Sam Hauser Steals the Show As Short-Handed Celtics Outlast Determined Grizzlies

• Sam Hauser stole the show for the Boston Celtics as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies
• Injuries left the Celtics are without Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon
• They have won the last four games and are top of the Eastern Conference standings

Despite having essential players out with injuries, the Boston Celtics' depth was evident again as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies 119-109 at TD Garden on Sunday.

Sam Hauser scored 20 points including a career-high six threes, a productive outing after filling in for the injured stars.

Eight players were in double figures for the 2022 NBA finalists, including MVP candidate, Jayson Tatum who had a rough night.

Hauser's start against the Grizzlies was the third in his career and repaid Joseph Mazzulla's faith.

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He went 6-of-11 from the three-point range and set the tone for the team early in the game, scoring the Celtics' eight of their first 13 points.

The 2008 NBA champions are without Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and Malcolm Brogdon due to injuries. However, their absences allowed Hauser, Payton Pritchard, Mike Muscala and others to shine.

Pritchard scored 12 points off the bench while newly acquired big man, Muscala added 10 points. MVP candidate and All-Star starter, Tatum struggled, scoring 16 points on 3-of-16 shooting from the field.

Al Horford added 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Derrick White led all Boston scorers with 23 points and 10 assists. Robert Williams III scored 10 points and 16 rebounds.

Hauser reacts to big win

25-year-old Hauser has done well recently. He has scored in double-figures in the past four games, after achieving that just twice in his previous 30 appearances.

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In that four-game stretch, he's averaged 15 .3 points per game, shooting 21-of-39 from the field and 19-of-33 from deep.

Hauser commented he is happy to fill in for injured stars.

“We have a couple of our top dogs out right now, and it's just opportunities for guys to kind of showcase more of what they can do and try to fill that void of the guys who are out. They bring a lot to the table so we just try to do our best to do whatever we can to help the team win and we've been doing that pretty well.”

Hauser has appeared in 55 games for the Celtics this season. He has averaged 6.2 points per game on 44.9% shooting from the field and 41.7% from deep.

The win was Boston's fourth in a row.

They have moved to 1 1/2 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks for the Eastern Conference's best record, ahead of their mouth-watering showdown in the Bucks on Tuesday, according to ESPN.

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Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Desmond Bane added 18 points, while Jaren Jackson Jr. had 15.

Tatum on 2022 NBA Finals

Sports Brief earlier reported on Tatum explaining why the Celtics lost the 2022 NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors.

The forward said he felt GSW had another gear despite having almost the same talent level, adding the Celtics core were playing in their first NBA Finals.

Tatum admitted he had been tired in Game 6 of the series, in which he underwhelmed and drew sharp criticism from the fans.