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Celtics Botch One in Portland

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PORTLAND – (Wire Service Report) – Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe scored 26 points and Deni Avdija added 24 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds to help the host Trail Blazers defeat the Boston Celtics 114-108 on Sunday. Toumani Camara scored 20 points and Donovan Clingan recorded 18 points and 18 rebounds as the Trail Blazers halted a three-game skid. Caleb Love scored 18 off the bench as Portland also snapped a six-game losing streak against the Celtics.

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Jaylen Brown had 37 points and seven rebounds for Boston, which saw a four-game winning streak end. Brown has scored at least 30 in all nine of his appearances this month. Hugo Gonzalez and former Trail Blazer Anfernee Simons added 13 points apiece for Boston. Derrick White scored 12 and Neemias Queta added 11.

Love drained a 3-pointer to give the Trail Blazers a 103-100 advantage with 4:30 remaining. Boston later pulled within 109-108 on White’s 3-pointer with 43 seconds left. Clingan’s three-point play with 22 seconds left again gave Portland a four-point advantage.

After a Boston timeout, White turned the ball over with a bad pass. Avdija made two free throws with 15 seconds left to make a six-point margin and the Trail Blazers closed it out to improve to 1-3 on a five-game homestand.

The Trail Blazers made 47.2% of their field-goal attempts and were 18 of 51 from distance. Sharpe made 5 of 8 from 3-point range.

Brown scored 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting in the first half as Boston held a 63-55 lead. Sharpe had 15 in the half for Portland.

The Celtics led by 10 early in the third quarter before the Trail Blazers responded with a 14-2 push. Avdija’s jumper capped it and gave Portland a 69-67 lead. Simons scored eight straight points to put Boston up by two before Sharpe connected on a 3-pointer with 31 seconds to go and Portland took an 86-85 lead into the final stanza.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Ice Indiana Pacers

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Jaylen Brown tossed in a game-high 31 points and added nine rebounds to help the Boston Celtics overcome a 20-point deficit and defeat the visiting Indiana Pacers 103-95 Monday night. Indiana, which led by 20 early in the third quarter, was held to 34 points in the second half and 13 points in the fourth quarter.

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The Celtics received 19 points from Derrick White and a game-high 11 rebounds from rookie Hugo Gonzalez. Pascal Siakam tallied 25 points for Indiana and Andrew Nembhard contributed 20. Bennedict Mathurin added 16 points and nine rebounds for Indiana, which has lost five in a row.

Boston forward Jordan Walsh did not play because of an illness that also prevented him from playing in the second half of Saturday’s 112-96 victory over Toronto. Walsh is averaging 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game this season.

Indiana led 30-18 after an Ethan Thompson 3-pointer with 4:25 left in the opening quarter. It was the last of eight straight 3-point shots the Pacers made in the quarter. Boston scored the next eight points, but Indiana led 35-26 after 12 minutes. The Pacers held a 61-41 lead — their largest lead of the first half — with 1:22 remaining in the second quarter. Indiana made 12 of 30 3-point attempts in the first half and led 61-43 entering the third.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters early in the third, and Boston whittled Indiana’s lead to six points, 74-68, on an Anfernee Simons 3-pointer with 3:15 left in the third. The Pacers led 82-74 after three quarters, but misfired on 11 of their 12 3-point attempts in the stanza. The Celtics took their first lead in the second half on a Brown reverse layup that put Boston in front 85-84 with 7:19 to play.

With the score tied at 91, the hosts outscored their guests, 10-0, capped by a White driving layup with 41.7 seconds remaining.

The Pacers missed 19 of their 20 3-point attempts in the second half. Boston outscored Indiana 52-28 in the paint.

The two squads will meet again Friday in Indiana.

–Field Level Media

Reeling Raptors Host Celtics

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Toronto Raptors are showing the effects of a grueling stretch in the schedule and there is no letup this afternoon when they host the Boston Celtics. The Raptors have dropped four of five after losing 111-86 to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.

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The five games have come in a seven-day stretch starting Nov. 29 when they lost 118-111 in overtime at Charlotte to end their nine-game winning streak.

The Raptors are 1-2 to start a five-game homestand with the loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday snapping an eight-game home winning streak.

“Mentally, physically, we’ve got to get away, we’ve got to recharge very quickly for Sunday and a 3:30 p.m. game,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “A quick turnaround over here, the schedule is what it is. We’re going to bounce back and find our energy levels and compete.”

The Celtics, meanwhile, romped to a 126-105 victory over the undermanned Lakers on Friday and have won four straight and nine of 11.

They also were playing their fifth game in seven days on Friday.

