Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Game 48: 76ers (14-31) @ Celtics (15-32) Open Thread

http://www.celticshub.com/2014/01/29/game-48-76ers-14-31-celtics-15-32-open-thread/

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Celtics vs. 76ers Stat Pack

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*The 76ers will be the 26th different team that Brad Stevens will face in his NBA career.
–That starts a streak of 4 consecutive weeks in which the Brad Stevens will have faced a new team (Kings, then Mavericks and then Suns).

*Both the Celtics and 76ers have the following in common:
–They each have lost their last 3 games (tied for Eastern Conference’s longest current losing streak with the Bucks).
–They each are 2-8 in their last 10 games.
–They are both 9.5 games out of first place in the Atlantic Division.

*Via 76ers game notes: “Carter-Williams is on pace to become just the third player dating back to 1950-51 to lead all rookies in ppg, rpg and apg (Oscar Robertson in 1960-61 and Alvan Adams in 1975-76)”
–Michael Carter-Williams is a native of Hamilton, Massachusetts

*The 76ers have given up 109.9 points per game this season, which would be the franchise’s worst since 1992-93 (110.1 PPG).

*Via 76ers game notes: “Philly is averaging 101.3 points per game this season… the Sixers haven’t averaged 100+ points in a season since 1996-97 (100.2 ppg)”
–This would also be the team’s highest since 1992-93 (104.3 PPG).

*The 76ers are tied for the most total 2-point attempts in the NBA this season (3,008 with the Pelicans).
–The 76ers have played 45 games, but the Pelicans have played only 44 games.

*The 76ers are averaging the 3rd-most steals (9.1 per game) in the league this season.

*The 76ers have had fewer blocks in each of their last 8 games, their longest streak since 2010-11.
–This 8-game streak is tied for the longest one in the NBA this season (tied with Knicks and Cavaliers)

*Even though the Celtics were blown out Tuesday, the Celtics still have yet to give up 30 points to a player on the road this season.
–Last player to do that against the Celtics in the regular season: none other than Jerryd Bayless (March 23, 2013).

*Kris Humphries had a season-high 8 free throws attempted on Tuesday.
–Hump, who is a 68% career free-throw shooter, is now just under 88% on the season.
–In the last 2 decades, there has only been 2 Celtics who have had a season of 89% or better free-throw shooting (minimum 50 attempts: Ray Allen 4 times and Wally Szczerbiak twice).

*The Celtics have lost 3 consecutive home games.
–A loss Wednesday would tie the Celtics’ longest home losing streak of the season (November 13 to 27).
–The last time the Celtics had multiple 4-game home losing streaks in a season (2006-07: 3 of them – one was 13 games long and two others at 4 games long)

*Tomorrow in Celtics history: January 30, 1994 – The Celtics retired Hall of Fame power forward Kevin McHale’s No. 32 at halftime of their 106-94 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. 76ers
–The Celtics have taken 7 of their last 9 regular-season games from the 76ers at TD Garden.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Game 47: Celtics (15-31) @ Knicks (17-27) Open Thread

http://www.celticshub.com/2014/01/28/game-47-celtics-15-31-knicks-17-27-open-thread/

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2013/0428/nba_g_bass_gb1_300.jpg

Celtics at Knicks Stat Pack

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*Jared Sullinger’s 8 games of at least 5 offensive rebounds is the most of any player this January, which is the most such games in a single month for a Celtics player since Antoine Walker had 8 in January 1997.

–There have been a combined 5 performances of at least 5 offensive rebounds by Celtics not named Sullinger this season.

–Next most in January 2014: DeAndre Jordan, Joakim Noah, Zach Randolph and Tristan Thompson with 6 each

–Andre Drummond had 12 games of at least 5 offensive rebounds in December 2013, the most in one month this season.



*Tyson Chandler has put up double-doubles in 3 of his last 5 games after having only 2 in his first 15 contests this season.



*For the first time in a month and a half, Brandon Bass scored 17 points.

–In addition, for the first time in his career, he made all of his shots when attempting at least 6 field goals.



*For the first time as a Celtic, Gerald Wallace had double-digit points in consecutive games.



*Sunday was Rondo’s first game with multiple 3-pointers at TD Garden in the regular season since Feb 7, 2010 (also a loss).

–That was only the 5th time in the regular season that Rondo had multiple 3-pointers made (has done it 3 times in the playoffs at TD Garden)



*Sunday was Olynyk’s 4th career NBA game with 2 blocks, but the Celtics are 0-4 in those games.



*The Celtics are 2-17 this season when shooting worse than 43 percent from the field.



*The Knicks’ turnover percentage is 12.1%, 2nd-best in the league.

–The Celtics have improved in turnover percentage recently, but remain in the bottom 10 in the league (14.5% – 23rd in the NBA)



*Via ESPN: Carmelo Anthony’s 97 points are tied for 3rd-most in Knicks history by a player in a 2-game span.



*The Knicks are 1-21 when trailing at halftime this season (worst record in the NBA).

–The Celtics are 2-20 when trailing at halftime this season.



*The Knicks are 1-22 when trailing at the end of 3 this season (also worst record in the NBA).

–The Celtics are 3-24 when trailing at the end of 3 this season.

–1 of those 3 victories was on December 13 when the Celtics hosted the Knicks at TD Garden.



*The Knicks are 0-12 this season when giving up at least 108 points.

–The Celtics are 0-11 this season when scoring fewer than 88 points.



