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Thunder Road Kill

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OKLAHOMA CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – OKC’s MVP in waiting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points to lead the hometown Thunder to a 105-92 home win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday.

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The Thunder extended their winning streak to a franchise-record 15. Oklahoma City’s winning streak is tied for the longest this season with Cleveland, which won 15 consecutive games to start the season.

Aaron Wiggins, the star of Oklahoma City’s fourth-quarter comeback against the Knicks on Friday, scored 15 points off the bench. Luguentz Dort had 14, Cason Wallace added 13 and Jalen Williams put up 10.

The Thunder tightened things up defensively after giving up 65 first-half points, holding the defending champions to just 27 points in the second half. Boston hadn’t scored fewer than 44 points in a half this season.

The Celtics were just 8 of 40 (20 percent) from the field in the second half.

Jayson Tatum had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, whose three-game winning streak was snapped. Brown added 21 points — all in the first half. Brown was 0 for 7 from the floor after halftime. Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points and nine boards.

Oklahoma City improved to 11-0 against the Eastern Conference this season.

The Thunder trailed by as many as 13 in the game and 11 in the second half before they fought their way back. Gilgeous-Alexander, who also finished with 11 rebounds and six assists, had his hands all over a 9-0 Thunder run in the fourth quarter that turned the tide.

The Thunder took the lead on a pair of Gilgeous-Alexander free throws, before Dort’s steal and dunk put them up 89-85.

After a Boston miss, Gilgeous-Alexander drained a step-back 3-pointer over Jrue Holliday to stretch the lead to seven. Two possessions later, he blocked Tatum’s shot at the rim, then found Isaiah Hartenstein for an alley-oop dunk in traffic.

OKC is Ready for Celtics

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OKLAHOMA CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cut off the question before it was finished.

The Oklahoma City Thunder star was asked if there was any extra motivation when the Thunder hosts Boston on Sunday.

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The Thunder are riding a franchise-record 14-game winning streak, while the Celtics are the defending NBA champions.

“Absolutely,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Absolutely. They won and we’re trying to win.”

The Thunder have trailed each of the last three games by at least 12 points before coming back to win, including overcoming a 14-point deficit in Friday’s 117-107 home win over the Knicks.

The Thunder are amid a four-game stretch against the top three teams from the Eastern Conference.

Oklahoma City is 10-0 against the Eastern Conference, though it fell to Milwaukee in the NBA Cup final that doesn’t count in the regular-season standings.

After dropping four of their previous nine games, the Celtics enter Sunday’s game on a three-game winning streak.

The last two have come to start a four-game road trip.

“We had a good meeting before this trip, just a little bit like looking-in-the-mirror type of meeting and see where we can improve and what we can do better,” Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis said. “Teams are obviously coming for us and some of them are playing their best basketball against us.”

During the winning streak, the Celtics are shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and have posted a 133.6 offensive rating — points scored per 100 possessions — and a 103.3 defensive rating. Both marks are best in the NBA over that span.

“December didn’t go the way we wanted to,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum said. “We’re trying to get back to our identity of who we are on both ends of the floor.”

Oklahoma City has the NBA’s best defense, with a 102.9 defensive rating.

During the Thunder’s winning streak, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.7 points, 5.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.2 blocks.

“Big challenge,” Porzingas said of facing Gilgeous-Alexander. “They have great guys that can support him also, so we can’t just focus on him alone. But we’ll see. It’ll be a fun matchup for sure.”

While Gilgeous-Alexander sets the tone and Jalen Williams is making a case for an All-Star berth, Oklahoma City has shown it can win in a variety of ways.

In Friday’s game, Aaron Wiggins scored 15 fourth-quarter points to key the comeback while Isaiah Hartenstein had a handful of critical plays at both ends down the stretch.

“We’re a very deep team, a team full of high-level basketball players, professionals, hoopers, that do whatever it takes to win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We have so many different looks, so many different lineups, and we all just want to win at the end of the day. Nothing comes before that.”

Porzingis returned Friday after missing four games with a left ankle sprain.

Boston star Jaylen Brown has missed the last two games with a shoulder strain while Al Horford figures to return Sunday after missing Friday’s win due to rest on the second night of a back-to-back.

