Spurs (42-31) vs. Boston Celtics (43-30)
When, where: Sunday, 6:30 p.m., TD Garden, Boston
Last season: Series tied 1-1
All-time series record: Spurs lead 53-39
Season series: Spurs lead 1-0
Last meeting: Spurs 120, Celtics 111, Dec. 31, AT&T Center
Spurs' last game: Lost to Rockets 111-105, Friday, Houston
Celtics' last game: Lost to Hornets 124-117, Saturday, Charlotte, N.C.
Spurs' last 10 games/streak: 8-2, lost two
Celtics' last 10 games/streak: 5-5, lost three
Spurs' injury/inactive report: Forward Chimezie Metu (G League assignment), out; forward Ben Moore (G League assignment), out; point guard Dejounte Murray (torn right anterior cruciate ligament), out.
Celtics' injury/inactive report: Center/forward Aron Baynes (left ankle sprain), out; forward Gordon Hayward (NBA concussion protocol), out; center/forward Al Horford (left knee soreness), out.
Notable: The Spurs had won 11 consecutive games against Boston before the Celtics snapped the streak with a 108-94 victory on Oct. 30, 2017 in Boston . . . San Antonio clinched its 22nd consecutive winning season with an 111-105 victory against defending league champion Golden State last Monday night at the AT&T Center . . . The Silver and Black currently own the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. They trail No. 5 Oklahoma City, No. 6 Utah and No. 7 Los Angeles Clippers, all 43-30, by one game . . . San Antonio would play No. 1 seed Denver in the first round of the playoffs if the postseason started Sunday . . . Sunday's game in Boston is the second of three in a row on the road for the Spurs, who play at Charlotte on Tuesday . . . San Antonio has nine games left in the regular season, four at home and five on the road . . . The Spurs are the only NBA team with an all-time winning record against every team in the league. They lead the series against the Celtics 53-39. San Antonio leads the season series 1-0.
GAME PREVIEW
Things can change drastically from one day to the next in the NBA’s highly competitive Western Conference, where the jockeying for playoff positioning is almost as intense as the postseason itself.
Take the Spurs, for example.
Just a few days ago, they were riding the momentum of a nine-game winning streak and brimming with confidence as they headed to the homestretch of the regular season. But back-to-back losses to Miami and Houston have dropped the Silver and Black to the No. 8 – and final – playoff spot in the West with nine games left on their schedule.
The Spurs (42-31) continue their three-game road trip Sunday night against the Boston Celtics, who are coming off a 124-117 road loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
The Celtics (43-30) have lost three straight, but they trail current No. 4 seed Indiana by only one game in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Playing Boston may be just the antidote the Silver and Black need to break out of their two-game skid. The Spurs have dominated their series with the Celtics, winning 13 of the last 14 meetings. San Antonio beat Boston 11 straight times before the Celtics’ 108-94 home victory on Oct. 30, 2017 ended the streak.
The Silver and Black still may be a little shell locked after the withering barrage of points Houston guard James Harden rained on them in the Rockets’ 111-105 home win Friday night. Harden went off for 61 points – the most any player has scored against the Spurs since Gregg Popovich became their coach early in the 1996-97 season – and had 27 in the first quarter alone.
Harden’s 61-point night tied his career high.
“We gave up a million points in the first quarter and they had 19 free throws in the first half, and none in the third quarter,” Popovich said. “You play with your heart and you play between the ears also. We played smarter and we played harder in the second half, but you can’t do that against a good team like Houston or any team in the NBA. You have to be able to play for 48 minutes. We played the last two quarters and then at the end, James (Harden) put on an MVP-type performance, so that’s that.”
Down 62-47 at the half, the Spurs refused to go quietly into the night. They clawed their way back and tied the game at 81 heading into the fourth quarter. The Silver and Black led 100-94 with four minutes remaining, and might have gone up by eight if DeMar DeRozan hadn’t been whistled for an offensive foul on a made shot. Harden, his childhood friend, was defending on the play.
The Rockets erased the Spurs’ six-point lead with a 13-2 run that shifted the momentum to Houston for good. Harden scored all 13 points in the run, hitting three consecutive three-pointers and two contested jumpers.
“James (Harden) came through big after they called that offensive foul on me,” DeRozan said. “James came down and hit two big threes to tie the game up. We couldn’t score after that. They had the momentum from there.”
Harden eclipsed the 50-point plateau for the eighth time this season. He already had 40 points with nine minutes left in the third quarter.
“He’s been in a zone all year,” DeRozan said. “The things he’s been doing is remarkable. You have to tip your hats off to him. When a guy gets it going like that, it’s tough to slow him down.”
Bryn Forbes led the Spurs with 20 points and Derrick White and DeRozan finished with 18 and 16, respectively.
