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Celtics to Get Back on Track vs Suns?

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PHOENIX – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Phoenix Suns will attempt to hand the visiting Boston Celtics their third consecutive loss when the teams meet Saturday night.

Boston’s 11-game winning streak came to an end when the Celtics squandered a 22-point fourth-quarter lead in a 105-104 loss at Cleveland on Tuesday. After that, the Celtics suffered a 115-109 loss at Denver on Thursday.

Jaylen Brown had 41 points and 14 rebounds against Denver, but was 7 of 14 from the free-throw line. Kristaps Porzingis added 24 points and 12 rebounds for Boston, but Jayson Tatum had a rare off night and finished with 15 points.

“It stings,” Porzingis said. “It stings real bad, but I like that there’s a big margin that we can improve from this game. It’s not always going to go your way of course. You’re not always going to have perfect games, but what I like is there’s a margin for us to get better, to play better.”

Tatum was 5 of 13 from the field in 39 minutes.

“We talk all the time about respecting each other’s space and understanding the flow of the game,” Tatum said. “It’s not for me to hijack the game because it’s a national TV game and make it about me. Other guys had it going.”

Tatum (ankle) is listed as probable for Saturday’s game. Brown (sacroiliac) is questionable.

The Suns are hoping to have guard Devin Booker in the lineup Saturday. Booker has missed three games since he sprained his right ankle during a 118-109 loss to Houston on March 2 but was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report. Booker is averaging 27.5 points, 6.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game this season.

Before his team’s 120-113 victory over Toronto on Thursday, Phoenix coach Frank Vogel said Booker is making progress and is day to day.

“He definitely wants to be back as soon as possible,” Vogel said. “We understand the big picture, and we’re going to bring him back when he’s ready.”

Kevin Durant tossed in 35 points during Thursday’s win against Toronto. Grayson Allen set a franchise record by making seven 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 26 points (eight 3-pointers), all in the first half. He also made eight 3-pointers during Tuesday’s 117-107 overtime victory at Denver.

The Suns acquired Allen in a trade shortly before preseason training camp. After Thursday’s win, he was leading the NBA in 3-point percentage (47.5 percent).

“He knows his role in our system and he’s a great shooter,” Vogel said. “Everybody knew he was a good player when he was coming in, but he’s a great player. He’s playing phenomenally for us.”

Saturday’s contest will be the first of two meetings between Boston and Phoenix during the regular season. The teams will also play Thursday in Boston.

“They have had an incredible year thus far,” Durant said. “Best starting five in the league by far.

“They have a big lineup with versatile guys up and down the lineup. They’ve been around each other for a while, so they understand one another. Adding Jrue (Holiday) was huge. Adding Kristaps was huge. We have our work cut out for us. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

“I like where we are right now,” Durant said. “I think we can keep growing. That’s the best thing about it — we’ve still got room to grow as a team. We’re getting more and more comfortable as the day goes on.”

–Field Level Media

Nuggets Beat Celtics, 115-109

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DENVER – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Denver’s Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his 20th triple-double of the season, and the host Nuggets overcame a big night by Jaylen Brown to beat the Boston Celtics 115-109 on Thursday night.

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Denver swept the season series and has won seven of eight out of the All-Star break. Jamal Murray scored 19 points, Aaron Gordon contributed 16 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Peyton Watson had 11 points each for the Nuggets.

Brown had 41 points and 13 rebounds, both season-highs, but missed seven free throws. Kristaps Porzingis had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Jayson Tatum finished with 15 points and Jrue Holiday added 12 for Boston.

The Celtics have lost consecutive games for just the second time this season.

Denver led 62-54 at halftime but Boston scored the first eight points of the third. The teams traded buckets before Denver went on a 14-5 run to go ahead 82-73 and took a 90-80 lead into the fourth quarter.

Murray dunked for the first points of the final period. The Celtics scored the next five points but Denver answered with four straight to restore a double-digit lead.

Porzingis hit a jumper to make it 101-93 and had a chance to pull closer when Tatum stole the ball from Murray but the Nuggets stole it back and turned it into a dunk for Gordon with 5:13 remaining.

Brown’s three-point play and a technical on Jokic gave the Celtics a four-point trip to cut it to 105-98. Porzingis hit a 14-footer to trim the deficit to five and Gordon had a putback dunk to make it 109-102.

