Friday night at TD Garden, the Boston Celtics, who have experienced peaks in their journey to consistency, walked through a valley. They fell 113-105 to a Brooklyn Nets team that entered this NBA Cup contest with a 2-12 record.
Losing is one matter; lacking in energy, effort, and enthusiasm is another.
“Regardless if you’re making or missing shots, I mean, regardless of anything, we’ve just got to come out and play with great energy, great enthusiasm for the game, like, want to win,” Jaylen Brown told Hardwood Houdini after the loss. “It just didn’t seem like that was the case tonight.”
His head coach agreed with him.
“They played better than us throughout most of the game,” voiced Joe Mazzulla afterwards. “I think that’s the bigger story.”
Now, Boston must turn the page to Sunday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic. Again, the Celtics get to enjoy the comforts of home and playing on the TD Garden parquet.
It also helps that, for the most part, the hosts will have a clean bill of health entering this game.
Who’s on the Celtics and Magic’s injury reports?
The only player on Boston’s injury report is Jayson Tatum. The four-time All-NBA First Team selection is rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon. However, not only is the way he is handling his recovery exemplary and motivational to those witnessing it every day, but Tatum has also remained involved with the team. He’s giving them another coach in a sense.
“Everybody has different leadership responsibilities. Everybody leads in different ways. He’s done a great job,” Mazzulla said about Tatum on the heels of a recent practice at the Auerbach Center. “Obviously, his ability to lead on the court has been taken away. He’s done a great job leading off the court.
“One, with the work ethic of his recovery. But at the same time, the individual relationships that he’s building, being on the bench, having those communications – whether it’s in practice or in-game, that’s been invaluable to the locker room.”
While Tatum is the lone player on Boston’s injury report, Orlando is also likely to be without a star on Sunday. Paolo Banchero did not play in Saturday’s tilt against the New York Knicks. It is the fifth straight game he missed due to a left groin strain.
Other than that, Moritz Wagner is recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee.
Tip-off between the Celtics and Magic is at 6:00 p.m. EST at TD Garden.
