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Dallas is without several of their key rotation players, including Luka Doncic
The Boston Celtics have been struggling lately. They’re on maybe the most brutal stretch of the season, having just caught the Los Angeles Lakers as their 5th game in 7 nights this past Thursday. Today, they find themselves in Dallas to face off against the Mavericks, now playing an early 5:30 PM EST game after back-to-back games which started at 10:30 PM and 10:15 PM respectively. Between that back-to-back and today’s game, they’ve had just one day of rest. The Celtics haven’t had much time to catch their breath, so they’ll need to take advantage of Dallas’s run-down roster.
The Mavericks are currently without their superstar, Luka Doncic, as well as Dante Exum, Dereck Lively, Naji Marshall, and Dwight Powell, with Klay Thompson and Jaden Hardy listed as questionable. The Celtics, on the other hand, are nearly at full strength – Derrick White being the only name on the injury report as he holds a questionable tag.
How much extra motivation does Dallas have from the Finals?
This is the first time that these two teams are facing off since the Celtics defeated Dallas to bring Banner 18 back to Boston. While Boston didn’t make any significant changes to their roster, the Mavericks had a decent amount of turnaround. Rotation guys like Derrick Jones Jr., Tim Hardaway Jr., and Josh Green all found themselves on new teams, while Klay Thompson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Naji Marshall, and Quentin Grimes all made their way to Dallas.
For today’s matchup, Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, and Maxi Kleber are going to be the only active returning regulars from the team the Mavericks rolled out in the Finals. Usually, the team that lost has the extra motivation, playing with a chip on their shoulder and hoping to win back some pride. With a small subsection of their rotation returning for the matchup, it may be harder for Dallas to find that extra push.
Will the Celtics continue to take short-handed teams lightly?
They’ve had a history of doing it for years now. They allowed it to happen again as recently as this past Wednesday when they faced off against the Clippers who only had one of their regular starters active. Boston ultimately pulled out the win, but only after letting the game go to overtime, and nearly blowing two different late leads.
Dallas is not the team to mess with. Going in with a similar injury list, the Mavericks managed to stun the Thunder in Oklahoma City, beating out the top team in the West this past Thursday. For a team that is badly in need of some momentum, the Celtics can’t let the Mavs catch them by surprise.
Can this be Payton Pritchard’s bounce back game?
After being stellar for most of the season, Payton found himself in a bit of a mini-slump these past two games. In them, he was a combined 6-23 from the floor, 2-12 from three. It’s felt as though he’s held on to the ball more than usual, and has forced up shots while trying to rediscover his rhythm. With Derrick White potentially missing today’s game, it becomes even more important for Pritchard to go back to his steady play from earlier in the season. Payton has played in every single one of Boston’s games over this season and the last, so it’s possible the fatigue is catching up with him.
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
The Celtics look to close out their road trip with a win over the Dallas Mavericks in an NBA Finals rematch.
The Celtics come to the end of their second 4 game Western road trip in the month of January. They take on the Dallas Mavericks in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals. This is the first of 2 games between these two teams this season. They will meet for a second time in Boston on February 6. The Celtics won the series 2-0 last season. The Celtics are 47-39 overall all time against the Mavericks and they are 20-23 in games played in Dallas.
The Celtics are pretty much the same team that played in last year’s Finals as they kept their core together. The Mavericks have had some changes since they lost in Game 5 of the Finals. They lost Derrick Jones, Jr, who was a big factor for them in the Finals. They also lost Tim Hardaway, Jr and Josh Green. They added Klay Thompson, Quentin Grimes and Spencer Dinwiddie.
The Celtics remain 2nd in the East, in spite of their recent struggles. They are 5.5 games behind 1st place Cleveland, who has lost their last 2 games. They are 2 games ahead of 3rd place New York and 4.5 games ahead of 4th place Milwaukee. They are 16-6 on the road and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are 8-5 against Western Conference teams. They are coming off a loss in their last game.
The Mavericks are 7th in the West, 12.5 games behind 1st place Oklahoma City. They are 1.5 games behind both the 5th place Lakers and 6th place Clippers. They are half a game ahead of 8th place Minnesota and 1.5 games ahead of 11th place Golden State. They are 13-9 at home and 4-6 in their last 10 games. They are 6-4 against Eastern Conference teams and are coming off a win in their last game.
