After a disappointing loss to the Golden State Warriors in overtime Tuesday night, the Celtics boarded a bus at the Chase Center, embarking on an 85-mile journey north to Sacramento.
It was a quiet ride. The team knew they had let one slip away, leading by 17 with under five minutes to go in the third quarter, only to leave with a loss.
While it was just one game out of the 82 in the season, this loss felt different. In a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals, the same issues that plagued them then resurfaced, dealing a blow to the Celtics 18 months later. Yet, there was no time for the C’s to dwell on the loss. The Sacramento Kings awaited them on the second night of a back-to-back, a formidable test against a team riding a three-game winning streak and positioned in the top five of the competitive Western Conference. Adding to the challenge, the green would be without both Jayson Tatum (ankle) and Al Horford (rest).
But the Celtics didn’t shy away. They gathered, watched the film, and learned from their mistakes – and despite the excuses being lined up for them, they came out and made a statement, dismantling the Kings with a 25-point victory.
Sacramento King’s head coach Mike Brown gave a blunt assessment after the game.
“That was a good old-fashioned butt-kicking,” Brown said. “Give the Celtics a lot of credit, especially coming off a back-to-back. They for sure looked like the team that was waiting on us here.”
Boston’s offense was blistering. The C’s poured in 144 points, their second-highest total of the season, coming up just four points shy of matching their franchise record for a road game, on a ridiculous 51-of-92 (55.4%) shooting from the field and 22-of-42 (52.4%) from deep. The Celtics also totaled 35 assists, their second-most this season.
“Eighteen second chance points, 30 fast break points. That’s crazy. Fifty-five percent from the floor, 52% from the three-point line, 144 points, give them credit,” Brown said while glancing at the box score on the dias. “Joe Mazzulla kicked my behind, and all I can do is take my hat off to him.”
Wednesday night epitomized Mazzulla's desired style. His team won the margins, snatched 14 offensive rebounds, found a balance in their attack – and yes, shot a lot of threes. Defensively, the C’s strung together stops, limited points in transition protected the paint, and maintained good ball pressure and physicality with their effort.
Notably, Mazzulla and the Celtics adjusted after De'Aaron Fox’s fast start. Fox torched the Celtics in the first half, scoring 26 points on 9-of-14 (64.3%) shooting from the field and 6-of-8 (75.0%) from deep.
After the hot start, the C’s made some adjustments and held the All-Star guard to just three points 0-of-2 shooting in the second half – his second-fewest total in a half this season.
“I just told them to keep perspective,” Mazzulla said when reflecting on what he told his team following the loss to Golden State. “It’s very important that us, as a team, as a locker room, are on the same page about what we’re doing well, what we’re not doing well, what type of team we are. It’s all about perspective. Many people can make up a lot of reasons as to why we lose a game, but we know what our standard is.”
For a coach that has won 69% of his games (89-40 including playoffs), the scrutiny Mazzulla receives seems irrational at times. Sure, the philosophies may be different. Specifically, the timeouts (or lack thereof) and the threes – but Mazzulla has been terrific this year.
More often than not, he has pushed the right buttons and has done a great job keeping his team focused on the ultimate goal with his constant emphasis on mindset.
Don’t get it twisted. This Celtics team is extremely talented. However, Mazzulla is a big reason they sit 21-6 and atop the NBA standings.
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