Celtics beat Jazz 114-103 to hand Utah 4th straight loss

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jayson Tatum had 33 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics over the skidding Utah Jazz 114-103 on Wednesday night.

Jaylen Brown added 20 points and Marcus Smart had 17 for Boston. All five starters scored in double figures to help the Celtics finish 3-1 on a road trip out West.

Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points to lead Utah. Mike Conley chipped in with 15 and Royce O’ Neale added 14 for the Jazz, who lost their fourth straight game — all at home.

After a back-and-forth third quarter, Boston created some separation early in the fourth. The Celtics broke an 82-all tie on a 3-pointer from Gordon Hayward in the final minute of the third. Smart then made three outside shots and Enes Kanter had three baskets in the paint to help Boston extend its lead to 100-87 with 7:22 left.

It ended up being a tale of two quarters for the Jazz offense during the first half.

Utah could not buy a basket in the first quarter. The Jazz missed 14 of their first 17 shots and scored just eight points over the game’s first 10 minutes. They shot just 27% from the floor in the period.

Boston did not shoot much better at 36% from the field over the first 12 minutes, but the Celtics did well enough to take a 19-8 lead after Smart tipped in his own missed shot.

The Jazz offense got rolling when Mitchell took over in the second quarter. He beat the first-quarter buzzer for his first basket and then ripped off 20 points on nine buckets over the final 12 minutes before halftime.

With Mitchell leading the way, Utah made 10 of its first 12 shots in the period and erased a 10-point deficit. The Jazz put together a 17-3 run to take a 43-39 lead. Mitchell ignited the run with back-to-back baskets, hit the go-ahead jumper and finished things off with a fast-break floater.

Tatum matched Mitchell’s second-quarter outburst with one of his own. He scored 18 points on seven baskets to help Boston keep pace with Utah. His final bucket in the quarter, a driving layup, gave the Celtics a 53-51 halftime lead.

TIP-INS

Celtics: Kemba Walker (left knee soreness) did not play. … Smart had a team-high nine assists and three steals. … Boston outscored Utah 56-46 in the paint.

Jazz: Rudy Gobert got hit with a technical foul with 6:13 left in the third quarter after arguing a call that led to his fourth personal foul. The technical negated a coach’s challenge by Quin Snyder on the foul call. … Utah scored a season-low 15 points in the first quarter.

UP NEXT

The Celtics host the Houston Rockets on Saturday.

The Jazz host the Washington Wizards on Friday.