at Banner 19, then it’s time to act accordingly.

When Payton Pritchard was asked if he takes pride in the Celtics being the two-seed after all the changes this offseason, his response was on brand.

“I take a lot of pride in being first in the East, so we still need some work to get to that point, that’s the main goal.”

So how do the Celtics go from cute story to bona fide championship contenders? When assessing this current version of the Celtics, there is one obvious Achilles heel, no pun intended: defensive rebounding. The Celtics rank 25th in defensive rebounding rate. If the Celtics could just become league average, it would boost their overall defense into top-10 territory. One way to fix it is to acquire one of the best wing rebounders in league history, Jayson Tatum. The Celtics miss a lot of what made Jayson Tatum special, but adding his defensive rebounding should immediately help with the Celtics’ biggest weakness, not to mention it would be nice to get Tatum’s elite scoring, playmaking, and defensive versatility back. One of the best teams in the league may simply be adding a top-5 player at the trade deadline without having to give up a single asset.

Still, relying on Neemias Queta and Luka Garza as playoff bigs makes me a bit queasy. If Boston wants to make a legitimate run at the title, another big man feels necessary. Whether that’s a splash move for Ivica Zubac or an under-the-radar addition like Day’Ron Sharpe, reinforcements for the big man rotation are a must. Either way, Celtics fans should sleep well knowing Brad Stevens is the one guiding them towards Banner 19.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/128637/its-time-to-reset-expectations-for-the-boston-celtics

 

[Boston Celtics]

Late Celtics rally comes up short as they lose to the short handed Nuggets, 114-110

For much of the game, the Nuggets and Celtics battled, then in the 4th quarter it looked like Denver was pulling away. However, the Celtics made a late push but they came up short as Denver was able to hold off Boston 114-110. Jaylen Brown scored 33 points but also had 7 turnovers in the losing effort.

Josh Minott, who has been out of Joe Mazzulla’s rotation in recent games, joined Jayson Tatum on the injury report for the Celtics. The Celtics started the same lineup they have started the last 2 games; Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta. Nikola Jokic, Jonas Valancuins and Cam Johnson missed the game for the Nuggets as Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon returned to the lineup. Denver started Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Payton Watson, Spencer Jones and Daron Holmes as Gordon came off of the bench.

Denver started the game out hot, making 4 of their first 5 three point attempts, Payton Watson was 2/2. The Celtics were able too stay in the game by making 3 threes themselves and they trailed 14-11 at the first timeout.

However, the first quarter belonged to Jaylen Brown.

Frying faces off pic.twitter.com/qAgMYh01RH

— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) January 8, 2026

Brown finished the quarter with 15 points while Derrick White had 10 of his own and the Celtics led Denver 35-31 at the end of the first quarter.

Denver battled back to start the 2nd quarter as Aaron Gordon got going, he had 5 points and 3 rebounds in the first 5 minutes of the quarter and Denver took a 1 point lead, 42-41.

It was Denver’s defense that really kicked up a gear, as they made it tough on the Celtics to get good looks.

It was a back and fourth half that concluded with the score tied at 58. Jaylen Brown led the game in scoring with 19 points, Derrick White had 13 and Luka Garza contributed 8 off of the bench.

Anfernee Simons is really starting to do a lot of the little things for the Celtics. His offensive rebounding is a thing and he had a block in the first half. He also is shooting catch and shoot threes very well over the past few games.

The start of the third quarter was a defensive stalemate, neither team could buy a basket as the Celtics went on a 12-0 run over a 6+ minute stretch before a Jamal Murray three ended the run.

After the Murray three, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Aaron Gordon each hit a three of their own to turn a 72-63 Celtics lead into a 74-72 Celtics lead.

The Celtics led by three at the end of three, 82-79, a late pair of Anfernee Simons threes helped with that. Brown led the team with 27 points while Simons and Garza both had 11 points off of the bench.

