“I would want no better shot than Jayson Tatum shooting an off-the-dribble wide-open three,” Mazzulla told reporters, as seen on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame coverage. “I’ll take that shot 100 times a game. … I just wanted to get a great shot.”
Meanwhile, Tatum finished the night 0-for-3 in the fourth quarter and just 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Boston’s ability to overcome Robert Williams’ absence
While connecting on 22 3-point attempts should secure a win in a perfect world, we don’t live in one and neither do the Celtics.
No matter how well the Celtics can knock down outside shots, or take questionable attempts with Mazzulla’s support from the postgame podium, failing to secure rebounds will always prove costly. And that was once again the case for Boston. The Celtics allowed 17 offensive rebounds, which marked a season-high, while only grabbing five of their own. They were also miserably outscored in the second chance points category, 23-8.
Mazzulla attempted to counter the absences of Williams and Al Horford, who was sidelined with low back stiffness before tipoff, by utilizing Mike Muscala and Luke Kornet alongside each other. And while there weren’t many options at that point, this only spoke greater volumes regarding how lost the Celtics are at securing rebounds without Williams.
This adds a pressure element to the 25-year-old with just 11 games left before playoff time arrives. And last year we saw what playing Williams through an injury could likely result in, opening this campaign sidelined for the first 29 games.
Maintaining crucial leads
This issue, like Tatum’s sticky slump, seems to be stuck with the Celtics until they chose to prove otherwise.
The C’s were haunted yet again. They held a 19-point lead in the second quarter but couldn’t build on it. Instead, the Jazz were rewarded on various occasions for their missed shot attempts — many of which Boston contested — and granted second-chance opportunities, which they wisely capitalized on.
