Marcus Smart dished 9 assists in the first quarter as the Celtics hit their first 10 shots and exploded to another 20-point lead in the second quarter that they rarely let up on. Smart set a career high with 13 assists in the 125-97 win over the Jazz, Boston’s fifth straight and 10th in 11 games this month.
Jaylen Brown reacted to the Celtics pulling within 1.5 games of 1st place in the east, while Smart defiantly affirmed his point guard standing to Bobby Manning in Boston, with his teammates now trusting him to man that post.
