With their 121-111 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, the Celtics extended their winning streak to eight games, setting a new season-high. What is fueling their success, and what are the most encouraging signs with the playoffs kicking off in less than three weeks?
Let’s take a look at the numbers and some of the trends that stick out.
Jayson Tatum has had eight or more assists in four of the eight games (and he missed two of them)
Over this eight-game win streak, Tatum’s assist totals have been five, eight, six, nine, eight, and eight. Despite missing two games, he leads the team in assists with 44 (7.3 per game).
Tatum has taken a serious step as a playmaker and facilitator this season, and it’s been glaringly apparent during this streak.
For context, the 27-year-old had just nine games with eight or more assists last season. He has had four in his last five games. He is up to 22 such games on the season.
The Celtics are now 18-4 on the season when Tatum records at least eight assists. When he dishes out nine or more, they are 12-2. Entering Saturday night’s win over the Spurs, Tatum’s assists had led to 91 points for Boston. He had 55 potential assists.
To go along with his 7.3 assists, he is averaging 26.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. Those are MVP-like numbers and are taking the Celtics to another level.
Tatum is playing his best basketball of the season – and quite possibly his career – at the right time as we near the postseason.
Kristaps Porzingis has scored 24+ points in four of the eight games (and he, too, missed two games)
Porzingis returned to action in the middle of this win streak after missing eight consecutive games due to illness, and since then, no one has had an answer for him.
The Unicorn is averaging 22.2 points on 54.4% shooting from the field and 37.9% from three, with 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game. He’s been dominant inside, shooting 35-of-54 (64.8%) on two-pointers, and he’s drawn a team-high 36 free-throw attempts, hitting 30 of them (83.3%).
His 133 points over the last six games are his highest total over a six-game stretch this season. He’s also posted a team-high two double-doubles and ranks second on the team in both points and rebounds during this span.
Porzingis is hitting his stride at the perfect time, brimming with confidence and looking fully healthy as the playoffs approach. If this is the version of Porzingis the Celtics get in the postseason, it’ll be even tougher to bet against them in a seven-game series.
Jrue Holiday (+95) leads the team in plus-minus and has scored 20+ points twice
Despite battling through mallet finger on his shooting hand – his right pinky is in a cast, keeping it straight at all times – Holiday has been finding his groove.
In the seven games he’s played during this eight-game win streak, he’s averaging 14.0 points on 48.8% shooting from the field and 38.9% from three, along with 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals. His +95 plus-minus leads the team, and he also leads in steals (11) while ranking third in blocks behind Porzingis and Luke Kornet.
Holiday’s scoring and assist totals have seen an uptick. Although it’s a small sample size, both are higher than his season averages of 10.9 points (44.5% FG, 33.4% three-point) and 3.8 assists.
He’s had two 20-point games during this stretch, including a 25-point night in Miami, where he hit five threes, and a 21-point performance in San Antonio, also knocking down five from beyond the arc. He’s scored in double figures in five of the seven games, a significant improvement from the five double-figure games he had in the 19 games prior to this win streak.
When Holiday is aggressive offensively, the Celtics are a different team. All-time, including playoffs, they are 80-13 when he scores at least 10 points, 40-3 when he scores 15+, and 12-2 when he scores 20+.
You knew Holiday was going to shake off the up-and-down season and be ready for the postseason. That’s why Brad Stevens went out and got him. To see him finding a groove offensively is encouraging.
The Celtics have used six different starting lineups and have still outscored opponents by 115 points
It hasn’t mattered who has been in or out for the Celtics over this stretch. Of the normal rotation players, Luke Kornet is the only one to appear in all eight games. As a result, there has been some mixing and matching for the Celtics, who have been without two or more of their top-six (Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford) in four of these eight games.
The Celtics are firing on all cylinders. Despite some unfamiliar lineups, they have posted a 125.2 offensive rating (second), a 110.2 defensive rating (sixth), and a 15.1 net rating (third). Six of their eight wins have come by double digits, with three by 18 or more points.
The Celtics pride themselves on a “Next man up” mentality, and they have been living up to it as they work their way through the slow March of the NBA calendar.
In their 25 minutes together, the preferred starting five has been outscored by four points
The Celtics’ preferred starting five of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Kristaps Porzingis has faced some inconsistencies this season. They’ve only played 22 games together, and in those minutes, they’ve been outscored by 17 points—the worst among any of the Celtics’ five-man lineups this season. Their numbers show a 112.3 offensive rating, 114.5 defensive rating, and a -2.2 net rating.
While there’s likely not much concern about this unit heading into the postseason, it’s something worth monitoring. Can they find a rhythm heading into the postseason?
They’ve had flashes of success, with two games (against Sacramento and San Antonio) showing positive signs. Over 25 minutes together in those games, however, they’ve been outscored by four points, posting a 110.9 offensive rating, 120.4 defensive rating, and a -9.5 net rating.
It’s worth noting that an injury to Jayson Tatum in Sacramento and foul trouble in both games limited the minutes they were able to play together. But with just eight games remaining, their opportunities for these “dress rehearsals” could be limited before the postseason. It would be nice to see them find their groove before then.
Luke Kornet has posted a +26.5 net rating, the highest mark in the league
The Celtics are 26.5 points better per 100 possessions with Luke Kornet on the floor during this eight-game winning streak. That’s the best mark in the league among players who have appeared in at least six games with at least 20 minutes played.
His +76 plus-minus leads all bench players over that span. He also leads all reserves in rebounds and is tied for the third-most blocks during that stretch.
In their 95 minutes played together, lineups with Kornet and Tatum have outscored opponents by an incredible 25.9 points per 100 possessions. Those lineups have posted a 133.5 offensive rating and a 107.6 defensive rating.
Kornet’s screening and his work with Tatum in the pick-and-roll have created one of the most dangerous offensive combinations in the league—a dynamic the Celtics should definitely tap into come the postseason.
The Celtics have made more threes than their opponents in seven of the eight games
Over this eight-game win streak, the Celtics have hit a league-best 146 three-pointers, while their opponents have made 114—giving Boston a 96-point advantage from beyond the arc. The Celtics are shooting slightly more efficiently (37.4%) than their opponents (36.5%).
They’ve knocked down 20 three-pointers in two games during this stretch, shooting over 40% from deep in both of those contests. Sam Hauser (25-of-50) and Baylor Scheierman (15-of-30) have been especially hot, each shooting over 50%.
On the season, the Celtics are 49-11 when they make more threes than their opponent and 6-6 when they make fewer.
Boston has the fewest turnovers in the league over the last eight games
The Celtics have committed the fewest turnovers in the league over their eight games, totaling just 88 (11.0 per game).
Joe Mazzulla emphasizes winning the game’s margins, with turnovers often at the forefront. But looking deeper, the Celtics have matched or outrebounded their opponents in seven of the eight games and outshot them in six.
That attention to detail and commitment to the process of winning has yielded good results.
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