The Celtics looked like they were going to run away with their fifth straight win on Sunday against the Raptors in the first half. However, a 23-point Boston lead evaporated in just 10 minutes of playing time, leaving Boston on the verge of a massive collapse in the early moments of the fourth quarter.
A late-game meltdown would have been relatively understandable for the visitors given the circumstances. Boston was playing their third game in four nights, finishing their busiest stretch of the season of six games in nine nights. The Raptors also entered the contest as the third-best team in the East and were hungry for a victory after an ugly home loss to the Hornets last time out.
The Raptors’ defensive pressure was clearly getting to Boston in a 20-point third quarter after the Celtics looked dominant with 77 points at halftime.
“We didn’t meet the physicality that the segment of the game required,” Joe Mazzulla told reporters in Toronto. “But then we snapped out of it and got right back into it. That’s a credit to the guys. You’re not going to play a perfect game all the time, and you always talk about, ‘How quickly can you get back to your best?’”
The Celtics ended up closing the game with a 22-11 run over the final eight minutes of regulation in the 121-113 victory. While Mazzulla gave praise to his players for the win, a key adjustment on his part went a long way towards securing the victory.
Mazzulla has gone easy on his starter minutes all season long with Jaylen Brown and Derrick White both averaging 33 minutes per game in a season where the Celtics were expected to lean on them more than ever. Instead, Boston’s depth has been a valuable weapon for Mazzulla, keeping the onus off those guys and Payton Pritchard most nights from a heavy minutes standpoint.
However, Mazzulla took advantage of a scheduling quirk on Sunday to help rescue the game for Boston with his stars. The Celtics would have three days off after Sunday and just two games over the next 11 days due to the NBA Cup tournament. Boston was coming off a brutal schedule but Mazzulla did not have to worry about overtaxing his starters in this game without the necessary recovery. Instead, Mazzulla got his entire starting five back into the game by the 11 minute mark of the fourth quarter and rode with that group for virtually the rest of the game until Jordan Walsh fouled out with just over two minutes left.
The struggles of Boston’s bench unit combined with the lengthy rest waiting opened the door for Mazzulla to go for the kill with his starters and the move paid off. Brown and White led the comeback with eight points each in the final frame as the Celtics steadied themselves enough offensively to pull away for the victory.
Mazzulla has done a masterful job with this group amid a 10-2 stretch since inserting Walsh into the starting five. Sunday’s adjustment was great recognition for what the Celtics needed in a daunting environment. He’s got Boston playing the best basketball in the Eastern Conference right now and is pushing the right buttons along the way.