RSS Celtics Team Notes

[Boston Celtics]

Celtics vs. Raptors Film Preview

We’ve got a big Eastern Conference showdown on Friday night between the Celtics and the Raptors. I’m here to help you prepare for this game by breaking down this season’s previous Boston-Toronto matchups; we’ll dig into the important matchups and plays that could define this game.

Stack Attack​

The Boston Celtics are no strangers to Stack/Spain pick-and-roll actions. They have a variety of options for screening and backscreening that create layers of trouble for opposing defenses. In their last matchup, the C’s honed in on using that set to attack Raps’ big man Sandro Mamukelashvili.

Celtics targeted Sandro Mamukelashvili with Stack/Spain PNR looks in their last matchup. Exposed his limitations as a drop defender and forced him up to the level, then burned him over the top pic.twitter.com/bDYHBH7Vlj

— Charlie Cummings (@klaytheist11) January 8, 2026

Look at the time for these looks. That’s three straight plays in about 1:30. The first look sees Mamu rising to hedge the screen, opening up the window for a lob over the top once the backscreen hits. Then he sinks into a deep drop, leaving his teammate on an island to navigate the screen and allowing a pull-up three. Mamu sticks in the drop for the third look, and good communication creates a straight switch, but Payton Pritchard still exposes him.

Mamu is a two-way matchup nightmare (more on that soon). He’s a toolsy offensive player who frustrates your best defenders, but he also leaves his teammates out to dry with poor court awareness and a lack of functional size. Expect the Celtics to pick on him often.

Uno Reverse Card​

They’ll need every bit of scoring off Mamu they can get to neutralize his minutes. Defensive faults aside, the dude is a hooper. He looks like he should be in an MMA fight (and could probably do well there), but he 110% belongs on an NBA court, a huge accomplishment after a journeyman start to his career. Mamu is posting career highs in points, assists, and shooting efficiency. At 6’9” and pushing 250 pounds, he has a bruiser’s frame to pair with delicate skill. Boston has learned firsthand about his development; Mamu has scored 38 points in the first two matchups.

The Celtics have had a Mamu problem this season; 38 points across two matchups. His blend of shooting, driving, and roll man abilities gives them headaches pic.twitter.com/xti6vkmCrO

— Charlie Cummings (@klaytheist11) January 8, 2026

It’s a tough formula for containing him. They’ve tried Sam Hauser to match size, but he’s not strong enough. Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh are too small. If they try Neemias Queta, it pulls their best rebounder and rim protector out of the paint. I’d throw Josh Minott his way and see if anything shakes there, while making sure that Queta or the other bigs are shading his way. Otherwise he can burn you from all over the floor in the halfcourt.

Speaking of Boston’s big men…

Emergency Garza Time​

Luka Garza has been on a rollercoaster in Boston’s rotation over the past couple of months. He had a consistent rotation role up through mid-November, when a lack of defense and overall impact took him out of the rotation. Over an 11-game stretch, Garza was a DNP-CD in seven games (including their first Raptors matchup), playing only 26 total minutes in those 11 games. Then he got off the bench for the second Raptors game, and changed his fortune.

Luka double-doubled with 12 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes of game time with a +22 on/off. He destroyed them on the glass with a whopping nine offensive rebounds. Garza’s rebounding technique and physicality exposes a weakness in this Raptors team: without Jakob Poeltl, they cannot rebound to save their lives.

With Poeltl on the floor this season, the Raptors collect 74% of their defensive rebounds, a 91st percentile mark per Cleaning the Glass amongst all NBA lineups. Without Poeltl, that drops to 70%, a 37th percentile mark. Garza can destroy this team on the glass in his minutes, just like he did last time.

The Raptors have a major rebounding problem without Jakob Poeltl, and Luka Garza exposed that in their last matchup, piling up nine OREBs in 26 minutes. Wonder if he sees big minutes tomorrow as well pic.twitter.com/oQhgVlLNRW

— Charlie Cummings (@klaytheist11) January 8, 2026

Poeltl is unlikely to play on Friday as he works his way back from a back injury. If he can’t go, look for a heavy dosage of Luka as the Celtics try to win the possession battle.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/celtics-videos/128797/celtics-vs-raptors-film-preview

 

[Boston Celtics]

Payton Pritchard’s 2 secrets to success on full display against Raptors

BOSTON — Payton Pritchard finished Friday’s Celtics win against the Toronto Raptors with an impressive statline: 27 points (12-19 FG), 8 assists — and just a single turnover.

The scoring is noteworthy; Pritchard has had some quieter offensive nights this year, and he’s only tallied at least 27 points six times this season (whether ‘only’ is even a fair qualifier there is debatable). He began the season in a shooting slump — shooting 17.4% from three in October — and still hasn’t found a consistent groove from the outside, despite outside shooting being one of the biggest strengths of his game.

But the part of the stat line that’s almost become the norm is Pritchard’s assist-to-turnover ratio: tallying 8 assists and just 1 turnover has allowed Pritchard to become a starting guard in the NBA. Even through early-season shooting struggles, the Celtics guard has always been consistent in one area: taking care of the ball.

Pritchard has the NBA’s best assist-to-turnover ratio (4.53) among players who play at least 20 minutes per game and tally at least 2 assists, and since entering the league, he’s always been near the top of that leaderboard, albeit in smaller samples.

That’s been key to both his — and the Celtics’ — offensive success. The Celtics have the second-most efficient offense in the NBA, and, to Pritchard’s surprise, the single most efficient offense since early December.

That’s the result of a confluence of factors, but Mazzulla would point back to their low turnover rate if he had to pick one.

“The most important thing is valuing the basketball,” said the Celtics head coach. “If you can play the majority of the game, almost guaranteed to get a shot every single time, that is going to help your efficiency. There are so many things that go into that — our spacing, our screening, our ball handling, our execution, our reads, all those things go into making sure you have to get a shot every time.”

As a team, the Celtics average the fewest turnovers per game at 11.9, and have the second-lowest turnover percentage at 12.4%.

“I feel like we just do a good job taking care of the ball,” Pritchard said. “My college coaches would always say, if you’re getting shots on the rim and not turning it over, you’re due for some points.”

Pritchard heads that charge, averaging just 1.2 turnovers per game despite shouldering a lot of the team’s offensive load. Mazzulla attributes that to one deep-rooted habit: an unwavering ability to not pick up his dribble.

“The biggest thing is he knows how to keep his dribble,” Mazzulla said. “That, to me, is the biggest thing. He knows how to keep his dribble. He knows how to get himself out of tough spots. He knows how to make plays. He creates situations. He had a great knack for knowing how to keep his dribble.”

Pritchard said that not turning the ball over is something that has long been ingrained in him, starting from when he played a few grades above his own during youth basketball, and spanning through his time as the freshman point guard at the University of Oregon.

“Growing up, when I played up for my age, and in high school, when I was a freshman and when I was a freshman in college, I wasn’t going to be on the court if I turned the ball over,” he said. “So my job at first was to run the offense, don’t turn it over, and only take open shots. So I learned how to master that.”

Payton Pritchard has also been lethal in the midrange ​

A big part of Pritchard’s on-court success this season has been his ability to score the ball inside the arc. Though he’s shooting 33.5% from three — far below last year’s — he’s hitting 58.2% of two-point attempts.

Pritchard has shouldered a ton of responsibility in the Celtics’ offense; he’s averaged 16.9 points (third most on the team) and 5.2 assists (second-most behind only Derrick White).

“We’ve leaned on Payton to almost be a go-to guy at times, because he has that ability to break guys down, get into the pain, use his body well — and he’s getting better,” said Jaylen Brown. “I think he’s been in my bag for sure, my midrange bag.”

Pritchard has been particularly lethal from the non-restricted area paint shots; among the 142 players who have attempted more than 50 shots from that zone, Pritchard has been the single most efficient player. He’s hit 63.6% of paint jumpers on 118 attempts, even beating Nikola Jokic’s elite 62.1%, per NBA.com.

“It doesn’t really matter how tall you are, if you have great footwork, great balance, and you know how to use your leverage, and Payton has taken advantage of a lot of situations,” Brown said. “We need him to do that. He’s one of the guys on our team who is capable of that. So anytime I’m on the floor with him, and I see he has a favorable matchup, or I see he’s got it going, I’m looking to kind of get him the ball a little bit to get him going.”

All of it is still a work-in-progress. Nearly every time he addresses the media, Pritchard points out there’s a lot of basketball left to be played this season — and a lot more room for growth, particularly given that it’s his first year as the team’s starting point guard.

“To be honest, I don’t even know if I figured it out fully yet — it’s still a learning process,” he said. “Every game, we’ll just keep growing and growing. How many games [in] are we? 37? It feels like I’ve gotten better from the beginning of the year. But, still more steps to go.”

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...ts-to-success-on-full-display-against-raptors

 

[Boston Celtics]

10 takeaways from Boston winning without the three

#1 – The best offense vs. the best defense since December 20th​

What a great way to promote a game from Sean Grande.

Biggest game of the homestand tonight, Celtics and Raptors.

Celtics scored 63 2nd half points at Toronto in a win December 20th. Since then?

The Raptors have the NBA's #1 defense…

and the Celtics have the NBA's #1 offense. pic.twitter.com/HrO8wyrHqR

— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) January 9, 2026

Last night’s game was a duel between the Celtics’ offensive surge and the Raptors’ defensive wall. Unfortunately, Scottie Barnes’ injury made it harder for Toronto to remain elite on the defensive end, but the game was still a 48-minute tactical battle.

Let’s dig into it.

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#2 – Boston won the game in transition​

Boston’s transition offense, and defense, were the keys to winning that game last night. While the Celtics struggled to contain Toronto’s half-court offense, their transition discipline was far better.

Joe Mazzulla’s team was able to limit Toronto’s efficiency in transition to 1.06 points per possession — which is quite remarkable, considering they were scoring 1.24 points per possession in half-court situations.

On the other end, the Celtics scored 1.85 points per possession in transition, creating a gap that the Raptors couldn’t compensate for with their strong half-court offense.

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#3 – The Raptors were able to punish the Celtics’ aggressive coverage​

The Celtics wanted to slow down the ball as much as possible, but it came at a cost. While they did a great job of containing the ball-handler, limiting drives and free-throw opportunities (only 10 shots at the line for the Raptors),

this approach opened up other zones of the court, especially the corners. Here, on Toronto’s first basket, Payton Pritchard stunts hard on the ball to take away the drive, which leads to an open three in the corner.

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By sending two players to the ball, the Celtics gave the Raptors an opportunity to display their strong passing game (39 assists last night). Here again, the defense creates a four-on-three situation, and as Jaylen Brown overhelps on the pass, it generates another open three in the corner.

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This was probably something the Celtics were willing to live with, as the Raptors aren’t a great three-point shooting team. Boston made the bet to protect the paint at all costs and deal with the results of shooting variance. Overall, it was close, but the transition defense compensated for the shooting luck Toronto had.

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#4 – Toronto doesn’t switch to start the game​

Something quite surprising happened to start the game, before the Raptors eventually shifted to more zone defense and a switch-everything scheme. Toronto clearly wanted to avoid the Celtics’ usual mismatch-hunting offense, so they avoided switching and fought over screens — but created another problem.

With strong screeners like Neemias Queta and elite shooters like Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, or Sam Hauser, not switching can give up a lot of space. Here, Pritchard goes through one handoff, one ghost screen, and one screen from Queta, giving him the space needed to pull the trigger.

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By not switching, the Raptors also gave away a lot of driving opportunities, which the Celtics made sure to punish.

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This unusual defensive approach had a very interesting consequence on the Celtics’ shot profile. For the first time this season, Boston took more shots at the rim than from beyond the arc.

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#5 – More lay-ups than threes​

Per Cleaning the Glass, the Celtics had 32 attempts at the rim (35% frequency) compared to just 26 three-point attempts (28% frequency). The last time the Celtics took more shots at the rim than from beyond the arc was in April 2024, with a starting lineup of Payton Pritchard, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh, and Luke Kornet.

