ORLANDO – Joe Mazzulla’s message to his team following their Game 3 was clear — and it was summed up by one number.
“46,” he repeated frequently during his Saturday morning media availability. This figure represented the points Orlando capitalized on from Boston turnovers, offensive rebounds, and free throws in Game 3.
“Out of the 95 points, 46 of those came from turnovers, offensive rebounds, and free throws. You just can’t be blinded by anything other than the details. It’s very simple,” said Mazzulla. “The game is won in the margins. It’s won in the trenches of those things, and you have to fight like hell to win those.”
The Celtics committed 21 turnovers, surrendered 15 offensive rebounds, and allowed Orlando 26 free-throw attempts.
Ahead of Game 4, during a brief shootaround on Sunday morning, Al Horford and Payton Pritchard echoed the urgency of reducing these numbers and mastering these crucial areas.
“Just play a little better. Make sure we are rebounding better, holding them to one shot. We have to do a better job with that,” said Horford. “We just have to make sure that we take care of the ball. I feel like tonight we will do a better job of that.”
“We had 21 turnovers, a lot of offensive rebounds they got, so we have to clean up those areas,” added Pritchard.
The Celtics’ inability to control those margins forced them to play at Orlando’s league-low pace, which was exactly the style the Magic wanted. Boston managed just 34 points in the second half, including an 11-point third quarter — their lowest-scoring quarter since November 1, 2021. Pace played a significant role in the struggles, and it’s something the Celtics are determined to flip in Game 4.
“We have to make sure that we play at our pace, the way that we want to play,” said Horford. “I feel like we got bogged down a little bit last game. So we have to make sure we do what we do. That’s the plan for tonight.”
Taking away the Celtics’ offense
Orlando allowed a league-low 22.8 assists per game during the regular season, and they’ve severely limited the Celtics so far. Boston is averaging just 18.0 assists per game — eight fewer than their regular-season average. Their 15 assists in Game 3 tied for the second-fewest of the Mazzulla era. The Celtics also rank dead last in passes made this postseason.
As the ball movement has faded (particularly on drive-and-kick opportunities), so have the three-pointers. Boston is averaging 33.7 three-point attempts per game in the playoffs, 11th in the NBA — a significant drop from their NBA-record 48.2 attempts per game during the regular season. In Game 3, they attempted just 27 threes, marking only the sixth time in the Mazzulla era they’ve attempted fewer than 30. They’re now 1-5 in those games.
“They’re denying off-ball,” Pritchard said. “They’re not allowing catch and shoots. They’re not allowing quick swings. But, there are different ways I need to get open or create openings for my teammates.”
The Celtics are also making just 12.3 threes per game this postseason (10th), well below their league-record 17.8 makes per game from the regular season. They were held to 12 or fewer threes only six times all year. Boston is looking to up their pace in an effort to create more of those looks.
“They’re very big, they’re long, they’re good in half court,” Pritchard said. “Even on makes, we got to get it out quick and push the pace. Obviously, that’s where I like to play. But I think a majority of our team, we’re very efficient when we get it down the court quickly, rather than walking it up.”
Getting Porzingis going is a priority
Kristaps Porzingis was a team-worst -16 in Game 3. He scored just seven points on 3-of-10 (30%) shooting. He committed four fouls and turned the ball over twice.
“My shot is feeling a little janky right now, I’m not gonna lie. But I have to keep shooting; what else am I going to do? I’m gonna keep shooting,” he said after the game. “But it stings, man. This game, I have to take accountability. I played like s—.”
Through the first three games of the series, Porzingis is shooting just 9-of-32 (28.1%) from the field and has yet to make a three-pointer (0-of-10). It’s the first time he’s shot under 30% over a three-game stretch since November 2019 with the Mavericks and just the fourth time in his career he’s gone three straight games without hitting a three.
Getting him going is a key point of emphasis entering Game 4.
“It’s huge,” Pritchard said. “He can dominate the paint. We get him going, get him some easy looks, that changes the flow of the game. If we can get him to bring two onto the ball, that will also allow some of our shooters to get easier looks. A lot of that comes off the pick-and-rolls, him sealing. He’s always a mismatch.”
Bouncing back
Since the start of the 2023-24 season, including the playoffs, the Celtics are 36-6 following a loss. Under Joe Mazzulla, they’ve only lost consecutive playoff games twice.
They were 19-2 coming off a loss this season.
“We have a competitive group, ultimately. We go back, and we see things that we need to do,” said Horford. “I feel like Joe does a good job addressing the things that we need to do and gets us in the right positions and the right mindset. Joe and the coaching staff always do a good job of just getting us ready for the next challenge. That’s what we’ll do tonight.”
