Game ID: 22300571
San Antonio Spurs @ Boston Celtics
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BOS 30 40 24 23 117SAS 25 20 33 20 98
BOS vs SAS ScoutingBOS vs SAS Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
BOS availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 2 since 1/06, out tonight
NEW Brissett 10 to 19 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 1/11 · back-to-backOUT Queta missed 3 since 1/06, returns tonight: 13 min (113% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/13 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 13 min since (113% of 11)
NEW Horford 28 to 33 min over the last 3
BOS availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 13 min since (113% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 2 since 1/13, returns tonight: 12 min (108% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/19 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 12 min since (111% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/21 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 12 min since (111% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/22 · back-to-backBACK Queta back 1/17 after 2, 8 min since (69% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/25 · 2 days' restBACK Queta back 1/17 after 2, 8 min since (69% of 11)
SAS availability going into 1/10 · 2 days' restOUT Collins missed 4 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT McDermott missed 2 since 1/04, returns tonight: 15 min (99% of 15)
OUT Graham missed 3 since 1/02, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 3 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Barlow back 12/29 after 4, 16 min since (122% of 13)
SAS availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Collins missed 5 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Graham missed 4 since 1/02, returns tonight: 10 min (71% of 14)
OUT Cissoko missed 4 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK McDermott back 1/10 after 2, 15 min since (99% of 15)
SAS availability going into 1/13 · back-to-backOUT Collins missed 6 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 5 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK McDermott back 1/10 after 2, 13 min since (88% of 15)
BACK Graham back 1/12 after 4, 10 min since (71% of 14)
NEW Barlow 13 to 18 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restOUT Collins missed 7 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 6 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK McDermott back 1/10 after 2, 13 min since (88% of 15)
BACK Graham back 1/12 after 4, 10 min since (71% of 14)
NEW Barlow 13 to 20 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restOUT Collins missed 8 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Graham missed 2 since 1/13, returns tonight: 5 min (35% of 14)
OUT Cissoko missed 7 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK McDermott back 1/10 after 2, 14 min since (92% of 15)
NEW Barlow 13 to 20 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 1/19 · 1 day's restOUT Collins missed 9 since 12/31, returns tonight: 26 min (117% of 22)
OUT Cissoko missed 8 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK McDermott back 1/10 after 2, 13 min since (88% of 15)
BACK Graham back 1/12 after 4, 7 min since (53% of 14)
NEW Barlow 13 to 20 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 1/20 · back-to-backOUT Cissoko missed 9 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Collins back 1/19 after 9, 26 min since (117% of 22)
BACK Graham back 1/12 after 4, 7 min since (53% of 14)
NEW Barlow 13 to 19 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 1/22 · 1 day's restOUT Graham missed 2 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 10 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Collins back 1/19 after 9, 23 min since (104% of 22)
NEW Barlow 13 to 20 min over the last 4
SAS availability going into 1/24 · 1 day's restOUT Graham missed 3 since 1/19, returns tonight: 5 min (35% of 14)
OUT Barlow missed 2 since 1/20, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 11 since 1/02, out tonight
BACK Collins back 1/19 after 9, 22 min since (99% of 22)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 42 from three, 28 free throws a game; Brown at 29 and Tatum at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 23 and Johnson at 15 a game. Without Collins (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, San Antonio allowing 111 a night to Boston's 119 and the arc, Boston at 42 percent from three to San Antonio's 37. Call it Boston 120, San Antonio 114.
