With 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Heat leading by 8, forward Nikola Jovic rumbled upcourt looking to add to his team’s advantage. But as Jovic approached the rim, Hauser stood his ground and knocked the ball away, leading to an Anfernee Simons layup at the other end. It was a big swing.
Hauser knows he is never going to be the most athletic player on the floor, so he makes up for it with film study. He said the advance scouting reports he receives from the coaching staff are helpful. They include morsels such as which hand an opponent prefers, how often they drive, and where they like to operate.
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“I’m not like the quickest player laterally, so for me to know that and try to anticipate some of those things are big for me to try to keep a guy in front and make it hard for them to try to shoot,” Hauser said. “So, I try my best. I don’t always do it well, but I try my best to try to play to their tendencies and force them to shoot shots we want them to shoot.”
Mazzulla said the Celtics trust Hauser to be a versatile defender, pointing out that he guarded a point guard and a center Thursday.
“He knows players’ tendencies,” Mazzulla said. “He can take them away in real time. He’s physical, much more physical than people think.”
Later, with 1:40 left in the game and the Celtics clinging to a 4-point lead, Luka Garza fired up a 3-pointer from the right corner that bounced on the rim three times before beginning to fall off.
Hauser had come crashing in from the left corner, and while he did not exactly fly above the rim, settling in below worked out fine. He tapped the ball in for a key basket. Hauser later called it a “freebie,” but it was not an easy play for a player who rarely operates in the paint.
▪ Celtics forward Jaylen Brown had a rough first half Thursday night. He went 3 for 9 from the field with four turnovers, and Boston was outscored by 17 points during his 12:42 on the court.
It felt notable that Mazzulla took Brown out during a timeout with 7:14 left in the second quarter and kept him on the bench for the rest of the half. It was no surprise that Mazzulla shrugged off a question about the decision.
“To me it was more a focus on how well [Simons] played in the second quarter,” Mazzulla said.
Celtics guard Anfernee Simons scored a season-high 39 points against the Heat.Rebecca Blackwell/Associated Press
Simons erupted for a season-high 39 points in the game but mustered just 2 in the second quarter. Brown, who said he felt “sluggish” during the game, deferred to Simons at times during the second half, saying he was comfortable with that approach.
“I’ve done that my whole career,” Brown said. “I’ve played alongside Jayson Tatum, so, nothing new.”
▪ A league source said that while Tatum continues to make progress while working his way back from last May’s Achilles injury, there was no substantial update. So, here’s what forward Jordan Walsh has seen recently:
“He looks good,” Walsh said. “He looks better than he did when he started. So, he’s making progress. He’s in the gym all day, every day. He’s definitely making progress.”
▪ Celtics two-way contract player Ron Harper Jr. still remembers when his younger brother Dylan struggled to make jump shots when they were children.
“And now he’s in the NBA,” Harper Jr. said. “So, it’s just crazy.”
Harper Jr., 25, was with the Celtics for last Saturday’s game against the Spurs, so he and Dylan, 19, the second pick in last June’s draft, were part of an NBA game together for the first time.
“It was kind of surreal,” Harper Jr. said. “We kind of manifested it, but it was always the plan. So just being able to see it and live it in real time was a real proud moment for our family. It was a great day.”
Ron Harper Sr., who won three NBA titles with the Bulls and two with the Lakers during his 15-year career, was at TD Garden to soak it all in.
“He’s emotional as hell,” Harper Jr. said, smiling. “He was probably crying. He probably didn’t want to tell nobody, but he was really happy for sure. He said he was proud of us.”
With Jayson Tatum out, Jaylen Brown has stepped up to lead the Celtics to third in the NBA Eastern Conference. But he’s not the only player stepping up.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.
