NBA Notebook: Joe Mazzulla a factor in Torrey Craig signing with Celtics

BOSTON -- Torrey Craig slipped on ice nearly six times since arriving in Boston. He hasn't stayed long, arriving in the city to sign with the Celtics, then departing to meet them in New York. He made his debut last Wednesday at the Garden before departing for the all-star break. Like Kristaps Porziņģis and Payton Pritchard, he spent the weekend in Turks and Caicos. 

"It probably would've helped if I stayed (in Boston)," Craig joked on Friday. "I went on vacation for a couple days and came back, but I finally found a place two days ago and I think I'll move in early next week. A couple of my teammates went to the same place, we had the same vacation destination ... it was just good to get away, decompress everything, take everything in, then come back and get to work. (They) saw me, but I didn't see (them). I was on the beach, and I think (they) were waking up from a nap or something." 

The Celtics went to Philadelphia for their first game of the second half and built a 20-point lead that allowed Craig to close the final eight minutes. He blocked three shots and grabbed an offensive rebound, flashing the defensive side of the 3-and-D impact Boston desired in him. When the Bulls waived Craig days before the trade deadline, Brad Stevens prioritized him as the team's de-facto deadline addition following the Jaden Springer salary dump, according to sources. Craig assessed several opportunities and chose Boston as the team he could help the most. 

The team planned for his first community event to take place at a court unveiling at the Boys and Girls Club in Southie, but the Celtics' overnight flight from Philadelphia had maintenance issues that kept them in the city until the morning. They arrived in Boston after a longer-than-expected trip just before noon. Craig still wanted to make the 2 p.m. event where the local fervor for Boston sports already stood out to him. Later in the day, he attended HBO's screening of the Celtics City documentary about the team's history.

While the Celtics' winning and their desire to add his veteran presence primarily led him to Boston, Craig noticed and grew to respect Joe Mazzulla's coaching style from afar. He liked Mazzulla's demeanor when the Bulls played the Celtics, saw the clips from his press conferences and particularly liked when the coach told Boston Sports Journal's John Karalis that he wanted the target on their back between his eyes this season. 

"I'm very observant," Craig said. "The things he said, the tone he set, I remember the one about the bullseye right on the head ... he wants the best shot from every team. That's the kind of mentality you want to hear from your coach, because the guys are gonna feel the same way and we're gonna get behind you. It's just little things like that I've seen from him." 

Craig went through his first full practice with the Celtics on Saturday afternoon and stayed on the floor shooting around after when Mazzulla found him. As he's done during games with Craig during timeouts, he pointed to spots on the floor, motioned through where he'd set screens and talked about the language Boston uses in its play-calling. The terminology is the biggest area where Craig said he needs to catch up, but the Celtics have stressed being able to switch between different coverages on the fly while identifying and communicating things they see as a defense. That limited Xavier Tillman Sr.'s ability to fully acclimate following his arrival last deadline alongside shooting. 

Mazzulla stressed Craig filling a role, joining a group of bench players who appear on a matchup basis and signaling that we probably won't see him in every game. He also said that they'll play Craig through mistakes and the acclimation process, pulling him after 90 seconds in the first quarter of his debut before returning him for most of the second quarter where he hit both threes. That's the skill that could separate him from the rest of the team's bench -- he's converted 177-for-443 (40%) from three over the past three seasons -- along with his vast basketball experience. Craig began his professional career for three seasons between Australia and New Zealand after four years at South Carolina Upstate. Teammates have liked how he's fit in the locker room so far, though Porziņģis couldn't believe he's 34. 

"I always admired Joe from afar," Craig said. "He has this attitude about him like he don't care about anything. He just wants to win and I'm the same way, so the similarities, I just saw that from afar. How much he cares, how much he coaches the guys and he holds you to a certain standard. You just love to play for a guy like that." 

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

Boston (40-16): Won their fourth straight game in dominant fashion over the 76ers behind Jaylen Brown (knee) and Jrue Holiday's (shoulder) returns alongside Jayson Tatum's fourth career triple-double. Payton Pritchard scored 28 points for the third time this season, shooting 8-for-15 from three as the Sixers keyed in on Tatum. Boston now plays eight of its next 10 games at home, beginning with the Knicks on Sunday, who fell 3.0 games behind the Celtics with a blowout loss to Cleveland on Friday. Brown and Tatum won the All-Star Game with Shaq's OG Team in a bizarre night that featured a nearly 20-minute intermission at the 11-1 mark in the final game. Tatum, who shot 9-for-11 and hit the game-winning shot in the title game, received the lone MVP vote that didn't go to Steph Curry. Brown helped the team escape its first-round matchup. Xavier Tillman Sr., who has played sparingly despite feeling healthy this season, returned to the injury report with knee inflammation as he did before the break. He missed Thursday.

