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Boston Takes Key Game vs Phoenix Suns

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BOSTON – Celtics All-Star guard Kemba Walker tied his season-high with 32 points to lead Boston to a key victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns, 99-86, Thursday night at TD Garden. Walker shot 11 of 17 from the field for the Celtics (32-27), who won for the ninth time in their last 11 games. All-Star forward Jayson Tatum had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Boston as he returned from a left ankle injury.

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Boston played without its All-Star forward Jaylen Brown (shoulder), newly acquired forward Evan Fournier (health and safety) and center Robert Williams III (knee).

Veteran Phoenix guard Chris Paul had 22 points with eight rebounds and eight assists to lead the Suns (42-17), who lost for just the third time in their last 16 games. Suns guard Devin Booker had 15 points before fouling out.

The Celtics grabbed their largest lead of the game, 66-45, on a Tatum pull-up jumper with 7:13 left in the third quarter. A 10-2 Suns run prompted a Boston timeout, after which Mikal Bridges and Paul made short buckets to cut Phoenix’s deficit to single digits, 68-59.

Boston ended the period up 77-65. Later in the game, the Suns cut the deficit to nine, 90-81, but could not close the gap any further down the stretch.

Both Brown and Walker will be out tonight when the Celtics face Brooklyn.

 

Celtics Fall Short Against Bulls

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BOSTON – Boston’s All-Star forward Jayson Tatum recorded 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in his first career triple-double for the Celtics, but the club’s six-game winning streak came to an end as the visiting Chicago Bulls outlasted the shorthanded Boston Celtics, 102-96, on Monday night at TD Garden.

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Jaylen Brown led the team with 23 points but Boston played without guards Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker, both sidelined with non-COVID illness. Boston center Robert Williams III (knee) and forward Evan Fournier (health and safety) also remained sidelined.

Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic scored 29 points to carry the Bulls to the victory. Vucevic added nine rebounds as the Bulls won their second straight game after a five-game losing streak. Coby White scored 19 and Thaddeus Young and Garrett Temple 13 apiece as Chicago remained without top scorer Zach LaVine for a third straight game due to health and safety protocol.

 

 

Celtics Sign Jabari Parker

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BOSTON – (Source: Official team news release) – The Boston Celtics have signed forward Jabari Parker, the team announced. Selected with the second overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2014 NBA Draft, Parker, 26, has averaged 14.8 points (49.3% FG, 32.3% 3-PT, 74.0% FT), 5.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 28.8 minutes in 288 career games (190 starts) over seven NBA seasons with Milwaukee, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, and Sacramento.

He has averaged at least 14.0 points in four of his seven NBA seasons, including each of the last two years (2018-19/2019-20).

In a corresponding roster move, the Celtics have waived center Moe Wagner.

Celtics Hold on for Win Over LA Lakers

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LOS ANGELES  – Jaylen Brown scored 40 points and the Boston Celtics held on to a 27-point lead in the fourth quarter before settling for an eight-point victory, 121-113, over the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown made 13 of his first 14 shots and hit three 3-pointers and fell two points shy of his NBA career high, to lead Boston who have won eight of 11 and three of three to conclude this road trip.

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Boston led 113-86 with seven minutes to play, shortly after coach Brad Stevens pulled his starters. But Talen Horton-Tucker and Ben McLemore led a 24-2 run by the Lakers that forced Brown and Boston’s first string back into the game.

Guards Payton Pritchard and Marcus Smart added 15 points each for the Celtics, who never trailed despite committing 21 turnovers. Boston also won with just 14 points from All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, whose streak of scoring 20 points in 11 consecutive games ended.

Boston faced a depleted Lakers line-up. In addition to being without NBA All-Stars and MVP candidates Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the Lakers faced Boston without newly acquired center Andre Drummond, who has a bruised right big toe, and power forward Markieff Morris, who has a sprained left ankle.

