Spurs at Celtics
The San Antoino Spurs will try to build off a lopsided win over the Eastern Conference's best team while the Boston Celtics look to bounce back from a loss to one of the East's worst squads then the teams meet Wednesday in Boston. The Spurs salvaged the finale of a home-and-home set with the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks with a 126-104 rout Monday night, nailing a season-high 19 3-pointers in the process.
"It's big, confidence building," guard DeMar DeRozan told reporters. "Letting us know we could compete with the best teams in this league." DeRozan, who also had seven of his team's 23 assists, has been on fire recently and will take aim at a Celtics squad limping home from Washington following a 99-94 defeat at the hands of the Wizards. Boston has played three straight games without star guard Kemba Walker (illness) and the offense stalled Monday with a season-worst 34.7-percent showing from the field. Jaylen Brown led the way with 23 points and 12 rebounds in the loss for his fifth double-double - two in the last three games.
TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: FS Southwest, NBCS Boston
ABOUT THE CELTICS (25-9): Boston rallied late in the third quarter and into the fourth at Washington to turn an 11-point halftime deficit to a tie game with eight minutes left, and much of the credit can be given to two-way rookie Tremont Waters, who scored eight points in eight active minutes during the stretch. "Tremont is just a bucket-getter," Brown told reporters. "He comes in, he's super talented, he's super skilled. He's the smallest guy on the court, but probably one of the skilled guys on the court. When you put him in the game, he's always looking to make something happen, and usually he does." While the rookie shined, veteran guard Marcus Smart finished 3-of-14 from the floor and is shooting 27.2 percent over his last five games.
ABOUT THE SPURS (15-20): DeRozan was 11-of-15 from the floor - including a rare made 3-pointer - in Monday's win to improving his shooting percentage to 64.8 over an eight-game span. Much of it has coincided with an uptick in long-range chances for power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who has hit 20-of-31 3-pointers during the same stretch. "With LaMarcus joining us on the 3-point line and having the ability to knock them down, it does wonders in terms of spacing," guard Patty Mills told reporters Monday after scoring 21 points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Celtics C Enes Kanter has double digits in rebounds in eight of his last 10 games despite playing no more than 24 minutes in any of them.
2. Spurs PF Trey Lyles totaled 26 rebounds over his last two games.
3. Brown scored 30 points to lead Boston to a 135-115 win at San Antonio on Nov. 9.