Crunching some notable numbers after the Boston Celtics put together their first three-game winning streak in a month, and as they brace for a showdown with the East-leading Cavaliers in Cleveland on Tuesday night:
D-White takes charge
In our opinion, the biggest play of Boston’s furious rally in Philadelphia actually came after the Celtics had erased their 26-point deficit.
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With Boston leading by one with 2:31 to play, Ricky Council IV exploded to the basket after slipping a screen and gaining a step on Kristaps Porzingis. Derrick White, defending Kelly Oubre in the opposite corner, alertly shuffled over in front of the charge circle and braced for impact. White got bulldozed straight into the baseline but drew a monster charge call.
That was White’s seventh charge drawn this season, tied for 14th most in the NBA this season. But that number is also 1) Tied with White's team-leading total from all of last season, and 2) One more than the rest of his Celtics’ teammates combined this season, per NBA tracking.
Jaylen Brown is the only other player on the roster this season with multiple charge takes (three) while Jrue Holiday, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser have one apiece.
White hit a 3-pointer on the next trip down to give Boston some breathing room to get to the finish line of a satisfying comeback.
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Porzingis extends his range
If it feels like Kristaps Porzingis has hoisted some especially deep 3-point attempts lately, the numbers back up his expanding range.
Porzingis’ average 3-point shot distance this season is 27.51 feet, nearly one foot deeper than his career average (26.68). In fact, the only high-volume 3-point shooters in the NBA this season with a deeper average 3-point distance than Porzingis are Denver’s Nikola Jokic (28.63 feet) and Washington’s Jordan Poole (27.58), per PBP Stats tracking.
Porzingis actually has a deeper average than logo-dwellers like LaMelo Ball (27.49) and Trae Young (27.46). Here's a look at Porzingis’ average 3-point shot distance per season, per PBP Stats tracking:
Porzingis is averaging two full feet deeper on 3-point attempts this season compared to his rookie campaign (25.53 feet). He’s taken 20 shots of 30-plus feet (eliminating heaves) and is on pace to shatter his career-high mark of 25 shots of 30-plus feet in the 2019-20 season.
That his average is that deep is even more remarkable when you consider he’s taking more corner 3-pointers this season; those attempts are hardly reeling in his average, given how deep he spots up from above the break.
Hauser 3s = Celtics wins
Sam Hauser hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter against the 76ers to ensure the Celtics’ rally didn’t fizzle at a point where Philly was consistently making shots and trying to stiff-arm Boston's charge.
It was a reminder of just how vital a healthy Hauser is for the Celtics and their title hopes.
The Celtics are 22-4 (.846 winning percentage) in games where Hauser has made multiple 3-pointers this season. They are 6-8 (.429) in the 14 games where he made just one triple.
Just getting up those 3-pointers seems important. Boston is now 12-0 with an average margin of victory of 15.3 points per game when Hauser attempts 7-plus 3-pointers in a game.
Brown's passing evolution
Jaylen Brown has already produced 15 games with six-plus assists this season after hitting that mark just 12 times last season. More jarring is his leap in assist points created.
Brown currently ranks second on Boston’s roster with 537 assist points created (only Jayson Tatum has more at 691). Brown’s number of assist points created has grown in each of his last five seasons, and he’s on pace to blow past season year’s career-best total of 656 points created.
Brown ranks 49th in the NBA in assist points created this season. Since January 7, he’s averaging 5.4 assists per game, more than double his career average (2.6).
Brown sits at 4.8 assists per game for the season, and his development as a playmaker has taken a noticeable leap. His 41 secondary assists are the 16th-most in the NBA this season and second only to Tatum (49) on Boston’s roster.
Kornet minutes yield positive results
Tuesday’s showdown in Cleveland will feature two of the NBA’s best net rating guys. Here's the leaderboard for players with at least 40 games played this season:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (+18.0)
- Isaiah Joe, Thunder (+17.7)
- Luke Kornet, Celtics (+15.4)
- Evan Mobley, Cavs (+14.7)
- Aaron Wiggins, Thunder (+13.9)
Oklahoma City and Cleveland account for eight of the top 10 spots, with only Kornet and Memphis’ Brandon Clarke muscling into that mix.