Luka Garza earned backup center minutes out of training camp with the Celtics but that playing time had not gone well in the month of November entering Sunday night. Garza had shot just 1-of-10 from the field in his first four games of the month and the Celtics had been outscored by 43 points in the 46 minutes he had been on the floor.
The Celtics clearly needed more out of the backup center spot and they finally got it on Sunday night. The 26-year-old erupted for his best game as a Celtic, posting season-highs with 16 points and eight rebounds in the 111-107 victory. Garza was incredibly efficient in the performance, going 7-of-8 from the field with his only miss coming from 3-point range.
Beyond doing plenty of damage on the offensive glass, Garza also found success as a roller, with Boston’s guards finding him in space for open floaters and finishes at the rim. Garza also did most of his damage in the fourth quarter, going 4-of-4 from the field for eight points in the final frame to go along with five rebounds. He ended up playing the final three minutes of the game after Neemias Queta fouled out in crunch time and delivered a big putback bucket late to help the Celtics keep the lead.
“We all want to get out there, all of us, you know, we all play this game for a reason,” Garza told reporters in Orlando via NBC Sports Boston. “We want to be on the floor and we know when we are on the floor, that to make an impact we gotta play hard. Effort is a non-negotiable, so that’s what we try to bring every time we step on the floor and do the best of what we got.”
Garza and the rest of Boston’s second unit outworked the Magic for much of the night, finishing with a 50-18 edge in bench points with all of Boston’s reserves also finishing with a positive plus/minus including Garza with a plus-9 in his 17 minutes.
“I wanted to come in and help the team to rebound,” Garza said. “Do whatever I can to kind of help seal the win, and I think, you know, obviously we hit some big shots on the stretch. We really executed well offensively down the stretch, and I wanted to help be a part of that and do whatever I could to, to help the team win.”
Garza has been a great offensive rebounder all year long but has struggled on the defensive glass at times this season. Those struggles and some defensive issues with Garza have led to Joe Mazzulla to turn elsewhere at times for backup center minutes, including to Josh Minott. With Minott struggling (minus-17) on Sunday night, the door looks open for Garza to further establish his role as the Celtics look to stay afloat without Neemias Queta on the floor.
Similar to his play with Minnesota, Garza has been unable to hit 3s this year (4-of-15), but his willingness to roll more against the Magic Sunday night could be the key to unlocking the best part of his offensive game beyond the rebounding. The Celtics have the backcourt weapons that attract attention, which means Garza should get chances to capitalize if he can put pressure on the rim. Sunday’s win was a good step in that direction in a quality win for Boston against a more talented opponent.
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