Boston was without star player Jayson Tatum and centers Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis (Porzingis’s sixth straight missed game due to illness). Still, the Celtics prevailed by six.
The Celtics played very slowly throughout the first half, taking bad shots and not moving the ball around enough. Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, and Sam Hauser were a combined 7-27 from the field and 2-15 from three. Despite the sloppy half, Boston still led the Jazz 53-47.
The Celtics found their footing in the third quarter and moved the ball well, knocking down threes and making hustle plays. Sam Hauser scored 23 points and hit seven three-pointers in the quarter. Boston outscored Utah 37-22 in that quarter.
The fourth quarter was underway, and the Celtics began to look sluggish again. They allowed Utah to erase a 21-point deficit and tie the game at 103 with 5 minutes remaining. In those last 5 minutes, Boston turned it around by making big defensive plays, grabbing offensive rebounds, and hitting free throws.
The Celtics went on to win the game by a final score of 114-108. Sam Hauser led the way for the Celtics with a career-high 33 points. Jaylen Brown chipped in a solid around game with 26 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Derrick White recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists.
Next up, the Celtics will take on the #1-seed Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.
