Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

NBA

Celtics Look to Avenge Loss

by

ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics will get a chance to avenge their embarrassing Monday meltdown against the Hawks when the teams meet for the second time this week.

The host Hawks overcame a 30-point deficit and ended Boston’s nine-game winning streak with a 120-118 victory. It was the biggest comeback in Hawks history and the largest comeback in the NBA this season.

“We let our foot off the gas in the second half and they got a great rhythm,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said. “It’s a tough pill to swallow.”

Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis added, “You give (hope) to that type of team, you relax too much and give them some open looks, those guys can make shots. They’re an offensive-minded team and they got it going and then it’s a tough battle to kind of bring it back to what we wanted. We just gave them too much life.”

Boston leads the season series 2-1, having won the first two games in Boston, 113-103 on Nov. 26 and 125-117 on Feb. 7.

The Celtics remained in Atlanta between games for the two-game series. But in a scheduling quirk, the Hawks hosted — and beat — the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

“It’s weird playing (Boston) on a back-to-back, but there’s no excuses in this league,” Atlanta’s Garrison Mathews said. “We’ve got to come ready to play. We know they’re going to try to get us back and we have to come ready to play.”

Atlanta (33-39) has won three in a row after its 120-106 win over Portland and remains 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. The Hawks were unable to pick up ground Wednesday on the ninth-place Chicago Bulls, who won to remain 1 1/2 games ahead, but also did not lose ground to the 11th-place Brooklyn Nets, who also won and trail Atlanta by 5 1/2 games.

The Hawks continue to ride the offense of Dejounte Murray. He scored 30 points against the Blazers and has put up 28-plus in three of his past four games.

Atlanta, playing without three starters and a key reserve, is getting contributions from different backups each night. Mathews scored a season-high 21 points against Portland. Vit Krejci matched his career high with 16 points vs. Boston.

“This team has been unselfish,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said.

Boston (57-15) has clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, owns the best road record in the league (25-12), has the best offensive rating in the NBA (122.5) and ranks second in defensive rating (110.7). Last season, the Celtics became the third team in NBA history to finish in the top three in both offensive and defensive rating.

The Celtics logged their 17th 70-point first half of the season on Monday, a franchise record that matches the NBA record for a single season.

The Hawks announced Wednesday that All-Star Trae Young has made a positive recovery in his recovery from surgery to repair a ligament in the little finger of his left hand. Young has missed 16 games since being hurt in the Feb. 23 game against Toronto. The team has not provided a timetable for his return to play.

The Atlanta lineup also remains without Jalen Johnson (right ankle sprain), Saddiq Bey (torn left ACL) and key reserve Onyeka Okongwu (sprained left toe).

–Field Level Media

Sports Biz: Caps, Wizards to Stay in DC

by

WASH DC – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After exploring the possibility of relocation to Virginia, the Wizards and Capitals will be staying in Washington until 2050.

Embed from Getty Images

Washington mayor Muriel E. Bowser and Ted Leonsis, who owns both franchises, signed a deal on Wednesday that would keep the Wizards and Capitals in town as long as the D.C. Council approves it.

Per the deal, the city will put $515 million into Capital One Arena — the home of both the Wizards and Capitals — over the next three years. Because of those renovations, Leonsis will sign a new lease that runs from 2025-50.

“We are the current home and the future home of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards,” Bowser said. “As Ted likes to say, we’re going to be together for a long time.”

Leonsis’ company, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, will also have the ability to expand throughout the city under the new deal.

Just three months ago, Leonsis had a handshake agreement with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) in place for the construction of a new arena in Alexandria, Va. It would have been built in the Potomac Yard neighborhood of town as part of a $2.2 billion mixed-use development.

But Bowser and the DC Council then made moves that caught Leonsis’ eye, including the passage of a new crime bill and a plan to make downtown more vibrant, causing the owner to switch gears.

“It’s a great day, and I’m really relieved,” Leonsis said Wednesday. “This was not only the right thing for the community, the right thing for the city, the right thing for us, it’s a really smart business deal.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Blow 30-Point Lead, Lose to ATL

by

ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray scored 19 points, dished 15 assists and made the go-ahead basket with one minute left to help the Hawks overcome a 30-point deficit and stun the visiting Boston Celtics 120-118 on Monday.

