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Celtics

White Leads Celtics Over Suns

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PHOENIX – (Wire Service Report) – Derrick White scored 22 points, Neemias Queta had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and the visiting Boston Celtics rolled over the short-handed Phoenix Suns 97-81 to extend their winning streak to four. Sam Hauser scored 16 points and Bailey Scheierman had 11 points and 11 rebounds in his third career double-double for the Celtics, who have won nine of 10 and are a season-high 19 games over .500. White and Hauser had four 3-pointers apiece for Boston.

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The Celtics trailed 41-30 at 6:41 of the second quarter before going on an extended 50-11 run to take control with an 80-52 lead on Nikola Vukevic’s basket with 1:39 left in the third quarter.

Collin Gillespie scored 15 points, Grayson Allen scored 14 and Jalen Green added 13 points for the Suns, who played without leading scorers Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks for the second straight game.

The Suns have lost seven of 10.

Boston has won five in a row in the series and the last four in Phoenix.

The Suns went on a 14-0 run over the late third and early fourth quarters to close to 80-66 with 9:24 remaining, but Scheierman’s corner 3-pointer pushed the Celtics’ lead back 90-68 with 5:51 to play.

The Celtics played without Jaylen Brown (knee contusion), who was held out in the first game of a back-to-back, and got only eight points from Payton Pritchard, who was 2 of 13 from the field.

Boston outscored the Suns 30-11 in the third quarter and led 80-57 entering the fourth. Hauser had 13 points and three 3-pointers in the third quarter, when Phoenix was 4 of 22 from the field.

The Suns shot 36.7% from the field and were 12 of 36 from distance.

Boston had a 61-34 rebounding advantage and turned 22 offensive rebounds into 15 points.

The Suns, coming off a season scoring low in a 92-77 loss to Portland on Sunday, led 26-21 after the first quarter, when Green and Ryan Dunn had seven points apiece. The Celtics were 3 of 15 from distance in the quarter.

Royce O’Neale’s third 3-pointer put the Suns ahead 41-30 lead midway through the second quarter before the Celtics began their extended run with a 14-0 spurt capped by Queta’s two free throws for a 44-41 edge.

–Field Level Media

Jaylen Brown is Hearing MVP Talk

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PHOENIX – (Wire Service Report) – While the Phoenix Suns search for offense, the Boston Celtics are thriving behind Jaylen Brown, who belongs in the MVP conversation, according to one four-time MVP.

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“This whole MVP thing, I don’t understand why his name is not getting talked about some as well,” LeBron James said after Brown stuffed the stat sheet in the Celtics’ 111-89 victory at the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

“They’re playing great basketball, and it’s because of him and the rest of those guys. He’s taken that next step.”

Brown had 32 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals against the Lakers, and he brings averages of 29.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists — all career highs — into a back-to-back against the host Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, the third game of the Celtics’ four-game road trip.

The Suns, who have struggled to find offense in large part because of injuries to top scorers Devin Booker (24.7) and Dillon Brooks (20.9), have lost six of nine and enter after a 92-77 home loss to Portland on Sunday, their lowest point total since 2017 which was also a loss to the Blazers.

“We can’t get to the free throw line, can’t get to the rim,” Ott said. “Got to shoot jump shots. The way you shoot jump shots is to set screens. But we’re going to continue to find ways we want to play in transition. We want to get more shots up.”

Boston has won eight of nine and is a season-high 18 games above .500 in a season that was thought to be compromised by the loss of Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles.

Brown, who is fourth in the league in scoring, made his case in support of James’ praise.

“I feel like I’m the best two-way player in the world,” Brown said. “I play both ends on the court. Night to night, I’m available, which is hard to do.

“I’m a leader. I help lead my team, empower my team to come out and play confidently, stuff that doesn’t always show up on the analytics. And I’m a winner. I come out and try to win every single night. So I’m grateful.”

The Celtics have compensated for the loss of Tatum and 2024 title team members Al Horford, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis with a career year from reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard and veteran Derrick White.

Pritchard scored 30 points against the Lakers and is 15 of 28 from distance in the last three games, all wins. He is averaging a career-high 17.6 points with increased playing time. White’s 17.0 scoring average is also a career high.

“The story’s not done,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzula said. “We haven’t done anything. All we’ve done is stick to the process of winning on both ends of the floor.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Dominate LA Lakers

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LOS ANGELES – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jaylen Brown scored 32 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, while his teammate Payton Pritchard added 30 points with eight assists and the visiting Celtics continued their February surge with a 111-89 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Boston’s Derrick White scored 12 points with eight assists as the Celtics’ defense held the Lakers to 39.1% from the floor, while improving to 8-1 since Jan. 30. Boston shot 48.2% while opening 2-0 on a four-game road trip against Western Conference teams.

