If the Boston Celtics want to prove that they still belong among the leading title contenders, they’ll need to sort out a troubling trend that has emerged in recent weeks and reared its ugly head again on Saturday night in their 118-117 defeat to the Utah Jazz.
For the fifth time in their last seven losses, the Celtics blew a double-digit lead. This time, they were up by 19 points in the first half before the host Jazz came storming back to steal the game. While the Celtics had two chances to take the lead in the final 30 seconds, their shot selection was questionable. Jayson Tatum bricked a pull-up 3 that looked more like a two-for-one attempt at the end of the first quarter, and Grant Williams was blocked by Walker Kessler in the closing seconds on an ill-advised drive.
With the loss, the Celtics fell to 49-23 on the season, which puts them percentage points behind the red-hot Philadelphia 76ers in the race for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, and two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot. That the Celtics officially clinched a playoff spot on the night will mean little.
Even more disappointing than the fact that they’ve been playing .500 basketball for more than a month, is the manner of their defeats. The Celtics are 8-7 in their last 15 games, but could be 13-2 in that stretch. At the very least they should have a better record than they do considering that they’ve blown at least a 14-point lead in five of those seven defeats.
Let’s take a closer look:
Feb. 14 at Bucks
Biggest lead: 14 points — 2:16 remaining in third quarterLast time leading by double digits: 1:28 remaining in third quarterFinal margin of defeat: Six points (overtime)
Note: Game played without Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Al Horford
March 3 vs. Nets
Biggest lead: 28 points — 7:23 remaining in second quarterLast time leading by double digits: halftimeFinal margin of defeat: 10 points
Note: Second-biggest blown lead in the NBA this season
Biggest lead: 14 points — 6:27 remaining in third quarterLast time leading by double…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/celtics-cant-shake-troubling-trend-of-blowing-double-digit-leads-as-loss-to-jazz-drops-boston-behind-76ers/
Author : Jack Maloney
Publish date : 2023-03-19 12:18:31
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