The Boston Celtics utilized suffocating defense and 17 three-pointers to defeat the Utah Jazz 126-97 on Friday, keeping their perfect home record intact.

Jayson Tatum scored 30 points, his 14th game with 30 points this season. Kristaps Porzingis had 19 points and Jrue Holiday contributed 14 in the win over a Jazz squad that had won nine of their previous 12 games.

Boston, whose six-game winning streak ended on Tuesday in Oklahoma City, set the tone early with Tatum’s block of Kris Dunn’s layup attempt and Jaylen Brown’s rim denial of Lauri Markkanen.

The Celtics went off to a 10-0 lead, and after Porzingis hit a three-pointer to make it 18-8 midway through the opening quarter, the Jazz would never pull the gap below ten points again.

The Celtics hit 17 three-pointers on route to their seventh win in eight games.

“Tonight’s game was about taking away their speed with our physicality and off-ball defense, and I thought we did that,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said after Boston held off a Jazz squad that had scored 154 points in an overtime win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

The Celtics improved to 27-7 and recorded their eighth straight game with 120 points or more.

“I honestly believe it’s just talent,” Porzingis said. “We’re settling in a little bit to our roles and ways of playing.” To be honest, we’re just that talented.

“They were doubling JT tonight, and he was willing to make the right pass and play.” That is an automatic and significant advantage for us.”

In other news, Western Conference leaders Minnesota ended their two-game losing streak with a 122-95 victory over the Rockets in Houston.

Anthony Edwards scored 24 points for Minnesota, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

For the Timberwolves, who led by as many as 33 points, Rudy Gobert added 13 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, and two blocked shots.

In Indianapolis, the Indiana Pacers’ high-octane offense blasted the Atlanta Hawks 150-116.

Tyrese Haliburton had 18 of the Pacers’ franchise-record 50 assists while also scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter with the rest of the Pacers’ starters.

‘Unselfish’

Myles Turner led the Pacers with 27 points, and eight players scored in double figures.

“We’re all unselfish and we all can score the ball — that’s great basketball to see,” Pacers guard Bruce Brown said following Indiana’s sixth straight victory.

“Keep staying together, playing the right way and we’ll continue to win.”

The Nets defeated the Thunder 124-115 in Brooklyn, snapping a five-game losing streak.

For the Nets, who led by as many as 32 points in the third quarter, Spencer Dinwiddie and Nic Claxton both scored 23 points, and Cam Thomas broke out of his shooting slump with 19 points.

The Thunder were led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 34 points, six rebounds, and nine assists, but they have now lost two straight games since stunning the Celtics.