Memphis @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 16, 2017 ) Boston 102, Memphis 93

The Boston Celtics look refreshed since returning from the All-Star break and will try for their first home win in over three weeks when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. The Celtics went into the break losing three straight home games by an average of 12.7 points while tumbling out of first place in the Eastern Conference, but they're 2-0 since play started back up again and are within a half-game of first-place Toronto in the East.

"Certainly we can build off of that but we're not in it for two games, we're in it for the last 23," coach Brad Stevens told the media after a 121-112 win in Madison Square Garden on Saturday. "So we've just got to keep adding to it and building." Kyrie Irving fell just short of recording his second career triple-double as he finished the victory with 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Boston. He had 20 points and six assists in a 102-93 victory at Memphis earlier this season, the Celtics' third consecutive win in the series. The Grizzlies are going on nearly a month without a win, dropping their ninth straight with Saturday's 115-89 setback at Miami.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Memphis), NBCS Boston

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (18-40): Memphis scored 89 points in back-to-back games and has been held to 92 or fewer six times during its nine-game slide. Points were tough to come by Saturday without Tyreke Evans (ribs) and Marc Gasol (rest), as Andrew Harrison did his best to pick up the slack with 17 points while raising his average in February to 15.8, nearly seven more than his mark for the season. "We didn't stick together again, started getting frustrated, started trying to come back all on one play, started trying to come back on our own," Harrison told reporters after the loss. "It was everybody."

ABOUT THE CELTICS (42-19): While Irving and Jaylen Brown (24 points, 10-of-17 from the field) carried Boston on Saturday, the squad received another notable boost from reserve Marcus Smart. In two games since returning from an 11-game absence due to a hand laceration, Smart is averaging 11.5 points on 9-of-14 shooting to go along with 5.5 assists, and he contributed three steals against the Knicks. The Celtics played without starting center Aron Baynes, who suffered an elbow injury Friday in Detroit and is scheduled for an MRI once the team returns home.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Gasol, who had 30 points in the first meeting, is expected back for this one, while Evans, who had 25 in the earlier loss to Boston, is expected to get an MRI on Sunday.

2. Celtics rookie Daniel Theis is averaging 3.7 points on 40 percent shooting in three starts this season, compared to 5.3 points on 54.3 percent in 56 games off the bench.

3. Irving is 15-for-28 from 3-point range over his last three contests.

PREDICTION: Celtics 108, Grizzlies 95