–Field Level Media

 

 

Jaylen Brown Carries Celtics, 142-105

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BOSTON – Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown poured in a season-high 44 points to help Boston end a two-game losing streak by beating the visiting Indiana Pacers 142-105 Friday. Brown was 16 of 24 from the field, including 6 of 11 from 3-point territory, and made each of his six free-throw attempts. He also had five rebounds, three assists and four steals.

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Boston’s twin tandem All NBA star, Jayson Tatum, added 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Celtics, who were 23 of 57 from 3-point range. Payton Pritchard provided 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds off the Boston bench.

Tyrese Haliburton had a team-high 19 points and nine assists for the Pacers, who never led in the game. Indiana received 18 points from Bennedict Mathurin and 14 from Pascal Siakam. Off the bench, Jarace Walker had 15 points and five assists and Thomas Bryant added 12 points and seven rebounds.

The 142 points are the most Boston has scored in a game this season.

It was 11-11 midway through the first quarter before Boston pulled away for a 39-22 lead after one. Brown made each of his six field goal attempts for 15 points in the opening 12 minutes.

The Celtics led 57-37 after a Tatum 3-pointer with 3:38 remaining in the second quarter. Al Horford capped a 13-0 run with back-to-back 3-pointers that extended Boston’s lead to 65-37, and the Celtics were up 67-45 at halftime.

Brown was up to 23 points and Tatum collected 10 points and 10 rebounds in the first half.

Another Tatum 3-pointer gave the Celtics a 95-63 advantage with 4:10 left in the third quarter. It was 103-78 entering the fourth, and Boston’s lead peaked at 38 in the final quarter.

Each team was missing some key pieces. The Celtics played without Jrue Holiday (right shoulder impingement) and Kristaps Porzingis (left ankle sprain), and the Pacers didn’t have Obi Toppin (left ankle sprain) or Andrew Nembhard (left knee injury management).

The teams will meet again Sunday in Boston.

–Field Level Media

Bah, Humbug

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey collected 33 points and 12 assists to lead the visiting 76ers to a 118-114 victory over the Celtics on Wednesday.

The 76ers received 27 points and nine rebounds from Joel Embiid and 23 points from Caleb Martin, who made 7 of 9 3-point attempts.

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The Celtics, who trailed by 15 in the fourth quarter, trimmed their deficit to 116-114 with 4.9 seconds to play, but Embiid made two free throws to put the 76ers up by four with 2.8 seconds left. Philadelphia has won six of its past eight games.

Jayson Tatum led Boston in points (32) and rebounds (15). Jaylen Brown added 23 points and seven rebounds but shot 10 of 23 from the field. Payton Pritchard missed all eight of his 3-point attempts.

Boston, which was coming off a 108-104 setback against the Orlando Magic on Monday, lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Jrue Holiday didn’t play for Boston because of a right shoulder impingement. The Celtics also played most of the game without Kristaps Porzingis, who sustained a left ankle injury and didn’t play in the second half.

Philadelphia was without Andre Drummond, who missed his first game since Dec. 4 because of a sprained left toe. Drummond leads the 76ers in rebounding (8.0 boards per game).

The 76ers had a 30-25 advantage after one quarter and stretched the lead to 52-36 after a Paul George dunk capped a 17-2 run with 5:22 remaining in the first half. Philadelphia had a 66-58 halftime lead even though the Celtics made 13 of their 28 3-point attempts in the first two quarters.

Boston tied the contest, 74-74, on a Brown 3-pointer and took a 78-76 lead on a Tatum jumper with 4:03 left in the third quarter. The Celtics led by as many as four points in the frame, but it was 82-82 entering the fourth.

Philadelphia began the final quarter with a 12-2 spurt and led 94-84 after a Maxey jump shot with 8:50 to play. The 76ers extended their lead to 103-88 on a Martin 3-pointer with 6:37 left.

–Field Level Media

NBA Christmas Day Round-Up

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SAN FRANCISCO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – LA’s Austin Reaves drove for a go-ahead layup with one second left to cap a triple-double, LeBron James added to his Christmas Day lore with 31 points and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame an injury to center Anthony Davis to outlast the Golden State Warriors 115-113 on Wednesday night in the Bay Area.