Another fun fact on that night from April 2024, it was Mike Gorman last night as a TV play-by-play announcer.

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#6 – Payton’s ability to get to the paint​

Among all the Celtics, Pritchard’s ability to get into the paint last night was pretty amazing. During the previous matchup against the Raptors, he had already shown how comfortable he is attacking mismatches like Sandro Mamukelashvili, and he did it again last night.

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His driving game, especially out of the pick-and-roll, was particularly impressive. His sense of timing and handle allow him to trap defenders into the screen, giving him plenty of space to attack. Despite being the smallest tree out there, the paint seems to be his garden.

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#7 – Creating shots for Hauser​

Back in the starting lineup lately, the Celtics wanted to make sure to create shot opportunities for Sam Hauser. First, they went to their typical Spain pick-and-roll actions, where he sets a back screen and pops beyond the arc.

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Then, still early in the game, they ran a nice play call where Hauser set a screen on the ball to create chaos in the defensive organization before running into a flare screen from Queta. As the Raptors avoided switching, this left him open.

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Still in the first quarter, the Celtics kept capitalizing on Toronto’s decision to avoid switching. Here, a pindown screen from Luka Garza, combined with Sandro’s drop coverage, created another open look for an elite shooter.

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His last basket came in the fourth quarter with the same play call. This time, he used the space and punished the drop coverage with a mid-range jumper.

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#8 – Jaylen Brown got the call he wanted​

After another frustrating night recently, Jaylen Brown finally got the free throws he wanted, right from the opening tip. On the first possession of the game, Ja’Kobe Walter bites on the fake, sending Brown to the line for his first trip of the night.

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Overall, he finished with 13 free-throw attempts on 16 field-goal attempts — certainly a good feeling after the Nuggets game, where he felt he deserved more calls.

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#9 – Simons’ second quarter​

Anfernee Simons played just five seconds in the first quarter — and then sat only five seconds in the second. During that stretch, he scored or assisted on 20 of the Celtics’ 31 points. From catch-and-shoots, pull-ups, and transition plays, his offensive impact was perfect for keeping the momentum after a 37-point first quarter.

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His gravity continues to create advantages, like here, where his connection with Jaylen Brown leads to open shots. He takes full advantage of the space he has on the catch, driving before kicking it right back to Brown for another open three.

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He keeps showing strong integration in his role as a sixth man — though the trade talk won’t stop until the deadline passes.

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#10 – Speedy Gonzalez is amazing​

After an impressive block a few days ago, Hugo Gonzalez amazed me once again with a block seemingly out of nowhere.

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He also had some very nice drives, including this beautiful layup, looking like a Spanish Michael Jordan.

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Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/128955/10-takeaways-from-boston-winning-without-the-three

 

[Boston Celtics]

Spurs outlast Celtics 100-95 in Luke Kornet’s return to Boston

With the two #2 seeds in their respective conferences on the parquet, TD Garden had a playoff feel with the Spurs taking the potential Finals preview 100-95 over the Celtics.

In the first half, the Celtics played their brand of basketball: low turnovers with just 5, hot shooting from behind the arc (8-of-19) that included two absolute moonballs from Jaylen Brown and a pair from Luka Garza, and seven points off turnovers.

Jordan locking down pic.twitter.com/f0tLTinjxx

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 11, 2026

Against Victor Wembanyama, Joe Mazzulla matched the big man’s minutes with Jordan Walsh. With Sam Hauser unavailable with right hamstring tightness, Hugo Gonzalez replaced him in the starting lineup. It proved to be less a further demotion for the 6’6Walsh and rather a vote of confidence for him to defend 7’5 Frenchman. Wembanyama would finish with just five points off five shots and Boston up five through the first two quarters.

Out of this world pic.twitter.com/12RocovMV3

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 11, 2026

In the third quarter, Wemby fueled an 11-2 run to tie the game up at 64 with the Spurs eventually taking the lead early in the fourth. With San Antonio in town, it marked the returns of fan favorites Luke Kornet (check out the tribute video here) and Kelly Olynyk. We might soon be singing the praises of Baylor Scheierman. He’s been solid all year in limited minutes, but his ten points (2-for-2 from 3), two steals, and solid defense may have been his best game so far this season.

In the end, a closing double-big lineup of Kornet and Wembanyama kept the Celtics on the perimeter in the final minutes and after a win against the Raptors last night, it just never seemed like Boston got their legs under them. Brown finished with 27 points with an uncharacteristically inefficient night, hitting just eleven of his 28 shots; he was lights out from three, but the usual mid-range assassin didn’t have his shot from 15-feet. And after double-digit free throw attempts against Toronto and Denver, Brown didn’t have a single trip to the line against the aggressive Spurs.

Derrick White led the Celtics in scoring with 29 points. Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox both had 21.

The Celtics split their four-game homestand 2-2. They’ll head out for six-of-seven games on the road in Indiana, Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, and Chicago as the league heads towards the February 5th trade deadline.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/celtics...ltics-100-95-in-luke-kornets-return-to-boston

 

[Boston Celtics]

There’s one obvious win from Celtics’ brutal loss to Spurs

BOSTON — Baylor Scheierman only knows one way: to play with an edge. To blow kisses after made baskets. To talk trash.

He just hasn’t always had the opportunity to show it. But, on Saturday, with the Celtics hosting the San Antonio Spurs in a primetime matchup between two of the NBA’s top teams, Scheierman got the (somewhat unexpected) call.

With the Celtics down both Josh Minott (ankle sprain) and Sam Hauser (hamstring tightness), the second-year Celtic tallied 10 points and 2 steals in 26 minutes off the bench. He hit two fourth-quarter threes, got a pivotal steal and dunk in the third, and ultimately posted his most minutes — and point total — since a win over the Detroit Pistons on November 26th.

Baylor Scheierman steal and dunk pic.twitter.com/PyRZhsqh2Y

— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) January 11, 2026

It wasn’t enough to carry the Celtics over the finish line; the Spurs pulled off a 100-95 victory, headlined by an elite two-way performane from Victor Wembenyama. But, it still stood out as a promising development in a Celtics season heavily centered around player development.

Baylor Scheierman gets the Victor Wembenyama assignment​

In place of Hauser, who had started straight games for the Celtics, Hugo Gonzalez got his first-ever start at TD Garden. But, the Celtics rookie played just 13 minutes. And, Jordan Walsh, who started the previous 20 games for Boston, was initially tasked with guarding Victor Wembenyama — but he was limited to just 13 minutes as well.

So, Scheierman ended up being the wing tasked with the Wemby defensive assignment. He ended up playing his second-most minutes of the season, and almost the entirety of the fourth quarter.

And, if you didn’t have the 6’6 Scheierman guarding the 7’7 Wemby on your bingo card, neither did he he.

“Had no idea,” Scheierman said when asked if he saw this kind of opportunity coming on Saturday. “Didn’t know if I was going to play tonight or not, and that’s kind of just how it is. My job is to be ready when my number is called and just try to go out there and impact the game in any way I could.”

So far this season, the Celtics forward has found a way to do that almost every night. He’s appeared in 33 of the team’s 38 games, sometimes playing just a couple of minutes, while other nights enjoying more extended run.

The counting stats don’t jump off the page; on the season, Scheierman is averaging 2.8 points in 11.6 minutes per game. But, albeit in small sample sizes, he’s been efficient in his minutes; he’s shooting 51.5% from the field and 43.4% from three on the year.

He’s also routinely drawn charges; among NBA players who have appeared in at least 25 games this season, Scheierman has averaged the fourth-most charges drawn per 36 minutes.

Baylor Scheierman 99th%tile in offensive fouls drawn per 100 possessions pic.twitter.com/kvKuoZl77E

— NikNBA (@NIKNBAYT) January 11, 2026

“Baylor can play basketball,” Jaylen Brown said earlier this season. “Baylor is a smart, high-IQ player, great passer, can hit shots — Baylor thinks and knows the game. He’s been putting it together.”

Baylor Scheierman makes an impact in limited minutes​

Some players struggle to make an impact in such limited minutes, but that hasn’t been the case for Scheierman. Joe Mazzulla attributes that to his preparation and unwavering confidence.

“He works really hard, so he’s always prepared,” Mazzulla said. “His confidence never wavers — whether he plays well or whether he makes a mistake, his confidence in his ability to impact winning is always there, and that helps a lot. And he can make an impact regardless of how many minutes he plays.”

Scheierman agrees with Mazzulla’s assessment.

“It’s just kind of how I’m wired,” he said. “I have a bunch of confidence in myself that I can play at this level and impact the game — play against anybody, and regardless if I played tonight or not, or played yesterday or not, that confidence doesn’t change going into the next game.”

Asked Baylor Scheierman about what’s allowed him to stay confident even when he’s not consistently playing:

“It’s just kind of how I'm wired. I have a bunch of confidence in myself that I can play at this level and impact the game — play against anybody, and regardless if I… pic.twitter.com/pqVsQonC2e

— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) January 11, 2026

When Scheierman does check in, he almost immediately begins talking trash to the opposing team’s bench and blowing kisses toward the crowd.

If you’re wondering what he’s saying, Scheierman doesn’t have much for you.

“A whole lot of nothing,” he said. “Honestly, I’m really just getting myself hyped up. I love being out there and competing. And when things are going like that, I just like to have a lot of fun and just talk to whoever’s out there. That’s pretty much what it is.”

And, that’s how he’s always been.

“Going back to high school, college, and now here, I like to just play with a sort of flair on the court,” Scheierman said. “And, I like to bring a lot of energy into the game… I think it’s contagious, too.

With Scheierman on the floor, the Celtics outscored the Spurs by 3 points. After the loss, Mazzulla praised his timely rebounds and physicality, as well as his ability to space the floor.

Scheierman thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be out there for the Celtics.

“[It was] so much fun — that’s why you play basketball, for environments like that, like this one,” he said. “And obviously the fans in the Garden were rocking the night, and it was a lot of fun.”

It ultimately wasn’t enough to carry the Celtics to victory over the Spurs.

But, it was enough to earn the praise of his Celtics teammates.

“He’s been amazing,” Derrick White said. “He’s always ready. It’s tough; you never know how many minutes or if he’s gonna play, but he’s always ready. And when he comes in, he just does a lot of things for us, and I feel like it’s always a positive segment when he’s out there with us. And so credit to him, credit to the coaching staff for always keeping him ready. I think it’s just that mindset that he has had.”

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/125669/celtics-spurs-baylor-scheierman

 

[Boston Celtics]

Defending Wembanyama was Walsh and Scheierman’s tallest task yet

The Celtics are not the first team to guard San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama small, yet the mere concept is an experiment in star-stopping that is equal parts fascinating, and a little crazy.

There is no right way to guard a 7-foot-4 three-level scorer, and if there was nobody has unraveled the mystery, but on Saturday night, Joe Mazzulla entrusted Jordan Walsh and Baylor Scheierman to take on the challenge, and by god, their efforts were admirable.

Now, Wembanyama’s efforts ultimately factored into a 100-95 Spurs win, scoring 16 second-half points with three blocks, including a late basket over Scheierman to, in essence, put the game away, but the Celtics were able to play honest, straight-up defense that kept Wembanyama off the line (four free throw attempts for the game), and in the mid-range, which in turn kept him away from controlling the glass (six rebounds).

The time spent defending Wembanyama can be simply split into two halves, the first in which Walsh took on the challenge and the second which saw Scheierman’s number called.

Walsh led all defenders in time on the French super-sub, spending 3:24, roughly 64% of his defensive time, on Wemby. The majority of that time came in the first half, where Wemby shot 2-of-4 from the field when covered by Walsh, and had just five points, one rebound and one assist in 12 minutes.

In Scheierman’s attempts at stopping the French skyscraper, which accounted for 2:35, or 28% of his time on that side of the floor, Wembanyama shot 2-of-5, finishing an and-one for five points against that matchup. In the case of Walsh and Scheierman, Wembanyama had no assists or turnovers when guarded by the two wings.

