National Basketball Association
Boston 120, Memphis 107
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, March 3, 2022
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Officials: #26 Pat Fraher, #78 Evan Scott, #45 Brian Forte
Attendance: 19156

The Boston Celtics led nearly from start to finish and took control in the third quarter on the way to a 120-107 win over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 37 points and added six rebounds and five assists. He scored 21 in the fourth quarter.

The win was Boston's second straight and 13th in 15 games.

Al Horford sank four 3-pointers for the Celtics and finished with 21 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. Marcus Smart had 18 points and 12 assists, and Robert Williams III contributed 10 points and 12 boards.

Continuing a career week, Grizzlies star Ja Morant scored a game-high 38 on 13-of-29 shooting. Morant, who scored 46 and 52 points in his prior two contests, put up 30 after halftime on Thursday.

Jaren Jackson added 20 points for Memphis, and Desmond Bane scored 17, hitting five 3-pointers. They each pulled down seven rebounds for the Grizzlies, who had won two straight.

The Celtics, who led by two at halftime, outscored the Grizzlies 36-27 in the third quarter. Smart hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the first minute of the period, and a 6-0 run capped by Derrick White's trey gave Boston a 16-point lead with 59.9 seconds left.

Boston used a 13-3 run -- including Horford's 3-pointer and eight points by Tatum -- to expand the fourth-quarter edge to 17 with 6:49 to go.

The Celtics led by six after one quarter, and Payton Pritchard's 3-pointer early in the second expanded the margin to nine, but back-and-forth play kept the edge lower for most of the period.

After Smart's layup with 2:59 left, Morant's one-handed dunk off Anderson's steal and De'Anthony Melton's 3-pointer highlighted a 9-0 run by Memphis that tied the game at 45-45.

Tatum fed Smart for a layup in the last minute to give Boston a 47-45 halftime lead despite the hosts' 11 turnovers.

Boston star Jaylen Brown was out after sustaining a right ankle sprain Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks. Brown is day-to-day. Aaron Nesmith, who started in Brown's place, left the game in the first quarter with the same injury and didn't return.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Memphis   Boston
Ja Morant 38 Scoring Jayson Tatum 37
Ja Morant 7 Assists Marcus Smart 12
Steven Adams 8 Rebounds Al Horford 15
Ja Morant 8 Free Throws Made Jayson Tatum 7
Kyle Anderson 6 Steals Robert Williams III 3
John Konchar 2 Blocks Robert Williams III 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Memphis 107 42.4 13-40 10-13 24 44 4 10 7
Boston 120 51.7 16-37 12-15 33 51 7 4 14
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Brooklyn. The Celtics have a W/L % of .568 after a win and .607 after a loss.
  • Memphis will play their next game at home against Orlando. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .674 after a win and .667 after a loss.