The Celtics are playing the final game of a 4 game road trip that started with a 40 point win over the Warriors and a 4 point win over the short handed LA Clippers along with a 21 point loss to the Lakers. Next, they will face Houston and Chicago at home before 3 more on the road through New Orleans, Philadelphia and Cleveland. Then one game at home against Dallas before playing at New York and Miami and home against San Antonio before the All Star Break.
The Mavericks are coming off a win over the Thunder and are playing in the first of 2 home games with Washington coming in on Monday. They will then head out on a 5 game road trip through New Orleans, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Boston. Next up is a 4 game home stand against Houston, Sacramento, Golden State and Miami that will take them to the All Star Break.
For the Celtics, Derrick White is questionable for Saturday’s game against the Mavericks due to left knee soreness. I wouldn’t be surprised to see others added leading up to game time. Jaylen Brown and others have admitted to being a bit beat up and they just completed 5 games in 7 nights and this will make it 6 games in 9 nights. If Derrick is out, I expect Sam Hauser to start and Jaylen Brown to move to the two.
The Mavericks have an extensive injury list, but that didn’t stop them from beating the first place Thunder on Thursday. Luka Doncic (calf), Dante Exum (wrist), Derek Lively II (ankle), Naji Marshall (illness), and Dwight Powell (hip) are all listed as out for this game. Klay Thompson has missed the last 2 games with an ankle sprain and is questionable for this game. Jaden Hardy has missed the last 3 games with an ankle injury and is questionable for this game.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves Luke Kornet Payton Pritchard Neemias Queta Sam Hauser Baylor Scheierman Jaden Springer Xavier Tillman, Sr Jordan Walsh Al Horford
2 Way Players JD Davison Drew Peterson Anton Watson
2 Way Players Kessler Edwards Jazian Gortman Brandon Williams
Injuries/Out Luka Doncid (calf) out Dante Exum (wrist) out Derek Lively II (ankle) out Naji Marshall (illness) out Dwight Powell (hip) out Jaden Hardy (ankle) questionable Klay Thompson (ankle) questionable
Head Coach Jason Kidd
Key Matchups
Derrick White vs Kyrie Irving Irving is averaging 24.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 48.3% from the field and 43.0% from beyond the arc. He always has extra motivation to play against his former team. If White isn’t able to play, we may see Jaylen Brown matched up with Kyrie at the two. The Celtics need to defend him both in the paint and on the perimeter because he is a threat to score from both.
Jayson Tatum vs PJ Washington, Jr. Washington was a big addition to the Mavs at the trade deadline last season. He is averaging 13.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He is shooting 42.3% from the field and 36.5% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to keep Washington off the boards as he is a good rebounder.
Honorable Mention Kristaps Porzingis vs Daniel Gafford Gafford is averaging 12.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game. He is shooting 70.7% from the field and 0% from beyond the arc. Porzingis needs draw him away from the basket as he is a rim protector. They also need to keep him out of the paint as he is automatic once he gets to the basket.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is always the number one key to winning games. There is no truer statement than “Defense wins Championships.” The Mavs are averaging 115.3 points per game (10th) while the Celtics average 117.2 points per game (4th). The Mavs are 11th with a defensive rating of 111.6 while the Celtics are 5th with a defensive rating of 109.6. When the Celtics struggle on offense, as they have in recent games, they have to be able to stop the other team from scoring. The Celtics allowed the Lakers to shoot 42.9% from beyond the arc and they have to do a better job defending the perimeter in this game.
Rebound- Second to defense, rebounding is the key to winning. One of the few times I have agreed with Pat Riley was when he said “No rebounds, no rings.” Much of rebounding is effort and the Celtics have to put out extra effort to win the battle of the boards. When they work hard on the boards, it usually follows through to the rest of the game as well. The Celtics are averaging 45 rebounds per game (11th) while the Mavs are averaging 44.5 rebounds per game (11th). The Celtics were out-rebounded 53-42 against the Lakers. They need to put out extra effort on the boards to keep the Mavs from getting extra possessions and second chance points and to give the same to themselves.
