NBA Notebook: Joe Mazzulla's Celtics using offensive rebounding to help their defense

The Celtics only missed five shots in their fourth quarter closeout of the 76ers on Friday. How they handled those misses influenced their ability to win the game as their eight makes. Neemias Queta charged De'Anthony Melton on Jrue Holiday's missed layup and forced him to wait until the pressure waned before Philadelphia moved up the floor. Queta secured an offensive rebound on Payton Pritchard's missed three several minutes later. Al Horford and Queta occupied Patrick Beverley and Robert Covington on Holiday's miss to open the quarter, only leaving Melton to leak out for a miss. Holiday and Pritchard later crashed from the corners while Horford missed a three above the break. 

Boston secured only one rebound on those five plays. What happened on the other end proved more important and central to Joe Mazzulla's strategy. The Celtics made offensive rebounding a top priority entering this season, in part due to the obvious reasons, Boston shooting a ton of threes means that on their best night 5-6 out of 10 would become available as misses for extra chances. Mazzulla, into his second year, also continued to see the Celtics play their best transition defense when they attacked the offensive glass. It's counterintuitive for Boston fans who watched Doc Rivers send back his entire lineup to set their defense, ignoring offensive rebounding. 

It's become an adjustment for this year's Celtics, but on a night where Philadelphia scored early and often on the break due to 20 Boston turnovers, it allowed the Celtics to hold the Sixers to a single transition basket in the fourth despite three live ball turnovers. The swing factor in the 125-119 win. 

"It's not something we've stressed here as the Celtics since I've been here," Mazzulla said this week. "So it's kind of the first year and I think it's also changing the perspective of what people think transition defense is. They think their transition defense is worse if you just sprint back and don't crash, but I think crashing actually helps your transition defense, because it forces the defense to go with you and have to try to box you out, as opposed to leaking out and getting to their spacing early. So I think there's a direct correlation between how good you can be transition defense-wise and crashing."

The emphasis didn't necessarily stem from numbers, rather Mazzulla's observation that the team played its worst transition defense when its players spaced to the corners didn't crash to the middle of the floor and get back on defense in front of the basketball. Crashing creates some indecision for defenders, who have to either contend for the rebound with Boston's offensive players or get out on the run. 

If they don't battle for the boards, the Celtics might get a put-back and if they do, that leaves one player out of the fast break. Mazzulla remembered coaches talking about transition defense in a vacuum, but realized over time it connects to a team's offensive spacing, shot selection and crashing. Offense connects to defense. 

The Celtics do track the rate at which they crash the glass, more important than the resulting offensive rebounding percentage that's widely available. They rank 17th with a 28.5 OREB% and their 1.11 points per possession on put-backs are tied for 17th with only 5.3 tries per game (T-22nd). That's due to playing small again this year. They actually created fewer (4.8) put-back opportunities in 2023 despite scoring 1.18 PPP. 

In terms of the raw number of offensive rebounds they grab each night (10.3), they rank 20th, but their 14.7 second-chance points per game rank 13th, less than one point per game from the top-10. Nobody on the roster shows that shift in mindset more than Al Horford, whose 6.9 OREB% marks his highest figure since 2014 in Atlanta. 

"I think it's a trend," Horford told Boston Sports Journal. "At one point in my career, the numbers or whatever were telling everybody to get back. Get back on defense. Get back on defense. And now, I feel like every team is telling people to just go and crash the glass. It has taken some adjusting in that part, because everybody's usually just hanging out. Not only us, but every team's starting to do that more ... my whole thing is always just get back on defense, start transition defense early, get everything back under control. That's always been one of the things that I do. I don't know what the numbers say, but I was never crashing on the offensive glass. Now, for me to shift that mindset, yeah, go to the glass, get offensive rebounds, get extra possessions. For me, it's adjusting for sure." 

League-wide, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse sees every team emphasizing offensive rebounding to some degree. Teams have grabbed 11.0 offensive boards per game this season, the 38th-highest average for a year in league history and the most since 2015. That number fell to a low of 9.7 in 2018. Offensive rebounds became a stat in 1973-74. 

