Joe Mazzulla Highlights Defense as Celtics Grind Out Win vs. Bulls

After a four-game West Coast road trip, the Boston Celtics showed signs of tired legs in their win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Joe Mazzulla’s team was far from its best, but still secured a 115-101 win over Billy Donovan’s team.

During his postgame news conference, Mazzulla praised the Celtics’ defensive efforts.

“Yeah, we had 14 offensive rebounds and four forced turnovers in the first half. I think that’s the key,” Mazzulla said. “Our defense and our offensive rebounds kept us in it. As long as we can continue those margins, those are the things that allow you to play the way that you need to play when you’re not at your best from a shooting standpoint. So, our first half defense was great, our shot creation was great.”

Over the past two weeks, Cleaning The Glass has ranked the Celtics ninth in defensive rating. Therefore, it was no shock to see Boston’s defensive intensity limit the Bulls’ offense throughout the game. However, the Celtics also found significant success on the offensive glass, ending the game with 20 offensive rebounds, generating 26 second-chance points.

“I thought our offensive rebounding was great, which kept them out of transition in the first half,” Mazzulla continued. “The second half, we only had six (offensive rebounds), and there’s a correlation to those six offensive rebounds and the points in transition that they got in the second half. So we just have to continue to get better.”

The fact that Boston won the game, despite being far from its best, should be encouraging for Celtics fans. After all, this is a team that wasn’t expected to win 30 games all season, yet the younger contingent is already learning what’s required to succeed when the shots aren’t falling.

With the latest win, Boston moves into second in the Eastern Conference, leapfrogging the New York Knicks. Now, the Celtics will prepare for the arrival of the Denver Nuggets, who will roll into the TD Garden on Wednesday.