“I thought we did a good job — tremendous job — of figuring out how to pull out wins,” said Payton Pritchard, who scored 15 points on Friday. “And then in these past two games, we kind of just put our foot on the gas and took care of business. I feel like our team is growing, and we’ve just got to keep growing and keep getting better.”

The Celtics defeated the host Washington Wizards 146-101 on Thursday without Jaylen Brown, who scored 30 against the Lakers.

This will be the first meeting between Boston and Toronto this season. The Celtics won three of four from the Raptors last season with the teams splitting two in Toronto.

The Celtics have made an impressive adjustment to the prolonged absence of Jayson Tatum.

Jordan Walsh is one reason for the Celtics’ surge. He shot 6-for-7 from the field on Friday and is shooting 18-for-19 over the past three games.

He had four 3-pointers and scored 17 points against the Lakers, adding two blocked shots and one steal in 26:17. He posted a team-high box plus/minus of +28.

“He’s been great,” Brown said. “I don’t want to boost his head up too much. I don’t want him to start getting cute. He’s got to still take care of the details. But he’s been doing a good job.”

The Raptors did not get much help from their supporting cast on Friday. Immanuel Quickley scored a season-best 31 points, and Scottie Barnes had 13. No one else had more than Jamal Shead’s nine points. Brandon Ingram, who has been among Toronto’s most consistent scorers, was held to seven points on 3-for-13 shooting. He grabbed nine rebounds.

“Physically, we were worn down,” Rajakovic said. “I’m really proud of our guys tonight. I really thought that we tried. We tried. But when you’re trying and you’re missing layups, and you’re missing wide open shots, it’s hard to keep it up. What I think that we did an outstanding job at was we did not quit. We continued fighting and fighting and fighting.”

Jakob Poeltl, who rested his back injury on Thursday, returned on Friday and had five points and seven rebounds.

RJ Barrett (sprained knee) remained out against Charlotte. Jamison Battle suffered a sprained left ankle early in the fourth quarter on Friday. X-rays were negative.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Cruise Past Lakers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jaylen Brown had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help the Boston Celtics stretch their winning streak to four games by beating the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 126-105 Friday night.

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Brown was one of six Boston players who scored in double figures. The Celtics received 19 points from Derrick White, 17 from Jordan Walsh and 15 from Payton Pritchard. Sam Hauser added 12 points and Neemias Queta finished with 10.

Walsh has made 18 of his 19 shots from the floor over the last three games.

The Lakers played without Luka Doncic (personal reasons), LeBron James (right sciatica and left foot joint arthritis) and Marcus Smart (muscle strain). Doncic is the NBA’s leading scorer (35.3 points per game).

Boston made 24 of its 45 3-point attempts (53.3%). White connected on 5 of 10 3-pointers.

Austin Reaves had a 36-point performance for Los Angeles. Gabe Vincent tossed in 18, and Deandre Ayton had six points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Los Angeles lost despite making 25 of 29 shots from the free throw line. Boston made 10 of its 12 free throw attempts.

Boston started off hot and had a 39-17 lead after one quarter. The Celtics had their largest lead of the first half after Pritchard made a stepback jumper that put Boston up 56-27 with 7:08 remaining in the second quarter.

The Celtics shot 52% from 3-point territory through the first two quarters (13 of 25) and had a 69-46 halftime lead. The Lakers were 13-of-40 (32.5%) from the floor in the first half.

A 9-0 run trimmed Boston’s lead to 17 points, 85-68, with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter. A Reaves jumper with 8.6 seconds left in the third capped an 8-0 Lakers run that made it 97-82 entering the final 12 minutes, but Boston regained the momentum by scoring the first nine points in the fourth.

Boston has won 9 of its last 11 games.

–Field Level Media

Nets Beat Celtics in NBA Cup

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Brooklyn’s Michael Porter Jr. scored 33 points and Nic Claxton recorded his first career triple-double, fueling the visiting Nets to a 113-105 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday to salvage a split of their home-and-home series. Porter sank 13 of 21 shots from the floor — including 4 of 6 from 3-point range — to extend his career-best run of games with at least 20 points to eight in a row. He scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.

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Brooklyn, which avenged its 113-99 home court setback on Tuesday, improved to 1-2 in NBA Cup Group B play. The Celtics, in turn, fell to 1-2.

Noah Clowney scored 19 points and Claxton had 18 to go along with 12 assists and 11 rebounds. Rookie Egor Demin added 12 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Nets, who have recorded all three of their wins this season on the road.

Jaylen Brown collected 26 points and eight rebounds while dealing with foul trouble for the Celtics, and Anfernee Simons added 23 points off the bench.

