The Celtics suffered their third straight loss, a 105-93 defeat to the Magic on Sunday, putting an end to a horrific week for the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference. This recent stretch highlights how much the Celtics miss Gordon Hayward, who went down with a season-ending ankle injury on opening night, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston writes.
Hayward, along with Kyrie Irving, was one of two major offseason acquisition designed to help Boston maintain and improve upon their first-place finish in the East last season. However, on nights where Irving sits due to injury or the Celtics need an added offensive punch, they miss Hayward’s shooting and scoring abilities.
Despite the rough stretch, the Celtics still have the best record in their conference at 34-13, two games ahead of the Raptors.
- The Celtics recently signed Jarell Eddie to a 10-day contract and hope the journeyman’s second stint in Boston — and eighth different opportunity in the NBA — leads to better results, NBA.com’s Taylor Snow writes.