The Boston Celtics have transformed into a fairly strong Clutch Time performer, but in the final five minutes of games with a differential of five points or less, they have a glaring weakness compared to the Denver Nuggets.
That weakness for Boston lies in their shooting percentage in Clutch Time. The Denver Nuggets hold first place in that category, hitting at a 53.0% clip from the field - while the Celtics are in a distant 11th spot at 46.2%.
Let's take a look at Boston's 109-115 loss to Denver last night. Clutch time began at the 3:15 mark of the fourth quarter with the score at 102-107 in favor of the Nuggets. From that point, the Celtics hit on only 2-of-8 from the field (25.0%) while the Nuggets were 3-of-6 (50%).
Granted, overall Boston does quite well in close games this season sitting in 6th place with a winning percentage of 64.3%. Denver, however, is in 4th place with a WP of 65.6%. Regardless of whether or not these two teams compete in the 2024 Finals, Joe Mazzulla needs to improve the shot selection of his troops at the end of close games.
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