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The Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies game on Sunday took an odd turn, but Kristaps Porzingis helped avert an upset loss, The Latvian center had the presence of mind to man the defensive end, with the Celtics holding on to a narrow two-point win, 102-100.
The Cetlics were up by two points with 17.7 seconds left, and what they needed to do was to hold on to the ball until someone gave up a foul. Instead, Jayson Tatum risked a loss by trying to seal the game early with a 3-pointer but missed.
Derrick White was there for the offensive rebound, and the ball went back to Tatum with 13.6 seconds left. Not contented, he tried to go for a quick two points by finding the cutting Jrue Holiday but got his shot altered by Jaren Jackson Jr.
Grabbing the defensive rebound was Zaire Williams, who passed the ball past the midcourt to John Konchar. He found Santi Aldama who took the open 3-point shot but missed.
Crashing the boards was Williams again who took the quick fadeaway. Challenging the shot was seven-foot-three Kristaps Porzingis who stretched for the block. Time ran out, and the Celtics win.
Here's the video of the last few seconds of the game:
Kristaps Porzingis leads charge for Boston Celtics against Memphis Grizzlies
With the game-winning block, Kristaps Porzingis helped the Boston Celtics improve their record to 11-2 on the season. They're now atop the NBA Eastern Conference, above the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks.
Kristaps Porzingis was the Celtics' leading scorer with 26 points, eight rebounds and six blocks. Not too far behind was Jayson Tatum who had 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a block.
Coming off the bench, Sam Hauser maximized his 22 minutes of playing time by contributing 15 points, four rebounds and two steals.
On the other side, Desmond Bane led all scorers with 30 points while Santi Aldama had his best game of the season, registering 28 points, 12 boards, six dimes and two steals.
Jaren Jackson Jr. tallied 17 points, eight rebounds and a block as the Memphis Grizzlies fell to 3-10 in 2023.
The Boston Celtics, meanwhile, extended their winning streak to six. They next take on the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 20 at the Spectrum Center. Their next game at the TD Garden will be two days later against the Milwaukee Bucks.
