Jazz at Celtics
The Boston Celtics have taken advantage of the beginning of their homestand with back-to-back wins and will try to make it three in a row when they host the Utah Jazz on Monday. The Celtics came out of the All-Star break sluggish on a three-game road trip that included an 18-point loss in Utah but are turning it around in their own building.
Boston extended its home winning streak to 10 straight with a 101-89 triumph over the Miami Heat on Saturday that served the dual purpose of also solidifying its hold on the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference. “I think we’re all aware (of the standings)," Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters. "I just think it’s not relevant to playing the next possession. I don’t really do a lot of talking about that. Obviously, we want to play well against everybody.” The Jazz have gone into a bit of a funk since beating Boston with losses in three of their last four games. The worst of the bunch came on Saturday, when Utah committed 21 turnovers and had a late rally fall short in a 98-96 home loss to the lowly Brooklyn Nets.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ROOT (Utah), CSN New England (Boston)
ABOUT THE JAZZ (28-30): Utah is trying to stay in the battle for one of the last few playoff spots in the Western Conference but fell a half-game behind eighth-place Houston with the latest loss and is still struggling at the point guard position. The Jazz lost starting point guard Dante Exum to a torn ACL before the season started, and both Trey Burke and Raul Neto struggled in his place before the team decided to bring in veteran backup Shelvin Mack from Atlanta at the trade deadline. Mack is getting a chance to start but has more turnovers (12) than assists (seven) in the last three games.
ABOUT THE CELTICS (35-25): Boston allowed the Jazz to shoot 54.4 percent in a 111-93 setback on Feb. 19 but has concentrated on tightening up the defense since returning home. "We did what we’re supposed to do on the defensive end," Celtics guard Marcus Smart told reporters after Saturday’s win. "Everyone knows defense is gonna win games, especially when your offense isn’t clicking from the outside. So we tried to pick it up at the defensive end, and that helped our offense a lot." Smart was part of a perimeter defensive effort that limited Miami to 1-of-13 from beyond the arc on Saturday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Celtics C Jared Sullinger recorded a double-double in three of the last four games.
2. Jazz C Rudy Gobert delivered 12 points, 19 rebounds and six blocks in Saturday’s setback.
3. Boston earned an 85-84 home win over Utah on Mar. 4, 2015, on Tyler Zeller’s last-second shot.