3 Point Shooting - The Celtics are 1st with 48.9 threes attempted per game while the Mavs are 24th with 35.2 threes attempted. The Celtics have struggled shooting the 3 recent games. The Celtics shot just 34% on threes against the Lakers while allowing the Lakers to shoot 42.9% on threes. The Mavericks are likely going to make a concerted effort to run the Celtics off the 3 point line in this game. If the 3’s aren’t falling once again in this game, the Celtics need to go to the hoop and not shoot themselves out of the game. They need to move the ball so that they get open 3’s and not a lot of contested shots.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to be aggressive in going to the basket, in diving for loose balls, and on defense. They have to aggressively crash the boards. They have to be the team that wants to win the game more. In most of their losses, they have allowed their opponents to play harder and be more aggressive. That was once again true of the loss to the Lakers. They absolutely can’t let the Mavericks play harder than them if they want to have a chance to win.
X-Factors On the Road - The Celtics are playing in the final game of a tough road trip. They need to keep their focus on playing the right way and not let the distractions of the road take away that focus. The final game of a road trip is always tough because the team is tired and ready to go home. The Mavericks, especially the role players, are likely to play better on their home court and in front of their fans. The Celtics need to dig down deep and match the energy of the Mavs and play Celtics basketball on the road.
So Many Injuries - Teams with half their players out tend to be the Celtics Kryptonite. Despite the fact that 5 players are out for the Mavericks and another 2 are questionable, they still tend to put up a fight. The Celtics need to play as if they are facing the full Mavericks team and give 100% effort. Hopefully the Celtics don’t play like they are expecting the Mavs to give up without a fight because the injury riddled Mavericks are coming off a win over the 1st place Thunder and are very capable of beating the Celtics if they don’t take the game seriously.
Officiating - The officiating can always be an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently and teams need to adjust to how the game is being called. Will they call the game tight or will they let them play? The Celtics can’t let the officiating take away their focus and they have to adjust to the way the refs are calling it. The Celtics need to play hard and build a lead and not allow the refs to take the game away on some bad calls at the end.
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The team has traded a few threes for layups. It hasn’t worked — yet
Boston’s struggles shooting the ball have been well-documented at this point — they’re below 35% as a team from long range since the new year. Nearly the entire rotation is avoiding the bottom of the net like tuna desperately swimming for their freedom (mmm, I might need some sushi tonight).
Perhaps as a result, there has been a teamwide shift in shot location. From the start of the season until January 2nd, the Celtics ranked 28th in shots at the rim — just 25.8% of their attempts. But from January 3rd onwards, Boston is up to 30.4% — good for 16th over that stretch.
The change in shot location becomes even more noticeable if we lump in what Cleaning the Glass calls the “short midrange” — think of this as the floater area. When we compare trends in rim andSMR attempts to the team’s three-point rate, a clear pattern emerges:
Outside of the very beginning of the season, this is the longest stretch of shot parity we’ve seen from Boston. It’s great news for fans and pundits who think the Celtics have been far too eager to launch the first semi-open three they can find (although they’ve still taken triples at the second-highest rate in the league since the new year began, so new-wave basketball fans, don’t worry).
Boston has been a top-10 team in converting shots at the rim all season. Guys like Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis are all converting 70% or better on layups for the year. But the shifting shot diet hasn’t necessarily correlated to more wins or a better offensive rating yet because the team’s three-point shooting problems have been contagious:
Still, more rim pressure is always a good thing. A more balanced approach leaves the Celtics less at the mercy of the long ball and forces opponents to prepare for a multi-pronged attack.
So, how is it happening?
Usually, rim attempts correlate to transition frequency, but the Celtics have actually been running less overall of late (which is its own problem). Instead, they’re shunting more offense through post-ups and roll men, roughly two more per game of each than at the start of the season. Some of that is thanks to Kristaps Porzingis’ return to the lineup halfway through the year. He’s been especially active as a roller recently, mixing more dives to the rim into his typical pops:
Porzingis has been whacking small guys in the post like so many moles, working hard to establish strong post position:
Jaylen Brown has been an equally big change agent here, however. His three-point rate has significantly declined as the season has gone on (although nine attempts against the Lakers were an outlier):
The Celtics have been utilizing a handful of Brown screens and post-ups each game. There aren’t many players Brown’s size as strong as he is. Smaller players get buried:
It’s possible that this is simply a blip in the season. When — not if, but when — the three-pointers start falling, it’ll be easy for players to fall back into the patterns that were so successful to start the year. But even though the results haven’t been great, I’m at least encouraged to see Boston trying to find a solution to whatever malaise is dragging them down.