Boston was helping a lot on Jamal Murray. Blitzing pick and rolls and sending double teams on drives. He made them pay with 15 assists with 5 minutes to go as the Nuggets took a 97-90 lead.

The Celtics went ice cold in the fourth quarter. Denver’s defense did an awesome job at limiting the Celtics offense, holding them to 11 points on 9/26 from the field and 2/9 from three point range.

The Celtics also could not get enough stops as Denver scored 35 points while shooting over 60% from the field.

The Celtics made a run late, scoring 18 points in the last 2 minutes of the game and cutting the Nuggets lead to three but it was not enough.

The Nuggets to pulled away late and beat the Celtics 114-110. Jaylen Brown finished with 33 points but 7 turnovers while Derrick White had 17 points and Neemias Queta had 6 points and 20 rebounds.

Boston shot 45% from the field and 40% from three while the Nuggets shot 45% from the field and 46% from three. The Celtics next game is Friday at 7:30 EST from TD Garden against the Toronto Raptors.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/celtics...te-payton-pritchard-joe-mazzulla-jamal-murray

 

[Boston Celtics]

An early review of my Boston Celtics previews

There’s still a lot of season left and a lot of things could happen between now and April. However, it seems like a good time to look back on the previews posted back in October and evaluate where we are now in relation.

First there’s the standard preview I do every year where I look at who left, who was added, and some strengths and weaknesses and make some vague predictions. Then, because I like to have fun with it, I always do some SWAGs as a secondary preview. I’ll quote from both liberally and critique myself.

What are the goals for this team?

The team needs to be hyper-focused on the horizon — a growth mentality, encouraging learning through mistakes has to be preached from the top down. It’s process over results, continual progress, and growth at every level. Whatever it takes to set this team up for success when Tatum returns.

Specifically, that means high end performers gain more comfort and experience in larger roles, which should in theory help take some of the load off Tatum once he returns.

Support and role players need to continue refining their craft, providing reliable production in their best skills without taking too much off the table with their limitations.

I’ll stop there and say that this team has far exceeded everyone’s (except maybe their own) expectations by doing exactly what I said above. Well done to everyone involved.

The front office needs to identify who is going to be here long term, and maximize their returns for anyone that isn’t.

Through it all, I do think it is important to continue a culture of focus on winning and developing good, lasting habits. I’m not in favor of full-on tanking or coasting unless legitimate injuries force the team to focus on development in the last month or two.

On one hand, Brad Stevens should probably look to duck completely out of the tax if only to reset the clock on the repeater penalties. On the other hand, he should also keep an eye out for adding talent as it becomes available, even if it means increasing the payroll and taxes.

See, there’s proof that I was never officially in favor of tanking (Though if pumped with truth serum I’d have to admit that I contemplated supporting it for a bit, but you didn’t read that here. I deny everything. Everything in parenthesis is not admissible in court.)

So I’m predicting that they make a trade around the deadline that probably sheds some salary but also brings back a decent center option (don’t ask me who that is, my crystal ball is hazy at best on this).

Still TBD on this one and I stand by it.

If you forced me to predict the number of wins for this season, I’d guess 40 with an exaggerated shrug. I could see 35, and I could see 47.

Oh so wishy washy! Have a take and stand by it already!

Like I said, still a lot of season left, but they’ve already won 23 games and are on a 53 win pace. So even the optimistic side of my prediction was short of where they are currently trending. Better luck next time. And a mental note to have a stronger take, even if it is wildly wrong.

Let’s move on to the SWAGs where I focused on how fans would approach this season.

Nothing is more predictable than this. At first, fans will largely be looking to trade him for whatever we can get. He’ll be greeted and treated like a short timer with mild interest, mostly for what his trade value will end up being. Then, he’ll start scoring, like a lot. People will see his box scores and raw scoring stats and wonder just how he landed in Boston in a salary dump trade.

