Boston, MA
Celtics midseason report card: Boston checked all boxes in impressive first half
Before the NBA season tipped off, we outlined a seven-step roadmap for the new-look, Jaylen Brown-led Celtics to exceed expectations in 2025-26.
Exactly halfway through, they’ve successfully checked six of those boxes, with the seventh still pending.
The result: Boston entered the week with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, the fifth-best in the league, and top-three rankings in point differential (third), offensive rating (first) and net rating (second). Joe Mazzulla’s club has been, by almost any all-encompassing metric, one of the best in the NBA through 41 games.
Ahead of Monday night’s marquee matchup against the Detroit Pistons — No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the East — here’s a closer look at how Boston stacks up against those seven preseason benchmarks:
1. “Jaylen Brown looks like a legit No. 1”
“Boston’s clearest path to competitiveness involves Brown playing at an All-NBA level.”
Brown, who’d said for years that he could thrive as a No. 1 option if given the chance, has aced this test thus far, playing his way into the NBA MVP conversation while Jayson Tatum recovers from Achilles surgery. Owning the NBA’s second-highest usage rate behind Luka Doncic, he’s the league’s fourth-leading scorer (29.7 points per game) and is on pace for a career high in assists (4.8).
Though the 3-pointer has been the centerpiece of Boston’s offense under Mazzulla, Brown has found success by becoming one of the premier 2-point maestros, taking more shots per game from inside the arc than any other NBA player. He’s also averaging a career-best 7.3 free throws per game — despite frequent gripes about what he considers unfair officiating.
Simply put, he’s been exactly what this Celtics team needs.
2. “The most important players stay healthy”
“This current Celtics roster does not have (the) luxury (of proven depth). Losing a key player like Brown or White for any significant length of time could tank their season.”
Brown, who failed to reach the 65-game threshold for postseason awards last year, has appeared in all but three of Boston’s 41 games, sitting out two due to illness and one with back spasms. Starters Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser have missed one game apiece. Top center Neemias Queta has missed two. That’s a total of eight DNPs for Boston’s current, Tatum-less starting five.
The Celtics’ key reserves have been regularly available, too. Sixth man Anfernee Simons has appeared in every game, and Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, Luka Garza and Baylor Scheierman have been sidelined for a total of two (not including their occasional DNP-CDs).
Outside of Tatum, the only player on the roster who’s missed extended time is wing Josh Minott, who sat out the last six games with an ankle sprain. But Minott fell out of Mazzulla’s rotation in late December and wasn’t seeing meaningful minutes when he suffered his injury.
For context, at this point last season, Brown had missed seven games, Tatum three, Hauser seven, Jrue Holiday six, Luke Kornet six, Al Horford eight and Kristaps Porzingis 23.
3. “Anfernee Simons becomes a playable defender”
“Simons can score. Everyone knows that. … But can he be at least respectable on the defensive end? That’s the big question facing the 26-year-old guard.”
It was telling that, after Simons scored 39 points off the bench last Thursday in a come-from-behind win over the Miami Heat, Mazzulla spent much of his postgame news conference praising the guard’s improved defense.
Simons has gone from liability to legitimately impactful at that end since joining the Celtics over the summer, and those improvements have helped turn him into one of Boston’s most valuable contributors. After an uneven start to the season as he adjusted to his new bench role, the former Portland Trail Blazers starter owns the NBA’s fourth-best plus/minus since the beginning of December.
The big question surrounding Simons now is whether Boston’s front office views him (and his $27.7 million expiring contract) as a trade chip or an asset worth retaining. We’ll find out by the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
4. “The frontcourt exceeds its low expectations”
“The move from Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet to Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman is an enormous downgrade on paper. The Celtics will need career years from at least one of these big men to field even a league-average frontcourt.”
The Celtics essentially took a “we’ll see how it goes and hope for the best” approach at the center position this past offseason — and so far, it’s worked.
Queta has been more than solid as a first-year starter (10.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per game), and Garza, after being exiled to the end of the bench for much of December, has been a consistent difference-maker off the bench, excelling as a screener and on the offensive glass while shooting a team-best 48.9% from three. It hasn’t mattered that Boucher and Tillman — the Celtics’ two most experienced bigs — have hardly played.