Walsh is no stranger to guarding star players, in fact he does it more than just about anybody, ranking fifth out of 505 players in percentage of time spent defending star-caliber players, according to Basketball Index. That puts him in the 98th percentile. This, however, isn’t Tyrese Maxey, it isn’t Luka Doncic, and it isn’t Paolo Banchero. It’s a supercharged, Durantian scorer that can get to the rim at will.

And yet, Walsh’s stingy on-ball defense and active hands actually kept Wembanyama at the elbows, where he opted mostly to settle into his mid-range game. It’s a win in theory, albeit a small one, considering Wembanyama is a 47% shooter from the mid-range, but that is still a credit to Walsh, who often played the matchup without help, to force him to make shots slightly farther from the basket, all without fouling and giving up free points from the line.

Walsh’s first interaction against Wemby, just 20 seconds after checking in for Julian Champagnie, is a good taste of what Walsh brought to the matchup. Wembanyama has his back to the basket at the right elbow waiting for the entry pass, and Walsh cleanly disrupts the feed, getting him way off his spot and forcing a pass off to the other side of the floor. Even better, when Stephon Castle’s three rims off, it’s Walsh job to keep Wemby out of the paint, allowing a clearer rebounding picture for his teammates.

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Two minutes later, we see him stand his ground as Wemby backs his way up the floor, exposing his vision enough for Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard to send late help to force another pass. To send that level of help requires quick-decision switching, and the Celtics don’t give up an advantage when Walsh switches onto the ball-handling Castle, Pritchard takes Harrison Barnes in the corner, and Luka Garza slides in to check on Wembanyama for the inevitable battle for the rebound, which the Celtics fight to win.

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Early in the third quarter, we’d see these two go head-to-head three more times, with Wembanyama winning two of those, though not for lack of effort on Walsh’s part. Wemby looked more under control in this half, and more open to driving into contact, but Walsh, who you’ll notice displayed active hands but never truly reaches in, stands his ground and just tries to make it difficult for Wembanyama, and in the two made shot clips below, you’ll see that he does.

The first shot sees Wemby use a rip move to get to the right baseline, where he puts up an 8-foot floater that goes in, a shot you’ll live with when it comes to his skillset. On the second, he spots up, takes one dribble and fires a 17-foot fadeaway over the outstretched hand of Walsh. Again, another impressive shot, but one you live with. And finally, in one of the last on-ball matchups between the two, Wemby drives right at Walsh, who has help from Garza to either force a corner kickout or a highly-contested shot. Wemby chooses the contested shot, and it’s a win for the Celtics defense.

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From here on, it really becomes Scheierman’s responsibility. During one of his most exciting offensive displays of the season, Scheierman got his first real taste of that matchup with just over four minutes to play in the third quarter, and like Walsh, the goal is to stay down on up-fakes, not get his hands caught in the shooting motion, and taking the contact on any drives. He delivers an excellent possession here, maintaining his composure on three pump-fakes, while shuffling to the the spot on a rip move, and finally keep his hands up as Wemby steps-through for a desperation floater.

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Early in the fourth, Wemby goes to that same spot, where Scheierman is trying hard to force him off-balance without being overly physical before the entry pass. It works only slightly, getting Wemby out to the 19-foot range, and there’s not much Scheierman can do but put his hand up, which doesn’t deter the shot much, though he’s close enough to Wembanyama’s landing space to make it an awkward, albeit makeable, long two.

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Wembanya ultimately had the kind of second half that proved a major difference in this contest. His paint presence on the defensive end completely stifled the Celtics, his floor-running ability led to easy looks, and in the end, he delivered the dagger right from that same spot on the elbow, this time taking a dribble into space on the left to pull up into a 15-foot make.

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Baylor gets a little help in the form of a slight stunt from Pritchard, but he is mostly on an island here, and that island happens to be in the realm of a French Brontosaurus.

In moments like these, it’s appropriate to thank the Basketball Gods for favoring the Western Conference during one of the most important NBA Draft lotteries in the modern era. Perhaps by March 10 when the Celtics see the Spurs in San Antonio, Joe Mazzulla may have a different plan up his sleeve in the form of a returning 6-foot-10 superstar.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...ma-was-walsh-and-scheiermans-tallest-task-yet

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics (24-14) at Indiana Pacers (8-31) Game #39 1/12/26

Boston Celtics (24-14) at Indiana Pacers (8-31)
Monday, January 12, 2026
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #39, Road Game #20
TV: Peacock
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub, 107.5 The Fan, Sirius XM
Gainbridge Fieldhouse

The Celtics finished their 4 game home stand and now visit the Indiana Pacers at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. This is the 3rd of 4 games between them this season. The Celtics won the first game 103-95 on December 22 in Boston and they won the 2nd game 140-122 on December 26 in Indiana. They will finish out the series in Boston on January 21. The Pacers won the series 2-1 last season, with the Celtics winning one in Boston and losing 1 in Boston and one in Indiana. The Celtic are 112-87 overall all time against the Pacers. They are 42-58 in games played in Indiana.

Unlike the Celtics who changed a lot after Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury, the Pacers stayed mostly the same with just a couple changes after Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles injury. Like the Celtics they lost 2 centers to free agency when Myles Turner and Thomas Bryant left. The Pacers signed Jay Huff to fill Turner’s role at center. They also drafted Kam Jones with the 38th pick and Taelon Peter with the 54th pick. Both teams were expected to take a gap year but the Celtics somehow are competing for a playoff spot, while the Pacers are not, even though the Celtics also lost their starting point guard and a third center.

The Celtics are 3rd in the East, 4 games behind 1st place Detroit, and half a game behind 2nd place New York. They are 1 game ahead of 4th place Toronto, 2.5 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 3 games ahead of 6th place Orlando and 7th place Cleveland. The Celtics are 17-8 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 12-7 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last game.

The Pacers are 15th in the East, 20.5 games behind first place Detroit. They are 6 games behind 12th place Charlotte, 4.5 games behind 13th place Brooklyn, and 3 games behind 14th place Washiington. The Pacers are 6-19 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 6-15 at home and 2-8 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.

After their 2-2 home stand, the Celtics begin a 4 game road trip through Indiana, Miami, Atlanta and Detroit. They will then play one game at home against Indiana before playing Brooklyn and Chicago on the road. They will then have another 4 game home stand against Portland, Atlanta, Sacramento and Milwaukee.

This is the first game of a 3 game home stand for Indiana that will also include Toronto and New Orleans. They will then go on a 5 game road trip through Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, Oklahoma City and Atlanta. They will then host Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and Utah before a 6 game road trip through Milwaukee, Toronto, New York, Brooklyn and 2 games at Washington.

Jayson Tatum remains out with the Achilles injury he suffered in last year’s playoffs, one round earlier than Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton injured his Achilles. Josh Minott will miss his third game with a sprained ankle. Jaylen Brown is doubtful for this game due to lower-back spasms. Sam Hauser is questionable for this game due to hamstring tightness. I’m making a wild guess that Scheierman will start at small forward and that Walsh will once again start at power forward. However, with Joe Mazzulla we never know who will start and who will play, even when there aren’t injuries.

For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton remains out as he rehabs from the Achilles tear he suffered in the Eastern Conference Finals. Isaiah Jackson remains out due to a concussion. He has cleared the protocol but needs to ramp up his conditioning. Bennedict Mathurin is out due to a thumb injury. Obi Toppin is out due to a foot injury. I’ve listed the starters that the Pacers have posted on their game notes.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Andrew Nembhard

SG: Payton Pritchard vs Aaron Nesmith

SF: Baylor Scheierman vs Johnny Furphy

PF: Jordan Walsh vs Pascal Siakam

C: Neemias Queta vs Jay Huff

Celtics Reserves
Anfernee Simons
Xavier Tillman
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Chris Boucher

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

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Josh Minott (ankle) out
Jaylen Brown (back) doubtful
Sam Hauser (hamstring) questionable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Pacers Reserves
Tony Bradley
Kam Jones
TJ McConnell
Micah Potter
Ben Sheppard
Jarace Walker

Two-Way Players
Quenton Jackson
Taelon Peter
Ethan Thompson

Injuries/Out
Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) out
Obi Toppin (foot) out
Isaiah Jackson (concussion) out
Bennedict Mathurin (thumb) out
Andrew Nembhard (back) questionable

Head Coach
Rick Carlisle

Key Matchups
Jordan Walsh vs Pascal Siakam
Siakam is averaging 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field and 37.2% from beyond the arc. Over his career, Siakam has averaged 17.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game against the Celtics. In the 2 games this season, he averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 41.9% from the field and 40.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him well in this game.

Derrick White vs Andrew Nembhard
Nembhard is averaging 17.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists and 1 steal while shooting 44.5% from the field and 36.4% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he has averaged 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. In the first 2 games he averaged 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists while shooting 50% from the field and 54.5% from beyond the arc. Nembhard is questionable and if he can’t play, Sheppard or McConnell may get the start here.

Honorable Mention
Payton Pritchard vs Aaron Nesmith
Nesmith is averaging 14.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 37.8% from the field and 39.3% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he averaged 2.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. He didn’t play in either of the first 2 games against the Celtics this season. He always likes to play well against his former team.

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is the key to winning every single game. The Pacers haven’t been the scoring juggernaut they were last season. They are 29th in the league with an offensive rating of 108.6 while the Celtics have an offensive rating of 121.9 (2nd). The Celtics are 16th in the league with a defensive rating of 114.5. The Pacers are 20th with a defensive rating of 116.2. In the first game between these two teams, the Celtics allowed the Pacers to score 61 points in the first half and they trailed by 18 points at the half. The held them to 34 points in the second half and won the game. They have to play tough defense from the tip through the final buzzer in this one and not just for one half.

Rebound – The Celtics are 16th in the league, pulling down 44.4 rebounds per game. The Pacers are 24th with 42.7 rebounds per game. It is important for the Celtics to rebound the ball to give themselves extra possessions and to prevent the Pacers from getting the same along with 2nd chance points. Much of rebounding is effort and the Celtics have got to put out more effort than the Pacers to grab rebounds for all 4 quarters.

Don’t Underestimate – It seems that we have had a lot of these games recently where the Celtics might be tempted to underestimate their opponent. They have to come out and play hard from start to finish in this one and not underestimate the Pacers who seem to be tanking but are coming off a win over the Hornets and the Heat and have players who can play well if not defended well.

Play the Right Way – The Celtics need to move the ball to find the best shot. When they hold the ball and try to do too much individually, the Celtics struggle. But, when they keep the ball moving and move without the ball, they are very tough to beat. They need to focus on playing defense and having each others backs. They need to crash the boards and box out. They need to focus on taking and making good shots. If the 3’s aren’t falling, take the ball to the basket. Play with focus, effort, and energy.

X-Factors
On The Road and Revenge – The Celtics are playing on the road and they are facing the distractions of travel and a hostile crowd and they can’t allow those distractions to take away from their focus on the game. The Celtics beat the Pacers two times already this season and so the Pacers may have revenge on their minds for those two losses.

Officiating – Officiating can always be an x-factor. Every officiating crew calls the game differently. Will the refs call it tight? Will they let them play? Will they give the Celtics more than 4 free throws? Will they try to make up for the Celtics getting shorted in their last game or will they be even more stingy with fouls since Jaylen Brown called them out for it? Celtics have to play through however the refs call the game, whether it is tight or they let them play or they make terrible calls. The Celtics can’t allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus on the game.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-...-24-14-at-indiana-pacers-8-31-game-39-1-12-26

 

[Boston Celtics]

Celtics lose in a nail biter, Pacers prevail 98-96

The Boston Celtics traveled to Indiana Monday night to face the Pacers. The C’s came into the game with injuries to Josh Minott and Jaylen Brown and dropped a tough game 98-96. Boston struggled to the shoot the ball throughout the game going just 25 percent from downtown and 45 percent from the field overall. Payton Pritchard led the team with 23 points, and Anfernee Simons had 16 points.

