Brown, Celtics lament lack of physicality in loss to Thunder

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Brown, Celtics lament lack of physicality in loss to Thunder originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

BOSTON — Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and his players were on the same page about what cost them in Wednesday night’s 118-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at TD Garden.

Despite converting only 20 of their franchise-record 63 3-point attempts, the Celtics aren’t dwelling on their lackluster shooting performance. Rather, they lament not being more aggressive against a physical Thunder squad.

“I thought we got amazing looks,” Mazzulla said. “You have to match the level of physicality. … There is a level of physicality you have to play with, and you also have to do your best to defend without fouling.”

Boston’s 63 3-point attempts were overshadowed by the time Oklahoma City spent at the free-throw line. The Thunder outshot the C’s from the charity stripe, 35-12.

Celtics star Jaylen Brown didn’t attempt a single free throw and ended up fouling out late in the fourth quarter. He finished with a modest 10 points on 5-of-15 shooting (0-5 3-PT) and admitted he struggled to match the Thunder’s aggressiveness.

“I give credit to OKC,” Brown said. “Tougher team sets the rules. They had a good level of physicality tonight. I could be more physical. I could use my body more. I settled in some spots. I didn’t meet the level of physicality tonight. Like, I got no free throw attempts, and that’s unusual. So just making sure you get your body healthy, but I didn’t meet the level of physicality tonight.”

Al Horford also didn’t attempt any free throws in the defeat, but the 38-year-old big man wasn’t afraid to get physical against the youngest team in the NBA. He helped the C’s keep it close with 18 points (6-12 3-PT), 10 rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and a steal.

After the game, Horford echoed Mazzulla and Brown’s sentiments while noting that experiencing OKC’s physicality prepares them for a potential NBA Finals showdown with the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

“I felt like we did a lot of things we wanted to tonight. We got some good looks offensively,”…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/brown-celtics-lament-lack-physicality-235518233.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2025-03-12 23:55:00

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