At the height of aggressiveness on the boards, teams recovered 33.5% of their misses between 1980-81, hauling in 3.5 more per game than they do now. That's due to the league growing smaller and more perimeter-based, but isn't indicative of how often teams send multiple players to the glass now. 

"You're a big believer in offensive rebounds I think; I'm not," Rivers said as Celtics coach in 2012 with Boston ranked last in transition defense that November. "You can pick on that all you want. That is a number I rarely look at. Statistically, it holds up, I can tell you: You don't offensive rebound, you stop transition, you win more games than when you get offensive rebounds. I can guarantee you that."

Nurse began talking about strategy in that area between 2011-13 as the head coach of the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Houston affiliate under Kevin McHale's Rockets where Nurse won a championship. They prioritized creating extra possessions by running two-for-ones, creating turnovers and limiting their own. They also found opportunity on the glass. 

Only Santa Cruz topped their offensive rebounding total that postseason before Raptors head coach Dwane Casey hired Nurse to his staff. Toronto didn't rank high in any of those seasons under Casey, averaging roughly 9-10 offensive rebounds per game in line with the league average then. In 2021-22, they leaped to second with 13.4 per game under Nurse and did so again in 2023.

"It became one of the thing we started doing really well," Nurse said. "Again, getting a lot of offensive rebounds means there's some to get. We had a lot of chances to do that ... when I was growing up as young coach, you would say, how many rebounds, offensive rebounds, does your two guard get? And you'd go through there and say it's like 0.5, or maybe less than one, for a season per game, and is that worth the one layup they may throw over the top and lay in on you? And everyone would say no, it certainly isn't. So everybody just said, let's get back, let's get back, let's get back. I think now, that was predominant coaching theory for a long time and then I think what started happening is people started saying, well why can't we make a great effort on the glass and turn around and make another effort to get back? ... Kyle (Lowry) would barrel in there and score a layup and end up on the ground, out-of-bounds six feet behind the basket, and he would still get himself up and get back there and get in front of the ball." 

Philadelphia adopted that mentality this season, averaging 12.3 OREB (7th), up from 8.7 under Doc Rivers (27th). They grabbed 15 to keep pace with Boston while Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid sat. The Celtics generated 10, holding even at 16-14 in second chance points. Mazzulla carefully manages those margins -- offensive rebounding, free throw and shot totals alongside turnovers -- after seeing their importance last year. Statistician Dean Oliver, who founded those four factors, calculated that rebounding accounts for 20% of what wins games behind shooting (40%) and turnovers (25%). 

The strategy also fits a Celtics roster with unconventional rebounders. Pritchard grabs more boards (1.0 OREB) at his height than anyone in the league. Horford, Holiday, Pritchard and Kristaps Porziņģis all grab over 5% of Boston's misses to rank in the top-60 of OREB%. Beyond them, Brad Stevens signed an array of specialists who excel on the offensive glass. Per 36 minutes, in their limited opportunities, Neemias Queta averaged 9.3 offensive rebounds (2.7 actual), with Lamar Stevens, Luke Kornet, Dalano Banton and Oshae Brissett on pace for more than 3.0 in their opportunities.

Holiday grabbed timely ones to beat the Grizzlies, force overtime and keep the Celtics alive in Charlotte, beat the 76ers in Philadelphia and at home against the Sixers on Friday. Boston reached double-digit offensive boards for the 11th time over their first 19 games -- improving to 10-1 in them. 

"Intuitively, you think crashing would put you at a disadvantage. It definitely can if you do it in certain ways," Kornet told BSJ. "Like drives where guys fall or miss layoffs and ... turnovers are the more costly type of things ... having that pressure usually almost slows (opponents) down coming down the floor a little bit, at least initially, because you don't have the freedom just to move completely ... a lot of it is recognition of when the shooter is going into their shot and just being ready to crash and take up as much space ... getting as deep as you can in as good a position and it's more wings and people who are crashing from outside taking longer rebounds or kind of seeing how it might be coming off, because they have a little more time to figure out what their plan is ... last year was a big step forward in terms of really prioritizing it. And ... if there's a way that really helps you win games ... whatever that takes." 