1/10 vs MIN 127-120 — BOS notes
BOS won 127-120 in 1 overtime. BOS shot 43% (39 of 90) to MIN's 46%, 19 of 47 from three, and went to the line 31 times to MIN's 20 — 30 points from the stripe to their 18. Tatum led with 45 (13 of 26, 6 of 11 from three, 13 of 14 at the line); Brown added 35, Holiday 12. The hinge was OT1, 16-9: from level to 7 ahead. White was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
1/11 @ MIL 102-135 — BOS notes
BOS lost 102-135. BOS shot 37% (34 of 91) to MIL's 57%, 9 of 35 from three, and went to the line 30 times to MIL's 16 — 25 points from the stripe to their 13. The glass went 31-54 against them. Pritchard led with 21 (6 of 13, 2 of 9 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Hauser added 15, Brissett 13. Q4 was theirs, 32-24, the deficit cut from 41 to 33, but the other 3 periods went 111-70 against them. Holiday's -31 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/13 vs HOU 145-113 — BOS notes
BOS won 145-113. BOS shot 54% (51 of 95) to HOU's 40%, 24 of 47 from three. Brown led with 32 (11 of 15, 4 of 6 from three, 6 of 10 at the line); Tatum added 27, Pritchard 19. The hinge was Q3, 43-28: a lead of 11 became 26, and the lead reached 36. White was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
1/15 @ TOR 105-96 — BOS notes
BOS won 105-96. BOS shot 40% (33 of 82) to TOR's 40%, 16 of 39 from three. BOS turned it over 12 times to TOR's 7. White led with 22 (7 of 18, 5 of 11 from three); Holiday added 22, Tatum 19. The hinge was Q1, 29-25: from level to 4 ahead. Pritchard was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
1/17 vs SAS 117-98 — BOS notes
BOS won 117-98. BOS shot 47% (42 of 90) to SAS's 42%, 18 of 38 from three. The glass went 54-41 for them. Tatum led with 24 (9 of 21, 3 of 8 from three); Holiday added 22, Brown 21. The hinge was Q2, 40-20: a lead of 5 became 25, and the lead reached 30. Hauser was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/19 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 42 from three, 26 free throws a game; Brown at 24 and Tatum at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 55 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Murray at 23 and Jokić at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and Boston minus-2 and the turnovers, Denver giving it away 15 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 118, Denver 114, Denver keeping it close.
1/21 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 123, shooting 44 percent and 28 from three, 26 free throws a game; Sengun at 24 and Ja. Green at 16 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Tatum at 20 and Brown at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 40 percent from three to Houston's 28 and the defense, Boston allowing 109 a night to Houston's 123. Call it Boston 116, Houston 112, Houston keeping it close.
1/22 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Irving at 33 and Hardaway Jr. at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Exum (8 straight). 4 days' rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 103, shooting 46 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 22 and Porziņģis at 21 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 103 a night to Dallas's 122 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-2 a night and Dallas minus-7. Call it Boston 117, Dallas 114, Dallas keeping it close.
1/25 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 107, shooting 42 percent and 30 from three, 20 free throws a game; Butler III at 20 and Herro at 20 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Jaquez Jr. (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 103, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Tatum at 24 and Porziņģis at 23 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 37 percent from three to Miami's 30 and the turnovers, Miami giving it away 15 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 111, Miami 106.
1/10 @ DET 130-108 — SAS notes
SAS won 130-108. SAS shot 52% (49 of 94) to DET's 46%, 9 of 27 from three, and went to the line 27 times to DET's 13 — 23 points from the stripe to their 10. SAS turned it over 5 times to DET's 10. Johnson led with 17 (4 of 8, 8 of 8 at the line); Vassell added 16, Wembanyama 16. The hinge was Q1, 31-19: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 25. Jones was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
1/12 vs CHA 135-99 — SAS notes
SAS won 135-99. SAS shot 52% (45 of 87) to CHA's 36%, 18 of 38 from three, and went to the line 34 times to CHA's 28 — 27 points from the stripe to their 25. SAS turned it over 14 times to CHA's 19. Wembanyama led with 26 (9 of 14, 2 of 3 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); McDermott added 14, Sochan 13. The hinge was Q2, 38-23: a lead of 6 became 21, and the lead reached 38. Sochan was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
1/13 vs CHI 116-122 — SAS notes
SAS lost 116-122. SAS shot 41% (39 of 95) to CHI's 51%, 18 of 46 from three. Jones led with 30 (10 of 13, 4 of 6 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Johnson added 26, Branham 14. Q3 was theirs, 39-31, the deficit cut from 8 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 91-77 against them. Jones's -14 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/15 @ ATL 99-109 — SAS notes
SAS lost 99-109. SAS shot 40% (38 of 95) to ATL's 43%, 11 of 42 from three. The glass went 44-57 against them. Wembanyama led with 26 (12 of 18, 1 of 5 from three); Sochan added 23, Champagnie 15. Q3 was theirs, 33-18, the deficit cut from 35 to 20, but the other 3 periods went 91-66 against them. Branham's -21 in 10 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/17 @ BOS 98-117 — SAS notes
SAS lost 98-117. SAS shot 42% (39 of 93) to BOS's 47%, 7 of 34 from three. The glass went 41-54 against them. Wembanyama led with 27 (10 of 19, 2 of 6 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Vassell added 21. Q3 was theirs, 33-24, the deficit cut from 25 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 93-65 against them. Branham's -20 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/19 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 123, shooting 39 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Ball at 26 and Rozier at 26 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Miller (2 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 24 and Sochan at 13 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Collins (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: San Antonio wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, San Antonio allowing 111 a night to Charlotte's 123. Call it San Antonio 116, Charlotte 112, Charlotte keeping it close.
