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Celtics

Clips Fall to Streaking Celtics

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s All-Star tandem of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum led a 51-point second quarter as the Celtics stretched their winning streak to six games by defeating the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 126-94 Monday.

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Brown scored 13 points and Tatum added 12 as Boston tied an NBA record by connecting on 12 three-pointers in the second quarter. The Celtics made 22 of 51 3-point attempts in the game (43.1 percent).

Kristaps Porzingis made his season debut for the Celtics, who own the NBA’s longest winning streak. Porzingis missed Boston’s first 17 games while recovering from offseason foot surgery.

Porzingis made 6 of 12 field goal attempts and scored 16 points in 23 minutes. He also had six rebounds and two blocked shots.

Tatum led the Celtics with 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Payton Pritchard came off the bench to add 20 points, 18 of which came on 3-pointers.

It was the second stop on a four-game road trip for the Clippers, who allowed an opponent to score more than 100 points for the first time in their last five games.

 

Celtics’ Tatum Wins It in OT

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jayson Tatum made a 3-pointer as time expired in overtime to give the Celtics a 126-123 victory over the visiting Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.

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Tatum had 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in the win. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 27 points.

Jakob Poeltl tossed in a career-high 35 points for Toronto, which fell to 0-8 in road games this season. Poeltl, who was 16 of 19 from the floor, also had 12 rebounds.

RJ Barrett added 25 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists for the Raptors, who have lost seven games in a row and 11 of their last 12. A Barrett layup tied the game with 55.1 seconds left in overtime before Tatum connected on the game-winning shot.

Boston’s Al Horford scored a season-high 18 points. The Celtics also received 18 points from Derrick White.

Toronto lost despite having a 76-42 edge in points in the paint.

The Celtics were without Jrue Holiday, who missed the game because of left knee tendinopathy. Before the game Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said he didn’t expect Holiday’s injury to linger. It was the first game Holiday has missed this season.

Boston used a 12-0 spurt to take a 14-4 lead, but the Raptors were within two points, 28-26, after 12 minutes. A Jamison Battle 3-pointer capped a 9-0 run that put Toronto in front 45-44 with 5:37 left in the second quarter, but the Celtics had a 56-54 halftime lead.

A 16-4 run gave the Raptors a 64-58 lead and Toronto led 68-61 after a Poeltl jumper with 8:05 left in the third. The Celtics moved in front 76-74 after an 11-2 run and Boston had an 86-85 lead entering the final quarter.

Toronto was up 114-112 following a Barrett basket with 59 seconds left, but Neemias Queta tied the game on a layup with 42.1 seconds to play. Neither team scored again in regulation.

–Field Level Media

Tatum Overpowers Nets

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BROOKLYN – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jayson Tatum scored 15 of his 36 points in the third quarter as the Celtics recovered from a slow start and pulled away in the second half for a 139-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

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Five nights after needing overtime to earn a four-point win on their homecourt, the Celtics rallied from an early 13-point deficit. Boston beat the Nets for the sixth straight time and for the 12th time in the past 13 meetings.

Coming off a 5-of-16 showing in Tuesday’s one-point home loss to the Atlanta Hawks, Tatum made 12 of 19 of shots, handed out 10 of Boston’s season-best 35 assists and collected nine rebounds.

Jaylen Brown added 24 points and 12 rebounds as the Celtics delighted many of their fans in the crowd by shooting a season-best 53.8 percent. Payton Pritchard contributed 23, Jrue Holiday chipped in 16 and Sam Hauser finished with 12 as the trio combined to hit 11 of Boston’s 22 3s.

Ziare Williams scored 23 points and started for the second straight game for Dorian Finney-Smith (sprained left ankle) but the Nets could not keep pace with Boston’s offense and lost for the third time in four games. Brooklyn also played without Ben Simmons (left calf tightness).

Cam Thomas added 17 and Dennis Schroder contributed 16 as the Nets shot 50.6 percent and took their most lopsided loss of the season.

Cameron Johnson’s 3-pointer opened a 26-13 lead for the Nets with 3:52 remaining, but the Celtics ended the opening period with a 19-8 run wherein Tatum scored nine of their final 12 points of the quarter to slice the deficit to 34-32. The Celtics took their first lead when Hauser’s 3 made it 37-36 early in the second, and they held a 65-60 edge at halftime.