LA Guard Dennis Schröder nearly sat out with an infection on the ball of his right foot, but contributed eight points and eight assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also played through mid-game back spasms, and center Marc Gasol stayed in after dislocating his pinky finger, which got popped back into place during a timeout.

Boston is a bit banged-up as well. Starting center Robert Williams III missed the game with left knee soreness and swelling. The Celtics were 8-2 since he joined the starting lineup at the trade deadline after center Daniel Theis was dealt to Chicago. … Forward Evan Fournier missed his fifth straight game under the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

Celtics Edge Trail Blazers, 116-115

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PORTLAND – Boston All-Star forward Jayson Tatum scored 32 points, and added nine rebounds and five assists to lead the Boston Celtics to a 116-115 victory at Portland on Tuesday. The Celtics’ other All-Star, Jaylen Brown, scored 24 points and guard Kemba Walker had one of his better all-around games with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as Boston won for the fourth straight game and sixth time in the past seven.

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Portland’s All-Star phenom Damian Lillard had 28 points and 10 assists, and veteran forward Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting for the Trail Blazers. Norman Powell added 20 points and CJ McCollum had 16 points as Portland lost for the fifth time in the past seven games.

Robert Williams added 16 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Smart had 13 points and seven assists for Boston.

Tatum Scores 53; Celtics Win in OT

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BOSTON – Boston Celtics all-star forward Jason Tatum scored a career-high 53 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter and overtime, to lead the Celtics to a 145-136 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night. It was the first 50-point game for the 23-year-old Tatum. Boston’s Jaylen Brown had 26 points. Marcus Smart added 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds to help Boston to its fourth win in five games.

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“Scoring 50 is a big thing in this league,” said Tatum. “It’s a night I’ll always remember. First 50-point game and we got the win on top of that. Every win right now is big. So we’ll take it.”

Boston erased a 17-point deficit in the third quarter and then led by eight points in the fourth before Minnesota was able to fight back and send it into overtime. The Celtics took a 135-129 lead on a three-pointer by guard Kemba Walker.

Minnesota got within 135-132 on a three-point play by D’Angelo Russell. But Boston outscored the Timberwolves 10-4 to close-out the home victory. Center Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 30 points and 12 rebounds. Russell finished with 26 points and Anthony Edwards had 24 points in the loss.

Boston finished their seven-game homestead at (4-3) and now depart for a three-game Western swing that starts in Denver on Sunday, April 11. Boston also plays at Portland and at Los Angeles against the Lakers on Thursday night.

NBA: Celtics Approach Final Month

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Boston Celtics Competing for Playoff Spot in Eastern Conference

BOSTON – Since dropping six of eight games between March 11 and 24th, the Boston Celtics utilized the NBA Trading deadline to shake-up an inconsistent line-up and have won three of their last four games and five of their last eight. After a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight which caps a seven-game home stand (3-3), Boston heads out west for three games to begin the crucial final month of the NBA regular season.

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Remember! The NBA season began a month later than usual and will conclude on May 16, rather than the normal mid-April finish.

Boston is coming off an important and hard fought victory over the Knicks, (101-99) at TD Garden. Celtics’ all-star swingman Jaylen Brown had a double-double effort with a game-high 32 points and 10 rebounds with two steals while fellow all-star forward Jayson Tatum added 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Boston’s team-leader in guard Marcus Smart had one of his best all-around performances of the season with 17 points and nine assists.

Celtics forward-center Tristan Thompson made his return to the lineup and recorded seven points, eight rebounds and a season-high three blocks in just over 22 minutes coming off the bench.

The Knicks were led by RJ Barrett and his 29 points and five rebounds while Julius Randle added 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

Newly acquired Celtics forward Evan Fournier is out and under league protocol guidelines. Just a week ago, Fournier scored 20 of his 23 points against Houston (April 2) during the fourth quarter on seven-for-seven shooting including six three pointers.

