Halfway through the regular season, the Boston Celtics are yet to lose a game at home, advancing to 20-0 at TD Garden with their 117-98 win over the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night. This feat places them among the elite, as only the 13th team in NBA history to start a season with a perfect 20-0 record at home.
The Celtics are not just winning at home – they are dominating, outscoring opponents by a staggering 313 points at TD Garden this season, with 12 of their 20 home victories secured by double-digit leads.
"Honestly, it hasn't been a goal of ours to go 20-0," head coach Joe Mazzulla said postgame.
"The goal has been to build a connection and an identity with our city and with the team - to where they give us this lift and this level of support that they have, and that we play a certain type of way, like, Celtic basketball, and we've done that the first 20 games at home."
While the true definition of "Celtic basketball" may remain uncertain, as opinions vary on what exactly encapsulates this distinctive style – One style was crystal clear on Wednesday night – "Mazzulla Ball," as it quickly pushed Wednesday night's game against San Antonio out of reach.
The Celtics, once again, dominated the perimeter on both ends of the floor. Boston shot 13-of-19 (66.7%) from deep in the first half, while the Spurs shot just 4-of-20 (20%) – outscoring the visitors 39-12 from beyond the arc in the first half – en route to building a 25-point halftime lead.
Boston has held each of its last three opponents under 10 made threes – for reference, the Detroit Pistons average the fewest three-point makes per game at 10.6. Over their last three games, the Celtics have outscored their opponents 174-54 on the perimeter – shooting 58-of-124 (46.7%), while opponents are shooting just 18-of-96 (18.7%).
The three-point onslaught left the visitors in a hole too steep to climb out of, allowing the Celtics to cruise to another victory.
The Celtics are now 28-2 when shooting at least 33.3% from three.
Boston closes the first half of the regular season with an NBA-best 32-9 record – their best first-half start since the 2010-11 season –sitting four games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks atop the Eastern Conference. Boston has won the NBA Finals nine of the 13 times they have started 32-9 or better.
Here are five takeaways from the win.
Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta step up in the absence of Kristaps Porzingis
Whenever the Celtics have needed their role players to step up this season, they have answered the call. This sentiment was reaffirmed on Wednesday night as Kornet and Queta stepped up big in the absence of Porzingis.
Facing a challenging matchup against rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama, the reserve centers had their work cut out. Despite the challenging assignment, Kornet and Queta did a nice job on Wembanyama, for the most part.
Reviewing the box score, one might find it incredulous. The 20-year-old rookie finished with 27 points in just 26:36. Yet, such performances are to be expected from someone of Wembanyama's extraordinary talent. In the larger context, Boston's bigs were physical and did a nice job contesting the wonder down low -- as they made him work all night.
Kornet recorded his second start of the season, finishing with a game-high nine rebounds while chipping in six points, four assists, three blocks, and a steal.
"Luke was great," Mazzulla said postgame. "I think he's another guy where he's just getting better and better. Over the last three years, he's probably one of our best overall defenders. His ability to communicate, change matchups, guard different guys, guard different actions."
"To get put in that position tonight against someone who is a freak of nature, I thought Luke did a decent job of just being big," Jaylen Brown added.
The 6-year vet has also developed a reputation as a terrific screener, a skill evident Wednesday night as the 7-foot-2 center registered seven screen assists. Kornet also contested five shots – tied with Queta and Al Horford for the game-high.
Queta, appearing for only the third time this month, once again rose to the occasion when presented with the opportunity.
The two-way center provided a spark off the bench with his physicality against Wembanyama and superb offensive rebounding.
Queta finished the night with six points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Four of his eight boards came on the offensive glass, as he accounted for 33.3% of Boston's offensive rebounds.
"Neemy hasn't been in the rotation as much because we've been healthy, but you kinda saw why he plays a role on our team," Mazzulla said. "He changed the game for us in the first half and did it again in the second half. That role and what he can do for us is very important for our team."