*Jared Sullinger did not attempt a 3-pointer on Sunday for the first time since January 7 at Denver.

–Sullinger has not gone consecutive games this season without attempting a 3-pointer.



*The Celtics have yet to give up 30 points to a player on the road this season.

–Every other team has already given up at least 2 such performances.



*For Sunday against the Magic: the Celtics are 1 of 3 major North American professional teams to play on each of the last 6 Super Bowl Sundays.

–The Montreal Canadiens have played on each of the last 9 Super Bowl Sundays (they were scheduled to play on Super Bowl Sunday in 2005, but there was the lockout).

–The Celtics and Washington Capitals have each played on the last 6 Super Bowl Sundays. This will be the 3rd time the Celtics will have faced the Magic on Super Bowl Sunday in that span.

–The Heat played on 3 consecutive Super Bowl Sundays from 2011 to 2013.



*On This Date in Knicks history (via Knicks game notes):

–January 28, 1980: Red Holzman joins Red Auerbach as the second coach in NBA history to record 600 victories, as the Knicks defeat Golden State 107-103 at Madison Square Garden. Bill Cartwright leads three Knicks 20-point scorers with 28 points.

–January 28, 1997: Chris Childs three-point bomb with :08.4 left is the difference as the Knicks defeat Boston 109-107 at Madison Square Garden. It was the Knicks 15th straight home win and 18th straight win over the Celtics [that was a part of 21 consecutive Knick wins over the Celtics, the most consecutive wins ever for one team against the Celtics].



*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Knicks

–The last time the Celtics won 3 consecutive regular-season games against the Knicks: the 2010-11 season

–The Celtics have topped 100 points 8 of their last 10 regular-season games at Madison Square Garden (Knicks were at 100 or above in 7 of those contests).

–Earlier this season, the Celtics defeated the Knicks twice in the same week in the regular season for the first time since 1991.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Game 46: Nets (19-22) @ Celtics (15-30) Open Thread

http://www.celticshub.com/2014/01/26/game-46-nets-19-22-celtics-15-30-open-thread/

26 BKN Pic 1

Celtics vs. Nets Stat Pack

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*Kevin Garnett, who registered his 2nd double-double of the season on Friday, has had a great career against the Celtics: his career average of 22.6 points per game is his most against any NBA franchise (his 2nd-most: 20.5 against the Kings).

–Kevin Garnett has won 3 of his last 4 meetings against the Celtics, but has not defeated them in Boston since 2005.

–Garnett has also scored more than 10 points every time he has faced the Celtics in his career (24 games: 13-11 overall record).



*The former Celtics that are on the Brooklyn bench could make a starting lineup of their own: Paul Pierce (1998-2013 with the Celtics), Kevin Garnett (2007-13), Jason Terry (2012-13), Joe Johnson (2001-02) and Roy Rodgers (1997-98).

–Lawrence Frank could be their coach.



*2 years ago to the day (January 26, 2012): Pierce, Garnett and the Celtics made a 27-point comeback against the Magic, the C’s largest comeback in 16 seasons.



*Via the Nets’ NBA.com game notes: Kevin Garnett’s 31.6 defensive rebounding percentage leads all NBA players this season.

–2nd-best: Kevin Love (30.5)

–4th-best: Reggie Evans (30.4)



*The Nets are an NBA-best 9-1 in January.

–The team’s 4-game winning streak is currently the best in the Eastern Conference.



*Via Elias: “Mirza Teletovic came off the Nets bench to score 34 points in their win over the Mavericks. It’s the most points scored in an NBA game this season by any non-starter and the most for a Nets sub since Derrick Coleman scored 35 points in a 130-120 Nets win at the Boston Garden on January 15, 1992.”



*Via the Nets’ NBA.com game notes: “The Nets have now won 13 straight games they have led at halftime (dating back to 11/26/13 victory over Toronto).”



*Via the Nets’ NBA.com game notes: “The Nets improved to 8-0 in 2014 with Kevin Garnett in the lineup (KG sat out the 1/4 victory over Cleveland and the 1/11 loss to Toronto). In those eight games, Garnett is shooting 31-46 (67.4%) from the field.”



*The Nets are 16-2 this season when having a better field-goal percentage than their opponent.



*Jared Sullinger has missed his last 5 shots from 3-point distance.

–He has made just 1 for his last 13 attempts from deep.

–His 3-point shooting percentage has decreased each month: November 32%; December 26%; and January 22%



*The Celtics missed 22 of their 27 shots from deep Friday.

–That tied the most 3-point misses in a game this season for the Celtics (now done 3 times).



*Friday was the largest home loss of the season for the Celtics.

–The last time the Celtics lost by that much at the Garden: Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2012 when the Celtics crowd chanted, “Let’s Go Celtics,” for the final few minutes of the game.



*On December 10 against the Celtics, Joe Johnson scored single-digit points in at least 30 minutes played for the first time in a regular-season game since March 20, 2013 (also did it in Game 7 of the Nets’ 2013 first-round series vs. Bulls).

–Johnson has also done that 4 times in the last month.



*After each of the Celtics starters blocked a shot on Wednesday, Boston did not record a block on Friday.

–Before the game against the Thunder, the last time the Celtics did not have a block in a game: November 18, 2012 at Detroit (last time at the Garden: March 23, 2011).



*Happy 25th birthday to MarShon Brooks, who has played just 2 minutes with the Golden State Warriors since being traded there.



*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Nets

–Since moving to Brooklyn, the Nets are 4-1 against the Celtics.

