The Boston Celtics defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 122-116, at TD Garden on Friday evening.

The Celtics (27-18) haven't been exactly been the most consistent team in the NBA this season, but at least they've been mostly reliable on their home court. Boston owned a 16-5 record at TD Garden coming into Friday, and accordingly, they got off to a fast start against the Grizzlies (19-26) by forging a 35-24 first-quarter lead. However, Memphis flipped the script in the second to the extent they entered halftime with a 62-58 advantage. The home squad then responded by eliminating their deficit in the third and carrying a five-point edge into the final period. The visitors would get as close as 106-104 with 4:53 remaining, but the Celtics never relinquished the lead and hung on.

Mike Conley led the way for the Grizzlies with 26 points, adding four assists. Jaren Jackson, Jr. totaled 23 points, four rebounds, one assist and one block. Shelvin Mack tallied 15 points, seven assists, three rebounds and one steal. Justin Holiday supplied 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and four steals. JaMychal Green and Omri Casspi managed matching 12-point tallies while providing two and four rebounds, respectively.

Kyrie Irving paced the Celtics with 38 points, adding 11 assists, seven rebounds and one block. Marcus Smart went for 20 points, six boards, three assists, three steals and one block. Al Horford posted 18 points, three rebounds and one assist. Jaylen Brown led the bench with 12 points while also registering six boards, one assist and two steals. Terry Rozier generated 10 points, four dimes and one rebound.

The Grizzlies remain on the road and take on the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night, while the Celtics hit the road and visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday evening as well.