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Celtics Play Well, Play “In”

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BOSTON – Boston’s all-star forward Jayson Tatum scored 23 of his 50 points in the third quarter and the Celtics advanced to the NBA Playoffs with a 118-100 victory over the Washington Wizards in the NBA’s new “play-in” tournament. Washington will play the Indiana Pacers (144-117 winners over Charlotte) on Thursday with the winner grabbing the final Eastern Conference playoff slot.

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All-Star Kemba Walker added 29 points as Boston, which had lost five of its final six regular-season games, claimed the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference bracket. The Celtics will meet the second-seeded Brooklyn Nets in a first-round matchup, with Game 1 set for Saturday night.

Washington, which went 17-6 to finish the regular season and outscored Boston 33-25 in the second quarter of play, led 56-55 at the beginning of the third quarter before the Celtics exploded with 14 straight points as part of a 19-2 run.

 

Slumping Celtics Take on Washington

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Services Reports) – The oft-injured, chemistry-challenged Boston Celtics ended the NBA regular season in a deep slump, while the surging Washington Wizards soared to the finish line. Yet, with the NBA’s new Play-In pre-playoff tournament beginning this week, the two teams will converge Tuesday night when the Celtics host the Wizards. The winner will land the No. 7 seed for the Eastern Conference Playoffs, while the loser will get another attempt to play their way in on Thursday night.

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The play-in games are going to be exciting for fans and it puts an added weight and added importance,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said. “And then once you get into the playoffs and teams dial into each other and prepare for each other, you see everybody’s level rise.”

The Celtics (36-36), who finished seventh in the Eastern Conference, need to raise their level now as they struggled down the stretch with five losses in six games and nine of their past 13. In previous NBA seasons, the Celtics would be facing the No. 2 Brooklyn Nets in a first-round Best of 7 series, beginning in Brooklyn.

Regardless, the Celtics are limping into the postseason, having recently lost standout swingman Jaylen Brown (wrist) for the rest of the season. He averaged 24.7 points per game and losing Brown’s firepower hurts even more when the opponent trots out Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook as the starting backcourt.

Washington (34-38), which is in the eighth position, was red-hot down the stretch with 17 wins in its past 23 games. Westbrook went into high-level triple-double mode and finished with 38 on the season and 184 for his career, eclipsing NBA legend Oscar Robertson‘s long-held record of 181.

Beal finished second in the NBA in scoring at 31.3 points per game but is less than full strength due to a strained left hamstring that caused him to miss three games before he returned Sunday and scored 25 points in a 115-110 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

“There’s no set-backs, which is good,” Beal said. “I didn’t injure it any worse than what it was. Obviously, it still probably won’t be 100 percent. It is just a matter of managing it as best I can.”

Westbrook recorded triple-doubles in 20 of his past 24 appearances and his first season of teaming up with Beal has been a big success. He averaged a triple-double for the fourth time in the past five seasons, recording an NBA-leading 11.7 assists to go with 22.2 points and a career-high 11.5 rebounds.

After having to yield to James Harden last season with the Houston Rockets, Westbrook has been free to play the game his way under Washington coach Scott Brooks, who was previously his coach in Oklahoma City.

“You gotta give credit to our coach because he’s done an amazing job of making adjustments on the fly,” Westbrook said of Brooks. “The players always get the recognition, but Scotty has done a hell of a job of being consistent and finding ways to make us better along with the coaching staff.”

There will certainly be the eyes on the Boston coach as well as Stevens’ club took a step back this season after losing in the Eastern Conference finals in three of the past four seasons.

This time, the Celtics are still trying to make it into the field and multiple players have been ailing down the stretch, including star forward Jayson Tatum (ankle).

Tatum isn’t worried about the injury for Tuesday, but he understands his club needs to step up its performance.

“It’s been such an up-and-down season,” said Tatum, who averages 26.4 points per game. “Obviously, the last couple of games haven’t gone our way.”

Basketball Hall Elects 16 New Members

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SPRINGFIELD – A day after its COVID-19 delayed 2020 induction ceremony, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 16 honorees for the Class of 2021 which will be enshrined on Saturday, September 11, 2021 in ceremonies at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun resort hotel and arena.

