|
 Utah did not wither under the pressure of facing a Boston team that
entered the game tied for first among NBA teams in opponent
turnovers (16.8 per game) and tied for second in steals per game
(9.5). If anything, the Jazz played calm and collected basketball
for four quarters in a 111-93 victory over the Celtics on Friday
night.
"We just were being patient within the offense," Jazz forward
Derrick Favors said. "Boston is a good defensive team. They've got a
lot of guards that pressure the ball. Our guards did a great job
taking care of the ball. We just wanted to be patient and take what
the defense gave us."
Favors scored 23 points, collected 10 rebounds, dished out six
assists and blocked three shots to help Utah (27-27) snap a two-game
winning streak. Forward Gordon Hayward added 22 points and center
Rudy Gobert chipped in 11 points and 15 rebounds of his own. Gobert
notched his fifth consecutive double-double and his eighth
double-double in his last 11 games.
The Jazz overwhelmed Boston on offense, shooting 55 percent from the
field and 44 percent from 3-point range. Utah also had a 51-34 edge
on the glass.
Guard Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points and forward Jae Crowder added
17 points to lead the Celtics. Boston (32-24) swept the season
series with the Jazz a year ago, but could not prevail this time
around after shooting just 37 percent from the field and 28 percent
from 3-point range.
"It's not a huge surprise to me," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.
"The way that this team was playing coming in, we knew that this was
going to be a really difficult game for us. It's disappointing how
we played until the end."
Utah scorched the nets before halftime. The Jazz shot 60 percent
(18-of-30) from the field and 69 percent (9-of-13) from the
perimeter.
Boston worked hard to disrupt the Jazz offense in the first quarter
by forcing a barrage of turnovers. The Celtics had four steals in
the quarter and forced eight total turnovers. When Utah held onto
the ball, it proved effective in knocking down shots. It helped Utah
stake out an 18-12 lead after guard Chris Johnson drained a
3-pointer and Hayward followed with a layup on consecutive
possessions.
Boston briefly charged in front 21-20 after guard Isaiah Thomas
capped a 9-2 spurt with a jumper. Utah went back ahead on
back-to-back 3-pointers from guards Rodney Hood and Trey Burke. Two
more 3-pointers from Johnson and Burke boosted the Jazz lead to
32-24 early in the second quarter.
"Tonight, after the first quarter, we really controlled our pace and
controlled our offense," Hayward said. "They had to go against our
half-court defense and, because of that, it was tough for them to
score. And then we got to run out and get a lot of easy (baskets)."
[to top of second column] |
Utah built up a nine point lead when Hood hit a pair of free throws
to make it 51-42 with 2:44 left before halftime. Boston chipped away
at the lead, cutting it to 54-49 on a 3-point play from Thomas with
46 seconds remaining in the half.
Given the ease that Utah ran its offense in the first half, Stevens
felt like it was only a matter of time before the Celtics came
apart.
"We weren't very good the whole game," Stevens said. "They were much
better the whole game. We were very lucky to be down five at
halftime."
The Jazz finally broke the game open behind a 15-2 run in the third
quarter. Hayward and forward Trevor Booker had back-to-back dunks
and forward Derrick Favors followed with a layup to punctuate the
run and give Utah a 79-62 lead with 3:27 left in the quarter.
Boston rallied again and cut the Jazz lead to 83-76 after Jared
Sullinger made a jumper to cap a 14-4 Celtics run. Utah pulled away
for good behind some big baskets from Gobert. He ignited a 15-5 run
with a tip-in basket and capped it with a dunk off the dribble,
giving the Jazz a 98-81 lead with 5:33 left.
After tallying eight turnovers in the first quarter, Utah had just
seven total over the remaining three quarters. Jazz coach Quin
Snyder said taking care of the ball came about because his team did
not play with any tentativeness.
"You can't play tentatively," Snyder said. "It's a little counter
intuitive because sometimes, when you do that, you make some
mistakes. But if you're not aggressive, you play afraid."
NOTES: Celtics C Kelly Olynyk missed the game with a bruised right
shoulder. Olynyk injured the shoulder in a 139-134 overtime win over
the Clippers on Feb. 10 and is expected to be sidelined 3-to-4
weeks. ... Jazz G Raul Neto scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-5
shooting for the Jazz.. Celtics G Isaiah Thomas has now scored 25
points or more in 13 games this season. ... . ... Jazz G Shelvin
Mack was inactive against Boston. The trade in which Utah acquired
him Thursday is still pending until all players involved pass a
physical
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