The NBA today honored Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games played in December. Mazzulla wins his second monthly distinction of his career and is tied for third most in team history with Doc Rivers (6) and Brad Stevens (3).

With a 12-2 record, the Celtics have the best overall record in the league, while their.857 winning percentage ranks sixth in franchise history for the month of December and is the highest since 2007-08 (.929). With an 8-1 record (.889), the C’s also had the best winning percentage against.500 or better opponents.

The Celtics’ 126.5 points per game ranked second in the NBA behind the Bucks (131.5), and the best December scoring average in NBA history, trailing only the Atlanta Hawks in 2020-21 and the Baltimore Bullets in 1965-66. Boston led the NBA with 16.6 three-point attempts per game, behind just the sixth-best three-point shooting % (39.2) and ranking third in effective field goal percentage (58.6).

The Celtics topped the league in defensive rebounds (35.4), as well as blocks per game (7.1), rebounds (47.6), plus/minus (11.7), offensive rating (125.9), and net rating (11.2). The squad limited its opponents to 47.1 points in the paint, which ranks fourth in the league.

For the first time in team history, the Celtics scored more than 125 points in four consecutive road games from December 19 to 25, including victories over the Kings (144-119), Clippers (145-108), and Lakers (126-115). For the first time in franchise history, Boston scored 144 points in consecutive games, becoming one of only three teams in NBA history to do so on the road. For the first time since 1962, Boston scored at least 920 points in seven games.