Brown was not pleased with being left off the Christmas Day slate, usually reserved for the league’s top 10 teams. The Celtics were likely omitted because of the injury to Jayson Tatum and trades of several veterans that was supposed to turn this into a rebuilding year. Boston, surprisingly, entered Friday with the league’s ninth-best record at 18-11.
The only team with a better record left off the Christmas Day schedule was the Pistons at 24-6, second best behind the Thunder.
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“Maybe not weird but a little disappointing I would say,” Brown said of being left out of the five-game holiday schedule. “I feel like the better teams are usually the ones playing on Christmas and I feel like we’re one of the better teams and we weren’t. It’s a little disappointing.”
As for Mazzulla, he used it as a means of scouting and observing other styles. The Cavaliers led for most of the way Thursday before blowing a 17-point lead early in the fourth quarter. But Mazzulla said the game may have been lost earlier.
“It’s just another chance to watch games; you learn from the teams that are playing on [that stage],” Mazzulla said. “Obviously the first game was a close game and everybody always thinks it comes down to [the fourth quarter] but we watched some of those clips as a team today. Live-ball turnovers at the start of the second quarter, not getting a 2-for-1 [scoring opportunity] and giving Josh Hart a 2-for-1. Just things you can learn from other teams in situations like that.
“It’s a great learning day to sit back and watch why teams are successful and what goes into the process of winning.”
Carlisle backs off on non-call
Neemias Queta went up with an aggressive offensive move in the second period of Monday’s game against the Pacers, swung his elbow and made contact with the face of Indiana big man Isaiah Jackson, knocking him out of the game. Jackson was diagnosed with a concussion and unavailable Friday. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle during his postgame session, called for a flagrant foul on Queta for the elbow.
Four days later, he stepped back on those comments after seeing the replay.
“It was a foul that was missed,” Carlisle said. “It was not egregious. It was something that happened in the flow of play. The kid didn’t do it on purpose. When I spoke after the game, I had not seen it in detail. That was my mistake. But it was a foul that was missed but unfortunately we’ve got a player that is out with a concussion. It happens.”
The Pacers made two roster moves prior to the game, waiving sharpshooter Garrison Mathews and former second overall pick James Wiseman, both of whom played Monday in Boston, while signing center Micah Potter. Indiana has been besieged with injuries this season, especially to the center position. The Pacers were also without Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), Jackson (concussion), former Celtic Aaron Nesmith (MCL sprain), Ben Sheppard (calf strain), and Obi Toppin (foot fracture) . . . The Celtics welcomed back swingman Jordan Walsh, who left the Dec. 20 Toronto win and missed the Indiana victory with a non-COVID illness. Walsh was back in the starting lineup.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.