The Boston Celtics are 28-12, which is good for second in the Eastern Conference and third in the NBA overall, despite losing three out of the last five games.

In the three losses in five games, Boston has lost by 13-points twice and 17-points. They’ve been starting the games strong before falling apart in the second halves. It’s been a blend of too many missed shots and a lack of effort at times.

The Celtics have a back-to-back scheduled this weekend in Boston against the Magic and the Hawks before starting the second four-game Western Conference road trip of the month against Golden State, both Los Angeles teams, and Dallas.

The last four-game Western Conference road trip Boston took at the beginning of January saw a 3-1 record against Minnesota, Houston, OKC, and Denver. They played hard and with full effort, creating some great games during this stretch.

That said, Boston has surprisingly fared better on the road (14-5) than at home (14-7) this season.

Here’s more news, notes, and takeaways from the Celtics:

• Baylor Scheierman was recalled to Boston after another great game for Maine. The rookie has improved tremendously since the summer and he’s thriving in the G League. He’s averaging 19.4 points on 41.9 percent shooting per game. Scheierman can be a depth wing that Boston needs off the bench right now and it’s time to see what he can bring to the table.
• Oshae Brissett reportedly signed a G League deal with the Long Island Nets. Brissett has been a free agent since he declined his player-option to stay with the Celtics.
• Jaylen Brown (10-points) and Jayson Tatum (16-points) struggled in the last game against the Toronto Raptors. They combined for 26 points on nine made shots. They looked uninterested once again against a lesser tram, that earned their 10th win of the season against the Celtics.
• Joe Mazzulla has utilized more double-big lineups this month than he has all season or maybe even ever. It started during the first road trip of the month and it’s continued since. Mazzulla uses a nine-man rotation most games, but wing depth is thin behind Sam Hauser, resulting in the increase of double-big lineups.
• During a recent postgame press conference, Mazzulla has made some comments on the effort that he’s not seeing from his team.
• Kristaps Porzingis continues to say that he’s not in game-shape during post game press conferences. He’s also saying that the team is still getting used to having him back in the lineup.

The Celtics will host back-to-back games this weekend before starting the second four-game road-trip of the month.

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Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran, Getty Images