Boston began pulling away with about eight minutes left in the third when Tatum’s open 3 pushed the lead to 80-68. Holiday’s 3 extended the lead to 85-70 with 7:17 left and two hoops by Tatum in the final two minutes helped Boston take a 103-89 edge into the fourth.

Tatum finished off his big night by hitting three free throws with 5:21 left for a 123-101 lead and then hit a 17-footer a few minutes later to a loud ovation.

–Field Level Media

Kerr, Warriors Get Last Laugh

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Golden State guard Stephen Curry generated 27 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help the visiting Warriors stretch their winning streak to five games with a 118-112 victory over the Celtics on Wednesday night at TD Garden.

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The Warriors trailed by seven in the middle of the fourth quarter but used an 16-4 run to take a 104-99 lead with 2:30 to play on a Curry layup. Boston pulled within 115-112 when Payton Prichard made three free throws with 16 seconds remaining, but the Warriors closed out the win by making 3 of 4 at the foul line the rest of the way.

Golden State, which improved to 5-0 on the road, made 12 of its 13 free-throw attempts in the final quarter.

Buddy Hield and Andrew Wiggins each added 16 points for Golden State.

Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 32 points for the Celtics, whose three-game winning streak ended. Tatum has been the leading scorer in seven of Boston’s nine games.

Derrick White made seven 3-pointers and added 26 points, and Pritchard finished with 16 points.

The Warriors have won seven of their eight games, which is the team’s best start to a season since they won 11 of their first 12 games in 2021-22.

The Celtics were without forward Jaylen Brown, who has not played in the past three games because of a hip flexor strain. Brown is averaging 25.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season.

Boston led 24-19 after one quarter, but Golden State closed the first half with a 9-0 run and led 51-40 at halftime. The Celtics shot 35.1 percent from the field (13 of 37) in the half, and they missed 14 of their 20 3-point attempts.

Tatum scored 17 points in the third quarter, when the Celtics put up 41. Boston was within 82-81 entering the fourth.

The Celtics took their first lead in the second half when White made a 3-pointer for an 85-84 advantage with 10:19 to play. Another White 3-pointer extended Boston’s edge to 95-88 with 6:46 remaining, but the Warriors got within 97-96 on a Curry 3-pointer with 4:56 left.

–Field Level Media

 

Physical Golden State Handles Celtics

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Servic e Report) – Warriors guard Stephen Curry amassed 27 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help visiting Golden State stretch its winning streak to five games with a victory over Boston.

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The Warriors trailed by seven in the middle of the fourth quarter but used an 16-4 run to take a 104-99 lead with 2:30 to play on a Curry layup. Boston pulled within 115-112 when Payton Prichard made three free throws with 16 seconds remaining, but the Warriors closed out the win by making 3 of 4 at the foul line the rest of the way.

Golden State, which improved to 5-0 on the road, made 12 of its 13 free-throw attempts in the final quarter. Buddy Hield and Andrew Wiggins each added 16 points for Golden State. Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 32 points for the Celtics, whose three-game winning streak ended. Derrick White made seven 3-pointers and added 26 points.

Celtics Complete Weekend Sweep

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CHARLOTTE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jayson Tatum pumped in 29 points and his teammate Payton Pritchard hit six 3-pointers on the way to 22 points off the bench as the Celtics defeated the host Charlotte Hornets 113-103 Saturday. It marked Boston’s second win over Charlotte in less than 24 hours.

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Luke Kornet’s 19 points and Derrick White’s 18 helped the Celtics to their sixth win in seven games to open the season, and Jrue Holiday’s triple with 3:44 to go polished off his 13-point evening.

LaMelo Ball racked up 36 points for the Hornets, who went 1-3 during a four-game homestand.

Brandon Miller, who hadn’t played since the Hornets’ season opener on Oct. 23 because of a glute injury, logged 31 minutes as a starter and provided 16 points. Josh Green added 12 points, Cody Martin supplied 11 and Tre Mann had 10.

The Celtics carved through Charlotte’s defense in the first half on the way to a 68-50 lead at the break.