The 2021 honorees class includes nine voted in from the North American and Women’s committees, including the ninth-winningest coach in NBA history Rick Adelman, two-time NBA champion and 11-time NBA All-Star Chris Bosh, NBA Finals MVP with the Boston Celtics and 10-time NBA All-Star Paul Pierce, the first Black NBA head coach Bill Russell, four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Champion Ben Wallace, five-time NBA All-Star and NBA Rookie of the Year Chris Webber, two-time NCAA national champion Villanova Wildcats coach Jay Wright, seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Yolanda Griffith and seven-time WNBA All-Star and three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson of Australia.

Distinguished committees focused on preserving all areas from the game also selected seven direct-elect enshrinees, including the first President of the WNBA and current BIG East Commissioner Val Ackerman, NBA coach Cotton Fitzsimmons and basketball guru Howard Garfinkel from the Contributor Committee, Clarence “Fats” Jenkins from the Early African American Pioneers Committee, Croatia’s Toni Kukoc from the International Committee, Bob Dandridge from the Veterans Committee and Pearl Moore from the Women’s Veterans Committee.

“For the first time in our history, we’ll enshrine two Classes in one calendar year,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2021 Enshrinement festivities will begin at Mohegan Sun on Friday, September 10 with the Enshrinement Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala. The Class of 2021 and returning Hall of Famers will then journey to Springfield, Mass. for the annual celebratory events taking place at the newly renovated Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and MassMutual Center on September 11

Jalen Brown Out for Season, Playoffs

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BOSTON – Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was diagnosed with a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist. Brown is expected to have the torn ligament surgically repaired this week, and will be out for the remainder of the 2020-21 regular season and playoffs.

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Brown had recently been sidelined with a sprained ankle.

Further updates will be provided as appropriate.

Listless Celtics Lose to Bulls

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CHICAGO – Chicago’s combination of Zach LaVine and Coby White each scored 25 points and the Bulls overcame a big effort by Boston’s Kemba Walker and the Bulls soundly defeated the slumping Celtics, 121-99, on Friday night. The game marked the first time this season fans were admitted to Chicago’s United Center, and the Bulls were fueled by their presence. Chicago led by 21 in the third quarter but allowed Boston to draw within eight in the fourth quarter, before putting the game away by scoring 12 straight.

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With the victory, Chicago kept their playoff hopes alive and pulled within three games of Washington and a half-game further away from the Indiana Pacers for the final spots in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.

Like their arch-rivals out West in the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston is trying to avoid the play-in tourney, but fell to seventh in the East and trail Miami by a game with the Heat beating Minnesota. The Celtics and Heat meet for an all-important game Sunday in Boston.

Celtics Suffer Costly Loss to Blazers

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BOSTON – Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum scored 10 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and the Blazers continued their winning ways on the road with a 129-119 win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Sunday night. The Trail Blazers extended their winning streak to four, all on the road, and will play two more games on this trip.

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The Blazers entered the game in the seventh slot of the Western Conference playoff standings and are trying to work their way out of the NBA’s new play-in round.

Damian Lillard had 26 points and 13 assists for Portland. Veteran forward Carmelo Anthony added 13 points for Portland — including a 3-pointer with 1:08 remaining to help seal it after Boston pulled within two points.

For the Celtics, All-Star forwards Jalen Brown and Jayson Tatum collided at the end of the game and Brown needed assistance as both players left the game and went right to the locker room. Brown has been suffering from right ankle pain and the collision seemed to stem from that fact. Tatum “seemed okay,” according to Boston Coach Brad Stevens.

Tatum scored 33 to lead Boston, as they play to avoid falling into the play-in round in the playoff stretch run of the NBA season.

 

JT = 60 as Celtics Top Spurs in OT

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BOSTON – Boston Celtics all-star forward Jayson Tatum scored a career-high 60 points, including four key free throws in the final 12 seconds of overtime, as the Boston Celtics came back from a 32-point deficit to beat the vSan Antonio Spurs, 143-140, Friday night at TD Garden.

The 60-point performance tied Boston’s franchise record for most points in a game, set by Hall of Famer Larry Bird on March 12, 1985 in a game against the Atlanta Hawks that even had the Hawks players frolicking on the bench in amazement.

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The Celtics fell to the 32-point deficit 18 minutes into the game, but they roared back to tie the contest midway through the fourth period.

