The defending champion Boston Celtics made easy work of a slumping Utah Jazz squad Friday night, kicking off its season-long 12 game road trip with a convincing 121-99 victory.
Coach Joe Mazzulla’s team benefited from a well-rounded effort that saw five players score in double figures despite the absence of All-Star Jaylen Brown for a third straight game. The Celtics announced prior to tipoff that Brown has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right knee, and will miss two games before being reevaluated Monday.
Despite missing their star, Boston’s 17 three-pointers made and 17 forced turnovers proved too much to overcome for a Utah team that’s won just one of its last 11 games. The Celtics, meanwhile, have now won four straight, including five in a row against the Jazz.
“Just good activity from everybody,” Mazzulla told reporters after the game when asked what he liked about his team’s effort. “I thought it starts with the individual defense. I thought we did a good job most of the game on our individual defense, and then the activity, and then the trust behind. So everybody was very active, and that’s the type of effort that we need, and it was great.”
Leading the way for the Celtics was center Kristaps Porzingis, who dropped a team-high 27 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in just his third game back from a severe respiratory illness. Porzingis played 25 minutes for the visiting team, finishing with three three-pointers and more than a dozen points in the paint to keep the Utah defense on its toes.
Despite the strong performance on paper, the 7-foot, 4-inch Latvian said he was still feeling the ramifications of his illness.
“Honestly, I don’t know because I’m not feeling my best,” Porzingis told reporters when asked about his productivity. “Maybe trying to create a bit more and that kind of leads to more opportunities. Things are just clicking and trying to play free and selfless.”
Boston also benefited from the return of All-Star Jayson Tatum, who put up 26 points, six rebounds, six assists, and three steals after sitting out his team’s previous game against the Nets. Tatum was 11-for-25 from the floor, though oddly, attempted — and connected on — just one free throw.
Beyond the arc, the Celtics were led by Payton Pritchard (18 points) and Sam Hauser (14 points), who each connected on four three-pointers during the game. Derrick White (11 points, five rebounds, and four assists) also scored in double figures for Boston.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to win, but we’ve got to do it the right way,” Mazzulla said. “We’ve got to do it through the process. So we did that tonight. Got to keep it up.”
Utah (16-55) will be up against another challenging opponent Sunday when it welcomes the Eastern Conference leading Cleveland Cavaliers (56-14) to town. Although, Cleveland has lost four straight since its NBA-best 16-game win streak was ended earlier this month.
The Celtics (51-19) will continue their West Coast road trip Sunday, when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers (32-39). Both teams head into that matchup riding a four-game win streak.
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