BOSTON — The Celtics are finding themselves in an all too familiar situation, as a Game 5 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden on Tuesday night has them on the brink of another disappointing end to a promising season.
In losing a game at home to get there, one would assume Boston came out with the wrong intentions.
That’s not what Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla believes, however.
“Our intentions were good,” Mazzulla said following the 115-103 defeat. “I thought we tried to play hard. I thought we tried to play the right way, especially on the offensive end because we got a lot of good looks they just weren’t falling and (Philadelphia’s) did. When you’re in that situation, you’re trying to win it back. It’s the first time we didn’t play well, so we just have to regroup.”
The Celtics played their brand of basketball, which seemed to hurt them in the long run as a lack of early adjustments allowed Joel Embiid and company to build on their lead and never look back.
Why the lack of adjustment? Well, Boston didn’t have any poise.
“I think when you have the intention of really, really wanting to win it doesn’t work out well sometimes,” Mazzulla said. “I thought we had the intention of really, really wanting to win and trying to win it. When that happens I think it has a negative effect. I think we just have to play with a free mind and take a deep breath and play regardless of the situation.”
— The Celtics are now 7-9 in their last 16 playoff contests at TD Garden, having lost two home games in four of their last five series.
— Payton Pritchard was a surprise addition to the lineup, playing a postseason-high nine minutes in the loss. The decision to bring him in
toward the middle of the third quarter was something Mazzulla had a clear explanation for.
“He’s always ready,” Mazzulla said. “We trust him. I thought we needed a little bit of a boost, a different feel. I thought he gave us some good minutes.”
— The 76ers win in Game 5 represented the franchise’s first playoff victory to come on the road in a 2-2 series. They had been 0-3 against the Celtics in three previous attempts.
— The Celtics loss dropped them to +430 odds to win the NBA Finals at FanDuel Sportsbook. The new favorites? The 76ers (+290) and Denver Nuggets (+290). The Los Angeles Lakers (+370) also leapfrogged Boston following the Game 5 loss.
— Al Horford, coming off two tremendous games following the “elite shooter” controversy, had one of his worst playoff performances as a Celtic. The 36-year-old shot 0-for-7 from three-point range in the first half, which is tied for the most attempts without a make in a half in Celtics postseason history, according to ESPN Stats and Information. He finished with zero points on 0-for-7 shooting from the field. All of his attempts came from three.
— The Celtics will look to extend their series against the 76ers with a win in Philadelphia on Thursday. Tip off from Wells Fargo Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
