For the third time in three weeks, the Celtics faced the 76ers — and for the third time, the game came down to the final possession. This time, with Philadelphia eking out a 102-100 win after Derrick White’s 38-foot heave missed and Neemias Queta’s potential game-winning tip-in rolled off the rim.
The game had 16 lead changes and 11 ties. Jaylen Brown (24 points, six rebounds, five assists), Derrick White (18 points, seven assists, five rebounds), and Anfernee Simons (17 points, five assists, four rebounds) were the only Celtics to record double-figure scoring. Justin Edwards had 22 points on a ridiculous 8-of-9 (88.9%) shooting from the field and 5-of-6 (83.3%) from three. Tyrese Maxey had 21 points, but he shot a season-worst 29.4%.
Here are four takeaways from the loss, as the Celtics return home to face the Grizzlies on the second night of a back-to-back. Five of Boston’s next six games will be played at TD Garden.
More trouble in the clutch
The Celtics are now 2-5 in clutch games, tied for the second-worst record in the NBA, behind only the Dallas Mavericks. As a reminder, clutch in the NBA is defined as the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points.
In those clutch minutes, the Celtics are 21st in offensive rating (98.0), 28th in defensive rating (130.8), and 26th in net rating (-32.7). Opponents have shot 48.7% from the field and have corralled eight offensive rebounds, the third-most in the league.
A late offensive rebound again got the best of the Celtics on Tuesday night, as Kelly Oubre Jr. beat Jaylen Brown after Justin Edwards missed a 26-foot three-point jumper for a go-ahead putback with 8.7 seconds remaining.
“It was a tough miss that just didn’t bounce our way,” Joe Mazzulla said.
The Celtics are two defensive rebounds away from being .500.
Instead, they’re 5-7 — their worst start since the 2014-15 season — and late-game execution continues to play a significant role. They’ve been outscored by 18 points in clutch situations, the second-most in the NBA, trailing only the Pelicans (-21), and, at times, have simply looked lost.
“Just the process of understanding where we can get better,” Mazzulla said. “Again, always talk about the plays we can be better at throughout the whole game and just kind of executing down there.”
The Celtics are going to be playing a lot of close games. At some point, they’re going to have to figure out how to win them.
Jordan Walsh continued his strong week
It’s a shame that another late-game offensive rebound cost the Celtics this game, because Jordan Walsh should really be the top story.
After playing the entire fourth quarter and coming up with a huge shot to seal a victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night, Joe Mazzulla once again turned to Walsh down the stretch, and again, he didn’t disappoint.
This time, Walsh came up with three consecutive stops on Tyrese Maxey. First, he stayed glued to Maxey, forcing a 15-foot turnaround fadeaway that clanged off the back rim with just over a minute and a half to play. Then, he shadowed Maxey on every dribble before contesting a missed floater with 46.5 seconds left. On the final possession, he forced Maxey to kick out to Justin Edwards, who missed — only for Kelly Oubre Jr. to tip in the eventual game-winner with 8.7 seconds remaining.
For important context, Maxey is second in total scoring this season, behind only the reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Walsh, who got the start in the second half over Josh Minott, who played just 8:16 and did not appear in the second half, set a new career-high in minutes (29:18) for the third time in the last four games. Before last Wednesday, Walsh had never played more than 21 minutes in a game.
“He’s been playing well. He’s been playing well on both sides of the ball. I thought he did a great job on Maxey throughout the game. I thought he did a great job on him on the last possession,” Mazzulla said. “He’s just got to keep getting better.”
Walsh finished with eight points (3-7 FG, 1-3 3PT), seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and an assist. Over the Celtics’ last four games, he’s a team-best +51, ranking second in rebounds (26, behind Neemias Queta’s 36) and second in steals (7, behind Derrick White’s 9). He’s recorded at least two steals in three of those four games while shooting 52.9% from the field (9-17) and 50% from deep (4-8).
“He’s learning the understanding of the identity,” Mazzulla added. “Just the effort that he plays with on the defensive end, the different ways that he can play-make on the offensive end, whether it’s screening, whether it’s offensive rebounding, knocking down open shots, which he’s done. He’s just getting better and better. He’s got to keep it up.”
The past week has been very impressive for Walsh, who is still only 21 years old and has appeared in just 69 games, totaling only 608 minutes.
He’s getting an opportunity like never before in his young career — and he’s making the most of it, posting a 27.4 net rating over the last four games. It’s a complete turnaround for Walsh, who opened the season out of the rotation. And it’s a welcome sight for the Celtics.
“I thought Jordan was great tonight,” Jaylen Brown said. “He’s shooting the ball well. He’s doing his job. It’s a good sign.”
The Celtics are still looking for some shooting consistency
The first half was ... ugly. And that’s putting it nicely.
The Celtics shot just 14-of-50 (28%) from the field and 4-of-21 (19%) from three-point range, scoring only 41 points. That 28% mark was the lowest first-half shooting percentage by any team in the NBA this season — and the Celtics’ worst since December 18, 2022. It also stands as the second-worst first-half performance of the Mazzulla era.
The bench (Anfernee Simons, Jordan Walsh, Sam Hauser, Luka Garza, and Hugo Gonzalez) outscored the starters (Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, Jaylen Brown, Josh Minott, and Neemias Queta) 25-16.
Brown, White, and Pritchard were a combined 2-of-20 (10%) from the field and 0-of-10 from three.
“We played well. It was a great offensive process,” Mazzulla said of the first half. “I thought we missed some two-on-one advantages, but we played really well from a process standpoint.”
The third quarter was a completely different story. The Celtics shot 15-of-23 (65.2%) and knocked down five of nine three-point attempts (55.6%). Derrick White delivered the big quarter he desperately needed, scoring 13 points and hitting all three of his threes (5-of-6 FG). Jaylen Brown added 14 points (6-of-8 FG, 1-of-1 3PT). Between them, they accounted for 11 of Boston’s 15 makes (73.3%), outscoring Philadelphia 27-20 on their own.
Yet, in the fourth quarter, the offense stalled again, outside of Anfernee Simons, who made three of his four shot attempts. The Celtics were held to just 23 points on 7-of-19 (36.8%) shooting. Excluding Simons, the Celtics shot 4-of-15 (26.6%).
It feels like these shooting inconsistencies have been far too common. And when you can’t make shots, winning basketball games becomes awfully difficult.
Hugo Gonzalez left with an injury
Hugo Gonzalez sprained his ankle in the third quarter. The team initially listed him as questionable to return, but he was soon upgraded to available, though he did not re-enter the game.
Being made available is a good sign and suggests the injury isn’t serious for the rookie. However, with Tuesday night’s flight and Wednesday being the second night of a back-to-back, his status for that game remains uncertain.
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