5 things to watch for in the second half of the 2020-21 NBA season

4. The Boston Celtics getting back on track

The low point for the Boston Celtics came when they sat outside the playoff picture and even fell below .500, but they offered quite a bit of optimism heading into the All-Star break when they rattled off four straight wins.

Kemba Walker looked like his All-Star self in those four games, averaging 23.3 points and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. A second-unit that has traditionally struggled saw some key performances, most notably from backup center Robert Williams III who shot 73.9 percent from the field for 10.8 points while contributing 8.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 blocks in 21.1 minutes a night.

Boston hasn’t faired well in the clutch, previously owning a bottom-10 winning percentage, but all four of those games were within five points inside the final five minutes and the Celtics won them all.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been one of the league’s best duos regardless of age, each averaging almost 25 points a night. Marcus Smart will return soon enough. Boston’s second-half schedule eases up considerably.

Already sporting a top-four seed, things are slowly coming into place for the Celtics to legitimately challenge to avenge their conference finals loss from the bubble.