Baylor Scheierman started alongside Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard. Cedric Maxwell joined the TV booth for the first time of the season alongside Drew, with Scalabrine adding comments on the Peacock stream.

The Pacers got off to an early lead in the first quarter with Pascal Siakam hitting his first two shots of the game as they got off to an early 6-2 lead. Boston steadied, with Sam Hauser hitting his first two three-pointers. Baylor Scheierman had some positive early contributions, assisting on two early buckets for the Celtics in the white City Edition uniforms.

Luka Garza, Jordan Walsh, and Anfernee Simons were the first 3 players off the bench for Boston, and Garza hit on his first shot on the low block with a nifty hook. Boston had an 18-17 lead with four minutes to go in the first quarter. White returned to action for Boston after a scoreless opening few minutes and scored a high floater off glass with Furphy draped all over him.

White was looking aggressive as he drove on Aaron Nesmith and got the whistle, converting a pair of free throws to take a 24-17 lead. Potter had a putback layup to end the quarter for Indy; the road Celtics would take a 5-point lead at the quarter, 24-19.

Neemias Queta cut through the key and hit his eighth point of the game; Derrick White hit on a pull-up 2-pointer and then drained a triple as he continued to impact things for Boston. White assisted Anfernee Simons for a pull-up jumper. Derrick White chased down a long missed shot attempt and sprayed it to the corner; Anfernee Simons drilled the corner three for his seventh point of the game.

Indy was pushing on every play, the bench Pacers cutting Boston’s lead to just 4 points, 36-32. Jay Huff stepped back and shot a deep three-pointer over Queta, putting the Pacers in the middle of an 8-0 run. Anfernee Simons stopped the bleeding for Boston with a layup and his own step-back three over Nembhard. Jay Huff’s second three of the night got the Pacers even at 41 apiece.

The third-placed Celtics found themselves in a contest as Jay Huff skied for multiple reverse dunks, the Pacers on a heater in the second quarter going 27-19 with a full 5 minutes to go. Pritchard finally hit his first triple of the game, Boston struggling to keep pace with the Pacers hitting a perfect 7-7 from downtown in the quarter. Derrick White’s 14-foot pull-up jumper gave Boston the lead back, 52-51.

Pritchard had Potter on skates as he danced and hit a step-back floater over the Pacer big man. Pritchard then broke free of Sheppard for an uncontested layup off a slick Derrick White assist. Boston regained the lead late, 56-53, in an entertaining game, after a nice Indiana quarter.

Both teams went scoreless in the first one and a half minutes of the second half, and Jay Huff drilled a triple to break the deadlock. Boston went 0-6 to start the third quarter as Indy raced out to a 5-point lead, forcing Joe Mazzulla to call a timeout after 4 minutes of play in the quarter. Pritchard drove baseline and flicked it to Queta, who finally slammed home Boston’s first points of the quarter after 5 minutes of play.

Siakam stole the ball from González as he and Ben Sheppard ran the break, and with Siakam scoring his 13th point and the Pacers taking a 10-point lead, 68-58. Boston was losing the physicality matchup all quarter; if the intensity stays at this level, it will be a third defeat in a week for the C’s.

Anfernee Simons drove the ball and hit just the team’s eighth point of the quarter with three minutes remaining in the third. Simons was solid for Boston, leading the team with 16 points. Garza had a huge offensive rebound, saving it on the baseline, and swung the ball to Pritchard, who hit a 27-foot three-pointer.

Payton Pritchard got into the lane on three straight plays, scoring 6 quick points for the C’s. Walsh had a big steal and cruised through the key for the tough layup as Boston raced back into the contest. A Garza push shot in the key cut it to two points at the end of three quarters, 77-79.

Indy hit the first four points of the fourth quarter before Queta dropped the hammer over Jackson with a one-handed tomahawk. McConnell and Jackson kept the Pacers ticking along in the fourth quarter as Boston tried to keep pace.

Queta battled three Pacers in the key, hitting on a hook shot, his fourteenth point of the night. Walsh went beast mode off the glass over the lengthy Jay Huff, bringing Boston back to within four points, 85-89. White finally got going on a three-pointer; he was shooting just 6-18 for the night, and Boston was in the midst of a 9-0 run. Queta hit 1 of 2 from the stripe, denying the Indy fans of fried chicken as they cut the lead to three points with 3 minutes to go.

Pritchard’s wide-open three-pointer was timely, as the road team was shooting a poor 26 percent from beyond the arc. White missed a floating shot in the key, with Boston down by 2 points and a minute to play. Indy blew an open three as Joe Mazzulla drew up a late game play heading into the huddle. White tied the game off the inbounds play, giving the C’s a two-for-one opportunity to win the game.

Siakam banked home a tough shot to give the Pacers a two-point lead, Boston had 6 seconds left on the clock to get the dub. Unfortunately White missed a three a the buzzer to hand Indiana the win.

Boston next face the Miami Heat on the road on Thursday 15th of January.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/celtics...ics-lose-in-a-nail-biter-pacers-prevail-96-94

 

[Boston Celtics]

10 Takeaways from Celtics ugly loss to Pacers

1. Ugly Game​

The Celtics were without Jaylen Brown and you could really tell. Boston had a tough time getting anything going consistently on offense and Indiana was not much better. However, the Celtics still had a chance to win this game late in the fourth quarter despite some cold shooting. Derrick White tied the game with a layup at the 29.1 second mark, but Pascal Siakam would answer out of a Pacers timeout with a floater to take the lead again. White missed the final three-point attempt for the game and Boston starts out their road trip 0-1.

PASCAL SIAKAM HITS THE FLOATER TO GIVE INDY THE WIN

3 straight wins for the Pacers! pic.twitter.com/3JqfrwJMmV

— NBA (@NBA) January 13, 2026

2. Three Point Shooting Difference​

Boston was in this game the entire way and really could have broken it open if they were just able to hit their three pointers. The Celtics shot 9-35 (26%) from three and it really was the difference between them winning and losing. The Pacers are known for not being a great three-point shooting team and have lost two games to the Celtics this year because they got off to a hot shooting start and fell off in the second half. However in this game, Indiana was able to hit their threes at a higher clip, shooting 16-37 (43%) from beyond the arc. It is a make or miss league and in this game, the Celtics just missed too many threes.

3. Start of Third Quarter Felt Like the Turning Point​

At halftime, the Celtics were winning 56-53 and it felt like with a good start to the third quarter, they could potentially start to run away with the game. However, at the 5:49 mark of the quarter, the Celtics had 2 points on 1-9 shooting with 4 turnovers and never had the lead again for the rest of the game. Indiana was able to score 15 points in that time and opened up their biggest lead of the night in the third quarter at 13 points. The Celtics would bounce back from this slow start, finishing the quarter on a 19-11 run but it really did feel like the momentum shifted to the Pacers.

4. Pritchard led the way​

Coming into this game, Payton Pritchard had averaged 26.5 points and 9 assists in the 2 games that Jaylen Brown has missed this season. Pritchard once again put up a solid performance, scoring 23 points with 8 assists on 10-22 shooting.

He started the game in his bag and doing a great job facilitating the offense. In the first quarter, he got Jay Huff on an island by himself at the top of the three-point line. He hit Huff with a hesitation dribble and blew right by him to make a pass to a wide-open Luka Garza under the basket for a layup.

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Pritchard had a stretch toward the end of the third quarter where he scored 9 straight points and led the Celtics to cutting the Pacers 13-point lead to 2 by the end of the quarter. His aggressiveness on getting to the basket was a big part of this explosion, like this bucket where he got a great screen from Garza and blew by Micah Potter for the layup.

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5. Queta Solid Performance​

Although he finished with a -12 on the night, I thought Neemias Queta had a good performance in this game, finishing with 15 points and 8 rebounds on 7-9 shooting in 32 minutes.

When the Celtics were coming back in the third quarter, Queta made this incredible play. He got the steal from Pascal Siakam and passed it ahead to Sam Hauser. Hauser passed it to Pritchard who found a streaking Queta coming down the lane for a big slam.

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The other play that impressed me in this game was the poster dunk he had on Quenton Jackson. Queta slipped out of a screen from Derrick White as two Pacers defenders went for the ball. White found him and Queta unloaded this monster slam on Jackson.

Neemias Queta poster dunk! pic.twitter.com/Ujx96mhjK2

— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) January 13, 2026

6. Walsh looked confident​

This season has been a breakout year for Jordan Walsh but it hasn’t always been perfect. After a stretch of 20 games in a row with him in the starting lineup, Joe Mazzulla decided to move him back to the bench on January 3rd against the Clippers and in that time, Walsh has seemingly bounced back. In the 6 games he’s played since coming back to the bench he is averaging 4.2 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 45% from the field and 40% from three while maintaining his incredible hustle plays. Walsh finished with 6 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals on 3-5 shooting and is starting to turn back into the guy we saw at the beginning of the season when he was starting to break out.

At the end of the third quarter, Walsh made a great cut when Pritchard was stuck under the basket. Walsh got the dump off pass, pump faked, and finished with a reverse layup.

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My favorite play of the night from Walsh came at the 2:16 mark of the fourth quarter. After chasing down Siakam on defense and grabbing the steal, the Celtics went the other way for a fast break. Walsh then sprinted under neath the basket where Hauser passed it in to him. Two Pacers defenders went at Walsh so once he received the pass he found a wide open Pritchard for three where he knocked it down.

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Wether he goes back into the starting lineup or stays in the bench role, Walsh looks like he is getting his confidence back.

7. Celtics rough stats in the clutch​

Tonight was the 20th time this season the Celtics have been in a “clutch” game this season and have fallen to a record of 8-12; that is 80% of Boston’s losses this season. The Celtics last 4 losses have also come in clutch time and it makes you wonder if the Celtics have a problem finishing close games.

The Celtics are now 8-12 in clutch games.

12 of their 15 losses (80%) have come in the clutch, including each of their last 4.

— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) January 13, 2026

You might be able to excuse this game against the Pacers since Jaylen Brown was out, but the last three losses have had Brown in the lineup. In the loss to the Trail Blazers on December 28th, they allowed Donovan Clingan to score a game winning layup off an offensive rebound. Boston then turned the ball over in back to back possessions to end the game. In the loss to the Nuggets on January 7th, Denver outscored Boston 35-28 in the fourth quarter, including a 22-6 run to begin the quarter that seemingly put the game out of reach. The Celtics tried to make a late comeback playing the free throw game but they still lost. Finally, in the loss to the Spurs on January 10th, they once again got outscored in the fourth quarter and Victor Wembanyama had his way with Boston’s defense. The Celtics had a chance to tie the game late but turnovers and missed shots ended any chance of that happening.

Coming into this game against the Pacers, the Celtics had the worst defensive rating in the NBA in clutch time this season at 128.2. Lack of execution in the fourth quarter has really been a problem and resulting in the Celtics losing a lot of close games that they arguably should be winning. The addition of Jayson Tatum in these situations might fix these problems when he gets back to full strength but as of now, these numbers are concerning.

8. Refs Calls Didn’t Really Change​

After Jaylen Brown called out the refs in his postgame press conference in the Celtics loss to the Spurs on Saturday, he was fined $35,000 from the league. Did his comments change the way the Celtics were being called? Not really. Both teams were called for 7 personal fouls on the night and Boston did win the free throw differential 9-6 but it still felt like the Celtics lost the game on a pretty bad no call.

Before Pascal Siakam hit his game winner, he set what looked like an illegal screen on Derrick White. This allowed White to have to switch on Siakam and allowed him to hit the game winning floater.

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Joe Mazzulla was adamant in his postgame, giving the same answer to every question he was asked saying, “illegal screen.” Watching the play back, it really does look like an illegal screen and the Pacers got away with it there. I assume Mazzulla might get fined for his comments.

