Celtics coach addresses effort issues in uninspiring Kings loss

BOSTON — Even for the casual viewers, it was clear the reigning champions weren’t at their best in their Friday loss to the Kings. The TD Garden crowd let the boos fly amid effort issues as the C’s dropped their latest game at home.

While it was a tied game going into the fourth quarter, the red-hot Kings — playing under an interim coach — pulled away for the victory. The Kings made 3s, played connected and buried the Celtics to hand the champs their largest setback of the season. After the loss, C’s coach Joe Mazzulla addressed any effort issues, saying he believes it’s more of a short-term problem.

“I said it’s not a long-term effort thing, but in the short-term, yeah, I think our inefficient offense put pressure on our defense,” Mazzulla said. “They were able to take advantage of that with effort plays, whether it was offensive rebounding, open 3s. And you’re coming down missing them and they’re coming down making them, it’s going to take a toll on you. So definitely a short-term (effort issue), without a doubt, yeah.”

As Mazzulla pointed out, the Celtics struggled throughout the night offensively. After allowing 38 points in the first quarter, the C’s limited the Kings to just 44 points over their next two quarters. That allowed the Celtics to keep pace through the first three quarters even though they were inefficient from 3, finishing Friday at 11-for-41 (26.8%) from deep.

Once the Kings got going offensively in the fourth quarter, the Celtics had no answers as they were outscored 38-21. The Kings made 3s and there were plays that deserved the Garden boos. Mazzulla stressed he believes it’s a short-term issue, not a long-term one, as they’ll look to address some of the inconsistencies that again popped up Friday.

But there were other problems — there’s a reason why the Garden crowd booed the reigning champs for the first time this season. The Kings had the 16-8 edge in offensive rebounds as they won one of those key margins Mazzulla often talks about. The effort wasn’t there on a few plays, like on a wide open Domantas Sabonis 3 that resulted in the first jeers of the night.

The Celtics haven’t been their best as they’re now 8-7 over their last 15 games. The 3-1 road trip was a step in the right direction, but the home woes are also starting to come to the forefront. The Celtics are 3-5 in their last eight home games — that’s more home losses in an eight-game stretch than they had all of last season, when they went 37-4 at the Garden.

All the C’s can do now is look to their next game, a 6 p.m. Sunday matchup against the Pelicans at the Garden. They’re in a current lull in their schedule, but January still features some tough games, including an upcoming four-game road trip out against West teams in a little over a week.

“When you’re having inefficient offense, it puts pressure on your defense,” Mazzulla said. “So I don’t think it’s a long-term effort thing. ... And so whether it’s shot making, whether it’s execution, whether it’s spacing, I think that takes a toll on you.”

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