I can’t help but think back to an infamous Joe Mazzulla quote from the preseason. “If you look at the animal kingdom, some of the strongest animals don’t defend; they’re the most aggressive, and they attack the most. Whether you’ve won or haven’t won, your mindset can’t change.”
Too often, the Celtics’ offensive approach has felt passive. Perhaps the new emphasis on shots in the paint reflects Mazzulla’s desire for more aggression. We’ll see if it sustains.
There’s a lot wrong with Boston these days, but everything is hard when you aren’t scoring enough. Maybe simplifying everything down to just that is the solution.
We’ve evolved as a basketball-consuming public. Monikers like “winning player,” “intangibles,” and “clutch gene” are still around, but they are subservient to efficiency metrics, advanced box score calculations, and expected shooting percentages. On balance, teams, fans, and analysts don’t make decisions based on “vibes” anymore. We have better stuff now.
But sometimes, it is important to pare things down to their barest state. The Boston Celtics have been struggling mightily, and while there are tons of advanced reasons for that, there is a very simple one: everyone not named Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown or Kristaps Porzingis haven’t been scoring. And while there are thousands of reasons why that could be, that scoring has to improve if the Celtics want to.
Here are the Celtics’ four most relevant not-top-3 guys, paired with their scoring averages in the last 10 games:
Al Horford: 6.1 ppg
Payton Pritchard: 9.7 ppg
Jrue Holiday: 8.4 ppg
Derrick White: 10.0 ppg
Thought experiment: if we can pencil in Brown, Tatum and Porzingis for 60 points on a given night — which we can’t necessarily do, but it’s even a slight underestimation given their averages — adding the rest of the guys’ numbers gets you to 94 points from the Celtics’ seven most relevant players, roughly 20 to 30 points below where they need to be to win a basketball game.
Not only is this number not big enough, it’s also the best-case scenario. If we factor in one single injury, such as to Porzingis, scoring is falling off a cliff. Not good.
You could argue that guys are just missing shots, which they definitely are, but there’s also a question of overreliance on unreliable scoring sources. Payton Pritchard was arguably the Celtics’ fourth-or-third most important offensive player the whole time Porzingis was out, and now he’s not even providing double figures. That shouldn’t be a problem, but Holiday and White aren’t picking up the slack.
Possibly the most concerning trend, though, is Horford’s precipitous fall off as a reliable source of points. He’s shooting five percent worse from three this season on only marginally higher volume, and any decline in Horford’s scoring ability may not be merely mental; he’s 38, and a decrease in output, while expected, may be permanent.
In short, the Celtics are not scoring enough points whatsoever. This is an extremely simple and incomplete way to understand why the Celtics have been losing, but it is a useful window nonetheless. There are countless reasons why they aren’t scoring enough, but sometimes you need a simple solution before you break it down into smaller parts.
That’s because we don’t even know exactly what is wrong, let alone exactly how to fix it. The Celtics look unfocused and sloppy, but trying to fix everything may be the enemy of progress. Everything needs help, from defense to execution to rebounding. But in the modern NBA, where stopping… anyone is harder than it has ever been, all of that is subordinate to scoring. Thus, focusing simply on scoring more may be the secret to turning this ship around.
Photo by Stuart Cahill/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images
The Celtics have hit a rough patch, but I’m having a hard time being concerned.
We are firmly in the dog days of the NBA season. The weather is cold, and so is the Celtics’ shotmaking. The team has largely put together an uninspiring January, but even so, I’m finding it difficult to worry about them.
Of course, this is partially based on the belief that they’ll be prepared to play serious basketball when the games matter. Truthfully, they’ve earned that right to receive the benefit of the doubt.
Alternatively, I’ve found my capacity to worry about the team is nonexistent.
I don’t mean that no loss has the ability to disappoint, because some certainly have. But the layer of existential questions that hung over the team for years was finally stripped away last summer.
In the past, every loss served as an opportunity for pundits and fans to invalidate all of Boston’s accomplishments. A mid-season defeat to a contender meant that they weren’t ready, or possibly never would be. Finishing two wins away from a title didn’t stop the notion that Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum can’t win together.