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Atlanta (9-9): Couldn't build a lead in Boston without Jalen Johnson (wrist), expected to miss 3-4 weeks after a fall in Washington last weekend, despite the Celtics missing Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis. Dejounte Murray didn't hit a shot until the fourth quarter, and continued struggles against Cleveland and barely escaping San Antonio with a two-point shootout win didn't set a great tone entering December. 

Boston (15-4): Slowing offensively and dominating defensively, getting their best play from Al Horford in Porziņģis' absence, scoring double-figures to beat the 76ers on Friday after posting 16 points and six assists in a memorable night at TD Garden. Boston, needing a 23-point win over Chicago and a modest Nets win against Toronto, returned its starters to the game in the fourth quarter with a 20-point lead to reach the In-Season Tournament. The Celtics led the Bulls by as many as 35 in the final frame, settling on a 27-point win that moved them on to the knockout stage as the Group C winner. 

Boston will visit Indiana (7:30, TNT) on Monday with the winner advancing to the Las Vegas semifinals on Thursday. If the Celtics lose, they'll play the Knicks-Bucks loser on Friday at home. Porziņģis (calf) might return one week after his injury, but didn't practice on Thursday. 

Chicago (6-14): Reached Boston on Tuesday in a complete free-fall. Zach LaVine and the team agreed to search for a trade. Adrian Wojnarowski reported the high-paid forward doesn't currently have a market. He'll miss the next week with a sore foot. It's hard to picture team president Arturas Karnisovas lasting much longer. The Celtics faced them at the right time, reaching a 20-point advantage by halftime before Billy Donovan's complaints and confusion about Joe Mazzulla intentionally fouling Andre Drummond late in the game sounded like sour grapes. A 27-point win showed it necessary.

Dallas (11-7): Long-time owner Mark Cuban sold his majority stake in the Mavericks for $3.5 billion with an expectation that he'll remain in charge of the team's basketball operations for now as a minority owner. Cuban purchased the team in 2000 for $285 million, and will now oversee the team alongside a group led by Miriam Adelson, a casino shareholder who could help advance Cuban's stated desire for a new arena as part of a casino complex. 

Detroit (2-17): Lost 81 of 100 games in the wider scope before finishing November 0-15 with a narrow defeat against the Knicks. It's a baffling start to Monty Williams' tenure among the league's highest-paid coaches, but with Monte Morris and Bojan Bogdanovic returning soon they could show better.

Golden State (9-10): End of an era? Health might say so. Chris Paul injured a nerve, confirming a contusion in his leg with an MRI that came as a sigh of relief rather than a more significant injury. He'll receive further evaluation on Monday. Gary Payton II will miss far more time, tearing his right calf and exiting the Warriors' lineup indefinitely. Andrew Wiggins, shooting 43% and grabbing only 4.4 RPG, injured himself slamming his finger in a car door.  

They've lost 7-of-10. 

Indiana (9-8): Did the Celtics draw the most favorable of their three possible IST opponents in the east? It seemed so watching their track meet with the Heat, Miami able to drop 45 points in the fourth quarter while the Pacers unsuccessfully rallied throughout. Tyrese Haliburton's 44 points and 10 assists, driving Indiana's 132-point output, fell 10 points short of beating the Heat. That's the kind of resistance the Celtics should expect, albeit on the Pacers' home court in front of a crowd likely intrigued by their biggest game since 2020. In fact -- it's Haliburton's first-ever appearance on TNT. Boston beat Indiana 155-104 on Nov. 1 with Haliburton unavailable. The Pacers' 122.5 offensive rating is the highest in NBA history. Their 120.2 defensive rating ranks 28th, the third-worst in the league and in history. Haliburton remains day-to-day with a knee bruise, Indiana playing Miami again on Saturday. 

Lakers (11-9): LeBron James sent mixed signals about his team's performance after losing by 44 points to the 76ers before losing by 23 to the Thunder. They enter the IST as favorites over the Suns, but it's hard to believe in them driving deep in the tournament given the state of the team and LA's bigger-picture focus on reaching the playoffs healthy. Playoff-like minutes for James and Anthony Davis in December won't help that goal. With Rui Hachimura, Cam Reddish and Jarred Vanderbilt all potentially back on Saturday from their ailments, it could also present a chance for team-building close to home. They tip-off at 10 EST on Tuesday. 

Memphis (5-13): Marcus Smart unloaded on teammates along the sideline last Sunday, referring to an embarrassing effort against the Timberwolves and disrespecting the paying fans in a rant that might've inspired their first home win three days later against Utah. The Grizzlies made it back-to-back in Dallas, winning by 14, and Ja Morant's return from suspension finally arrived within view with the turn of the calendar. He's eligible to play after seven more games on Dec. 19 in New Orleans. Smart began walking without a boot this week, Jake LaRavia (eye) and Luke Kennard should return by the end of this month and despite the losses of Brandon Clarke and Steven Adams overshadowing them all year, they're only 3.5 games back of the playoffs. 

Miami (10-8): Jimmy Butler sat on a night where the Heat could've snuck into the IST past the Bucks, nearly doing so anyway thanks to 52 points from Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo. Butler returned to snap a three-game losing streak with 36 points against the Pacers. Jaime Jaquez looks great. They're always a threat to the Celtics. It's less clear if they can survive long enough to face Boston with their offensive issues (<200 pts in their NYC back-to-back). They won't face the Celtics until Jan. 25 in Miami, with no games in Boston until a potential playoff series. Josh Richardson is a starter again. 

Milwaukee (13-6): Host the Knicks in the IST quarterfinals opposite of Celtics-Pacers. They have a chance to avenge their bad loss in Boston before Thanksgiving, but the same issues that set up that defeat emerged in a shootout with the Heat that secured their spot and an epic collapse against the Bulls without Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. They can't guard anyone. Milwaukee ranks 20th in defense and accordingly only boast a +2.5 net rating. They beat the Knicks in group play on Nov. 3 behind a 30-point game from Damian Lillard, but RJ Barrett did not play. They tip-off at 7:30 on Tuesday. 

Minnesota (14-4): Anthony Edwards suffered a hip pointer in a scary fall as the Wolves snuck past the Thunder. They're the most disappointing team left out of the IST, unable to generate a great enough point differential (+0) despite sitting atop the west and winning 3-of-4 in the tournament. Give me them over the Pelicans, who will take on the Kings in a game that would've been more fun with Edwards and Minnesota involved. Can Zion Williamson return to the hype level Edwards probably surpassed him in this season? 

New Orleans and Sacramento tip-off after Celtics-Pacers at 10 EST on Monday. 

New York (12-7): Winners of three straight and the dark horse to emerge from the east in the IST next week. They face a vulnerable Bucks team and could meet a Celtics team they've played as well as anyone in the Vegas semifinals. They've won three straight and 4-of-5, with the lone loss over that stretch a three-point defeat on a Devin Booker buzzer-beating three. 

Oklahoma City (12-6): Newport Beach, California police announced they're investigating social media claims about Thunder guard Josh Giddey's inappropriate relationship with a minor. Giddey and the Thunder have declined comment since the allegation emerged online. The NBA is also investigating the allegations while Oklahoma City keeps him on the floor. He hasn't been charged with a crime.

Orlando (14-5): Snubbed by the IST and finished their schedule ahead of the chaotic finish in Group C on Thursday. That left the Magic on the outside looking in due to a four-point difference with the Celtics, who they defeated handily in their final group game. Orlando makes a compelling case to play more games in the tournament, or adjust tiebreaker procedure next year. Instead, the hottest team in the NBA aims for 10 straight against the Nets on Saturday.

Philadelphia (12-7): Kelly Oubre Jr. traveled to Boston but did not play alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, sidelined by illnesses on a night where Patrick Beverley, Robert Covington and Marcus Morris played the healthier Celtics within one possession until the final minute. Nick Nurse expects Oubre to return on Wednesday in Washington from his injuries suffered when a car struck him in Philadelphia last month, far earlier than expected. They remain 3.0 games back of Boston and will face them for the final time in late February after three early matchups going in the C's favor.