Epic Tatum-Morant battle marks Celtics win over Grizzlies / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports - Scanpix

The Boston Celtics (38-27) led nearly from start to finish and took control in the third quarter on the way to a 120-107 (26-20, 21-25, 36-27, 37-35) win over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies (43-21) on Thursday.

Player of the Game EFF 31 Al Horford Points 21 Accuracy 8-16 Rebounds 15 Assists 5

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.

Celtics: Jayson Tatum 37 (12/18 2PT, 2/7 3PT, 7/8 FT, 6 REB, 5 AST, 6 TO), Al Horford 21 (4/8 2PT, 4/8 3PT, 15 REB, 5 AST, 2 BLK), Marcus Smart 18 (3/8 2PT, 4/9 3PT, 12 AST), Derrick White 12 (2/4 3PT), Grant Williams 11 (3/3 3PT), Robert Williams 10 (5/6 2PT, 12 REB, 3 STL, 3 BLK).

Grizzlies: Ja Morant 38 (9/17 2PT, 4/12 3PT, 8/8 FT, 7 AST), Jaren Jackson 20 (8/13 2PT, 1/5 3PT, 7 REB), Desmond Bane 17 (5/10 3PT, 7 REB).

Full game highlights:

Jayson Tatum highlights:

Ja Morant highlights:

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