The Boston Celtics won 62-games in the 2024 calendar year, finishing the year with a record of 62-21 and a NBA Championship.

The start of 2025 is a busy one, featuring two four-game road trips out West against some of the best in the conference.

It starts with a back-to-back set in Minnesota (17-15) and Houston (21-11) before two more games against OKC (27-5) and Denver (18-13).

After this, four out of the next five games will be played in Boston before the next four-game road trip. It starts in California for three games against the Warriors, Clippers, and Lakers and the final game taking them to Dallas.

Here’s some notes and takeaways as the Celtics start the new calendar year:

• Jrue Holiday says the lingering injury in his right shoulder is something that could be ongoing throughout the season, but it’s something that he believes can be managed. The team is calling the injury a right shoulder impingement.
• Payton Pritchard continues to shine and solidify himself as the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year. He leads the NBA with 15-games of at least five made threes in a game this season.
• Sam Hauser is starting to get himself back on track since returning from injury. He’s made seven of his last 13 shots from deep and a +28 in the box score over his last two games.
• Jordan Walsh is seeing more action with Boston as of late. He’s played in each of the last four games, averaging 4.8 points on 54.5 percent shooting. He’s grabbed 2.3 rebounds, and made 1.0 assists per game. Jayson Tatum has been impressed with Walsh, saying “We feel like we’re going to really need him to have the success that we want to as a team. So, it’s about letting him know that he’s important, and you need him. It’s his job to be ready and stay ready when his time is called.”
• Al Horford has struggled shooting in his last two games, finishing 2-of-19 shooting from the field and 1-of-16 from behind the arc.
• Kristaps Porzingis ended 2024 by missing the last three games with an ankle injury.
• Celtics ended the 2024 calendar year with the second-largest margin of victory in franchise history of 54-points.

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Photo Credit: Jesse D. Garrabrant, NBAE Getty Images