The championship put all of that to bed, for me at least.
Photo by Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
A desire to generate engagement will result in people attempting to poke holes in greatness, but there’s no take that can re-write the story. Theoretical asterisks on a dominant season won’t find their way into the history books. Sure, you can point out the injuries teams had in their path, but they played who was in front of them, and won comfortably.
In pursuit of back-to-back titles, the timeline looks different than it used to. Their season isn’t defined by a rough stretch before the All-Star break. It’ll be marked by their record in the playoffs. We know that they cando it now, so the losses — even the bad ones — don’t feel as significant.
There’s no rock bottom for the defending champs this early in the year. Hopefully they don’t take that as a challenge, but only the third loss in a playoff series can really bring me a meaningful level of concern.
A few weeks of mediocre hoops is a reminder that they’re not perfect, and the road to repeating is extremely narrow. Their sample of great basketball is much larger though, and a good enough reason on its own to keep the panic to a minimum.
They’ve graduated from the stress and desire of chasing that first ring, and are now attempting to join more prestigious company.
It’s no longer about whether they can make it to the Finals or even win it all. They’ve already proven capable. Now, the challenge is maintaining that level of excellence consistently—something only the league’s true dynasties can do. And while that’s a different kind of pressure, it’s also one that feels familiar and in some ways, easy to deal with.
As a fan, I’ll always want more, but I find great satisfaction in this era already. I don’t say this to eulogize this season, or make excuses for the poor performance, but rather to explain how my relationship with their struggles feels different.
They’re in a rough patch right now, but they have the personnel and experience to find their way out. For now, I can enjoy the ride without constantly worrying about the destination.
Boston’s quest for back-to-back championships likely comes down to their guard play.
There are a lot of things that need to go right to win the title.
Avoiding injuries, shot luck variance, and a favorable playoff bracket are all major factors into winning a championship.
You also need your best players to play well and the Celtics had that a year ago. Specifically, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday were huge throughout.
We all remember the huge defensive plays they made to seal games during Boston’s title run a season ago.
In the biggest moments, when the Celtics needed someone to step up, it was Holiday and White who constantly got the job done.
White and Holiday were fantastic on the offensive end as well. Holiday averaged 13.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 62% true shooting and 40% from three, while White averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 62% true shooting and 40% from three.
They were fantastic and their play was one of the biggest reasons the Celtics were as good as they were on their way to capturing Banner 18.
This year has been different. Since Kristaps Porzingis’ return on November 25th, neither guy has been shooting the three-pointer as well, with Holiday at 33% on 5.2 attempts per game and White at 34% on 8.6 attempts per game.
The corner three is what has hurt Holiday the most. After shooting 60% on corner threes in the regular season last year, Holiday is at 29% from the corners this season. Above the break threes is where White did his damage a season ago shooting 40%; on above the break threes this season, White is at 35.5%. And since November 25th, on above the break threes, White is at 32.5% and Holiday is at 25% on corner threes.
For what it’s worth, I have actually been really excited with the way KP has been playing over his last nine games, scoring 19.7 points, grabbing 8.0 rebounds and blocking 1.3 shots per game on 49% from the field and 46% from three-point range.
White and Holiday were fantastic all of last season, so them hitting a prolonged slump at the same time is playing a big reason to why the Celtics have struggled over the last two months. They are still getting and taking a lot of the same looks, but they just have not gone in the way they did a season ago.
These are guys who have showed us that they are elite shooters and playing with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown generates a lot of open threes. Statistically, water is likely to find its level eventually.
Both guys defensive numbers are in similar spots to where they were a season ag,o so there isn’t a way to quantify if their defense has been worse than last season. It hasn't been worse in my opinion anyways. White’s block percentage is in the same spot as it was a year ago at 1.8% and Jrue Holiday is also 34 years old, so his defense is not going to be there every night.
But if the Celtics are going to go back-to-back, they are going to need their guards to hit shots. It does not guarantee anything, but it will make them a much bigger threat. I have all the confidence in the world that they will.
The Lakers had a game plan, and the Celtics roster was too tired to overcome it.
