Jaylen Brown hoists up a 3-pointer over Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama during the first quarter under the watchful eye of Joe Mazzulla, but Wembanyama got the last laugh in a 100-95 San Antonio victory at TD Garden.
Jaylen Brown hoists up a 3-pointer over Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama during the first quarter under the watchful eye of Joe Mazzulla, but Wembanyama got the last laugh in a 100-95 San Antonio victory at TD Garden.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
For weeks, the Celtics have faced opponents missing one or more of their stars. It has not been their fault that they have mostly been healthy all season, and they are of course still missing their own star, Jayson Tatum.
Nevertheless, Saturday’s game against the Spurs offered a rare chance for Boston to test itself against a powerful, full-strength opponent featuring a rising superstar in Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama, whose playing time remains limited as he returns from a knee injury, did not start the game, but he was there to finish it, and his 15-foot pull-up with 19 seconds left helped propel San Antonio to a tense 100-95 win that had the feel of a playoff game.
He finished with 21 points in just 26 minutes for the Spurs, who won despite making just 10 of 44 3-pointers. That margin was offset by the fact that the Celtics attempted just four free throws in the game.
Derrick White had 29 points and Jaylen Brown added 27 for the Celtics, but both players struggled from the field. Brown hit just 11 of 28 shots and White connected on only 5 of 17 3-pointers.
The Spurs took a 78-75 lead, their largest to that point, on a Wembanyama dunk with 10:45 left. But Baylor Scheierman, who had a steal and dunk late in the third quarter, provided an unlikely lift with two 3-pointers in the fourth, the second of which gave Boston an 87-84 lead with 6:59 left.
THIS SEQUENCE! UNREAL 👽
🌟 https://t.co/frD28T3bmx
📺 @FanDuelSN_SW pic.twitter.com/yjoUwm4yRi
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 11, 2026
The teams mostly traded baskets for the next few minutes, with neither leading by more than 5 points. With the score tied at 93, Wembanyama hit a tough 15-foot fadeaway with 1:33 left.
Brown, who had a pair of shots blocked by Wembanyama and seemed bothered by his presence, missed an open 3-pointer from the top of the key but rushed upcourt with another chance moments later, Then De’Aaron Fox stole the ball from him, leading to a Julian Champagnie layup that gave the Spurs a 97-93 lead with 40.5 seconds left.
White pulled Boston within 2 with a pair of free throws with 37.5 seconds to play, giving Boston plenty of time to force a stop. But Wembanyama wouldn’t allow that, as his jumper over Scheierman swished through the net to give the Spurs a 99-95 advantage.
Brown missed another 3-pointer at the other end. The ball ended up in White’s hands, but his 3-point attempt was blocked by Champagnie.
Sam Hauser sat out because of hamstring tightness, temporarily breaking up a starting lineup that had been scorching recently. Coach Joe Mazzulla took a more defensive-minded approach, with rookie wing Hugo González getting the nod.
The Spurs took an early 7-2 lead before the Celtics quickly seized control with a 12-0 run. Wembanyama, who remains on a minutes restriction after being sidelined with a hyperextended knee, entered the game with 7:45 left, in the middle of Boston’s surge. And the Celtics wasted no time testing his wingspan.
Pritchard hit a mid-range jumper over him before Luka Garza did the same from 3-point range. Mazzulla mostly kept Garza in the game for Neemias Queta while Wembanyama was on the court, in order to space the floor with his 3-point shooting and keep Wembanyama out of the paint.
Brown then had the two most ambitious tries, swishing one high-arching 3-pointer over Wembanyama before draining another step-back 3 over him that nearly grazed the scoreboard.
Out of this world 🌙👽 pic.twitter.com/12RocovMV3
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 11, 2026
Wembanyama had no impact offensively during that opening stretch, either. The Celtics mostly deployed wings against him, with Jordan Walsh serving as his primary defender and González also getting a few looks.
Wembanyama, who was held scoreless in the first quarter, had his first shot blocked by Garza, who promptly canned a 3-pointer at the other end. The Spurs, meanwhile, hit just 2 of 15 long-range attempts in the opening quarter.
Wembanyama had a more productive second stint. He hit a 3-pointer before charging through the lane for a one-handed slam over González, helping the Spurs stay within reach despite their sordid long-range shooting.
White, whose sudden scoring explosions have become more common this year, provided a lift by hitting three 3-pointers over a three-minute stretch during his 15-point second quarter.
Still, the Spurs probably felt encouraged about trailing just 55-50 at the break despite hitting only 6 of 27 3-pointers.
The third quarter, somehow, was even worse. The Spurs went just 1 for 8 from long range, but they sliced into the deficit anyway thanks in large part to a dominant stretch by Wembanyama.
He checked back in after four minutes and promptly banked in a jumper before hitting a 17-foot fadeaway. He added two free throws before soaring in for an alley-oop layup as he was fouled by Brown. The free throw tied the score at 64. Brown also tested Wembanyama defensively and had his dunk attempt sent back, and Wembanyama gobbled up a Simons shot attempt.
A pair of Brown 3-pointers late in the third gave the Celtics some momentum, and the second, with 34 seconds left, set up a perfect two-for-one opportunity. But Simons gave it right back when he fouled Fox two seconds later.
Fox hit the two free throws, and after a Celtics miss he converted a baseline jumper just before the buzzer, pulling the Spurs within 75-73.
San Antonio took its first lead of the half, 76-75, on a Champagnie 3-pointer to start the fourth. Wembanyama then blocked Brown at the rim again before rushing upcourt and finishing the play with a dunk.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.