“[That’s] discrediting a championship head coach and a group of guys that are really, really good.”

The Clippers were down four of their starters Wednesday night, presumably giving the Celtics a path to an easy victory. But, that wasn’t the case.

Boston needed overtime to take down a shorthanded Los Angeles squad, winning 117-113. Even though the Celtics improved to 31-13 with the win, some might view the victory as added concern for a team that’s gone 10-8 in its last 18 games.

Coach Joe Mazzulla, however, doesn’t view it that way. When the Celtics coach was asked why Wednesday’s win was so difficult considering the Clippers were without four of their starters, Mazzulla scoffed at the notion that a victory should be given.

“I think the first question should be — why would we assume that it was going to be an easy game? [That’s] discrediting a championship head coach and a group of guys that are really, really good,” Mazzulla said. “I think everybody assumed this was going to be an easy one, and I think that leads to a lack of humility and it’s arrogance to think that it’d be an easy one. So, the game went the way it was supposed to go.”

The Celtics were also playing shorthanded Wednesday, missing Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford. But the Clippers didn’t have Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Norm Powell, and Ivica Zubac, who are their four leading scorers this season.

So, unsurprisingly, Boston was a double-digit favorite. But that’s been a spot where it’s struggled as of late, either losing or winning by just one score in four of their last seven games as a double-digit favorite prior to Wednesday’s win.

Last season, Mazzulla made a similar remark when the Celtics narrowly avoided becoming the team that the Pistons defeated to end the tie for the longest losing streak in NBA history. He disagreed with the idea that the Celtics had nothing to gain from that game, saying it was “an opportunity to build a mindset and build toughness” in the midst of their championship season.

It appears Mazzulla will view Wednesday’s game through a similar lens.

“It was a championship head coach. Those guys are great players, been in the league a long time, a lot of them, and they’ve delivered on this team and that team,” Mazzulla continued about the Clippers. “So, I don’t think any of that matters. I thought our guys approached the game the right way and made the necessary plays to win.

“There’s obviously details we could get better at. But I think the question would be, why did people think it was going to be an easy one?”