INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Two and half years into the Joe Mazzulla era in Boston, trust has been established in this regime. The Celtics players may not always agree with the decisions of their head coach, but they respect them because as eccentric of a personality as Mazzulla possesses, they know his only concern is victory.

Mazzulla appeared to hint of his concern when the Los Angeles Clippers announced their top four scorers would all miss Wednesday’s matchup at the sparkling and sometimes overwhelming new Inuit Dome.

The Celtics struggle with shorthanded teams. And those teams are often more dangerous because their complementary players get an unlikely opportunity to play major minutes and become primary parts of the offense.

That was the case here, when the trio of Amir Coffey, Derrick Jones Jr., and Kevin Porter Jr. took turns gashing the Celtics’ defense for the first three quarters.

The Celtics needed a spark and Mazzulla had no issue perhaps bruising the ego of his regulars, who looked befuddled at times against the Clippers upstarts. He pulled Jaden Springer out of moth balls to check Porter Jr., who scored 13 of his 26 points in a third period that saw both teams combine for 19 turnovers.

Springer, who had yet to gain traction in Mazzulla’s rotation after nearly a full year in Boston, changed the game with his defense and perhaps offered the coach another game-changing defensive option in the second half of the season. Springer held Porter scoreless in the fourth period and then added a key 3-pointer in overtime to ensure the Celtics would prevail, 117-113 in overtime, on a night they didn’t play well.

Springer played a season-high 20 minutes, just the second time this season he’s played more than 8 minutes, and scored 8 points with 4 steals and 2 rebounds as the Celtics avoided yet another late-game collapse.

Those fourth-quarter and overtime bumbles were overshadowed by Mazzulla’s choice of using Springer as a game changer. He took somebody’s minutes in his stint, perhaps some from Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser with Jrue Holiday sitting out with a shoulder injury. But Mazzulla was hardly concerned with bruised feelings.

Springer’s teammates cheered vigorously from the bench when he nailed a corner three with 34.4 seconds left for a 115-110 lead. It was his time, and they had to acknowledge that.

“I think I’ve said this before, I think one of the greatest gifts a locker room can give a coach is the freedom to do what he thinks is best to win a game,” Mazzulla said. “There’s a hierarchy, a process, but at the same time, on every given night there’s an opportunity to go to something that could give us a chance to win.

“It’s a credit to the guys for that trust and that communication. I think that’s on them. They trust each other. They know we’re trying to win. I like the fact that they were cheering for him. He did take someone’s minutes but he did it because he was helping us win.”

Springer’s presence changed the game completely. Porter Jr. was picking apart the Boston defense with contested fadeaways. No previous defender even impacted his shot. He was completely comfortable. Porter, the former first-round pick who has had a troubled career because of off-court issues, has always been a gifted scorer and he was toying with the Celtics before the burly, physical Springer entered late in the third quarter.

His size and aggressiveness forced Porter off of his preferred spots. He passed or forced shots. He couldn’t overcome Springer’s strength.

“It wasn’t much, just go out there and guard him,” Springer said. “Doing what you can and they trusted me to do that and I appreciate that. I feel like we train for this every day. Staying ready, we focus on that every day.”

Mazzulla has made a habit in the past month of throwing some little-used players into tight game situations. He’s given Springer some first-half minutes or thrust him into a scenario where the Celtics need a defensive stop. That’s his specialty. Shooting the ball hasn’t been.

He’s made 12 3-pointers in his previous 86 NBA games. He made two 2-pointers in his previous 36 games with the Celtics. But there he is at the team’s practice facility working on his corner 3-point shots, preparing for the time when Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown drive, suck in three defenders and then dish it to him sitting side open in the corner. The dagger shot was in front of the Clippers bench, with injury guard James Harden talking trash to distract him.

When the shot nestled through the hoop, Springer turned around and had some playful choice words for his former Philadelphia 76ers teammate. Getting the opportunity was rewarding for Springer, but flourishing in the opportunity was a boost for his confidence. Most nights, he has to prepare to play knowing he probably won’t barring a Celtics blowout.

On Thursday his services were required because the Celtics needed an injection of enthusiasm. Springer flawlessly delivered and likely played himself into more opportunities.

“We’re in here every day working,” Springer said. “To see the benefits of the work you put in is a great feeling, especially with all my teammates, my guys cheering me on. It’s amazing.”

Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.