Don't look now, but the Boston Celtics are coming.
Boston defeated Brooklyn, 126-91 on Tuesday to record their sixth consecutive win and their 13th over their past 17 games.
That has helped them get tied with the Nets for the seventh seed in the East, and are now just a half game behind the sixth-seeded Toronto Raptors. The win brings the C's to six games over .500 for the first time all season (31-25).
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“It feels like we’re connected,” says Coach Udoka after the win in Brooklyn. “It feels at times like we engulf teams and kind of suffocate them with our size and length.”
Against the Nets, the Celtics started out hot and jumped to a 28-2 lead through the first seven minutes. Although the hosts did fight back, Boston never ceased control of the game and eventually cruised to victory.
Tatum with a nifty move to make it 28-2 Celtics 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zomzgi8oL5
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 9, 2022
"We’re seeing the rotations that work, the combinations that work, and you’re seeing that carry over to the game."
Since Christmas Day, the Celtics have the best defensive and net rating in the league.
Over the past month, since Jan. 8, their 13-4 record is second only to the league-leading Phoenix Suns.
It's the second largest lead of the year for the Celtics...and get this; the 5th time in the last 9 games they've had a 30-point lead.
— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) February 9, 2022
That...doesn't happen in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/KunUTca95M
A big reason for the success the Celtics have had in January and now into February is the health of its starting unit.
They’ve had their regular starting five of Brown, Tatum, Horford, Smart and Williams active for the season-long eight consecutive games, a stretch where they went 7-1.
Against the Celtics, five players scored in double figures led by the duo of Smart and Brown, who scored 22 points apiece. As a starting unit, Boston outscored their counterparts on Brooklyn 84-21.
The Celtics have now four games remaining before the All-Star break, against the Nuggets, Hawks, 76ers and Pistons.
