Inside The Celtics

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Jazz: On a Chippy Night in Boston, Counterpunches Propel the Hosts to Victory

The Celtics refused to let travel delays or playing on the second night of a back-to-back take from their energy or focus in their win vs. the Jazz.

Bobby Krivitsky

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
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The Celtics earned their second win in as many nights and fifth in six games, producing a 122-114 victory over the Jazz in a chippy game where tempers flared in the final frame resulting in four technicals, including a Kris Dunn ejection.

The win moves Boston 1.5 games within the Bucks with four left on its regular-season slate.

Jayson Tatum led all participants with 39 points, pairing it with 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and no turnovers. He's the first player in NBA history to score at least 39 in consecutive games without committing a turnover, per Celtics in-house reporter Taylor Snow.

Malcolm Brogdon provided 19 points off the bench. Derrick White registered 17 and was a steadying force in the second quarter, and Jaylen Brown contributed 12 points and four assists.

Blake Griffin was also essential to the hosts coming out on top, scoring six points, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds, and dishing out five assists. 

He secured five of the Celtics' ten offensive boards, helping them generate 21 second-chance points to Utah's 15, a six-point edge on a night they won by eight. And in the final frame, the six-time All-Star's infectious energy was pivotal to Boston's closeout effort.

As for the visitors, Talen Horton-Tucker led Utah with 28 points. Walker Kessler chipped in 20, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. In this author's opinion, the rookie from Auburn was his team's best player on the floor.

Now, a deep dive into what stood out in each quarter of the Celtics' win over the Jazz on Friday night.

Late Lapse Results in Jazz Leading After One

Grant Williams shared before the game that the Celtics didn't land back in Boston until 1:30 p.m. EST on Friday due to a travel delay. Between that and the hosts being on the second night of a back-to-back, it helped that Joe Mazzulla leaned into his bench in the first frame.

Malcolm Brogdon and Luke Kornet subbed in 3:30 minutes into the matchup, and nine players received playing time.

While neither team registered 30 points in a low-scoring opening quarter, one reliable source of scoring for the Celtics came when the Jazz sent a second defender at Jayson Tatum.

The four-time All-Star made light work of double teams, creating quality looks for his teammates, including skipping the ball to Derrick White, who stepped into a floater, and going by both defenders for two points at the rim.

While Boston limited Utah to 42.9 percent shooting from the field in the first 12 minutes, the hosts didn't close the quarter well, resulting in the visitors taking a 29-27 lead into the second frame.

Their late lapse included giving up open threes, like the one Johnny Juzang drilled from the left corner. Those opportunities had a lot to do with why the Jazz went 5/12 (41.7 percent) from beyond the arc.

But the Celtics also surrendered 14 points in the paint. That was a mixture of not enough on-ball pressure or rotating to protect the rim and repeatedly losing track of Walker Kessler, who got a put-back jam and a transition dunk out of it.

Tatum led all scorers with 11 points. White chipped in seven. And

Simone Fontecchio paced Utah with ten.

Derrick White and Stingy Three-Point Defense Help Celtics Enter Halftime with the Lead

Whether it was knocking down an open shot from beyond the arc, driving to the basket for a three-point play, creating quality looks for his teammates, or crashing the glass for a put-back layup, Derrick White gave the hosts a significant boost in the second quarter. He scored eight of his 15 first-half points in the second period.

Boston's three-point defense also played a crucial role in why it led 57-51 after 24 minutes. The Jazz went 0/6 from behind the arc in the second quarter. They entered the break 5/18 (27.8 percent) on threes in the first half.

The Celtics experienced another late lapse, yielding multiple easy baskets at the rim, as Utah manufactured 16 points in the paint, giving them 30 at the break.

But after a 6-0 Jazz run exclusively coming from points at the cylinder, Marcus Smart drilled an open three as Collin Sexton chirped at him from the bench -- Smart gave it right back to him after his shot went down. Then, Tatum beat the buzzer with a layup, further shifting momentum toward the hosts as they headed to the locker room.

The four-time All-Star led all scorers with 17 points at halftime. 

Along with White's 15, the hosts got eight from Jaylen Brown, including multiple thunderous throwdowns.

Fontecchio leads Utah with 12 points. Kessler and Talen Horton-Tucker have each scored 10.

Celtics' Three-Point Barrage Propels Them to a 15-Point Lead Entering the Fourth Quarter

Through two-and-a-half quarters, Kessler was easily the Jazz's best player. That includes swallowing up a Brown layup attempt and displaying a deft touch on an alley-oop he finished softly off the glass within the first six minutes of the third frame.

Utah narrowed the gap to 72-68, engineering a 7-0 burst in just over a minute, but after a timeout by Joe Mazzulla, Boston landed a haymaker to close the period.

The hosts outscored their guests 21-10 in the final 4:22, entering the final frame with a 93-78 advantage, their largest lead of the game to that point.

At the root of their run was a three-point barrage, including Malcolm Brogdon knocking down three-straight attempts and Grant Williams burying a pair from behind the arc.

The Celtics also produced several points at the cup, including Williams selling a handoff after receiving a baseline inbound pass that faked out, seemingly, the entire Utah defense, creating an open path to the rim for a two-handed jam with less than five seconds left in the quarter.

Tensions Flare in the Final Frame

The final frame was especially chippy, including Brown receiving a flagrant-1 foul for elbowing Horton-Tucker in the face with his off-arm as he drove to the basket.

There was also Griffin getting bowled over by Horton-Tucker, only for Smart to get whistled for a foul that occurred before the charge.

Griffin was upset with the officiating for much of the night. And after Kessler lowered his shoulder into him, sending the six-time All-Star to the floor -- granted, he also embellished the contact -- he voiced his displeasure, resulting in a technical.

The Celtics became increasingly frustrated with the officiating, feeling as if the Jazz were getting away with playing more physically than the referees should've allowed. Shortly after Griffin's technical, Tatum got one. The latter's eighth in technicals.

Utah used the points it picked up from those to cut the deficit to eleven with 4:32 left.

But then came a Tatum three and a Kris Dunn ejection for expressing his frustration with an offensive foul call against him, and in the blink of an eye, Boston led 117-101 with 3:31 remaining.

That helped the hosts put the finishing touches on a 122-114 win.

Up Next

The Celtics face the Sixers in the City of Brotherly Love Tuesday night; tip-off is at 8:00 p.m. EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game before, during, and afterward. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.

Further Reading

The Celtics are Proud of Their Growth, Including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's Maturation: 'I think We're a Better Team'

Celtics Discuss Dominating Performance in 140-99 Win Over Bucks

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Bucks: Boston Sends a Message in Blowout Victory

Al Horford Shares His First Impressions of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum

Al Horford Discusses Jayson Tatum's Ability to Stay Locked in Even When He's Struggling

Former Warriors' Director of Performance Keke Lyles Shares His Perspective on Load Management, Changing Stephen Curry's Movement Patterns, And What's Helped Jayson Tatum's Durability

Jaylen Brown Addresses Non-Committal Comments About Celtics' Future: 'I'm Focused on Helping Lead My Team for Another Playoff Run'

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Bobby Krivitsky
BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.

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