San Antonio Spurs vs Boston Celtics Match Player Stats On Jan 08, 2020

DeMar DeRozan led the way with 30 points as the San Antonio Spurs crushed the host Boston Celtics 129-114 Wednesday night.

Lonnie Walker IV added 19 points in 19 minutes off the bench as the Spurs won for the fourth time in their last six games. San Antonio shot 55.2 percent (48 of 87) as a team to avenge a 135-115 home loss to Boston earlier this season.

Gordon Hayward scored 18 points, as the Celtics narrowly avoided their worst loss of the season in just their third defeat at home. Kemba Walker, returning from three games missed with the flu, had six points before getting ejected in the third quarter.

The Spurs came out of the gate on an 8-0 run and led 22-3 just seven minutes into the contest. The Celtics answered with a 15-6 spurt to get back within 10, and San Antonio ended the first quarter up 34-22.

The Spurs then kicked off the second with a 15-5 stretch to grab a 49-27 lead with 7:50 left in the half. During that time, the Celtics went to their bench for a spark, bringing in fan-favorite rookie Tacko Fall in hopes of getting energy from the crowd. Boston still couldn't bridge the gap, entering halftime down 65-47.

DeRozan led all scorers with 15 points as San Antonio was shooting a scorching 60.4 percent (29 of 48) at the break. The Celtics clocked in at 37.8 percent (17 of 45).

A 20-11 start to the third had Boston within single digits, 76-67, with 6:21 on the clock. After a Jayson Tatum bucket cut the Spurs lead to seven, Walker was assessed a double-technical foul for arguing an illegal screen call and ejected from the game at 5:49. Coach Brad Stevens also got a technical, Daniel Theis was called for a personal foul on the play and the Spurs sunk 4 of 5 shots at the line to regain an 80-69 advantage.

San Antonio grew the lead to 93-72 on a Patty Mills 3-pointer with 2:25 left and carried a 99-83 edge into the final quarter. The Spurs' lead reached as high as 23 down the stretch.

--Field Level Media