The Celtics are at a new nadir. Following their loss Monday to an undermanned Timberwolves team comprised of random players, they put forth one of the worst shooting performances in recent memory against the Clippers Wednesday. With each defeat, the Celtics slip further out of the playoff picture.
The season is on the verge of becoming a flat out embarrassment.
Amazingly, the Celtics were leading the Clippers 74-73 with 8:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. But then they stopped hitting shots. Their 4-for-42 shooting performance from 3-point range was the second-worst performance ever by a team shooting at least 40 3s. In the fourth quarter, the Celtics went 1-for-18. Those 17 misses were the most by any team in a single quarter over the last 25 seasons.
The Clippers bested the Celtics 91-82.
"I guess we're due for a lot of makes," said Jaylen Brown, who led the team with 30 points, but went 1-for-13 from beyond the arc. "If we're wide open we've got to keep shooting it with confidence. I keep telling my guys that."
That may be true, but it's hard to have confidence when nothing is finding the bottom of the net. The Celtics' 82 points on 101 shots is their lowest point total with at least 100 attempt since the 3-point line was introduced in the 1979-80 campaign.
Brown shot the ball 36 times without recording an assist, which is the most by any player since Antoine Walker took that many shots during a loss to the Wizards in 1998.
Once again, the Celtics weren't fielding their complete team, with Jayson Tatum and Dennis Schroder still out due to Covid-19 protocols. But the Clippers didn't have their full roster, either. They had two players arrive in Boston just hours before game time, ESPN reports.
At 16-19, the Celtics are now basically tied for the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference, the last spot in the play-in tournament. But with the Suns coming to the Garden Friday, they're at risk of sinking further.
At least missing the playoffs would put everybody out of their misery. It's hard to believe it's still only December.
