Tatum's 39 lifts Celtics over short-handed Jazz 122-114
BOSTON (AP) The collective sentiment among the Celtics following their 41-point win at Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee was it would be meaningless if they lost Friday's follow-up at home against Utah.
Despite some unexpected hiccups just getting home, Boston successfully avoided a letdown.
Jayson Tatum had 39 points and 11 assists and the Celtics pushed past the Jazz 122-114 to continue to gain ground in the race for the East's top playoff seed.
Boston had its normal travel routine altered following Thursday’s win at Milwaukee when an issue pushed its return flight back from postgame to early Friday afternoon. The Celtics landed six hours before the game.
“We kind of looked at it as a challenge," Tatum said. “It was fun figuring it out regardless of how the last 24 hours was. It was rewarding. ... It kind of brought us closer together.” Malcolm Brogdon added 19 points and Derrick White finished with 17. Boston had 17 3-pointers, including five by Tatum.
The Celtics (54-24) are 1 1/2 games behind Milwaukee (55-22) and were coming off a 41-point win over the Bucks. Milwaukee is off until Sunday, when it hosts the 76ers. The Celtics have four games remaining.
“I trusted our guys,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I knew we were going to be really competitive. I knew we were going to put ourselves in position to win the game. I could just sense it from our guys."
Talen Horton-Tucker led Utah with 28 points and eight assists. Walker Kessler added 20 points and 10 rebounds.
The Jazz (36-41) came in holding the 12th spot in the West and trailing 10th-place Oklahoma City by 1 1/2 games and 11th place Dallas by a half-game. The Mavericks were idle, but the Thunder lost at Indiana.
The Celtics took control in the second and third quarters, outscoring the Jazz 66-49.
Boston also took advantage of a huge free throw discrepancy for most of the night. The Celtics connected on 21 of 22 attempts, compared to 13 of 14 for the Jazz. But 12 of Utah’s attempts were in the fourth quarter.
It was Boston’s players who took issue with the officiating with just over four minutes to play when Blake Griffin and Tatum were whistled for technical fouls 10 seconds apart.
A minute after that, Griffin and Kris Dunn got tangled up after a foul by Dunn, leading to a technical on Dunn. Tatum made the subsequent free throw, but Dunn had words for the officials, was assessed a second technical and ejected.
“I'm all for the fight, I'm not for fighting,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "Both teams were a little bit chippy. Nobody was dirty in any way.”
The exchange ultimately put the Celtics in front 117-101 with just over three minutes left.
With Al Horford (back stiffness) and Robert Williams (left knee) both out, the Celtics went small for the second straight game against the Jazz starting Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Griffin, White and Smart.
Horford and Williams also missed the first meeting between the teams earlier this month along with Smart - a win by Utah.
This time, it was the Jazz missing several contributors, with three of their top four scorers - Lauri Markkanen (bruised left hand), Jordan Clarkson (sprained finger) and Collin Sexton (strained left hamstring) - all out.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Outscored the Celtics 68-46 in the paint. ... Didn’t take their first free throw until the 5:40 mark of the third quarter. Boston had attempted 16 to that point. ... Utah had six turnovers in the first quarter.
Celtics: Scored 19 points off 18 Jazz turnovers. ... Former Red Sox star David Ortiz, current manager Alex Cora both sat courtside, as did rapper Jack Harlow and actor Casey Affleck.
NOT SHUT DOWN
Hardy disputed a recent report that Clarkson and Sexton will be essentially shut down for the rest of the season.
“I watched Jordan and Collin do a rehab 3-on-3 this morning in hopes of getting back to playing. So, I have not shut them down for the season,” Hardy said. “They’re still preparing as if they’re coming back.”
Clarkson has been sidelined since March 7 (12 games). Sexton has been out since Feb. 23 (17 games).
UP NEXT
Jazz: At Nets on Sunday.
