Here’s a quick recap of the Celtics’ 22-point victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
The Boston Celtics kicked off their six-game road trip with an emphatic win over the Utah Jazz, sweeping the series against a rebuilding team out of the Western conference. With Jaylen Brown sidelined for Friday and Sunday’s game at minimum, the Celtics needed their other top stars to step up and they did just that in the 121-99 win where Kristaps Porzingis (27 points, 10 rebounds) and Jayson Tatum (26 points, 6 rebounds) paved the way for victory.
Boston’s win was their fourth straight overall, and their ninth win in the past 10 games, only losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this month. Showing their true championship form, Boston got ahead and never looked back against a team they were supposed to beat, and look to keep their momentum going during the late stretch of the season.
Here’s a quick recap of the Celtics’ 22-point victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
Keys to the game:
Road warriors: With their win on Friday night, the Boston Celtics are now 27-7 on the road, tying them for the best road record in the NBA along with the Oklahoma City Thunder. While their home of TD Garden is a sacred place, especially come playoff time, Boston has time and time again gone into opposing team’s arenas and took all the energy out of it as they cruise to victories throughout the year. The defending champions being stellar on the road will only make them a tougher opponent once the playoffs come around.
Rebounding and opportunities: On paper, the Celtics won the rebounding battle 48-38 over the Jazz, but the stat sheet doesn’t tell the entire story. Of their total rebounds on the night, 14 of them were offensive rebounds and with those offensive rebounds, Boston scored 29 second chance points. Keeping their energy on the glass and creating more opportunity is what opened the door for the blowout victory.
Highlight of the game: Jrue Holiday literally does it all to extend lead
What’s next: @ Portland Trail Blazers, Sunday, March 23, 6:00PM ET
The second of their six-game trip continues on Sunday as Boston once again meets with a young rebuilding team in the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers hung around in their first meeting and made the game much closer than it should’ve been on paper, but the Celtics were able to hold off and secure the victory back in Boston earlier this month. The Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown in the matchup as they look to extend their current four-game winning streak.
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Source: Utah News