BROOKLYN - Since the early days of training camp, Joe Mazzulla has insisted that one of the Celtics’ biggest strengths is their depth. And on Tuesday night, that depth showed up in a major way, helping Boston battle through a 113–99 win over a frisky Brooklyn Nets team.
It was anything but pretty. The Celtics turned it over a season-high 20 times — something they had done only five times previously in the Mazzulla era. Those turnovers became 21 points for Brooklyn, more than 21% of the Nets’ total offense, and nearly double Boston’s season average of 11.0 giveaways.
For a better part of 48 minutes, it was a grind. But with timely plays and contributions from across the roster, the Celtics managed to tough it out, improving to 8–7 and reaching .500 for the first time this season.
“Guys being able to do different things,” Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought Ant was more aggressive tonight. I thought Jaylen was great in the second half. I think Josh played better. I think Baylor played better. I think Sam played better. So it’s just getting guys, you know, just as consistent as possible in the roles we need them to, and picking each other up when they’re not.”
To Mazzulla’s point, Anfernee Simons nearly doubled his point total from the last two games combined (six), finishing with 11 points, five assists, and four rebounds. After playing, in his words, “like s—” in the first half, Brown scored 23 points, scoring or assisting on eight of the Celtics’ 15 (53.3%) second-half makes. Sam Hauser, who played just seven minutes in Boston’s win over the Clippers on Sunday, made one of the game’s most pivotal plays, picking up Terance Mann full-court and coming away with a steal that led to a Neemias Queta dunk, sparking an 18–3 Boston run.
“I thought we played good as a team,” Brown said. “We had a slow start to the game. Brooklyn, it took us a minute to kind of figure them out a little bit. They got some long, athletic guys, but once we got our feet set a little bit, we were able to make some plays.”
The support kept coming. Derrick White anchored the defense with two blocks, two steals, and timely shot-making. Baylor Scheierman provided sturdy minutes. Payton Pritchard turned in a double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds). Queta chipped in six points, seven rebounds, and three blocks (more than the entire Nets team). Josh Minott bounced back with 10 points and four boards, and Luka Garza added five points and five rebounds.
“Everybody was ready. Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. That’s a big mantra of the Celtics,” said Hauser. “Everybody, when their numbers were called, stepped up and provided great minutes.”
Depth shows up in different ways. Winning an ugly, grind-it-out game against a 2–12 Nets team isn’t flashy, but on a night when Boston was far from its best, it was contributions from everywhere that allowed the Celtics to walk away with a win.
“At the end of the day, we all have an understanding of the type of team we have. We said before the year: we have a lot of depth. When everyone’s at their best, we can go to different things. We finished with [Hauser] tonight. A couple of nights ago. We finished with a different lineup,” Mazzulal said.” It’s a credit to the guys. At the end of the day, we have 12-13 guys who can really impact winning. I think everyone on the roster has helped us win a game or get us into a game, and so that’s important.”
The Celtics will face tougher tests ahead. And when they do, they’ll need more nights like this one — a team that leans on depth, shares the load, and finds ways to win even when nothing comes easy. Of course, cutting down on 20 turnovers would help, too.
“That depth, we have to take advantage of as a team,” Mazzulla added. “I think it gives us the best chance to win every night, to be able to go to different stuff, give us the best chance to be successful over the long run, and the guys are doing a good job of it.”
The Celtics are at their best when they can go to different looks and rely on different players. With three wins in a row and eight of their last 12, they’re starting to see the payoff. But they know there’s still work to do, beginning Friday night when they face these same Brooklyn Nets.
“It feels good to be over .500. But we’ve gotta go home now, I think we play what, Friday? We have to get this win on Friday. That’s the main focus. We’ve got to keep this going. Every game is going to be a battle. So keep chipping away at it, keep getting better and better.”
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