Terry Rozier has had better nights than this. Shots clanged off the rim. Others rimmed in and out.
Then … the fourth quarter arrived.
And not soon afterwards, so did Rozier’s shooting touch which was one of the keys to Boston rallying for a 97-94 win over the Utah Jazz.
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Boston (52-23) extended its winning streak to five in a row and closed out their last West coast road trip with a 4-0 record.
Rozier had 13 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter.
The 6-foot-2 Rozier has now scored in double figures for the 24th straight game which speaks to how consistent he has been in terms of giving the Boston a much-needed lift offensively.
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And with Kyrie Irving (left knee) and Marcus Smart (right thumb) out for the remainder of the regular season and part of the playoffs, Rozier’s value as a play-making scorer becomes even more of a necessity for the Celtics.
Trailing 80-72 in the fourth quarter, Boston made a 3-pointer on four consecutive possessions – three by Rozier, one by Shane Larkin – with the last cutting Utah’s lead to 85-84.
Even though Rozier had missed all seven of his shot attempts through the first three quarters of play, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens knows Rozier often saves his best for when the game matters most.
“I just got it going,” Rozier, who was 4-for-8 from the field in the fourth, told reporters after the win. “I was just happy we stayed in the game and we fought the whole game. I didn’t care about individual stats. We fought hard the whole game. We did a lot of great things together as a unit.”
Regardless of how Rozier may be playing, Celtics coach Brad Stevens’ confidence in Rozier down the stretch never fades.
“He’s always made big plays when the game is on the line,” Stevens said. “In the fourth quarter, he makes big shots.”