SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz fell to the Boston Celtics 121-99 Friday night as the team dropped its 11th game in its last 12 outings.
Collin Sexton scored 30 points on 12-16 shooting while the Celtics were led by Kristaps Porzingis who scored 27.
With their 55th loss of the season, the Jazz are guaranteed to finish with 27 wins or fewer for only the seventh time in franchise history.
Game Blog: Celtics Crush Jazz In Fourth Quarter
Sexton Maintains Pride Despite Difficult Season
For an organization that benefits from every loss, better positioning itself to land a top selection in June’s NBA Draft, Sexton can look out of place.
The 26-year-old always seems to be in overdrive, both on the floor, and in practice.
Sexton takes pride in giving it his all every moment he’s on the court, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by coach Will Hardy.
“How he attacks the weight room, the practice court, his prep, his recovery — I think Collin has shown a ton of character this year,” Hardy said.
WHEW, COLLIN SEXTON 😮💨
He went behind-the-back, between-the-legs and pulled up for three 🔥 pic.twitter.com/0P5yXHIL0q
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 22, 2025
Sexton showed that attack when he shoved the Celtics Porzingis after the All-Star big man got tangled up with Jazz sophomore Keyonte George.
Sexton’s signature smile never left his face during the altercation, but it revealed the guard’s competitive spirit.
“Collin’s fighting hard every single day,” Hardy said, “and he doesn’t take one moment of this for granted.”
Joe Ingles Touching Moment With Wolves
While it had nothing to do with the loss to the Celtics, Jazz fans will celebrate a moment they may have missed with former fan favorite Joe Ingles and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After Ingles signed with the Timberwolves last summer, his wife and children stayed in Orlando where he played for the Magic last season, rather than relocate the family for the third time in three years.
This week, the family traveled to see the Timberwolves play, but the veteran guard didn’t take the floor in their 132-130 overtime loss.
Regardless, it was a major milestone for Ingles’s son Jacob who watched the entire game in the arena for the first time in his life.
Jacob has autism spectrum disorder and hasn’t watched his dad play a full NBA game in person despite his long career.
This Joe Ingles story 🥹
Joe’s wife, Renae, and their 3 kids are in town. Last week, their son Jacob, who is autistic, made it through his first ever NBA game in-arena. But Joe didn’t play…
Tonight, Chris Finch started Ingles to make sure Jacob could see his dad play 🫶 pic.twitter.com/fKrHuFTNEi
— NBA (@NBA) March 22, 2025
With the Ingles family still in town, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch opted to start Ingles to allow Jacob to see his dad play.
It’s emotional, sometimes you have to do the human thing, Finch said after the Timberwolves’ 134-93 victory.
Ingles recorded one assist in six minutes in the blowout.
Friday’s win marked the first start for Joe Ingles since January 30, 2022, which ironically came against the Timberwolves.
That was Ingles’s final game as a member of the Jazz when he tore his ACL in Minnesota.
Jazz To Face Slumping Cavaliers On Sunday
The Jazz will continue their homestand against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a rare midday game on Sunday at Delta Center.
The Cavaliers travel to Utah riding their first four-game losing streak of the season after falling to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Final. @betwayusa | #LetEmKnow
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 22, 2025
Cleveland lost to the Orlando Magic last Sunday before opening their five-game West Coast road trip with losses against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Sacramento Kings, and the Suns.
With the Cavaliers loss, they sit a full 2.0 games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the best record in the NBA, and would open the Finals on the road if they manage to win the Eastern Conference.
Though Cleveland has struggled with injuries late in the season, they had their full complement of players minus little-used rookie Jaylon Tyson.
Next Utah Jazz Broadcast
The Jazz will host the Cavaliers on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and heard on97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone . Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.