The Celtics are playing some of the best basketball in the NBA this season but they still can’t shake some of their bad habits which were on display late in an overtime loss to the Warriors on Tuesday night. Boston led by as many as 17 points in the second half and as much as 13 points in the fourth quarter before a furious Warriors rally forced an extra frame. Ultimately, there was too much Stephen Curry (31 points) to overcome for Boston’s defense as the team’s five-game winning streak was snapped.
In the big picture, this loss won’t be much of a blemish for a team that had cruised out to a 20-5 record to begin the year before Tuesday’s defeat. However, it’s hard to ignore how they lost the game, particularly the missed opportunity at the end of regulation.
Jrue Holiday corralled a missed 3-point shot from Chris Paul with 15 seconds left on the clock at the end of the fourth quarter. At this point, Boston had one timeout remaining but Joe Mazzulla opted to let his guys play. Holiday brought the ball past midcourt and simply opted to dish it to a hobbled Jayson Tatum roughly 40 feet from the rim as the clock wound down. Tatum was smothered by Warriors defender Jonathan Kuminga as time ticked down and eventually forced up a contested 3-point shot with two seconds remaining. The shot missed and Boston went on to fall in overtime.
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Tatum did do one thing right during this possession, which was waiting to get the shot off close enough to zero on the clock so the Warriors wouldn’t have any time on a potential miss. Beyond that? This was yet another disappointing crunch-time possession for Boston on a night where the team went scoreless for five minutes in one section of regulation and overtime.
Joe Mazzulla and Tatum have to be better in these moments. Mazzulla not calling a timeout in these spots to see if Boston can find or attack a mismatch is completely defensible. However, Mazzulla has to read this situation better in real time while it’s ongoing if those opportunities don’t emerge. Tatum was dealing with a sprained ankle that had him at less than full strength for much of the night and the results showed in his shooting numbers. An isolation play for him in that spot was not the best option for the team on Tuesday night, not when he’s not moving around well and doesn’t have it going with his jumper. Once Mazzulla saw Tatum getting smothered by Kuminga (a smart move by him given Tatum’s ankle mobility issues), he should have called timeout and drawn something else up to ensure a decent look. The Warriors are not a good defensive team and there were far better looks to be had. Instead, Boston settled for a contested 3 that wasn’t needed.
Additionally, some fault has to fall on Tatum here too. He’s the one calling for the ball in that spot and he has to know his limitations in the moment with the injury to some degree. In a game where Boston just needs a single point for a win, getting the Warriors’ defense scrambling should hold appeal. Bringing over a screener or simply making a move towards the rim earlier could have gone a long way towards Tatum loosening up the possession to give the Celtics a better look for the win.
Instead, the Celtics let an opportunity slip away. It was a very similar sequence to another tough loss for the Celtics against the Wolves last month where Jaylen Brown attempted a similar contested 3 against a tough defender (Jaden McDaniels) in a tie game as regulation ended.
With so many appealing offensive options, the Celtics need to start working together more in these critical spots. Otherwise, their crunch time woes may end up limiting the team’s impressive leap this year.
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