DALLAS — The Celtics played one of their worst halves of the season with a chance to clinch their NBA title against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 on Friday night. In response, Joe Mazzulla pulled his entire starting lineup midway through the third quarter of a blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Boston had their worst offensive half of the postseason in the first half, mustering just 35 points against an energized Mavericks squad that jumped out to a 61-35 lead at intermission. The carnage continued in the third quarter as Dallas opened the frame on a 29-17 run, which led to Mazzulla pulling the plug on his starting unit with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter after Boston called timeout.
Mazzulla pulled all five starters out of the game at that point, inserting Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, Oshae Brissett, Luke Kornet and Svi Mykhailiuk into the game to effectively create 15 minutes of garbage time with Boston facing a 38-point deficit. Jason Kidd quickly pulled his own starters after the move, giving both sides the chance for ample rest ahead of Game 5 in Boston on Monday night.
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The move was similar to a decision that Mazzulla made back on January 11 when he benched his entire starting five for the second half against the Bucks after falling down by 37 points at the half. The stakes were far higher this time around but it’s clear Mazzulla sensed this wasn’t Boston’s night and elected to save some wear and tear on his player’s legs heading into a clinching opportunity back at TD Garden on Monday night.
The stage is now set for an intriguing Game 5 as the two teams travel back to Boston on Saturday. Kristaps Porzingis was active for Game 4 but did not appear.
“He’s not quite there, but we’re going to make him available,” Mazzulla said before Game 4. “But we’re only going to use him in very specific instances if necessary.”
Whether a couple extra days of rest will help Porzingis’ left leg injury remains to be seen but the situation creates an extra wildcard with Boston now holding a 3-1 series lead entering Game 5. Boston and Dallas tip off at 8:30 p.m. at TD Garden on Monday night.