Celtics: At 76ers on Tuesday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Walker Kessler vs. Blake Griffin (Talen Horton-Tucker gains possession) | ||
| 11:40 |  | Ochai Agbaji offensive foul (Charge) (Blake Griffin draws the foul) | ||
| 11:40 | | Ochai Agbaji turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 11:28 | | Jaylen Brown misses three point bank jump shot | ||
| 11:26 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 11:11 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses two point fadeaway bank jump shot | ||
| 11:09 | | Blake Griffin defensive rebound | ||
| 11:02 | | +3 | Derrick White makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 0-3 |
| 10:48 | | Ochai Agbaji misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:47 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 10:40 | | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:38 | | Talen Horton-Tucker defensive rebound | ||
| 10:23 | | Kelly Olynyk turnover (lost ball) (Marcus Smart steals) | ||
| 10:21 | | Marcus Smart turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 10:16 | | Talen Horton-Tucker turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 10:04 | | Ochai Agbaji shooting foul (Derrick White draws the foul) | ||
| 10:04 | | +1 | Derrick White makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 0-4 |
| 10:04 | | +1 | Derrick White makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 0-5 |
| 9:52 | | Simone Fontecchio misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:51 | | Blake Griffin defensive rebound | ||
| 9:41 | | Walker Kessler blocks Jaylen Brown's two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:40 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 9:33 | | Walker Kessler misses two point running alley-oop layup | ||
| 9:32 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 9:22 | | Marcus Smart misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:21 | | Talen Horton-Tucker defensive rebound | ||
| 9:10 | | +2 | Walker Kessler makes two point dunk (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 2-5 |
| 8:48 | | Marcus Smart misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:47 | | Kelly Olynyk defensive rebound | ||
| 8:40 | | Kelly Olynyk misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 8:39 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 8:32 | | Kelly Olynyk shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 8:32 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 2-6 |
| 8:32 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 2-7 |
| 8:20 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 8:19 | | Talen Horton-Tucker offensive rebound | ||
| 8:18 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 8:16 | | Malcolm Brogdon defensive rebound | ||
| 8:04 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point layup (Derrick White assists) | 2-9 |
| 7:53 | | +3 | Simone Fontecchio makes three point jump shot (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 5-9 |
| 7:36 | | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:35 | | Simone Fontecchio defensive rebound | ||
| 7:28 | | +2 | Simone Fontecchio makes two point running layup | 7-9 |
| 7:14 | | Jaylen Brown offensive foul (Charge) (Talen Horton-Tucker draws the foul) | ||
| 7:14 | | Jaylen Brown turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 7:04 | | Kelly Olynyk turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 6:50 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point driving floating jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 7-11 |
| 6:40 | | Simone Fontecchio misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:38 | | Kelly Olynyk offensive rebound | ||
| 6:35 | | Kelly Olynyk misses two point hook shot | ||
| 6:34 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 6:27 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 6:26 | | Jayson Tatum offensive rebound | ||
| 6:25 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point floating jump shot | 7-13 |
| 6:25 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:09 | | +2 | Simone Fontecchio makes two point driving floating jump shot | 9-13 |
| 5:53 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving floating jump shot | 9-15 |
| 5:40 | | +3 | Ochai Agbaji makes three point pullup jump shot (Walker Kessler assists) | 12-15 |
| 5:30 | | Jaylen Brown misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:28 | | Walker Kessler defensive rebound | ||
| 5:21 | | +2 | Walker Kessler makes two point alley-oop layup (Kelly Olynyk assists) | 14-15 |
| 5:06 | | Malcolm Brogdon turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 4:51 | | Kris Dunn misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 4:48 | | Walker Kessler offensive rebound | ||
| 4:45 | | Walker Kessler misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 4:45 | | Malcolm Brogdon defensive rebound | ||
| 4:33 | | Marcus Smart misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 4:32 | | Johnny Juzang defensive rebound | ||
| 4:15 | | Kris Dunn misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 4:14 | | Walker Kessler offensive rebound | ||
| 4:14 | | +2 | Walker Kessler makes two point tip dunk | 16-15 |
| 3:52 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving layup | 16-17 |
| 3:41 | | Walker Kessler turnover (bad pass) (Marcus Smart steals) | ||
| 3:35 | | Malcolm Brogdon misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:33 | | Kris Dunn defensive rebound | ||
| 3:26 | | +3 | Simone Fontecchio makes three point running jump shot (Kris Dunn assists) | 19-17 |
| 3:09 | | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point jump shot (Malcolm Brogdon assists) | 19-20 |
| 2:55 | | Malcolm Brogdon blocks Simone Fontecchio's three point jump shot | ||
| 2:54 | | Marcus Smart defensive rebound | ||
| 2:48 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:47 | | Kris Dunn defensive rebound | ||
| 2:38 | | Juan Toscano-Anderson turnover (bad pass) (Jayson Tatum steals) | ||
| 2:34 | | +2 | Malcolm Brogdon makes two point running layup | 19-22 |
| 2:15 | | Simone Fontecchio misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:14 | | Johnny Juzang offensive rebound | ||
| 2:10 | | Johnny Juzang misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:09 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 2:00 | | Malcolm Brogdon misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 1:58 | | Johnny Juzang defensive rebound | ||
