On the 2nd night of a back-to-back when the Celtics could've come out flat, they handled their business, defeating the Utah Jazz 122-114. Despite shooting 4% worse from the field than the Jazz, Boston was able to get to the free throw line and knock down 21/22 from the stripe. Comparatively, Utah made 13/14 free throws; A 21-13 advantage from the line makes an 8 point difference, the same margin as the final score.
On a night where Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart had some struggles from the floor, Jayson Tatum made up for it. JT cooked up an absolute masterpiece, recording a 39 point and 11 rebound stat line while facing double teams the entire game. What was even more special about Tatum's performance is that he didn't force anything, he took what the defense gave him and made them pay all night long, going 12/17 on his field goal attempts. Malcolm Brogdon (19 pts, 7 ast) and Grant Williams (13 pts, 5 reb) also supplied some great minutes off the bench, including a huge stretch in the 3rd quarter in which they combined for three consecutive triples on three straight possesions, stretching a 4 point lead back to a comfortable 13. After that, the lead was never in jeopardy again, as the Jazz made a play here and there, but Tatum kept slamming the door in their face with a couple of long ball daggers in the 4th quarter.
Following the win, Boston now moves to 30 games above .500 for the first time this season, sitting at 54-24 with 4 games left to play. They will travel to Philadelphia on Tuesday for their final road game of the regular season, before concluding with 3 straight at home before the playoffs.
