Celtics Fall To Jazz In Return From All-Star Break
SALT LAKE CITY -- Taking care of the ball did not end up being as tough of a task for the Utah Jazz as might be expected against the Boston Celtics.
Utah did not wither under the pressure of facing a Boston team that entered the game tied for first among NBA teams in opponent turnovers (16.8 per game) and tied for second in steals per game (9.5). If anything, the Jazz played calm and collected basketball for four quarters in a 111-93 victory over the Celtics on Friday night.
"We just were being patient within the offense," Jazz forward Derrick Favors said. "Boston is a good defensive team. They've got a lot of guards that pressure the ball. Our guards did a great job taking care of the ball. We just wanted to be patient and take what the defense gave us."
Favors scored 23 points, collected 10 rebounds, dished out six assists and blocked three shots to help Utah (27-27) snap a two-game winning streak. Forward Gordon Hayward added 22 points and center Rudy Gobert chipped in 11 points and 15 rebounds of his own. Gobert notched his fifth consecutive double-double and his eighth double-double in his last 11 games.
The Jazz overwhelmed Boston on offense, shooting 55 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point range. Utah also had a 51-34 edge on the glass.
Guard Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points and forward Jae Crowder added 17 points to lead the Celtics. Boston (32-24) swept the season series with the Jazz a year ago, but could not prevail this time around after shooting just 37 percent from the field and 28 percent from 3-point range.
"It's not a huge surprise to me," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "The way that this team was playing coming in, we knew that this was going to be a really difficult game for us. It's disappointing how we played until the end."
Utah scorched the nets before halftime. The Jazz shot 60 percent (18-of-30) from the field and 69 percent (9-of-13) from the perimeter.
Boston worked hard to disrupt the Jazz offense in the first quarter by forcing a barrage of turnovers. The Celtics had four steals in the quarter and forced eight total turnovers. When Utah held onto the ball, it proved effective in knocking down shots. It helped Utah stake out an 18-12 lead after guard Chris Johnson drained a 3-pointer and Hayward followed with a layup on consecutive possessions.
Boston briefly charged in front 21-20 after guard Isaiah Thomas capped a 9-2 spurt with a jumper. Utah went back ahead on back-to-back 3-pointers from guards Rodney Hood and Trey Burke. Two more 3-pointers from Johnson and Burke boosted the Jazz lead to 32-24 early in the second quarter.
"Tonight, after the first quarter, we really controlled our pace and controlled our offense," Hayward said. "They had to go against our half-court defense and, because of that, it was tough for them to score. And then we got to run out and get a lot of easy (baskets)."
Utah built up a nine point lead when Hood hit a pair of free throws to make it 51-42 with 2:44 left before halftime. Boston chipped away at the lead, cutting it to 54-49 on a 3-point play from Thomas with 46 seconds remaining in the half.
Given the ease that Utah ran its offense in the first half, Stevens felt like it was only a matter of time before the Celtics came apart.
"We weren't very good the whole game," Stevens said. "They were much better the whole game. We were very lucky to be down five at halftime."
The Jazz finally broke the game open behind a 15-2 run in the third quarter. Hayward and forward Trevor Booker had back-to-back dunks and forward Derrick Favors followed with a layup to punctuate the run and give Utah a 79-62 lead with 3:27 left in the quarter.
Boston rallied again and cut the Jazz lead to 83-76 after Jared Sullinger made a jumper to cap a 14-4 Celtics run. Utah pulled away for good behind some big baskets from Gobert. He ignited a 15-5 run with a tip-in basket and capped it with a dunk off the dribble, giving the Jazz a 98-81 lead with 5:33 left.
After tallying eight turnovers in the first quarter, Utah had just seven total over the remaining three quarters. Jazz coach Quin Snyder said taking care of the ball came about because his team did not play with any tentativeness.
"You can't play tentatively," Snyder said. "It's a little counter intuitive because sometimes, when you do that, you make some mistakes. But if you're not aggressive, you play afraid."
NOTES: Celtics C Kelly Olynyk missed the game with a bruised right shoulder. Olynyk injured the shoulder in a 139-134 overtime win over the Clippers on Feb. 10 and is expected to be sidelined 3-to-4 weeks. ... Jazz G Raul Neto scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting for the Jazz.. Celtics G Isaiah Thomas has now scored 25 points or more in 13 games this season. ... . ... Jazz G Shelvin Mack was inactive against Boston. The trade in which Utah acquired him Thursday is still pending until all players involved pass a physical