Kristaps Porzingis compiled 27 points, 10 returns and six assists when Boston Celtics published a victory 121-99 over Utah Jazz on Friday in Salt Lake City.
Jayson Tatum added 26 points for Boston (51-19), which has won four games in a row and nine of the last 10. Reserves Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser scored 18 and 14 points for Celtics respectively.
Collin Sixteen led Utah (16-55) with 30 points, while Keyonte George followed 19 and Johnny Juzang set up 11. Walker Kessler counted eight points, 11 returns and six assists for Jazz, which has lost 11 of 12.
After Utah hit as many as 17 points during the first half, Sexton’s pull-up 3-pointer lowered the deficit to 69-65 with less than eight minutes left in the third.
George’s Trey later sliced Boston’s lead to two before Tatum’s 3-pointer started a 13-0 Celtics driving that built a lead of 84-69.
Pritchard’s triple stamped the quarter’s points and pushed Celtic’s advantage to 14 to enter the last quarter.
After Brice Sensabaugh’s layout, Utah pulled within 10, Jrue Holiday met a jumper and two straight Pritchard baskets followed, which extended from the Celtics edge to 17 with less than eight minutes left. Boston Reserve Jordan Walsh covered the game’s points with a couple of cans.
Sixteen scored the first five points before Tatum’s 14 points for the first quarter and Porzingis ’10 gave Celtics a leadership of 35-21 that went into the other.
Porzingis’ Turnaround Jumper put Boston forward 39-28, but Juzang’s three-point game and a free throw from Kyle Filipowski, Utah drew within seven early in the second quarter.
Porzingis and Pritchard’s 3-pointer pushed Boston’s advantage to 16. Al Horford’s dunk later gave Celtics a lead of 55-41, but inside Hoops from Kessler and Cody Williams, followed by Senabaughs 3-pointer, the jazz deficit to 55-48. Porzingis’s backlash scheme sent Celtics to half time with a 60-51 edge.
Porzingi’s 21 first half -point led all goal scorers, when Tatum had 17. Sixteen Paced Utah with 16 at the break.
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