Paul Pierce, the Tebower

http://www.celticshub.com/2014/01/26/paul-pierce-the-tebower/

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2012/0501/nba_g_paulpts9_576.jpg

Friday, January 24, 2014

Celtics vs. Thunder Stat Pack

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*On Wednesday, each of the 5 Celtics starters blocked a shot for the first time since February 21, 2010.

*The last time Kevin Durant missed a midseason game: December 3, 2010 (he also missed the final game of the 2012-13 season for rest)
--Durant has scored more than 20 points in each of his last 9 games against the men in green, the longest active streak of any player.

*On Wednesday, the Celtics hit 15 shots from 3-point distance for the first time since 2009.
--Jeff Green was the first Celtic to make eight 3-pointers since Eddie House in 2009 (Ray Allen did it once each in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 postseasons).
--Phil Pressey and Jeff Green became the 3rd and 4th five-3-pointer performances by Celtics this season (Green and Jordan Crawford the others).

*Jeff Green’s 39 points are the most in his career in a game that his team has won.

*Phil Pressey became the first Celtics player since J.R. Bremer to hit at least five 3-pointers sometime in his first 40 NBA games.
--Bremer did it 3 times (2003), Pierce did it 4 times (1999) and Billups did it once (1998).
--Pressey has made seven 3-pointers in his last 4 games after making just four 3-pointers in his first 36 games.

*Gerald Wallace’s 9 assists on Wednesday were a season-high.
--Only 5 times had Wallace done that before in his career.

*Another Jared Sullinger double-double on Wednesday means that there have been 3 instances this season (4 times in his career) in which he has put together double-doubles in consecutive games.

*With 11 rebounds on Wednesday, Jared Sullinger already has 8 separate games of double-digit rebounds in January.
--Last player with at least 8 separate games in one month: Perkins had 9 in January 2010

*The Celtics have had more steals than their opponent in each of their last 7 games, their longest streak since 2007.
--The last time with 8+ straight: 2000 (8 straight)

*Oklahoma City is 22-1 this season when scoring at least 105 points.

*After the Celtics went to overtime on Wednesday, the Nuggets remain as the only NBA team to not play an overtime contest in 2013-14.

*This will most likely be the first season since 2006-07 that the Celtics will not have an All-Star representative.
--However, during the 2007 All-Star weekend, Gerald Green did win the dunk contest.

*For Wednesday against Philadelphia: the 76ers will be the 26th different team that Brad Stevens will face in his NBA career.
--That starts a streak of 4 consecutive weeks in which the Brad Stevens will have faced a new team (Kings, then Mavericks and then Suns).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Thunder
--The last time Oklahoma City was at the Garden, the Celtics stopped a 3-game home losing streak to the Thunder.
--From 2000 to 2009, the Seattle/Oklahoma City franchise was 1-9 in Boston.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Celtics at Wizards Stat Pack

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*Tuesday was the first time that the Celtics have held the Heat to 16 or fewer free throws in a game when LeBron has played for Miami.



*With 11 rebounds tonight, Jared Sullinger already has 7 separate games of double-digit rebounds in January.

–This is the most for a Celtic in one month since March 2012 when Kevin Garnett had 7.

–Last Celtic with at least 8 separate games in a month: Perkins (had 9 in January 2010)



*With LeBron’s free throw miss at the end of the game, the Celtics have yet to give up 30 points to a player on the road this season. They have now played 22 road games on the season and are still keeping that streak alive.

–Every other team has already given up at least 2 such performances.



*The Celtics’ 10-game road losing streak is their longest since they lost 12 in 2007.

–Last time with more than 12 straight road losses: 1979 (13 straight)



*The Celtics’ 43 games are tied for the most played by a team this season.

–The Wizards’ 40 games are tied for the least played by a team this season.



*When outshooting their opponent by at least 1% this season, the Wizards are 15-0.

–The Wizards’ lone loss this season when outshooting their opponent was when they had a +0.9% differential in FG% in a 106-105 OT loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City.



*Via Elias: “The Heat trailed the Celtics, 86-84, with less than three minutes remaining in the game, but LeBron James took over from there. He made seven free throws in a 9-0 Miami run that earned the Heat a 93-86 victory. James converted nine foul shots overall in the final period, his highest total in any quarter in one day shy of two years — since he sank 10 shots from the line in the second quarter on January 22, 2012 against the Bucks.”



*The Celtics have had at least 13 offensive rebounds in each of their last 6 games, which is their longest streak since 2003 (7 straight).

–Last time with at least 8 straight: 2000 (12 straight)



*The Celtics have had at least 10 offensive rebounds in 12 consecutive games for the first time since 2008 (13 straight).

–It is also the longest current streak in the NBA.

–The last time the Celtics had at least 10 OREB in at least 14 consecutive games: 2002 (15 straight).



*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Wizards

–The Celtics had won the last 7 meetings before the Wizards defeated them earlier this season.

–Just in case you need this for tonight: the Celtics’ worst losses to the Wizards recently – by 45 in 2002, by 20 in 2000 and by 17 in 2006

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Celtics at Heat Stat Pack

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*Over the last 5 games, Miami has been by far the NBA’s worst defensive team in the 1st half. The Heat’s 122.7 points allowed per 100 possessions over the first 24 minutes is almost 3 points worse than the 2nd-worse team in that span (Nuggets: 119.9).
–In those same 5 contests, Miami has been the 2nd-best defensive team in the 2nd half at 92.3 points allowed per 100 possessions.

