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It’s January 2nd. If you haven’t completely given up on your 2025 resolutions yet, I can only assume you haven’t made them in the first place. Happy New Year!

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Is this Celtics skid real? ☘️

What’s up with the Celtics’ latest slip-up?

The defending champion Celtics made the Eastern Conference playoffs and the NBA Finals last season. After years of knocking on the door, they finally knocked it off its hinges. Their regular season dominance was historic, as was their playoff run. And they entered this season as heavy favorites to win it all and become the first repeat champions since the 2018 Warriors. At 24-9, the Celtics are still the favorites (+225) to win the title, according to BetMGM, while the Thunder (+325) are coming up.

The Celtics were so good last year that their recent losing streak of four out of seven games is actually notable. The wins were huge: 25 points over Chicago, 37 points over Indiana and 54 points over Toronto. Yes, they really beat the Raptors 125-71. But also Boston lost against the Bulls and Pacers (more on the latter loss here), lost one to Orlando and was defeated by Philadelphia on Christmas Day.

The Cavs (29-4) are pulling ahead of the Celtics in the East and the Knicks (24-10) are on a winning streak that has narrowed the gap to No. 2 seed Boston. The defending champions are five games behind Cleveland and just half a game ahead of New York. Let’s take a look at the six games that preceded the loss to Toronto, because a 54-point win will distort a few things: During that stretch (2-4), the Celtics were fifth in offense, falling in However, defense dropped to 15th – pretty terrible on defense by their standards and expectations.

Coach Joe Mazzulla was recently asked a question he really liked by CLNS Media’s Noa Dalzell: She asked why it is that players missing shots is considered a slump, but when it is poor defense or rebounding players are seen as lazy or putting in a subpar effort. Mazzulla said it was the most profound statement he had heard in his three years as Boston’s coach, and in the best Mazzulla way possible. His answer was essentially that there are 10 to 12 possessions in a game where you just have to be better and accept that. He didn’t necessarily put it down to effort or laziness.

Here are two big areas where Boston slipped during those six games prior to the win over Toronto:

• 23rd in 3-point percentage (previously 13th)
• 18th in 3-point percentage allowed (previously eighth)
• 23rd in free throw rate (previously 21st)
• Ninth in free throw percentage allowed (previously first)

Ultimately, the 3-point line hasn’t been the Celtics’ friend lately and they aren’t keeping their opponents away from the free throw line as much anymore. I asked Jay King, our Celtics beat reporter, what’s wrong with the team and here’s what he said:

“Before the Celtics got on the right track with an easy win over the Raptors, they shot just 34.4 percent on 3-point attempts in December – that seems almost impossible given the shooting talent on the roster. Their defense slipped from second to seventh this season – it was still good, just not as elite as the Celtics normally defend.”

Jay also mentioned that the Celtics’ regular starting lineup had only played 85 minutes together all season. The 3-point shooting slip-up in December is interesting. Last season, they excelled at good floor spacing, and seven of their eight guys in the rotation shot above league average from distance. So far this season, only five of the eight shots have been above the league average.

Maybe the Raptors reminded Boston how to execute and play, and it got the Celtics out of their slump. Let’s see if this blip is just that or a larger trend after Boston faces the Timberwolves (17-15), Rockets (22-11), Thunder (27-5) and Nuggets (19-13). Everyone is on the road next week.

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The last 24

Bryce James chooses his school

🏀 LeBron’s youngest son enlists. Bryce, 17, announced this on Instagram He will play for Arizona next season.

📏 What a great picture! Josh Robbins posted a new picture of Gheorghe Muresan (7’7) and Muggsy Bogues (5’3). It’s a must.

🙏 Get well soon. Detroit’s Jaden Ivey was carried off the field last night after apparently suffering a leg injury.

✍️ David Aldridge always deliversso easy Enjoy how he portrays Alex Sarr and finds his way with the magicians (more on that below).

🏀 Knicks Brotherhood. Josh Hart used to dislike Mikal Bridges. James Edwards III brings it again.

🤔 Trade Chatter Does Jimmy Butler want to stay in Miami?? Even he isn’t sure at this point.

👀 Sam Amick explains why this Kings Need to Do Better by De’Aaron Fox.

📺 Don’t miss this game tonight. Celtics at Timberwolves, 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT. Anthony Edwards talking nonsense to the Celtics is good money.

