Thomas leads Celtics to victory over Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY -- Isaiah Thomas scored 29 points and Kelly Olynyk added 19 points to help the Boston Celtics defeat the Utah Jazz 112-104 on Saturday night.
Gerald Green and Al Horford each chipped in 16 points and Horford added eight rebounds. The Celtics (35-19) swept the season series with Utah after beating the Jazz 115-104 on January 3. It also marked the ninth win in the last 10 games for Boston.
The Celtics shot 42-of-71 (59.2 percent) from the field and led by as many as 23 points.
Gordon Hayward scored 31 points and George Hill added 22 to lead the Jazz. Rudy Gobert also finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds for his 37th double-double of the season.
Utah (34-21) could not overcome poor shooting and struggled to get defensive stops during critical stretches. The Jazz never led in the contest.
Boston stayed one step ahead of the Jazz throughout the first quarter behind blistering shooting around the basket and on the perimeter. The Celtics scored on their first three possessions, culminating in a dunk from Amir Johnson, to sprint out to a 7-1 lead. It set the tone for a quarter where Boston shot 14-of-18 (77.8 percent) from the field and generally flustered the Jazz defense.
Utah managed to tie it up a couple of times, the second time knotting it at 11-11 on an open jumper by Derrick Favors. But the Celtics answered with back-to-back baskets from Thomas and Marcus Smart to retake the lead.
Olynyk finished off the quarter with a 3-pointer and a buzzer-beating layup to put Boston ahead by double digits for the first time at 33-23.
The Jazz cut the lead to 37-30 early in the second quarter on a dunk from Derrick Favors. Boston answered with a 10-0 run to blow the game open before halftime. Green kick-started the run with three straight baskets and Thomas finished it off with a pair of free throws to put the Celtics up 47-30 with 5:28 remaining in the half.
Boston led by as many as 19 points in the second quarter, going up 53-34 on an open 3-pointer from Horford with 4:06 to go before halftime.
Utah cut the lead to single digits again in the third quarter. The Jazz pulled with 64-56 on a reverse dunk from Gobert. Olynyk countered with a 3-pointer and James Young followed with a running layup and another 3-pointer to push the Celtics' lead back to double-digits at 72-58.
Boston pushed its lead to 85-65 after opening the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run. Thomas fueled the run by feeding Horford for a 3-pointer and then burying one of his own on the ensuing possession.
The Jazz made one final rally, cutting the Celtics' lead to 108-102 on a corner three from Hayward with 22 seconds left. Horford and Marcus Smart each hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
NOTES: Boston F Jae Crowder (personal reasons) did not play for the second straight game. He is averaging 14.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per game this season. ... Jazz G Rodney Hood missed his fifth straight game with a right knee bone contusion and LCL sprain. ... Celtics G Isaiah Thomas entered the game leading the NBA in fourth-quarter points (502) and fourth-quarter scoring average (10.7). It has helped him score 20-plus points in a career-best 38 consecutive games, two shy of the franchise mark held by John Havlicek (1972-73). ... Since the start of February, Jazz F Gordon Hayward is averaging 28.6 points per game -- sixth highest among NBA players for the month. He has shot 56.4 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from the perimeter during that stretch.