*After recording a season-high 34 assists on Friday, the Celtics had just 16 on Sunday.
–The C’s are now 0-13 when they have 16 or fewer assists this season.

*Via David Locke: Celtics have held opponents to 48.9% effective field goal percentage this season, which makes the Celtics the 10th-best defensive team in this category and the 3rd-best one in the Eastern Conference.

*The Heat’s 4-5 record against the Atlantic Division is the team’s only one against a division that is below .500 this season.

*Miami is 6-2 on the 2nd night of back-to-backs this season.

*Via Ira Winderman: “Entering [Monday], Heat had only 1 game in franchise history where they and their opponent scored 70+ points in same half: 4/12/1990 vs. Bos.”

*Via @ESPNStatsInfo: Heat 5-6 without Dwyane Wade this season compared to 24-6 with him. Miami went 11-2 without Wade last season.

*For the first time in 2014, Kris Humphries had a double-digit plus/minus (game-high +11 on Sunday).

*Jared Sullinger’s plus/minus of +10 Sunday was his first double-digit plus/minus in more than month (December 18).

*Around the NBA: the Knicks’ 80 points on Monday matched their 2nd-fewest in a game this season.
–Their fewest in 2013-14 was 73 on December 8 against the Celtics.

*On November 9 in Miami: the Celtics won a game when they shot 22 fewer free throws than their opponent for the first time since March 6, 2009 (against LeBron and the Cavs).
–On November 9, the Celtics made 9 of their 12 free throws. On that night in March in 2009: the Celtics also made 9 free throws in 12 attempts.

*Also on November 9, Jeff Green made 5 shots from deep, which still remains his most in a road game in his career.
–Those made 3’s also matched his career-high in 3-pointers made in a game.

*Dating back to last season, the Celtics have lost their last 8 games when Rajon Rondo has played.

*The Celtics have had at least 13 offensive rebounds in each of their last 5 games, which is their longest streak since 2004.

*The Celtics have at least 10 offensive rebounds in 11 consecutive games for the first time since 2008 (13 straight).
–It is also the longest current streak in the NBA.
–The last time the Celtics had at least 10 OREB in at least 14 consecutive games: 2002 (15 straight).

*The Celtics have yet to give up 30 points to a player on the road this season.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Heat
–The Celtics took the last game from the Heat after losing the previous 2.
–Each team has scored more than 100 points in each of those 3 games.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Celtics at Magic Stat Pack

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*Orlando has matched its franchise-worst 40-game start (done 3 times before – last time: 2003-04).

*The Magic will be without leading rebounder Nikola Vucevic for the 7th consecutive game. Without him, Orlando is 0-12 this season.

*The Magic’s 10-game losing streak is one off the longest one this season, which was 11 by the Bucks.
--In fact, that was snapped against the Celtics on November 30 in Milwaukee.

*Dating back to last season, the Celtics have lost their last 7 games when he has played.

*Rondo helped the Celtics make some sort of history on Friday.
--The Celtics recorded at least 34 assists in a non-overtime loss for the first time since March 4, 1990.
--That was 44 consecutive regular-season (47 including playoffs) victories when registering 34 assists in non-overtime games before the loss against the Lakers.

*Via Baxter Holmes: “Olynyk is first Celtic to have 25+ pts, 7+ asts & 5+ RBs off bench since Dana Barros (27-9-9) vs. Sixers in Mar. 1998.”

*Former Magic forward Brandon Bass owns an 8-0 record against Orlando as a Celtic.
--He has scored in double figures in 7 of those 8 games.

*Glen Davis has played in just 4 of the 8 meetings between the Celtics and Magic since the trade.
--However, he has scored 21 points per game in 2 starts against Boston.

*Avery Bradley’s swarming defense forced Jameer Nelson into a very bad game on November 8.
--Nelson committed 7 turnovers that night, which matched his career-high.

*Orlando is 1-22 this season when giving up at least 100 points, the worst such record in the NBA.

*Via Elias: “Pau Gasol had 24 points and 13 rebounds, Kendall Marshall registered 19 points and 14 assists and Wesley Johnson chipped in with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the Lakers' 107-104 victory over the Celtics in Boston on Friday night. That marked the first time in nearly 35 years that the Lakers had three players each register a double-double in a game at Boston. The last time that happened was on March 11, 1979, when Jamaal Wilkes (14 points, 10 rebounds), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (22 points, 11 rebounds) and Norm Nixon (13 points, 10 assists) each did it in a 108-106 Lakers loss at the Boston Garden.”

*Phil Pressey’s last turnover was with 9:18 remaining in the 2nd quarter in the Rockets game.
--Pressey’s last multiple-turnover game: 2 weeks ago against the Thunder

*The Celtics have had at least 13 offensive rebounds in each of their last 4 games, which is their longest streak since 2006.

*The Celtics have at least 10 offensive rebounds in 10 consecutive games for the first time since 2009 (10 straight games from December 10 to 30, 2009).
--It is also the longest current streak in the NBA.
--The last time the Celtics had at least 10 OREB in at least 11 consecutive games: 2008 (13 straight)
--The last time the Celtics had at least 10 OREB in at least 14 consecutive games: 2002 (15 straight)

*The Celtics have yet to give up 30 points to a player on the road this season.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Magic
--The last time the Magic beat the Celtics was Christmas 2010 (10 straight C’s victories).
--The Celtics’ 10 consecutive wins over the Magic is the longest current winning streak for the C’s over any team.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Celtics vs. Lakers Stat Pack

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*The C’s are in search of back-to-back wins for the first time in over a month.