📺 All-defense game. Clippers (19-14) at Thunder, 8 p.m. ET on League Pass. If you want some retro 90s tires, these two defenses are for you.

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Rank them!

The top three, the middle three and the bottom three

We normally do this section on Tuesdays, but thanks to the holiday this week, we’re bringing the team rankings on a Thursday for a change! As always, we’ll show you not only the top three and bottom three teams in the NBA, but also the controversial middle three – the Nos. 14, 15 and 16 teams. (Find Law Murray’s weekly NBA Power Rankings here if you want the full ranking would like to receive.)

Top three: Cleveland Cavaliers (29-4), OKC Thunder (27-5), Boston Celtics (24-9)

I keep wondering if the Cavs will be able to do this in the postseason, but I’ve decided to stop qualifying their play. This team is dominating at a historic level. Cleveland is the real deal right now and indications are that it will be in April and May. I keep forgetting that the Thunder still don’t have 22-year-old Chet Holmgren backwhich is a good reminder that OKC will somehow get better than what we’re currently seeing. And while the Celtics have looked a little vulnerable over the last week or so, there’s no reason to believe they aren’t still the favorites to win the overall if they’re healthy.

Middle three: LA Clippers (19-14), LA Lakers (18-14), Miami Heat (17-14)

I know Cleveland’s Kenny Atkinson will probably be the favorite to win Coach of the Year. But what Ty Lue did with this Clippers team deserves your full attentionespecially considering Kawhi Leonard hasn’t played yet. This team is as well coached as any in the league. The Lakers’ acquisition of Dorian Finney-Smith for D’Angelo Russell is intriguing. It’s addition after addition And Addition by subtraction. The Heat have been playing better lately and we can see them making a run in the next few games. Is any of this a showcase for Jimmy Butler or Tyler Herro?

Bottom three: Toronto Raptors (8-26), New Orleans Pelicans (5-29), Washington Wizards (6-25)

I can’t believe it either! I thought the Jazz, Pelicans and Wizards would be the bottom three for most of the rest of the season, but that’s not the case. The Jazz played just well enough to get out of here, while the Raptors were on a slump reminiscent of when they held up well in the final third of last season. Toronto has lost 11 of its last 12 and finally won last night. The Pelicans have gotten healthier, but Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are still missing. They have also lost 11 in a row. The Wizards are 4-1 against the Hawks and Hornets. They are 2-24 against everyone else.

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Review Thursday

Two years ago today, Spida made history

There have been 15 games in NBA history in which a player scored 70 points or more. (And yes, Wilt Chamberlain has six of them. He will always distort so many of those individual scoring exploits.) When Kobe Bryant dropped 81 points in 2006, it was the first time anyone had scored 70 points since David Robinson in 1994. When Devin Booker dropped 70 points in 2017, it was the first time in 11 years. And we’ve had four games with 70 or more in the last two years!

This latest run began two years ago today with Donovan Mitchell’s 71-point win, and The way he did it was an offensive performance that we have literally never seen before. You never would have thought Mitchell would do that at halftime of the Bulls-Cavs game that night. At that point, he only had 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Then he was eliminated in the third quarter.

Mitchell dropped 24 points in the third period alone before following up with a brilliant fourth quarter. The Cavs needed every single one of those points. With 4.7 seconds left and the Bulls leading by three points, they fouled Mitchell to prevent him from making a potentially game-winning 3-pointer. Mitchell scored his 56th point on the first free throw, but then had to intentionally miss the second so the Cavs could try to tie the game. Mitchell did it all in one fell swoop.

What is the success rate of intentionally missing a free throw to get another basket to tie the game? Does that even work? five percent of the time? Mitchell’s magical night made it work here, so he sent it to overtime. There he continued his ridiculous evaluation. Mitchell had 13 points on four shots and made all three of his 3-pointers, a layup and two free throws to single-handedly outscore the Bulls 13-4.

He finished the game with 71 points and 11 assists. It gave Mitchell the only 70-point assist double-double in league history. Although his regular stats remained unchanged on the night, only James Harden had ever scored at least 58 points and recorded at least 11 assists in a game. Yes, Mitchell needed OT, which could somehow make people discount a 70-point night. But it was one of the most ridiculous nights in NBA history.

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(Top photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images )