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Despite losing Davis for good to a twisted left ankle in the eighth minute of the game, the Lakers held the upper hand for almost the entire final three quarters, leading to a fourth win in five games.

The Lakers led 109-100 with 1:30 to go before Stephen Curry nearly stole the show. The Warriors star scored eight points in a 13-4 run, burying a pair of improbable 3-pointers in the final 12.2 seconds, including a game-tying 31-footer with 7.6 seconds left.

Reaves wound up with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and James had 10 assists, too. Curry logged a game-high 38 points, a majority of which came on eight 3-pointers, tying the NBA record for a Christmas game.

Timberwolves 105, Mavericks 99

DALLAS – Anthony Edwards scored 26 points and visiting Minnesota beat the Mavericks, playing the second half without star Luka Doncic after he sustained a left calf strain late in the second quarter.

Doncic suffered the non-contact injury with 2:31 left in the second quarter and went straight to the locker room. The guard had 14 points in 16 minutes for the Mavericks, who were trailing 51-38 at the time of his injury.

Dallas fell behind by as many as 28 in the third quarter before mounting a comeback in the final period. The Mavericks cut the deficit to 101-99 on Klay Thompson’s 3-pointer with 1:05 remaining. Kyrie Irving scored 15 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter but missed a 3-pointer that would have given Dallas the lead with 37 seconds left, and Edwards scored on the next possession to give the Wolves a four-point lead.

76ers 118, Celtics 114

Tyrese Maxey collected 33 points and 12 assists to lead Philadelphia to a victory at Boston. The 76ers received 27 points and nine rebounds from Joel Embiid and 23 points from Caleb Martin, who made 7 of 9 3-point attempts.

The Celtics, who trailed by 15 in the fourth quarter, trimmed their deficit to 116-114 with 4.9 seconds to play, but Embiid made two free throws to put the 76ers up by four with 2.8 seconds left. Philadelphia has won six of its past eight games.

Jayson Tatum led Boston in points (32) and rebounds (15). Jaylen Brown added 23 points and seven rebounds, but the Celtics lost a second game in a row for the first time this season.

Knicks 117, Spurs 114

Mikal Bridges outdueled Victor Wembanyama by scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter to lead host New York to a comeback win over San Antonio.

Bridges and Wembanyama combined to score 26 points in a fast-paced fourth quarter in which the teams combined for 60 points while shooting a collective 54.8 percent (23-for-42). Bridges finished with a season-high 41 points — the second-most by a Knicks player on Christmas Day behind Bernard King’s 60-point effort in 1984. Wembanyama had 42 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in his Christmas Day debut.

Miles McBride hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2:43 left to give the Knicks the lead for good as the hosts won their season-high fifth in a row and improved to 15-4 since Nov. 15. Jeremy Sochan had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs.

Suns 110, Nuggets 100

Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal scored 27 points apiece and the Phoenix Suns avenged a one-sided loss at Denver earlier this week with a solid 110-100 victory over the visiting Nuggets on Wednesday night.

Tyus Jones added 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Monte Morris scored 11 off the bench for the Suns, who halted a three-game losing streak. Jusuf Nurkic collected 13 rebounds to go with eight points and six assists, Durant added six assists and Beal had four steals for Phoenix in the Christmas night affair.

–Field Level Media

Rick Welts Named Mavs’ CEO

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DALLAS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Dallas Mavericks organization has named Rick Welts the new Chief Executive Officer of the NBA franchise, effective Jan. 1, 2025, following Cynt Marshall’s nearly seven-year tenure.

In his remarkable 46-year career in sports and entertainment, Welts has previously held roles as President and COO of the Golden State Warriors, President of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, and the NBA’s Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer and President of NBA Properties.

“Inspiring leadership has been a staple of the Dallas Mavericks since Cynt Marshall started leading the organization in 2018 as CEO. I’m extremely proud that her legacy of success and our family’s vision for the future of this franchise will soon be in the hands of another great leader,” said Mavericks team Governor Patrick Dumont. “Rick Welts is among the most successful executives in the history of the NBA and a member of the Hall of Fame. To have him join us as we continue to build on the successful history of the Mavericks is a clear signal that this organization is serious about both growing its position as an elite NBA team and further positioning the franchise among the most popular sports teams in the world.”