*The Celtics are set to be 7-point favorites over the Lakers, which would be tied for the largest spread in favor of the Celtics this season (December 3 vs. Milwaukee: 7 points).

*The only NBA team to currently have a longer road losing streak than the Los Angeles Lakers is the Celtics.

*At the end of Friday’s game, the Lakers will officially have their worst 40-game start since 1993-94 (14-26 that season).
–The only other 2 worse 40-game starts in their franchise history (1957-58: 9-31 start … 1959-60: 13-27 start) were in Minneapolis.

*Pressey’s 10-assist, 0-turnover game was the 10th such performance this season in the league, and the Celtics are the only team with multiple ones.

*Phil Pressey’s stat line of 0 points, 10 assists and 0 turnovers is the first of that kind since Dennis Johnson on November 8, 1989 (0 points, 11 assists and 0 turnovers that night on the road against the Washington Bullets).

*Wednesday’s victory was the Celtics’ first this season when scoring fewer than 90 points.
–It was also the Celtics’ best rebounding differential for a home game this season (last time they had a better one at the Garden: April 11, 2012).

*Before Jared Sullinger, only 2 players had games with 25 points and 20 rebounds this season (LaMarcus Aldridge twice and Nikola Vucevic).
–The Vucevic 25-20 performance came in one Magic game before Orlando hosted the Celtics.

*For the first time in Avery Bradley’s career, he has scored at least 20 points in 3 straight games.
–On Wednesday, Bradley also tied his regular-season career-high for free throws attempted in a game.

*Avery Bradley’ plus/minus of +10 was his best plus/minus game since +40 on December 8 at Madison Square Garden.

*This is Nick Young’s first missed game this season.

*The Lakers are 2-24 when trailing at the end of the 3rd quarter this season.
–They 10-1 when leading or tied at end of the 3rd quarter this season.
–Only San Antonio has fewer losses when leading after the 3rd quarter this season.

*The Celtics have had at least 15 offensive rebounds in each of their last 3 games, which is just 1 game off the longest streak in the league this season.
–The last time the C’s had 4 consecutive games with at least 15 offensive rebounds: 1999

*The Celtics have at least 10 offensive rebounds in 9 consecutive games for the first time since 2009 (10 straight games from December 10 to 30, 2009).
–It is also the longest current streak in the NBA.

*The Celtics have yet to beat a team from either the Southwest Division (0-6) or the Pacific Division (0-3) this season.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Lakers
–The Celtics took the last meeting the Garden after losing the last 4 regular-season games in which they hosted the Lakers.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Celtics vs. Raptors Stat Pack

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*Before leaving the Celtics, Jordan Crawford was the 2013-14 team leader in offensive win shares and total win shares as well as 3-point attempts.
–He is also the only Celtic with at least 100 assists this season.

*With Jordan Crawford, Courtney Lee and MarShon Brooks gone, the Celtics have lost 3 of their 6 highest points per minute players this season (minimum 10 games played).

*For the first time in Avery Bradley’s career, he has scored at least 24 points in consecutive games.
–In addition, for the first time his career, he has consecutive games with at least 50 percent shooting (minimum 15 shot attempts).
–Another first for Bradley’s NBA career: Monday was the first time he had at least 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in the same game.

*Jerryd Bayless has scored 15 points in the 4th quarter twice this season, and they were both in home uniforms in games involving the Celtics.
–However, both times Boston finished the game on the losing end.
–Before Monday, Bayless’s teams were 5-0 when he scored at least 15 points in games this season.

*Kris Humphries has 3 straight games of at least 3 blocks for the first time in his NBA career.

*Brandon Bass’ plus/minus of +8 was his first positive plus/minus game since January 3 against the Pelicans.
–It was his best plus/minus game since his +31 at Madison Square Garden.

*The Raptors have made more 3-pointers than their opponent in each of their last 9 games, the longest current streak in the NBA.
–It is also the longest streak for Toronto since 2005.

*The Raptors are 13-5 without Rudy Gay after being 6-12 with him this season.

*Brandon Bass’s 14 points on Monday were his most off the bench since January 23, 2012.

*Rajon Rondo’s 16 triple-doubles in the regular season since the beginning of the 2009-10 season are the most of any player.
–He also leads the league with 23 triple-doubles combined in the regular season and playoffs in that span.

*At least Jeff Green does not have to face the Rockets anymore this season: he had a combined 8 points in 2 games against the Houston in 2013-14.

*Via Elias: “Kyle Lowry scored 10 points and had four steals in the first quarter of the Raptors win over the Bucks on Monday. He’s the first NBA player with double-digit points and at least four steals in one period this season. The only player to do that in a first-period last season was LeBron James against Charlotte on December 26, 2012.”

*For Friday: at the end of the game against the Lakers, the Celtics will have officially finished the first half of their season.

*From opening night of this season: the Celtics were without Jared Sullinger after the team suspended him for his off-court altercation. His absence helped the Raptors get 19 offensive rebounds, a feat that they accomplished only 4 times last season. Toronto outrebounded Boston by 15 that night.

*Dwight Howard became the first player to score at least 30 points against Brad Stevens in a night game in his NBA coaching career.
–The Celtics have still yet to give up 30 points to a player in a road game this season.
–Every other NBA team has already given up at least 2 performances of at least 30 points on the road this season.

