MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, Luka Garza scored a season-high 22 points and the Boston Celtics defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 117-112 on Friday night.
Payton Pritchard added 19 points for the Celtics, who have won four straight. The win keeps Boston in second place in the Eastern Conference, 1 1/2 games ahead of the New York Knicks, who beat Brooklyn 93-92 earlier Friday night.
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Tyler Burton, who signed a 10-day contract with Memphis on March 12, led the Grizzlies with 23 points, a career high. Ty Jerome contributed 16 points and 7 assists. Javon Small and DeJon Jarreau each scored 13 points.
Memphis kept the press tight throughout three quarters, while Boston struggled to shoot the ball, shooting just 40 percent entering the fourth quarter. Turnovers also plagued the Celtics.
Memphis led 103-102 with 5:33 left, but Boston scored 10 straight points to end the Grizzlies’ hopes.
The Grizzlies defeated the Denver Nuggets 125-118 on Wednesday night, snapping an eight-game losing streak that has seen them falter in the final weeks of the season. Memphis is once again shorthanded, with nine players on the injured list, including several who have already undergone season-ending surgeries.
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By contrast, the Celtics’ main absentee was Nikola Vucevic, who missed his seventh straight game with a fractured right ring finger.
For most of the first half, both teams performed poorly from beyond the three-point line, causing the Grizzlies’ score to remain low. Until 4 minutes left in the second quarter, both teams had only made three three-pointers. Jayson Tatum, meanwhile, missed his first eight shots.
Brown scored 16 points to help Boston take a 55-54 lead into halftime.
Next
Celtics: Host Timberwolves on Sunday
Grizzlies: vs. Charlotte on Saturday
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA