The Boston Celtics crushed the Utah Jazz, 126-97, at TD Garden on Friday night.
With the win, the Celtics improved to 27-7 while the Jazz dropped to 16-20.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston annihilated Utah right out of the gate and never looked back.
Coming off a 154-point offensive performance, the Jazz had no rhythm finding the basket or threatening a long-lasting double-digit Celtics lead throughout the night. Utah didn’t do itself any favors either, committing 18 turnovers and allowing 26 fastbreak points to Boston.
That made for a brutal “welcome back” for ex-Celtics center Kelly Olynyk and former Boston assistant—now current Jazz head coach — Will Hardy..
Jayson Tatum led an unstoppable Celtics offense, scoring a game-high 30 points, single-handedly ensuring that the Jazz wouldn’t climb back. The 25-year-old recorded back-to-back double-figure scoring quarters in the second and third, earning some much-deserved time off in the fourth.
The reserve unit held the fort down, maintaining the lead until the very end. Sam Hauser led the bench with 13 points, shooting 5-of-10 with five rebounds to finish a plus-17 in 23 minutes.
Boston, now 17 games in at TD Garden, remains the only undefeated NBA team at home.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Tatum provided an elite three quarters, finishing with his 14th 30-plus-point performance this season, shooting 6-of-12 from the field with nine rebounds and five assists.
— Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points on seven shot attempts while grabbing five rebounds.
— Utah’s Lauri Markkanen supplied the Jazz with 17 points, going 7-for-16 from the field with five rebounds and five assists.
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