NBA: Jaylen Brown, Celtics agree record $304 million deal - reports

NEW YORK - Jaylen Brown will remain with the Boston Celtics after agreeing a record-breaking $304 million five-year contract extension, US media reports said on Tuesday.

If confirmed, the mammoth deal will be the richest contract in NBA history, eclipsing the $264 million extension inked by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic last year.

The 26-year-old Brown has been one of the mainstays of the Celtics' success in recent years, helping the team reach the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons.

Brown's new deal will ensure the two-time All Star remains in Boston until the end of the 2028-2029 season.

Brown had one year remaining on his existing deal with the Celtics, which will pay him $31.8 million for the 2023-2024 campaign.

Brown posted career-best figures of 26.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 2022-2023, forming a potent offensive partnership with Jayson Tatum.

However, the Celtics' season ended in disappointment with the team losing at home to Miami in game seven of the Eastern Conference finals.

Agence France-Presse

Celtics' Brogdon voted NBA's Sixth Man of Year

Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year on Thursday as the league's top reserve.

Brogdon, who was acquired in the offseason by the Eastern Conference champion Celtics, received 60 out of 100 first-place votes to edge New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley in voting for the award.

"This is such an honor," Brogdon said in an interview with broadcaster TNT as the award was announced. "It's definitely been a transition for me, coming from Indiana to Boston.

"But I'm with a great organization, I have great teammates, a great coaching staff."

Brogdon became the second player to win both Sixth Man of the Year and Rookie of the Year, joining Mike Miller with that distinction. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2017.

Before he was acquired by the Celtics Brogdon had started every game he played over the previous four seasons with the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks.

This season he came off the bench in all 67 games he played, but said that playing behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown "proven All-Stars and soon-to-be All-NBA guys, it's been a good fit for me."

Brogdon averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game to help Boston finish the regular season with the second-best record in the league behind the Bucks.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Celtics down Magic for third straight win, Spurs shock Sixers

LOS ANGELES -- Boston forward Jayson Tatum poured in 40 points as the Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 126-120 on Saturday to improve to 3-0 in the fledgling NBA season while the Philadelphia 76ers fell to 0-3.

The rebuilding San Antonio Spurs stunned the Sixers 114-105 in Philadelphia, where frustrated 76ers coach Doc Rivers said after the game his team was "not ready" to win yet.

In Orlando, Tatum's exploits and a 27-point contribution from guard Derrick White helped the Celtics notch another win in a game that featured 21 lead changes with neither team able to build a double-digit advantage.

Orlando big man Wendell Carter knotted the score at 111-111 with a put-back dunk with 4:23 to play.

Carter then fouled Tatum and Tatum's two free throws ignited a 10-2 scoring run that put Boston up for good.

Terrence Ross led the Magic with 29 points and top draft pick Paolo Banchero added 23, but Orlando fell to 0-3.

That's also where the 76ers found themselves after the inexperienced Spurs -- whose championship chances were downplayed by none other than coach Gregg Popovich before the season -- drained 16 three-pointers on the way to their second straight win.

Devin Vassell scored 22 points, Keldon Johnson added 21 and Tre Jones chipped in 17 for San Antonio while Doug McDermott made four three-pointers on the way to 14 points.

San Antonio's top-scoring trio all have less than three years experience in the league, and Popovich said he was impressed with the young team's performance on the second night of a road back-to-back.

"What it showed me was they are serious about getting better and knowing what the league is like," Popovich said.

The Spurs withstood a 40-point performance from Philadelphia's star big man Joel Embiid but held James Harden to 12.

"We're not ready yet," Rivers said. "Honestly, we're just not. We're not ready to win yet. You can feel that and so we've got a lot of work to do.

"It's almost like we played these first two games hard, competed, and then felt like 'OK, now we can win some games' -- you've still got to go out and earn the game."

- Mavs rout Grizzlies -

In Dallas, Luka Doncic scored 21 of his 32 points in the first quarter and the Mavericks steamrolled the Memphis Grizzlies 137-96 in their home opener.

Ja Morant, coming off a 49-point display against the Houston Rockets, finished with 20 points for the Grizzlies, who were on the back foot from the opening tip-off.

Dallas led by as many as 25 points in the first period and, with the game well in hand, Doncic sat out the fourth quarter.

In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 44 points as the Bucks launched a six-game homestand with a dominant 125-105 victory over the Houston Rockets.

The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player was frighteningly efficient in less than 28 minutes on the court, connecting on 17 of his 21 shots from the field, including two of three from three-point range.

The Greek superstar also pulled down 12 rebounds and made eight of 13 free throw attempts, and with 3,508 career free throws overtook Sidney Moncrief (3,505) as the Bucks' all-time leader from the foul line.

