Hugo Gonzalez may to have played all that much in the Boston Celtics 130-126 double-overtime win on Friday (Jan. 23) night. But he was ready when his number was called at the end of the first extra period, sinking a miracle shot from beyond the arc to force the second OT and eventual Boston win.
The trust that he has built with Celtics head coach through his ice-cold veins in late-game situations was a critical part of what allowed him that opportunity in the first place. Mazzulla shared his perspective on Gonzalez’ role in the unlikely win, saying “to be able to sit through the entire game and be ready and execute some of the plays that we’ve gone over in practice, it’s a credit to him and the coaching staff for the guys that work with him, getting them ready to go”
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“And I’d say the same thing for Hugo’s mindset,” added the Celtics coach. “So those guys made big plays, and the (player development) staff gets those guys ready to go every day.”
Jan 23, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla coaches against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
As to what went down when he subbed Gonzalez in at the last moment, Mazzulla explained that “we had Amari (Williams) out there just in case they batched up on a certain coverage, and it looked like they were going with something different, and so we just wanted to get Hugo out there.”
It certainly paid off for the Celtics.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Mazzulla on putting Hugo Gonzalez in just in time to force 2X OT for Celtics