The Boston Celtics got off to a cold start vs. the Phoenix Suns in their road tilt vs. the Western Conference ball club, seemingly unable to hit the broad side of a barn in the contest’s first quarter. But the Celtics kept playing together, and found ways to use their collective effort to overcome those early inefficiencies and eventually win the game 97-81.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla had plenty of praise for his team sticking it out against a scrappy Suns squad postgame, lauding Boston’s attention to the little things as key to securing the victory.
Advertisement
“I think any time you can control the margins of the game, when you can make great rim reads and you can get back on defense and you can prevent plays that make where it’s transition layups, it’s a transition 3,” said Mazzulla.
Feb 24, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla reacts against the Phoenix Suns in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
“We did a good job taking away their transition 3s and a good job taking away their transition layups and a lot of that had to do with the effort from the guys and a lot of that also had to do with our offensive execution, keeping them out of those,” he added.
“Any time you see the guys impacting plays with each other and impacting the transitions of the game as a team, it’s something that should be celebrated.”
Listen to “Havlicek Stole the Pod” on:
Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Mazzulla praises Celtics for winning margins in Suns win