Manu Ginobili has not aged a bit.
And the San Antonio Spurs’ 40-year-old made sure the Boston Celtics knew that Friday night.
With the game locked up at 102 and the clock winding down in the fourth quarter, Ginobili pulled the trigger from 3-point territory and jammed the dagger into the Celtics as the clock struck five seconds to play. The Celtics had a chance to answer, but a Kyrie Irving 3-pointer rimmed out, sealing the 105-102 loss for the Celtics.
Irving had carried the Celtics throughout the night, dropping 36 points, 17 of which came in the first quarter. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 27 points.
Boston had no shortage of chances to take — and keep — control of the game. They opened up the game with an 11-0 run but watched the lead slip away throughout the half. They kept battling to regain the lead in the second half, but each time they took control, San Antonio snatched it back.
The Celtics fell to 22-5 with the loss, while the Spurs improved to 18-8.
Here’s how it all went down:
STARTING FIVE
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Aron Baynes
NO JET LAG FOR THE CELTICS
Just two days earlier against a far worse Dallas Mavericks team, a slow start had the Celtics playing catch up for most of the game.
Consider the lesson learned.
The Celtics never trailed in the first period after opening the game with an 11-0 run, not allowing San Antonio to put up its first points until 4:05 into the game. In that time frame, the C’s held the Spurs to 0-for-8 shooting from the field.
The Celtics were efficient in all areas through the first, leading by as much as 12 at one point. Though the Spurs pulled within five on three occasions during the final 90 seconds of the period, seemingly every trip down the floor for Boston was capped by an Irving 3-pointer. The Celtics led 31-26 after one thanks largely to Irving’s stellar 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.
REBOUNDING WOES LET SPURS BACK IN IT
The Spurs took their first lead of the game as time expired in the half, with Ginobili netting an off-balance 3-pointer to give the Spurs a 56-55 lead.
The Celtics found themselves in a world of trouble throughout the period, however, as they were handled on the boards. The Celtics were out-rebounded 15-10 in the frame — 24-21 for the half — and found themselves having trouble containing Aldridge in the paint. Aldridge grabbed five rebounds in the second quarter, three such boards coming on the offensive glass.
Those second-chance points added up over the half, with the Spurs going 3-for-7 on those opportunities, grabbing six points as a result.
CELTICS BATTLE BACK IN THE THIRD
The Celtics spent the majority of the third period trying to chip away at the Spurs, who kept the C’s at arms reach. They played with defense clearly in mind during the early going, finishing the quarter by containing San Antonio to just 21 points.
After chipping nonstop and doing whatever they could to not let the Spurs get on a run, the Celtics finally did enough to take the lead after an Irving 3-pointer with 2:57 left in the quarter.
Finally breaking through after grinding on both ends for a while visibly energized the Celtics, leading to them scoring more points in transition and playing more aggressively on the defensive end. Jaylen Brown contributed a pair of thunderous dunks to continue to build the momentum, with the C’s ultimately holding an 82-77 lead after three.
GINOBILI BURIES BOSTON
The Spurs quickly retook the lead by opening up the final quarter with an 8-2 run. That deficit proved hard to shake for the Celtics, who wouldn’t retake the lead until Jayson Tatum’s 3-pointer with 2:37 to play.
With time running thin, however, and the Spurs back on top, the Celtics could never truly separate themselves, paving the way for Ginobili’s game-winning dagger.
PLAY OF THE GAME
What a finish.
UP NEXT
The Celtics will take on the Detroit Pistons on Sunday in the second game of their three-game road trip. Tip will be at 4 p.m. ET from the Little Caesars Arena.
