Veteran Al Horford turned back the clock to help the NBA champion Boston Celtics notch a ninth straight victory and nab a franchise first with a 117-103 win over the Grizzlies in Memphis on Monday.
Horford, 38, led the Celtics scoring with 26 points off the bench.
Jayson Tatum added 25 points and 14 rebounds and the Celtics defense stymied the Grizzlies in the second half to complete a perfect 6-0 road trip — the longest unbeaten road swing in the club’s history.
Boston, second in the Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, won all six games by double digits.
Horford scored his season-high, draining six of Boston’s 21 three-pointers.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Horford said. “It’s pretty amazing for me to be in this position and I’m just trying to have fun with it and enjoy with my team.”
Ja Morant scored 26 points for the Grizzlies, who led by as many as 11 in the first half and regained the lead early in the third.
Ultimately, however, they couldn’t keep pace and lost ground in their fight with the Los Angeles Lakers for fourth place in the West.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