Brooklyn (20-35): Winners of 6-of-10, playing the best defense in the league by far over that stretch, the Nets quietly pulled within 1.5 games of the playoff picture in the East despite buying out Ben Simmons, trading Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith, and focusing on positioning themselves for the lottery this summer. Jordi Fernández won't stop putting Brooklyn in competitive positions in his first season, a dilemma as Brooklyn balances building something with rebuilding the right way. Killian Hayes joined the team on a 10-day deal after playing the start of this season with G-League Long Island after Detroit waived him. He scored five points in his 21-minute debut. Cam Thomas (hamstring) is nearing a return after sitting out since Jan. 2. Brooklyn waived Bojan Bogdanović after he decided to undergo season-ending foot surgery. He did not return from multiple offseason procedures to address injuries he suffered with the Knicks late last season before they traded him to the Nets in the Mikal Bridges deal. 

Charlotte (14-40): Mark Williams returned to the Hornets during the all-star break after the Lakers rescinded his trade to LA, facing the Lakers in the first game following the weekend, which was rescheduled due to the LA fires. Williams scored 10 points with nine rebounds in 29 minutes, leading Charlotte to an upset win alongside big scoring nights from LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. Williams was shocked that the deal didn't go through due to a failed physical, which his agent and Charlotte have disputed. 

"I didn't think I had failed my physical," he told the Charlotte Observer. "That didn't even cross my mind. The night I got traded I played hella minutes. I didn't think in any world that was possible. Since I've been back since the start of the year, I've played games with a lot of minutes. I feel like every injury I've had has been well-documented and I've recovered and been 100% since. So, I don't know what went into that decision. I think that's up to them."

Cleveland (46-10): Won their sixth straight game over the Knicks in the worst loss of Tom Thibodeau's tenure as head coach in New York. Cleveland won, 142-105, and led by as many as 42 points behind 20-point games from Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen, while four other Cavs scored double-figures. Allen injured his right hand in the win, and will undergo an MRI. X-Rays were negative on the ailment that happened during a block attempt. Allen declined to discuss the injury after the game, Mitchell stepping in to say he's fine. The newest Cavs, De'Andre Hunter, shot 6-of-7 with 16 points off the bench. He's scored double-figures in three out of his four games with Cleveland, shooting 50%. Former Celtic wing Javonte Green, who the Pelicans waived earlier this week, will sign with the Cavs this weekend. They visit Boston on Friday for their final meeting. 

Dallas (31-26): Anthony Davis will be evaluated in two weeks for the adductor injury he suffered in his Mavs debut. The fallout continues over the infamous Luka Dončić trade, though the team has played well, winning three straight behind 42 and 35-point games from Kyrie Irving. Max Christie has scored 17.1 PPG and shot 47.2% from three in seven games since arriving in Dallas from LA. Irving has emerged as the voice of the team through massive criticism from the fan base, urging Mavs supporters to dial back the outrage and focus on the season ahead as they are. With Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II out for multiple weeks, Dallas signed G-League center Moses Brown.

Denver (37-19): Winners of nine straight behind a surging Jamal Murray, who's averaging 27.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 6.5 APG on 55.7% shooting (44.2%) over that stretch. He scored 55 points against the Blazers this week, his most ever and first 50-point performance since the 2021 season. The streak moved them up to third in the west, 2.0 games ahead of the Rockets. 

Golden State (29-27): Now 4-1 since Jimmy Butler's arrival, their new star averaging 20.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 5.6 APG on 45.5% shooting. He's also given the team an intriguing defensive look alongside Draymond Green and Brandin Podziemski. Jonathan Kuminga returned to practice this week after missing the last 22 games with an ankle injury. He'll allow them to play even smaller and more versatile alongside Steph Curry, Green and Butler, and the Warriors have moved into the playoff picture as the ninth seed, 1.0 game ahead of the Kings in 10th and 2.5 above No. 11 Phoenix. 

Lakers (33-21): Luka Dončić averaged 14.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG and 5.3 APG on 35.6% shooting in his first three Lakers games, struggling immensely against the Hornets, finishing 5-of-18 with six turnovers. He missed the Lakers' win over the Blazers one day later with a left calf injury that's plagued him throughout the season, though JJ Redick anticipated that he'll be able to play forthcoming back-to-backs. The Lakers believe he'll find his rhythm as he stacks games with his new team, while Dirk Nowitzki, speaking for the first time publicly about the deal that sent his close friend from Dallas, said he was disappointed and sad for Dončić. LeBron James missed a pair of late shots that failed to win the Charlotte game, saying after that he and Dončić will likely go back and forth in crunch time. 