Holiday got Boston within two with a pair of 3-pointers, Tatum missed a 3-pointer that would have given the Celtics the lead with 45 seconds left and Jokic fed Gordon for another dunk to make it 113-109 with 19.8 seconds remaining.

Derrick White missed a 3-pointer and Denver held on.

Murray hit a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer to put the Nuggets ahead 30-28, and they didn’t trail the rest of the night.

–Field Level Media

Up 23, Celtics Lose to Cavs

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CLEVELAND – (Staff and Wire Service Reports) – Dean Wade scored 23 points and Jarrett Allen finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds to help the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers overcome a 22-point, fourth-quarter deficit and beat the visiting Boston Celtics 105-104 on Tuesday night.

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The Celtics trailed by one point when Cleveland’s Darius Garland was called for a foul on Jayson Tatum with 0.7 seconds to play, but the Cavaliers challenged the call and it was overturned. The loss ended Boston’s 11-game winning streak and its eight-game road winning streak.

Cleveland took a 105-104 lead on a Wade dunk with 19.1 seconds to play. The Cavaliers outscored the Celtics 34-17 in the fourth.

Tatum had 26 points and 13 rebounds. The Celtics received 24 points and nine rebounds from Kristaps Porzingis and 21 points from Jaylen Brown.

The Cavaliers were without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who sat out for the third straight game with a left knee bone bruise. Mitchell, who is expected to miss at least two more games, is averaging 28.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and a career-high 6.2 assists per game this season.

Cleveland’s Max Strus was also a late scratch because of a knee injury.

Garland and Isaac Okoro each scored 16 points. Garland also had 11 assists.

Cleveland led 9-6 early, but Boston surged ahead by scoring the next 14 points to take a 20-9 lead. The Celtics were up 33-25 after one quarter and led 55-45 at halftime.

Tatum led all scorers with 22 points in the first half, when he also grabbed eight rebounds. Tatum made 7 of 9 field-goal attempts in the half, including five of his six 3-point attempts. The Cavaliers shot 32.1 percent from the field in the first two quarters (17 of 53).

Cleveland was within four after Garland capped a 7-0 spurt with a 3-pointer that trimmed Boston’s lead to 69-65 with 5:02 left in the third quarter, but the Celtics outscored the Cavaliers 18-6 in the remainder of the frame and had an 87-71 advantage heading into the fourth.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Primed for Road Trip

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CLEVELAND – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Cleveland Cavaliers will attempt to cool off the NBA’s hottest team when they play the visiting Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. Boston owns an 11-game winning streak, and has won eight in a row away from home. The Celtics turned in their most impressive half of the season Sunday when they built a 44-point halftime lead en route to a 140-88 home victory over Golden State.

Tuesday’s game will be the start of a five-game road trip that also takes Boston to games against Denver, Phoenix, Portland and Utah.

“We’re gonna have to take it to the road now,” the Celtics’ Derrick White said. “This is the NBA. Got a lot of good teams coming up on the schedule and it’s going to be a good challenge for us.”

Boston’s lead in the Eastern Conference has grown to 8.5 games over the Milwaukee Bucks and nine games over the Cavaliers entering play Monday.

Golden State played soft defense against Boston’s Jaylen Brown on Sunday and paid the price. Brown scored 19 points in the first quarter and 29 in the game, despite not playing in the second half, and was a bit miffed by the Warriors’ defensive approach.

“For the most part my job is to get to the paint,” Brown said. “We got enough 3-point shooters on our team, so I don’t take a lot of 3s for the most part throughout the season because we have enough of that. I get to the paint to open it up for everybody else, but if you want to dare me to shoot we can do that too.

“I thought it was a little disrespectful, but we took advantage of it and didn’t look back.”

Cleveland is coming off Sunday’s night’s 107-98 loss to the New York Knicks. The Cavaliers were without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who has missed the past two games with a sore knee. Mitchell is averaging 28.0 points, 6.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game this season.

Celtics Crush GS Warriors

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A dominant first half allowed the Boston Celtics to extend their winning streak to 11 games by beating the visiting Golden State Warriors 140-88 Sunday.

Boston made 15 of 24 3-point attempts in the first two quarters and led 82-38 at halftime. Boston’s 44-point halftime lead is the largest in the franchise’s history.

