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Spurs top Celtics, 115-96 behind Aldridge's 48 points

The Spurs (43-31) picked up a road win in Boston Sunday night.
Credit: AP
Boston Celtics' Marcus Morris (13) defends against San Antonio Spurs' LaMarcus Aldridge (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Sunday, March 24, 2019 (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

LaMarcus Aldridge could not be stopped Sunday night. The former Texas Longhorn went off in Boston, scoring 48 points on 20-of-31 shooting. He also tallied 13 rebounds and 6 assists as the Spurs ended their two-game losing streak.

The Spurs (43-31) didn't trail after the 5:19 mark of the first quarter as the Celtics (43-31) lost both games of a back-to-back, 115-96.

DeMar DeRozan added 16 points and 11 assists, and Patty Mills scored 12 points to wrap up the double-digit scoring for San Antonio.

The Spurs shot 51 percent and held the Celtics to 40 percent shooting from the field.

Next up for the Spurs is a Tuesday road game against the Charlotte Hornets.

FOURTH QUARTER:

LaMarcus Aldridge had eight games of 30 or more points entering Sunday night. He made 30 points look easy, reaching that mark early in the second half. He kept rolling to 40 in the fourth quarter. Patty Mills has also been solid, quietly adding 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

DeMar DeRozan's double-double will also get lost in the hype around LaMarcus' big night scoring, but DeMar had 16 points and 10 assists with only 1 turnover with 5 minutes left in the game. The Spurs put it away on back-to-back-to-back threes by Davis Bertans (twice) and LaMarcus Aldridge. At that point, it was a 25-point lead with under 4 minutes to go.

THIRD QUARTER:

After three, the Spurs lead 84-72.

The story of the game continued to be LaMarcus Aldridge in the third quarter, as the Celtics had no answer for him. Double team him? He'll find the open man.

When the Celtics lost track of him, Aldridge made them pay. The Spurs' All-Star had 36 points and 12 rebounds through three quarters, and he did it on an efficient 15-of-22 shooting.

SECOND QUARTER:

At halftime, the Spurs lead 54-47.

LaMarcus Aldridge got a breather to start the second quarter after playing all 12 minutes of the first (and scoring 19 points). Patty Mills was ready to take some extra shots.

The Celtics are playing their second game in as many nights, and their tired legs are showing at times. The Spurs are getting good looks and also making some difficult shots. That's a good combination.

FIRST QUARTER:

After one, the Spurs lead 31-24.

The Spurs knew which matchup they want to attack in this one. LaMarcus Aldridge took 6 of the first 12 shots for the Silver & Black, and he turned it into 8 of the first 10 points. The game was tied at 10 after about 5 minutes.

Aldridge just kept on going, dominating the first quarter and nearly outscoring the Celtics on his own. After 9 minutes, Aldridge had 17 points, the Celtics had 18, and the rest of the Spurs had 4. Do the math: that's a three point lead for San Antonio.

Aldridge's last hoop of the quarter came off of a classic Spurs basketball moment: 

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When the Spurs wake up on Monday morning, they could find themselves on the verge of a playoff berth.

The Silver & Black take on the Celtics in Boston Sunday night as their three-game road trip continues. The Spurs play the Hornets on Tuesday before returning to the AT&T Center for three of their last six games.

The Spurs have recently had no problem with the Celtics, including a win in their only other meeting this season.

RELATED: SPURS GAMEDAY: Silver and Black have dominated series with Celtics since 2011-12 season

This year, though, the Spurs have not been good away from San Antonio, sporting a 13-23 record in road games.

The Spurs enter Sunday's action in eighth place in the Western Conference, one game behind the Utah Jazz, who have the night off. More importantly, the Kings are creeping up on the final playoff spot, trailing San Antonio by 5.5 games. They play the Lakers in Los Angeles tonight at 8:30 Central. The Kings are the only team behind San Antonio that can claim a playoff spot. The magic number for the Spurs is down to five, meaning any combination of Spurs wins and Kings losses that adds up to five over the last few games of the season equals a playoff berth for the Spurs.

On the other side, the Celtics have had a disappointing year. They're fighting to move up from the number five spot to claim home-court advantage in a likely first-round series against the Pacers. Boston fell a game short of winning the Eastern Conference Finals last year, but has struggled to integrate Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving with the young core that made last season's surprising playoff run.

Boston will be without a couple of key players, with Gordon Hayward, Aron Baynes and Al Horford listed as "out" on the injury report.

Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m. Central. 

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