Here was Joe Mazzulla’s full postgame presser with reporters in Indiana, as seen on NBCSB. Replied “illegal screen” to all six questions he received.

Clearly unhappy with the play that led to Siakam’s game-winner. pic.twitter.com/LdMFYBVS2E

— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) January 13, 2026

9. Strengthening Brown’s MVP Case?​

Jaylen Brown was ruled out for this game with Low Back Spasms and although the Celtics are 2-0 when he doesn’t play this year, they really needed him tonight. In the 2 games that Boston has played Indiana this season, Brown is averaging 30.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists on 53% shooting from the field and 44% shooting from three. In a weird way I can see this game helping strengthening an MVP case for Brown just by how much the Celtics struggled. Brown has been able to be the offensive engine for Boston all season and in crunch time, they normally turn to him to lead the Celtics to the win. But in a game where he didn’t play, the Celtics lost to the worst team in the NBA. Feels like a pretty valuable player if you ask me.

10. Celtics honor Paul Pierce​

Boston has been wearing their City Jerseys this season to honor legendary moments in Celtics history. Tonight, they wore them to honor Paul Pierce’s legendary Game 4 performance in the 2003 Quarterfinals against the Pacers where he dropped 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists to lead Boston to the win. However, this game might be better known for play where Pierce was jawing back and forth to Al Harrington before hitting a step-back three in his face to end the third quarter with one of the most legendary calls of all time from Mike Gorman.

Ice in his veins @paulpierce34 pic.twitter.com/09TcEcxHpf

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 12, 2026

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...-to-the-pacers-payton-pritchard-neemias-queta

 

[Boston Celtics]

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla disputes crunch-time no-call against Pacers

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla had one thing on his mind following Monday night’s 98-96 loss to the Indiana Pacers: the officiating crew.

That was the only topic Mazzulla cared to address postgame, and he boiled every answer down to the same two words.

“Illegal screen,” Mazzulla told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston.

Mazzulla repeated the phrase — and that phrase only — six times during his 44-second postgame press conference before walking off the podium. Nothing else mattered in his mind after Boston suffered a second straight defeat — not Anfernee Simons’ 16 points off the bench or the team’s brutal 9-of-35 (26%) shooting from three. Mazzulla’s primary focus remained on Pascal Siakam’s screen set on Derrick White, which led to Indiana’s game-sealing basket with 6.1 seconds left in regulation.

It was the Siakam-White screen, and the message Mazzulla wanted the officials to hear.

While White guarded Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard, Siakam came from behind and set a screen that Mazzulla deemed illegal. Referee Eric Dalen was closest to the play, but neither Dalen, Pat Fraher, nor Brandon Schwab blew their whistles. Siakam knocked White to the ground, used his 6-foot-8 frame to back the 6-foot-4 guard down, then spun left to separate from White and finished with a layup.

Mazzulla insisted that Siakam should have been called for an illegal screen, as it appeared he extended his right leg and leaned with his right shoulder, causing White to tumble during a crucial moment in the game.

Even though White recovered in time to guard Siakam one-on-one, Mazzulla’s criticism reflects a greater frustration brewing from the Celtics towards the league officials. Immediately after Saturday night’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Jaylen Brown vented in Boston’s locker room and challenged the NBA to fine him, which they did, serving him a $35,000 penalty hours before Boston tipped off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Brown pointed at the free-throw disparity between the Celtics and Spurs, highlighting San Antonio’s 20 attempts versus Boston’s four.

The Celtics rank dead last in the NBA in free-throw attempts (18.7 per game) this season, and while they take the second-most 3-pointers (42.6), that shot profile isn’t enough to support their most recent four-game homestand. Boston strayed away from its usual Mazzulla-ball scheme against the Toronto Raptors, attempting just 28 threes — their fewest this season, and the second-fewest in Mazzulla’s tenure. But over the four-game stretch, the Celtics averaged only 12.8 free-throw attempts, nearly six fewer than their season average.

Brown, who leads the NBA in 2-point attempts (16.1), ranks last among the four leading MVP candidates, per FanDuel Sportsbook — behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Dončić, and Cade Cunningham — in free-throw attempts per game with 7.2 this season.

It’s a growing frustration for Brown, Mazzulla, and the Celtics that’s impacted their pursuit of winning. This time, not getting the whistle allowed for the continuation of Indiana’s offense to attack the Siakam-White mismatch and keep Boston in the loss column.

Boston entered the game shorthanded, as low back spasms sidelined Brown against the Pacers. Without the team’s vocal leader on and off the floor, the Celtics’ locker room was far less inclined to challenge the NBA’s powers that be and invite another round of fines.

“I don’t know,” Payton Pritchard told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “He made the shot. Maybe certain calls could have been made, but he made a bank shot — a tough shot — so you’ve got to live with that. Good defense.”

For the second time in 72 hours, Boston’s offense was held to 40 points in the second half. Indiana’s ability to limit the Celtics to 96 points marked the first time this season that Mazzulla’s offense was held to under 100 points in consecutive games. Boston never grew its lead larger than nine points, had no player besides Pritchard make more than two 3-pointers, and fell to 8-12 in clutch games.

“We had good shots at the start of the second half,” Pritchard told reporters. “We just missed them, and we’ll be better.”

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...a-disputes-crunch-time-no-call-against-pacers

 

[Boston Celtics]

The Celtics keep criticizing officiating — but it’s not what it looks like

MIAMI — If you’ve been following the Celtics, you’ve been hearing a lot of talk about the officiating as of late.

On Monday, the NBA fined Jaylen Brown $35,000 for his public criticism of officials after the Celtics’ loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The Celtics star was livid after his team attempted just 4 free throws in the 100-95 loss — and used his postgame media availability to criticize the officiating crew.

“[Referee] Curtis [Blair], all them dudes was terrible tonight,” Brown said. “I don’t care. They can fine me whatever they want. It’s crazy. Every time we play a good team, it’s the same shit. Somebody please pull up the clips. I’m irate at how they officiated the game today.”

That wasn’t Brown’s first time calling out the referees this season, nor was it the most recent time a high-ranking member of the Celtics has chosen to shine light on an inconsistent whistle.

Two days later, after the Celtics’ 98-96 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Monday night, Joe Mazzulla took the postgame podium in Indianapolis and repeated the phrase “illegal screen” to every question that was asked of him — seemingly referring to a late-game Pascal Siakam screen that the NBA later admitted was illegal, per its Last Two Minutes Report.

Joe Mazzulla answered every single question with “illegal screen” pic.twitter.com/Qx6Sioyre6

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) January 13, 2026

Mazzulla, who rarely complains about officiating, also explained his desire to repeatedly utter the phrase “illegal screen” rather than answer postgame questions in earnest. He typically picks and chooses his spots carefully, but felt like the missed call on Siakam was too overt to ignore.

“It’s a balance, because at the end of the day, that’s out of your control. There’s really nothing you can do about it,” Mazzulla said. “But from time to time, there’s always moments where — I thought that was an obvious one.”

Brown shared that his frustrating has grown over the years, because he’s studied NBA officiating extensively, meeting with NBA head of officiating Monty McCutchen, studying the rulebook, and more.

“I’ve studied officiating, I’ve took the next step to know where refs are supposed to be, whose call it is supposed to make, who’s at the point of attack, who’s in a high quadrant, or whatever,” Brown said. “I’ve learned the officiating, so I know who to talk to, who missed the call. And on top of that, I study all the top guys will get to the free throw line at a high rate, to do the same things that they do.”

Brown explained that he just wants the Celtics — who rank last in the league in free throw attempts — to get the same kinds of calls he feels other good teams get.

“I just think we just need a little bit more respect,” he said. “We come out and compete – we’re one of the top teams in the league. We come out and compete on both ends of the ball, on defense and offense. It’s hard to beat good teams if you only get to the free throw line four times, when you play these top-tier teams, no matter what the x’s and o’s are.”

While Brown wasn’t upset at his being fined by the NBA, he did say that the lack of calls can have a snowball effect that have negatively impacted his squad.

“When you make physical drives and you get to the basket, and they don’t call it, it makes it look like a bad possession, because then it leads to our defense,” Brown said. “Then it makes me think: should I be aggressive here? Should I pass it here? You start getting indecisive, and it just snowballs.”

Still, Brown shrugged off the NBA’s decision to penalize him.

“Ask and you shall receive,” Brown said with a smile.

Jaylen Brown today on his $35K fine: "Ask and you shall receive … something had to be said."

–@CLNSMedia pic.twitter.com/rnjz4COEOx

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) January 14, 2026

The officiating discourse isn’t dominating the Celtics interally​

Don’t get it twisted.

Just because Brown and Mazzulla have recently aired out grievances regarding the officiating, it doesn’t mean the team has been consumed by the issue.

Mazzulla stressed that even if that was his chosen postgame message to the media, Siakam’s screen was far from what he harped on when addressing his team after the loss.

“That’s not the message to our team,” he said. “The message to our team was that run that they went on coming out of timeouts, not turning the ball over, making sure we make our 2-on-1 reads, situational rebounding. That’s the real message.”

Joe Mazzulla had the same answer to every postgame question tonight: "Illegal screen."

Here's what unfolded right before Pascal Siakam made his game-winner: pic.twitter.com/Nhf9WBS1wA

— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) January 13, 2026

At film on Wednesday, Mazzulla focused on costly mistakes earlier in the game that put the Celtics in position where one call could determine the final come. Against the Pacers, the Celtics made a series of mistakes to open the second half that ultimately contributed to the loss.

“The message to our team today was: we got to clean up that third quarter run, clean up our end-of-game execution, whether it’s on offense, defense,” Mazzulla said. “Execution is different in so many ways; it could be screening, it could be spacing, could be shotmaking, could be making the 2-on-1 read. It could be defense. It could be situational tendencies on individual players that we’re guarding. So that’s more important, because you can control it over the course of the long run.”

Brown said he plans on continuing to be aggressive, but will be mindful to stay locked in even if he doesn’t get calls.

“If I don’t get it, [I’ll] just have a stoic mentality and just — on to the next play.”

Mazzulla also pointed out that the Celtics haven’t been overly distracted by calls, and rank near the botom of the league in technical fouls.

“We’re not costing points as long as long as we do what we need to do to stick to the process of winning — and we do a great job of not costing ourselves points.”

It’s true; the Celtics have only been called for 14 technicals this season, which tied for fifth-least among NBA teams. (For reference, six NBA teams have been called for at least 30 techs this season, per Fox Sports).

So, though discussions with the media have recently centered around officiating, that’s not a reflection of what’s going on internally.

“For the most part, I don’t think it’s taken away from our execution and our mentality towards the game,” Mazzulla said, “which I think is the most important thing.”

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/129233/celtics-joe-mazzulla-jaylen-brown-nba-officiating

 

[Boston Celtics]

Miami Heat injury report vs Celtics shows team could be without several players

MIAMI — The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are set to face off for the second time this season on Thursday night. And, both Eastern Conference rivals should be mostly healthy when they meet, though several injuries loom on both sides.

For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown (low back spasms) and Sam Hauser (hamstring tightness) are both off the injury report, while Josh Minott (left ankle sprain) remains out. Jayson Tatum, of course, remains out as well as he continues to rehab an Achilles tendon he ruptured 8 months ago.

The Celtics, who have dropped two straight, will look to avoid their first three-game losing streak since the season’s opening week, when they started 0-3.

The Heat have several key players on the injury report; Tyler Herro is probable with a toe contusion, Nikola Jovic is probable with right knee soreness, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. is questionable with left knee soreness. Davion Mitchell, meanwhile, is doubtful with a left shoulder contusion.

The Celtics currently have the 3rd-best record in the Eastern Conference at 24-15, while the Heat have the conference’s 9th-best record at 21-19. Both teams have won 6 of their last 10 games.

