The Boston Celtics continued their winning ways on Sunday, downing the Toronto Raptors 121-113 on the road after nearly blowing a 23-point lead. It was the Celtics’ fifth straight win and 10th in their last 12 games, improving their record to 15-9 and catapulting them into third place in the Eastern Conference.
It was another statement win for Boston, which has won six of its last seven games against playoff contenders. Joe Mazzulla’s squad is now 9-7 against teams with winning records this year, which is the most such wins in the NBA.
It helps that the improving Celtics have fixed their issues during crunch time, which plagued them early on. After losing five of their first seven clutch games — which the NBA defines as games within five points during the final five minutes — Boston has won five of its last seven clutch games.
The Eastern Conference may be weak this year, but the Celtics have still passed every test. They’ve beaten all six of the top eight seeds in the East that they’ve faced so far, excluding themselves.
Story continues below advertisement
Statistically, Boston is still elite on both sides of the ball, ranking fourth in offensive rating, third in fewest points allowed per game and fifth in net rating. The team is on pace for 51 wins despite not having their best player and playing one of the league’s toughest schedules so far.
It’s also telling that the resilient Celtics have been in almost every game this year. Only three of their nine losses came by double digits, and they haven’t had a game like that in over a month.
Boston still needs to prove itself against Western Conference contenders. But for now, there’s no reason to believe it isn’t one of the best teams in the East.
Story continues below advertisement
Featured image via Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images