The Celtics shot 60 percent from the field in the first half (30 of 50), when they committed one turnover. The Warriors trailed by as many as 45 points in the second quarter. Each team rested its starters for all or most of the second half.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 29 points, and Jayson Tatum added 27 on his 26th birthday. Boston made 25 of 49 3-pointers (51 percent) in the win.

Lester Quinones tossed in a team-high 17 points for the Warriors, who trailed 115-62 after three quarters. Boston led by as many as 56 points in the fourth.

Steph Curry went 2-of-13 from the field (0-for-9 from 3-point territory) in the first half and finished the game with four points. He did not play in the second half. Klay Thompson (six points) sat out the second half because of a hamstring injury.

The loss ended Golden State’s eight-game road winning streak.

Center Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t available for the Celtics because of a left quad contusion. Porzingis is averaging 20.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 44 games (all starts) for Boston this season.

The Celtics made 10 3-pointers in the first quarter for a 44-22 advantage. It was 21-21 with 6:05 left in the quarter, but the Celtics scored the next 14 points. Boston scored 23 of the final 24 points in the quarter.

Brown made five of Boston’s 10 3-pointers in the first and finished the quarter with 19 points.

The Celtics outscored the Warriors 38-16 in the second quarter to build their 44-point halftime lead. Tatum scored 20 points in the second quarter and had 22 points at the half.

It was the second meeting between the teams this season. Golden State earned a 132-126 victory in overtime when it played Boston at home on Dec. 19.

–Field Level Media

Brown Leads Streaking Celtics Over NY

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report)  – Celtics F/G Jaylen Brown collected 30 points and eight rebounds to help the visiting Boston Celtics extend their winning streak to eight games by beating the New York Knicks 116-102 Saturday night.

Boston made 15 of its 35 3-point attempts and shot 56.8 percent from the field.

Knicks’ All-Star guard Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 34 points and had nine assists for the Knicks, who dropped to 0-4 against the Celtics this season. Josh Hart added 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists for New York, and Precious Achiuwa finished with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.

The Celtics led by four points at halftime and outscored the Knicks 35-26 in the third. New York failed to cut its deficit below nine points in the final quarter.

The Celtics received 22 points from Kristaps Porzingis and 19 points, six rebounds and six assists from Jayson Tatum. Six Boston players scored at least 10 points, and the Celtics had a 58-38 edge in points in the paint.

Boston ended the opening quarter on a 9-2 run and had a 30-26 advantage after 12 minutes. The Celtics extended their lead to 56-46 on a traditional three-point play by Porzingis with 3:26 remaining in the second quarter, but the Knicks closed the gap to 62-58 at halftime.

Brown led all scorers with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting in the first half. Brunson had 19 points in the half.

It was 64-64 following a Brunson free throw with 10:47 left in the third, but Boston went on a 33-13 run and had a 97-77 lead after a Tatum 3-pointer with 1:39 left in the quarter. Boston made 9 of its 13 3-point attempts in the third, but the Knicks scored the final seven points in the quarter to trim Boston’s lead to 97-84 after three.

Donte Divincenzo (12 points) and Miles McBride (11 points) were the only other players who scored in double figures for the Knicks, who turned the ball over 14 times.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Put Streak on Line at MSG

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics will attempt to stretch their season-high winning streak to eight games when they visit the New York Knicks tonight. The Celtics returned from the All-Star break and earned their seventh straight victory by beating the Chicago Bulls 129-112 on the road Thursday.

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Boston’s offensive depth was on display, as Derrick White scored 28 points, Jayson Tatum finished with 25 and Jaylen Brown added 21. Boston made 23 of its 47 3-point attempts. White and Tatum each made five shots from beyond the 3-point arc.

“That’s the fun thing about this team is most nights it’s JT (Tatum), JB (Brown) and KP (Kristaps Porzingis). They allow myself and everyone else the freedom to do what we need to do, too,” White said. “Having guys like that at the top is just allowing us to be aggressive and makes this a fun team to play with. That’s the fun thing, each quarter it might be somebody different and we’re all ready to go and having a lot of fun with it.”

Tatum, who is averaging a team-high 27.1 points per game, is among those being mentioned as a possible MVP candidate.

