Celtics showing major improvement in three key areas during February resurgence
The Celtics have won nine of their last 10 games — and remedied three important issues in the process.
From the middle of December through late January, the Celtics looked like a talented but unfocused team playing well below its potential.
February? Different story.
Sunday’s 118-105 defeat of the rival New York Knicks was Boston’s fifth consecutive win — all by double digits — and ninth in its last 10 games dating back to Jan. 29. The hot streak has reaffirmed the Celtics’ status as top title contenders with 25 games remaining (along with the conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder) while also providing solutions to some of the defending champions’ lingering problems.
Starting five is settling inOne of the most baffling aspects of the Celtics’ six-week swoon was how poorly their preferred starting lineup was performing.
The unit of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis is arguably the most talented and versatile in the NBA. But over its first 10 games together this season, culminating in an embarrassing loss to the rebuilding Toronto Raptors on Jan. 15, it posted the fourth-worst offensive rating, second-worst defensive rating and second-worst net rating of any five-player grouping (minimum 130 minutes). The Celtics went 5-5 in those games.
Players and head coach Joe Mazzulla downplayed these struggles at the time, saying the group just needed time to rebuild its chemistry after Porzingis missed the first month of the season following leg surgery, then dealt with a series of minor injuries that hindered his reintegration. They were right.
Though still not flawless, the Celtics’ starting five has looked much better since that Raptors rout, posting a net rating nearly 20 points higher (7.9) over its last 10 contests together. The team’s record in those games: 9-1.
Against the Knicks on Sunday, every Boston starter scored at least 14 points and had a plus/minus of plus-12 or higher.
“Whenever KP came back for that second 11-(game) stretch, that was kind of like our training camp to where we had to just reestablish our identity on what that looks like, and that identity changed because the environment changed,” Mazzulla said postgame. “Teams were playing us different, and they will continue to do so, so it just took time to get into each individual rhythm. What we do as a team is really important, but how each individual guy fits into that is important. So they’re doing a better job of having an understanding of how they impact each other, and we’ve got to continue to get better at that.”
No fourth-quarter letdownsJust before the Celtics’ current nine-wins-in-10-games surge began, Mazzulla was asked how the team had lost 10 of its previous 21 games despite ranking near the top in the NBA in most big-picture metrics. His answer: fourth-quarter and close-game execution.
Boston blew double-digit fourth-quarter leads in home losses to Atlanta and Houston, both of which featured costly blunders in the closing seconds. It led early in the fourth quarter at Oklahoma City but went on to lose by 13. It was tied with Sacramento entering the fourth, then lost by 17.
These issues arose even in wins. The Celtics needed last-second escapes to secure a pair of victories over lowly New Orleans. Against a Los Angeles Clippers team playing without nearly its entire rotation, the C’s coughed up a six-point lead in the final minute before hanging on to win in overtime.
Recently, the Celtics have been far more competent late in games. Over their last 10 games, they rank fourth in the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring margin and third in fourth-quarter net rating, trailing only Minnesota and Memphis. They’ve won five straight games by 13 points or more and delivered an impressive response on Sunday, burying the Knicks after New York cut their 26-point lead to four with 11 minutes remaining.
By the seven-minute mark, the Celtics’ lead was back up to 17.
“Obviously, you want to maintain that and even grow that lead, but a lot of times, it’s the NBA, those leads can shrink,” said Porzingis, who averaged 20.2 points and 2.2 blocks over Boston’s last 10 games. “And we have enough experience and enough calmness about this team that we don’t overreact, we don’t try to win the game in one possession. We know it’s going to be back and forth, a back-and-forth battle, and I think in those moments we just stay calm as a team. Obviously, we want to make a run, we want to punch back when they throw a good punch like that, so that’s just the mentality and keeping calm and going out there and executing.”
Improvements at homeThe sample size for this one is smaller, but the Celtics just won back-to-back home games for the first time since Jan. 17 and only the second time since the first week of December. They’ve been the NBA’s best team away from TD Garden this season (league-leading 23-6 record; one of just three clubs with fewer than 10 road losses) but are an unremarkable 18-10 at home, including a 7-7 mark since mid-December.
Multiple Celtics players have preached the need to perform better on the Garden parquet, and these last two outings — comfortable wins over San Antonio and New York — have been an encouraging step forward.
