Joe Mazzulla Makes Honest Statement After Boston Celtics Lose To Hawks

Joe Mazzulla met with the media after Tuesday's loss to the Hawks.

Nov 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla watches from the sideline as they take on the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

On Tuesday evening, the Boston Celtics hosted the Atlanta Hawks in Massachusetts.

Despite the Hawks being without All-Star point guard Trae Young, the Celtics shockingly lost by a score of 117-116.

Final pic.twitter.com/flwDxbFimo

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 13, 2024

After the tough loss, head coach Joe Mazzulla met with the media (h/t Noa Dalzell of SB Nation).

One notable stat was that the Hawks attempted 25 more shots than the Celtics.

Mazzulla: "They played harder, and they played more physical than we did. They got 20 offensive rebounds and forced us into 20 turnovers. You let a team outshoot you by a shot margin like that, and you're not gonna win."

Joe Mazzulla is pretty straightforward about the loss:

“They played harder, and they played more physical than we did. They got 20 offensive rebounds, and forced us into 20 turnovers. You let a team outshoot you by a shot margin like that — you’re not gonna win.” pic.twitter.com/7FGtQh5Dlb

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) November 13, 2024

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 37 points, five rebounds, two assists and one block while shooting 14/22 from the field and 3/6 from the three-point range in 36 minutes of playing time.

With the loss, the Celtics dropped to 9-3 in their first 12 games, which has them as the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

They will play their next game on Wednesday evening when they travel to New York for a showdown with the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center.

Jaylen Brown: “Give credit to Atlanta. They came out and played physical and we didn’t.”

— Jay King (@ByJayKing) November 13, 2024

Mazzulla is in his third season at the helm for Boston.

Last season, he coached them to their first title in 16 years.

Jan 19, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla with forward Jayson Tatum (0) look on from the sideline as they take on the Denver Nuggets at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

As for the Hawks, they improved to 5-7 in their first 12 games, which has them as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

They will play their next game on Friday evening when they return home to host the Washington Wizards in Atlanta.