Joe Mazzulla has an epic meltdown in the heat of the moment against the Hawks
The Boston Celtics were embarrassed on their home floor Wednesday as the Atlanta Hawks escaped with a 117-106 victory in a tense contest at TD Garden.
The Celtics got off to an even start and outscored the Hawks 38-18 in the first quarter. They tried to rally, but Atlanta was able to record its fourth straight win to improve to 24-25. Boston, on the other hand, fell to 29-18.
It’s safe to assume that coach Joe Macula was not happy with trial. In the third quarter, he wanted to charge the refs for what he felt was a wrong call. Macula, who was visibly angry, had to be kept from assistant coach Sam Cassel.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzula nearly took out Sam Cassel while arguing a call with the refs 😅pic.twitter.com/lvN8BBIZBg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 29, 2026
Perhaps the 37-year-old Macula simply wanted to light a fire under his players. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
Fans had mixed reactions to Mazzulla’s meltdown.
“It’s not right to get angry. It spoils the atmosphere. So stay calm,” he said @mariiame328.
“Brother, Macula is lucky Sam didn’t fight back,” he added @Knicksanitiii
“What are they doing anyway?” asked @Kuazeem0do.
@eklavs24 had the perfect meme to sum it all up.
Camera and announcement to be like pic.twitter.com/Fr9KcZVV8v
— RedLien (@eklavs24) January 29, 2026
“Is Joe Mazula hiding a body in his garage?” he joked @DrPatMiaz.
“Why, because his team was getting hit?” published @kingjesus17.
The Celtics were led by Jaylen Brown, who recorded 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Peyton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simmons each scored 12 points.
Boston shot itself in the foot with 16 turnovers, which Atlanta turned into 23 points.
The Celtics will return to action on Friday against the Sacramento Kings.
2026-01-29 03:30:00
