Boston Celtics take down the San Antonio Spurs 108-94

The Boston Celtics hosted the San Antonio Spurs at the TD Garden for their first meeting of the year, something of a test for each team, with both being down a key player in their rotation.

The game was close from the opening tip, with each team having an answer for the other's offense, neither team getting more than a two-possession lead. Al Horford was noticeably spry, pulling down seven boards and scoring eight points largely due to Aron Baynes doing much of the dirty work in the post, and Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown added 16 and 11 points in the first half, respectively.

Boston's outside shot was just not falling, but the team managed to keep it close nonetheless, boosted at the end of the half by a pair of and-one buckets that put the Celts up 54-49 at the half, including a ridiculous off-balance floater from Marcus Smart.

Kyrie opened the half with a pair of treys that, with a Horford bucket and an Irving layup off a San Antonio turnover, pushed the lead to double digits early in the third. The Spurs began to claw their way back after some bad plays from the Jay Team, but solid play from Baynes kept San Antonio at bay as the third quarter began to wind down. A trey from Brown and a flop by Pau Gasol that got the Spaniard to the line at Smart's expense seemed to signal the end of the quarter until a hustle play by Kyrie led to a three from Marcus as time expired.
Solid defense kept Boston on top early in the fourth, punctuated by a brutal rejection from Daniel Theis, sending a Rudy Gay layup all the way back to UConn. Terry Rozier expanded the lead to its largest with a trey from the top of the key, only to see him repeat the shot on the next trip down the court. As if to make up for his mediocre finishing earlier in the game, he capped off the sequence with a steal and an easy make to push the lead to 19 with eight minutes left in the game.
As the fourth wound down, the Spurs couldn't find an answer, and Brad Stevens let loose the deep rotation as Gino Time seemed a given. Guerschon Yabusele nailed a trey of his own before time expired, and the Celts came away with the season's first five-game winning streak atop a 94-108 win at home. Boston next faces the Sacramento Kings at home next Wednesday, November 1 at 5:30 pm EST.

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Image: Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
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