A quick glance at the Miami Heat’s season so far ​

Erik Spoelstra’s squad has largely been a middle-of-the-pack team so far this season; they have the league’s 20th-best offensive rating (113.5), 4th-best defensive rating (112.1), and 14th-best net rating (+1.4).

The offense has been a well-balanced attack led by offseason acqusition Normall Powell, who has averaged 23.9 points per game. Bam Adebayo continues to put up solid numbers — 16.8 points and 9.7 rebounds — but he’s in the midst of the most inefficient season of his career, shooting just 45.6% from the field.

His runningmate, Tyler Herro, has an injury-riddled campaign thus far and has only appeared in 10 games, but he’s been the team’s second-leading scorer (21.9 points per game) when available.

Jaime Jaquez (15.9 points, 4.6 assists)and Andrew Wiggins (15.8 points) have also been key contributors, as has been second-year standout Kel’el Ware (11.9 points, 10.1 rebounds).

Davion Mitchell, who averages 9.1 points and 7.3 assists per game, shoulders significant defensive responsibilities, often being tasked with guarding the opposing team’s top player. His potential absence against the Celtics puts more pressure on Miami’s other defenders.

Celtics-Heat will tip-off at 7:30pm at the Kaseya Center on Thursday.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/129248/miami-heat-injury-report-boston-celtics

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics (24-15) at Miami Heat (21-19) Game #40 1/15/25

Boston Celtics (24-15) at Miami Heat (21-19)
Thursday, January 15, 2026
7:30 PM ET
TV: NBCSB, FDSN Sun, NBA-LP
Regular Season Game #40 Road Game #21
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WQAM 104.3, Sirius XM
Kaseya Center

The Celtics continue their road trip with a stop in Miami to take on the Heat. This is the 2nd of 4 games between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 129-116 in Boston on December 19. They will meet again in Boston on February 6 and a final time in Miami on April 1. The Celtics are 87-54 all time overall against the Heat and they are 42-30 in games played in Miami.

The Heat made several changes since last season. They drafted Kasparas Jakucionis with the 20th pick in the first round. They did a sign and trade of Duncan Robinson to Detroit in return for Simone Fontechhio. They also received Norman Powell in a 3 way trade that sent Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love to Utah. Davion Mitchell, who was traded to Miami in February resigned for another 2 years.

The Celtics are 3rd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit, and half a game behind 2nd place New York. They are half a game ahead of 4th place Toronto, 2 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 2.5 games ahead of 6th place Orlando. The Celtics are 17-9 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 12-8 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last 2 games.

The Heat are 8th in the East, 8 games behind 1st place Detroit, 3.5 games behind 3rd place Boston, 1 game behind 6th place Orlando and 1 game behind 7th place Cleveland. They are 2 games ahead of 9th place Atlanta and 10th place Chicago. The Heat are 12-11 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 14-6 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.

The Celtics are playing in the 2nd game of a 4 game road trip. They lost the first game in Indiana and after this game in Miami, they will play at Atlanta and Detroit to complete the trip. They will then play one game at home against Indiana before playing Brooklyn and Chicago on the road. They will then have another 4 game home stand against Portland, Atlanta, Sacramento and Milwaukee. Then, they are on the road at Dallas and Houston before playing Miami, New York, and Chicago at home, taking them into the All Star Break.

The Heat are playing in the 2nd game of a 3 game home stand. They beat Phoenix in the first game and will host Oklahoma City in the final game. They then face a 5 game road trip through Golden State, Sacramento, Portland, Utah, and Phoenix. They return home to play Orlando, Chicago twice, and Atlanta. They then play at Boston and at Washington, at home against Utah and finally at New Orleans before the All Star Break.

Jayson Tatum remains out for the Celtics as he continues to rehab from the Achilles tear he suffered in last year’s playoffs. Josh Minott will miss his fifth straight game due to an ankle sprain. Jaylen Brown missed Monday’s game due to back spasms but is off the injury report for this game. I’m guessing that Sam Hauser will continue to start at power forward with the rest of the starting 5 as usual.

For the Heat, Terry Rosier continues to be out due to the indictment that he is under for betting on games. Davion Mitchell is out due to a left shoulder contusion that he suffered Tuesday against the Suns. Jaime Jaquez, Jr is out with left knee soreness. Nikola Jovic (right knee soreness) and Tyler Herro (toe/ribs) are available for this game. I’m guessing that Dru Smith fills in at the point for Mitchell if he doesn’t play.

Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Dru Smith

SG: Payton Pritchard vs Tyler Herro

SF: Jaylen Brown vs Pelle Larsson

PF: Sam Hauser vs Andrew Wiggins

C: Neemias Queta vs Bam Adebayo

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

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

Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Josh Minott (ankle) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Miami Heat Reserves
Simone Fontecchio
Kasparas Jakucionis
Keshad Johnson
Norman Powell
Kel’el Ware
2-Way Players
Myron Gardner
Vladislav Goldin
Jahmir Young

Injuries/Out
Davion Mitchell (shoulder) out
Niola Jovic (knee) available
Tyler Herro (toe/rib) available
Jaime Jaquez, jr (knee) out
Terry Rozier III (not injury related) out

Head Coach
Erik Spoelstra

Key Matchups
Payton Pritchard vs Tyler Herro
Herro is averaging 21.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 48.8% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. Herro is streaky but can put up points in a hurry. He didn’t play in the first game against the Celtics in Boston. The Celtics need to be ready to defend him both in the interior and on the perimeter.

Neemias Queta vs Bam Adebayo
Adebayo is averaging 16.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He is shooting 45.6% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal while shooting 46.2% from the field with no 3’s. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards.

Honorable Mention
Sam Hauser vs Andrew Wiggins
Wiggins is averaging 15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 46.7% from the field and 39.9% from beyond the arc. He is a good shooter and so the Celtics need to defend him well. He didn’t play in the first game against the Celtics in Boston.

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense will always be the biggest key to winning every single game. The Celtics are 15th with a defensive rating of 114.3. The Heat are 4th with a defensive rating of 111.4. The Celtics need to defend the perimeter since the Heat attempt 35.3 threes a game and shoot threes better than the Celtics at 36.9%. They also have to defend the paint as the Heat are 3rd with 54.9 points in the paint per game. The Celtics need to work harder than the Heat on defense and make that their priority.

Rebound – Along with defense, rebounding is always a key to winning. As Pat Riley once said “No rebounds, no rings.” The Celtics average 44.5 rebounds per game (14th) while the Heat average 45.6 rebounds per game (7th). The Celtics are 16-5 when they out-rebound opponents and just 6-9 when out-rebounded. It takes effort and hustle to get rebounds and the Celtics need to give more effort than the Heat to grab rebounds if they want to win this game.

Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes– The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. In most of their losses and even in their wins, they have allowed their opponents to play with more energy than them for periods of time during the game. They play well for stretches but leup and allow their opponents to surge ahead, especially down the stretch. They have to stay focused for all 48 minutes and be ready for their opponents to play harder in the second half and they need to match that effort.

To 3 or Not to 3 – The Celtics are 2nd in the league, attempting 42.6 threes a game. When they fall, the Celtics are tough to beat. But, when they aren’t falling, the Celtics struggle. 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. The Celtics shot just 25.7% from three against the Pacers but allowed them to shoot 43.2% from beyond the arc, much better than their average. If the 3s are falling, great!! If not, go to Plan B. The Heat are a good defensive team and will try to chase the Celtics off the 3 point line and they need to be ready for that.

X-Factors
On the Road – The Celtics are on the road for the 2nd game of a 4 game road trip. The Celtics need to stay focused on playing hard and as a team and not be distracted by the hostile crowd or the unfamiliar court or the fatigue that comes from travel. They have lost their last 2 games and need to stay focused to get back in the win column in spite of playing on the road.

Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game. The last 2 games should show how much of an x-factor officiating can be. The Celtics have to play so well all game that the officiating, no matter how bad, can’t influence the game.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-...ics-24-15-at-miami-heat-21-19-game-40-1-15-25

 

[Boston Celtics]

Anfernee Simons propels Celtics past the Heat, win 119-114

Following a tough loss to the Pacers on Monday, the Celtics traveled to Florida to face the Miami Heat Thursday night at the Kaseya Center. Jaylen Brown returned to the lineup for Boston and scored 27 points as the Celtics bounced back on the road with a tremendous comeback 119-114. Boston snapped a two-game losing streak thanks to Anfernee Simons with an explosive second half of 39 points.

With JB back in the lineup, Boston started Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Neemias Queta, and Sam Hauser alongside the All-NBA forward. Andrew Wiggins opened the scoring for Miami with a three-pointer. Sam Hauser reeled off 4 consecutive points for Boston, but it was the Heat who started off as the hotter of the two teams with a massive early lead of 4-18 over Boston.

Miami was shooting 55% from the field early in the quarter, including 3 three-pointers, but Boston had 2 early turnovers and started off shooting an ice-cold 25% from the floor. Jordan Walsh and Anfenee Simons got some early minutes as JB eventually broke a three-and-a-half-minute scoring drought for the road team with a three-pointer.

Adebayo was feasting on the interior to start the game, as he singlehandedly had outscored Boston with 9 points in the first 6 minutes of game time. Andrew Wiggins had 8 quick points, Herro had 7 points, and Norman Powell hit the Heat’s fifth three for his 3 points to start the first quarter as the Heat had tripled Boston’s score, 9-27.

Anfernee Simons drained a three-pointer, and Jordan Walsh flashed an excellent pass to the interior to find Garza for a reverse layup, Boston chipping away at the Heat lead. Garza then scored a catch-and-shoot triple to cut it to twelve points as the C’s bench was coming up big for Boston following the disastrous early start to proceedings.

Simons hit a third three of the night, swishing it home with his high jump shot action; he was pacing things for Boston in the first quarter with 11 points. Hugo Gonzalez and Jordan Walsh double-teamed Tyler Herro and rejected his fast break layup attempt, Boston’s bench mob coming up big after one quarter, and Miami’s lead was trimmed to 11 points, 36-25. Boston outscored Miami 16-9 in the final 5 minutes of the first quarter.

Baylor Scheierman saw his first minutes starting the second quarter alongside Walsh, Simon, Brown, and Queta. The Miami Heat are second in the league in transition field goals, and they started the game with 8 fast break points to zero for Boston.

Queta had two big interior scores for Boston as the C’s were back within double digits at 8 points. In a fast-paced second quarter, Tyler Herro’s back-to-back three-pointers gave the Heat a 10-point lead, 36-46. Garza scored inside, and Hauser drained his first triple of the game, but Bam Adebayo was having a big game for Miami, working inside and stroking it from a distance; he had 15 points through two quarters.

DWhite hit a pair of free throws for Boston and on the next play laid off a neat bounce pass to Garza in the dunker spot; the bench big man had 11 points in the first half in a terrific performance for Boston. Jordan Walsh had a drop step back down in the lane over the shorter Powell and banked home the strong move. Sam Hauser ripped the nylon on his second triple to cut it to single digits; Miami was up at the half, 54-64.

Jaylen Brown opened the scoring for Boston in the second half with a step-back jumper. Brown hit a layup, and White chipped in 2 points on his own layup. Boston is down by 8. Payton Pritchard was scoreless in the first half but had 6 assists, and the Oregon native finally scored on a nifty Euro step through pass from Pelle Larson.

After his 35k fine for comments complaining about free throw discrepancy, JB had his first trip to the charity stripe and converted a pair for Boston. Neemias Queta was whistled for a fourth foul at the seven-minute mark of the third and had to sit out the remainder of the quarter.

Miami looked the fresher and faster of the two teams in the third, despite the Celtics having an extra day of rest. Miami kept the lead at around 11 for the bulk of the quarter. Brown was fouled on a three-point shot attempt by Adebayo. Luka Garza also fouled Fontecchio on his triple attempt, for his fourth, leaving Boston with two big men in foul trouble with a quarter to play.

Simons hit a tough runner in the lane and then had a step-back three-pointer right at the end of the third quarter, Miami hanging on to a ten-point lead, 83-93. Boston would need a massive effort to flip the script in the fourth quarter.