Neemias Queta had 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics

Luka Doncic scored 25 points and LeBron James added 20 for the Lakers, who lost for the third time in their past five games. Austin Reaves had 15 points as the Los Angeles star trio fell to 8-4 when all three were on the court this season.

James, the NBA’s all-time points leader, moved past the 43,000-point mark in his record 23rd season.

The Lakers were held to their second lowest scoring game of the season behind an 88-point effort in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 20.

The Celtics led by as many as 14 points in the third quarter and never allowed the Lakers to make a run in the fourth. Boston pushed the lead to 94-79 after a step-back jumper from Brown with 6:58 left.

Brown capped an 8-0 run on a 3-pointer that gave the Celtics a 102-81 lead with 4:11 remaining. Pritchard sealed the victory on a 3-pointer with 3:24 left for a 105-83 victory that prompted the Lakers to remove their starters the rest of the way.

The Celtics took charge in the second quarter, turning a first-period tie into a 60-50 halftime lead on 52.4% shooting as Brown scored 13 points and Pritchard added 11. Doncic had 18 points in the first half for the Lakers, who shot 41.9% over the first two quarters.

Boston won the season series 2-0 that includes a 126-105 victory at home on Dec. 5. The Celtics are 6-2 against the Lakers since the 2022-23 season.

–Field Level Media

Celtics vs. Porzingis, But No Steph

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SAN FRANCISCO – (Wire Service Report) – Former Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis could make his debut with the Golden State Warriors when they host Boston on Thursday night.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he’s hoping two-time MVP Stephen Curry will also be on the court. Curry, who leads Golden State with 27.2 points per game, has missed the last five games because of a sore knee.

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Porzingis was acquired by the Warriors from Atlanta at the trade deadline but hasn’t played since Jan. 7 due to issues with his left Achilles tendon. He said at the time of the trade that Thursday’s game was his target date for returning to the court.

“I look forward to really having a surprisingly good post All-Star break,” he said.

Porzingis has played in 17 games this season (12 starts). He’s averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per contest.

Porzingis played for Boston last season, but was limited to 42 games with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. The Celtics traded him to the Hawks in July. He did not play against Boston while with Atlanta.

“He’s an easy fit,” Kerr said. “You don’t have to change a whole lot. The biggest difference I guess that he provides is post-ups. He’s a pretty good post-up player, especially against switches. You throw him the ball at the foul line, the elbows, even the low block, he can score in those spots. That was one of the things we did today, we worked on our spacing.”

Kerr said he wanted to watch Porzingis in a scrimmage Wednesday before deciding whether he will play Thursday night.

“Kristaps has been here the last handful of days and practiced today with the team,” Kerr said. “Looked good. He’s feeling good. We won’t make a determination until after (Wednesday). When we practice (Wednesday) afternoon we’ll get up and down the floor and scrimmage, which we didn’t do (Tuesday). We did more skill work and went over some things.”

The Warriors, who lost four of their last six games before the All-Star break, occupy eighth place in the Western Conference standings. Boston will enter Thursday’s game as the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference, 5 1/2 games behind Detroit.

Speculation has ramped up regarding the possibility of injured forward Jayson Tatum suiting up for the Celtics in the second half of the season. Tatum, who is recovering from a torn Achilles, began practicing with some of his teammates this week. He had surgery in May.

“He looked like Jayson Tatum, I’ll say that much,” Ron Harper Jr. said. “We’re really excited for the potential of him coming back. We don’t know for sure if he’s going to come back. We’re just really excited to see him progress during his rehab.”

Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and a career-high 6.0 assists per game in 2024-25. The six-time All-Star has averaged 23.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists during his 585-game NBA career.

Thursday night’s matchup will be the first of two for these teams this season and should feature plenty of perimeter scoring. The Warriors lead the NBA in made 3-point field goals (897), while Boston is third (831).

–Field Level Media

Beverly Hills Slop

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LOS ANGELES – When Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown spoke with reporters after Sunday’s All-Star Game in Inglewood, Calif., the topic quickly went from basketball to an incident between Brown and the Beverly Hills Police Department a night earlier.

And Brown’s account of events stands in stark contrast to those of the Beverly Hills PD.

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On Saturday night, police were called to a home where Brown was hosting what he called a “panel” — an event for his personal brand, 741, and Oakley, of which Brown says he is a brand partner.

But when police showed up, they said the event had to end because a permit for the event was previously denied.

“On Saturday, February 14, the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) responded to an event taking place at a private residence in the Trousdale neighborhood of (Beverly Hills),” the BHPD told The Boston Globe in statement Sunday. “An event permit had been applied for and denied by the City due to previous violations associated with events at the address.

