The Boston Celtics defeated the Utah Jazz 114-108. Boston led by as many as 24 points but nearly blew it after a fourth-quarter surge from Utah. Sam Hauser scored 33 points with nine three-pointers. John Collins had 28 points. Both teams were shorthanded for this matchup. The Celtics were without Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Drew Peterson. Meanwhile, Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, Jordan Clarkson, and Oscar Tshiebwe were out for the Jazz. The Boston Celtics improved to 47-18 and Utah dropped to 15-50.
A Close First Half
The Boston Celtics got off to a rough start shooting the ball and came out sluggish after a big win over the Lakers, but their defense led to multiple buckets in transition, including an emphatic dunk from Luke Kornet. Collins made an early impact for Utah and Walker Kessler gave them a rebounding edge causing both teams to go back and forth. Jaylen Brown took charge for Boston, scoring and distributing on offense. The Jazz got a bucket in the final seconds of the first quarter to make it a close, one-point game. At the end of the first quarter, the Boston Celtics led 25-24. Jrue Holiday had 7 points and Collins had 8.
After a poor shooting first quarter, the Jazz and the Boston Celtics traded baskets to start the second. Then, both squads cooled off just as fast as they warmed up. Derrick White began to roll with a couple of three-pointers, including an ankle breaker, but the rest of the Celtics could not match it. The game remained deadlocked for most of the quarter. Both teams were hustling and getting decent looks, but neither could go on a run. In the final minutes of the half, Brown got to the rim for a few buckets, nearly pushing the lead to double digits before a Collin Sexton three-pointer. At halftime, the Boston Celtics held a 53-47 lead.
Both teams struggled to shoot the ball in the first half. The Boston Celtics shot 42% from the field and 29.6% from three and the Jazz shot 45.7% and 16.7% from three. White led the Celtics with 13 points, shooting 5-of-8. Brown had 11 points. Payton Pritchard scored 43 points the last time Tatum was out but shot 1-of-8 in the first half. Collins and Sexton led Utah with 12 points apiece. Boston had the lead and a couple of highlight plays, but it was not a great half from either team. If one of them could heat up, it would make things interesting down the stretch.
The Boston Celtics Avoid Disaster
A pair of Hauser threes gave the Boston Celtics a double-digit lead to start the third quarter. He made his fourth and fifth three a few minutes later after a cold first half. Collins was still scoring for Utah in the paint and beyond the arc. This kept them in striking distance, but Hauser was not done. He had a whopping seven three-pointers in the third quarter alone after he shot 1-of-6 from three in the first half. This scoring explosion gave the Celtics a 13-2 run and they pushed their lead past 20 points. At the end of the third quarter, the Boston Celtics led 90-69. Hauser scored 23 points in the quarter, outscoring the Jazz by himself.
With a 21-point deficit going into the fourth quarter, Utah needed to catch fire. Collins and Brice Sensabaugh got things started with a few three-pointers. After the Boston Celtics couldn’t score, the Jazz went on an 11-0 run to cut it down to 12. A charge that was overturned to an and-one brought the lead to single digits with seven minutes left. Sensabaugh had taken over and after Utah was cold all game, shots were falling.
After a few more Jazz buckets, it was suddenly a three-point game with four and a half minutes remaining. Then, a Kessler bucket tied the game. Holiday made a corner three to put Boston up by four. Brown punched home a huge dunk and Hauser nailed another three, giving the Celtics a seven-point lead that Utah cut to four. But the Boston Celtics closed out from there, narrowly avoiding an awful collapse. The Boston Celtics held on for a 114-108 win.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 47-18 with the victory. Hauser scored a career-high 33 points with nine three-pointers. Brown had 26 points and White had 18. Blowing a 24-point lead is never good, especially against a team like the Jazz. Boston has blown a concerning number of leads over the past few weeks. But they closed strong and won their fifth consecutive game. Utah fell to 15-50 with the loss. Collins had 28 points and Sensabaugh had 22 off the bench. The Celtics face the Oklahoma City Thunder next in a battle of championship contenders.
