Less than 48 hours since they went 1-for-20 in the first half of a comeback victory against the Heat, the Celtics bricked their way to their worst performance of the season from 3-point range: 7-for-41, a brutal 17.1 percent from deep. Previously, the Celtics' worst performance this season was 11-for-51 (21.6 percent) in a loss to the Jazz in November. The last time they shot 17.1 percent or worse was Dec. 10, 2021 in a loss to the Suns (a season, incidentally, that featured a lot of incredibly bad 3-point shooting, including a 2-for-26 performance against the Wizards).
During their current five-game win streak, which was extended on Sunday night with a 112-100 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden, they rank No. 1 in the NBA in defensive efficiency, No. 2 in opponent three-point percentage, No. 5 in turnovers forced, and No. 6 in opponent field-goal percentage. It is a significant turnaround from the unit that ranked 29th in opponent three-point percentage and 26th in defensive efficiency during an 11-game stretch in January, when they went 2-9.
The Knicks took care of business first, defeating the Orlando Magic 132-120 after a stellar performance from guard Jalen Brunson. He dropped a season-high 40 points, plus eight assists. It marked Brunson's 19th 40-point performance as a Knick, the third most in franchise history, according to ESPN Research. Knicks coach Mike Brown said Brunson's performance is "what MVPs are supposed to do."