But Boston couldn’t shake the Hornets until late in the fourth quarter. Charlotte was within 93-87 after Green canned a trey with 6:49 left in the game.

However, Holiday’s late 3-pointer later sparked a 7-0 run that pushed the Celtics’ lead to 108-93 with just 2:05 remaining.

For the second night in a row, the Celtics had a big advantage in free-throw scoring while the Hornets relied heavily on long-range shooting. Boston was 25-for-28 at the line compared to Charlotte’s 6-for-9 mark.

Still, the Celtics managed to finish with 16 triples to the Hornets’ 17 for the game, with Boston hitting four in the first seven-plus minutes of the contest to race out to a 26-12 lead with 4:42 left in the first quarter.

Boston attempted 52 shots from 3-point land on the night. Tatum was just 1-for-9 on threes, but he went 14-for-17 from the charity stripe.

Charlotte center Grant Williams, who was ejected from the game on Friday after committing a flagrant foul against Tatum, was in the Hornets’ starting lineup on Saturday, but he managed only five points in 34 minutes.

–Field Level Media

We Want a Rematch

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Despite tense moments between the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets during parts of their Friday night game, lots of love was displayed afterward.

They teams get together for a rematch Saturday night in a game that also will be held in Charlotte.

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Many of the Celtics know Hornets coach Charles Lee well. He was a Boston assistant coach last season when the Celtics captured the NBA title.

“I think he definitely has his work cut for him,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said, “but I think he’s handling it with grace. I wish him well, just not in (this series).”

Jayson Tatum tallied 32 points and 11 rebounds as the Celtics won 124-109 on Friday. Lee exchanged hugs with several of the Celtics on the court following the final buzzer.

So now it’s back-to-back nights for the Hornets to try to breakthrough against the Celtics.

Charlotte’s Grant Williams and Miles Bridges were both ejected Friday night, and the Hornets’ LaMelo Ball also was whistled for a flagrant foul. Williams’ foul on Tatum could have led to bigger problems.

“I’m glad that he’s fine,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said of Tatum. “What I like most is that he jumped right up, didn’t lay around, didn’t really faze him. … I’m happy that he’s OK. I just like how JT handled it.”

Still, the Celtics were irked by Williams — who played for Boston from 2019-20 to 2022-23.

“It was for-sure intentional,” Brown said. “Y’all see the same play? He hit him like it was a football play, like Ray Lewis coming across the middle.”

Williams told NBC Sports Boston, “Probably not a hard foul, definitely not intentional. Not trying to hurt anybody. We all know that’s one of my closest friends in the league.”

Lee has a tight connection with Mazzulla, so maybe that helped prevent larger-scale problems.

“He is just so open-minded, so creative,” Lee said of Mazzulla. “He just goes with his guts. If it’s something that he believes in, that he believes is going to help the team, he does it with full-on passion. I really admire that about him. It’s something that I try to do myself.”

The Celtics responded from their first loss of the season to win two nights later in Charlotte. They outscored the Hornets 24-10 across the final 7 1/2 minutes, with 15 of those Boston points coming on free throws.

Lee was assessed a fourth-quarter technical foul after he complained about a no-call when Charlotte’s Tre Mann drove into the lane.

Perhaps it was part of the Hornets’ frustration. By game’s end, there were 47 free throws attempted, but of those only 12 taken by the Hornets.

Earlier in the fourth quarter, Mazzulla was assessed a technical foul with the Celtics holding a one-point lead.

The Hornets had to like the performance of Ball, who put up 31 points in 31 minutes, though he fouled out. His four turnovers weren’t overly troublesome, but he had only four assists.

The Hornets will be interested in seeing more from Tidjane Salaun, a 19-year-old rookie who scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench Friday night.

“I loved his energy tonight, I thought he gave us a great boost,” Lee said. “He’s grasping the speed of the game. … I really like him out there because he brings another layer of length and athleticism.”

The Celtics will want to check on their perimeter defense after surrendering 19 3-pointers. Six Charlotte players had two or more treys.

–Field Level Media

Wizards Focused on Deconstructing?

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WASH DC – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Washington Wizards kick off their 2024-25 season Thursday night with a home game against the Boston Celtics. The Wizards finished last season 15-67 — the worst record in team history — and the rebuild is ongoing.

