The Boston Celtics may have set the NBA back a few decades with their offensive performance on Wednesday night against the LA Clippers. Hosting the Clippers at TD Garden, the Celtics put together a historically poor shooting performance.
Boston was 35-of-101 on the evening, coming out to 34.7 percent. Their 3-point shooting was one for the ages, as they shot only 4-of-42. Only the Houston Rockets, who were 4-of-45 on February 28th, 2021, had a lower shooting percentage from 3-point land for a team that attempted at least 40 3-pointers.
Grant Williams went 2-for-3 on the night, as Sam Houser and Jaylen Brown were the only other players to make at least one. Al Horford, Brodric Thomas, Payton Pritchard, Romeo Langford and Josh Richardson all went 0fer, missing at least three attempts.
Brown’s performance was even worse despite making one of his attempts. He finished the night 1-for-13 from distance, shooting 13-of-36 overall. He is the third player in NBA history, along with Antoine Walker and Mike Mitchell, to attempt at least 36 shots with zero assists.
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“I think we did get a lot of open looks, despite what the statistics would say,” Brown said. “I don’t think we were forcing shots. I thought we got a lot of open looks that didn’t go down.
“I think it’s unfortunate timing because we wanted to respond from last game. A lot of those guys came out ready to fight, and we just came up short. We came up f—ing short.”
The offensive side of the ball has been a struggle at times for the Celtics this season, but they hit a new low against the Clippers. It was the first game of the season without Jayson Tatum, who entered the league’s health and safety protocols.
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If this is a preview of things to come without Tatum, the Celtics are in for a long few games.
“I guess so,” Brown said, when asked if shooting, good or bad, can be contagious. “We missed a lot of shots, and I thought we had a lot of open looks.
“We moved the ball and we got … I know they played zone, but we got a lot of great shots, I felt. Wide-open looks. And they didn’t go down.”
The Boston Celtics have lost three in a row and four out of the last five. Things aren’t going to get any easier, as they are hosting the Phoenix Suns on New Year’s Eve. Given how much they struggled against the Clippers, having to face off against one of the top-ranked defenses in the NBA could not come at a worse time.