“There’s a lot of talented guys in this league right now,” Tatum said. “A lot of guys doing great things. I won’t have the points per game that the other three or four guys will, but I think the voters are smart enough to understand the dynamic of our team. Essentially having to do less scoring maybe on certain nights, but still impact the game in a lot of ways to kind of ensure that we win every single night.

“I know I can score 30 a night, but that’s not necessarily what this team needs on a nightly basis. Taking that step back, in a sense, for us to be better. I’ve done everything but win a championship.”

The Knicks ended a four-game losing streak by beating the Philadelphia 76ers 110-96 on Thursday. Jalen Brunson led the way with 21 points and 12 assists in the win.

The Knicks received a 22-point performance from Bojan Bogdanovic; 18 points and 12 rebounds from Josh Hart; and 18 points and 11 rebounds from Precious Achiuwa. New York connected on 15 of its 34 3-point attempts.

“The way we moved the ball, it was a great team effort,” said Bogdanovic, who shot 6-for-6 from the 3-point arc.

The Knicks continue to play without forward Julius Randle (shoulder), center Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and guard/forward OG Anunoby (elbow). It’s uncertain when any of the three will return.

“We’re undermanned right now,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Our starting frontcourt is not there so we know we have to play hard as hell. We know if we do that, we’ll have a chance to win.”

Saturday’s game will be the fourth meeting between the Celtics and Knicks this season. Boston won the first three. The Knicks will be looking to improve on their 19-8 home record.

“Just find a way to win — that’s what we have to do,” Thibodeau said. “We have to scratch them out right now.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Pick Up Pace After Break

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Derrick White scored 28 points and Jayson Tatum followed with 25 to help the visiting Boston Celtics top the Chicago Bulls 129-112 on Thursday for their season-high seventh straight victory.

In their first game back from the All-Star break, the league-best Celtics shot 54.2 percent, including 48.9 percent from long range.

That compared to 46.8 percent overall and 35.7 percent from deep for the Bulls, who lost for the third time in four games.

Jaylen Brown (21 points) and Kristaps Porzingis (14) also scored in double figures for Boston.

Nikola Vucevic logged 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls. After scoring 20 points in the first half to match Brown, Vucevic did not make his first (and only) basket of the second half until 6:34 remained in the game.

Chicago’s Coby White scored 20 points and DeMar DeRozan chipped in 18, while Ayo Dosunmu (14), Alex Caruso (12) and Andre Drummond (11) also finished in double figures.

Drummond added eight rebounds and Dosunmu dished a game-high eight assists.

Boston opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run to erase a three-point halftime deficit and never trailed after that. Chicago drew within five points midway through the quarter but was unable to keep pace. Tatum erupted for 15 points in the third quarter after scoring just five in the first half. He also led the team with seven rebounds.

The Celtics swished 23 3-pointers to the Bulls’ 10.

After trailing by as many as 16 points in the early going, the Bulls regained their composure in a breakout second quarter. Chicago’s 8-0 run to close the first period set the tone while helping offset a monster start for Derrick White, who had 12 points and three blocks in the first 12 minutes.

Chicago outscored Boston 39-28 in the second quarter to take a 62-59 advantage into halftime. The Bulls grabbed their first lead since 2-0 when Vucevic hit a pair of free throws with 1:58 remaining in the second quarter.

Torrey Craig (right knee) and Patrick Williams (left foot) missed the game for the Bulls.

–Field Level Media

Tatum and Celtics Look at Big Picture

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With the NBA All-Star Game returning to the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format, Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were able to giddily team up.

Tatum and Brown combined for 56 points as the East coasted to a 211-186 victory, and now the duo will return to the court for the top team in the league when Boston faces the host Chicago Bulls on Thursday night to open the second half of the season.

“It was pretty cool,” Brown said of getting to play alongside Tatum in Indianapolis. “We got the win, and we had fun. I think it’s just another platform to continue to raise for yourself but also raise for the city of Boston, just represent. I think that’s what we kind of look at it as. That’s what we’ve become.”

Boston entered the All-Star break with six straight wins — its third streak this season of at least that many victories –and is coming off a 50-point home win against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 14.

Balance has boosted the Celtics, who have five players with scoring averages in double figures, led by Tatum (27.1 points per game), Brown (22.0) and Kristaps Porzingis (20.2).

