Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla emphasized execution and learning after a narrow 102-100 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.
“On the previous play, defend well for 20 seconds… Edwards had been hot all night. Credit to him who played well, but it was a tough miss that just didn’t bounce our way,” Mazzulla said regarding the game-deciding sequence.
Mazzulla discussed the importance of process and playing together under pressure. “It’s no different than the regular game… your execution, whether it’s transition defense, whether it’s fouling, whether it’s executing on the offensive end, all those things are the same,” he explained.
The coach noted the Celtics’ defensive performance, particularly in limiting turnovers. “They did a good job keeping the ball in their ball handlers’ hands… they moved it well,” Mazzulla said, giving credit to the 76ers’ offensive execution.
Jordan Walsh was tasked to start the second half, and Mazzulla praised his defensive work. “He did a great job on Maxey throughout the game… just kind of wanted to keep that momentum, and he’s just got to keep getting better,” Mazzulla said.
Mazzulla also highlighted the growth of Edwards. “He’s learning the understanding of the identity… the effort he plays with on defense, different ways he can impact the offensive end, whether it’s screening, offensive rebounding, knocking down open shots,” he said.
On clutch moments, Mazzulla emphasized learning and improvement. “We always talk about plays that we could be better at throughout the whole game and then just executing down there… just have to have the mindset of where we can get better,” he said.
Regarding Edwards’ hot shooting, Mazzulla noted matchup challenges. “It’s Maxey pick-and-rolls. You have to be able to do both. He played well. We played well too, we just didn’t make enough plays down the stretch,” he said.
Mazzulla addressed playing time and offensive execution for Josh Minott. “That’s between me and Josh… we played well offensively… I thought the process of playing was really good offensively,” he said, emphasizing the team’s focus on fundamentals even in tough losses.
The Celtics fall to 5-7 while the 76ers improve to 7-4, with Boston next hosting Memphis on Wednesday.
