Celtics’ Joe Mazzula sounds on Jayson Tatum vs. Hawks
The Boston Celtics ran into one of their least favorite teams on Sunday night as they suffered another loss against the Atlanta Hawksthis time in a 119-115 overtime loss in front of the home crowd at TD Garden. This is another baffling result in a long streak between the Hawks and Celtics in recent years, as Trae Young and company seem to have the Celtics’ number to some degree.
During overtime, the Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Falcons big man Onyeka Okongwu got into it while fighting for a rebound and the two teams combined in a minor scuffle. Nothing came of the situation but a jump ball, and the Hawks continued to march to the upset victory.
After the game, the head coach of the Celtics Joe Mazzulla gave his thoughts to the fight.
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“It’s just competitive in nature. It’s a struggle,” Macula said. “I think those things are important and you have to show a level of spirit. And we did that. That was great. You have to feed off of that and that’s a representation of the Celtics and the mindset that we try to have. So I thought it was great.”
The scrimmage was part of an underwhelming day for Tatum, who struggled with his shot all night. He finished the game just 7-for-21 overall and 2-for-9 from 3-point range with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 24 points, though he too struggled to be effective in the loss.
Okongwu had a great day for the Hawks both before and after the fight. Despite coming off the bench, the former USK star scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in 32 minutes to help lead his team to victory. Young had another great day in Bostonas usual, with 28 points and 11 assists.
There’s no reason for the Celtics to panic after this loss, as it only drops them to 29-13 on the season overall. Although it is The Celtics are struggling a little more than usual as of late, they are still in second place in the Eastern Conference and are clearly one of the best teams in the NBA.
2025-01-19 15:38:00
