Boston’s core four all took the floor for the first time this season Wednesday when the Celtics traveled to AT&T Center to face the San Antonio Spurs.
Unfortunately, San Antonio didn’t treat the special occasion all too special as the Spurs handed the visiting Celtics a 110-106 defeat.
Four of the Celtics’ five starters finished with double figures as Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 25 points, Jaylen Brown chipped in 24 and both Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart added 14 of their own. Boston shot 43% from the floor (42-for-98).
The Spurs had six players score double figures. DeMar DeRozen led the way for San Antonio with 21 points on 7-for-8 from the field while LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 20. San Antonio shot 56% from the field (46-for-82).
It was a game of runs throughout with Boston looking superior in both the first and third quarters, but San Antonio outscoring the Celtics by 19 points in the second. It was a very bad stretch on both ends of the floor.
The C’s were, at times, were impressive on the defensive end forcing the Spurs, who entered with the best turnover percentage in the NBA, to a season-high 20 turnovers. Boston scored 16 points off said turnovers.
Anyway, Boston fell to 10-7 on the season while San Antonio improved to 10-8.
Here’s how it all went down:
STARTING FIVE
G: Kemba Walker
G: Marcus Smart
F: Jaylen Brown
F: Jayson Tatum
C: Daniel Theis
OPTIMISTIC START
The Celtics cooled down after a hot start from long range, but behind some balanced scoring on the offensive end, took 30-25 lead after the first quarter.
Boston hit four of its first five 3-pointers before concluding the quarter 4-for-9 from behind the arc. The C’s shot 11-for-23 from the field.
Tatum scored the last four points of the quarter, finishing the 12-minute period with a team-high seven points. Brown also added seven points while Smart contributed six of his own and Walker scored four quick points in the quarter before getting pulled midway through.
Walker, specifically, finished with an easy two in transitioning after making one of Boston’s five steals in the quarter.
San Antonio was led by DeRozen, who was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field en route to nine points. The Spurs shot 10-for-21 from the field and 2-for-8 from long range.
Boston took an eight-point lead midway through the quarter after some impressive ball movement lead to a Tristan Thompson traditional three-point play. The C’s biggest lead of the game was nine points, which came after a 3-pointer by Smart.
STRUGGLING AT BOTH ENDS
San Antonio turned the game on its head midway through the second quarter.
The Spurs, who shot 59% in the first half, not only erased an eight-point disadvantage from earlier in the quarter, but tied it up and poured it on en route to a 61-47 lead at the break. It was an extended 29-6 run for San Antonio, who made its final 10 shots of the half. The Spurs also were helped by two Boston turnovers in the final five seconds, which led to four points.
Simply, Boston struggled on both ends.
The defense, which had forced eight turnovers in the opening 16 minutes, then couldn’t get a stop. San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson scored all 10 of his points in the period while Aldridge (14 first-half points) and Lonnie Walker (12 first-half points) also provided a boost.
Meanwhile, it seemed Boston’s offensive troubles bled into their defense and vice-versa. The C’s started the quarter hitting three of their first 10 shots before finishing the quarter 7-for-24 from the field.
Boston had 12 players touch the floor in the half, with perhaps their best highlight coming on an alley-oop from Jeff Teague to Robert Williams.
Smart was the only one to reach double figures (10 points) while neither Brown nor Tatum scored a point in the second quarter, finishing the half with seven each.
IN THE ZONE
The C’s switched it up in the third quarter and it helped them get back in the game, erasing a 14-point halftime deficit and regaining a 84-82 lead entering the fourth.
It was in large part due to the C’s 2-1-2 zone defense, which halted San Antonio’s aggressiveness and ability to get into the paint. The Spurs did not convert a field goal for the last four-plus minutes.
It helped Boston close the quarter on an extended 22-5 run over the final six-plus minutes.
Brown scored 14 points in the quarter alone while it was Walker’s 3-pointer that regained the lead in the final minute. Brown also had a nice kick out to Grant Williams, who’s 3-pointer at the time cut Boston’s lead to seven.
Tatum was equally impressive with his ability to get to the low block and either finish with a fade-away or a floater. He scored eight of his then 15 points and found Thompson on the big man’s second three-point play of the game.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
It was back-and-forth down the stretch with the game tied in the final minute, but the Spurs were able to make one key defensive play and Smart missed what would’ve been a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds.
The Spurs went on a 11-0 run early in the quarter after the Celtics went 3:30 without a point and were 1-for-7 from the floor to begin the period.
And then Boston’s usual suspects stepped up. Brown connected on a 3-pointer, Tatum finished on a traditional three-point play and Walker hit a game-tying 3-pointer, 99-all, with three minutes left.
Brown was unable to finish on a hard take to the rim with a minute left, but made up for it with a nice drive-and-leave for Theis, who dunked it over a pair of defenders to tie it up, 103-all, in the final minute.
San Antonio’s DeRozen and Murray, though, made clutch plays down the stretch.
DeRozen hit a pull-up jumper to give the Spurs a 105-103 lead with 28 seconds left and Murray picked Walker’s pocket and scored an easy transition two to give the hosts a four-point lead. Tatum did come down and convert a traditional three-point play with 12 seconds left, but the Spurs were able to pull it out.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Walker followed up a great cut to the basket with an even better pass.
UP NEXT
The Celtics will return to TD Garden before a five-game road trip as Boston will host the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
