New Year, Same Woes: Spurs Stunned At Home By Boston Celtics, Ring in 2024 With Loss
SAN ANTONIO — Signing along to Taylor Swift during the break between the first and second quarters was the only part of the pre-New Year's festivities at Frost Bank Center that Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs fans could connect over.
Besides that, all attention was on whether or not the Jayson Tatum-led Celtics could overcome Victor Wembanyama and the shorthanded Spurs on the road.
Preparing to face a team with one of the strongest net ratings in the league was never going to be an easy task for San Antonio, but doing it without Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins only made it more difficult, and that showed.
A double-digit lead began to feel expected for the Celtics just a few minutes into the second quarter, and unfortunately for San Antonio's fanbase, that was largely the case. Boston simply couldn't be slowed down offensively as it cruised to a 134-101 victory to ring in the New Year.
Neither team shot well from behind the arc, but San Antonio was the worse of two evils, finishing the contest with with a 26-percent shooting clip from deep. Wembanyama started hot with 3 of his own, but finished with that many as he notched 21 points and seven rebounds. Devin Vassell led the way scoring-wise, finishing the night with 22 points on an efficient 9-15 shooting, but not enough to lead the Spurs' offense to more success.
Boston's winning effort was spearheaded by its four main stars. Tatum finished with a team-high 25 points while Jaylen Brown came in right behind him with 24. Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White combined for 31 of their own points to add fuel to the fire.
Porzingis won the tipoff the first time — posing the first near-equal threat for Wembanyama at center court all season — but after it was deemed that he jumped too early, both centers got a fair second chance, and Wembanyama delivered the first possession to the Spurs.
Dec 31, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) go after the opening tip in the first half at Frost Bank Center.
© Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
But almost as quickly as they earned possession, Boston earned its first points off of a Tatum 3-pointer to kick off scoring. The Celtics got off to an early lead behind Tatum, Brown and White — who made his first trip to San Antonio this season — as San Antonio looked for a response.
The Spurs weren't totally shooting an empty scorecard, but they were struggling to keep up with their visitors, as they found themselves down by eight points after the first 12 minutes of play.
Then, Victor Wembanyama decided to take matters into his own hands.
After hitting two 3-pointers in the first quarter, the rookie sent the crowd into a frenzy with an alley-oop finish over both 7-1 center Luke Kornet and his own head.
The play marked his 10th point — and ninth double-digit performance in his last 10 outings — but he wasn't done yet. The next possession, Wembanyama hit a third 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper from inside the arc to notch 15 points and bring the Spurs within seven.
After Wembanyama cooled-off slightly, however, Boston continued to lay on the points. Where San Antonio missed, the Celtics made shots. They out-rebounded, out shot and out-blocked their hosts to take a 12-point lead to the locker room after putting up close to 70 points to the Spurs' 53.
Dec 31, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) shoots over San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones (33) in the first half at Frost Bank Center.
© Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
The third quarter was promising after the Spurs showed some signs of life in the middle of the second, but before two minutes had passed, San Antonio was down by 20 points.
And it only got worse from there.
Brown, White, Tatum and Porzingis continued to rally the Celtics to offensive success and defensive strength, as they forced two straight turnovers that led to back-to-back dunks from Brown and White.
Wembanyama did his best Michael Jordan impression on a dunk that saw him go the length of half court in one dribble followed by a one-handed placement through the net that seemed all-too easy. But unfortunately for the Spurs fans — still amped with New Year's Eve energy — that was the most exciting part of the second half.
The Spurs were able to find some offense from their stars in the waning minutes of the final period of play, but nothing was enough to make a dent in the large lead Boston had built. By time seven minutes remained on the clock, both teams' benches had been cleared and the less experienced players got to show their potential.
Ultimately, the Celtics outplayed their hosts in all facets of the game. It was a blowout, plain-and-simple as Boston cruised to a 134-101 road victory.
With the loss, the Spurs fall to 5-27 on the season for their second straight loss, and ring in the New Year on the wrong side of the record books. They'll have a chance to redeem themselves on the road, however, with a trip to Memphis to take on Ja Morant and the Grizzlies, who just lost their first game with the star point guard playing.
A win there will give San Antonio some momentum before returning to Frost Bank Center to host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks for the first showdown between Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Tipoff from FedExForum is set for 7 p.m. CST Tuesday.
