Possible Finals preview features 2 surging teams in Spurs, Celtics
Victor Wembanyama and the surging San Antonio Spurs play host to Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics on Tuesday in a possible NBA Finals preview.
The Celtics head to the Alamo City on a two-game winning streak, the latest a 109-98 decision at Cleveland on Sunday in which Brown racked up 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Tatum also contributed 20 points in just his second game back after tearing his right Achilles in May.
After Sunday's game, Tatum said the toughest part of his comeback is that he's on a minutes restriction.
"That s--- sucks, quite frankly," he said. "(Sunday's game) felt a little more normal from a preparation standpoint and mentally. I'm getting back in the flow of things."
Boston also got 18 points off the bench from Payton Pritchard and 16 points and 10 rebounds from fellow reserve Baylor Scheierman. Sam Hauser hit for 15 points on five 3-pointers for the Celtics in Sunday's victory.
"I think everybody just kind of does what they need to do," Boston guard Derrick White told Forbes magazine Sunday. "Obviously, JB (Jaylen Brown) has been special in the entire year, and kind of carrying us through moments throughout the season. Every game it's just us competing at a high level, playing hard, guarding and going out there and playing Celtics basketball."
Boston has held opponents to 100 points or fewer 19 times this season, which leads the league, and has allowed 100 points or fewer in six of its past seven wins and 11 times since Jan. 30. Over that 11-game stretch, the Celtics have won nine times.
Boston also leads the NBA in points allowed at 106.9 per game. After San Antonio, the Celtics will head to Oklahoma City on Thursday as they try to jump from second place in the Eastern Conference and surpass No. 1 Detroit.
However, Boston will be without center Nikola Vucevic, who had surgery to repair a fractured right ring finger Saturday. He won't be re-evaluated until early April.
While the Celtics have been the talk of the league because of Tatum's return to an already loaded and streaking team, there has been equal attention -- rightly so -- on the Spurs and their charge up the West standings as they chase Oklahoma City for the best record in the NBA.
San Antonio has captured four straight games and 14 of its past 15 outings, with the latest statement a 145-120 home win over Houston on Sunday. Four Spurs players scored 20 or more points, led by Victor Wembanyama's 29, as San Antonio produced its most points in a game this season.
"We played a really, really sharp game defensively and on the boards," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "The scoring starts with the defense and the rebounding. When you do that with the speed that we can play with and the talent and the dynamic variety that we have with the basketball, it's really hard to guard."
Stephon Castle added 23 points for San Antonio, while De'Aaron Fox finished with 20 points and 10 assists. Keldon Johnson also scored 20 points, while Dylan Harper had 19 and Julian Champagnie tallied 11. The Spurs shot 58% from the floor and made 21 of 40 3-point attempts, and they have taken the first three games of a six-game homestand.
San Antonio beat the Celtics 100-95 on Jan. 10 in Boston in the first meeting of the year between the teams.
--Field Level Media
Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Field Level Media. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Field Level Media is strictly prohibited.
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | End of period | |||
| 0:00 | Spurs offensive rebound | |||
| 0:00 | Dylan Harper misses three point jump shot | |||
| 0:02 | Spurs defensive rebound | |||
| 0:02 | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
| 0:13 | +3 | Carter Bryant makes three point jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 31-29 | |
| 0:27 | Jump ball. Luke Kornet (Carter Bryant gains possession) | |||
| 0:34 | Spurs defensive rebound | |||
| 0:34 | Jayson Tatum misses two point driving layup | |||
| 0:46 | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point driving floating jump shot | 31-26 | |
| 0:54 | +2 | Ron Harper Jr. makes two point driving layup | 31-24 | |
| 1:08 | +1 | Luke Kornet makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 29-24 | |
| 1:08 | +1 | Luke Kornet makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 29-23 | |
| 1:08 | Hugo Gonzalez shooting foul (Luke Kornet draws the foul) | |||
| 1:17 | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | |||
| 1:19 | Jayson Tatum misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
| 1:34 | Neemias Queta defensive rebound | |||
| 1:36 | Keldon Johnson misses two point driving hook shot | |||
| 1:49 | +3 | Ron Harper Jr. makes three point jump shot (Baylor Scheierman assists) | 29-22 | |
| 1:58 | +2 | Dylan Harper makes two point pullup jump shot | 26-22 | |
| 2:11 | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point pullup jump shot (Neemias Queta assists) | 26-20 | |
| 2:22 | +2 | Keldon Johnson makes two point driving floating jump shot (Luke Kornet assists) | 23-20 | |
