Reserve Boston Celtics big man provides crucial lift in Heat win

The Celtics will have plenty of nights for the rest of the regular season where they’ll likely have a leaner rotation. That means opportunity for some of the reserve guys, and big man Neemias Queta made the most of it Friday against the Heat.

The reserve big man played the entire fourth quarter to close out the Celtics' 103-91 win over the Heat. While Miami played Boston tough all night, the Heat mustered up just 14 points in the fourth quarter as they couldn’t mount a comeback attempt. Queta had his fingerprints on the win as C’s coach Joe Mazzulla spoke about what the big man brought on the court.

“We started the fourth quarter double big with Neemi and Luke (Kornet) just to kind of mess with their matchups and some of their coverages,” Mazzulla told reporters in Miami. “Neemi at his best, he does an amazing job of being able to change coverages. He can switch. He can play in touch. Does a great job of protecting the rim and he can guard shooters.

“So you kind of saw a little bit of all that. He had some one-on-one matchups with Andrew Wiggins. He got a couple of in-traffic rebounds that helped the game for us. He was able to protect the rim. You saw his versatility in the fourth quarter.”

Queta finished with two points and eight rebounds in his 23 minutes Friday. As Mazzulla mentioned, his activity level on the court was clearly noticeable as he finished out the win. Queta’s playing time has fluctuated over a long season, but he’s often relied upon as a reserve big, much like he was deployed Friday.

Mazzulla has credited Queta for his coachability, where the Celtics hold him to a high standard. So when there have been times when Queta hasn’t lived up to expectations, Mazzulla and the Celtics will let him know. But that’s part of the behind-the-scenes development as Queta is a bonafide backup big man for the reigning champions.

The Celtics have a lean schedule the rest of the season. They’re 48-19 after Friday’s victory, further solidifying their second-place spot in the East. So Queta should have more opportunities going forward, and if the Celtics need him, he could have his number called come the playoffs.

“I think Neemi was huge that whole fourth quarter and just did a lot of different things for us,” Derrick White said. “Rebounding and defensively. It was a really big-time quarter for him.”