I know the Celtics pretty well (though results may vary), but I know Celtics fans very well. I think I nailed this.

So eventually, he’s going to win over fans and people are going to flip from trying to trade him to trying to see how the team can re-sign him to a “reasonable” (i.e. team-friendly) contract going forward. I’ve stopped trying to predict what Brad Stevens will do (mostly because he keeps exceeding my expectations) but if I had to guess, I’d say that Simons will be traded at the deadline, just after a two-week stretch of averaging 25 points per game.

Like I said, still TBD on the trade predictions, but again, not a bad prediction that I would make again.

I talked about the center options without giving much of a take or prediction but it was all in fun so I’ll skip that part. Next I went to the wing options.

I think the wings will be cycled in and out of the rotation all year. It will be less a Myers-Briggs test and more of a Rorschach test. They will each see something different, and it might change as we get multiple looks at the same players over time. Sometimes Jordan Walsh will look like Herb Jones and sometimes he’ll look like Average Joe. Sometimes fans will be saying “why not Minott?” and other times they’ll be saying “sorry, but it’s not Minott.” I think people want to believe in Baylor Scheierman, but if he can’t hit shots from deep, he’s going to find it hard to win people over. Hugo Gonzalez is a rookie, so of course he’s going to have his peaks and valleys and get a lot of rope.

So far so good on this one. Joe Mazzulla has rotated wings in and out of the lineup for matchup reasons, recent play reasons, and who knows, maybe even vibes (or whatever it is that makes Joe tick). For the most part, every button he’s pressed has worked out great, so nobody is going to argue with it.

Of course we’ll talk ourselves into Jayson Tatum coming back and leading us in the playoffs

I mean, this was probably true back in the Fall, but it is especially true today. I’ll write more about this soon, but so much of this season boils down to how Tatum looks and how fast he can re-integrate into the system. Can’t wait for it to happen (but of course I want to be super cautious about it too).

I don’t know where the team will be in the standings at that point. I don’t know what kind of team is going to be around him at that point. But I know if he’s on the court, we will believe. And honestly, I wouldn’t change that for anything. Go Tatum, go Celtics!

I couldn’t have said it better myself, …I guess because I did say it.

Go Tatum, go Celtics!

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/128590/an-early-review-of-my-boston-celtics-previews

 

[Boston Celtics]

Celtics injury report reveals 2 players will miss Raptors game

BOSTON — The Celtics look to bounce back from a Wednesday loss against the Denver Nuggets when they face the Toronto Raptors on Friday night at TD Garden.

The Celtics will be without Josh Minott, who will miss his second straight game with an ankle sprain, and Jayson Tatum, who is expected to miss most, if not all, of the season recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

For the Raptors, Scottie Barnes (right knee sprain) and Brandon Ingram (right thumb sprain) are both questionable, while Jakob Poetl is out with a lower back sprain.

The game has major seeding implications as the Celtics (23-13) currently hold a one-game lead over the Raptors (23-15) in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics won both of the team’s two previous matchups this season, most recently coming out with a 112-96 victory over the Raptors, without Jaylen Brown. But the Raptors were more shorthanded in those matchups, with RJ Barrett sidelined, and have been better with him in the lineup.

The Raptors come to TD Garden playing some of the best basketball of their season ​

The Celtics have won 13 of their last 17 games and will look to avoid their first two-game losing streak since December 15th.

The Raptors, meanwhile, have won 5 of their last 6 games and are currently in the midst of a three-game win streak. An Immanuel Quickley game-winner on Wednesday night propelled the Raptors to a 97-96 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

A key factor in the Raptors’ success has been the availability of RJ Barrett; the Raptors are 16-6 with Barrett available, and 7-9 without him in the lineup. Barrett was sidelined the previous two times the teams faced off.

Celtics-Raptors will tip off at 7pm at TD Garden on Friday night.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...port-reveals-2-players-will-miss-raptors-game