De’Andre Hunter followed with a 3-pointer to up Atlanta’s lead to four points with 10 seconds remaining. Jayson Tatum scored on a tip-in with one second left for Boston, but Atlanta was able to inbound the ball after a timeout to run out the clock.

It was only the ninth time in NBA history that a team has come back from a 30-point deficit to win a game, according to the Hawks’ radio network.

Boston (57-15) saw its nine-game winning streak end and failed in a chance to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta (32-39) improved to 1-2 against the Celtics this season and ended a six-game losing streak vs. Boston. The teams will meet again in Atlanta on Thursday.

The Celtics led 68-38 in the second quarter, but Atlanta went on an 18-6 run to cut the lead to 74-56 at halftime. The momentum carried over and the Hawks twice got as close as three points in the third quarter before Boston led 96-90 going into the fourth.

Atlanta took the lead for the first time on a 3-pointer by Wesley Matthews with 9:58 left.

Hunter led the Hawks with 24 points, and Bogdan Bogdanovic contributed 22. Vit Krejci matched his career high with 16 points, hitting four 3-pointers.

Boston got 37 points and eight rebounds from Tatum, 24 points from Jaylen Brown and 17 points from Kristaps Porzingis. Payton Pritchard finished with 15 points and six assists.

The Hawks were playing without three starters — Trae Young (finger), Jalen Johnson (ankle) and Saddiq Bey (knee) — and backup center Onyeka Okongwu (toe).

The Celtics jumped out quickly against the short-handed Hawks. Boston shot 66.7 percent (16-for-24) in the first quarter, didn’t commit a turnover and led 44-22. It was the most points Atlanta has allowed in a first quarter this season.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Can Clinch East #1 vs ATL

by

ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics, winners of nine straight, could clinch the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference on Monday when they open a two-game series in Atlanta.

Boston (57-14) needs one victory — or a Milwaukee Bucks loss — to mathematically nail down first place for the playoffs. Another win would give the team its most victories since the 2008-09 team went 62-20.

“We’re just hungry for more,” Boston’s Sam Hauser said after Saturday’s 124-113 win over the Chicago Bulls. “It’s not in our character to just mail it in for the rest of the season.”

Boston continues to have the best record in the league, despite tip-toeing around injuries. Jaylen Brown (right ankle load management) did not play Saturday. Jayson Tatum (right ankle), Al Horford (left big toe sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (right hamstring) have each been in and out of the lineup.

“Different people, different guys, are ready to step up when their number is called,” Horford said. “We all understand what we’re trying to do, how we’re trying to play. Guys are just staying ready and taking advantage of the opportunities.”

The Celtics won the first two games this season against Atlanta — 113-103 on Nov. 26 and 125-117 on Feb. 7, both played in Boston. The Celtics have a seven-game winning streak against the Hawks and have won the past two games played in Atlanta.

Atlanta (31-39) is currently No. 10 in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks are 5 1/2 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets and only 2 1/2 games behind the No. 9 Bulls. But if Atlanta aspires to catch Chicago, it needs to overcome a difficult schedule. The Hawks play four home games over the next six days, with two against Boston and single games against the Portland Trail Blazers and the Bucks.

“We’re not going to take it for granted,” said Atlanta reserve Bruno Fernando, who scored a career-high 25 points and had six rebounds on Saturday in a 132-91 home win over the Charlotte Hornets.

“Every game is a special day so we’re going to try to take advantage of games that we can win, especially take advantage of our home floor. … We’ve seen it happen before with other people, so why not?”

Fernando’s effort was the latest in a series of nice games for the physical power forward. He has earned more minutes in the absence of Onyeka Okongwu, who missed 13 games with a toe injury and was held out of Saturday’s game for load management.

“It means a lot,” Fernando said. “Long time coming for me. This team is special to me. I’ve been through a lot here with this organization, so for me to be able to come in and have a game like that means a lot to me.”

The Hawks continue to be consumed by injuries. Starters Trae Young, Jalen Johnson and Saddiq Bey all missed Saturday’s game. The team has not said when it expects Young to return; he has missed 14 games.

“We miss Trae, but when you have a point guard like (Dejounte Murray), it makes the offense go,” said Atlanta reserve Garrison Mathews, who scored a season-high 20 points against Charlotte.

Murray has scored 29 and 28 points in his past two games. He was 7-of-9 shooting on 3-pointers against Charlotte and had 12 assists with seven rebounds.

