Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla acknowledged the challenges his team faced in Saturday’s 100-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at TD Garden.
“They did a good job of cross-matching,” Mazzulla said. “Obviously you have to be able to make those reads versus the cross matches. I thought we looked good, but we missed some reads just based on their cross matches.”
Mazzulla highlighted the execution on both ends of the floor. “We got into a good rhythm because we were able to do that when they went to both of their big guys. We have to execute better. They executed a little better than us.”
The coach addressed frustrations on the boards. “We just gave up two rebounds, so I called a timeout,” he said, referring to a series of midplays that required a reset.
Mazzulla also praised Baylor Scheierman’s impact. “He had some great rebounds. He created space for us, helped us clear some cross plays with his ability to spread the floor. He was physical on defense.”
Mazzulla discussed defensive adjustments and noted the impact of Victor Wembanyama. “They do a great job of playing to his strengths by putting him in cross matches. You think you’ve got a guy beat and then he turns around and comes down, and the two-on-one is just lost so quickly.”
On free throws, Mazzulla said: “We obviously have to be better at defending without making fouls. Of those 20 free throws, there are about four or five fouls that we have to control better defensively.”
Regarding the Wembanyama matchup, he added: “Jordan did a great job at Wembanyama. Once they went to their cross matches, we have to clear the floor and make the two-on-one reads. Baylor did a good job of that.”
Mazzulla reflected on the exciting moments of the match. “That third quarter tested our ability to perform against those cross matches. When two good teams play, the difference comes down to 10-12 possessions.”
San Antonio relied on Victor Wembanyama’s surge in the second half, scoring 16 of his 21 points after halftime, while De’Aaron Fox and Keldon Johnson combined for 39 points and key late-game plays. Boston’s Derrick White led with 29 points and Jaylen Brown added 27, but the Celtics were limited to just four free throws in the fourth quarter.
The Spurs improved to 27-11 and continued their road swing at Minnesota on Sunday, while the Celtics fell to 25-13 and traveled to Indiana on Monday.
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