Utah @ Boston preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 26, 2020 ) Boston 114, Utah 103

Jayson Tatum returned from a one-game layoff Wednesday night in Cleveland to get the Boston Celtics on the right path following an embarrassing collapse the night before. The All-Star forward will try to lead his team to its second win over the Utah Jazz in a span of 10 days when the teams reconvene in Boston on Friday.

After sitting out a 129-120 overtime loss to Brooklyn in which his team blew a 21-point lead in the second half, Tatum scored 32 points to lead the Celtics to a 112-106 victory over the Cavaliers. "We could have made excuses because a lot of our guys aren't here, but we don't do that," Tatum told reporters Wednesday, referencing the absence of three starters. "I just tried to do my part. It was good to be out there." Tatum owns five straight games of 32 points or more, including a 33-point effort in the 114-103 win at Utah on Feb. 26. The Jazz have recovered well from that setback by winning three straight and riding a fast start in a 112-104 win at New York on Wednesday.

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, NBCS Boston, SN1

ABOUT THE JAZZ (39-22): Utah's three-game winning streak has come against teams with a combined record of 58-127, but the schedule intensifies with the visit to Boston and matchups with Toronto, Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers (twice) in the next eight games. "No disrespect to teams we've been playing but these are games where we should come out on top," guard Donovan Mitchell told reporters in New York. "We have a test coming up against Boston where we've got to keep the same energy. We've got to go out and continue to play the same way against tougher teams." Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 23 points apiece in Wednesday's win while Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 14 rebounds for his 44th double-double.

ABOUT THE CELTICS (42-19): Tatum's big effort in Cleveland helped Boston survive without fellow All-Star Kemba Walker (knee), Jaylen Brown (hamstring) and Gordon Hayward (knee). While Walker is day-to-day, Brown is expected to miss at least a week and Hayward is doubtful for Friday's contest. Semi Ojeleye picked up much of the slack at Cleveland with a career-high 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting - 5-of-8 from 3-point distance.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Mitchell scored 37 points in the first matchup.

2. Jazz PG Mike Conley has 18 assists and just two turnovers over his last three games.

3. Utah won in its last two visits to Boston.

PREDICTION: Celtics 109, Jazz 106