–Field Level Media

Celtics: Nine in a Row

by

CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Sam Hauser made seven of his eight 3-point attempts and scored 23 points to help the visiting Celtics stretch their winning streak to nine games with a 124-113 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.

Jayson Tatum added 26 points and six assists for the Celtics, who have used eight different starting lineups during their nine-game winning streak. Al Horford finished the game with 23 points and eight rebounds for Boston (57-14), which has won six in a row on the road.

Chicago trailed by six, 113-107, with 4:35 to play, but Boston extended its lead to 10 points on a Tatum basket with 3:04 left. The Bulls never got within striking distance after that.

Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan had a game-high 28 points, nine assists and six rebounds in the loss. Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu and Nikola Vucevic each added 14 points for Chicago (34-37). Coby White had 11 points and 10 assists.

The Bulls shot 57.3 percent from the field (47 of 82).

Luke Kornet collected a game-high 13 rebounds for Boston, which played without three starters: Jaylen Brown (ankle injury), Jrue Holiday (AC Joint sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (right hamstring). The Celtics made 21 of their 48 3-point attempts.

Although the Bulls shot 59.1 percent from the field in the first half (26 of 44), they trailed 66-60 at halftime. It was 31-31 after one quarter, and the Celtics led 66-55 with 1:10 remaining in the half before Chicago scored the final five points of the second quarter. Hauser made four 3-pointers in the first half.

The Bulls took the lead for the first time in the second half on a Dosunmu basket that capped an 11-3 spurt and put Chicago in front 77-76 with 6:44 remaining in the third quarter, but the Celtics had a 95-92 advantage entering the fourth.

Boston has won each of its three games against Chicago this season.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Roll Past Pistons

by

DETROIT – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jaylen Brown poured in 33 points and the visiting Celtics extended their winning streak to eight games with a 129-102 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.

Payton Pritchard had 20 points and nine assists for the Celtics (56-14), who are closing in on clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Derrick White had 19 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds and Kristaps Porzingis also tossed in 19 points.

Sam Hauser added 14 points. Boston’s leading scorer and rebounder, Jayson Tatum, sat out due to a right ankle injury.

This was the Celtics’ second romp over the Pistons in five nights. They also recorded a 119-94 home win on Monday, another game that Tatum missed.

James Wiseman led the Pistons (12-58), who have lost five straight, with 24 points and nine rebounds. Jaden Ivey had 16 points and Cade Cunningham contributed 15 points, six rebounds and six assists.

The Pistons ruled three players out for the season (Ausar Thompson (blood cut), Isaiah Stewart (hamstring) and Stanley Umude (right ankle fracture) in recent days and starting center Jalen Duren was a late scratch due to back spasms.

Wiseman, Duren’s replacement in the starting lineup, had 12 points and five rebounds in the first quarter as the Pistons took a 34-32 lead.

The Pistons had a 46-45 lead with eight minutes left in the half. Then they went scoreless for nearly five minutes while Boston went on a 10-0 run. Brown scored the last two of those baskets.

The Celtics also finished the half with a 9-2 spurt for a 69-53 lead. Pritchard had a 3-pointer and an assist during that span and finished the half with 16 points and seven assists.

Pritchard’s layup nearly two minutes into the second half extended Boston’s advantage to 76-55. Porzingis’ putback about midway through the third quarter made it 90-64.

Boston led 104-83 at the end of the third. The Pistons had a 6-0 spurt early in the fourth to cut their deficit to 15. White then knocked down a 3-pointer off a Pritchard feed.

Detroit never got closer than 18 again.

–Field Level Media

Boston Back-to-Back: Wizards & Pistons

by

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics will have a chance to improve the NBA’s best record when they face the visiting Detroit Pistons on Monday night. Boston (53-14) was missing three starters but extended its winning streak to five games with a 130-104 victory over the Washington Wizards on the road Sunday.

The Celtics played without center Kristaps Porzingis (right hamstring strain) and guards Jaylen Brown (ankle) and Derrick White (hand). Porzingis hasn’t played in Boston’s last five games.

Sam Hauser made 10 of 13 3-point attempts and tossed in 30 points before he left the game with an ankle injury in the third quarter. Payton Pritchard had a career-high 13 assists in the win.