Hugo Gonzalez drove on the break and converted a swooping one-handed layup to start the fourth quarter, cutting Miami’s lead to 8. Anfernee Simons also converted on an up-and-under reverse, putting Boston back within 6 points. Simons split a double team and went high off glass to score again, Boston back within 4 points.

Coach Mazzulla stuck with Gonzalez and Simons, who gave the C’s a big spark in the fourth. White missed his third three of the night, Boston shooting just 28% from three for the game. Simons’s 28th point of the night came on a step-back triple; the Celtics were in the game, down by just 3 points. Simons was unstoppable for Boston; he hit a layup and then hit a turnaround jumper with the 24-second shot clock expiring as the score ticked over to 98-100, Miami, by just 2 points.

Joe Mazzulla had the luxury to reinsert Jaylen Brown with the Miami lead cut to just one possession. Simons found Hauser on a drawn-up play out of the timeout, and he swished a deep three for Boston’s first lead of the game, 101-100, with 5 minutes to go. Simons scored his seventh three of the game over rookie Kasparas Jakučionis. White blocked Powell at the summit down the defensive end and calmly sank a pair of free throws down the other end a play later to take a 109-105 lead.

Jakučionis kicked out his leg on Derrick White with 2 minutes to go, and JB scored in the lane to retake a four-point lead. Hauser tipped home a Luka Garza missed corner three as Boston took a six-point lead, 113-107. Boston hung on to take a massive comeback win on the road thanks to the stellar shot-making of Anfernee Simons, who had 39 points and seven made triples off the bench.

Boston will now have a day off and travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks on Saturday, 17th January, at 7:30pm EST.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/celtics...ons-propels-celtics-past-the-heat-win-119-114

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics Daily Links 1/16/26

Herald Anfernee Simons erupts to power massive Celtics comeback in win over Heat

Globe Celtics rally after trailing by 19 to stun Heat 119-114

Anfernee Simons turned in his best game as a Celtic, and the Heat paid the price

Celtics Green Comments from the Other Side – Heat 1/15/26

CelticsBlog 10 Takeaways from a Celtics comeback win in Miami

Celtics massive comeback took much more than just Anfernee Simons

Celtics’ Anfernee Simons made an “amazing” no-trade case by scorching the Heat

Anfernee Simons propels Celtics past the Heat, win 119-114

Newest Maine Celtics addition just went off in comeback win

Celtics .com Keys to the Game: Celtics 119, Heat 114

NBC Sports Boston The Anferno: Five stats that highlight Simons’ impact with Celtics

Celtics-Heat recap: Anfernee Simons stars in C’s comeback win

NESN Celtics Reportedly Have Interest In Trading For Grizzlies Star

Former Celtics Guard Identified As ‘Player To Watch’ Before Trade Deadline

Latest Kristaps Porzingis Update Shows Celtics Made Right Call

Multiple Reports Say Ex-Celtics Big Man On Trade Block

Troubled Former Celtics Guard Gets Arrested Again For Alleged Robbery

NBA Insider Pegs Derrick White For Major Award At Season’s Midway Point

Mass Live Boston Celtics rookie exceeding every expectation at midway mark

Erik Spoelstra calls out Heat center after Celtics comeback win

Ex-Patriots QB calls Joe Mazzulla ‘a cool, young version of Belichick’

Celtics guard creating surprising trade deadline dilemma for Brad Stevens

Celtics Mailbag: Could Boston land Al Horford replacement at trade deadline?

Jaylen Brown makes important admission on off-night in Heat win

Boston Celtics guard goes down in unique history in Heat win

Anfernee Simons is the Celtics ‘Name to Know’ Player of the Game in Thursday’s win over Heat

4 takeaways as Celtics rally past Heat after historic night by reserve

Celtics Wire Celtics are in trade rumors, but are there big man targets they can land?

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla wants more attention on Anfernee Simons’ defense

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra on why Heat couldn’t stop Anfernee Simons, Boston Celtics

Derrick White embracing larger leadership role for younger Boston Celtics teammates

Adjusting to the Celtics, Anfernee Simons is finding his role – and it shows

Celtics survive red-hot early scoring by Heat, win 119-115 (PHOTOS)

Celtics jersey history No. 54 – Zaid Abdul-Aziz (1978)

Celtics history: Pagliuca, Henderson, Reed born; Robey trade

The Celtics are on a historic winning streak in Miami Heat territory

The Athletic ‘Special’ Anfernee Simons carries Celtics down the stretch in Miami

Boston Sports Journal Picks ‘n Pops: Simons praise, a little respect, and booing your own fans

BSJ Game Report: Celtics 119, Heat 114 – Simons’ historic heater leads big comeback

Hardwood Houdini Anfernee Simons just gave Celtics something nobody else could

Latest rumor just brought Celtics one step closer to blockbuster trade reality

Paul Pierce just delivered a message Celtics fans can’t ignore

Celtics’ latest signing will put a smile on Amari Williams’ face

Celtics just put NBA on notice in way that nobody can ignore

Celtics are finally getting the Jordan Walsh realization all over again

Celtics fans just saw legacy game that changed everything in an instant

Celtics are finally getting Anfernee Simons update they’ve been waiting for

CLNS Media/YouTube Garden Report: Celtics vs Heat Postgame Show on CLNS Media – Anfernee Simons GOES OFF

Anfernee Simons goes CRAZY against Miami – You Got Boston w/ Noa Dalzell

Sam Hauser on Celtics’ 4th quarter surge vs Heat | Celtics Postgame IntervIew

Jaylen Brown on Being BENCHED vs Heat | Celtics Postgame Interview

Anfernee Simons on his 39-point night vs Miami | Celtics Postgame Interview

Joe Mazzulla on Anfernee Simons’ 39-point performance vs Heat | Celtics Postgame Interview

Heavy Celtics Free-Agent Bust Tabbed ‘Most Likely’ to Be Traded

Celtics Bombshell Trade Idea Adds Multi-Time All-Star

3-Team Trade Proposal Sends $161 Million All-Star to Celtics

Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Drops Major Hint About Injury Return

Blockbuster Trade Pitch Lands Anfernee Simons With Heat

Jaylen Brown Makes Candid Admission About Celtics Guard Following Big Night

Three Major Takeaways from Anfernee Simons 39-Point Night

SI .com Chris Mannix Reveals Brad Stevens’ Trade Deadline Plans For Celtics

Miami Heat blow early lead as Simons, Celtics storm back in fourth quarter

Barstool Sports Bald Wemby Has Arrived In The NBA Which Can Only Mean That Complete And Total Destruction Is On The Horizon

Bleacher Report Latest NBA Rumors on Knicks, Celtics, 76ers, Magic Ahead of 2026 Trade Deadline

Basketnews Celtics rookie tells a funny Joe Mazzulla story, opens up on NBA Draft night

Fadeaway World The Most Realistic Targets For The Boston Celtics Before February Trade Deadline

CBS Sports Celtics’ Anfernee Simons shows why he’s one of the most intriguing players heading into the NBA trade deadline

Basketball Network “This season I focused more on basketball than I ever have” – Jaylen Brown on why the Celtics need him more than ever

NBA/YouTube EXTENDED: CELTICS at HEAT | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | January 15, 2026

Duke Roundtable Duke Legend Jayson Tatum’s Fate Will be Decided by One Major Factor

Locked on Celtics HISTORY: Celtics’ Anfernee Simons RESCUES Boston in Miami—Why Jayson Tatum Needs to Pay Attention

Brock Press The Boston Celtics are doing the unthinkable

ESPN NBA trade deadline 2026: One player to watch on all 30 teams

The Sports Hub Celtics complete 19-point comeback, top Heat 119-114

‘You have to believe in yourself’: Simons continues to excel in his role off bench

Miami Herald Heat blows big lead in home loss to Celtics, reaching midway point at 21-20. Takeaways and details

The Celtics Chronicle Boston Celtics Trade Deadline Primer w/ Keith Smith

Audacy The case for keeping Anfernee Simons at the trade deadline

Celtics Recap Celtics Eye Trade for $9 Million Player Amid Tight Deadline Pressure

Basketball Forever Jaylen Brown Questions NBA Referees & Alleges Preferential Treatment

WTOP News Former NBA player arrested in Fairfax Co., charged with robbery and assault

Celtics Roundtable ‘The Anfernee Simons Game’ Saves the Celtics in Miami, Boston Wins 119-114

Rip City Project Celtics are realizing what Blazers always knew about Anfernee Simons

Essentially Sports Cameras Spot Jayson Tatum Teasing Injury Return With 2-Word Message

NBA .com Player of the Night – Anfernee Simons – Jan. 15

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/boston-celtics-daily-links/129322/boston-celtics-daily-links-1-16-26

 

[Boston Celtics]

Celtics, Hawks injury reports reveal several key players are out

ATLANTA — The Celtics (25-15) could be without Payton Pritchard when they face the Atlanta Hawks (20—23) on Saturday night.

Pritchard is doubtful to play as he deals with left ankle soreness; if he’s sidelined, it will be his first missed game of the season. Josh Minott, meanwhile, will miss his 7th consecutive game with a left ankle sprain, and Jayson Tatum continues to be sidelined as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Celtics Injury Report vs. Atlanta (1/17):

Josh Minott – Left Ankle Sprain – OUT
Payton Pritchard – Left Ankle Soreness – DOUBTFUL
Jayson Tatum – Right Achilles Repair – OUT

— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) January 16, 2026

Pritchard scored just 2 points in Thursday’s comeback win over the Miami Heat and sat out for the entire fourth quarter, while his backup, Anfernee Simons, exploded for a season-best 39 points, 18 of which came in the fourth quarter. It’s possible Pritchard’s reduced minutes were related to some ankle soreness, though it’s also likely Joe Mazzulla opted to go with the hot hand.

For the Hawks, former Celtic Kristaps Porzingis is out with left Achilles tendonitis, Zaccharie Risacher is out with a left knee bone contusion, and N’Faly Dante is out with a right knee ACL tear. Dyson Daniels is questionable with a right ankle sprain.

The Hawks are having another mediocre season​

The Atlanta Hawks haven’t quite had the year they were hoping for. By all accounts, Atlanta has been a below-average team; they’ve had the NBA’s 19th-best offensive rating, 16th-best defensive rating, and 18th-best overall net rating. They have a 20-23 record, which is good for the 10th-best record in the conference.

Last week, they parted ways with longtime franchise cornerstone Trae Young, acquiring CJ McCollum and Corey Krispert from the Washington Wizards in exchange. And, they’ve dealt with a myriad of injuries, with Porzingis only appearing in 17 of the Hawks’ 43 games this season, as he’s dealt with POTS and various other injuries.

One bright spot has been the superb play of Jalen Johnson; the likely first-time All-Star has put up monster numbers, averaging 23.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. Offseason addition Nickeil Alexander-Walker is tallying 20.5 points and 3.5 assists. And Porzingis has been effective when he has played, averaging 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

One weird quirk is that the Hawks have been better on the road than at home this season; they’re 7-11 at State Farm Arena, but 13-12 at away games. (The Celtics, meanwhile, are 15-4 at home and 13-6 on the road).

After their win over the Heat, the Celtics now have the second-best net rating in the NBA (+7.1), the second-best offensive rating (121.5), and the 15th-best defensive rating. They hold the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 25-15.

Celtics-Hawks will tip off on Saturday at 7:30pm ET.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/129415/celtics-injury-report-payton-pritchard-atlanta-hawks

 

[Boston Celtics]

Celtics guard gets surprise start as Payton Pritchard sidelined

ATLANTA — Payton Pritchard, who is dealing with ankle soreness, won’t lace up for the first time this season when the Celtics face the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. So, in his place, Baylor Scheierman will start for the third time this year, alongside Derrick White in the backcourt.

Scheierman is averaging 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11.7 minutes this season. He’s appeared in 35 of the Celtics’ 40 games, and started two so far. He also started in Monday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, when Sam Hauser was sidelined with hamstring tightness.

