BSJ Game Report: Jazz 137, Celtics 130 - Utah's historic shooting drops Boston

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics' 137-130 loss to the Utah Jazz with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Utah Jazz stormed out to a big lead with a barrage of 3-pointers, building a lead as big as 14 before the Celtics settled themselves. A huge quarter from Al Horford and a ton of steals and breakaways for the Celtics got them right back into the game. After that, it was a back-and-forth affair that saw Boston take the lead in the fourth quarter. Utah just couldn't miss, though, and their late run from Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley closed Boston out. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

Utah’s shooting was relentless: They took 51 3-pointers and 30 2-pointers, which is just an obscene differential. They made 27 of those 3-pointers, the most Boston has ever given up. The Jazz were 9-13 in the first quarter. Ime Udoka says the team didn’t come out ready to take away the 3’s, and it cost them.

“To not take that away early in the game helped them get a rhythm, helped them pretty carry them through the game,” he said. “Just felt we weren’t as aggressive as we were later in the game and by that time they were in rhythm, making shots, hitting tough contested shots and credit to them later in the game because we did defend better, but they were pretty much on fire.” 

Celtics offense comes alive: It started slow but the Celtics actually finished shooting 51.6% and 36% from 3. Putting up 130 points and losing is tough. After the game, Al Horford called it probably their best offensive game of the year. 

TURNING POINT

Boston led 118-114 with 4:22 to go, but Conley and Mitchell fueled a 13-2 run with a series of drives and finishes and ridiculous 3-pointers. The Celtics managed to cut the lead back down to 3, but that run created a gap too big to overcome. 

SECOND GUESS

Grant Williams played well but came out of the game with 8:15 left and never returned. 

“The guys were playing well,” Udoka said of the decision. “Marcus and Dennis were out there really controlling things offensively. Jayson and Josh Richardson were playing well, and they had smaller lineups on the court, so we could have gone bigger or smaller with Grant, but J-Rich was playing well. Just went with the hot hand - who was playing well.”

I might have gone without Schröder for a stretch there just to see if the defense could have tightened up. 

FIVE UP

Jayson Tatum: He snaked his way through the Jazz defense for some impressive finishes at the rim. He was 12 of 25 from the floor, but 2-11 from 3. So that means he was 10-14 from inside the arc. Finishing at the rim and getting 11 free throws shows how aggressive he ended up being. I think he was settling early. 

Al Horford: His damage was mostly done in the first half when he looked like he was 25 instead of 35. He did everything as part of a run that got the Celtics back into the game.  

Josh Richardson: He continues to be a positive force off the bench. This game (11 points, 4-8 fg, 1-3 3pt, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) is something I’ll gladly take every game.

Marcus Smart: His shot started to fall (3-5 3pt) and he had 4 steals to help the C’s turn the game around. His assists were down, partly because he played with Schröder most of the time and didn't have the same level of control of the offense. 

Romeo Langford: He missed the second half with a sprained ankle but I feel like his attacking from the corner in the second quarter showed the Celtics that it was ok to attack even with Rudy Gobert on the floor. 

ONE DOWN 

Enes Freedom: Honestly, it’s a credit to his recent play that he even got into this game. He only played three minutes and it was clear this was a terrible matchup for him.

ONE SO/SO

Dennis Schröder: I struggled with this decision. On the plus side, he shot well (10-21, 3-8 3pt) and scored a lot (26 points). He hit some big shots, but he also gave a lot back on the defensive end during that pivotal game-changing stretch for Utah. I also think he settled for a lot of jumpers early on. He definitely did a lot of good, I just felt there was a lot of bad that offset it.

TOP PLAY

Whoa, Marcus Smart

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

I’ll take it: Honestly, I had penciled this in as a loss from the jump. And without Jaylen Brown, asking them to beat a team like Utah is asking a lot. 

“I was so proud of our group tonight because, when that was happening, we were just going right back at ‘em, attacking them,” Horford said. “In the past, I feel like that could’ve rattled us when they got it going early like that, it could’ve gone a different way. We tightened up, we kept fighting. Tonight was just one of those nights that I’ve never been a part of – a team hitting that many threes like that. And especially the type of threes – they weren’t necessarily all open; they were tough, contested threes. And it was definitely tough, but I felt that the group didn’t get discouraged.”

Frankly, if the Celtics play like this every night, they’d be a 50 win team. 

Ime Udoka is figuring it out: The adjustment to go with Robert Williams only in Hassan Whiteside minutes so he could match up Horford with Gobert was a smart one. The early criticism of him was, unsurprisingly, premature. He’s done a really good job, and you can see in how guys are playing that they're taking what he’s saying to heart.