Boston Celtics: Second half struggles have plagued team recently

The Boston Celtics have struggled in the second half of games recently, which has caused the team to lose a few that were winnable.

The Boston Celtics have not been consistent this season, which has been odd based off of their success last year. In retrospect, the team started out the year with a healthy Gordon Hayward, but he and others like Jaylen Brown struggled to find their role.

The Celtics have moved both of those players to the bench and that has helped the team play better, winning eight straight games at their peak. The recent stretch hasn’t gone the way the team would have liked, however, going just 2-4 in their last six games.

There should be no reason for the Phoenix Suns to come in and beat Boston at TD Garden. Beyond the Suns, the Celtics played some good teams like the Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets.

In the last six games, Boston has struggled mightily in the second half. This issue is rather strange because the Celtics have been fairly good closing out games this season. So far this season, they’ve posted an offensive rating of 111.9 and a defensive rating of 105.4 in the second half, for an overall net rating of 6.5 — third-best in the league.

However, when looking at the last six games, Boston drops to 28th with a net rating of -12.8. They have an offensive rating of 100.7 and a defensive of 113.4. The sample size is only six games, and these struggles should revert back to the norm, but they’ve been enough to contribute to their recent skid.

Boston has averaged 51.3 points per game in the second half during this slate, putting them at 24th in the NBA. They have not shot the ball particularly well either, shooting 38.5 percent from the field (29th) and 29.2 percent from 3 (29th).

When they play against better teams, the Celtics must find ways to close out games in the second half. Thursday night’s game against the Rockets was a perfect example of this. Boston trailed by just two points at half, but ended up losing by 14. It doesn’t help when they let James Harden start cooking like he did, finishing with another big game of 45 points.

In the real plus-minus category, they are 28th in the league with a -6.3. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks post a worse number. This is the kind of company that the Celtics can’t find themselves near if they want to compete for a championship.

These struggles in the second half have plagued the team lately and they will need to figure out how to fix this problem quickly. The schedule doesn’t ease up anytime soon, playing their next seven games against teams that are fighting for a playoff spot.

Some opponents are relatively easier than others, but each game can’t be taken lightly. Going 2-4 over the last few games is not going to fly for Boston.

The Celtics’ recent struggles led to a team meeting after the loss to the Bucks on Dec. 21. They will need to figure out how to close out games or they may be looking at a continued rough patch.