Joe Mazzulla rattled off a series of stats to support the Celtics' defense, which has faced criticism during the team's recent slump.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla freely admitted Tuesday that his team had to improve on both sides of the ball to emerge from its recent slump. Yet, he defended the team’s bouts with effort and getting defensive stops. The Celtics were shredded Sunday by the Indiana Pacers, especially on dribble penetration and paint points.

After another loss against a team they ought to have beaten thanks in part to subpar shooting from beyond the arc, Mazzulla opened up about the recent spate of bad shooting from deep for Boston of late. "I like the shots that we take," said Mazzula. "I like the people that are taking them. We just have to work through it."

The defending NBA champions, Boston Celtics, are fighting to turn things back around after coming off their fourth loss in the past seven games. The Celtics fe