"I think he obviously didn't see this coming," Nowitzki said. "So he invited me to come out to his first game in L.A., and I felt like I had to support him. I think ... he was pretty down and disappointed in how it went down, and so I wanted to be there for him, I wanted to be there for his family. ... I'm sure he wanted to finish his career like I did."

Milwaukee (31-24)/Washington (9-46): Kyle Kuzma and the Bucks snuck past his former Wizards in Kuzma's return to Washington this week. It also marked Khris Middleton's first game against his former team and Marcus Smart's Wizards debut. Kuzma scored 19 to lead Milwaukee with Damian Lillard out and Middleton managed 12 in a starting role next to Jordan Poole. Smart scored five points, attempting only three shots in 17 minutes. Kuzma and MIddleton both reflected on the weird scene. 

"One time in the first quarter, it might have been Alex [Sarr], he might have blocked a shot. Bilal [Coulibaly] came over to dap him up," Kuzma said. "Then I dapped up Bilal, just by instinct. It was weird."

Minnesota (31-26): In the seventh seed to begin the second half as Donte DiVincenzo (toe) and Julius Randle's (groin) returns loom following their clearance for contact. They'll remain out as they condition toward a return, DiVincenzo last playing on Jan. 15 and Randle out since Jan. 30. Anthony Edwards missed the All Star Game with a groin injury after warming up and was listed as questionable with a hip ailment on Friday before scoring 37 points in a loss to Houston. Edwards made one of the more peculiar statements of all-star weekend, saying that he has no interest in becoming the face of the league, because that's what Wemby's for. 

New York (37-19): OG Anunoby (toe) returned for the first time since Feb. 1 and scored five points in 27 points as the Cavaliers torched the Knicks on Friday. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) remained out as his return looms, the greatest hope for the Knicks to find better fortunes against the top two seeds in each conference. They're 0-6 against the Thunder, Grizzlies, Cavaliers and Celtics, who host the Knicks on Sunday at 1 p.m. after blowing them out in their first two meetings. New York is 18th in defense. Josh Hart (knee) didn't travel to Cleveland and missed his second straight game in the loss. He could potentially meet the Knicks in Boston on Sunday. 

Philadelphia (20-35): Signed Lonnie Walker IV ahead of the deadline for him to escape his contract with Lithuania. Walker IV averaged 13.5 PPG on 42.9% shooting in 33 games with Zalgiris after failing to make training camp with the Celtics despite a strong preseason showing. Marc Stein reported earlier in the day that Walker IV planned to play out the season in Lithuania before the Sixers came through with a two-year deal worth $781K for the rest of the season with a $2.9 million club option for next year. Philadelphia fell to the Celtics, dropping their sixth straight to drop 1.5 games behind the Bulls in the playoff picture on Thursday. 

"“It’s funny, everyone found out before me,” Walker said. “I was actually sleeping. I got the phone call from my agent. I had about 30 missed calls. I guess it was all over Twitter already. But by that time, my mind was already made as far as being in Europe, finishing the season there.”

San Antonio (24-30): Victor Wembanyama will miss the rest of the season after doctors discovered a blood clot in his right shoulder that fatigued him before and through the all-star break. He scored 11 points in seven minutes in the international star's loss to Shaq's OGs after playing what will go down as his final game of the season at Boston last Wednesday. The Spurs are reportedly confident that it's an isolated clot and he'll return for the start of next year. Wembanyama averaged 24.3 PPG, 11 RPG, 3.7 APG and 3.8 BPG, emerging as the favorite to win defensive player of the year, which he'll no longer be eligible for. Brandon Ingram successfully recovered from the same condition, DVT, earlier in his career, though others like Chris Bosh have had their careers ended by different clotting issues. 

Toronto (17-39): Host the Celtics on Tuesday without Brandon Ingram (ankle), who isn't close to playing after joining the Raptors in a trade earlier this month and signing a long-term extension. Masai Ujiri viewed the addition as one that won't necessarily make Toronto a championship contender next year, but part of the gradual building process for the team. Jakob Poeltl (hip) missed Friday's loss to the Heat while PJ Tucker, acquired at the deadline, remains away from the team as he had all year with the Clippers. 

“We want to create two-way players that can really challenge on both sides of the court," Ujiri said. "Are all these good players going to end up being on a championship team? I would say no. Just because we made a trade now does not mean we cannot make a bigger trade two years from now, or three years from now, or a year from now. It doesn’t stop that at all.”