The Boston Celtics had little trouble scoring on Tuesday night, beating the Utah Jazz 129-119 in Salt Lake City. Despite struggling from beyond the arc, they still made 51.1 percent of their field goal attempts and had six players score in double figures.
Not surprisingly, Jaylen Brown was one of them. He finished with 23 points, snapping his streak of nine straight games with at least 30 points and leaving him tied with Larry Bird for the franchise record.
That’s because Brown spent more time facilitating the offense with 10 assists — his second-highest total of the season. The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week also chipped in six rebounds and two steals despite suffering a hard fall on his right shoulder early in the game. Tuesday marked his only game in December without 30 points.
Brown’s passing helped pave the way for Derrick White, who led the Celtics with a team-high 27 points. He also had seven rebounds, six assists and a career-high seven blocks — tying the NBA record for most blocks by a guard in a single game and proving once again why he’s one of the league’s best defensive players.
White’s backcourt mate, Payton Pritchard, had 18 points, six assists and four rebounds. Anfernee Simons scored 20 points off the bench and finished with a game-high plus-27, helping Boston overcome an early double-digit deficit with his most points since Nov. 23.
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Neemias Queta had 12 points and four “stocks,” while Luka Garza added 15 points and six boards off the bench.
The Celtics trailed early but ultimately bounced back from Sunday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, improving to 20-12 overall and 2-1 on their current road trip. They shrugged off their early shooting woes and finished the game strong, scoring 70 points after halftime.
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The Jazz got off to a hot start with 38 points in the first quarter but were unable to maintain it despite 37 points from Keyonte George, 26 points from Jusuf Nurkic and 22 points from Lauri Markkanen.
After ending 2025 on a high note, Boston will continue its road trip on New Year’s Day against the lowly Sacramento Kings, who got blown out by the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images
