Safe to say the Celtics are officially in a slump, having dropped three of four games, including Friday’s disappointing 117-109 loss to the Orlando Magic, who had won just one previous road game.
The Celtics faced strong defensive efforts in losses to the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, but the Magic loss causes definite concern. Boston lacked energy, couldn’t make a 3-point shot, and couldn’t get consistent defensive stops.
In eight December games, the Celtics are shooting 32.6 percent from the 3-point line and not surprisingly, they are 4-4 in those eight games. Every NBA team suffers when they don’t hit 3-pointers, but the question is whether the Celtics are becoming too reliant on the long-range shot.
They couldn’t complete a rally from a 19-point deficit because they couldn’t hit 3-pointers and they’re turning into a team that can beat anyone when shots are falling but struggle to find ways to win when they don’t.
The Celtics are shooting 41.6 percent from the 3-point line in their victories and 31.6 percent from the 3-point line in their losses. On Friday, they were 11 for 46, their second-worst percentage of the season. The worst was Monday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Shots that swished through the hoop in November are clanging off the rim in December, and even the Celtics’ most reliable shooters are in skids. Sam Hauser, who shot 46.2 percent from beyond the arc in November, is 11 for his past 37.
Malcolm Brogdon, who still leads the NBA in 3-point percentage, is 4 for his past 17. Marcus Smart, who shot nearly 44 percent from three in November, is 13 for 46 this month. Jayson Tatum, one of the league’s MVP candidates, is shooting 33 percent on threes in his past eight games.
So there’s no coincidence the Celtics are .500 this month, with their past three losses by an average of 14.6 points. They have to find a way to win consistently when shots aren’t falling, and that responsibility lies on the defense.
Now Boston welcomed back Robert Williams, who missed the first 29 games after knee surgery, and he energized the crowd and the team with 18 minutes and 9 points. He will definitely make a defensive difference but the Celtics have to become more passionate about things other than 3-point shots. They have to score more in the paint. They have to cut down on turnovers. They have to rebound.
“We’re getting good looks,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said of the shots. “Even when they’re not going in, we have to fight to keep moving the ball and shoot it. As far as defensively, when we get stops we can get out and get easy [shots], which then generates our offense.”
The Celtics were improving defensively but they have regressed of late, especially on midrange shots. Opponents have been punishing the Celtics on midrange shots. The Magic made nearly 57 percent of their 2-point shots, using Cole Anthony and former No.1 overall pick Markelle Fultz to knock down jumpers to seal the win late.
“I feel like we kind of let missed shots and turnovers affect our play, we didn’t have much energy,” Tatum said. “We had a few good plays but we couldn’t put three, four, or five of them together. And they got comfortable and they started hitting shots. When we tried to make a run late, they were already in a really good rhythm.”
The Celtics’ best game of the season was their Dec. 7 win at Phoenix, and despite leading by as many as 45 points, they won that game with defense early. They harassed Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, and relegated Chris Paul to a dribbler with no real destination. It was a dominant performance.
That was an indication the Celtics are capable of being elite defensively. But far too often over the past few games, they have allowed teams to get too comfortable early and it’s difficult to shut down a team that gets into an offensive rhythm, even the Orlando Magic.
“We’ve got to pick up our intensity,” Tatum said. “I think we’re guarding them too low. We’ve got a bunch of great defenders. We’ve got to go at them outside the [3-point line]. I think we were too low. And even guys that aren’t necessarily great shooters, they can still make shots when given that much space.”
The Celtics have become too preoccupied with splashing early 3-pointers, exciting the crowd, and winning early with offense, rather than buckling down on defense to make a statement, and they paid the price Friday.
Bad losses in the NBA are going to happen. The Celtics are still the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they have their flaws and are beatable when vulnerable. And while they’re in a shooting slump, they should put more emphasis on defense, using Williams to score easy buckets in the paint and taking care of the ball, and the rest will work itself out.
The Celtics are a good shooting team but they can’t rely on good shooting to save them. Their shooting and defense has failed them in December, and that’s why they’ve been an average
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.