Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla emphasized the importance of defensive effort in the Celtics’ 120-106 road win over Sacramento. “I think we were just better defensively in the second half. We were physical, we were aggressive, limited them to one shot, really kept them out of transition,” he said.
Mazzulla highlighted the correlation between defense and offensive execution. “I think the correlation from our second half defense to our offensive execution is kind of when we’re at our best,” he explained.
The coach acknowledged the need to reset during minor lapses. “There were back-to-back ones. We just kind of had to reset. Effort was there, we just weren’t executing…we cleaned that up really the entire second half,” he said.
Bench contributions were also key in keeping the team competitive early. “The first half is hard ‘cause both teams were shooting 50% from three. I told the guys that the team that puts their defensive mark on the game is going to win. I thought we did that in the second half,” Mazzulla said.
Neemias Queta’s rim protection helped spark a defensive run in the third quarter. “I thought Nimi’s rim protection to start the third quarter was great. That kind of got us three straight stops. We were able to get out on a run,” he noted.
Mazzulla addressed lineup decisions, including Jordan Walsh’s limited minutes. “It’s really just taking any advantage we can with the entire roster and trying to win segments of the game, go on runs, catch the opponent off guard with different matchups,” he said.
Derrick White’s fourth-quarter scoring was a decisive factor. “He just doesn’t allow misses to discourage him. He continues to play defense, continues to shoot, continues to stay aggressive…his five assists in the first half were big for our pick-and-roll reads,” Mazzulla said.
Anfernee Simons also contributed off the bench. “He’s been better than I thought he was going to be, really from a mentality standpoint. He wants to come in and impact winning, and he’s become a solid defender for us,” Mazzulla added.
The coach acknowledged Sacramento’s challenge despite their record. “They have those guys, DeRozan, Schroder, Westbrook—they’re competitors. We had to be over that. In the last three minutes, we closed out while taking care of the basketball,” he said.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Derrick White added 16 points and seven assists. Payton Pritchard contributed 16 points and six assists, and Sam Hauser knocked down five three-pointers for 15 points.
Boston will continue their road trip against the Clippers on Saturday, aiming to maintain momentum, while the Kings visit Phoenix looking to halt their nine-loss stretch in 11 games.