“Despite the fact that the permit was denied, organizers still chose to proceed with inviting hundreds of guests knowing that it was not allowed to occur. BHPD responded and shut down the unpermitted event.”

The claim about the permit was one of the issues that angered Brown.

“That was not true,” Brown told reporters. “We didn’t need a permit because the owner of the house, that was his space. We were family friends. He opened up the festivities to us so we didn’t have to. We never applied for one. … I didn’t have to pay for the house or anything. They just opened it up. I had to pay for the build-out, but it was hundreds of thousands of dollars wasted for an event that was supposed to be positive.”

Saturday night, a video showing Brown speaking with a police officer at the house was posted to social media. In the video, Brown is seen repeatedly asking why the event was being shut down, with the officer said “the City” was shutting down the event.

“(I’m) in LA, we’re just trying to have an event, a panel, talking about culture, talking about future, talking about leadership, and for whatever reason I feel like we’re being targeted,” Brown told the camera.

Back at the All-Star Game, Brown said the house belonged to Jim Jannard, the founder of Oakley, and that he did not have to pay to use the house for the event.

“I’m offended by Beverly Hills, by the statement they put out, like we applied for something and didn’t get it and we did it anyway,” Brown added. “Like we were insubordinate. I know how to follow the rules. … It just seemed like somebody, you know, didn’t want whatever we had going on, to go on. Because out of everyone to be doing something (in the neighborhood), I was the only one that gets shut down.”

During the interview, Brown repeated that several hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent setting up the event, and that the owner of the house is considering filing a lawsuit.

“It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth,” he added. “I don’t think the BPDH made the right call here. The statement they put out was not accurate.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Acquire Vučević

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official Team News Release) – In a pre-trade deadline deal this week, the Boston Celtics acquired center Nikola Vučević and a future second-round pick from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for guard Anfernee Simons and a 2026 second-round pick.

In 48 games (all starts) this season, Vučević (6’10”, 260) is averaging 16.9 points (50.5 FG%, 37.6 3FG%, 83.8 FT%), 9.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 30.8 minutes per game. The 35-year-old is the only player in the NBA this season with 400+ rebounds and 80+ 3-pointers and is just one of three centers this season averaging at least 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists (Jokic, Sengun).
In 1,020 career NBA games (956 starts) over 15 seasons with Philadelphia (2011-12), Orlando (2012-2020), and Chicago (2020-2026), the Montenegro native has averaged 17.2 points (49.8 FG%, 35.1 3FG%, 77.3 FT%), 10.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 31.4 minutes per game. Vučević is coming off the most efficient shooting season of his career, shooting a career-best 53.0 percent from the field in 2024-25 while shooting 40.2 percent from three-point distance, the second-highest mark of his career. Vučević has made 16 career playoff appearances (15 starts), averaging 18.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 32.3 minutes per game.
A two-time NBA All-Star (2019, 2021), Vučević is the only active NBA player with 10+ seasons averaging at least 10.0 rebounds per game. He is also the only player in NBA history with at least 2,500 offensive rebounds, 800 3-pointers, 800 steals, and 800 blocks. Recording at least 40 double-doubles in nine consecutive seasons, Vučević ranks second among active players in career double-doubles (578), trailing only LeBron James, and ranks fourth among active players in career rebounds (10,601).
Vučević was originally selected with the 16th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by Philadelphia after playing three seasons collegiately at USC (2008-11).

Celtics Too Much for Rockets

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HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Celtics’ guard Derrick White scored a game-high 28 points and Payton Pritchard added 27 points off the bench as the short-handed Boston throttled the Houston Rockets 114-93 on Wednesday.

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The Celtics earned their fourth consecutive victory and claimed both ends of a road back-to-back, including a win in Dallas on Tuesday. The Celtics did so without Jaylen Brown, the Eastern Conference Player of the Month, who paired 33 points with 11 rebounds against the Mavericks, in the second game by unleashing a flurry of 3-pointers early in the third quarter.

White was the linchpin of the decisive surge. The Celtics opened the second half 5 for 7 from behind the arc with White and Baylor Scheierman (15 points, 10 rebounds) nailing two threes apiece before Ron Harper Jr. extended a seven-point halftime lead to 67-48 at the 7:02 mark. When White converted from deep again roughly two minutes later, the Celtics led 72-50.

With 1.1 seconds left in the third, Rockets coach Ime Udoka was assessed a technical foul. The Celtics closed that frame with four free throws, two each from Pritchard and Neemias Queta, and carried an 85-63 lead into the final frame.

Queta posted a double-double of 10 points and 19 rebounds, while Luka Garza added 19 points for the Celtics. Harper paired 11 points with nine rebounds, including a trio of 3-pointers. Boston finished 19 for 51 from behind the arc, with White and Pritchard finishing 11 for 24 from deep.

