Joe Mazzulla points to Boston Celtics defense as key in 115-104 win vs. Chicago Bulls

Astute fans of the Boston Celtics know that the style of play unofficially named after their head coach Joe Mazzulla (Mazzulla Ball) is not the preponderance of shots from beyond the arc it has had the reputation of being. And while that style of play does indeed lean heavily into the 3-point shot, it also relies on the defense and opponent's style of play to dictate what shots Boston will take.

This season, the Celtics' roster is not so adept at creating mismatches with a younger, less experienced roster, and opposing defenses have been giving Boston plenty of midrange looks that star forward Jaylen Brown has been making the most of. But the team also needs a plan when the 3s they are getting aren't going in, and against the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden this Monday (Jan. 5) night, that was exactly the issue at hand. Boston won 115-101 in the end, but Celtics coach Mazzulla pointed to his team's defense for keeping the Celtics on top. "We had 14 offensive rebounds and four forced turnovers in the first half," he explained. "I think that’s the key."

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"Our defense and our offensive rebounds kept us in it," he added. "As long as we can continue those margins, those are the things that allow you to play the way that you need to play when you’re not at your best from a shooting standpoint."

"So, our first half defense was great, our shot creation was great

"The second half, we only had 6 (offensive rebounds), and there’s a correlation to those 6 offensive rebounds and the points in transition that they got in the second half. So we just have to continue to get better."

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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Mazzulla points to Celtics defense as key in 115-104 win vs. Bulls