Milwaukee opened the game on an 11-0 run and never trailed against a flat Rockets team that fell to 0-3.

In Miami, Jimmy Butler scored 24 points and Max Strus added 20 off the bench as the Heat held off the Toronto Raptors 112-109 in a game that saw a player from each team ejected.

The Heat led by 19 when Toronto's Christian Koloko and Miami's Caleb Martin were ejected with 7:46 left in the third quarter.

They tangled after fighting for a rebound and ended up scuffling in the courtside seats.

The fired-up Raptors then went on a 17-2 scoring run, but Miami held on down the stretch.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Adebayo steps up as Heat battle past Celtics to take series lead

BOSTON -- Bam Adebayo delivered a 31-point masterpiece as the Miami Heat dug deep to defeat the Boston Celtics 109-103 on the road and take a crucial 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference finals series on Saturday.

After an injury forced Miami talisman Jimmy Butler out of the game at half-time, Adebayo stepped up with a superb all-round display to hold off a ferocious Boston fightback at the Celtics' TD Garden.

Adebayo, who had averaged just eight points a game in the first two fixtures of the best-of-seven series, finished with 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals in addition to his 31-point haul.

That helped Miami close out a thrilling battle which had seen the Celtics claw their way back from a whopping 26-point first-half deficit to get within one point with just under three minutes remaining.

"Those last couple of games, my team depended on me and I didn't show up," Adebayo said afterwards. "I took it upon myself to lock in and get the win."

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra praised Adebayo's readiness to fill the void created by Butler's second-half absence.

"He did his version of what Jimmy does in doing what is needed in the game," Spoelstra said of Adebayo. 

"He was assertive in key moments. And it wasn't just the scoring -- he did so many things in terms of getting us organized, facilitating, defending against a team that presents a lot of challenges. He's a winning player.

"He really is the heart and soul of our group... When Jimmy was out in the second half, he stabilized us because it got a bit gnarly out there."

- Costly turnovers -

Boston, who had routed the Heat to level the series in Miami on Thursday, were left counting the cost of 23 turnovers that led to 33 opposition points.

"We didn't match them from the start," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. "It looked like we were kind of wilting to the pressure, and complaining to the refs. 

"It took us out of the game from the start. Disappointing to come out that flat in a conference final game. When you turn the ball over 23 times and gift them 33 points, you dig yourself a hole."

Boston's Jaylen Brown produced a magnificent scoring performance with 40 points, but Miami's P.J. Tucker successfully bottled up Celtics star Jayson Tatum to deprive the home team of a crucial offensive weapon. 

Tatum finished with just 10 points from 3-of-14 shooting.

Although the game went down to the wire, it looked early on as if the Celtics were headed for a painful drubbing as the Heat roared into a 46-20 lead early in the second quarter.

But with the prospect of a blowout looming, the Celtics rallied, going on a 10-0 run to close the half which trimmed the Miami lead to 15 points.

The return of Kyle Lowry at point guard also changed the offensive balance for Miami, giving Boston another headache in addition to the resurgent Adebayo.

Until the late second-quarter rally, Boston had struggled to cope with the movement of Miami's offense, and also were left ruing 11 first-half turnovers.

A chaotic start to the second half saw Miami confirm that Butler was ruled out of the remainder of the game with right knee inflammation.

Soon afterwards Boston suffered what looked like a cruel blow when Smart twisted his right ankle in a collision with Lowry and hobbled to the locker room.

Incredibly, Smart returned to the fray to deafening roars and promptly drained a three-pointer to get Boston back to within 10 points of Miami.

Boston kept chipping away at the lead and moved within nine of Miami at one stage, but the Heat weathered the storm and took a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Again Boston edged back with Brown's three-pointer making it a one-point game.

But a huge Max Strus three-pointer and an Adebayo bucket pulled Miami back clear as the Heat hung on for the win.

Game four of the series takes place in Boston on Monday.

Agence France-Presse

NBA Playoffs: Tatum beats buzzer, as Celtics escape Nets in Game 1

Jayson Tatum spun in for a buzzer-beating layup to give the Boston Celtics a dramatic 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in the first game of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series.

Tatum scored 31 points to lead the Celtics, who thwarted a fourth-quarter comeback bid by the Nets to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Tatum added eight assists and two blocked shots, Jaylen Brown added 23 points and Al Horford and Marcus Smart scored 20 apiece for Boston, who took a 96-85 lead into the fourth quarter but trailed 114-111 with less than a minute to play.

Former Celtic Kyrie Irving, booed throughout by Boston fans who still resent his departure for Brooklyn, led the Nets with 39 points. Kevin Durant was the only other Nets starter in double figures with 23.

Irving will no doubt hear from the NBA after a middle-finger salute to heckling fans in the third quarter, but he saved his best gesture for the fourth period, when he scored 18 points to key the Nets' comeback bid.

