The Celtics began an eventful road trip with a loss to the Pacers before a 19-point deficit at Miami two nights later put them at risk of their first three game losing streak since their 0-3 start to the season. Anfernee Simons led the turnaround with 39 points before he played a sizable role in the team’s 26-point win over Atlanta where they led by as many as 43. The trade deadline sits only 18 days away and Boston plays 10 more games before then, beginning on Monday in Detroit.
Here’s what stood out to me from my stops in Miami and Atlanta on the trip.
Simons scored the fifth-most points of his NBA career on Thursday in the manner the Celtics wanted him to going back to the summer — while also impacting defense and playing within the team construct. The scrutiny on Simons internally and overall sense that he’s inevitably gone before the deadline have both faded recently while he’s averaged 17.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 3.3 APG in January on 49.2% shooting from the field and 51.4% on eight attempts per game from three. What stood out most from his trip was how he drew extra defenders late in the Miami game and throughout his 14-point (5-10 FG) showing in Atlanta two nights later. Payton Pritchard sat out the win over the Hawks with ankle soreness, and Simons played in the fourth at the Heat over Pritchard while also cutting into Brown’s minutes.
Speaking recently about the ups-and-downs of his acclimation to Boston, he’s expressed a desire to win and enjoyment in the process of tailoring his game toward winning basketball. Jaylen Brown said on the trip Simons is probably playing in a role below his talent level, but it’s become an important one for a Celtics team that has a difficult decision looming. Simons becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer when his $27.7 million deal expires. He’s been connected to salary dump moves, the Bucks and attempts to upgrade the front court. Those trade rumors, too, aren’t anything new, Simons said, who’s leaned on his Portland experiences to help him handle the challenges he’s faced with the Celtics. Increased defensive attention on him could unlock a new layer of Boston’s offense. Simons has fans in the Celtics organization, and the increasing sense that the team’s success this season may not lead to significant payroll or tax reduction is increasing my confidence that Simons could remain with the team past the deadline — but the team is still focused on its long term roster construction.
Brown bounced back from missing the final seven minutes of the first half in Miami and producing his third least efficient game (37.5% FG) this season with a 41-point masterpiece performance in Atlanta where he did his work in three quarters. Mazzulla alluded to Simons’ play in explaining Brown appearing for his second-fewest first half minutes all season at the Heat, while Brown referenced playing behind Jayson Tatum in his reaction to the move. Still, he sounded deferential as he was following similar benchings at Brooklyn and against the Pacers, the Celtics’ other largest comeback win this season. Boston won all three games, and continue to embrace sacrifice and agile roles across the board with the results clearly affirming Joe Mazzulla’s ability to find the right lineup balance on any given night. As I’ve written, his ability to maneuver the minutes of his best players is a significant step in his coaching career. Elsewhere, Brown’s Wheeler High School retired his uniform near Atlanta, Brown discussed his old tweet about a teacher who predicted she’d look him up in jail one day and complained about officiating while mentioning that he’s studied referees and other players in the league who receive sizable free throw numbers each night. Brown generated 0 free throw attempts later that night in Miami before halftime but finished with seven before attempting 12 in three quarters at Atlanta. He ranks tied for 13th with 5.9 FTA per game.
While Pritchard’s (ankle) absence on Saturday sounded like a load management night, his first game missed since Mar. 29, 2025, Josh Minott (ankle) sat out a sixth straight game with an unexplained sprain he suffered despite sitting out all but three minutes of the previous six games, effectively leaving him out of the last 12 since his last rotation minutes at Indiana. Minott appeared on the court at practices and shootarounds throughout the trip and Mazzulla acknowledged he’s progressing while taking things day-by-day. The Celtics still haven’t upgraded him from out and he faces an uphill battle toward playing again once he does return due to the resurgent play of Luka Garza and Jordan Walsh’s steadiness in the front court. Baylor Scheierman started twice this week in Brown and Pritchard’s absences.
Sam Hauser’s outburst against the Hawks that rivaled his greatest game ever in Washington and nearly matched Marcus Smart’s single-game Celtics three point shooting record from 2020 devolved into a brief hunt for the tie that left him 10-for-21 from three. He started 8-for-10 before missing his first three looks in the fourth. His emergence into January as a starter alongside Simons’ rise went under the radar, but he’s averaging 14.0 PPG, shooting 45.1% from three and playing excellent defense this month. The Celtics have won 5-of-7 since he entered the starting lineup in Walsh’s place, with that starting group that began the season boasting a 126.7 offensive rating and 110.8 defensive rating (+15.9) in 20 games together.
Walsh handled his move to the bench well, posting one of his best games of the season with the second unit in Los Angeles earlier this month and averaging 3.6 PPG and 5.1 RPG on 48% shooting (36.4% 3PT) in 18.0 MPG over his last eight appearances off the bench. Walsh discussed the move with CLNS Media, explaining that the change maintains his role off the bench: “Regardless of who I’m playing with, I’m solidifying myself as a defender, so that’s what I’m always gonna be doing. I don’t think much as changed. It’s just taking it as a challenge, not taking it as a demotion. I feel like I would’ve viewed it that way no matter where I was at (in my career), going from where I was to where I am now, I think it’s a challenge I have to accept and try to out-perform … (it’s) more minutes if you play good and that’s about it.”
Mazzulla scaled back his focus on officiating himself following his illegal screen refrain from Indiana that the NBA backed up by stating in the last two minute report that Pascal Siakam should’ve been called for one before his game-winner on Monday. He said that wasn’t the message to the Celtics after the loss, but rather the stretches in the game that cost them, including the middle of the third quarter, turnovers, two-on-one reads and situational rebounding: “But from time-to-time, there are obviously moments where (commenting on officiating) happens … our techs are pretty low, so we’re not costing points. As long as we do what we need to do to stick to the process of winning and we’re not costing ourselves points, they handle it how they want to handle it. For the most part, I don’t think it’s taking away from our execution and our mentality toward the game, which I think is the most important thing.:”
Kristaps Porziņģis greeted former Celtics teammates after missing his fifth straight game with Achilles tendonitis. He and several players and staff members chatted in a side room at State Farm Arena before he left the arena declining to speak with several media members, saying he would do so during the Hawks’ trip to Boston next month.