*The Celtics have had fewer assists than their opponent in each of their last 8 games, the team’s longest streak since 2006-07 (15 games).

*The Celtics have at least 10 offensive rebounds in 8 consecutive games for the first time since 2009 (10 straight games from December 10 to 30, 2009).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Raptors
–The Raptors’ last win in Boston was January 23, 2008.
–Toronto’s 10 straight losses at the Garden represent the longest active losing streak for any team in Boston.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Celtics vs. Rockets Stat Pack

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*The Rockets are 4-6 in their last 10 road games, the worst road record in that stretch among projected Western Conference playoff teams.

*Back on November 19 against the Rockets, Avery Bradley’s plus/minus of -36 was the worst for a Celtic in a single game since Walter McCarty’s -45 in 2003.

*Also back on November 19, Terrance Jones set his career-high with 24 points.
–It has stood as his career-high through 54 career games.
–He has alternated double-digit and single-digit points each of the last 7 games, but has averaged a double-double in that span.
–The Rockets are 12-1 when Jones has scored at least 14 points in his NBA career.

*Around the NBA: the Chicago Bulls are the only undefeated team this January.
–The Celtics are 1 of 3 teams without a victory this month (Celtics 0-7, Magic 0-6 and Bucks 0-5).

*The last time the Celtics had multiple games of at least 20 offensive rebounds in the same month was December 2001.

*The 2013-14 Rockets lead the NBA in free throws made (22 per game) and attempted (32 per game).
–The Celtics give up among the most this season (more than 25 FTAs against them per game).

*The Celtics have had fewer assists than their opponent in each of their last 7 games, tied for their longest streak this season.
–The last time they did it in 8 consecutive games: 15 games from December 2006 to January 2007.

*Jeff Green has 3 straight games with at least 8 rebounds for the first time since 2011.
–The last time he did that in at least 4 games: February 2009.

*Kris Humphries has back-to-back games of at least 3 blocks for the first time since 2012 and for the 4th time in his career.
–He has never gone 3 straight games with at least 3 blocks in his NBA career.

*The Celtics are now 0-9 on the road against Western Conference opponents this season (3-4 at home).
–Their next road game against a Western Conference opponent: after the All-Star break

*The Celtics have yet to beat a team from either the Southwest Division (0-5) or the Pacific Division (0-3) this season.

*The last time the Celtics faced the Rockets… Via Elias: “The Rockets’ starting lineup of Chandler Parsons, Terrence Jones, Dwight Howard, James Harden, and Patrick Beverley combined to shoot 28-for-41 (68%) from the field in Houston’s 109-85 home win over Boston. Meanwhile, the Celtics’ starting five of Jeff Green, Brandon Bass, Vitor Faverani, Avery Bradley, and Jordan Crawford made just 14 of 51 shots from the floor (27%). In the last 40 years, only two other teams’ starting lineups have outshot that of their opponent by at least 40% in a game: Utah over San Antonio on April 16, 1988, and Orlando over Memphis on April 7, 2007.”

*Via Elias: “The Trail Blazers spotted the Celtics a 32-22 lead late in the first quarter, then roared back to turn back the visitors, 112-104. That’s becoming quite the pattern for Portland this season: Saturday’s game marked the ninth time this season – the most for any NBA team – that the Trail Blazers have won a game after overcoming a double-digit deficit.”

*Via Elias: “LaMarcus Aldridge led the Blazers against Boston with 21 points, but once again, balance characterized the team’s offense. Wesley Matthews scored 18 points; Nicolas Batum, 16; Robin Lopez and Damian Lillard, 15 apiece. It was the 11th time this season that all five Portland starters had reached double-figures in points; that’s the highest total for any team in the league.”

*For Wednesday: the Raptors’ last win in Boston was January 23, 2008.
–Toronto’s 10 straight losses at the Garden represent the longest active losing streak for any team in Boston.

*Also for Wednesday: the Raptors are 12-5 without Rudy Gay after being 6-12 with him this season.

*The Celtics have at least 10 offensive rebounds in 7 consecutive games for the first time since 2009 (10 straight games from December 10 to 30, 2009).

*The Celtics have still yet to give up 30 points to a player in a night or road game this season.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Rockets
–The Celtics have won their last 2 home games against the Rockets, but the Celtics were 2-8 in the previous 10 times they hosted Houston.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Celtics at Trail Blazers Stat Pack

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*This is the first Celtics’ game that will be broadcasted on 1030 AM since Johnny Most and Rick Weitzman called Game 6 of the 1981 Finals.



*The Celtics had 8 blocks while the Warriors did not register a block on Friday (Thank you to @Bobby_K91 for pointing that one out!), marking the first time this season that a team had 8+ blocks while the other team did not record any.

–It is the first time since 1991 that the Celtics had 8+ blocks on the same night that their opponent did not get a block.



*The Celtics are 0-8 on the road against Western Conference opponents this season.



*The Celtics are 2-9 on the 1st game of back-to-backs.

–They are 2-8 on the 2nd game of back-to-backs.



*The Blazers have had more assists than their opponent in each of their last 9 games, their longest streak since 1993.

–The Celtics have had fewer assists than their opponent in each of their last 6 games (Celtics’ longest streak of that sort this season: 7 games in November).



*When the Blazers have a better field-goal percentage than their opponent, they are 15-0 this season.



*Nicolas Batum now has 2 triple-doubles this season, pushing his career total to 4 (with 3 of them being in January and all 4 being at home).