| 1:55 | | +2 | Walker Kessler makes two point running dunk (Juan Toscano-Anderson assists) | 21-22 |
| 1:55 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 1:40 | | Luka Samanic personal foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 1:37 | | Jaylen Brown turnover (traveling) | ||
| 1:19 | | +3 | Damian Jones makes three point jump shot (Kris Dunn assists) | 24-22 |
| 0:58 | | Marcus Smart misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 0:55 | | Luka Samanic defensive rebound | ||
| 0:44 | | +2 | Kris Dunn makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 26-22 |
| 0:33 | | +3 | Marcus Smart makes three point jump shot (Malcolm Brogdon assists) | 26-25 |
| 0:13 | | +3 | Johnny Juzang makes three point jump shot (Kris Dunn assists) | 29-25 |
| 0:04 | | Damian Jones shooting foul (Malcolm Brogdon draws the foul) | ||
| 0:04 | | +1 | Malcolm Brogdon makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 29-26 |
| 0:04 | | +1 | Malcolm Brogdon makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 29-27 |
| 0:00 | | Johnny Juzang misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Jazz offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:45 | | Marcus Smart misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:43 | | Juan Toscano-Anderson defensive rebound | ||
| 11:31 | | +2 | Luka Samanic makes two point cutting dunk (Juan Toscano-Anderson assists) | 31-27 |
| 11:20 | | Marcus Smart turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 11:09 | | Luka Samanic turnover (traveling) | ||
| 10:54 | | Sam Hauser turnover (lost ball) (Luka Samanic steals) | ||
| 10:48 | | Luka Samanic turnover (bad pass) (Jaylen Brown steals) | ||
| 10:42 | | Johnny Juzang personal foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 10:37 | | Kris Dunn blocks Jaylen Brown's three point jump shot | ||
| 10:36 | | Johnny Juzang defensive rebound | ||
| 10:30 | | Luka Samanic misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 10:29 | | Grant Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 10:15 | | +3 | Derrick White makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 31-30 |
| 10:04 | | +2 | Kris Dunn makes two point driving layup | 33-30 |
| 9:44 | | Luka Samanic blocks Derrick White's two point driving layup | ||
| 9:43 | | Blake Griffin offensive rebound | ||
| 9:41 | | Luka Samanic shooting foul (Blake Griffin draws the foul) | ||
| 9:41 | | +1 | Blake Griffin makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 33-31 |
| 9:41 | | +1 | Blake Griffin makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-32 |
| 9:30 | | Kris Dunn misses two point driving layup | ||
| 9:30 | | Celtics defensive rebound | ||
| 9:13 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:12 | | Damian Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 9:10 | | Damian Jones turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 9:01 | | Mike Muscala misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:00 | | Blake Griffin offensive rebound | ||
| 8:53 | | +2 | Grant Williams makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Blake Griffin assists) | 33-34 |
| 8:34 | | Johnny Juzang misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:32 | | Blake Griffin defensive rebound | ||
| 8:24 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:21 | | Grant Williams offensive rebound | ||
| 8:19 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point dunk (Grant Williams assists) | 33-36 |
| 8:19 | | Jazz 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:11 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:10 | | Blake Griffin defensive rebound | ||
| 8:01 | | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:59 | | Luka Samanic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:49 | | +2 | Ochai Agbaji makes two point pullup jump shot (Talen Horton-Tucker assists) | 35-36 |
| 7:22 | | Grant Williams misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:21 | | Mike Muscala offensive rebound | ||
| 7:19 | | Mike Muscala misses two point hook shot | ||
| 7:18 | | Damian Jones defensive rebound | ||
| 7:03 | | Ochai Agbaji misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:02 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 6:46 | | +3 | Grant Williams makes three point pullup jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 35-39 |
| 6:32 | | +2 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes two point driving floating jump shot | 37-39 |
| 6:17 | | Luka Samanic shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 6:17 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 37-40 |
| 6:17 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 37-41 |
| 6:02 | | +2 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes two point stepback jump shot | 39-41 |
| 5:42 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point driving floating jump shot | 39-43 |
| 5:42 | | Simone Fontecchio personal foul (Derrick White draws the foul) | ||
| 5:42 | | +1 | Derrick White makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 39-44 |
| 5:31 | | Simone Fontecchio misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:30 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 5:20 | | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:19 | | Walker Kessler defensive rebound | ||
| 5:09 | | +2 | Talen Horton-Tucker makes two point fadeaway bank jump shot | 41-44 |
| 4:49 | | Derrick White misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 4:47 | | Walker Kessler defensive rebound | ||
| 4:45 | | Grant Williams personal foul (Talen Horton-Tucker draws the foul) | ||
| 4:27 | | Talen Horton-Tucker misses two point fadeaway bank jump shot | ||
| 4:26 | | Walker Kessler offensive rebound | ||
| 4:24 | | Jayson Tatum personal foul (Walker Kessler draws the foul) | ||
| 4:18 | | Luke Kornet blocks Walker Kessler's two point driving hook shot | ||
| 4:16 | | Ochai Agbaji offensive rebound | ||
| 4:12 | | +2 | Walker Kessler makes two point jump shot (Ochai Agbaji assists) | 43-44 |
| 3:48 | | Malcolm Brogdon misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:46 | | Ochai Agbaji defensive rebound | ||
| 3:41 | | Talen Horton-Tucker turnover (bad pass) (Malcolm Brogdon steals) | ||
| 3:35 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point running layup | ||
| 3:34 | | Derrick White offensive rebound | ||
| 3:34 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point tip dunk |