As soon as he saw an opportunity to attack the offensive glass, Luka Garza battled three Memphis Grizzlies defenders to grab the rebound off Payton Pritchard’s 3-point miss, put it back up, and convert an and-one in the first quarter. Any chance to extend a possession with a second-chance opportunity, Garza was there for the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
“I love being a part of this team,” Garza told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “We play hard every single night, no matter what, and I think when you do that, you put yourself in a good position — especially in a situation like tonight where we obviously have the talent to finish. You play hard long enough, you finally get that rhythm, and everything else takes over.”
The seventh straight game without Nikola Vučević highlighted Boston’s need for depth, more than ever since he suffered a right finger fracture over two weeks ago. On paper, facing a Grizzlies team with 11 players ruled out might have seemed favorable for the Celtics. But the chance for those at the tail end of Memphis’ rotation to log significant minutes made the Grizzlies a much hungrier team than Boston might’ve anticipated — and Garza immediately took notice.
In the second quarter, once again off a missed Pritchard three, Garza grabbed the offensive rebound and converted the putback layup to give the Celtics a 33-31 lead. It’s become a habit for him this season. His specialty — underappreciated but no less impactful — continues to be dominating the interior battle for second-chance opportunities. There’s been no one as determined or committed to that part of the offense.
“It’s fun,” Garza told reporters. “When you get in a rhythm like that, get to the glass, and make little plays, it’s a lot of fun. But I think every night we have a lot of guys who do that — Baylor (Scheierman), Hugo (González), (Jordan) Walsh. Guys have always stepped up in my position to make the little plays and help us win, so it’s definitely fun when you’re the guy doing that.”
Garza finished with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, adding seven rebounds (five offensive) in Boston’s 117-112 win over Memphis.
It began as a byproduct of the identity the Celtics developed during Jayson Tatum’s absence, designed to keep the team competitive without him. Now that Tatum has returned and Boston remains in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, Garza’s trademark strength is more valuable than ever. On Saturday night, it proved especially important in helping the Celtics overcome a 3-point slump, as they shot just 26.2 percent on 42 attempts in Memphis.
“He’s amazing,” Derrick White told Abby Chin, per NBC Sports Boston. “He plays so hard every single second he’s out there. He does so many little things for us and (he’s the) ultimate competitor, so big plays all game, really. Kind of kept us in it and huge plays down the stretch.”
At the start of the fourth quarter, Garza remained on the floor while Tatum and Jaylen Brown sat on the bench.
Garza played 11:24 in the fourth quarter, third-most behind White and Scheierman. The intensity he brought was too much to sit, as the Celtics were chasing the Grizzlies in an effort to preserve their winning streak and extend it to four games. Garza knocked down an open 3-pointer to cut Memphis’ lead to 88-87, finishing the final frame with 11 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the floor.
“He’s great on both ends of the floor,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “He’s great defensively. He’s great offensively. He does a great job screening. They play a hectic style. They put a ton of pressure on you from a physicality standpoint, and you have to be able to read, and make plays, and play through physicality — and no one’s better at that than Luka.”
The toughness and blue-collar mentality Garza brings to every opportunity, big or small, is always felt. He’s never chasing double-doubles or specific scoring figures. Instead, he aims to make an impact. Garza punishes opposing defenses by exploiting their lack of preparation or inability to match him physically, leading Boston in the critical underlying battles: offensive rebounds, second-chance points, and other key margins.
The Celtics outmatched the Grizzlies in both offensive rebounds (18-7) and second-chance points (28-13), thanks in large part to Garza.
Since Vučević went down, Garza’s numbers have seen a slight boost, averaging 10.3 points on 60.5 percent shooting over the past seven games. He’s also maintained a 44.4 percent mark from three, consistent with his season average of 43.3 percent, doing everything he can to stay effective and ready whenever Mazzulla gives him the green light.
In Memphis, Mazzulla had no shortage of praise for Garza’s impact.
“His ability to screen. His ability to take advantage of mismatches on the glass,” Mazzulla told reporters. “Defensively, he kept his guy off the glass, so we were able to get other guys to come in and get rebounds. I thought he was great tonight.”
