The best parts of the Spurs clutch win over the Celtics

The Spurs looked like they were heading toward their seventh consecutive loss. The home team had led by as many as 24 points during Friday night’s game against the Celtics. But Boston made a comeback and went up 88-81 with 3:21 left in the fourth quarter.

It wouldn’t have been surprising to see San Antonio take another defeat. But the Silver and Black shut the C’s down on defense, keeping them off the board the rest of the game, and scored 15 to pull off the 96-88 win.

Dejounte Murray led the way with 29 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block — his eighth double-double of the season. As the Spurs’ Twitter account pointed out, he became just the second player in franchise history to rack up 2,500 points, 1,500 rebounds and 1,000 assists in their first 300 career games, joining Alvin Robertson (1984-89).

Murray came up especially clutch, scoring eight of the team’s points during the game-winning 15-0 run.

Four other players notched double-digit points on the evening — Keldon Johnson and Derrick White with 17 each, Tre Jones with 12 and Lonnie Walker with 10.

Jones was particularly efficient, hitting 5-6 from the field. He made four shots in five minutes in the first quarter, helping San Antonio build its initial 24-point lead.

Johnson was asked to take on a more physical role with Doug McDermott and Devin Vassell sidelined. He proved up to the task, grabbing a team-high 14 boards and posterizing Grant Williams for a Dunk of the Year candidate.

White didn’t have his best night shooting, hitting 5-of-16, but still had a major impact grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out seven assists and canning three triples. He also helped Murray close the game out, scoring six points during the 15-0 run to end the game.

The Spurs look to stay in the win column on Monday when they take on the Washington Wizards inside the AT&T Center at 7:30 p.m.