Spurs win back-and-forth battle with Celtics

[January 28, 2021]  DeMar DeRozan scored 21 points, and a late steal and dunk by Dejounte Murray helped close out the game as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the visiting Boston Celtics 110-106 on Wednesday in a thrilling, back-and-forth tussle.

Murray's steal and dunk with 19.4 seconds remaining gave San Antonio a 107-103 lead, but the Celtics' Jayson Tatum immediately answered with a three-point play to cut the margin to one point with 12.4 seconds left.

Rudy Gay then canned a pair of free throws, and Boston scrambled into a desperation 3-pointer from the corner by Marcus Smart that missed with 2.4 seconds to play. Gay grabbed the rebound and was fouled, and he hit one of two free throws with 0.2 seconds left to cement the game.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 points for the Spurs, with Keldon Johnson adding 18 points and 10 rebounds, Lonnie Walker IV scoring 14 points, Patty Mills hitting for 12, and Murray tallying 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Tatum led the Celtics with 25 points, while Jaylen Brown scored 24, and Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker added 14 points each. It was the first game that Tatum, Brown and Kemba Walker played together this season.

Boston matched its biggest lead of the first half at 41-32 after two free throws by Semi Ojeleye with 6:29 to play before the break. But San Antonio dominated the rest of the quarter, making its final 10 shots in a 29-6 run that included back-to-back steals and layups in the last 2.8 seconds to take a 61-47 advantage to halftime.

San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl (25) and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) go for a rebound. during the fourth quarter at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

The Spurs had four players score in double figures in the half, led by Aldridge's 14 points. San Antonio outshot the Celtics 59.1 percent to 38.3 percent in the half and dominated despite committing nine turnovers over the first 24 minutes, one less than their league-leading average for an entire game.

Smart paced the Celtics with 10 points in the first half.

Boston countered the Spurs' stellar second quarter with one of its own in the third, as tough defense and defensive rebounding allowed the Celtics to sweep back to the lead at 84-82 heading into the final 12 minutes.

--Field Level Media

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