Following a 36-point third quarter for the Orlando Magic, it’s fair to question if the Celtics defense laid back coming out of the locker room with a 15-point lead against a depleted opponent.
Joe Mazzulla quickly shut down any notion that was the case.
Mazzulla instead turned his attention to the other side of the coin: Boston’s 21 point third quarter offensively. The Celtics average 119.1 points per game, fourth in the NBA and good for an average of nearly 30 per quarter. The well below average 21 points registered in Monday night’s third frame meant Orlando had plenty more chances to score points of its own, leading to a seismic shift on the scoreboard.