Boston supporting cast decisively in Brooklyn
For the trip to Brooklyn, Joe Mazzula opted to rest Derrick White, and was quick to note that Jaylen Brown didn’t have a great skill night (9/27 shooting), despite his triple-double. The Celtics therefore had to find other solutions to win against the Nets and Nolan Traore played his luck to the limit.
Consequently, supporting roles were difficult in this success. “We used every inch of our bench”, PLEASE NOTE Jailen Brown. “It was a long game: we beat him, then we lost, then we won before we lost again. We finally found a way to win.”
Peyton Pritchard, the leading scorer of the match, is a perfect example with his 32 points and the winning basket of 117-112 with eight seconds left in the first overtime. On Sam Hauser’s quarterback pass (still very good with 19 points) according to Amari Williams, then serving as the former Sixth Man of the Year, hits. “I had the ball, I faked and shot, it’s that simple”he says.
Joe Mazzulla imagines, Hugo Gonzalez executes
So the Celtics give themselves a chance to grab another overtime. Nolan Traore misses the free throw and the deficit is therefore three points. 2.5 seconds left to play. A throw-in is in the offing when Joe Mazzula, who has clearly understood Jordi Fernandez’s defense, makes a last-minute change: Hugo Gonzalez comes on for Amari Williams.
The Celtics’ system allows Michael Porter Jr. to be trapped, leaving the Spaniard to protect the racket. Hugo Gonzalez found himself alone in the corner and found the target. 118 all over, let’s go to the second overtime.
“We are nervous, but when we get to the floor, we know that we have to try to succeed in action. It is easy when the coach and teammates have confidence in you and think that you will succeed if you shoot.”comments the former Real Madrid player, the author of 10 points on 4/4 shooting.
Already mentioned several times, Amari Williams will also have his moment in the second overtime. Sitting nearly 53 minutes, the two-way contract played just five seconds in the first before playing the entire second. It’s time to score a basket with a foul and counter Nolan Traore’s layup.
“I was ready. We don’t know until we’re on the floor if we’re going to play or not. So you have to stay ready.”reacts from within.
The match script only enhances the contribution of “role player” Joe Mazzula. “This shows that no match is out of reach. We are five points down with seven seconds left and things can turn in our favor.”concludes Peyton Pritchard. Especially when everyone contributes in this way.
2026-01-24 08:45:00
