In seasons past, the Boston Celtics bench was a weakness that needed to be weathered. Now, they have become a key part of the team’s offense, and have even been credited for helping the team earn key wins this season. One such victory was Boston’s recent bounce-back win over the Phoenix Suns after dropping a pair to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla had high praise for his bench mob postgame, saying that they “were amazing, they were tremendous” via Boston Dot Com’s Connor Roche. “I thought Payton (Pritchard) changed the game with his defense.” “Him and Sam (Hauser) both are known for offensive guys, but I think it’s been their defense that really helped us this year,” he added.

“And Luke (Kornet)’s ability to play against a second unit and switching really gave us a great look, and when they went to touch, he was able to set great screens,” suggested Mazzulla. “So that unit has been great for us all year, but tonight they were big time.” Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire