Jazz, 110-92 (final)
On a night when the Big Three became The Big Two, the Celtics suffered their first loss in 11 games, a 110-92 defeat at the hands of the Utah Jazz here at the TD Banknorth Garden.
Ray Allen left the game in the second quarter with what the team is describing as a “jammed left ankle.” He did not return, though the final outcome of the game might not have been changed by his presence.
Utah held a double-digit lead at halftime, and even a raucous Friday-night crowd wasn’t able to help dig the Celtics out of that hole. Deron Williams, who paced the Jazz with 32 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds, hit one big shot after another to hold of the Boston charge.
To their credit, the Celtics made this a game. After trailing by double-digits for much of the game, they cut the lead to 93-89 on a pair of Kevin Garnett free throws at the 5:15 mark in the fourth quarter.
But the Jazz scored the next five points of the game to take back control. A basket by Carlos Boozer with 3:51 left pushed the lead back up to nine.
Paul Pierce was held in check all night by Utah’s Andrei Kirilenko. Pierce attempted just seven shots in the game and finished with eight points. The Celtics as a team finished just 3-of-15 from beyond the arc.
Garnett had a quiet 15 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds.
The Celtics embark on a five-game road trip with a game tomorrow night against Milwaukee.
We’ll have reaction from the locker rooms in a bit.
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