Fournier’s performance came after his scoreless, 0-for-10 debut with the Celtics after his trade from Orlando. According
to ESPN Stats & Info, Fournier is the second Boston Celtics player in the last 25 seasons to score 20 points on 100% shooting in a quarter, joining Paul Pierce who recorded the feat in 2009 against Chicago.

Fournier’s seven three-pointers on the night was also tied for the second most by a Celtic in franchise history coming off of the bench behind Eddie House’s eight three pointers which he made against Sacramento on Jan. 28, 2009.

Boston tonight faces a (13-39) Minnesota team, losers in three of their last four games, including a 141-137 loss at Indiana (April 7) to begin this current two-game road-trip. Minnesota’s head coach, Chris Finch, took over on February 22. He is 6-15 since taking the reigns from dismissed Coach Ryan Saunders.

Celtics Rally for Win at OKC

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Jayson  Tatum scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half and the Boston Celtics rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-94. Celtics All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown added 25 points to help the Celtics close out a four-game trip and even their season record. Boston had lost five of six before winning at Milwaukee on Friday and at Oklahoma City on Saturday.

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OKC’s Moses Brown scored a career-high 21 points and tied a Thunder record with 23 rebounds. The team announced before the game that veteran center Al Horford will be inactive the rest of the season while the team’s young players develop. Brown moved into the starting lineup and set a franchise record for rebounds in a half with 19 before the break.

Theo Maledon chipped-in with 22 points for Oklahoma City.

The Thunder led 80-76 heading into the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown kept the Celtics in it with 13 points in the third.

NBA: Celtics Strike Buck

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MILWAUKEE – Boston struck Buck, errr … back.

A night after the Boston Celtics lost to the Milwaukee Bucks at the TD Garden in New England, Jayson Tatum scored 34 points and added six rebounds, Marcus Smart had 23 and the Boston Celtics beat Milwaukee 122-114 on Friday night and snapped a Bucks’ eight-game winning streak and spilt the two-game home and home mini-series.

The Celtics, who led 60-55 at the half, hit nine of 14 three-pointers in the third quarter to build the lead to 103-89 entering the final period.

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Newly acquired Celtics bigman Moe Wagner and veteran Celtics guard Smart extended Boston’s lead to 118-97 with three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Boston’s All-Star guard Kemba Walker added 21 points, and All-Star swingman Jaylen Brown had 18 for the Celtics.

Boston finished 22 of 47 from beyond the arc. Smart was 7 for 10, and Brown and Tatum added four apiece.

Celtics Acquire Fournier From Magic

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BOSTON – (Official News Release) – The Boston Celtics acquired guard Evan Fournier from the Orlando Magic in exchange for guard Jeff Teague and two future second round draft picks, the team announced.

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“Evan has established himself as a highly-efficient scorer, whose combination of shooting and playmaking will make an immediate impact on this team,” said Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. “He’s someone who has consistently produced on the offensive end, and we think his unique abilities will fit in seamlessly with our current group.”

A nine-year veteran from Saint-Maurice, France, Fournier (6-7, 205) is averaging a career-high 19.7 points on 46.1% shooting (38.8% 3-PT) in 26 games played with Orlando this season (all starts). His 2.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.8 three-point field goals in 2020-21 also represent career-high averages.

Fournier has reached the 20-point mark 14 times in 26 games in 2020-21, with both of his 30-point efforts occurring over the last four contests. He has connected on at least five 3-point field goals in five games this season, including a career-high six 3-pointers made (of 8) against Brooklyn on March 19.

Originally drafted by Denver with the 20th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Fournier has produced 14.4 points (45.0% FG, 37.6% 3-PT, 80.6% FT), 2.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, while averaging 28.5 minutes played in nine seasons with the Nuggets and Magic. The 28-year-old is one of nine NBA players to average 15.0 points and shoot 35.0% from beyond the arc in each of the last five seasons since 2015-16.

Signed as a free agent on Nov. 30, Teague averaged 6.9 points (41.5% FG, 46.4% 3-PT), 1.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 34 games (five starts) during his lone season with the Celtics.