Celts down Jazz 99-90 in Utah
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| Tayshaun Prince led the scoring effort with 19 |
After a slow first quarter the score read 17 apiece, but a second quarter surge propelled the Celtics to a (season high) 38 point quarter. The Tayshaun Prince-led Celtics shot the ball at a great clip, firing 54% from the field, 58% from three, and a perfect 100% at the line. For Utah, it was a different story. The Jazz shot 36% from the field, an atrocious 13% from three, and an utterly abysmal 4 of 9 from the line. Boston led at the half, 55-31.
The hot shooting didn't carry over in the second half for the Celts and the Jazz began chipping away at the deficit. Gordon Hayward (24 points on 4-5 from three and 5 rebounds) and Enes Kanter (20 points on 10-17 FG, 5 rebounds), finally got it going, leading the Jazz to a 35-16 third quarter. Derrick Favors chipped in with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, but it wasn't enough.
Boston maintained the lead in another team effort. Tayshaun Prince easily played his best game as a Celtic, finishing with 19 points on 7-10 shooting and 5 assists. Jared Sullinger finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds while Tyler Zeller posted 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots.
As for the rookie matchup?
Fifth overall pick Dante Exum: 0 PTS, 2 AST, 1 RBS, 0 STL, 2 TO in 25 minutes for a +/- of -24.
Sixth overall pick Marcus Smart: 9 PTS, 5 AST, 3 RBS, 1 STL, 1 TO in 29 minutes for a +/- of +7.
Boston (16-27) takes on the Timberwolves (7-37) at 8:00 PM on Wednesday, January 28 in Minnesota.
Photo courtesy: Melissa Majchrzak, Getty Images
