Heated Mazzulla held back as he confronted the referee after losing to Bulls

Heated Mazzulla holds back while confronting referee after loss to Bulls originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla let his emotions get the best of him after his team’s 117-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

The chaos at TD Garden started in the fourth quarter when Mazzulla was assessed a technical foul for stepping onto the court after a jump ball call. Jaylen Brown was called for a technician moments later after having a conversation with a referee, and Colleague C star Jayson Tatum got into an altercation with a referee later in the quarter.

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After the final buzzer sounded, Mazzulla had to be restrained as he went after official Justin Van Duyne. When asked after the game what message he was trying to convey, Mazzulla said he was in a holiday mood.

“I hadn’t seen him in a while. So just Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,” he replied. “Not a moment can go by when you don’t wish them and theirs well.”

Mazzulla also confirmed that nothing he said warranted a technical foul. He was whistled for entering the field.

“I just can’t be on the field. Ref had to do his job. I was on the field,” Mazzulla said.

Brown revealed after the match that he told the referee he had called a tech on Mazzulla “for no reason.” When the referee told him he would also get a T if he said it again, Brown repeated himself and received his technical foul.

“If I tell you that you just called a tech, for no reason at all, and you say, ‘If you say it again, I’ll call another tech,’ and I say it again and you call a tech, then you’re just threatening with your whistle. That’s not part of the game, and I think it’s bull—-.”

While the three technical fouls in the fourth quarter contributed to the Celtics’ downfall, what really cost them was their uncharacteristically poor three-point shooting. They shot just 14-for-56 (25 percent) from beyond the arc in the loss.

They will look to bounce back on Saturday in a rematch with the Bulls in Chicago. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET on NBC Sports Boston.