1/20 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Poole at 22 and Kuzma at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 26 and Johnson at 14 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Washington wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Washington 119, San Antonio 115, San Antonio keeping it close.
1/22 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 28 free throws a game; Embiid at 38 and Maxey at 24 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Melton (4 straight), Covington (9 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 120, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 26 and Johnson at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the defense, Philadelphia allowing 105 a night to San Antonio's 120 and the arc, Philadelphia at 41 percent from three to San Antonio's 34. Call it Philadelphia 121, San Antonio 109, Philadelphia by 12.
1/24 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 122, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 28 and Vassell at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 37 percent from three to San Antonio's 32 and the defense, OKC allowing 115 a night to San Antonio's 122. Call it OKC 118, San Antonio 116, San Antonio keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
DB D. Banton
JB J. Brown
JD J. Davison
JH J. Holiday
JT J. Tatum
JW J. Walsh
LK L. Kornet
LS L. Stevens
NQ N. Queta
OB O. Brissett
PP P. Pritchard
SH S. Hauser
SM S. Mykhailiuk
SASBW B. Wesley
CO C. Osman
DB D. Barlow
DG D. Graham
DM D. McDermott
DV D. Vassell
JC J. Champagnie
JS J. Sochan
KJ K. Johnson
MB M. Branham
MD M. Diakite
SM S. Mamukelashvili
TJ T. Jones
VW V. Wembanyama
BOS/SAS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Tatum scores 24 to lead Celtics past Wembanyama, Spurs 117-98
BOSTON -- — French phenom Victor Wembanyama called it special to play his first game on the Boston Celtics ' famous parquet court.
What took place on the floor impressed him even more.
“Everybody can hoop on that team. Everyone’s a threat on the court,” the Spurs rookie said after scoring 27 against Boston on Wednesday night when the Celtics beat San Antonio 117-98. “But at the same time, they all know their roles. And they’re all willing to share the ball, from the most important franchise guys to the role players. Everybody is ready to to compete and to make the sacrifices.”
Jayson Tatum scored 24 points and Jaylen Brown returned from a one-game absence to score 21 as Boston improved to 20-0 at home this season. Jrue Holiday scored 22 points and Luke Kornet matched his season high with nine rebounds for the Celtics, won their third game in a row.
Wembanyama scored 10 points in the first quarter, when San Antonio kept it close. He finished 10-for-19 shooting with five rebounds as the Spurs (7-33), who have the worst record in the Western Conference, lost their third straight game.
“We’re going to lose some more games. We’re not going to win 47 games,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “That’s not important to me, and I’ll make sure it’s not important to them. We all like to win rather than lose. But if they’re not competing at a certain level or executing a certain level. Uh, we’ll be on them just as much as if we were winning. If there’s someone who can’t handle it, they’ll be gone.”
Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, has been on a minutes restriction since rolling his ankle warming up for the Dec. 23 game against Dallas. He was allowed to go for 27 minutes on Wednesday night, up from 24, but he still won't play both nights of a back-to-back.
The Spurs have one of those coming up, and Wembanyama said he would sit out Friday night's game against Charlotte and play on Saturday night against Washington. That means he will match up against former French teammate and Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly .
“I wish I could play both. But of course I’m excited to play against Bilal,” Wembanyama said. "I was trying to be detached from this and just say, ‘I’ll trust the coaching staff, what they want me to do.’ But of course, I’m happy to play Bilal.
“It’s the only person that I’ve seen since I’m a kid, like a little kid. And at the time, it was just dreams and something crazy, but we happened to both make it here, and I’m justso proud of him. And it is going to feel weird for sure.”
Wembanyama helped San Antonio keep it close early, with the Spurs trailing by three points in the final minute. San Antonio was down just 32-29 early in the second before the Celtics scored eight in a row and 18 of the next 22 points.
Another 8-0 run at the end of the half made it 70-45 Boston at the break. The Celtics won the earlier meeting this season by 33 on New Year's Eve. The Spurs outscored Boston 53-47 in the second half, but Popovich conceded it was never close.
"We came out on fire, we couldn't make shots, and then everybody puts their heads down," he said. “And then your pace goes away, your defense (stinks). They're young. That happens.”
Brown returned after sitting out Boston’s 105-96 victory over the Raptors on Monday with a hyperextended right knee. The Celtics were without Kristaps Porzingis (right knee inflammation) and Derrick White (left ankle sprain).