Jan 22

NYK99
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ORL93
TOR109
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PHI109
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WAS88
LAL111
Final

Jan 23

BOS30-13
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NBCSB @3:30 AM UTC
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ATL22-20
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ESPN @12:30 AM UTC
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NBCSBAY @3:00 AM UTC
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IND24-19
NBAt @7:00 PM UTC

Jan 24

BOS30-13
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TNT @3:00 AM UTC
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ATL22-20
FDSE @12:30 AM UTC
MIA21-21
MIL24-17
TNT @12:30 AM UTC
DAL23-20
OKC35-7
KFAA @1:00 AM UTC
SAC22-20
DEN27-16
NBCSCA @2:00 AM UTC
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GSW21-21
NBCSBAY @3:00 AM UTC
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LAC24-18
MNMT @3:30 AM UTC

Jan 25

BOS30-13
DAL23-20
ABC @10:30 PM UTC
POR15-28
CHA11-28
FDCH @12:00 AM UTC
CLE36-6
PHI15-27
NBCSP @12:00 AM UTC
NOP12-32
MEM28-15
NBAt @1:00 AM UTC
IND24-19
SAS19-22
ESPN @5:00 PM UTC
DEN27-16
MIN22-21
ABC @8:00 PM UTC
MIA21-21
BKN14-30
SUN @11:00 PM UTC

Forsberg: These eight stats tell story of Celtics at All-Star break

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Cedric Maxwell explains what he thinks has changed for the Celtics during their 9-game winning streak including sharing what Marcus Smart told him was the most important factor.

The NBA All-Star break is more like the three-quarter pole of the 2021-22 season than the midpoint. A furious 22-game sprint from the middle of a crowded Eastern Conference pack awaits the Boston Celtics in the "second half" of the season.

How should we feel about the Celtics down the home stretch? Has the team’s recent play suggested they can truly emerge as a contender? What concerns linger despite a recent nine-game winning streak?

Let’s dive into the numbers -- the good, the bad, and the ugly -- that highlight some of Boston’s recent improvements but also remind us that there’s still work to be done for this team to emerge as a legitimate threat.

65.7

That’s Boston’s assist percentage with Derrick White on the court in the four games since his acquisition at the trade deadline.

Not only is that 2.3 percent higher than Boston’s already boosted assist percentage while winning 11 of its last 13 overall, it’s 6.2 percent higher than Boston’s assist percentage for the season (59.5 percent, 16th in the NBA).

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White’s arrival added a willing ball-mover whose quick decision-making should promote the uptick in assist percentage that first-year coach Ime Udoka has been clamoring for since his introductory press conference.

Also notable: 10 of White’s first 15 assists in green have gone to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, showcasing just how good of a fit he can be next to those players.

.379

That’s Boston’s winning percentage in clutch games -- score within five points, final five minutes -- this season. It’s the one caution fluttering wildly in the background amid all the positives from Boston’s recent play.

The Celtics have a minus-7.1 net rating in clutch games, including an anemic 101 offensive rating in crunch time. Boston’s assist percentage plummets to 49.5 percent, highlighting how often the team devolves to isolation-heavy play in tight games.

Even in calendar year 2022, as the Celtics have surged, Boston is still a meager 5-4 in clutch games. The crunch-time net rating sits as plus-2.1 over the past two months but the offensive rating remains stuck in the mud at 101.1.

83.6

That’s Boston’s defensive rating when Marcus Smart and Al Horford have shared the court over 186 minutes since Smart’s return on January 23.

Forsberg: Elite defense gives Celtics a real chance to contend

Not only is that the best defensive rating among all two-man lineups that have played at least 100 minutes together in that 13-game span, but Smart and Horford have an overall net rating of plus-36.6 in that span, also the best on the team of any two-man pairing.

Yes, the OGs are holding down the defensive fort as Boston pushes towards owning the best defense in the NBA.

+5.1

That’s Boston’s point differential per 100 possessions, per Cleaning the Glass data.

The good news: That’s the fifth best in the NBA and a fraction of a point behind Miami for the best mark in the East. The frustrating part: That point differential projects the Celtics as five wins better than they’ve been to date, meaning Boston should be 39-21 instead of 34-26.

That five-game swing complicates Boston’s quest to shimmy up into the top half of the East playoff bracket.

36.3

That’s the field goal percentage that opponents are shooting against Robert Williams over his last 11 appearances before the All-Star break. That’s 11.1 percent below those players’ expected field goal percentage, all while Williams defends a team-high 14.6 attempts per game. (He ranks fourth in the NBA in contested shots per game since January 23.)

Boston’s defense has leveled up in the new calendar year after Udoka shifted Williams into his free safety role -- allowing Williams to roam from shooters and create mass havoc with his athleticism.

Still, it was encouraging that Williams saved some of his finest individual effort for a crunch-time joust with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic last Friday. The NBA’s tracking data that night had Williams allowing Jokic only four points on 2-of-6 shooting over four minutes and 20.4 partial possessions of matchup time. 

110.3

That’s Boston’s offensive rating this season, which ranks 18th overall in the NBA. The only championship team of the past three decades that didn’t have a top-11 offense was the 2004 Detroit Pistons.

Boston can cross its fingers that a top-ranked defense can carry them deep into the playoffs, but when every basket feels like a chore in the postseason, the Celtics simply can’t endure the painful lulls we’ve routinely seen this season.

Since January 1, Boston ranks 10th in the NBA with an offensive rating of 113.5. But the fact that they’ve had so many lopsided wins and still barely crack the top 10 in efficiency is slightly concerning.

+28.9

That’s Boston’s team-best net rating in Tatum’s 437 on-court minutes over the last 13 games, including a team-best offensive rating of 122.1. Boston’s net rating plummets to team-worst plus-1.8 in his 187 minutes off floor with a frightening 99.2 offensive rating.

Everyone else on team has a net rating of plus-double digits when off the court since January 23, which yet again hammers home just how vital Tatum is to Boston’s success. This team’s offense simply cannot sustain without him.

14-12

That’s Boston’s win-loss record against teams over .500 this season. The Celtics are the only team in the East with a winning record in that category, which only hammers home how many winnable games they’ve let slip away against sub-.500 squads (20-14 record).

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