Better starts top the list of areas the Celtics have to improve upon

Share

BOSTON — As the first quarter on Wednesday night against San Antonio came to a close, the Boston Celtics found themselves in an all-too familiar game of catch-up. 

It was indeed a been-there, done-that kind of moment for the Celtics, who have been at their worst this season at the start of games. 

And in this pivotal month of January, when the games are coming at a faster and more furious pace than usual, those slow starts are going to make it a lot tougher for the Celtics (25-10) to continue their winning ways and remain one of the top teams in the East. 

LIVE stream the Celtics all season and get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App.

There was a lot to unpack in Boston’s 129-114 home loss to San Antonio that contributed to a second straight loss — both to teams with losing records. 

But more than anything else, the Celtics’ struggles from the opening tip set into motion another rough outing for the Green Team as they hit the road to take on Philadelphia tonight, with the goal being that Philly will be the elixir they need to avoid yet another round of early game doldrums.

Boston comes into tonight’s game against the Sixers in the bottom-five in terms of first-quarter scoring. The Celtics' 25.9 points in the first quarter ranks 26th in the NBA, and it's been even worse recently. 

In Boston’s four games this month, the Celtics are averaging just 22.0 points per game in the first quarter, which ranks 28th in the NBA during that span. 

Meanwhile, the Sixers come into tonight’s game allowing just 25.6 points per game in the first quarter, which ranks third in the NBA in first quarter defense.

But it remains to be seen how the absence of Joel Embiid (dislocated finger) will impact how the Sixers come out and play to start tonight's game. 

Regardless of what the Sixers do, the Celtics know their overall effort and sense of urgency as a team has to be a lot better than what we’ve seen recently.

“The last two games, we didn’t play hard enough,” said Jayson Tatum. “We got out-played in terms of effort.”

That’s a surprising and candid admission by Tatum, because for the most part, playing hard night-in and night-out has been among the many strengths of this Celtics team. 

The last few games? Not so much. 

“I don’t want to make any excuses,” Tatum added. “We just have to play harder and tougher.”

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens echoed those sentiments. 

“We’re not playing hard enough, the last two games. Bottom line,”  Stevens said. “Other teams deserve credit for beating us. Washington played great. I don’t want to take anything away from them. San Antonio was awesome. They were awesome against the (Milwaukee) Bucks.

“If you’re not going to play to your max, then you’re going to get beat in this league. Often badly.”

Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-76ers, which tips off Thursday at 6 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live. You can stream it here or on the MyTeams App.

Contact Us