The Los Angeles Lakers came into Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics with a clear plan: make Joe Mazzulla’s team shoot off the bounce.
“Make ‘em put it on the floor,” Anthony Davis told TNT’s Allie LaForce on the sidelines after the game. “They shoot very well when they get a catch-and-shoot, but it kind of drops significantly when they have to put it on the floor, so that was our game-plan, don’t let them get no catch-and-shoot.”
This wasn’t great to hear from Anthony Davis:
“Make ‘em put it on the floor. They shoot very well when they get a catch-and-shoot, but it kind of drops significantly when they have to put it on the floor, so that was our game-plan.”
( NBA on TNT) #Celtics
The Celtics scored 32 of their 96 points off the catch, going 11-for-27 from the field. 25 of those shots came on the perimeter, with the Celtics making 10 of them — a 40% conversion rate.
On the flip side, the Celtics took 28 shots off the bounce, 16 of them coming from deep, with a 25% conversion rate on the perimeter. The Celtics shot 28.6% overall when taking pull-up shots against the Lakers.
Stats.nba.com
Celtics catch-and-shoot and off-the-dribble attempts vs. Lakers
How does that compare to their season averages? Did the Lakers really impact the Celtics shot diet in the way they wanted?
This season, the Celtics average 30.3 catch-and-shoot attempts per game. They generate 34.8 points off those shots and shoot 38.4% from 3-point range.
stats.nba.com
Celtics catch-and-shoot attempts + makes for season vs. against Lakers
There seems to be minimal variance between the Celtics’ season-wide catch-and-shoot numbers and their performance against the Lakers. Furthermore, the Celtics actually had a slightly higher efficiency rating against Redick’s team than the season average.
The truth is, the Celtics did lose this game due to their poor shooting off the bounce, but it wasn’t because the Lakers denied catch-and-shoot opportunities. Instead, their inability to create good looks when driving the lane was a primary symptom of their struggles.
On the season, the Celtics shoot 16.5 attempts per game via their 37.6 drives, knocking down 9 of those shots. Against the Lakers, the Celtics took 19 shots via drives but only converted 4 of them, giving them a 21.1% conversion rate.
They drove slightly more than normal and converted at a considerably worse clip. Based on their season averages, the Celtics dropped an expected 10 points with their limitations at the rim.
stats.nba.com
Celtics drives vs. shot attempts for season compared to vs. Lakers
According to Cleaning The Glass, they hit 31.8% of their shots within 4 feet of the basket outside of garbage time, despite those looks making up 29% of their total offense.
Here’s a good example of the Celtics’ struggles at the rim. I saved this clip because I liked the timing of Jaylen Brown’s relocation, which opened up the drive for Holiday. LeBron James does a good job of denying Holiday a shot or pass, forcing him to put the rock on the floor. Unfortunately, he smoked the layup, which was indicative of the Celtics’ struggles throughout the night.
Even Jaylen Brown, often the Celtics best rim finisher and most explosive scorer, went 1-of-5 at the rim.
The Lakers did a great job of shrinking the middle of the floor. That way, they could collapse on drives without over committing help defenders and leaving kick-out opportunities on the table. This is likely what Davis was talking about when discussing limiting catch-and-shoot attempts.
nba.com
Lakers 1-2-2 zone, also known as box-and-1, shrunk the floor vs. Celtics
This coverage allowed the Lakers to pinch at the point of entry while also closing down space around the rim, making life extremely difficult when driving the rock into the paint. That same coverage also helps deter kick-outs, as the help doesn’t have far to travel to recover and contest catch-and-shoot threes.
Perhaps that’s why Boston registered three less passes out of drives throughout the game — not that it made any difference. The Celtics average 4 assists on drive-and-kick per night, and they ended the Lakers game with…yup, you guessed it, 4 assists.
Still, Brown is usually explosive enough to finish through this type of coverage. However, after the game, he admitted he was carrying a slight injury due to rolling his ankle in the Jan. 18 loss to the Atlanta Hawks and then tweaking the injury during the second quarter vs. Los Angeles.
“I’m still trying to get my burst and my explosion back,” Brown said. “I didn’t finish a lot of baskets around the rim, just because it’s messing with me a little bit. But it will get there... And then I’ve been just a little bit banged up, but pushing through,” Brown said. “Tonight wasn’t a great showing for our team energy-wise. I missed a lot of baskets around the rim and my team needs me to make those. So I need to be able to produce for my team.”