Boston trimmed a 15-point deficit down to four at 96-94 following a 17-4 run to start the fourth quarter before Demin drained a crowd-silencing 3-pointer with 5:04 remaining. Porter sandwiched shots from the interior along with a 3-pointer to push Brooklyn’s lead to 106-97 with 2:50 to play. Neemias Queta made a tip-in to bring the Celtics within three points at 71-68 midway into the third quarter before the Nets ignited a 19-4 run. Ziaire Williams threw down a dunk in transition to cap the sequence.

Brooklyn capped a 40-point second quarter with an 11-2 run. Demin scored four points during that sequence and recorded a crucial steal and set up a Clowney for a layup with 2.8 seconds remaining to give the Nets a 62-53 lead at halftime. Porter drained a 3-pointer to stake Brooklyn to a 19-12 lead with 5:14 remaining in the first before Boston began a 16-3 run to end the quarter. Payton Pritchard converted three times from beyond the arc and Luka Garza added a 3-pointer during that sequence and the Celtics took a 28-22 lead after 12 minutes.

Brooklyn converted 43 of 82 shots from the floor (52.4%), while Boston attempted eight more shots, but sank one less field goal (42 of 90, 46.7%).

–Field Level Media

Celtics Sign Harper, Jr. to 2-Way Deal

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Celtics announced the player contract for guard-forward Ron Harper Jr. was converted to a two-way contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced. The slot opened when the Celtics waived R.J. Luis – the 2025 BIG EAST Player of the Year – was waived on October 15.

Harper Jr. (6-5, 233) has appeared in 56 career regular season G League games (49 starts) across three seasons with Toronto (2022-24), Maine (2024-25), and Motor City (2024-25), averaging 17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals in 32.6 minutes per game. The 25-year-old scored in double figures in 23 outings last season, including nine games with 20+ points and three games with 30+ points. Harper Jr. posted a G-League career-high 38 points (13-20 FG, 11-18 3FG, 1-1 FT) to go with three rebounds, eight assists, and one steal in a victory over Long Island Feb. 1.

The New Jersey native has seen action in 11 NBA games over three seasons with Toronto (2022-24) and Detroit (2024-25) with averages of 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game. In three appearances with Boston in the 2025-26 preseason, Harper Jr. averaged 4.3 points and 1.0 assists in 10.6 minutes per game. Prior to going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, Harper Jr. spent four seasons at Rutgers (2018-22) where he posted averages of 12.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 121 career games (109 starts). He earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors his senior season after averaging a team-high 15.7 points per game and shooting a career-high 39.8 percent (68-171 3FG) from 3-point range. Harper Jr. is the son of former NBA first-round pick Ron Harper, and his younger brother, Dylan, currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs.

Celtics Open Camp; No Tatum in ’25-26

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Celtics star Jayson Tatum said he’s not feeling any pressure to push his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

“No pressure from (Celtics president of basketball operations) Brad (Stevens), (coach) Joe (Mazzulla), the team or the organization,” Tatum said Monday at the Celtics’ media day. “The most important thing is that I’m 100 percent.”

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Tatum suffered the injury in May in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Boston lost the series to the New York Knicks.

While Tatum downplayed any urgency he or the team may feel to get him back on the court, he did discuss his difficult recovery process.

“I think the toughest part was at the beginning and kind of being in disbelief. For me, I had to accept it,” he said. “I started to see a turning point, but then you’re on crutches, and you’re on a scooter, you’re in a boot. And then you can drop one crutch and then you can drop both crutches … That made me feel a little bit more normal.”

Tatum is expected to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season. The Celtics were overhauled in the offseason amid lower expectations without their superstar. Veteran starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were traded without much in the way of established NBA talent added.

“We have a lot of guys that are unproven,” Stevens said. “They’re younger and maybe not quite as experienced and maybe not quite as full of NBA wisdom.”

The Celtics are just 15 months removed from winning the 2023-24 championship. They’ll rely heavily on the leadership of players from that title team like Payton Pritchard, Derrick White and perennial All-Star Jaylen Brown.

“We have a chance for other guys to step up,” Brown said. “Empowering other guys, trusting your teammates more and trying to accelerate guys’ learning curve and play some good basketball. I think that’s what people want to see.”

–Field Level Media

C’s Mazzulla Signed to Multi-year Contract Extension

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Head coach Joe Mazzulla has signed a multi-year contract extension with the Boston Celtics.

The team announced his signing on Friday but did not reveal either the length of the deal or its monetary value.

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Mazzulla, 37, has compiled a 182-64 regular-season record and a 33-17 playoff mark in three seasons with Boston. The Celtics won the NBA title in 2024.

