The Boston Celtics fell to 3-5 on Monday night, suffering their second consecutive loss at TD Garden. They are 1-3 on the parquet after their 105-103 defeat at the hands of the Utah Jazz.
Monday's loss included a third-quarter thrashing by the visitors. Utah emerged from halftime and erupted for 38 points. The Jazz produced 20 in the paint and shot 72.2 percent from the field.
"That's the tell of the tale, was that our first half was great. And I think the third quarter, they got the best of us, and they played harder than us," Joe Mazzulla told Hardwood Houdini about the roots of Utah's paint production post-game. "It was a combination of just transition, offensive rebounds, and then some of their dribble-drive stuff, not being able to defend without fouling.
"So, you have to be able to put a full game together. The first half was good. [The] third quarter cost us."
Mazzulla's citing a lack of effort is noteworthy. That's not an area he points to when his team gets outperformed. Shortly after he did so, Derrick White co-signed his sentiment while describing those disastrous 12 minutes after intermission.
"They kind of did whatever they wanted that quarter, and that's been kind of like the whole year; there's always in that one quarter that seems to get us," said White. "Our effort wasn't acceptable, especially in that third quarter."
Jaylen Brown, who finished with a game-high 36 points, including 27 on 60 percent shooting in the second half, put some of that responsibility on his shoulders after the loss.
"In moments, it just felt like they were the harder playing team," expressed Brown. "It’s just, I guess it’s a part of our learning curve, I guess. But, you know, teams shouldn’t just -- especially a team coming off a back-to-back -- shouldn’t be a harder-playing team than us. And I [have] got to lead
the way on both ends of the ball. So, I guess I got to be better in that regard as well."
Celtics get done in by another dismal quarter
Since opening night, Boston has struggled to prevent a 12-minute avalanche from its opponent.
The Philadelphia 76ers erupted for 42 points in the final frame of the season opener. That erased a double-digit deficit, propelling them to a 117-116 win at TD Garden.
Two days later, the New York Knicks generated 42 points in the second quarter. They only mustered 23 or fewer in every other period. That was enough to earn a 105-95 win, sending the Celtics to 0-2.
When they dropped to 0-3, it began with a 36-point frame by the Detroit Pistons in the second quarter, negating Boston's strong start. The hosts followed that up by producing 34 points in the 12 minutes after halftime. A better job of countering that momentum in either period could have prevented a 119-113 loss in the Motor City.
Unfortunately, even in victory, they haven't remedied the issue. The Celtics engaged in a first-quarter slugfest with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. The latter emerged with a 42-40 edge after the opening 12 minutes. Fortunately for the hosts, Boston responded with a 35-18 second quarter, setting the tone for a 125-105 win.
However, Saturday saw Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and the Houston Rockets put 37 points on the board in the first frame. They cruised to a 128-101 victory. With the Celtics playing their sixth game in nine days that night, fatigue was a factor. Of course, so were Houston's size and talent advantages.
Having a day in between taking to the court again didn't prove enough time for Boston to recharge. The Celtics held the Jazz to 36 points in the first half. Their defense unraveled when the intermission ended.
As Mazzulla said, a myriad of factors were responsible for that in the third quarter. There was the impact of missed shots, poor transition defense, struggles to prevent second-chance opportunities, and troubles with Utah's dribble-drive attack.
Boston was better on the defensive end in the last 12 minutes, but the hosts weren't good enough. The visitors manufactured 31 points, including 14 in the paint. They shot 55.6 percent from the field, and took 12 free throws to the former's nine, although both registered eight points from the foul line.
Will Hardy is an excellent coach. And the Jazz orchestrate an impressive offensive attack. However, they were also 2-4 entering Monday's matchup at TD Garden. It was the second half of a back-to-back after losing 126-103 to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. They also didn't have starting center Walker Kessler due to a shoulder injury.
Still, they outrebounded the Celtics 46-22 in the final three quarters. That helped produce 54 points in the paint, a figure that would rank in the top 10 for the season. Making that number even more surprising is that it came against a defense that is still yielding the fewest points in the paint per game this season [38.5], per NBA.com.
Perhaps that, at least in part, reflects the role fatigue played in Boston's effort not being at the level it needed to. However, it also could signal the inconsistencies this season may bring while Jayson Tatum rehabs from a torn Achilles tendon.
What he and everyone else are watching is a roster filled with players eager to prove themselves with more responsibility. Some are fighting to show they can contribute to the Celtics' return to championship contention when Tatum's ready to resume his role in leading them there.
Many of those individuals, like Josh Minott and Hugo Gonzalez, are showing promising early returns on that front. However, while there will be many encouraging nights along the way, Monday's loss to the Jazz was a reminder of the inconsistent waters this franchise is traversing.