With 8:54 left and the Celtics trailing the Pacers by 21 points, Neemias Queta entered the game alongside Jordan Walsh and Xavier Tillman Sr. Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard also remained out.

For some coaches, such a tactic would have been a way to wave the white flag. For Mazzulla, as so often happens, there was a method to his madness.

The Celtics stormed back in brilliant fashion and Queta was the crux of it all. He was active at the rim, pushed the pace and was a threat defensively, even when he had to switch to guard. He finished the game with 2 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block, posting a game-high plus-minus of plus-18 in 14 outstanding minutes.

Boston lost 135-132 in overtime, but Queta’s contributions made it much more interesting than it otherwise would have been. As he looks to develop into a regular rotation player with the NBA’s best, Wednesday’s breakout performance was a perfect starting point.

“I thought Neemy did a great job on both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla told reporters. “His activity, his physicality. He gave us a spark. It was great stuff from him.”

Queta, who hadn’t played in the last two games, immediately threw in a lob from Brown on his first play. A few moments later, he brought the ball up, expertly made the right pass and found Brown for a high-percentage look.

He continued to gobble up rebounds, and after securing one, he hit Pritchard in transition for a layup to make it 15 with 6:06 left. The Celtics were on a roll, but a comeback still seemed unlikely at this point.

Queta was undeterred and alternated shots at the edge relatively easily. The Pacers had gotten almost everything they wanted by then, and Queta’s length provided some much-needed resistance.

The Celtics cut the number to nine on a 3-pointer from Derrick White, seven on a White layup and five on free throws from Jayson Tatum with 1:28 left. At this point, Mazzulla had an interesting decision to make.

Many coaches would have gone back to Al Horford or maybe moved to Jrue Holiday and gone small. But not Mazzulla. He trains a lot based on feeling and likes to reward people who deserve it.

Queta made it, and he rewarded that faith when he blocked a layup attempt from Ben Sheppard with 43.1 minutes remaining. He wisely kept the ball in play, which led to two more free throws from Tatum. Tatum tied it with a clutch 3, Queta parried Tyrese Haliburton’s final shot and the Celtics sent it to overtime.

He continued to play in a timely manner in overtime, grabbing two consecutive offensive rebounds that led to Pritchard’s free throws. Ultimately it wasn’t enough, but his contributions shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Queta received the Tommy Award from Brian Scalabrine of NBC Sports Boston.

“I think he was the biggest game-changer out there,” Scalabrine said.

So could this be the start of something bigger? Only time will tell, but he definitely aced his de facto audition.

Queta gives the Celtics an element that no one else on the roster can provide. His length, elasticity and ability to block shots make him stand out from the crowd.

While Kristaps Porzingis is out, Queta has room to play alongside Horford, Luke Kornet and Tillman. It’s up to him whether he takes advantage of this opportunity.

Wednesday was a big step in the right direction.