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Celtics have the NBA’s best offense, and they continue to prove it

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BOSTON — Basketball coaches don’t always get to enjoy the games in front of them. They need to worry about the next play, the next decision and the next strategy. In charge of so many different variables, many coaches always seem on edge.

Joe Mazzulla might feel that way a lot of the time, but he has still found time to appreciate the Celtics offense. Following yet another highly efficient performance in a season already packed with them, Mazzulla called his team’s offense “cool to watch.”

“Guys have done a great job trusting each other, making the right play, spacing,” Mazzulla said Friday after the Celtics topped the Nuggets 131-112. “The cool thing about offense, and basketball in general to me, is that you have to be able to make each other better whether you have the ball or not. And our guys are bought into making each other better whether they have the ball or not.”

The Celtics entered Friday with the league’s top-ranked offense. The Nuggets were in fifth place. The teams ranked 1-2 in true shooting percentage and effective field goal percentage. The matchup, which shaped up as a shootout between two of the world’s top shooting squads, lived up to the billing. Unlike last season, when Boston’s defense separated it as one of the NBA’s best teams, the Celtics are built to win games like this now.

They scored 24 points in the first six minutes. They shot better than 53 percent from the field for the third time in four games. They finished at 55.6 percent, including 43.2 percent (16 for 37) on 3-point attempts. They let the Nuggets score a lot, too — even late in the third quarter after Nikola Jokic fouled out. Still, that didn’t matter. The Boston offense just hasn’t stopped scoring lately.

“It’s a lot of fun right now just on the offensive end,” said Al Horford. “It’s a lot of ball movement. Guys are really conscious of understanding what coach wants from us, what he expects, and he wants good spacing. We’re doing a good job of getting to those positions, and it’s fun to see when it comes together like that.”

Jaylen Brown, who finished with 25 points on 11-for-15 shooting, didn’t miss a shot until the third quarter. Jayson Tatum, who scored 34 points on 11-for-21 shooting, made nine shots inside the paint and drew 11 free throw attempts. The Celtics produced an offensive rating of 140.9 points per 100 possessions, the best performance of any offense in a game this season.

“I just think it’s an understanding of Jayson, Jaylen and Marcus (Smart),” said Horford, who made six 3-pointers en route to a 21-point night. “It starts with those three guys. It’s understanding what we’re trying to accomplish offensively. We want to put pressure on the rim, we want to finish out of the basket.

“At the same time, we have to have good spacing around him in case that doesn’t happen. We play inside-out. We get those 3s. It’s just the way our lineups are. We have five shooters out there, so we’re really spreading it out. And everybody that gets out there is a threat to shoot the ball.”

A regular part of the Celtics’ rotation at the end of the last season, Payton Pritchard has been pushed away from minutes by the acquisition of Malcolm Brogdon. Pritchard had appeared in only four of the team’s 11 games before Friday, but Brogdon’s absence (back tightness) against the Nuggets gave Pritchard a chance to play.

After checking in at the beginning of the second quarter, he quickly scored a tough bucket at the end of the shot clock. Minutes later, he sent the Celtics bench into a fit of joy by making several hustle plays on the same possession. After fighting for one rebound and batting another to a teammate, he ended the possession by racing over to grab the ball away from DeAndre Jordan and lay it into the basket.

“Usually, teams don’t think I’m going to crash half the time, so they lose me,” Pritchard said. “But I just found a way to sneak in there, get my hands on the balls, tip them out or pull them down. Any way I can get an extra possession.”

Brown said Pritchard has some “Alvarado” in him, a reference to Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, who is known for sneakily stealing possessions for his team. Smart also loved the sequence from Pritchard, who scored 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting off the bench.

“You get excited about Payton getting those offensive rebounds for a multitude of reasons, but Payton comes in every day, he’s a professional, he puts his work in, he works hard,” Smart told The Athletic. “And it’s tough on him. He’s got a lot of people in front of him on a very stacked team when it comes to guards. He understands that, but every day he comes in with an attitude to get better, to help this team and when his number is called to go and do what he does.”

With Smart, Brogdon and Derrick White ahead of him on the depth chart, Pritchard won’t always play. He went through a similar situation at the beginning of last season, when the Celtics were using Dennis Schroder as their backup point guard. Still, Pritchard’s teammates say he has kept a team-first mentality and shown an impressive work ethic.

“You don’t want to take away from what we have going here,” Pritchard said. “And I’m not going to be a distraction at all, so I’m mainly focused on getting better and keep winning, and when I get a chance I’m going out there and competing.”

Although his role is diminished on most nights, Pritchard was a luxury for the Celtics on Friday. With Brogdon missing, Smart picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter. Boston was able to turn to a young point guard who played key minutes throughout the playoffs last season. When Pritchard put together a nice game, his teammates loved it.

“We get so excited for him because 1, that’s our teammate, that’s our brother, but 2, we know the potential that he can and has and that he’s going to help us,” Smart said. “It was good to see him smiling, enjoying the game, especially because it was hard on him. He might not say it, but I’ve been in that position. I understand that it’s tough. And to be able to come out and have a game like that boosts your confidence. So we were happy for him.”

Brown seconded that.

“Payton’s my guy, man,” Brown said. “I really respect him a lot. His game, his work ethic, how hard he works, everything, how he just comes in and is just ready. You see some guys don’t get the opportunity and their spirit is down. Payton has his days, but Payton’s going to be a good player for a long time in this league just because of his mentality. Great addition to our locker room and good guy to have around.”

Yes, Aaron Gordon hit Grant Williams hard midway through the fourth quarter. The contact almost looked like a tackle.

“Might need to sign him up for the Pats,” cracked Williams.

Although the referees deemed the play a flagrant foul, Williams did not blame Gordon at all. The Celtics were trying to delay catching their own inbounds pass to take extra seconds off the game clock. After Horford rolled the ball in, Tatum was trying to wait as long as possible before touching it. Williams and Horford stood between Gordon and the ball, trying to keep him away from it.

“We were rolling the ball, taking advantage of the rules of the league,” Williams said The Athletic. “And he was just trying to make a play on the ball and then just ran through (me). That’s why you didn’t see me get up (to react). I know AG. He didn’t do that s— intentionally.”

Williams said he has known the benefits of the maneuver the Celtics pulled off since Ty Lawson did it “back in the day.” Years ago, Lawson allowed 22 seconds to run off the game clock by letting his teammate’s inbound pass roll on the court for that long.

“When you have a big lead, it’s a smart play,” Williams said. “You take, what, two possessions away if you take 10 or 15 seconds off the clock? So that’s smart. It’s not something I feel like it should be encouraged around the league, but let’s just say we’ve done it three or four games now.”

(Photo of Payton Pritchard: Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)

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