Even Boston’s rebounding — an unsurprising early-season issue for a team that lost its top three big men and its leading rebounder (Tatum) from last year’s squad — has become a strength of late. With help from their crashing wings, the Celtics rank sixth in defensive rebounding rate and fourth in offensive rebounding rate since the start of December, and seventh in overall rebounding rate this season.
Still, trade rumors have linked the Celtics to several established big men, so they could make a move to bolster this group in the coming weeks.
5. “Multiple depth wings become reliable rotation players”
“Jordan Walsh? Baylor Scheierman? Josh Minott? Hugo Gonzalez? With no proven depth on the wing behind Brown and Hauser, the Celtics will need at least half of those inexperienced backups to play real roles this season.”
How about all four?
Gonzalez, an instant contributor as a 19-year-old rookie, boasts the NBA’s second-best individual net rating. The Celtics went 15-5 with Walsh — who’s having by far the best season of his three-year career — in their starting lineup. Scheierman has become an everyday rotation player, earning his playing time through deflections, drawn charges and the occasional timely 3-pointer. Even Minott has been a net positive, starting 10 games and playing big minutes as a small-ball center before falling down the pecking order. All four have swung games with their chaotic energy and hustle plays.
6. “The East is as wide-open as expected”
“Any argument for the Celtics remaining competitive this season should start with the quality of their conference.”
Seven Eastern Conference teams — from the second-ranked Celtics to the No. 8 Heat — entered the week with between 22 and 26 wins. The New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic have underachieved relative to preseason hype, and the defending conference champion Indiana Pacers have cratered amid a tidal wave of injuries.
The Pistons sit comfortably atop the East standings, carrying a 4 1/2-game cushion into Monday night’s matchup. But is a franchise that’s won just two postseason games since 2008 an NBA Finals shoo-in? Hardly. The Celtics should be viewed as real conference contenders, especially if…
7. “Jayson Tatum returns for the stretch run (and looks like himself)”
“If Brown and Co. can scrap their way into the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race, they couldn’t ask for a more helpful midseason addition than a healthy Tatum.”
By all accounts, Tatum is on or ahead of schedule in his Achilles rehab. The Celtics have insisted they will not rush him back, but a midseason comeback appears realistic. If he returns and looks like Tatum, even in a reduced role, watch out.
Boston, MA
Vermont men’s hockey takes down Boston College
CHESTNUT HILL – The Boston College men’s hockey team got ensnared in a Beanpot trap.
On the eve of a historic encounter, No. 11 Boston College was ambushed 6-1 by the Vermont Catamounts in a quantifiable trap game upset on Friday night at Conte Forum.
The Eagles fell to 15-9-1 overall and 10-6-0 Hockey East in their dress rehearsal for the 300th Battle of Commonwealth Ave. against crosstown nemesis Boston University, a rivalry that dates back 108 years.
“Probably,” said BC coach Greg Brown when asked if he thought his players were looking ahead to Monday. “We talked about this game a lot, for league standings, for national standings, everything is important and we weren’t sharp enough.
“We have to get over this in a hurry. We will take a look at it, regroup so we can be sharper. We know we can’t make those kinds of mistakes and win games.”
The timing of the milestone match could not have been scripted any better. BC and BU will play for the 300th time in the championship game of the 73rd annual Dunkin Beanpot Tournament on Monday night (7:30) at the TD Garden.
The defending champion Terriers will engage the Eagles for the 24th time in the title match. BU is going for its record 33rd Beanpot title while BC looks to secure its 21st. BU leads the overall series, 141-137-21.
BC advanced to the Beanpot title game with a 5-1 victory over Harvard. Boston Bruins 2025 first round draft pick and Hobey Baker Award nominee James Hagens had two goals and an assist against the Crimson.
BU scored two shootout goals after three-on-three overtime to beat Northeastern in the other semifinal. The game went into the books as a 2-2 tie with BU winning in the shootout. The No. 9. Terriers beat the No. 1 Eagles 4-1 in last year’s championship game.
“The timing just adds more excitement to it for everybody,” said Brown. “We know they are a great team and we have to play better than we did tonight.
“We have to play faster and execute at a higher level. It is going to be a fun game. I think both teams are capable of playing a lot of good hockey. It will be exciting to see who can execute better.”
BC showed early signs of being embroiled in a trap game when Vermont scored two unanswered goals in the first period. Top line center Colin Kessler forced a neutral zone turnover, broke in on the left flank and backhanded the puck around BC goalie Louka Cloutier at 1:20 for his fourth of the season. Vermont made it 2-0 when sophomore left wing Ethan Burroughs beat Cloutier top shelf on the glove side for his third of the season at 8:24.
