Joe Mazzulla supports new Celtics center after brutal shooting in Hornets win

Nikola Vucevic struggled on offense in his second game back from a broken finger on Tuesday night. The big man missed nine of his ten shot attempts in a 113-102 Celtics win. However, Joe Mazzulla stuck with the big man for nearly the entire fourth quarter as Boston pulled away for a double-digit victory for their fourth straight win.

Vucevic played 10 of his 23 minutes in the final frame, helping Boston outscore Charlotte 23-15 in the period to move closer to the No. 2 seed. Mazzulla was upbeat about the progress Vucevic is making despite the lack of production.

“His pick-and-roll defense was great in the second half, and I just thought he was more physical in the paint, offensively,” Mazzulla said. “He got some tip-outs, offensive rebounds for us, scoring in the paint versus the switch. And then like I said, he’s got to get his legs underneath him.

But I thought that fourth quarter run there, his pick-and-roll defense was good. He got a deflection steal. So he just felt more comfortable out there in playmaking, which comes with time with that.