| 2:39 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving layup | 23-18 | |
| 2:48 | Celtics 60 second timeout | |||
| 2:48 | Stephon Castle personal foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | |||
| 2:51 | Hugo Gonzalez defensive rebound | |||
| 2:53 | Stephon Castle misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
| 3:13 | +3 | Baylor Scheierman makes three point jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 21-18 | |
| 3:37 | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point cutting layup (Stephon Castle assists) | 18-18 | |
| 3:44 | Dylan Harper defensive rebound | |||
| 3:47 | Jayson Tatum misses three point running pullup jump shot | |||
| 3:51 | Hugo Gonzalez defensive rebound | |||
| 3:55 | Julian Champagnie misses three point jump shot | |||
| 4:02 | Keldon Johnson defensive rebound | |||
| 4:04 | Baylor Scheierman misses three point jump shot | |||
| 4:22 | +1 | Stephon Castle makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-16 | |
| 4:22 | Spurs offensive rebound | |||
| 4:22 | Stephon Castle misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
| 4:22 | Jaylen Brown shooting foul (Stephon Castle draws the foul) | |||
| 4:32 | +2 | Neemias Queta makes two point running jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 18-15 | |
| 4:37 | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | |||
| 4:38 | Luke Kornet misses two point floating jump shot | |||
| 4:50 | Stephon Castle defensive rebound | |||
| 4:55 | Hugo Gonzalez misses three point jump shot | |||
| 5:03 | Neemias Queta defensive rebound | |||
| 5:06 | Derrick White blocks Keldon Johnson's two point driving floating jump shot | |||
| 5:18 | +2 | Hugo Gonzalez makes two point driving floating jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 16-15 | |
| 5:27 | Hugo Gonzalez defensive rebound | |||
| 5:30 | Stephon Castle misses three point jump shot | |||
| 5:42 | Keldon Johnson defensive rebound | |||
| 5:47 | Derrick White misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
| 5:47 | +1 | Derrick White makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 14-15 | |
| 5:47 | Dylan Harper shooting foul (Derrick White draws the foul) | |||
| 5:54 | Stephon Castle personal foul (Baylor Scheierman draws the foul) | |||
| 6:09 | +3 | Stephon Castle makes three point jump shot (Devin Vassell assists) | 13-15 | |
| 6:22 | Neemias Queta personal foul (Keldon Johnson draws the foul) | |||
| 6:22 | Keldon Johnson defensive rebound | |||
| 6:22 | Neemias Queta misses two point tip layup | |||
| 6:22 | Neemias Queta offensive rebound | |||
| 6:23 | Jaylen Brown misses two point driving layup | |||
| 6:37 | Spurs 60 second timeout | |||
| 6:37 | Victor Wembanyama turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
| 6:39 | Stephon Castle offensive rebound | |||
| 6:45 | Devin Vassell misses three point jump shot | |||
| 7:00 | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point pullup jump shot | 13-12 | |
| 7:21 | Stephon Castle turnover (lost ball) (Jaylen Brown steals) | |||
| 7:38 | +3 | Derrick White makes three point running jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 11-12 | |
| 7:43 | Julian Champagnie turnover (lost ball) (Sam Hauser steals) | |||
| 7:50 | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving layup | 8-12 | |
| 8:09 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
| 8:12 | Victor Wembanyama misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
| 8:12 | +1 | Victor Wembanyama makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 6-12 | |
| 8:12 | Luka Garza shooting foul (Victor Wembanyama draws the foul) | |||
| 8:23 | +3 | Luka Garza makes three point jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 6-11 | |
| 8:43 | +2 | Stephon Castle makes two point driving layup | 3-11 | |
| 8:53 | Julian Champagnie defensive rebound | |||
| 8:58 | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | |||
| 9:09 | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point driving floating jump shot (Stephon Castle assists) | 3-9 | |
| 9:24 | Jaylen Brown personal foul (Devin Vassell draws the foul) | |||
| 9:24 | Devin Vassell defensive rebound | |||
| 9:24 | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
| 9:36 | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point turnaround jump shot | 3-7 | |
| 9:48 | Stephon Castle defensive rebound | |||
| 9:51 | Jaylen Brown misses two point running pullup jump shot | |||
| 9:55 | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | |||
| 9:57 | Julian Champagnie misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
| 10:16 | Victor Wembanyama defensive rebound | |||
| 10:19 | Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot | |||
| 10:32 | +3 | Devin Vassell makes three point running jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 3-5 | |
| 10:35 | Stephon Castle defensive rebound | |||
| 10:37 | Victor Wembanyama blocks Neemias Queta's two point cutting layup | |||
| 10:50 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
| 10:53 | Victor Wembanyama misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
| 11:03 | +3 | Derrick White makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 3-2 | |
