Celtics-Clippers Notebook: Joe Mazzulla is not ignoring the Clippers’ lack of players, Sam Hauser is back, Intuit Arena is empty, and Jaden Springer plays

LOS ANGELES — The Celtics defeated the Clippers in a thrilling 117-113 overtime game that most likely had no business going into overtime, but the main story of the day wasn’t the inconsistent defensive play or the late game execution, but Jaden Springer. Yes, you read correctly, the fourth-year guard, who has only played in double figures once this season, was the center of attention on Wednesday night at Intuit Dome. Dozens of reporters gathered around him as he held his first media availability in the locker room, while Jayson Tatum jeered him in the background, shouting, “Yeah, Spring!” and “Speak up, Spring!” as Jaden Springer answered questions from an unusually large press corps.

It would be difficult to find the right word to describe the Clippers’ situation on Saturday night if the Warriors were deemed shorthanded on Monday. The Clippers were missing most of their regular rotation, including James Harden, Norman Powell, Ivica Zubac, Nicolas Batum, Kris Dunn, and Kawhi Leonard on the first night of a back-to-back. The Clippers were also playing four games in five nights due to the NBA rescheduling games that had been postponed because of the California wildfires, which contributed to the significant injury report. The truth is that playing such shorthanded teams can be challenging; players have fresh legs and role players are empowered and excited to take advantage of their unique opportunity.

The game proceeded as planned, Mazzulla said. “That’s a championship head coach, those guys are great players — been in the league for a long time, a lot of them, and they’ve delivered.” The Celtics needed someone to step up on the defensive end once it became clear that the Clippers, who were shorthanded, would put up a fight. Kevin Porter Jr. was getting whatever he wanted offensively, and the matchups the team usually threw at him weren’t working (after the game, Jaylen Brown disclosed that he was limited by an ankle sprain he sustained in the second quarter). Enter Jaden Springer, who has been used sparingly since the Celtics traded for him last winter.