Feb. 1, 2026, 8:13 p.m. ET

BOSTON — In the third quarter of a 107-79 blowout victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday afternoon, Boston Celtics center Luka Garza made a hustle play that didn’t end up impacting the final score. However, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla took notice, and the effort Garza demonstrated is exactly what the fourth-year coach wants to see out of his guys.

With 41 seconds remaining in the third, Garza got to the free throw line. He made his first shot from the charity stripe and then missed the second, yet he didn’t give up on the play. Instead, he sprinted towards the ball — realizing he was off the mark before everyone else — and tipped the rebound off of the hands of Bucks forward Bobby Portis out of bounds. That resulted in an extra possession for the Celtics, as Garza received the next inbounds pass and gave it to Celtics guard Derrick White in the corner for a 3-point attempt.

White hesitated and proceeded to brick the triple off the side of the backboard, but that didn’t matter to Mazzulla. The fact that Garza generated another opportunity for points on a play that seemed dead is what he cared about.

“The next play is the most important play,” Mazzulla told Celtics Wire during his postgame press conference. “There’s a bunch of clips that we’ll show and that’s one of them, so the fact that you noticed that is important for our team. But he makes plays like that every single night and even the offensive rebounds, it’s usually multiple effort tips that he gets for us. So, he’s impactful for us on both ends of the floor.”

If Garza didn’t chase his miss, the outcome of Sunday’s showdown at TD Garden probably wouldn’t have changed. The Celtics were already leading by 18 points and the Bucks haven’t put up much of a fight this season, especially with superstar center Giannis Antetokounmpo injured.

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However, this difference in mindset and effort between the 31-18 Celtics and 18-29 Bucks highlights why the former team is overachieving and why the latter squad is struggling and on a five-game losing streak.

“We care,” Mazzulla said of his players back in November after a 36-point drubbing of the Memphis Grizzlies. “There’s a high care factor. And there’s a high competitive factor. I think over the course of the season you can do a lot with that.”

Garza has embodied that high care factor all season long, explaining why he’s earned Mazzulla’s trust and been able to average a career-high 16.7 minutes per outing.

“Luka brings that (effort), regardless of (if) it’s going well for him, if it’s not going well, if he’s touched the ball, if he’s not touched it,” Mazzulla praised on Sunday.

According to the box score, Garza didn’t have a monster night. He scored 3 points and grabbed 2 rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.

But, most importantly, Garza showed that whether it’s the fourth quarter of a Game 7 or the third quarter of a regular season beatdown, he will work hard. And that’s what will help him stay in Boston — and in Mazzulla’s good graces.

“He has a special gift to just play harder than everybody else on the floor,” Mazzulla complimented in November.

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