Joe Mazzulla has praised Scheierman for always being ready to impact winning when his (sometimes sporadic) opportunities come.

“He works really hard, so he’s always prepared,” Mazzulla said. “His confidence never wavers — whether he plays well or whether he makes a mistake, his confidence in his ability to impact winning is always there, and that helps a lot. And he can make an impact regardless of how many minutes he plays.”

Baylor Scheierman is starting for the second time this season, with Payton Pritchard sidelined.

It will be Baylor, Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown, and Neemias Queta.

— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) January 18, 2026

Fellow backcourt mate Derrick White has echoed that sentiment.

“He’s been amazing,” White said. “He’s always ready. It’s tough; you never know how many minutes or if he’s gonna play, but he’s always ready. And when he comes in, he just does a lot of things for us, and I feel like it’s always a positive segment when he’s out there with us.

The full list of starters when the Celtics face the Hawks​

1. Derrick White
2. Baylor Scheierman
3. Sam Hauser
4. Jaylen Brown
5. Neemias Queta

Mazzulla opted to keep Anfernee Simons on the bench despite his recent hot play; Simons is coming off a 39-point game against the Miami Heat on Friday night. Over his last 8 games, Simons is averaging 18.3 points and 3.6 assists, while shooting 49.1% from the field and 51.6% from three.

It’s not unsurprising that Mazzulla has kept Simons on the bench; it seems he’s in a similar role to what Pritchard was in last year, when he was a perennial bench player even when the team was short-handed.

For the Celtics, Chris Boucher (lower back spasms) and Josh Minott (ankle sprain) are both out as well.

For the Hawks, CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Vit Krejci, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu will start. Meanwhile, Dyson Daniels, Kristaps Porziņģis, and Zaccharie Risacher are all out.

The Celtics (25-15) face the Hawks (20-23) at 7:30pm.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...-surprise-start-as-payton-pritchard-sidelined

 

[Boston Celtics]

Sam Hauser shines as the Celtics smoke the Hawks, 132-106

On a night where Jaylen Brown scored 41 points, it was Sam Hauser who stole the show. He scored 30 points making 10 three pointers, including 8 of his first 9 looks. The Celtics smoked the Hawks 132-106 as the Celtics advance to 26-15 at the midway point of the season.

The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum, Payton Pritchard, Josh Minott and Chris Boucher. They started Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta. The Hawks were without Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Kristaps Porzingis and N’Faly Dante. They started C.J. McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Vit Krecji, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Onongwu.

This was the Hawks first game back home after a 4 game west coast swing. Those are always tough, if you remember the Celtics were 0-5 in the first game back coming off of long road trips last season.

It was 14-11 at the second timeout. Jaylen Brown took 8 of the first 14 Celtics shots, making 3 of them for 6 points. Joe Mazzulla came out of that timeout with 4 new players surrounding Brown, Anferenee Simons, Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez and Luka Garza.

The Celtics led the Hawks, 30-23 at the end of the first quarter. Jaylen Brown carried the Celtics, scoring 18 points while no else scored more than 3. Brown also had 2 rebounds and 2 assists. He took 13 shots.

jb on pace for 50 shots let’s get it

— vauIt (@VauIIt) January 18, 2026

It was in the 2nd quarter that the Celtics turned up the heat and it happened from three point range. They outscored the Hawks 37-20 in the first 9:23 of the quarter and were 9/12 from threes.

They did not slow down to end the quarter either, scoring 52 points in the period and 82 in the first half, a new season high. They finished the 2nd quarter 19/25 from the field and 11/15 from three.

Boston led Atlanta by 31 points at halftime, 82-51. Jaylen Brown had 29 points while Sam Hauser had 21 points going 7/8 from three point range.

Sam Hauser with his 7th 3 in the first half. Ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/BRBEm72DSd

— Pull up shoot (@NElGHT_) January 18, 2026

The Celtics contained the, as NBC Sports Boston’s Drew Carter said, “vintage Mazzulla Ball barrage” in the third quarter, taking a 40 point lead at the 9:20 mark in the 3rd quarter. They hit the 100 point mark with just over 8 minutes to go in the period.

Jaylen Brown hit the 40 point mark in the first three quarters of the game. He had 41 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists through three quarters (he did not play in the 4th). He was 14/30 from the field and 2/9 from three in 29 minutes.

The Celtics led the Hawks 117-74 at the end of three quarters. Hauser had 24 points while Neemias Queta and Anfernee Simons had 14 points each.

The 4th quarter intrigue was whether or not Sam Hauser would break the single game three point record for the Celtics, which is 11 from Marcus Smart in 2020. He did not, he made 10 threes in the game, only making 2 of his last 12 three point attempts.

The Celtics shot 50% from the field and 42% from three while the Hawks shot 37% from the field and 32% from three. Boston’s next game is Monday night in Detroit against the Pistons at 8 EST.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/celtics...own-derrick-white-neemias-queta-jalen-johnson

 

[Boston Celtics]

Celtics injury report shows key guard could be sidelined vs Pistons

DETROIT — The Boston Celtics could be once again be without Payton Pritchard when they close out a four-game roadtrip against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. Pritchard missed Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks with left ankle soreness — his first absence of the year — and is questionable with the same injury ahead of Monday’s game.

But the Celtics didn’t miss a beat with their starting point guard; Baylor Scheierman started in Pritchard’s place, and Boston defeated Atlanta 132-106.

Three other Celtics are on the injury report alongside Pritchard; Josh Minott will miss his 8th-straight game with an ankle sprain, while Jayson Tatum continues to rehabilitate a ruptured Achilles tendon. It’s been about 8 months since Tatum first suffered the injury, and his timeline to potentially return this season is uncertain. And, Chris Boucher, who has been out of the rotation since late November, is questionable with low back spasms.

Celtics Injury Report vs. Detroit (1/18):

Chris Boucher – Low Back Spasms – QUESTIONABLE
Josh Minott – Left Ankle Sprain – OUT
Payton Pritchard – Left Ankle Soreness – QUESTIONABLE
Jayson Tatum – Right Achilles Repair – OUT

— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) January 18, 2026

The Pistons, meanwhile, have a clean injury slate.

The Pistons have been the best team in the Eastern Conference ​

Monday’s game between the Celtics and the Pistons is a battle between the two best teams in the East. The Celtics (26-15) have the second-best record in the East, while the Pistons lead the way with a 30-10 record.

The Celtics and Pistons have faced off three times this season, and each time, the games have gone down to the wire, with the Pistons winning two of three contests. When the two teams first matched up in October, the Pistons came away with a 6-point win. In November, on the eve of Thanksgiving, the Celtics emerged victorious by 3 points. And, in December, the Pistons won by 7. Saturday will mark the fourth and final regular-season match-up between the two teams.

Both teams come into the Monday night matchup with plenty of momentum, having won two in a row; the Celtics have won 7 of their last 10 games, while the Pistons have won 6 of their last 10.

Celtics-Pistons will tip off at 8pm on Saturday at the Little Caesars Arena.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/article...shows-key-guard-could-be-sidelined-vs-pistons

 

[Boston Celtics]

The Mazzulla puzzulla

On Saturday night, the Celtics had a historic first half in what might have been the best offensive showing of Mazzulla Ball. Per NBC Sports Boston’s Dick Lipe, their 82 points at halftime against the Hawks — 52 in the second quarter alone — was their highest total since thrashing Golden State two years ago.

The weekend win hits a little different though because what this roster of previously back-of-the-bench players and products of patient in-house player development has defied expectations.

It’s a testament to how every player has taken absolute advantage of their opportunity and more so, how head coach Joe Mazzulla has built a system for everybody to thrive in and motivated them to do so. He’s tinkered with the starting lineups, shuttling between experience and youthful energy and offensive punch and defensive flexibility, and now halfway through this “gap year,” Mazzulla seems to have settled on his rotations…until the next time he throws another curve ball.

Jaylen Brown – Derrick White – Payton Pritchard​

695 minutes, 119.9 offensive rating, 112.9 defensive rating​

Halfway through the season last year, Brown and White were also part of Boston’s Big Three with obviously Jayson Tatum in the place of Pritchard. That trio combined for 1591 points on 45.9% shooting (36.2% from 3) in 648 minutes. PP has joined the starting lineup and Brown, White, and Pritchard have been arguably better with 1726 points at 48.9% from the field and 36.8% from behind the arc in 695 minutes.

As a perimeter trio, their offensive efficiency (119.9) is on par with some of the league’s other offensive engines that have the benefit of an efficient big man like Houston’s Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith, and Amen Thompson (120.9 offensive rating) and Minnesota’s Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert (120.6).

With Brown and Pritchard becoming two of the most elite mid-range jump shooters in the NBA and White not skipping a beat with a higher usage rate and level of responsibility on the ball, they’ve become the engine of one of the most efficient offenses in not just random half in mid-January, but NBA all-time history.

Neemias Queta – Jordan Walsh​

354 minutes, 121.3 offensive rating, 108.4 defensive rating​

If he was a higher profile player, there would be a case to be made that Queta is one of the NBA’s Most Improved Players. Instead, he’s been the underrated backbone of this surprising season and one of Boston’s most impactful players after being their biggest question mark heading into training camp. He’s second (behind Hugo Gonzalez, more on that later) in on/off defensive efficiency (107.5 on vs. 116.1 off) and in total steals plus blocks (behind White because of course).

And while Walsh had his day in the sun as a starter, he remains one of Mazzulla’s trump cards as an individual defender/disruptor. His hit list is long and littered with future Hall-of-Famers:

• James Harden: two games, 4-of-9, one turnover
• Donovan Mitchell: one game, 2-of-8, two turnovers
• Cade Cunningham: two games, 3-of-10, four turnovers
• Scottie Barnes: two games, 1-of-3, one turnover
• CJ McCollum: three games, 2-of-8, two turnovers
• Tyrese Maxey: one game, 1-of-9, zero turnovers
• Austin Reaves: one game, 0-of-3, zero turnovers

Walsh has also become better-than-reliable three-point shooter at 43.5%, too. Queta isn’t exactly the shooter that Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford were, but he’s got magnets for hands, can finish with both of them, and has sneaky athleticism off both feet.

Luka Garza – Sam Hauser – Anfernee Simons​

206 minutes, 122.0 offensive rating, 113.8 defensive rating​

Traditionally, a drive-and-kick point guard was a shooter’s best friend; draw enough attention off the bounce and they could get free for an open shot. That still applies to a certain extent, but in today’s defensive switching schemes of the NBA, it’s less effective. Instead, Mazzulla has replaced look-over-here-while-I-do-something-over-there with just brute force, offensive line blocking to get his shooters shots.

In the Celtics resounding offensive explosion in Atlanta on Saturday, Garza recorded six screen assists, one apiece to threes from Hauser and Simons. Both sharpshooters are hovering around 40% three-point shooting on the season after they suffered spells in November and December respectively. All three have also become respectable defenders.

The Hugo Gonzalez Coefficient​

552 minutes, +192​

Somehow, Mazzulla has figured just how much of the rookie to titrate into the mix. Back in December, Gonzalez played the entire second half of a comeback win against the visiting Heat and finished a +22. Last week in Miami, he played just over thirteen minutes, but his stretch between the third and fourth quarters ultimately made the difference in another resurgent run. His four points and three rebounds average is what you’d expect from a 19-year-old rookie; the hustle and momentum-shifting plays are something else.

It would be criminal not to mention Baylor Scheierman, too. The sometimes starter and sometimes DNP-CD is best friends with Gonzalez and you have to wonder if the one thing they have in common is finding ways to play winning basketball. Like Gonzalez, Scheierman is a utility man — a connector that makes shots when he has to (42.6% from 3) and defends his butt off. In 440 minutes, he’s a +65 and someone you can comfortably rely on in his sophomore season.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/articles/129439/the-mazzulla-puzzulla