“The chance to lead this organization in this city at this time is both incredibly exciting and unexpected,” said Welts. “I appreciate Patrick’s confidence in selecting me to build upon the culture and success that Cynt Marshall and Nico Harrison have created. My long-standing friendships with them both give me a lot of confidence in accepting this opportunity. I can’t wait to get started learning all I can about Dallas and how best to serve our fans and this community.”

“It gives me great pleasure to pass the baton to my friend, Rick Welts. From the day I joined the Mavs, I’ve benefited from his knowledge and vast experience in the sports and entertainment industry,” said Marshall. “I love our team so much and I’m happy that they will be in such great hands. There is no doubt that Rick and his family will embrace and enjoy the wonderful fans, employees and communities in Dallas.”

Welts began his NBA career as a ballboy with the SuperSonics in 1969 at the age of 16 and, a decade later, was a part of the franchise’s lone NBA championship in 1979 as its public relations director. During his 17 years with the NBA league office in New York, Welts’ notable accomplishments included the creation of NBA All-Star Weekend in 1984 and the marketing program for USA Basketball’s Olympic “Dream Team” in 1992. Along with (former WNBA President and current BIG East Commissioner) Val Ackerman, he was named “Marketer of the Year” by Brandweek in 1998 for his role in launching the WNBA.

Greek Freak was Out in Vegas

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LAS VEGAS – Milwaukee’s Giannis “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo scored 26 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and dished 10 assists and to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup title with a 97-81 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

Milwaukee became the second winner of the Cup, following the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship in the inaugural tournament last season.

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Damian Lillard added 23 points for the Bucks.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points but shot just 8-for-24 from the field, including 2 of 9 from 3-point range. Jalen Williams added 18 points on 8-of-20 shooting, while Isaiah Hartenstein added 16.

Lillard gave the Bucks an 11-point lead by draining one of his signature long range 3-pointers with 9:08 remaining in the third quarter. The bucket came directly following back-to-back technical fouls on Thunder forward Luguentz Dort and coach Mike Daigneault, leading to two free throws that Lillard sank.

Antetokounmpo scored 14 points in the first half and Lillard chipped in 12 as Milwaukee led 51-50 at the break. Hartenstein paced the Thunder with 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the half, despite earning a technical foul after a dust-up with Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. Neither team was able to extend the lead to more than five points in the second quarter as the Bucks outscored the Thunder 24-22.

The Thunder opened the game on a 16-9 run, forcing the Bucks to call timeout after 4 1/2 minutes. Lillard promptly answered, scoring seven of Milwaukee’s point Bucks as they went on a 13-4 run to take their first lead with 3:26 remaining in the first quarter.

Oklahoma City held a 28-27 advantage going into the second, in part because of a go-ahead 3-pointer by Gilgeous-Alexander with 1:22 left in the quarter.

Milwaukee made 34 of its 81 attempts (42 percent) from the field for the game, shooting 17 of 40 (42.5 percent) from 3-point range. The Bucks outrebounded Oklahoma City 52-43 and led by as many 20 points in the second half.

The Thunder shot 29 of 86 (33.7 percent) from the field, making only 5 of 32 attempts (15.6 percent) from long distance.

–Field Level Media

Morant Leads Grizzlies Over Cs

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Ja Morant had 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to help the visiting Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Celtics 127-121 Saturday night and earn their first win at the TD Garden since 2013.

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The victory ended Boston’s six-game winning streak against Memphis. The Grizzlies had lost 16 of their last 17 games against the Celtics, including the last 10 in Boston.

Boston led 103-99, but a 10-0 run handed Memphis a six-point lead with 7:19 to play. The Grizzlies maintained the lead after that.

Jaren Jackson Jr. added 27 points, nine rebounds and three steals for the Grizzlies, who went 15 of 33 on 3-point attempts. Jackson scored 14 points in the fourth quarter.

Jayson Tatum had 17 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for the Celtics, who shot 18 of 60 from long range. Boston received 23 points from Jrue Holiday and 22 from both Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown.