Boston took its first lead since the game’s opening minutes at 127-126 on Tatum’s 3-pointer with 38 seconds remaining in regulation. Tatum hit a free throw with 18.8 seconds to play to push the Celtics’ lead to two points. but the Spurs’ DeMar DeRozan re-tied the game with a pair of free throws with 10.8 seconds left, giving Boston a final shot for a win in regulation. Tatum missed a jumper at the buzzer to force overtime.

The extra period went back and forth, with the Spurs taking the lead at 137-136 on a jumper by Lonnie Walker IV with 31.7 seconds left. Jaylen Brown canned a 3-pointer to put Boston on top with 16.7 seconds to play, and Marcus Smart stole San Antonio’s ensuing inbounds pass, setting the stage for Tatum’s free throws that capped the comeback win for the Celtics.

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Brown added 17 points for the Celtics (34-30), though he hit just 5 of 24 shots from the floor. Aaron Nesmith had 16 points, and Smart and Robert Williams III scored 10 for Boston. Tristan Thompson grabbed 15 rebounds and Smart had 12 assists.

DeRozan scored 30 points and distributed 14 assists, tied for his career high, for the Spurs (31-31) in the loss. Dejounte Murray and Walker added 24 points apiece, Rudy Gay had 16 and Jakob Poeltl racked up 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The Spurs were up by as many as 25 points on the way to a 39-16 lead after 12 minutes of play. The Celtics’ first 12 points in the period were scored by Tatum, who finished with 14 in the first quarter.

 

Celtics Back in Win Column

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BOSTON – Boston’s All-Star forward Jaylen Brown scored 38 points and his fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum added 35 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Celtics bounced back from a three-game losing streak with a 120-111 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Brown has scored 30 points or more in three of his last five games for the Celtics.

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Boston is currently teetering between the fourth Eastern Conference Playoff slot and home court advantage and the seventh slot which would force the Celtics into a new NBA Play-In” tournament to begin the postseason. The NBA regular season ends May 16th for Boston.

The coming weekend schedule pits the Celtics against the San Antonio Spurs (31-30, .508) and the Portland Trail Blazers (34-28, .548) in two tough home games against Western Conference competition. After the weekend, the Celtics play Eastern opponents in six of their remaining seven games.

Boston is a mediocre (20-12) at home this season.

 

 

Boston Takes Key Game vs Phoenix Suns

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BOSTON – Celtics All-Star guard Kemba Walker tied his season-high with 32 points to lead Boston to a key victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns, 99-86, Thursday night at TD Garden. Walker shot 11 of 17 from the field for the Celtics (32-27), who won for the ninth time in their last 11 games. All-Star forward Jayson Tatum had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Boston as he returned from a left ankle injury.

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Boston played without its All-Star forward Jaylen Brown (shoulder), newly acquired forward Evan Fournier (health and safety) and center Robert Williams III (knee).

Veteran Phoenix guard Chris Paul had 22 points with eight rebounds and eight assists to lead the Suns (42-17), who lost for just the third time in their last 16 games. Suns guard Devin Booker had 15 points before fouling out.

The Celtics grabbed their largest lead of the game, 66-45, on a Tatum pull-up jumper with 7:13 left in the third quarter. A 10-2 Suns run prompted a Boston timeout, after which Mikal Bridges and Paul made short buckets to cut Phoenix’s deficit to single digits, 68-59.

Boston ended the period up 77-65. Later in the game, the Suns cut the deficit to nine, 90-81, but could not close the gap any further down the stretch.

Both Brown and Walker will be out tonight when the Celtics face Brooklyn.

 

Celtics Fall Short Against Bulls

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BOSTON – Boston’s All-Star forward Jayson Tatum recorded 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in his first career triple-double for the Celtics, but the club’s six-game winning streak came to an end as the visiting Chicago Bulls outlasted the shorthanded Boston Celtics, 102-96, on Monday night at TD Garden.

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Jaylen Brown led the team with 23 points but Boston played without guards Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker, both sidelined with non-COVID illness. Boston center Robert Williams III (knee) and forward Evan Fournier (health and safety) also remained sidelined.

Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic scored 29 points to carry the Bulls to the victory. Vucevic added nine rebounds as the Bulls won their second straight game after a five-game losing streak. Coby White scored 19 and Thaddeus Young and Garrett Temple 13 apiece as Chicago remained without top scorer Zach LaVine for a third straight game due to health and safety protocol.