“Just trying to play the right type of basketball – what we’ve been trying to do all year,” Pritchard said. “When I have the ball in my hands always trying to get my guys easy shots. I tell people all the time Sam is one of the top shooters in the league, so for us anytime he’s open we have to find him. It’s almost automatic. It was a good team win.”

Boston center Al Horford is unlikely to suit up Monday since he has not played in games on back-to-back nights this season.

The Pistons and Wizards are battling to stay out of the NBA’s cellar. The Pistons (12-55) are 14th in the Eastern Conference, one spot ahead of the Wizards (11-57), who own the league’s worst record.

Detroit is coming off Sunday’s 104-101 home loss to Miami. Evan Fournier scored a season-high 18 points for the Pistons. Cade Cunningham added 17 points and nine assists for Detroit, but went 1-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc.

MIami prevailed when Bam Adebayo made a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

“When you lose a game like that it’s hard to come down on the guys about anything,” Pistons coach Monty Williams said. “We battled when it didn’t look great. We executed some situations well defensively, holding them to 25 points (in the fourth quarter) and the point total in the second half (44 points) speaks for itself. We had a chance to win a big-time game at home.”

Miami’s Duncan Robinson made 7 of 12 3-pointers and scored 30 points. The Heat outscored the Pistons 39-27 in the second quarter. Miami also beat Detroit 108-95 on Friday.

“It wasn’t so much our scheme as it was our awareness of who was hot in the situation,” Williams said. “Robinson just hit shot after shot, and we didn’t switch well onto him. He even got stuff at the basket, which is not what he’s known for. We did not have great awareness of his scoring ability in the second.

“We have to be more of a consistent team. We brought that up last game in the shoot-around, how consistency helps you keep your rhythm. We just haven’t been that consistent these last two games.”

Monday’s game will be the second time the Celtics and Pistons have met this season. Boston overcame a 21-point deficit to earn a 128-122 overtime victory in Boston on Dec. 28. Porzingis led all scorers with 35 points in the last meeting, and White tossed in 10 of his 23 points in overtime. Cunningham had 31 points and nine assists for Detroit.

The teams also will face each other Friday night in Detroit.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Face Lowly Wizards Tonight

by

WASH DC – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Teams at opposite ends of the NBA standings will meet Sunday evening when the Boston Celtics visit the Washington Wizards. Then, add to that equation with the fact it’s not a great idea to schedule a game against the Celtics on St. Patrick’s Day.

Boston (52-14) will look to improve on the league’s best record. The Celtics extended their winning streak to four games by beating the visiting Phoenix Suns 127-112 on Thursday.

The Wizards (11-56) have lost three in a row, 19 of their past 21 and own the worst record in the NBA.

For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown remained hot by scoring a game-high 37 points in Thursday’s victory over the Suns. Brown is averaging 28.9 points per game since the All-Star break.

“We’re all in this together, from the organization to the coaches to the players,” Brown said. “I think that’s what creates the environment is the respect level. There’s no hierarchies. We all come together and come to work, and everybody comes to do their job.

“Joe (Boston coach Joe Mazzulla) sets the tone just being prepared, first. He’s diligent. And then he allows us to be who we are. We’ve been very well-coached, we’ve been disciplined, and we haven’t had so many lapses this season.”

Boston tied its season-high by making 25 3-pointers against the Suns. Al Horford was 6 of 10 on 3-point attempts and finished with a season-high 24 points.

“I think we did a good job reading the game quickly, and then also our guys getting to the paint, and then the rest of us kind of benefited from that,” Horford said. “So they were attacking at the paint, and then once the defense converges, they’re kicking the ball out, and we continued to do that time in and time out. It seemed like we made the right play for most of the night.”

The Wizards are coming off Saturday’s 127-98 setback at Chicago, which dropped Washington’s record to 4-20 under interim head coach Brian Keefe. Corey Kispert led Washington with 16 points and Bilal Coulibaly added 15.

Washington’s Deni Avdija was a late scratch and didn’t play against the Bulls because of a right knee contusion. Kispert replaced Avdija in the starting lineup.

“He (Avdija) warmed up, but he couldn’t go by the end,” Keefe said.

Washington also was without Tyus Jones, who missed his first game of the season with a back injury.

“They hurt us deep in the paint,” Keefe said. “They were able to get the ball in the paint, score in the paint (and) offensive rebound in the paint. We probably didn’t do enough with resistance early in the game, but as the game grew, our fight actually got better. I was pleased with that.”

