For the fifth time in his career, and the first this season, Joe Mazzulla has been named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month. Mazzulla’s five such recognitions lead the NBA since he took over as Celtics coach in October 2022.
Mazzulla guided the Celtics to a 9-3 record in December, posting the second-best win percentage in the NBA and the top in the Eastern Conference (.750). Their +117-point differential led the Eastern Conference and ranked second in the NBA, behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder (+172). Six of their nine wins came by double-digits, including four by 16 or more points.
In December, the Celtics led the NBA in offensive rating, scoring 124.3 points per 100 possessions. Their +11.0 net rating ranked second in the league and led the Eastern Conference by 2.9 points, with the Nets (+6.8) the next-closest team. Boston also finished in the top 10 in defensive rating, coming in at No. 10 (113.3). The Celtics and Pistons were the only Eastern Conference teams to finish the month top-10 in offensive, defensive, and net ratings.
Mazzulla was the only member of the Celtics to be recognized as the NBA released its monthly awards. However, Jaylen Brown received votes for Eastern Conference Player of the Month, which was won by New York’s Jalen Brunson, and Derrick White received votes for Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month, which was won by Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart.
Brown’s omission, in particular, stood out. The Celtics star, who was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week twice in December, averaged a league-high 31.7 points per game while shooting 53.8% from the field and 42.6% from three-point range. He also posted 6.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, becoming the only player in the Eastern Conference to average at least 30 points, six rebounds, and five assists for the month. League-wide, only Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic matched those numbers.
Brown scored 30 or more points in nine of the 10 games he played, including a stretch of nine consecutive 30-point games that tied Larry Bird for the longest such streak in Celtics franchise history. Remarkably, Brown’s nine 30-point games in December matched his total from all of last season.
There was also a notable head-to-head moment. When Brown and Brunson met on Dec. 2, Brown had a season-high 42 points in a 123-117 Celtics win, while Brunson scored a season-low 15.
It’s worth noting that Brown missed two of the Celtics’ 12 games in December, while Brunson played in 14 of the Knicks’ 15 games during the month, including the NBA Cup championship. Brunson helped New York win the NBA Cup and earned Emirates NBA Cup MVP honors after averaging 25 points and eight assists, which certainly factored into the voting.
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