The Boston Celtics are turning heads across the NBA, and after their dominant 111-89 road blowout over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night (Feb. 22, 2026) at Crypto.com Arena, ESPN NBA writer Marc J. Spears didn’t hold back on “NBA Today” (Feb. 23 episode): Boston is a “scary” team right now.
The Celtics—still without Jayson Tatum (Achilles repair, ongoing recovery from last postseason)—delivered a masterclass in both ends, sweeping the season series against the historic rival and proving depth, execution, and grit. Jaylen Brown led with a game-high 32 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and elite two-way play, while Payton Pritchard exploded for 30 points (6 threes), 8 assists—his best primetime showing yet. Boston shot efficiently, dominated the glass, and locked down defensively, holding L.A. to just 89 points (second-lowest this season for the Lakers).
Spears heaped praise on HC Joe Mazzulla and the group: “Joe Mazzulla’s doing an amazing job, Jaylen Brown’s doing a great job leading this team. Everybody knows their role. As you see, they play hard every night. And then Tatum is about to come back with Vucevic? It’s a scary Celtics team right now.”
Why “scary”? The Celtics sit at 37-19 (No. 2 East), winning 8 of their last 9 (including three straight double-digit victories). They rank second in offensive rating, seventh in defensive rating, and third in net rating—elite balance even without their All-NBA star. Brown is in MVP form (career-high 29.2 PPG, 28 games of 30+ points—tied-10th in Celtics single-season history), Pritchard is emerging as a killer bench spark, and depth (Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Neemias Queta) has carried them seamlessly.
The hype ramps up with Tatum’s return looming: He’s been scrimmaging (recent G League sessions looked “great”), hitting checkpoints, but no firm timeline—though Spears and others sense it’s near. Boston traded for veteran center Nikola Vucevic pre-deadline (adding spacing, rebounding, and floor-stretching alongside Queta’s rim protection/energy), giving them a versatile big-man rotation. When Tatum slots back in—likely off bench initially before starting—expect Mazzulla to integrate him gradually, boosting an already rolling squad.
This week tests the “scary” label: road back-to-back vs. Phoenix Suns (Tuesday) and Denver Nuggets (Wednesday). Win one (or both), and Boston’s momentum could make them the East’s most feared contender as February ends.
The Celtics aren’t just surviving without Tatum—they’re thriving. Add him + Vucevic to this mix? Spears is right: scary indeed.
Celtics fans—what do you think? How much scarier do they get with Tatum back? Can they handle the Suns-Nuggets road trip?