DENVER – Boston’s 111-93 loss at Utah on Friday night looked as though the Green Team’s defense was still chillin’ poolside on some faraway island during All-Star break.
That just wasn’t the case, however.
Friday’s loss was only the latest indicator of the cracks forming in what has been one of the top defenses in the NBA this season.
The Celtics look to get their defense back on track tonight against the Denver Nuggets, who, like the Celtics, are also searching for their first win after the break.
In Boston’s loss to Utah (their first by double digits since an 89-77 loss to Cleveland on Dec. 15), the Jazz connected on 54.4 percent of its shots – a trend lately by Celtics opponents. It was the third straight game Boston allowed an opponent to shoot better than 51 percent against them from the field.
Now there are several factors one can point to as contributing to the team's defense not being quite as dominant as it was earlier this season.
There's the argument that matchups as much as anything else, have factored heavily into Boston's problems defensively. Teams with length at multiple positions have consistently given the Celtics problems. And Boston's last three opponents - Utah, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Milwaukee Bucks - are all squads with great length at key positions.
Boston Celtics
As one might expect, Boston's defensive problems have had a negative impact on their defensive rating, which has been just behind San Antonio for most of this season.
While they are tied for the third-best defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) this season, the last five games have been telling. In that span, Boston ranks 27th in the NBA with a defensive rating of 111.1.
And tonight’s opponent has struggled most of this season at both ends of the floor, but seems to be making notable progress of late.
In Denver's last five games, their offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) is up to 106.3, which ranks 15th in the NBA. That’s up from their season average of 102.1, which ranks 20th in the league. But defensively is where they have made the most progress recently, which has helped them win three of their last five games.
That's not all that surprising under head coach Mike Malone, who is known for coaching strong teams defensively.
Denver’s 103.4 defensive rating in the last five games is the NBA’s 10th-best mark in that span. That is significantly better than their season rating of 105.5, which ranks 23rd in the NBA.
As for the Celtics, the recent uptick in opponent field goal percentage has been a problem for more than just a couple games.
In fact, it has been a growing issue this entire month. Although Boston is 5-2 in the month of February, the Celtics’ opponents have shot the ball better from one game to the next in each of their last five games. We have noted how the Celtics' success often starts with its defense. The same holds true when they struggle.
“We were a step slow to everything; offensively and defensively,” Boston’s Isaiah Thomas said following the Utah loss. “Every time we play like that we end up losing. Somehow, we have to change that.”