The Celtics nearly blew one win already this past week with brutal crutch time execution. A repeat performance on Saturday night was enough to sink them this time around. The Celtics had the ball and a three-point lead in the final 20 seconds of regulation but still blew the lead and eventually the game in a 119-115 overtime loss to the Hawks.
There were miscues across the roster in the setback, from key missed defensive rebounds (Neemias Queta), to poor shooting rights (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown). However, no one had tougher execution in a critical spot than Jrue Holiday. The veteran guard turned down an open layup with 15 seconds left in regulation and instead committed a turnover while clinging to a one-possession lead. He then committed a foul against Trae Young with Boston holding a two-point lead in the final seconds of regulation. The miscue opened the door for the Hawks to tie the game up and steal a win in overtime against a weary shorthanded Boston squad missing Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford on the back-to-back.
Holiday explained the sequence after the game and ultimately took responsibility for his missteps.
“Nah, it wasn’t an intentional foul,” Holiday said of fouling Young. “Honestly, just trying to keep him going to the basket. It wasn’t on purpose.”
Holiday then stepped up to take responsibility for Boston’s fourth loss in their last seven games.
“I think we had the game won,” Holiday said. “I’ve got to make some better plays. Make a better pass to JB, or maybe if I hold onto the ball, get free throws, it’s a different situation. I don’t foul Trae, we’re still up 2. So this game is on me, and execution on my part has to be better.”
Holiday finished with eight points and six rebounds in just 30 minutes in the loss. Payton Pritchard played over the former All-Star in overtime and for a large chunk of the fourth quarter amid a hot shooting night.
Joe Mazzulla did his best to try to defend his guard for the miscue, pointing out there was plenty of reason for Boston’s loss besides Holiday’s mishaps.
“I just didn’t think we executed our best down the stretch,” Mazzulla said. “And that’s the lesson. We’ve got to get better at our late-game execution, whether it’s — and again, when you’re in a game like this, it’s so easy to just look at those last segments. Yeah, we had a chance to win, and we didn’t execute it. That’s a fact.
“But we also had a 15-point quarter in the second quarter because it was a little bit of our spacing, our execution, and we missed shots. And so the low-hanging fruit is to focus on those last few plays, which, yeah, are important. You have to execute those and we didn’t. But there are still plenty of plays throughout that we could get better at in a close game like that, that we have to learn from, and the second quarter is another one of those things.”
The Celtics and Holiday won’t have much time to dwell on the disappointing loss with a Warriors matchup looming on Monday afternoon, the start of a four-game road trip.
“I think obviously after a loss, especially one like this, I think we lock in,” Holiday said. “But we also know that this isn’t going to be an easy road trip, so I feel like every game we come in and we do our best to try to lock into the teams, the schemes, to winning the game. Sometimes it doesn’t go our way but I think the intent for us has always been great and I feel like that’s what we’ll do on this road trip: take it as seriously as possible.”
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