The Utah Jazz (29-10) defeated the Boston Celtics (20-19) on Tuesday night in Boston. The Celtics came into the game having won 5 of their last 6 games. After Tuesday night the Jazz were able to come back after trailing at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Jazz scored 40 points, leading them to the win.
Jazz sweep Celtics
After winning Tuesday night’s matchup, the Jazz has now swept the Celtics in the season series. This is the Jazz’s 4th straight win at TD Garden. On Tuesday night, the Jazz made sure to play an intense offensive gaining the lead after the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter, the Jazz were only down by 2 points (20-22). Following the first quarter, they were able to gain the lead, this time up by 1 point (54-53). Up until the fourth quarter, it was a back-and-forth game. At the end of the third quarter, the Jazz were down again by 2 points (77-79); they were able to put up 19 three-pointers. This is the 6th game where the Celtics allowed 18+ three-pointers.
When the fourth quarter rolled around, the Jazz were able to power forward and gain the lead. Star player Rudy Gobert had 12 rebounds at the end of the night, along with 16 points. Another player who ended their night in double digits was Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell ended his night with 21 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists. Bench player Jordan Clarkson also had an outstanding night on the court. Clarkson made 50% of his shots from the three-point line, along with going 3-3 from the free-throw line. In addition to that, Clarkson ended his night with 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Celtics fall short in the fourth quarter
The Celtics put up a great fight in Tuesday night’s game. It was not until the last 5 minutes of the game that the Celtics started to fall behind. What was once a 9-point deficit was turned to a 1-point one by the Celtics in the fourth quarter. Soon after making a comeback, the Jazz answered and finished out strong. The Celtics have now had 26 crunch-time games. Along with that, the Celtics are now 12-6 at home. One thing the Celtics have struggled with this season is picking up a win against a team with a win percentage of .667 or more. They have now gone 0-8 against teams with a percentage of .667 or more.
Despite losing Tuesday night, there were a lot of positives for the Celtics team. The Celtics managed to come out of the first quarter with zero fouls. Another positive for the Celtics in the first quarter was the number of points in the paint. Fourteen of the first 18 points for the Celtics were made in the paint, despite Golbert being there. Jayson Tatum had a great night, ending with 29 points, 6 rebounds. Jaylen Brown also had a fantastic game ending with 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. Although they were not able to pull out a win, the Celtics did a fantastic job defending Golbert and other Jazz players until the fourth quarter.
Up Next
The Celtics will head on the road to face up against the Cleveland Cavaliers (14-25) on Wednesday, March 17th at 8:00 pm. The Cavaliers struggle as they are on a 4-game losing streak, looking to pick up a win.
The Jazz will also head on the road for a matchup against the Washington Wizards (14-24) on Thursday, March 18th at 7:00 pm. The Wizards, also on a 4-game losing streak, are looking to pick up a win.
