San Antonio Spurs leaned on late-game execution to secure a 100-95 road win over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night at TD Garden.
Victor Wembanyama scored 16 of his 21 points after halftime and sealed the outcome with a left-wing jumper with 19.2 seconds remaining as San Antonio improved to 27-11.
De’Aaron Fox matched Wembanyama with 21 points and played a pivotal role defensively during the closing stretch, while Keldon Johnson delivered 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Spurs earned their second straight victory after a brief two-game skid, relying on rebounding control and timely perimeter shooting late.
Boston, which had won nine of its previous 11 games, received strong performances from its backcourt but struggled to close against San Antonio’s size and pressure.
Derrick White led the Celtics with 29 points, and Jaylen Brown added 27 in a losing effort.
The game tightened late in the third quarter before Boston briefly gained momentum when Baylor Scheierman knocked down a corner three to break an 84-all tie with just under seven minutes remaining.
White followed with a driving basket to extend the lead, but the Spurs answered with a decisive 9-2 run capped by Johnson’s three-pointer that put San Antonio ahead 93-91 with 2:14 left.
Brown tied the game on a layup, but Wembanyama responded with a fadeaway jumper from the lane to restore the Spurs’ advantage with 1:33 remaining.
Fox then stripped Brown near midcourt, leading to Julian Champagnie’s putback basket that made it 97-93 with 41 seconds to play.
Wembanyama delivered the final blow moments later, knocking down a contested jumper to push the margin to 99-95 and silence the crowd.
The Spurs rookie star endured a quiet first half, not scoring until midway through the second quarter when he connected on a three-pointer from the top of the arc.
Boston’s defense focused early on limiting Wembanyama, sending quick double teams and crowding his driving lanes after the Celtics defeated Toronto the night before.
That approach loosened in the second half as Wembanyama scored nine straight points midway through the third quarter, erasing a nine-point deficit and leveling the game with a three-point play.
San Antonio finished with a 53-52 rebounding edge and held Boston to just four free throw attempts, limiting easy scoring chances.
The Spurs continue their road swing Sunday at Minnesota, while the Celtics travel to Indiana on Monday.