–Batum is 1 of 3 players with multiple triple-doubles this season.



*On Wednesday, LaMarcus Aldridge scored at least 30 points for the 5th time this season.

–The Blazers are 5-0 when he scores at least 30 points.



*Jeff Green had a season-high in field goals made on Friday.



*Jeff Green has back-to-back double-doubles for the first time since 2011.

–He never has had double-doubles in 3 straight contests.



*The Celtics have at least 10 offensive rebounds in 6 consecutive games for the first time since 2009 (10 straight games from December 10 to 30, 2009).



*Sullinger now has double-doubles in 8 of his 35 games this season.

–He had only 4 in his rookie year (45 games played).

–Scoring on Friday: Sully 21, Warriors bench 21.



*The Celtics had 3 players with double-doubles on the same day for the first time since November 25, 2012.



*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Blazers

–The Celtics have dropped their last 2 games to the Blazers after winning their last 6 meetings.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Celtics at Warriors Stat Pack

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*For the first time since 2005, the Celtics have given up more than 110 points in 3 straight games. They are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings for the longest current streak of this sort.
–Longest streak by a team this season: 5 by 76ers
–The last time the C’s did it in 4 consecutive games: 1997

*The last time the Celtics lost 7 games in a row was 2007.

*The last time the Celtics lost 7 road games in a row was 2011.
–The last time they lost at least 8 road games in a row was 2007 (12 games).

*Jeff Green registered just his 3rd double-double as a Celtic on Wednesday.

*The Warriors have had more assists than their opponent in each of their last 15 games.
–This is the longest streak of any team since the Celtics in 2010 (19 games).

*The 2013-14 Warriors are surprisingly a much better defensive team than they are an offensive one.
–4th-best defensive efficiency
–13th-best offensive efficiency

*Friday’s game is between 2 of the 4 worst turnover teams in the league:
–15.0 percent of the Celtics’ possessions have ended in a turnover this season (27th in the NBA).
–15.6 percent of the Warriors’ possessions have ended in a turnover this season (last in the league).

*If he qualified, MarShon Brooks’ 27.4 points per game would rank 2nd-best in the D-League this season.
–Only Kevin Durant (29.5) has scored more in the NBA per game this season.

*Via Elias: “The Nets thwarted the Warriors’ attempt to become the first team in NBA history two win every game of a roadtrip of seven of more games. Stephen Curry led all scorers with 34 points in Golden State’s loss. It was the most points for any player in a game against Brooklyn this season, topping Kemba Walker’s 31-point performance versus the Nets at Charlotte on November 20. The Nets entered Wednesday’s game with the NBA’s longest current streak of consecutive games without allowing an opposing player to score 30 or more points (23 games between Walker and Curry), a distinction that now belongs to the Warriors (16 straight games).”

*The Celtics have at least 10 offensive rebounds in 5 consecutive games for the first time since 2009 (10 straight games from December 10 to 30, 2009).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Warriors
–The Celtics are 4-13 at Oracle Arena since 1995-96, tied for the Celtics’ worst record at any arena in that span (also 4-13 at Dallas).

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Celtics at Clippers Stat Pack

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*A lost tonight would tie the Celtics’ longest losing streak of the season (as well as their longest losing streak since the beginning of the 2007-08 season).
–The last time the Celtics lost 7 games in a row was 2007.


*Before Tuesday, the last time the Celtics gave up at least 129 points in a game was April 14, 2004 against Atlanta.
–Stephen Jackson scored 24 points for the Hawks that night.

*Before Tuesday, the last time the Celtics gave up at least 129 points in a road game was February 8, 2000 at New Jersey.

*With 10 points on Tuesday, Vitor Faverani scored double-digit points for the first time since November 23 at Atlanta.

*The Clippers are tied for the fewest comebacks from a deficit at the end of the 3rd quarter this season (1 tied with 6 other teams).

*The Celtics have at least 10 offensive rebounds in 4 consecutive games for the first time since 2009.

*The Clippers are 16-1 this season when scoring at least 104 points.

*The Clippers are 15-0 this season when making at least 9 shots from 3-point distance.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Clippers
–This is only the Celtics’ 2nd game against the Pacific Division this season (other one also against the Clippers).

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Celtics at Nuggets Stat Pack

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*The Celtics have more blocks than their opponent in each of their last 6 games.
–The last time they did that in 7 straight games: 2009

*In 2013-14, Courtney Lee’s 3-point percentage (.442) is higher than Jerryd Bayless’ 2-point percentage (.417).

*The Nuggets are 14-3 this season when hitting more 3-pointers than their opponent.

*The Nuggets are tied for the fewest comebacks from a deficit at the end of the 3rd quarter this season (1 tied with 6 other teams).

*The Celtics have at least 12 offensive rebounds in 3 consecutive games for the first time since 2009.

*Via Elias: “The Thunder beat the Celtics, 119-96, on Sunday. It was the seventh victory this season in which Oklahoma City outscored its opponent in each of the four quarters of the game, matching its total for the entire 2012-13 season. No other team has even half as many such wins as OKC this season; Charlotte, Indiana, and the Clippers are tied for second with three.”

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Nuggets
–The Celtics have lost their last 4 games in Denver (and 8 of their last 9).

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Celtics at Thunder Stat Pack

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*Oklahoma City is 5-3 without Russell Westbrook this season (21-4 with him).
–The team was 3-6 in the 2013 playoffs without Westbrook (2-0 with him).
–Those are the only 17 games that Westbrook has missed in his basketball career.

