The Celtics entered their Monday night contest with the defending champion Spurs as 7.5 point underdogs (according to the Vegas spreads), needing a victory to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

What many expected to be a blowout became a very tightly contested matchup. The Spurs and Celtics went back and forth for the game’s entirety with MVP candidate Chris Starling leading the way as usual. However, Starling would receive much needed help from fellow guard Ryan Muir (13 points, 6 rebounds), who would have his biggest game of the season. The backcourt duo would combine for 31 of Boston’s 43 points.

One of the reasons the Spurs failed to pull away from the Celtics appeared to be their inability to hit free throws. San Antonio made enough trips to the line for 37 free throw attempts, compared to just 12 attempts for Boston. However, the Spurs would only convert on 15 of these attempts, allowing the Celtics to hang around.

In the final seconds of regulation, the Celtics found themselves trailing 36-34 with the Spurs inbounding the ball under the basket they were supposed to be defending. It looked like the Celtics, who have lost numerous heartbreakers this year, would fall short yet again. However, Josh Robles, arguably the heart and soul of the Spurs franchise, would make a costly mistake. Coming out of a timeout, there must have been some confusion on Robles’s part regarding which basket the Spurs were defending and the defensive specialist ended up converting on a go ahead layup… for the opposing team. The game would be sent to overtime. “What can I say?” commented Robles postgame, “I had to give them a chance.”

In overtime, the defending champ Spurs (3-1) would gradually finish the Celtics (0-5) off, despite a valiant effort by the all-rookie team. Although the Celtics have yet to experience their first victory, the city of Boston is optimistic about this young team’s future.