Celtics HC Joe Mazzulla has same 2-word answer to all questions after Pacers loss

Joe Mazzulla wasn’t happy with how the ending of the Boston Celtics’ matchup against the Indiana Pacers turned out.

Mazzulla is halfway through his fourth season as the Celtics’ head coach. Despite seeing significant changes from the roster this past offseason and not having Jayson Tatum due to his Achilles rehab, the coach has adapted by keeping Boston in the playoff picture.

However, the difference in talent leaves his squad vulnerable to some tough losses. In the final seconds of their contest against Indiana, they conceded a game-winning shot to Pascal Siakam as they couldn’t get their own shot to fall through on the other end.

Mazzulla reflected on the loss after the game, per reporter Zack Cox. The postgame presser was short as the coach only had two words to repeat to the six questions media asked, directly referring to what happened with Siakam’s game-winner.

“Illegal screen,” Mazzulla said repeatedly.

Here was Joe Mazzulla’s full postgame presser with reporters in Indiana, as seen on NBCSB. Replied “illegal screen” to all six questions he received.

Clearly unhappy with the play that led to Siakam’s game-winner. pic.twitter.com/LdMFYBVS2E

— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) January 13, 2026

How Joe Mazzulla, Celtics performed against Pacers

It will be a frustrating loss for Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics to look back on. They had a chance to win on the road, but the officials being unable to notice the illegal screen cost them in the end.

Boston missed Jaylen Brown as he was absent due to injury. Despite that, they competed with Indiana as both teams took it down to the wire before Siakam’s game-winner.

Perimeter shooting and ball movement made the difference in this matchup. The Pacers prevailed in both categories by making 16 3-pointers and creating 29 assists. It wasn’t the same for the Celtics as they converted nine triples and dished out 22 assists.

Four players scored in double-digits for Boston in the loss. Payton Pritchard led the way with 23 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and two steals. He shot 10-of-22 from the field, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Derrick White came next with 18 points and five assists, Anfernee Simons had 16 points and four assists, while Neemias Queta provided 15 points and eight rebounds.

Boston fell to a 24-15 record on the season, holding the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They are one game above the Toronto Raptors and 1.5 games above the Philadelphia 76ers while trailing the New York Knicks by one game and Detroit Pistons by 4.5 games.

The Celtics will look to bounce back in their next matchup, remaining on the road. They take on the Miami Heat on Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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