The Boston Celtics (47-18) narrowly defeated the Utah Jazz (15-50) 114-108 with the help of Sam Hauser on Monday, March 10.
Hauser, who filled Jayson Tatum’s starting role, took full advantage of his newfound role, paced the Celtics in scoring with 33 points. He knocked down a game-high nine three pointers, shooting just under 50% from beyond the arc, and was the spark Boston needed in a close game.
Jaylen Brown was close on Hauser's heels with 26 points of his own, tacking on eight rebounds and seven assists, and was the only other Celtic with 20+ points.
Derrick White came close with 18 points and dished out 10 assists, good enough for a double-double. Jrue Holiday joined his aforementioned teammates in double figure scoring with 10 points, rounding out Boston’s leading scorers.
John Collins led the Zazz in scoring, recording a 28-point, 10-rebound double-double. Walker Kessler joined Collins in double-double territory with 11 points and 10 rebounds of his own.
Brice Sensabaugh stepped big up off Utah’s bench, recording 22 points for the Jazz, joining Collins with 20+ points.
Colin Sexton rounded out Utah’s top scorers, with a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double, dishing out dimes at will.
Despite Utah’s suboptimal record, the Jazz hung with the defending NBA champions and outscored Boston 39-24 in the fourth quarter. However, their late-game surge was not enough to secure a victory.
Utah has not won a game in March (0-6) and will look for its first win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, March 12. On the same day, the Celtics will look to extend their five-game winning streak against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