“I thought it was a complete game from head to toe from our guys,” said Vermont coach Stephen Weidler. “I certainly felt like from the net all out we were dialed all the way into what our identity is and what our system needs to be.
“We were just playing our version of hockey. BC had their pushes and we didn’t get bored with being simple. We knew we had our hands full but for us it was about our process and staying focused on the first task at hand.”
BC attempted to dispel the notion of a trap game on the power play 47 seconds into the second period. The Eagles cut the lead to 2-1 when Hagens redirected a Lukas Gustafsson slapper from the point for his 15th of the season.
Vermont appeared to take a 3-1 at 7:20 but the replay revealed that defenseman Caeden Herrington kicked the puck into the net. Undaunted, Vermont went up 3-1 on the power play at 12:40 when Herrington set up junior defenseman Sebastien Tornqvist for his fourth of the season.
Vermont went up 4-1 at 2:27 of the third on a scenario that added injury to insult. On the same play that senior left-wing Massimo Lombardi netted his fifth of the season, BC freshman center and Bruins’ draft pick Will Moore left the game in pain with an apparent right shoulder injury. Vermont freshman right wing Matteo Michels scored on a breakaway to make it 5-1 at 5:39.
“There is no update on (Moore) at all,” said Brown. “It looked like he got caught in an extended position but hopefully he is okay.”
Boston, MA
NEW SNOWFALL MAP: Parts of Mass. could see 8 inches on Saturday
The northeast is prepping for snow on Saturday, with bitter arctic cold to follow by Sunday morning.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for the areas of Boston, Worcester, Providence and Manchester, New Hampshire, with a winter storm watch issued for Essex County. And a cold weather advisory is in place for Sunday — the city of Boston issued a cold emergency.
Friday is a transitional day, as we get light snow to flurries due to ocean effect offshore and along the coast through the day. Temps will be in the 20s to near 30, with cloudy skies for everyone in New England. Tonight’s lows drop to the teens and 20s, with incoming snow out in western New England.
Saturday snow
The First Alert Weather Team has issued a First Alert for Saturday’s snow. The updated snow map (issued Friday at 11am) shows an increase in totals at the coastline. This is due to a Norlun trough and ocean effect that typically enhances lift and therefore, snowfall.
Scattered snow showers will start up in western New England Friday night, moving into Boston by sunrise Saturday. The heaviest snowfall rates seem to develop around midday Saturday and from the New Hampshire coast, then spinning down into the south shore by mid afternoon through Saturday evening.
The scattered snow showers taper inland, while the mountains see several inches of snow due to upslope development Saturday evening. Lingering outer Cape Cod snow showers will be around for Saturday night with a gusty northwest breeze. Stay tuned to snow map adjustments as the system develops.
Dangerous cold Sunday
Another First Alert is on for Sunday as we see the coldest temperatures and wind chills of this season. Extreme Cold Warnings and Advisories are up for Saturday night through Sunday midday. Wind chills will be -20 to -30 degrees as actual lows drop to around zero. The wind remains strong 30-40 mph gusts from the northwest Sunday morning, slowly subsiding to 20 mph gusts at night.
The cold means it is a great day to stay inside and watch all the Patriots Super Bowl coverage on NBC10 Boston. The big game will be warm and in the 60s by kickoff out in California.
10-day outlook
The cold remains for Monday as highs will be in the teens to 20s with some sun. Slowly, we see milder air returning midweek as highs reach the mid 30s.
A wintry mix to snow showers will be around as a system moves in for Wednesday into the end of the week. There’s a possibility that the storms stalls offshore in the Gulf of Maine for the end of the week and if that happens, we will trend colder with snow near the shoreline. Another model shows a similar trend with the system stalling nearby, but with less precipitation from it.
Stay tuned to updates on the forecast as we near Valentine’s Day next weekend.
Boston, MA
Boston Police Blotter: East Boston drug bust, loaded gun seized in Dorchester
Boston Police, working with the US Postal Service, seized six kilos of drugs worth over $1 million in an East Boston bust Tuesday.
Officers executed search warrants at multiple locations, including 11 Trustman Terrace and 906A Saratoga Street.