Kevin Durant led the Rockets with 15 points but missed 7 of 11 shots. Alperen Sengun, who grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 13 points apiece. Amen Thompson (11 points) and Tari Eason (10) also scored in double figures for the Rockets, who shot 41.5%.

The teams combined to shoot 32.6% and missed 17 of 20 3-pointers in the first quarter. The Celtics emerged from that slog with an 8-2 spurt to open the second quarter, only for Smith to drill back-to-back threes that pulled the Rockets to within 26-25.

However, Boston eventually gained some separation later in the quarter to take a 49-42 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media

Spurs Top Celtics

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox each scored a team-high 21 points to lead the visiting San Antonio Spurs to a 100-95 victory over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.

The game was tied with 1:56 to play, but the Spurs finished the game on a 7-2 run.

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Fox also had nine rebounds and six assists. Wembanyama, who played 26 minutes, added six rebounds and three blocked shots. San Antonio also received 12 points and 13 rebounds from Julian Champagnie.

It was the second game in as many nights for the Celtics, who attempted only four free throws in the loss (3 of 4). Derrick White scored 29 points and Jaylen Brown had 27 to lead the Boston offense.

The Spurs won despite shooting 10 of 44 (23%) beyond the 3-point arc. San Antonio entered the game shooting 35% from 3-point territory this season, but made only 27% of their 3-point attempts in the seven games leading up to Saturday’s matchup. The Spurs had a 3-4 record during that stretch.

Boston guard Sam Hauser didn’t play in Saturday’s game because of right hamstring tightness. Hauser, one of the team’s best perimeter shooters, started the previous four games and scored 19 points (five 3-pointers) during Friday’s victory over Toronto.

An early 12-0 run put the Celtics in front 14-7, and Boston led 26-21 after 12 minutes. The Spurs were 2 of 15 from 3-point range in the first quarter. Boston had a 55-50 halftime lead.

A Wembanyama free throw tied the game, 64-64, with 4:36 remaining in the third, but Boston had a 75-73 lead after three quarters.

Nuggets Tough on the Road

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Nuggets 114, Celtics 110

BOSTON – (staff and Wire Service Report) – Wrong Peyton.

Denver’s Peyton Watson scored 30 points and Jamal Murray added 22 points, eight rebounds and a career-high 17 assists to lead visiting Nuggets over the Boston Celtics for the Nuggets’ NBA-best 15th road victory.

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Watson made six of his seven 3-point attempts, including a 3-pointer that put Denver up 106-93 with 2:24 to play. Watson has scored at least 20 points in each of his last five games. Denver’s Nikola Jokic missed his fifth straight game with a knee injury. The Nuggets have a 3-2 record without him.

Boston received a game-high 33 points along with seven rebounds and four assists from Jaylen Brown, who also committed seven turnovers. Neemias Queta had six points and a career-high 20 rebounds for the Celtics. Ten of Queta’s 20 rebounds came at the offensive end.

Celtics Too Good for Bulls

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Anfernee Simons made eight 3-pointers and scored a game-high 27 points to help the Boston Celtics extend their winning streak to four games by beating the visiting Chicago Bulls 115-101 on Monday night. Payton Pritchard added 21 points for the Celtics, who received 13 points and 13 rebounds from Neemias Queta. Boston shot 40% from the field but matched its season high with 20 offensive rebounds.

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Matas Buzelis led Chicago with 26 points. Nikola Vucevic added 15 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. Ayo Dosunmu (15) and Tre Jones (10) were the only other Bulls who scored in double figures.

Boston’s Jaylen Brown was 6 of 24 from the floor and finished the game with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Chicago, which had won its last four road games, played without point guard Josh Giddey (left hamstring strain) and center/forward Jalen Smith (concussion). Giddey is averaging a team-high 19.2 points per game.

Shooting guard Coby White returned after missing Chicago’s last three games with a calf injury. White, who also began the night averaging 19.2 points per contest, had five points and six rebounds in 25 minutes.

The Bulls were up 9-6, but Boston went on a 16-2 run and led 22-11 with 3:51 remaining in the opening quarter. The Celtics scored 25 of the final 30 points in the quarter and had a 31-14 lead after 12 minutes.

The Bulls missed 19 of their first 21 3-point attempts and trailed by as many as 23 points in the second quarter. A Pritchard 3-pointer at the buzzer handed Boston a 54-33 halftime lead.

Chicago scored 34 points in the third quarter after scoring 33 in the first half but trailed 85-67 entering the fourth. The Bulls trailed by 10 after a Vucevic 3-pointer with 3:34 to play but failed to get any closer.

–Field Level Media