| 11:18 | +2 | Victor Wembanyama makes two point layup | 0-2 | |
| 11:29 | Spurs defensive rebound | |||
| 11:29 | Jaylen Brown misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
| 11:42 | Neemias Queta defensive rebound | |||
| 11:43 | Devin Vassell misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | |||
| 12:00 | Neemias Queta vs. Victor Wembanyama (Devin Vassell gains possession) |
| Min. Per Game | ||
| Pts. Per Game | ||
| Ast. Per Game | ||
| Reb. Per Game | ||
| Field Goal % | ||
| Three Point % | ||
| Free Throw % |
| Spurs offensive rebound | 0:00 |
| Dylan Harper misses three point jump shot | 0:00 |
| Spurs defensive rebound | 0:02 |
| Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | 0:02 |
| |
+ 3 | Carter Bryant makes three point jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 0:13 |
| Spurs defensive rebound | 0:34 |
| Jayson Tatum misses two point driving layup | 0:34 |
| |
+ 2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point driving floating jump shot | 0:46 |
| |
+ 2 | Ron Harper Jr. makes two point driving layup | 0:54 |
| |
+ 1 | Luke Kornet makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 1:08 |
| |
+ 1 | Luke Kornet makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 1:08 |
| Team Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Points | 31 | 29 |
| Field Goals | 12-26 (46.2%) | 11-21 (52.4%) |
| 3-Pointers | 6-13 (46.2%) | 3-8 (37.5%) |
| Free Throws | 1-2 (50.0%) | 4-6 (66.7%) |
| Total Rebounds | 11 | 17 |
| Offensive | 1 | 1 |
| Defensive | 10 | 11 |
| Team | 0 | 5 |
| Assists | 8 | 6 |
| Steals | 2 | 0 |
| Blocks | 1 | 1 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Fouls | 5 | 3 |
| Technicals | 0 | 0 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB | +/- | FPTS |
| J. Tatum | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2/8 | 1/5 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 9 |
| R. Harper Jr. | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2/2 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| B. Scheierman | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 5 |
| H. Gonzalez | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | +1 | 5 |
| N. Queta | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1/3 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 8 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB | +/- | FPTS |
| J. Tatum | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2/8 | 1/5 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 9 |
| R. Harper Jr. | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2/2 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| B. Scheierman | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 5 |
| H. Gonzalez | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | +1 | 5 |
| N. Queta | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1/3 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 8 |
| On Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB | +/- | FPTS |
| L. Garza | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +7 | 3 |
| J. Walsh | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Tonje | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. Williams | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Shulga | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 31 | 11 | 8 | 12/26 | 6/13 | 1/2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | +5 | - |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB | +/- | FPTS |
| D. Fox | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3/3 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 10 |
| L. Kornet | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 2/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 7 |
| C. Bryant | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
| D. Harper | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 3 |
| J. Champagnie | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 0 |
| On Court | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB | +/- | FPTS |
| D. Fox | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3/3 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2 | 10 |
| L. Kornet | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 2/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 7 |
| C. Bryant | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
| D. Harper | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 3 |
| J. Champagnie | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 0 |
| On Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB | +/- | FPTS |
| K. Johnson | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1/3 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -6 | 5 |
| B. Biyombo | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| K. Olynyk | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Plumlee | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. McLaughlin | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| H. Ingram | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| E. Miller | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 29 | 12 | 6 | 11/21 | 3/8 | 4/6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 11 | -4 | - |