Also the team leader in rebounds per game (8.6) and the co-leader in assists per game (4.8), Tatum is aware of the chatter about his league MVP candidacy, but he is quick to cast it aside as the Celtics pursue a championship.

“They have individual awards for a reason,” Tatum said. “As a competitor, as a player, you grew up watching your favorite players winning MVP and first-team All-NBA and all that.

“Of course you want to win those things. But you can’t take precedent over playing the right way and doing the things that you have to do in order for your team to essentially be the best team in the league and have a chance to win a championship.”

Chicago hopes to gain stability for the stretch run after resetting during the break. While the Bulls have not been over .500 this season nor at the break-even mark since Oct. 30, they enter the second half in ninth place in the East with room to ascend.

“The last couple of weeks have been kind of crazy for us with injuries, dealing with all the noise on the outside and the trade rumors,” said Bulls leading scorer DeMar DeRozan (22.7 ppg). “Emotionally, physically, mentally, we took on a tall task, and we pushed through it. Now we can kind of just breathe a little and gather our minds and emotions.

“Get some bodies back and get rejuvenated for the next 27 games. We’re going to need to put everything and more into those.”

The Bulls’ front office stood pat at the deadline after learning potential trade chip Zach LaVine needed season-ending foot surgery.

Steady play and leadership from DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic — coupled with the emergence of guard Coby White, who is averaging 24.2 points per game and shooting 44.7 percent from deep in February — have fueled the organization’s optimism.

Boston routed the visiting Bulls 124-97 on Nov. 28. Brown poured in 30 points and Tatum chipped in 21 to lead six Celtics scorers in double figures.

The teams are 5-5 in their past 10 meetings and split four games last season, with the home team prevailing each time.

–Field Level Media

Well Rested Mavericks Await Celtics

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DALLAS – (Staff and wire Service Report) – It’ll be a well-rested Dallas Mavericks team that takes the floor against the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday night.

Dallas hasn’t played since dropping a 127-110 decision to the Los Angeles Lakers on the road on Wednesday night. The Mavericks were scheduled to play at Golden State on Friday, but that game was postponed following the death of Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic.

Boston, meanwhile, will be playing its second game in as many nights. Despite a lackluster second half, the Celtics won 116-107 at Houston on Sunday. The Celtics led 70-55 at halftime but were limited to 46 points in the second half (20 in the third quarter).

Former Maverick Kristaps Porzingis led Boston with 32 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots. Derrick White added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Jaylen Brown finished with a triple-double (13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists).

Boston, which boasts the NBA’s best record (33-10), shot 43.9 percent from the field (43 of 98).

“I think that’s the recipe and something that we took from last year is when we’re not shooting well, can we have a different switch attack?” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said after the Houston game. “Which is what Kristaps is able to bring us in the post and how do we fight for extra possessions, which is our offensive rebounding and our crashing. It’s something that we stress this year.”

Guard Jrue Holiday (sprained right elbow) and center Al Horford (rest) didn’t play in Boston’s victory over the Rockets. Horford typically doesn’t play in both games of back-to-backs.

Luka Doncic was back in the Dallas lineup for the loss to the Lakers after he missed three games with a sprained right ankle. Doncic scored 33 points, collected 13 rebounds and had 10 assists.

Doncic shot 12 of 24 from the floor but was just 2 of 9 from 3-point territory. He leads the Mavericks in points (33.6), rebounds (8.3) and assists (9.2) per game.

“First game back was tough with the legs,” Doncic said. “I thought a lot of threes were going in and they didn’t.”

Dallas trailed by two at halftime but was outscored 42-27 in the third quarter. The Mavericks were 11 of 40 on 3-point attempts.

“Some shots didn’t fall,” Dallas center Dereck Lively II said. “There were some times where we came down the court, and we just weren’t moving the ball well. We were just kind of getting up jumpers instead of trying to get into the offense and trying to move the ball around so we could get a better look.”

Most of the misses came from the Mavericks’ top scorers, as Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kyrie Irving were a combined 3 of 21 from behind the arc.

“We generated a lot of wide-open looks and they didn’t drop for us,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “They made it a point to have pace and took advantage of the misses. When you miss open shots against a team like that, they are going to make you pay.”

Monday’s game is the first of two meetings this season between the Celtics and Mavericks. The teams will also play in Boston on March 1.

–Field Level Media