Here’s another example of how the Lakers shrunk the floor, this time from Payton Pritchard, who smoked multiple layups and middies throughout the night.
Notice how the Lakers are positioned. They’re guarding man-to-man but are zoning up on the perimeter, allowing them to pinch/dig on penetration but also to quickly close out to shooters on the perimeter. They’ve also got a paint presence as they slightly cheat off the dunker spot.
Lakers shrinking the perimeter to deter penetration from Celtics.
When looking at how the two off-ball perimeter defenders are situated, it’s easy to see how they could jump the passing lane and get out in transition. It’s also obvious how easy a dig-and-recover (jumping toward the ball to remove space and pressure the dribble) would be to execute.
Lakers perimeter defense vs. Celtics
What I find interesting is that this possession is deep into garbage time, with the game already won. Yet, the Lakers stuck to the defensive principles that had helped them build a lead. If your deep bench is executing like this, then you know the game plan has worked, and everybody has been brought in to execute it, regardless of the score.
So, when circling back to Davis’ comments, it’s clear that the Lakers’ approach was more nuanced than making them “put the ball on the floor.” Instead, the Lakers looked to limit Boston’s drive-and-kick offense, took away easy looks at the rim, and closed down space in the mid-range to limit the Celtics’ opportunities.
In fairness, the Celtics did counter this coverage with additional work out of the post. They took 8 shots on 14 post-ups, converting at a 75% clip. They passed out of 4 of those, possessions, too. Here’s how those post-up numbers compare to the season averages.
Celtics Post-Up possessions for season vs. against Lakers
The Celtics were playing their fifth game in seven nights. Heavy legs were certainly part of their issues against the Lakers. Couple that fatigue with multiple players carrying some form of injury, I’m looking at you, Brown and Holiday, and the overall picture starts to become clear.
Yes, the Lakers had a solid (but nuanced) defensive plan to slow down the third-ranked offense in the NBA, but the players tasked with executing that offense were also drained. It’s been a tough week for the C’s, and that’s before we factor in the amount of travel they’ve had this month.
As such, this loss was a good mixture of defensive execution, schedule fatigue and lingering injury problems. You tip your cap at the Lakers, and then you look ahead to Saturday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks and beyond.
However, I will say, just as I was concerned when the Warriors set out a defensive blueprint on Nov. 7, the Lakers may have provided teams with another avenue to explore moving forward. Mazzulla’s team is more than capable of adjusting, but it will be interesting to see who else (if anyone) adopts a similar approach in the coming weeks. For now, though, I think this is one you watch, learn from and then flush. Bring on the Mavericks and a repeat of last season’s NBA Finals!
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Online sites for Boston Celtics basketball NBA live stream
Fans of the Boston Celtics can watch their team on various streaming services. Here's a guide to help you find the best options, prioritizing free services and those with free trials:
Free Streaming Options:
1. NBA.com: The NBA and its broadcast partner TNT occasionally offer free streamed presentations of particular games. To check availability, visit NBA.com and look for the "Watch" link next to the scheduled game. If available, you'll see "Watch TNT" as an option.
2. TNT Overtime: Sometimes available within the NBA League Pass selection box on NBA.com, offering free streaming for select games.
Paid Streaming Services with Free Trials:
1. YouTube TV: Offers a free trial period. Sign up here.
2. Hulu + Live TV: Provides a free trial. Sign up here.
3. fuboTV: Includes a free trial period. Sign up here.
Regional sports networks (RSNs) often air local NBA games. Ensure your streaming service package includes the relevant RSN.
Some streaming providers allow sign-in using credentials from your existing cable, satellite, or telco TV provider without additional cost.
By exploring these options, you can find the best way to watch Boston Celtics games, whether through free streams or by taking advantage of free trials from paid services.
TD Garden Arena location and map
TD Stadium Arena 100 Legends Way, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 Phone: 617-624-1331 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. https://www.tdgarden.com/
Contact the Boston Celtics NBA Basketball organization Boston Celtics Arena and Headquarters 226 Causeway Street, Fourth Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 Phone: 866-4CELTIX Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. http://www.nba.com/celtics
