BOSTON (AP) – Payton Pritchard hit five 3-pointers, scored 24 points, and dished out nine assists as the Boston Celtics used a dominant second half to cruise past the Memphis Grizzlies 131-95 on Wednesday night.

The Grizzlies were without star guard Ja Morant, who sat out due to a right ankle injury sustained Tuesday night in a loss at New York. Derrick White contributed 20 points for Boston, while Jaylen Brown added 19.

Boston never trailed in the game, connecting on 21 3-pointers and building a commanding 38-point lead. The Celtics also imposed their will inside, outrebounding Memphis 58-41 and holding a significant 34-12 advantage in second-chance points.

For the Grizzlies, Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 18 points and Santi Aldama finished with 14. Memphis has now lost seven of their last eight games.

Morant had appeared in five straight games following a one-game suspension on November 2 at Toronto for conduct detrimental to the team. Without their star guard, Memphis struggled offensively, shooting just 34% (32 of 95) from the field and 10 of 43 from beyond the arc.

After shooting under 28% in the first half of their loss in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the Celtics found their range at home, connecting on 53% (27 of 51) of their shots in the opening 24 minutes to take a 67-46 lead.

**Up next:**
Grizzlies: At Cavaliers on Saturday.
Celtics: Host Clippers on Sunday.
https://whdh.com/sports/payton-pritchard-scores-24-points-celtics-roll-past-ja-morant-less-grizzlies-131-95/