After winning five straight, seven of eight and 10 of 12, the Celtics now find themselves amid a mini two-game losing streak for the first time since early November.
The second half against the Bucks was a bit of an uncharacteristic dud. The Pistons game was more competitive, but Detroit made timely plays down the stretch to prevail.
Now, the Celtics will try to regain momentum when they host the Heat tonight at 7 p.m. Here are three things to look for as they aim to get on track:
Jaylen Brown almost certainly won’t be named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, simply because people like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Cade Cunningham exist, but he’ll likely be in the discussion if he keeps playing like this.
A few stats to put it in perspective:
* Brown has led the Celtics in scoring in 21 of their 26 games and has dropped 30-plus in four straight.
* He’s averaging careers highs in points (29.3) and assists (4.9), while also shooting a career-best 50 percent from the floor and 76.9 percent from the line. It’s hard to have your efficiency go up when your usage goes up. That speaks to Brown’s consistency and poise as a player.
* His stats in December: 33.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.4 APG, 0.8 BPG, 0.8 SPG, 54.2 FG%, 42.3 3PT%, 78 FT%.
Even after a largely terrific showing against Detroit, he spoke afterward about how he has to be better. That lack of complacency is contagious, especially when it comes from your best player.
While the Celtics are built to rely heavily on 3-pointers – and they should (and will) keep letting them fly – they need to continue to look to score inside as well.
Unsurprisingly, they’ve [attempted](https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/shooting?dir=D&sort=Less%20Than%205%20ft.%20FGA) the fewest shots from less than five feet away per game (21.5) and made the second fewest (15).
Against the Bucks, 56 percent of their shots were from beyond the arc. It would behoove them to diversify their offensive repertoire, and this would be an ideal game to start.
Bam Adebayo is one of those players who seems to genuinely enjoy facing the Celtics. He’s averaging 17 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists against Boston in his career, including a 22, 14 and 4 game last February.
He’s a tough matchup for this Boston team, in particular, because of his unique combination of size and speed. The Celtics will need to work as a unit defensively to keep him in check and ensure they play the game on their terms.
If Adebayo runs wild, it could be a long night for the Celtics. If they bottle him up, their odds increase exponentially.
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