Walker Tossed, Spurs Beat Celtics 129-114
BOSTON (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 30 points to lead San Antonio to a 129-114 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, when the Spurs scored 22 of the game's first 25 points and held on through a slightly more competitive — and controversial — second half.
Kemba Walker returned after missing three games with the flu and was ejected with back-to-back technical fouls when he argued a non-call in the third quarter. A full bottle or cup was thrown from the stands, landing in front of the San Antonio bench; no one was hit. The game was delayed briefly while the court was cleaned up and the public address announcer asked the fans not to do that.
The hubbub — Celtics coach Brad Stevens was also given a T — slowed a Boston rally that cut what had been a 22-point deficit to 76-69. LaMarcus Aldridge made two of the three technical foul shots and, when when he missed the third, Derrick White was fouled and made both free throws to give the Spurs an 80-69 lead. San Antonio soon went on an 11-0 run, and the Celtics never got within single digits again.
Lonnie Walker IV scored 19 points for the Spurs, who improved to 9-6 since Dec. 1, when they had a 7-14 record. San Antonio avoided what would have been the first season sweep by the Celtics since 2011.
Gordon Hayward scored 18 points and Jaylen Brown had 16 for Boston, which has lost two in a row for just the third time this season.
MINUTES RESTRICTION
Walker was on an unspecified minutes restriction in his first game back. But he wound up playing just 18 minutes before he was tossed for complaining about a non-call on a hard pick by LaMarcus Aldridge. Walker finished with six points, four assists and three rebounds.
EARLY STRUGGLES
The Celtics made one basket in the first seven minutes and trailed 22-3 before Enes Kanter hit a foul-line jumper to end a 14-0 run. It was 26-7 when Boston scored 11 of the next 13 points, and San Antonio went into the second quarter leading 34-22.
It was 65-47 at halftime.
TIP-INS
Tacko Fall played the first first-half minutes of his career. He was in for 5 minutes, missing one shot and grabbing one rebound. ... Marcus Smart hit his 500th career 3-pointer ... Trey Lykes had seven points and three rebounds for San Antonio in the first quarter.
UP NEXT
Spurs: At Memphis on Friday.
Celtics: Visit Philadelphia on Thursday.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