Queta has made his case to have his two-way contract converted after the trade deadline – proving to be a valuable piece to this team and a promising developmental prospect. However, the fouling will need some work.
"He's one of those kids that doesn't know how good he can be, that hasn't been in the league a long time," said Mazzulla. "He's only played like 300 minutes in the NBA. So he's starting to see when he plays with a certain presence, we're a different basketball team."
The tandem of Kornet and Queta held Wembanyama, who averages 10 rebounds a game, to just five boards.
The defense once again delivers
"25-point quarters are really hard," Mazzulla said Saturday night.
What about 20-point quarters?
The Celtics held San Antonio to just 20 points in both the second and fourth quarters on Wednesday night – surrendering just one 30-point quarter, as the C's held their opponent to under 100 points for the second consecutive game.
The Celtics have held their opponents to 25 points or less in six of their last eight quarters, and once again, the Celtics tinkered with some zone, which has been a common theme recently.
"We're developing some different habits. We're working on some stuff," Jaylen Brown said postgame. We're playing a little bit of zone, playing a bit of man, just trying to expand our horizons. I think that we've definitely been focusing on that side of the ball."
Since the early days of training camp, the Celtics have maintained a relentless emphasis on their defensive game, and it's paying off. With a defensive rating of 110.4, they stand as the second-best defensive team in the league.
Jrue Holiday is finding his groove offensively
Holiday had one of the tougher adjustments in terms of his role when he came to Boston, and it appears he is starting to really grow comfortable in it.
In the absence of Derrick White, the Celtics needed Holiday to be more of a scorer Wednesday night, and he met the demand - pouring in 22 points (tying his season-high) on 8-of-14 (57.1%) shooting from the field and 6-of-7 (85.7%) from deep.
Holiday's six three-pointers match the third-highest total of his career and represent his highest count since he accomplished a career-best feat of sinking eight threes on February 14, 2023.
The 14-year vet also dished out four assists and snagged four boards.
"I feel pretty good. I've been making a lot of open shots, being in the places I'm supposed to be in," Holiday said postgame. "I've been knocking down shots, playing with confidence, and I feel like my coaches and teammates give me that. So any chance I get to go out there and be aggressive offensively, I do it."
After scoring a season-high 22 points on Monday night, he matched that figure again on Wednesday. In his last two games, the 33-year-old has totaled 44 points on 15-of-28 (53.6%) shooting from the field and 10-of-13 (76.9%) from distance.
The two-time All-Star has notched at least 20 points on three occasions this month, a notable uptick compared to just two instances before January. This surge indicates his increasing comfort and confidence within the new system.
One more: Jordan Walsh makes his NBA debut
After being recalled from Maine on Tuesday, Walsh made his NBA debut Wednesday night.
As the rookie made his professional debut, resounding cheers welcomed him onto the court. The enthusiastic cheers persisted every time the 19-year-old handled the ball.
Walsh debuted in the fourth quarter, attempting just one shot — a missed three-pointer — while securing four rebounds in three minutes.
"It was amazing. I wish it [the shot] had gone in, though," the former Arkansas Razorback said postgame. "I feel like it's a milestone in everybody's career that they can't wait to finally hit, and that night for me was tonight, so I'm happy that I hit that milestone."
Walsh, selected 38th overall, was Boston's lone draft selection in the 2023 NBA draft. With such a loaded team, minutes have been hard to come by for the Texas native. However, he has put together an excellent season in Maine, appearing in each of Maine's eight games, averaging 16.3 points per game, a team-high 7.9 rebounds, and an assist.
Walsh has built a reputation of being a terrific defender, which has translated to his time in Maine, averaging 1.3 blocks and a steal per game.
"I can tell the difference in his growth from the couple of times he played at the beginning of the year to now," Mazzulla said on Walsh postgame. "His defensive communication, his rebounding. He's starting to see how important that is."
"The rookie has just been working, man," Brown added. "Just getting better, developing. Obviously, [he's] been down in Maine, but we've been hearing good things."
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