The Boston Celtics huge 135-87 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers was the team’s ninth straight win, solidifying their spot in the top six of the East standings.
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Boston continued its winning ways – it has not lost a game since late January – and a season in which questions were beginning to arise about the long-term future of the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown partnership, has now turned into questions about how far into the playoffs they can go.
Brown and Tatum combined for 57 points, 20 rebounds and nine made 3-point field goals on Tuesday night.
Jaylen. Brown. pic.twitter.com/LPY2vql9gg
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 16, 2022
Boston’s Philly beatdown was also its third consecutive road win of 30 points or more – becoming the first team in NBA history to achieve that mark.
With their 135-87 victory over the 76ers, The Celtics are the first team in NBA history to win 3 straight road games by at least 30 points. pic.twitter.com/2hqDX7pgX9
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 16, 2022
The Celtics have a defensive rating of 104.8 for the season – good for second in the league behind the Golden State Warriors – but over this nine-game winning streak? They have a rating of 95.5 – best in the NBA. They got the job done on both ends of the floor, recording their third-highest scoring game of the season while also holding their opponent under 90 points for an NBA-leading ninth time.
Post-game, Jaylen Brown spoke about the team’s defensive intensity this season.
“This is probably one of the better defensive teams in my career … It feels really good. It feels connected,” he said.