Washington’s offseason additions include first-round draft picks Alex Sarr (No. 2), Carlton “Bub” Carrington (No. 14) and Kyshawn George (No. 24). The Wizards also added veterans Jonas Valanciunas, former Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon and Saddiq Bey, although Bey is expected to miss much of the season while he recovers from a torn ACL.

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Brogdon will also miss Thursday’s game because of a torn thumb tendon.

“If we’re really to think about it — the phases of the rebuild — there’s the deconstruction phase. There’s the laying-the-foundation phase. There’s the building it back up, and then there’s fortifying what you build,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said during the team’s media day. “We’re still focused on deconstructing and laying that foundation.”

Jordan Poole, who is entering his second season with the Wizards after being acquired from Golden State, is expected to play more point guard this season. Poole’s role as a ball handler increased when Brian Keefe replaced Wes Unseld Jr. as the team’s head coach last January.

“Being able to get into transition, building confidence into my teammates — it’s something I’ve always been able to do, especially with the ball,” Poole said. “Guys are open, just get them the ball and try to put them in situations to be successful.”

Defending NBA champion Boston opened its season Tuesday with a 132-109 victory over the visiting New York Knicks. The Celtics tied an NBA record by making 29 3-pointers in the win.

Al Horford made the 29th 3-pointer with 8:54 to play, but Boston missed its next 13 shots from behind the arc to end the game. Boston tied the record set by the Milwaukee Bucks against the Miami Heat in 2020.

“It’s almost like we got jinxed or something,” Boston’s Jaylen Brown said. “When we were just playing, having fun, playing our style of basketball, everything was going in. And then once the crowd got into it and we started hunting them, we couldn’t even hit the broad side of the barn. Everything was off. We got a bunch of great looks and it was like a lid on the basket.”

Jayson Tatum made eight 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 37 points. Boston also received multiple 3-pointers from Derrick White (six), Brown (five), Jrue Holiday (four), Horford (three) and Sam Hauser (two). Payton Pritchard connected on the other 3-pointer.

“The biggest thing I’m proud of us is the mindset of the guys,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “We weren’t stuck in the past. … We were physical on defense and were together on offense. It’s a great start.”

Washington hasn’t won 50 games in a season since 1979, which was the last time the franchise advanced to the NBA Finals.

“This is the best team I’ve been around in terms of chemistry, camaraderie and character since I’ve been in Washington,” Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma said.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Cash Out as Tatum Cashes In

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics and All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum are finalizing a five-year supermax extension worth $314 million, which would be the largest deal in NBA history, according to multiple media reports on Monday.

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The deal comes after Tatum helped guide the Celtics to the NBA title this summer, the 18th in franchise history. The report also coincides with the announcement the franchise will be placed up for sale in the near future.

Tatum, 26, averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in 74 regular-season starts before adding 25.0 points, 9.7 boards and 6.3 assists per game in Boston’s 19-game romp through the playoffs.

Tatum was an All-NBA first-team selection for the third straight year and has been named to five All-Star Games. He has spent his entire seven-year NBA career in Boston and has career averages of 23.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest over 513 games.

The Celtics also locked up starting guard Derrick White to a $126 million contract extension earlier Monday.

–Field Level Media

The Boston Celtics | For Sale

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report with Team News Release) – Investors with deep pockets willing to purchase a champion can line up for bidding on the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics.

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The franchise is available for purchase, according to a team issued news release.  The imminent sale comes on the heels of a record 18th NBA title secured last month, as the league’s most storied franchise defeated the Dallas Mavericks in a five-game NBA Finals.

No purchase price was reported. Earlier this year, Forbes estimated the franchise’s value at $4.7 billion.

The potential sale comes at a time when the Celtics could approach a record payroll — and payroll tax to the NBA — with All-Star and MVP candidate Jayson Tatum discussing a contract that would make him the league’s highest-paid player.

Boston Basketball Partners was formed in 2002 and it completed the purchase of the Celtics on New Year’s Eve of that year from previous owner Paul Gaston for $360 million. Reports at the time indicated the actual sale price was $310 million since $50 million of debt was not assumed by the new ownership group.