Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla emphasized process and execution after his team rallied to a 119-109 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday at TD Garden. “Those are the times where you just have to focus on the process of what you’re doing,” Mazzulla said, reflecting on Boston’s slow start in the first quarter.
The Celtics trailed by 11 before a 29-15 second-quarter run gave them their first lead of the night. Mazzulla credited adjustments on both ends: “We were able to rebound. We’re able to keep him off the free throw line. We’re able to keep him out of transition. And so when you do those things, you’ll naturally… the game will just take care of itself.”
Jayson Tatum’s performance drew praise from his coach, particularly his rebounding and pick-and-roll execution. “He’s given us the game what it needs and he’s putting us and helping us win. That’s the only thing that matters,” Mazzulla said. “His rebounding has been top-notch. His ball handling, what he did to start the fourth quarter going on a run… he’s playing pick and roll. He’s given the game what it needs and that’s the most important thing.”
The Celtics’ pick-and-roll with Tatum was a key factor in the win. “It’s stabilizing for us. We got to continue to work on executing against the different coverages that present it,” Mazzulla explained. Boston’s guard duo, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, also contributed with playmaking and spacing: “Payton and Derrick did a great job of navigating the spacing that we needed to get to… JB handled the hedge well. We could get to spacing. JB can make plays there.”
Offensive rebounding played a decisive role, with Boston outscoring Oklahoma City 19-2 on second-chance points. “Just a commitment to the glass… it helps us with the shot margin,” Mazzulla said. Contributions from Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez added another layer: “Just playmaking in other areas. Baylor was great in his shot making. He’s a guy that just makes plays.”
The coach also addressed his team’s handling of Oklahoma City’s ball pressure. “I thought our spacing was great. I thought we were organized. We were very deliberate in our attack,” Mazzulla said. He highlighted the physicality and winning momentum plays as a factor in the third quarter surge: “You got to own your space. You got to win the momentum plays. You got to win at the rim. And I thought the guys did a great job of that.”
Boston snapped the defending champions’ 12-game win streak, with Brown scoring 14 of his 31 points in a pivotal third quarter. Tatum added 19 points and 12 rebounds, while the Celtics limited Oklahoma City’s three-point efficiency to 12 of 37. Mazzulla concluded that maintaining this level of play will be essential moving forward: “I do think tonight we took it to a different level and it’s something that we have to maintain.”