Boston’s Sam Hauser left the game in the first half with right adductor tightness and did not return.

Marcus Smart, who spent his first nine NBA seasons with the Celtics before he was traded to Memphis in a three-team deal that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston, was 1 of 11 from the field and scored three points. He was given a standing ovation by the Boston crowd when he entered the game.

The loss ended Boston’s three-game winning streak and its seven-game home winning streak.

A 10-0 run gave Memphis an early 18-8 lead, and the Grizzlies led 31-27 going into the second quarter.

Memphis took a 12-point lead following a Morant basket with 29.8 seconds remaining in the first half and led 66-54 at halftime. The Celtics shot 36 percent from the field in the first two quarters and made only 9 of 31 from long range.

Pritchard’s 3-pointer capped a 13-3 run that sliced the Memphis lead to 88-86 with 1:37 left in the third quarter, but Boston trailed 94-89 entering the fourth.

–Field Level Media

Celtics, Tatum Shoot Past Bucks

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Celtics extended their home winning streak to seven games by beating the Milwaukee Bucks 111-105 on Friday.

Boston used a 10-2 run to take a 105-101 lead with 1:29 left, and Jrue Holiday hit a jump shot that put the Celtics up 107-102 with 25.6 seconds to play. Holiday, who finished the game with 20 points, also made two free throws that handed Boston a 109-105 lead with 14.9 seconds remaining.

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Jaylen Brown added 25 points for Boston, which was outrebounded 51-41 and shot 32.1 percent from 3-point range (17 of 53). Derrick White was 0-for-8 from 3-point territory, 1-for-10 overall, and scored six points.

Damian Lillard tossed in a team-high 31 points for Milwaukee, which received 30 points and 11 rebounds from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Bobby Portis finished with nine points and 18 rebounds.

Khris Middleton came off the bench and made his season debut for the Bucks, amassing 11 points, five assists and two steals in 23 minutes. He had been sidelined after undergoing offseason surgery on both ankles.

Milwaukee’s Taurean Prince was scoreless in nine minutes during the first half and did not play in the final two quarters. He had been questionable to play due to an illness. Gary Trent Jr. started for Prince in the second half, and he wound up with 11 points.

Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis (injury management) did not play in the win. Porzingis is averaging 21.0 points and 7.8 rebounds in four games this season.

Boston led 29-27 after one quarter, but Milwaukee had a 57-53 halftime lead. The Bucks trailed throughout the first half until Trent hit a 3-pointer that gave them a 46-45 advantage with 3:33 remaining in the second quarter.

Lillard scored 20 points in the first half. Boston missed each of its 12 3-point attempts in the second quarter.

Milwaukee closed the third quarter on a 5-0 run and had an 82-78 lead with 12 minutes to play.

It was the third and final regular season meeting between the teams. Boston won all three games.

–Field Level Media

NBA to Return to China with Nets, Suns

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BEIJING – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The NBA’s relationship with China that turned cold over a general manager’s tweet in 2019 apparently is defrosting with an announcement expected Friday of two preseason games in Macao in October, according to multiple reports Thursday.

The Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns will play on Oct. 10 and 12, 2025, at Macao’s Venetian Arena, marking the first games since 17 NBA teams played 28 preseason contests in China from 2004 to 2019.

Basketball is extremely popular in China, and the market was worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the NBA. However, a rift was created when then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support of anti-government protests in Hong Kong in October 2019.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver supported personal freedom of expression and did not punish Morey, the current GM of the Philadelphia 76ers.

In response, lucrative sponsorships were ended and league games were not shown on CCTV, the state-sponsored broadcaster in China, for one year after Morey’s tweet. Silver estimated in 2021 that the NBA lost $400 million that year because of the frayed relationship.

NBA games, however, started appearing regularly on CCTV in 2022 and became available on a streaming service.

NBA players, including stars Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings, have made appearances in China. Macao will host a celebrity basketball game on Saturday featuring former NBA standouts.

The Venetian Arena is owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corp., which operates a casino there. Macao is the only place in China with legal casino gambling. Dallas Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont is the president and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands.

Joe Tsai, the co-founder and chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, owns the Nets.

–Field Level Media