Boston Celtics: 3 big questions following 2019 NBA All-Star break

3. Can the Celtics continue to excel at the defensive end of the floor?

Having one of the best point guards in the league in Kyrie Irving, it doesn’t exactly shock anyone that the Celtics are a pretty decent scoring team, as they average 113 points per contest. Along with that, their offensive rating of 109 points per 100 possessions is good enough for the ninth-best mark in the association.

However, as good as the Celtics have been on offense, they have played extremely well at the other end of the court. For starters, they boast the league’s fifth-best mark in points allowed, giving up 106.6 points per contest. Additionally, Boston is also ranked fifth in defensive rating, yielding 106.5 points per 100 possessions.

The Celtics are also limiting their opponents to 44.3 percent shooting overall and 34 percent from beyond the arc — both of which places them second in the NBA in these categories. This all has led the Cs to the third-best point differential in the league at +6.4.

Fortunately, Boston has been healthy for the most part during the first half of the season. Barring any injuries to key personnel, the defense should continue to be a strong suit for this ball club going forward.