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| Kyrie Irving had a great game, hearing "M-V-P!" chants. |
San Antonio would eventually fight back in the 4th quarter, trimming an off-and-on 20 point deficit down to just 9 points after a rally, but Boston would pull away on an 8-0 run to win big at home, snapping the streak.
Shots just didn't fall for the Spurs, who got demolished on the glass as a result, losing big 30-55 in rebounds, shooting a putrid 35% to speak volumes of Boston's also formidable defensive stranglehold. The Spurs also shot 20% from 3PT territory, compared to 44% by the Celtics. Frustration set in, and the Spurs committed too many fouls. Boston didn't quite make them pay, missing 10 shots from the charity stripe, but the constant stop in action seized any potential runs early. The Celtics also won the 3rd quarter, 17-29 as the Spurs nearly trailed by 30 at one point.
It was a notable burst of life by San Antonio to kickstart the final period, just after Kyrie Irving (25 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 50% shooting) received "M-V-P!" chants from the Boston crowd. The Spurs were able to win the first quarter due to Rudy Gay's quick spark, who would go on to have a solid game with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals on 57% shooting. Kawhi Leonard had 18 points in the loss, struggling inside uncharacteristically. Gordon Hayward had just 13 points, hounded by Leonard on the other end of the court, shooting 3-11, but the former Jazz star had 8 rebounds and 9 assists to make up for it.
Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown had 20 points and Al Horford nearly had a double-double, blocking Pau Gasol at the rim to quell the rally by San Antonio. The Spaniard had an awful game, sporting 3-11 on the field like Hayward. Marcus Morris had a strong showing with 19 points and 14 boards for the C's. The bench did not help the Spurs in this contest, either. Lamb, Shumpert and Hezonja all struggled. Patty Mills was also a non-factor with just 6 points, being chased all night long by Brown.
In the loss, Bismack Biyombo was a force early and a big part of the late push, finishing with 5 blocks to go with 6 points, 2 steals and 7 rebounds. Prospect got activated for this game, but shot just 1-7 from long range. Tony Parker's struggles continued, given 12 minutes of action but going 0-8 from the floor. In retrospect, Gasol probably played too many minutes as his inferior defense to Biyombo gave the Celtics a chance to break down the Spurs. But these two teams will meet again, a new rivalry.