The Celtics continued their reign of dominance at home Wednesday night, cruising to a 117-98 win over the Spurs at TD Garden.
Boston played without two starters (Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis) due to injury but they had little trouble against a Spurs squad that has only won seven wins this year. Jayson Tatum (24 points) led four different Celtics to score in double figures as the hosts led by as many as 30 points thanks to a sensational 3-point shooting display in the first half (68 percent).
San Antonio trimmed Boston’s lead down to 13 midway through the third quarter after a sloppy start to the second half but the Celtics bench helped Boston pull away once again for their third consecutive win. A far tougher task awaits the Celtics on Friday night when they host the defending champions in a nationally televised matchup.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics win:
Celtics build monster lead with the 3-ball: Boston has been an impossible team to defend at TD Garden this year and that trend continued on Wednesday night, particularly in the first half. The hosts ran out to 70 first half points thanks to 68.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Five different players hit multiple 3s in the first half alone as an overmatched Spurs defense struggled to handle Boston’s weapons on the perimeter. It was the third straight game where the Celtics flirted with shooting better from 3-point range than 2-point range.
Neemias Queta emerges again off the bench: The two-way center had played just two games in January before Wednesday night as a stretch of good health had buried him back on the bench. With Porzingis out and Luke Kornet getting a surprise start, the door opened for Queta minute and he held his own against the Spurs No. 1 pick, posting six points and six rebounds in just 10 minutes. Queta did pile up four quick fouls but his impact on the glass and with providing some strength in the paint was felt. As Boston navigates a busy schedule in the next week, he continues to look like a promising prospect who can help in a pinch.
Payton Pritchard steps up with Derrick White out: The reserve guard has been one of the more consistent Celtics during the past two weeks and that trend continued as he was handed a bigger role Wednesday night. Pritchard scored in double figure for the fourth time in his last six games scoring 12 points off the bench while playing over 20 minutes for the fourth straight for the first time all year. Pritchard continues to play his best basketball at TD Garden this year (42 percent from 3-point range) and provided a spark in both halves after a lethargic start by the starting unit.
The home streak continues: Boston added to their record-best winning streak to begin the year at TD Garden, improving to 20-0 on the season. The streak will be tested more in the coming weeks with Denver coming into town Friday and the LA Clippers arriving a week from Saturday. However, with Boston holding the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA throughout the second half of the year, the opportunity will be there to make a run at the NBA record set by the Warriors in 2016.
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