The Celtics beat the Wizards late last month despite having their worst three-point shooting performance all season. Less often, beginning last year, slow nights from behind the arc prevent Boston from winning. They’ve won 9-of-14 when falling below 35% from the perimeter. On Monday, Jrue Holiday found Al Horford for a good look in the corner that could’ve stolen another one of those games — the Celtics hitting only 24.2% of their threes in the loss.
The Magic combined to create Boston’s second-worst three point percentage and fewest three-point attempts (33) in a game this season. The Celtics took nearly 20 fewer threes than they do on most nights. That’s not normally a concern, particularly with Jayson Tatum (late scratch, illness) in the lineup. Their declining efficiency from deep worsened this month, with three of their worst five shooting performances coming over the last two weeks. The Celtics fell into a tie with Utah for 15th in three-point percentage (36.3%), down from second last year (38.8%). Their field goal percentage, tied for seventh in 2024 (48.7%), dropped to 45.6% — as low as Orlando’s.
“We knew if we took care of the ball, slow it down, play solid, we had a chance to stay in this game,” Jalen Suggs said.
“They were comfortable in the first half … those guys are already good enough. You give them space and opportunity to make plays and knock down shots, it’s gonna be hard to beat them.”
Tatum’s ability to generate over 10 threes each night at a 37% clip, Payton Pritchard’s all-time start to the year and Derrick White’s steadiness have buoyed the team through slower starts elsewhere on the roster. Holiday, 4-of-14 since the Grizzlies infamously left him open in their win earlier this month, missed both first half shots before finishing 2-of-3 to settle at 32.6% for the season. Sam Hauser, struggling through a back injury since the season began, didn’t take a shot on Monday and remained at 37.3% — down from 42.4%. Horford’s shooting is down slightly inside and outside, while Brown’s 31.6% marks a career-low after a 1-for-7 line in the loss.
Worse, Tatum’s absence led Joe Mazzulla to shy away from the depth wings on the roster toward double-big looks. Shooting limitations have prevented Xavier Tillman Sr., Jordan Walsh, Jaden Springer and others deeper on the roster from developing consistent roles. Even Drew Peterson, who flashed earlier this fall, sat inactive after returning to Maine for the G-League Showcase. The Boston Globe reported that the Celtics will assess the non-guaranteed players released before the Jan. 7 deadline and the corresponding trade market around the league early next month with their 15th and final roster spot still available.
“I thought we passed up a couple (of threes) in the first half,” Mazzulla said. “But I thought that was part of their game plan with their switching and their physicality … that’s what the game called for. The game calls for the best shots. We have to take those best shots. When we didn’t turn it over, I thought we fought for pretty good shots.”
The Celtics have led a league-wide trend by taking more threes and shooting less efficiently. They’re 3.3 points per 100 possessions worse this year than last season’s legendary 122.2 offensive rating. The Cavs and Knicks boast more efficient scoring right now. And they’ve mentioned missed shots impacting their defense, which fell to seventh this week, though it’s a better defensive rating by 1.3 points per 100 compared to last year.
Kristaps Porziņģis’ presence appears more instrumental in the team reaching its potential on both sides of the ball. He’s down from 51.6% from the field to 45.7% through his first 10 games and missing all four three-point attempts dropped him to 31.1% on one more attempt per game than he took last year. That’s despite him largely matching his post efficiency (1.29 PPP) entering Monday’s game. He previously mentioned needing several more games following the NBA Cup layoff to reach 100% conditioning, and suffered a heel injury last Sunday in DC.
Compared to last season, the Celtics have attempted roughly four fewer shots per game in the restricted area and nearly three fewer mid-rangers each night in favor of an extra corner three and 6.9 more above the break threes. Their efficiency fell from 43% in the corner to 38.6% while they’re shooting only 35.8% above the break, down from 37.7%. It’s early and a few hot games could swing these numbers drastically, but they could represent a diminishing return on ramping up their already league-leading three-point attempts from 42.5 per game to 50.4.
It’s who they are, so they’ll continue to take the threes when they’re available, but the most interesting results will follow the games where their opponents aggressively take the attempts away. On Saturday, the Tatum and the Celtics powered inside for 60 points in the paint — only taking 45 threes. By Monday, they looked lost, turning the ball over, struggling to enter the ball into the post and botching transition baskets. Down by one point late, Horford rushed a three that could’ve won the game while pursuing the two-for-one.
“That was a great shot,” Mazzulla said.
