Celtics at Jazz
The Boston Celtics are turning some heads on their road trip and will try to keep up their high level of play when they visit the Utah Jazz on Monday. The Celtics dropped 24 in a row on the road against Western Conference teams before edging Portland and Denver, and they gave the NBA-best Warriors all they could handle in a 114-111 loss Sunday. The Jazz won’t be intimidated after blasting an Eastern Conference team Saturday.
Utah has won consecutive games for the first time this month and is coming off a 108-73 thrashing of the Brooklyn Nets — its largest margin of victory this season. “We had a great offensive game,” Jazz guard Trey Burke told reporters. “The ball moved, guys made shots.” Boston is playing its fourth game in five days and is coming to the end of a six-game trip, which concludes Wednesday in Minnesota.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSN New England (Boston), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (15-27): Boston is 12 games under .500 but is battling right to the end, as evidenced by the last-second win over the Trail Blazers on Thursday and a challenge against the best team in the NBA on Sunday. The Celtics were down 13 with 2:24 left in Golden State and trailed by 10 with under a minute left before throwing a scare into the Warriors behind Jared Sullinger, Avery Bradley and Evan Turner. Those three have been the leaders of the recent surge, and Sullinger is averaging 18.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in the last five contests.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (16-28): Utah handed out 25 assists on 32 made field goals in a 101-99 win at Milwaukee on Thursday and followed it up with 23 on Saturday. “The biggest thing we’ve talked about from the beginning of the year — and we kind of found it again (in Milwaukee) — is being ‘obviously unselfish,’ ” Jazz coach Quin Snyder told reporters. “I felt like we had that (against the Nets). Generally when we do that, good things will happen.” Gordon Hayward is leading the way with 48 points on 16-of-27 shooting in the last two contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Jazz snapped a six-game losing streak in the series with a 110-98 home win on Feb. 24, 2014.
2. Boston G Marcus Smart (personal) sat out Sunday but is expected to rejoin the team Monday.
3. Utah signed G Elijah Millsap to a multiyear deal.