Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla Addresses Concerns Over Second-Half Struggles
For the second straight game, the Boston Celtics struggled to find their offensive rhythm during the second half. On both occasions, the Celtics suffered defeats, with the latest a 112-105 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday, Dec. 15.
After a five-game win streak against some solid competition, Boston has begun regressing to the mean. They’ve now shot under 35% from deep in 13 of their 26 games, winning just three times when their perimeter offense is misfiring.
During his postgame news conference, head coach Joe Mazzulla addressed concerns over Boston’s second-half struggles in the past two games. He noted that the loss to Detroit was far different from the one against the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 11.
“No, I thought we got some really good looks throughout the second half,” Mazzulla said, via CLNS Media. I thought in the first game that we just didn’t play well. This time, I thought we executed. I thought we got some really good looks, and I thought we didn’t make them. We obviously had some possessions where we either didn’t execute, find the right spacing or we just kind of, we had 13 turnovers. A couple of those live balls were for dunks, but I thought it was a better process tonight than it was in the past game for sure. I thought they just made some more plays than we did down the stretch.”
It’s only been two games of second-half struggles, so it’s still too early for Celtics fans to panic. However, Mazzulla and his coaching staff must ensure those struggles don’t become a trend. Boston went into the half with a four-point lead; however, as the Pistons ramped up the intensity and physicality, their resolve began to disappear.
Most importantly, though, the Celtics must find other ways to generate offense when their perimeter shots aren’t falling. They don’t have the same level of scoring talent as in previous years, so relying on the math game is proving to be a flawed approach.
Boston will get a chance to right the ship when they face the Miami Heat on Friday, Dec. 19. Another loss would mean they’re officially on a losing streak, and that’s far from ideal as we head into the final weeks of 2025.