Luka Garza has fallen out of the Celtics rotation, but when C’s coach Joe Mazzulla called his number Saturday, he had one of his best games of the season. Garza was a crucial part of the Celtics’ win over the Raptors as a reminder of what he can provide.
Garza finished with a season-high 26 minutes Saturday, putting up 12 points and 10 rebounds. The big man played with a high level of energy, as he often does, which included his first double-double of the season. Considering the Celtics were without Jaylen Brown due to an illness, they needed all the production Garza provided.
“I got a lot of respect for Luka,” Mazzulla said, via the NBC Sports Boston broadcast. “I think he changed the game for us. It’s really a credit to the player development staff and Luka to just staying ready, and just trusting our process of winning. He came out and I thought he changed the game in the stretch that he played with his physicality and his offensive rebounds. I thought he helped us come out with a more physical team tonight.”
Garza started the season as the primary reserve big man, backing up Neemias Queta. But he hasn’t been a major contributor in recent weeks, joining Xavier Tillman for a more muted impact. While Garza can fill up the stat sheet like he did Saturday, his defense leaves the Celtics susceptible.
But Garza always plays hard when he is on the court, and that was evident Saturday. Garza checked into the game then immediately made an impact. That allowed the Celtics to lean on him for extra minutes against the Raptors. Notably, the C’s even had a couple minutes of double big with Garza and Queta in the fourth quarter.
The last time Garza played double-digit minutes came almost a month ago against the Pistons on Nov. 26. He got the start with Queta unavailable, but he struggled in his minutes. But over the course of a long season, there will be opportunities like Saturday where Garza can come in and have a solid game.
The Celtics won their second straight game by downing the Raptors in Toronto. They hit a small blip where they dropped back-to-back games, but their 17-11 record is good for third in the East. The C’s also have an opportunity to string together more wins as they take on the hapless Pacers twice over the next week.