Five under-the-radar storylines: Celtics looking to stay on 95

Share

BOSTON – Moments after Boston extended its winning streak to 12 in a row on Sunday, Daniel Theis asked, "We held another team under 95, right?”

Right.

The 95-94 win over Toronto was the 11th time in the last 12 games -- all Celtic victories -- that Boston’s opponent scored less than 95 points.

And that, more than anything else, is what the Celts are concerned with.

Their offense has not clicked as well as they would like, obviously. But these players have seen first-hand just how much of an impact you can have on winning when your defense plays at a high level consistently.

Boston ranks near the top of most defensive categories in the NBA, a big reason why they have the best record in the league and why they will once again be heavy favorites when they return to action tonight at Brooklyn.

The Celtics' defense has been particularly impressive in the fourth quarter. Opponents are averaging 23.5 points, which ranks fourth in the league in points allowed in the fourth quarter. The C's also rank among the top 10 in field-goal percentage defense (.424, 7th), 3-point percentage defense (.281, 3rd) and made field goals allowed (8.6, 6th).

Defense down the stretch has been huge for Boston, with three of its last four victories coming by three points or less . . . including Sunday’s one-point victory over the Raptors.

“Every possession matters when it comes down to a one-point game,” said coach Brad Stevens.

Defense is one thing everyone's aware of. But here are five below-the-radar story lines heading into tonight’s game between Boston and Brooklyn:

THE PICK 

The Nets are playing much better now than they have for the last couple of years and -- outside of the Nets themselves -- you might not find another franchise happier about that than the Celtics. Boston had the rights to Brooklyn’s first-round pick in 2018, but sent it to Cleveland as part of the Kyrie Irving trade. So the better Brooklyn plays, the lesser the chances are that the Brooklyn pick will wind up as the top overall pick.

TERRY ROZIER

Terry Rozier made a couple of huge baskets in Boston’s 95-94 victory over Toronto on Sunday. But Rozier’s rebounding has really been what has stood out for his game. He is averaging 5.4 rebounds per game, tied for ninth among all guards in the NBA this season. But even more telling is how Rozier is grabbing a good chunk of the rebounds he has an opportunity to snag. He has a rebounding percentage of .111, which is tops among all guards coming off the bench in the NBA this season.

TRANSITION DEFENSE

Brooklyn has been among the NBA’s better scoring teams this season because, among other things, they get out and run. The results have been pretty good thus far. The Nets average 13.2 fast-break points per game, which is seventh in the NBA. The Celtics have been one of the best at limiting opponents getting easy points on the run, evident by them allowing 7.3 fast-break points which is ranks 7th in the NBA.

PACE MAKER

These two teams are at the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to playing with a great pace. The Nets are literally the Pace-setters in the NBA with a league-best pace of 107.72. Meanwhile, the Celtics don’t play with nearly as fast a pace as Brooklyn. Boston has a pace of 98.68, which ranks 25th in the NBA.

ZELLER SIGHTING

Ty-ler Zel-ler! Ty-ler Zel-ler! The former Celtic-now-Net has made the most of his limited minutes, similar to what he did during his time in Boston. He has appeared in six games off the bench, averaging 9.0 points while shooting 60.5 percent in 15.2 minutes per game.

Contact Us