During the operation, police said they recovered 3.5 kilos of fentanyl and 2.5 kilograms of cocaine, valued at about $1 million and $150,000 respectively. They also found a 9mm large-capacity semi-automatic firearm, a large-capacity feeding device, ammunition, an additional feeding device, as well as cellphone, an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency and pills they believe to be narcotics.
Police arrested Anny Perdomo-Santana, 35, of East Boston, for allegedly trafficking the drugs they seized.
Perdomo-Santana faces charges of trafficking more than 200 grams of fentanyl, trafficking more than 200 grams of cocaine, unlawful possession of a large capacity firearm, unlawful possession of a large capacity feeding device, firearm violation in commission of a felony, and improper storage of a large capacity firearm near a minor.
“Additionally, an individual was summonsed to court, in lieu of arrest, to face a charge of Trafficking of a Class B Substance (Cocaine) Over 200 Grams due to medical considerations identified at the time of the enforcement action,” BPD said in a statement.
Dorchester man arrested on gun charges
Boston Police officers arrested a 19-year-old on firearm charges Wednesday night in Roxbury after finding a gun hidden in the snow.
Officers were called to the area around 57 Charlame St. at about 9:14 p.m. for a report of a person with a gun. As police arrived in the area, they said they saw someone matching the description of the suspect.
They stopped Jamauri Chambers of Dorchester, performed a pat frisk, but did not find a weapon, police said.
“Chambers was sweating heavily despite extremely cold weather conditions,” officers noted.
Because of the nature of the call, the officers continued to investigate and search the area where Chambers was first seen.
Officers said they noticed a side gate partially open on North Charlame Court with footprints leading to a rear fence. After following the footprints, police said they noticed an impression on the snow and used a mop handle to reveal “a black revolver-style firearm with a wood grip secured inside a black nylon holster.”
The gun was later identified as a Charco Inc. Bulldog Pug .44 caliber revolver, according to BPD.
Chambers was arrested and charged with carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, and trespassing.
He is expected to be arraigned at Roxbury District Court.
Incident Summary
BPD responded to 287 incidents in the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. Thursday, according to the department’s incident log. Those included arrests for two robberies, five aggravated assaults, three residential burglaries, one larceny from a vehicle, and 13 miscellaneous larcenies.
Arrests
All of the below-named defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
— Eli Perry, 46 Dix St., Revere. Felony breaking and entering at night.
— Enel Janvier, 59 Evans St., Dorchester. Assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
— George Williams, 9 Factory St., Hyde Park. Felony breaking and entering at night.
— Abosi Bond, 63 Putnam St., Somerville. Trespassing.
— Michael Wheeler, 43 Sherrin St., Hyde Park. Possession of Class A.
— Nilda Duarte, 11 Ferndale St., Dorchester. Assault with a dangerous weapon.
— Radeline Fernandez, 22 Brookford St., Dorchester. Larceny under $1,200.
— Elizaveta Yourman, 31 Bowker St., Boston. Shoplifting by asportation.
— Dashaun Williams-Stokes, 1757 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester. Shoplifting more than $250 by asportation.
— Isael Sanchez, 047 Southern Artery, Quincy. Warrant.
— Jeffrey Hall, 67A Sumner St., Dorchester. Distributing a Class B drug.
— Harry Purcell, no address listed. Possession of a Class A drug.
— Pedro Alvarez, 417 Columbia Rd., Dorchester. Possession of a Class C drug.
— Anderson Lara-Villar, 22 Speedewall St., Boston. Possession of a Class C drug.
— Miguel Saldana, 105 Chauncy St., Boston. Possession of a Class C drug.
— Kevin Rollins, 35 Lindsay St., Dorchester. Larceny under $1,200 by a single scheme.
— Yolanda Reyes-Cruz, 65 Intervale St., Dorchester. Operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.
— Amber Voudren, 112 Southampton St., Roxbury. Trespassing.
— Arturo Lomeli, 156 Ruthven St., Roxbury. Disorderly conduct.
— Corey Jamison, 79402 Massachusetts Ave., Boston. Shoplifting more than $100 by asportation.
— Philmore Phillip, 19 Maywood St., Roxbury. Uninsured vehicle.
— Jemina Grace, 91 Glendale Ave., Hyde Park. Operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.
— Jonathan Duffaud, 76 Neponset St., Roslindale. Animal cruelty.
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