BOSTON (AP) – Gregg Popovich became the first NBA coach to reach 2,000 games for the same team, and Dejounte Murray scored 22 points as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Boston Celtics 99-97 on Wednesday.
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Devin Vassell and Derrick White each contributed 17 points for the Spurs, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
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Jaylen Brown led Boston with 30 points after scoring 50, his best, during the win over Orlando in the Celtics’ most recent game. However, his last shot against San Antonio flirted with the hoop just as the bell rang that marked the end of the game.
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“We made mistakes and we recovered. They also committed and reacted. Jaylen missed a layup at the end. We threw the ball straight at him, ”Popovich said. “We lost three balls down the stretch. We are excited to have won the victory. We play with what is necessary to win ”.
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Murray, the team’s leading scorer, returned from COVID-19 protocols after missing the last five games and participated in 33 minutes.
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Boston’s Jayson Tatum also reappeared after missing four games due to sanitation. He contributed 19 units with 6 of 20 field goals.
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Marcus Smart had 14 points and six assists.
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The Spurs led 95-89 with just over three minutes to go before Boston closed the gap to two points.
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The Celtics then committed a 24-second foul and Brown was fouled on offense on the next possession, with 1:53 to play.
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The Spurs held the 99-97 lead when Smart missed with 20 seconds left.
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Popovich downplayed the achievement before the game, when asked if the number had any meaning to him.
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“No, that means I’m old, I’ve been in the same place for a long time, worked with a lot of great players, blah blah blah,” said the 72-year-old coach.
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