The Boston Celtics defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 117-103. Al Horford scored 26 points with six threes, and Jayson Tatum had 25 points and 14 rebounds. Ja Morant had 26 points, but it was not enough. The Celtics were without Jaylen Brown and Luke Kornet. Brandon Clarke was out for the Grizzlies. The Boston Celtics improved to 56-19, winning their ninth consecutive game. Memphis dropped to 44-31.
A Close First Half
The Grizzlies defeated the Boston Celtics in their last matchup, but this one was different because they had fired their head coach, Taylor Jenkins. It was also different because the Celtics started Xavier Tillman against his former team. Tillman has been out of the rotation most of the season but got the starting nod. Boston took an early lead, but Memphis battled back. Both teams went back and forth. Tatum and Morant were scoring. Kristaps Porzingis threw down an emphatic dunk, but the Grizzlies went on a run to take the lead. At the end of the first quarter, the Boston Celtics trailed 32-25. Tatum and Jaren Jackson Jr had 8 points.
The Boston Celtics shot poorly in the first quarter, while Memphis was not missing. Morant drilled a pair of threes to put them up by double digits. He followed that with a and-one. The Celtics simply could not get stops on defense. But Sam Hauser made a couple of three-pointers, and a Tatum layup brought it to a two-point game. This was part of a 10-2 run, and a Porzingis three gave Boston the lead. A Porzingis and-one and a Tatum gave them a five-point lead. After a high-scoring half, the Boston Celtics led 66-61.
Tatum led the way for the Boston Celtics in the first half. He had 17 points and 9 rebounds. Porzingis had 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, going 3-of-4 from three. Horford also had a productive half with 13 points off the bench. But Morant was electric for Memphis, scoring 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Jackson Jr had 10 points. The first half was fast-paced and high-scoring. Both teams had hot and cold shooting stretches, and it was shaping up to be an exciting finish.
The Boston Celtics Win
Morant continued to dazzle in the third quarter, and the Grizzlies opened on a 10-0 run to take the lead. Tillman’s start looked questionable as he was beaten by Jackson Jr on defense and could not make shots on offense. But the Celtics answered with a 10-2 run, and the teams were deadlocked again. Jrue Holiday heated up, scoring 11 points in the quarter. This, along with some Tatum buckets, helped build the Celtics’ lead. Memphis went on a small run to close the quarter, but Boston finished it with a Tatum assist to Horford under the basket. Through three quarters, the Boston Celtics held a 92-85 lead.
Horford and Santi Aldama traded threes to start the fourth quarter. Derrick White also had a history-making three-pointer, passing Isaiah Thomas and becoming the new Boston Celtics record holder for threes made in a season. Tatum and Payton Pritchard aren’t far behind him, and they are all gunning for the record by the end of the season. But records aside, this was still a close game.
The Boston Celtics built a 15-point lead with less than seven minutes to go. But Memphis went on a 6-0 run, bringing it back to single digits with four minutes left. The Celtics went cold at the worst time, and the Grizzlies tried to make them pay for it. White hit a corner three to stop a four and a half minute scoring drought. This started a 7-0 Boston run that put the game out of reach. The Boston Celtics won 117-103.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 56-19 with the victory. It’s their ninth win in a row, and they finish their road trip 6-0. Horford finished with 26 points on six three-pointers. Tatum had 25 points and 14 rebounds. Porzingis had 19 points, and Holiday had 18. The Grizzlies fell to 44-31 with the loss. Morant had 26 points, Aldama had 21, and Jackson Jr had 20. In a close Western Conference, this loss could have implications for Memphis. Both teams split the season series 1-1.
