Behind 25 points and 14 rebounds from Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics won their ninth-straight game on Monday night, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies to improve to 56-19 on the season. While it’s unlikely the Celtics catch the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers (60-15), the defending champions are entering the postseason with a lot of momentum.
Monday’s victory concluded a perfect 6-0 road trip for the Celtics, as they now head home for three-straight games at TD Garden starting on Wednesday against the Miami Heat. Reigning Finals MVP Jaylen Brown was sidelined for the game against Memphis, but the Celtics still had five players in double figures, led by Al Horford’s 26 points off the bench.
Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) and forwards Jayson Tatum (0) and Jaylen Brown (7)© David Butler II-Imagn Images
This road trip for Boston was not only impressive, but it was also historic. After the win over Memphis, the team announced via its official stats account that this 6-0 road trip made franchise history.
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“The Celtics just recorded the first 6-0 road trip in franchise history,” the team announced. “It’s their best road trip since a 5-0 trip in Feb. 1973.”
While Cleveland has sat atop the Eastern Conference standings for most of this season, this current run from Boston shows why many remain high on the defending champions repeating this season. An NBA-best 32-7 away from home, the Celtics have had no problems winning on the road.
If the NBA season ended now, Boston would host the winner of the 7-8 Play-In Tournament game between the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic. Both the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls have outside shots at moving into that side of the bracket.
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