NBA Notes: Celtics, Joe Mazzulla, Pelicans, Suns, Jalen Green

The Celtics had more than enough opportunities to prevent their opening-night collapse. Too often, they helped the Pistons along.

That’s the assessment of John Karalis of Celtics On SI, whose breakdown of Tuesday’s 121-113 loss goes beyond Jayson Tatum’s poor shooting. Boston squandered a 22-point lead through a combination of stalled possessions, missed chances around the basket, turnovers and unnecessary fouls.

Coach Joe Mazzulla identified one particularly costly habit.

“We fouled a jump shooter three times,” Mazzulla said. “I think Robinson missed one. That’s eight points right there on fouling jump shooters.”

Those are expensive mistakes against a team already gaining confidence. Karalis also points to several avoidable third-quarter fouls that helped Detroit remain within reach before its decisive fourth-quarter run.

Boston’s problems near the basket contributed at both ends. The Celtics went 16-of-27 within five feet, with Tatum making just two of seven. Missed finishes and poor decisions sometimes left players behind the action, giving Detroit opportunities to attack before Boston could organize its defense.

Karalis highlights possessions in which the Celtics chased individual matchups instead of moving the ball, eventually settling for difficult shots late in the clock. The consequences extended beyond an empty possession when Boston then struggled to find its defensive assignments.

Detroit deserves credit for applying the pressure. But Boston’s review should include plenty of possessions it could have handled better, regardless of whether Tatum’s jumper was falling.

More from around the NBA:

• Pelicans: New Orleans’ 25th season should bring greater expectations for the organization, rather than simply a celebration of its survival, David Grubb of Pelicans On SI argues. The franchise’s 56-win season in 2007-08 remains its only 50-win campaign, and its last playoff series victory came in 2018. Grubb makes the case that memorable crowds during those runs demonstrated the city’s appetite for competitive basketball. New coach Jamahl Mosley inherits a 26-win team, and Grubb identifies defensive effort, better offensive spacing and development opportunities as reasonable measures of progress. He also advocates reconnecting with former players and coaches, including Chris Paul, David West, Tyson Chandler and Byron Scott, to strengthen the franchise’s ties to its history.
• Suns: Jalen Green’s fit alongside Devin Booker is a central question in Donnie Druin and Brendan Mau’s season preview for Suns On SI. Both writers identify Green as their choice for the player most likely to be traded, though that is a prediction rather than a report of an impending deal. A productive partnership with Booker could just as easily strengthen his place in Phoenix. Both also see Collin Gillespie as a candidate to move into the starting lineup after making 58 starts last season. Despite Mark Williams’ shoulder injury and the resulting uncertainty at center, Druin projects 48 wins and Mau predicts 46, with each expecting the Suns to finish above the play-in under second-year coach Jordan Ott.