*Oklahoma City is 1-3 on the 2nd night of back-to-backs this season.
–The team was 10-5 last season and 14-6 the previous season on the 2nd night of back-to-backs.

*Oklahoma City is 1-2 this season against Atlantic Division opponents.

*Before December 31, the Thunder had just one home loss this season.
–However, 3 opponents have now won at Chesapeake Energy Arena in 2013-14.

*Jordan Crawford’s 11 assists on Friday tied his career-high, and it was also the first time he dished off that many assists in a Celtics uniform.

*Friday was Jared Sullinger’s 31st game of the season, and he posted his 7th double-double of 2013-14.
–He only had 4 in 45 games in his rookie season.

*For the first time since April 11, 2012, the Celtics had 3 different double-digit rebounders in the same game.
–Kris Humphries now has at least 10 rebounds in 3 straight games for the first time since November 2012.

*Jared Sullinger set a new career-high in offensive rebounds in a game on Friday.
–Previous high: 6 (twice)

*The Celtics’ 22 offensive rebounds on Friday was their first game with that many offensive rebounds since March 30, 2008.
–It was also their 3rd time with that many OREB in the last decade.

*The Celtics have grabbed at least 40 rebounds in each of their last 10 games.
–It is the franchise’s longest such streak since 2003 (12 straight games).

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Thunder
–The Thunder took the last 2 games against the Celtics in Oklahoma City after the C’s won the previous 4 meetings there.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Celtics vs. Pelicans Stat Pack

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*Thursday’s Celtics/Bulls game was between 2 of the 3 worst turnover teams in the league, but the Pelicans are on the opposite end of the leaderboard.
–15.2 percent of the Celtics’ possessions have ended in a turnover this season (3rd-worst in the league).
–12.1 percent of the Pelicans’ possessions have ended in a turnover this season (2nd-best in the league).

*When Brandon Bass played with the Hornets, none of the current New Orleans players were in the NBA.

*The Pelicans are 12-2 when having a better field-goal percentage than their opponent, but are 2-14 when they do not.
–The Celtics are 7-0 this season when outshooting their opponent by at least six percent, but are 6-19 otherwise.

*On Thursday, the Celtics tied their season-low in 3-pointers made.
–The Celtics are 6-1 this season when making at least nine 3-pointers.

*Jared Sullinger already has 6 double-doubles in 30 games this season after having only 4 in 45 games in his rookie season.

*Kris Humphries had double-digit rebounds in consecutive games for the first time since November 2012.

*Kelly Olynyk has yet to miss a free throw on the road in his NBA career (11 of 11).

*The Celtics have grabbed at least 40 rebounds in each of their last 9 games.
–It is their longest streak since 2008.
–Last time with 10 consecutive games or longer: 2003

*The Celtics have yet to beat a team from either the Southwest Division (0-4) or the Pacific Division (0-1) this season.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Pelicans
–The Pelicans have won the last 3 games against the Celtics

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Celtics at Bulls Stat Pack

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*A couple of Thibodeau’s current assistant coaches wore green in a combined 3 different decades: Ed Pinckney (1989-1994) and Adrian Griffin (1999-2001).


*Both the Celtics and Bulls have 18 losses, and they both are 4-6 in their last 10 games.

*Only two teams in the NBA have a better defensive efficiency and worse offensive efficiency than the Celtics.
–Chicago: 4th in defense and T-29th in offense
–Charlotte: T-5th in defense and 28th in offense

*Thursday’s game is between 2 of the 3 worst turnover teams in the league
–15.1 percent of the Celtics’ possessions have ended in a turnover this season.
–15.4 percent of the Bulls’ possessions have ended in a turnover this season.

*The Bulls’ 45.6 effective field goal percentage is currently the 2nd-worst in the NBA this season.

*Surprisingly, the Bulls are the 3rd-worst 3-point defense team this season (.384).
–The Celtics are the 4th-best team (.330).

*However, the Bulls are the 3rd-best defense this season in terms of points per shot (allowing only 1.13 points per shot).
–The Celtics are 13th in that category (1.19).

*Before Kelly Olynyk on Tuesday, the last time a player scored at least 21 points, made at least three 3-pointers, shot 70% or better, dished off at least 5 assists and block 2 shots in one of his first 21 games in his NBA career: Shane Battier (2001)

*Kris Humphries had his first double-double as a Celtic on Tuesday.

*Millsap’s 34 points and 14 free throws attempted on Sunday were the most for a player against the Celtics this season.

*Heading into Saturday, there were 161 different 30-point performances in the NBA this season, and none of them were against the Celtics. Now, the Celtics have given up 2 of those performances in less than a week.
–On the bright side, the Celtics have yet to give up 30 points to a player in a road or night game this season.

*Before Tuesday, the Celtics had won their last 20 games (including playoffs) when holding opponents to 36.3% FG% or worse and worse than 20% from 3-point in the same game.
–Last C’s loss when playing that well on defense: January 24, 2007 also to the Hawks at TD Garden

*Kelly Olynyk has yet to miss a free throw on the road in his NBA career (11 of 11).

*The Celtics have grabbed at least 40 rebounds in each of their last 8 games.
–It is their longest streak since 2008.

*For Friday’s game against New Orleans: the Celtics have yet to beat a team from either the Southwest Division (0-4) or the Pacific Division (0-1) this season.

*Recent Meetings: Celtics vs. Bulls
–Tom Thibodeau is 5-1 against the Celtics at the United Center.