Boston has been without center Kristaps Porzingis for its past four games. Porzingis is dealing with a strained right hamstring, and Mazzulla said his status is day-to-day.

“Regardless of who’s in, who’s out, I think what you’ve seen is we’ve played a certain level of basketball, and that’s the most important thing,” Mazzulla said. “You create an environment in the locker room where guys are out, but you can maintain your level of physicality and your level of play on both sides of the ball. It’s the most important thing.”

Sunday’s game will be the third meeting between the teams this season. Boston prevailed 126-107 at Washington on Oct. 30, plus 133-129 in Boston on Feb. 9. The teams will play their final game of the season on April 14 in Boston.

–Field Level Media

Celtics, Brown Continue to Dominate

by

 

BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jaylen Brown made five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 37 points to help the Boston Celtics extend their winning streak to four games with a 127-112 decision against the visiting Phoenix Suns.

Jayson Tatum added 26 for Boston, which shot 25 of 50 from behind the 3-point arc. Al Horford tossed in six 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 24 points. The Celtics (52-14) also received 10 assists and nine points from Jrue Holiday.

Boston, which improved to 30-3 at home, has won 15 of its past 17 games. Boston is the first team in the NBA to mathematically qualify for the playoffs as they raised their regular season record to 52-14.

Devin Booker scored a team-high 23 points for the Suns. He was in his second game back from an ankle injury that kept him out of four games, including Phoenix’s 117-107 home loss to Boston on Saturday.

Phoenix (38-28) received 22 points from Bradley Beal plus 20 from both Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen. Jusuf Nurkic collected 20 rebounds, the top single-game total for a Celtics opponent this season.

The Suns lost despite having a 51-33 advantage in rebounds, as they were outscored 75-33 from 3-point range.

Boston center Kristaps Porzingis missed his fourth straight game with a right hamstring strain. Before the game, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis was improving but there was no timetable for his return.

Phoenix bolted to a 26-18 lead, but Boston closed the first quarter hot and led 35-32 after 12 minutes.

Bol Bol capped a 19-9 run with a 3-pointer that put the Suns in front 51-50 with 4:58 to play in the second quarter. Boston made 12 of its 24 3-point attempts in the first half, however, and led 65-60 at halftime.

A 9-0 run gave the Celtics a 77-65 lead with 8:50 to play in the third, the first time either team led by double digits. Boston stretched its advantage to 95-75 on a Horford 3-pointer with 2:45 left in the third. The Celtics had a 102-85 edge heading into the fourth.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Beat Jazz in Get-Away Game

by

SALT LAKE CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jayson Tatum tossed in a game-high 38 points and Derrick White made 7 of 11 3-point attempts and scored 24 points as the Boston Celtics wrapped up a five-game road trip by beating the Utah Jazz 123-107 on Tuesday night.

YouTube player

It was the third straight victory for Boston, which lost the first two games of the trip.

Jrue Holiday added 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds for the Celtics, who made 20 of 49 3-pointers (40.8 percent).

Boston led by seven entering the final quarter and seized control by scoring the first 15 points of the fourth. Utah’s first points of the period came on a Jordan Clarkson layup that made it 113-93 with 5:34 to play.

Keyonte George scored 26 points to lead the Jazz. Utah received 21 points from Clarkson and 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists from Collin Sexton.

The Celtics were missing Jaylen Brown (sacroiliac strain), Al Horford (toe sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (hamstring strain).

Utah played without Lauri Markkanen, who missed his fourth consecutive game with a right quad contusion.

Boston made nine 3-pointers in the opening quarter and led 44-33 after 12 minutes. The Celtics later had a 52-35 lead, but Utah went on a 15-2 run and trailed 54-50 with 6:07 left in the first half. An 8-0 spurt helped Boston build a 16-point lead late in the second quarter, and the Celtics owned a 72-57 advantage at halftime.

The Celtics made 14 of 25 3-pointers in the first half. White and Sam Hauser each had four treys by halftime. It was the 15th time Boston has scored at least 70 points in the first half of a game this season.

Utah was within two points when a Clarkson basket cut Boston’s lead to 93-91 with 36.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter, but the Celtics scored the final five points of the frame and had a 98-91 edge entering the fourth.

–Field Level Media