‘It was best for everybody’: Joe Mazzulla benches starters in second half vs. Bucks

MILWAUKEE — The usual Boston Celtics starters occupied the last five seats on the bench as the second half began Thursday night. With two quarters left in what was shaping up to be a blowout loss, the Celtics’ first unit was done for the night. In an unorthodox decision, especially for him, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla informed the starters at halftime they would not be appearing in the second half. With a 37-point halftime deficit, Mazzulla decided to prioritize the bigger picture instead of an unlikely comeback attempt. “I just thought it was in the best interest of our team,” Mazzulla said after Boston’s 135-102 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. “The way the game worked out, I thought it was…