The Boston Celtics saw their four-game winning streak end Sunday night as the Minnesota Timberwolves earned a 102-92 victory at TD Garden, their first win in Boston since 2005.
After the game, head coach Joe Mazzulla pointed to a disrupted offensive rhythm and Minnesota’s physical defense as the defining factors in the loss.
“A little I think when they went small to start the fourth and had Gobert out there physicality and presence, it messed up the timing of our offense,” Mazzulla said. “I thought we got into our advantage late in the shot clock, weren’t able to get a good shot, and I thought we just missed some layups or missed some shots as well.”
Boston finished the night shooting 36% from the field and just 9-for-33 from three-point range.
Mazzulla said Minnesota’s defensive pressure from its second unit changed the flow of the game.
“I thought their second unit with their physicality and their ability to pressure the ball hurt the timing of our execution,” Mazzulla said. “They were grabbing and bumping and pushing.”
That defensive pressure, he explained, prevented the Celtics from initiating their actions early in possessions.
“It messed up the timing of our offense, messed up us getting the ball into the scoring area,” Mazzulla said. “I thought it impacted our screening. It impacted our creating advantages.”
The coach detailed how those disruptions affected Boston’s half-court execution.
“Getting the ball into the scoring area, getting into our action early in the shot clock, creating the advantage that we need early in the shot clock, trying to get more than one advantage within the possession,” Mazzulla said. “When they are pressuring that much, that becomes difficult.”
Minnesota’s defensive adjustments also changed the pick-and-roll looks Boston typically attacks.
“They just play in different ways,” Mazzulla said. “They have different pick-and-roll coverages when Gobert’s on the floor and when he’s not.”
“When he wasn’t, they were a little bit more physical at the point of attack, a little bit more when they’re switching and a little bit higher pickup points,” he added.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 29 points, while Jayson Tatum finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds after being scoreless in the first half.
Despite a strong third quarter that briefly pushed the Celtics ahead by nine, Mazzulla said the momentum shifted late.
“I think we go up nine in the third quarter and they cut it to one,” Mazzulla said. “Then the fourth quarter.”
Turnovers also played a role, particularly during key stretches.
“I think that unit in the second quarter and the fourth quarter was the difference in the game,” Mazzulla said. “Their ability to turn us over in both of those quarters.”
Minnesota also capitalized on transition opportunities created by missed shots.
“When we missed layups and we weren’t able to get our offensive rebounds, they took advantage of that with their speed and getting out in transition,” Mazzulla said. “That was a huge difference in the second half.”
The Celtics remain second in the Eastern Conference at 47-24, just ahead of the surging New York Knicks.
Mazzulla said the approach after losses remains the same as after wins.
“I think it’s the same,” Mazzulla said. “You pick the 10 or 15 possessions that you have to get better at.”
“You get better at practice and you do the next one,” he added. “Whether it’s a win or a loss, can you just learn from it and move on?”
