"When we're not giving our all, I think that's the most deserved boos," Kristaps Porziņģis said after Friday's loss to the Kings.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points with 11 rebounds and looked unstoppable against the Nuggets after similar spurts in a brutal loss at the Thunder.

Empty possessions like that one have become too common lately for the Boston starters. The Celtics’ first unit, one of the NBA’s best high-usage lineups last season, has gone through baffling problems since Porziņģis made his season debut on Nov. 25.

Two short weeks after losing by 54 points in Boston, the Toronto Raptors handed the Celtics their most humbling loss of the season Wednesday.

The Boston Celtics are one of the best teams in the league as we approach the halfway mark of the 2024-25 season. The Celtics are elite, with a 28-11 record and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

On Saturday night, the Boston Celtics will host the Atlanta Hawks. For the game, they could be without their best player, as Jayson Tatum is on the injury repo

Boston brought energy and discipline, shutting down Orlando’s main weapon and being aggressive at the rim. With strong performances from Porziņģis, Tatum, and Brown, the game plan was on full display.

Rookie Stephon Castle impressed with 20 points of his own for San Antonio. Devin Vassell chipped in 21 while Victor Wembanyama had 19 points, 12 boards and six blocks. The team falls to 19-21 on the season and have now lost five of their last six games.

Over the full season, only the Rockets, Magic and 76ers have more consistently and thoroughly won the possession battle than Boston. That has actually held up over the past month, with the Celtics continuing to outperform opponents on the offensive glass, commit fewer turnovers than they create and generate more free throws than they allow.

Mazzulla says the pressure on the Celtics is coming from comparisons to Cavs and Thunder: "Oh, you're not as good because you're not them."

Tatum remains one of the best fantasy options with a seventh-place 1828.9 TFP and eighth-place 49.4 FPPG, and Kristaps Porziņģis has been strong with 38 or more fantasy points in four consecutive outings, but the time of relying on Celtics for big numbers may have passed.