He was the youngest head coach to win the NBA Finals since the 1968-69 season, when Bill Russell, then 35, led the Celtics to the NBA championship as a player-coach.

“He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans,” said Brad Stevens, the team’s president of basketball operations. “He’s worked hard and accomplished amazing things in his first three years as a head coach — including averaging over 60 wins per season and winning the 2024 NBA Championship. Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.”

Celtics Trade Porzingis

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics are sending Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a three-team trade also involving the Brooklyn Nets, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.

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Atlanta will receive the 7-foot-2 Porzingis and a second-round draft pick; the Nets get Hawks guard/forward Terance Mann and their No. 22 pick; and the Celtics receive Atlanta forward Georges Niang and a second-rounder, per the report.

The Celtics, who on Monday reportedly sent two-time All-Star guard Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, will be out of the salary cap’s second apron with the trade of the oft-injured Porzingis and save a projected $180 million in tax penalties, ESPN reported.

Boston reportedly is actively involved in trade talks involving multiple players on their roster following star Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear in the second round of the playoffs.

Porzingis, 29, was an All-Star in 2017-18 with the New York Knicks, who drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick in 2015. Derailed by injuries, he missed the entire 2018-19 season with a torn ACL and has played fewer than 60 games in six of his last seven campaigns.

He missed the start of this past season following offseason ankle surgery. The torn medial retinaculum injury, considered “rare,” occurred during the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, which the Celtics won in five games.

Porzingis averaged 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 28.8 minutes in playing in only 42 regular-season games (all starts) last season. He also played in 11 playoff games (seven starts) and averaged 7.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 21.0 minutes.

For his career, Porzingis averages 19.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.8 blocks and 30.8 minutes in 501 games (500 starts) for the Knicks (2015-18), Mavericks (2019-22), Washington Wizards (2022-23) and Celtics.

He earned $29.2 million this season and is due to earn $30.7 million in 2025-26.

The Los Angeles Clippers selected Mann in the second round of the 2019 draft.

The Clippers traded Mann to the Hawks on Feb. 6. He averaged 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 22.7 minutes in 30 games (one start) for Atlanta — all improvements over his earlier averages in 37 games (12 starts) for Los Angeles.

For his career, Mann, 28, averages 8.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 22.1 minutes in 412 games (169 starts) for the Clippers and Hawks.

The Indiana Pacers picked Niang in the second round of the 2016 draft. Niang, who turned 32 on June 17, has averaged 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 17.5 minutes in 544 games (32 starts).

Niang has played for the Pacers (2016-17), Utah Jazz (2017-21), Philadelphia 76ers (2021-23), Cleveland Cavaliers (2023-25) and Hawks, who acquired him on Feb. 6. He averaged 12.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 23.0 minutes in 28 games (two starts) for Atlanta.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Trade Holiday; Acquire Simons

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Portland Trail Blazers are reacquiring two-time All-Star guard Jrue Holiday from the Boston Celtics, sending guard Anfernee Simons and two future second-round draft picks to Boston in return, according to multiple reports on Monday night.

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Holiday, 35, who will earn $32.4 million next season, is owed a total of approximately $72 million in 2026-27 and 2027-28, after which his four-year, $134.4 million contract that he signed with the Celtics in April 2024 expires.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Simons joins the Celtics on an expiring contract. Per ESPN, the deal saves Boston $40 million in luxury tax payments next season.

In 2023, Portland landed Holiday in a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks for Damian Lillard, then sent the 16-year veteran to Boston and acquired a pair of first-round picks. Holiday never played a game for the Blazers.

Per the report, the Celtics are actively involved in trade talks involving multiple players on their roster following Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear in the second round of the playoffs.

In his first season with the Celtics, Holiday played an instrumental role in the team’s run to the NBA title, shooting a career-high 42.9 percent from 3-point range in 2023-24 and earning All-Defensive team honors.

Holiday was a first-round pick (No. 17 overall) of the Philadelphia 76ers in 2009. He has career averages of 15.8 points, 6.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals with the 76ers (2009-13), New Orleans Pelicans (2013-20), Bucks (2020-23) and Celtics in 1,037 games (956 starts). He won his first NBA title with Milwaukee in 2021 and is a six-time All-Defensive selection.

Simons, 26, was also a first-round selection, picked at No. 24 by the Blazers in 2018. In seven seasons with Portland he posted 15.0 points, 3.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds over 389 games (213 starts). He should fit in with the Celtics’ offensive approach, as he has averaged nearly nine 3-point attempts per game the last three seasons and is a career 38.1 percent shooter from distance.

–Field Level Media