The margins of the game do not go overlooked by Joe Mazzulla. And for the Celtics, those margins looked much different than we are accustomed to in Tuesday night’s 117-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
The particular figure in question was the three-point attempts. Boston was nearly doubled in shots on the perimeter, attempting just 22 triples, to Philly’s 42 – a rarity for the Celtics, who entered the night averaging a league-high 42.3 threes per game.
“We only shot 22 threes,” Tatum remarked, reflecting on the anomaly, even taking a second glance at the box score sheet in front of him at the podium to confirm. “That’s not like us, but I think we just did a good job of recognizing, obviously, they’re a lot smaller than they normally are. So, taking advantage of being able to get to the rim tonight.”
Boston’s 22 three-point attempts marked a new low in the Mazzulla era, while their five makes also marked a new low.
In general, the Celtics rely heavily on their ability to shoot three-pointers. Boston is 38-4 when they make more, or the same amount, of threes as its opponents. On the other hand, entering Tuesday night, the Celtics were 7-8 when they made fewer threes than their opponents.
Given the notable difference witnessed on Tuesday night, one might have anticipated Joe Mazzulla’s reaction to involve snapping clipboards and hurling expo markers in the locker room. However, the reality was quite the opposite.
“This game was probably one of our best games of the year,” the bench boss declared postgame. “From the standpoint of, we were able to win a different way, and this game showed a template of how teams are gonna guard us, and it gives us another thing to practice. I thought our guys did a great job.”
It’s been a while since the Celtics won a game in fashion they did Tuesday night. As the modern NBA shifts more and more to the perimeter, that’s often where games are won and lost. In fact, Tuesday night was the first time the Celtics won a game with five or fewer made three-pointers in over six years (January 6, 2018).
“We were guarded differently than we have been throughout the year,” Mazzulla said postgame. “They switched, tried to take away threes, and forced us to play dribble drive.”
The Celtics have been finding different ways to win all year when the threes aren’t falling. Whether that be in the post, crashing the glass, or with their defense, it’s been a recurring theme of the 2023-24 Celtics. Tuesday night was just a more illuminating example.
As Nick Nurse and the 76ers worked to shut down the perimeter, the Celtics aggressively attacked inside and lived at the free-throw line. With Joel Embiid sidelined as he recovers from knee surgery last month, the Celtics played physical basketball, effectively dominating the low post and taking Philly’s lunch money.
Boston outrebounded the Embiid-less 76ers 56-28, Boston’s largest rebound margin since 2019. Additionally, the Celtics scored 64 points in the paint and another 34 at the free-throw line. Their 98 points in the paint and at the line nearly matched Philly as a team (99).
Tatum (11), Jaylen Brown (10), and Kristaps Porzingis (12) each attempted double-digit free-throws, as Boston’s 37 attempts tied their second-most in the Mazzulla era.
“This team has really grown into taking what the defense gives you every single night and quickly getting to what that is and trying to exploit it,” Mazzulla said postgame. “That’s why I’m very grateful for this game.”
That’s exactly what sets this Celtics team apart from previous years. Offensively, they’re adept at recognizing and capitalizing on defensive vulnerabilities, leveraging the exceptional talent across their roster to exploit those weaknesses in a multitude of ways.
That lingering perception that the Celtics lean too heavily on three-pointers can be laid to rest. While it remains a crucial component of their offense, it doesn’t encompass the entirety of their game plan.
“I don’t love threes, I love great shots,” Mazzulla said.
“Mazzulla Ball” is not all about the three-pointer. It goes well beyond that, evidenced by Tuesday night.
“He’s never told us [to] shoot 44 threes a night,” Tatum explained postgame. “It’s all about taking the right shots [and] respecting each other’s space. We usually do a good job of finding the advantage. We get behind the defense, they collapse, and then we got a team full of shooters, so we stay spaced.
Here are three takeaways as the Celtics extend their winning streak to nine games and push Philadelphia 100 games below .500 all-time in games played in Boston.
Closing time
After a Tatum 26-foot step-back jumper hit the front rim, the 76ers quickly pushed the pace. Kyle Lowry found Tobias Harris wide open for a corner three, where Harris confidently sank the triple right in front of the Boston bench, prompting a timeout from Mazzulla. What was an 11-point Boston lead was quickly down to two in just 3:10 in the fourth quarter.
Out of the timeout, the Celtics immediately responded with a 17-0 run over nearly four and a half minutes, pushing the lead to 19 and putting the nail in the coffin of the 76ers.
Over that stretch, Tatum poured in eight points and snagged five rebounds as the Celtics forced seven straight misses and two turnovers. Tatum's five rebounds over that stretch were more than the 76ers had the entire quarter (4).
The run was punctuated with Tatum being showered with “MVP” chants at the free-throw line.
The five-time All-Star finished with 15 points in the final frame, taking over when it mattered most and willing his team to victory.
This was just another example of the Celtics being able to take things to that next level, and the scary part is, they have six guys capable of reaching that level - which will make all the difference this spring.
Another solid third quarter
For much of this season, the third quarters have been a source of concern for the Celtics. After all, they have been outscored in the third quarter in 10 out of their 12 losses this season, highlighting a notable weakness for a team that doesn’t have many.
However, this issue seems to be trending in the right direction.
Boston outscored Philly 33-24 in the third quarter Tuesday night. In their three games since the All-Star break, the Celtics have outscored their opponents 105-71 (+34) in the third frame. Small sample size, yes. But encouraging, nonetheless.
“Just understanding what we were struggling with, or [were] not as good at,” Tatum said on the improved third quarters. “That being a focus point on our off days, during practice, and watching film. And just understanding that it, in real-time, when we come out of halftime, wanting to get out to a good start and building off that the rest of the game.”
Tinkering with the rotation
Mazzulla mentioned earlier this month he looks for stretches in the schedule to try new things. Tuesday night was one of those nights, essentially switching Tatum and Brown’s substitution pattern.
Typically, Tatum takes a rest midway through the first quarter while Brown remains on the court for the entire frame. However, on Tuesday night, the roles were switched.
With the Celtics enjoying a commanding 7.5-game lead in the Eastern Conference, Mazzulla has the flexibility to experiment post-All-Star break – and he should, without disrupting the team’s current flow.
Although Mazzulla downplayed the rotation change postgame, seeing more subtle adjustments like this in the coming weeks wouldn’t be surprising.
“We’ve done it before, and it wasn’t anything to do with, like wanting to do it this half of the season. I just thought he had it going there, and I like the unit that we were gonna bring to start the quarter,” the bench boss said.
Honorable mention: Defense shuts ’em down
The Celtics have consistently placed a premium on their defensive efforts, and once again, their commitment paid off.
Boston limited Philly to just 99 points on 94 (!) shots. The 76ers managed to shoot just 39.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc, marking only the fourth time they’ve shot below 40% this season.
While contributions on the defensive end came from various players on the roster, the backcourt duo of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, in particular, stood out once again. “The Stock Exchange” combined for five blocks and three steals. Their five blocks matched Philly as a team.
Anytime a team is held under 100 points in today’s NBA, it’s noteworthy, so the Celtics deserve their flowers for another rock-solid defensive effort.
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