Jaylen Brown has 30 points, Celtics rally to beat Grizzlies

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, Luka Garza added a season-high 22 points and the Boston Celtics used a fourth-quarter lead to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-112 on Friday night.

Payton Pritchard added 19 points for the Celtics, who have won four straight. The victory kept Boston in second place in the East, a game and a half behind the New York Knicks, who beat Brooklyn 93-92 earlier on Friday evening.

Tyler Burton, who signed a 10-day contract with Memphis on March 12, led the Grizzlies with 23 points, a career high. Ty Jerome added 16 points and seven assists. Javon Small and DeJon Jarreau finished with 13 points each.

Memphis was able to stay close through three quarters as Boston struggled with their shooting, converting just 40% of their shots entering the fourth quarter. Turnovers have also plagued the Celtics.

Memphis led 103-102 with five minutes and 33 seconds remaining, but Boston took a ten-point lead to end the Grizzlies’ hopes.

The Grizzlies, who ended an eight-game losing streak by defeating Denver 125-118 on Wednesday night, are working their way through the final weeks of the season. Memphis was once again short on players with nine players on the injured list, including several players who had already undergone season-ending surgeries.

On the other hand, the main absentee from Celtic was Nikola Vucevic, who missed his seventh consecutive match due to a fracture in his right ring finger.

Both teams struggled from beyond the arc for much of the first half, keeping the score down and the Grizzlies close. Up until the 4-minute mark of the second quarter, both teams had converted just three pointers each. Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum missed his first eight shots.

Brown’s 16 points helped Boston lead 55-54 at halftime.

Celtics: Host the Timberwolves on Sunday

Grizzlies: At Charlotte on Saturday