“We felt like we had too many slippages early in the season, especially on the home court,” Porzingis said. “We take a lot of pride in (playing well at home), and we did that last season. So the second part of the season, we’re really emphasizing that, and I think we’re doing a better job lately. Obviously (in the) postseason, we will have to bring it to a different level, but we have to take this privilege that we have playing at home with our fans at a high level. We have to take that. It’s an honor, and we have to protect that.”
The Celtics will have to wait another two months for postseason basketball, but several games in their upcoming homestand should have a playoff feel to them. Between this Sunday and March 12, Boston will host the Cavaliers (first), Denver Nuggets (fifth), Los Angeles Lakers (seventh) and Thunder (second), who all rank near the top of the NBA’s overall standings.
As of Monday, those opponents boasted a combined record of 35-5 over their last 10 games. The Cavs and Thunder also are the only teams with comparable road records to the Celtics’ this season (20-6 and 20-7, respectively).
Originally Published: February 24, 2025 at 12:56 PM EST
In the late 1960s, Roberta Flack’s rise from a D.C. schoolteacher to a music icon began on a stage at Mr. Henry’s on Pennsylvania Avenue. Monday, the club mourned the loss of Flack at the age of 88.
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
FBI Director Kash Patel promised sweeping changes at the agency, and it appears those changes are here. President Trump has tapped Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent turned right-wing podcaster, as the bureau's deputy director. CBS News Department of Justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane has more on how the decision is being received.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
ET breaks down all the must-see fashion from the 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, streaming on Netflix.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Jessica Williams, Lisa Ann Walter, Jackie Tohn and more celebs play ET photographer at the 2025 SAG Awards.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Zooey Deschanel is explaining why she and her fiance, HGTV personality Jonathan Scott, aren’t rushing their wedding. While speaking to Accessonline.com on the red carpet for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which was held on February 23, alongside Scott, Deschanel said she was not sure if their wedding will be in 2025. “We don’t want to ... Read more
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The Celtics will be missing at least two important pieces when they visit the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The couple looked totally in sync in the front row of the London Fashion Week show, where Jason Isaacs, Richard E. Grant and Elizabeth McGovern all walked the runway.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Roberta Flack remained active on social media before her death with her latest post being a special tribute to Celine Dion.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Jesus Guerrero, a hairstylist to stars including Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry and Christina Aguilera, has died. His family confirmed the news of his death on Instagram. Kim paid tribute to Jesus on her Instagram story writing, 'When one of our glam members passes away, all of our souls are crushed. My heart breaks for Kylie and everyone who loved Jesus the way we all did.' Jesus was 34 years old.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
)
Discover the stars who made history and claimed top honors at the SAG Awards
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
&description=SAG Awards 2025 winners: Zoe Saldaña, Demi Moore, Selena Gomez and more Discover the stars who made history and claimed top honors at the SAG Awards %23sagawards) |
|
|
Jane Fonda's storied career has included two Oscar wins, a Primetime Emmy win, a Tony Award nomination and more — take a look back
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The US soul singer died â??surrounded by her familyâ?? at the age of 88.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
They've made their feelings clear.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
â??Harshâ?? realities of travel and work restrictions are pushing British citizens to seek backdoor EU access, say lawyers
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
President Trump has named right-wing podcast host Dan Bongino as the FBI's deputy director. That means Bongino will be the number two official behind the recently confirmed director Kash Patel.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
Twitter (X) is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 619 million monthly active users worldwide. One of the most exciting features of Twitter (X) is the ability to see what topics are trending in real-time. Twitter trends are a fascinating way to stay up to date on what people are talking about on the platform, and they can also be a valuable tool for businesses and individuals to stay relevant and informed. In this article, we will discuss Twitter (X) trends, how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are a list of topics that are currently being talked about on the platform and also world. The topics on this list change in real-time and are based on the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be localized to a Worldwide country or region or can be global, depending on the topic's popularity.
How Do Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends Work?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are generated by an algorithm that analyzes the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. When the algorithm detects a sudden increase in tweets using a specific hashtag or keyword, it considers that topic to be trending.
Once a topic is identified as trending, it is added to the list of Twitter (X) Worldwide trends. The topics on this list are ranked based on their popularity, with the most popular topics appearing at the top of the list.
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be filtered by location or category, allowing users to see what topics are trending in their area or in a particular industry. Additionally, users can click on a trending topic to see all of the tweets using that hashtag or keyword.