Celtics fans should be extremely excited if latest trend can hold up

With Sunday's 114-98 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Boston Celtics have now won five of their six games since returning from the All-Star break.

Here's what stood out:

Take a bow, Neemias Queta

Neemias Queta, who had a 20-20 game earlier this season, may have just had his best performance of the current campaign. In a contest where the Celtics couldn’t buy a basket early on, the Portuguese big man kept them alive with his tremendous hustle.

He already ripped down five offensive rebounds by the end of the first quarter, a period where the team netted half of their 26 points via second-chance opportunity.

Queta continued his dominance in the second, battling on the glass and even creating some smooth drives to the room.

In the first half alone, he posted 16 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, and two assists.

One his blocks, in particular, was rather aggressive. He swatted a Kelly Oubre Jr. floater into the crowd late in the closing minutes of the second.

Queta finished with a new career-high of 27 points to go along with 17 rebounds and three blocks.

It looks like Derrick White’s shot is back

Derrick White’s shooting struggles have dominated headlines for stretches of this season. The All-Defensive guard had yet to shoot below 38% from three in a single campaign, before this one. Heading into Sunday’s game, White had made just 32.7% of his attempts from distance.

As of late, though, he’s been sharper. In games since the All-Star break, he’s knocked down nearly 36% of his threes -- much closer to his usual standard.

White continued his stronger shooting against Philadelphia. He gave Boston a much-needed scoring punch with 21 points and drilled five threes in the process. White’s refound confidence will likely play a huge role in whatever postseason run the Celtics make this season.

His shooting has been so important for them in past seasons.

Payton Pritchard has had better days

Payton Pritchard has put together several eye-catching performances through the first 59 games of the year. Sunday’s was another… just for a different reason.

The reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year struggled immensely in his minutes against Philly. He went scoreless on the night, missing all four of his attempts from the field. For someone as talented as Pritchard, four attempts isn’t enough.

At the same time, forcing when it’s not your night isn’t the best practice, either. Pritchard’s explained how he sees the game several times this season -- with a strong emphasis on reading the defense and taking what they’re giving to him. I guess against the 76ers, they weren’t giving him much.

For what it’s worth, Pritchard finished with five assists and three rebounds off the bench.