Irving's long three-pointer over Smart put Brooklyn up 114-111 with 1:04 to play.

But the Celtics clamped down defensively and pulled within one on Brown's driving layup. After Durant missed a three-pointer, Tatum, fed by Smart from across the lane, willed his way through traffic for the game-winner.

A first half that featured 17 lead changes ended with the score knotted at 61-61, but the Celtics, who had been idle since their last regular-season game as the Nets battled through the play-in tournament, pulled away with a 39-24 third quarter.

"Our aggressiveness was great," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said of his team's third-quarter performance. "It was different from the first half. I felt like, offensively, we got going as well, knocked a little bit of the rust off in the first half."

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Robert Williams injury blow for Celtics

NEW YORK -- Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III faces a lengthy injury layoff after suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee, the team said Monday.

Williams limped out of Sunday's victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves which sent the Celtics to the top of the Eastern Conference.

Boston confirmed Monday that the 24-year-old, a key part of the Celtics' recent resurgence, has suffered a lateral meniscal tear in his left knee.

The injury is expected to keep Williams out of action for several weeks, potentially dealing a blow to the Celtics' postseason hopes.

Williams is one of several Celtic players nursing knocks.

Boston said Monday that Jaylen Brown (right knee) and Jayson Tatum (patella tendinopathy) would miss Monday's game against the Toronto Raptors.

Al Horford will also miss the game due to undisclosed personal reasons.

The Celtics have won 11 of their last 12 games, with Sunday's 134-112 rout of Minnesota moving them to the top of the Eastern Conference standings with a 47-28 record, half a game clear of the Philadelphia 76ers (46-28).

Williams has averaged 10 points and nearly 10 rebounds a game this season.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Celtics roll past Jazz for 5th straight victory

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 26 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 125-97 win over the visiting Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

Boston (46-28) led by as many as 32 points on the way to its fifth consecutive win and snapped a four-game losing streak against Utah (45-28).

Robert Williams III added 12 points and 10 rebounds to lead four other Celtics in double figures. Marcus Smart fired off nine of his career-high 13 assists in the first quarter.

Donovan Mitchell had 37 points to lead the Jazz, who have lost back-to-back games after a three-game winning streak.

Boston's lead was cut to 18 on Mitchell's 3-pointer with 6:41 to go in the third quarter, but 12 of the next 15 points went the hosts' way and made it a 27-point edge again. Derrick White ended that stretch with a corner 3-pointer at the 3:32 mark.

The Celtics hit three of their first four field goals in the fourth quarter, capped by a Payton Pritchard trey with 9:49 left. With the starters out, a Luke Kornet turnaround hook shot with 1:12 left gave Boston its largest lead at 123-91.

The teams put on an offensive clinic in the first half, combining for 26 points over the opening four minutes. But it didn't take long for the Celtics to start coasting.

Boston jumped out to a six-point lead in that initial span and extended it throughout the first quarter. At the buzzer, it was a 39-24 game and the Celtics had shot 15-for-19 from the field.

The hosts hit 10 straight field goals and six from 3-point range to start before missing their first shot at the 4:05 mark. Tatum canned three of the team's six first-quarter threes, while Brown was 5-for-6 inside the arc and hit his only triple for a game-high 13 points.

In the second quarter, Pritchard hit a hook shot that gave Boston a 30-point lead with 5:54 left.

Utah ended the opening half with six straight points. Mitchell led the Jazz with 19 in the first half, shooting 7-for-13 from the field.

-reuters

NBA: Celtics cruise past hapless Magic

Jaylen Brown scored 26 points, Dennis Schroder contributed 22 points off the bench and the Boston Celtics extended their season-best win streak to five games with a 116-83 victory over the host Orlando Magic on Sunday night.

Boston easily overcame an uneven shooting performance by All-Star Jayson Tatum, who had 15 points on 6-for-18 shooting from the floor 2-for-8 from 3-point range, to defeat Orlando for the ninth straight time dating back to January 2020. Tatum also collected nine rebounds and seven assists.

Al Horford's double-double featured 13 points and 11 rebounds. Schroder hit 8 of 15 shots, making four 3-pointers, and reserve forward Grant Williams (5-for-9 shooting) also provided key minutes with 12 points as Boston improved to 12-4 over its last 16 games.

Robert Williams III added 10 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots despite foul trouble in Boston's wire-to-wire victory.

Jalen Suggs paced Orlando with 17 points, but the Magic shot 35.8 percent (29-for-81) from the floor and made only five triples (5-for-26) against one of the league's top defensive clubs.

Wendell Carter Jr. was the only other Magic player in double figures, scoring 14 points to go along with eight rebounds. Cole Anthony had nine points on 3-for-10 shooting and Mo Bamba (10 rebounds), Franz Wagner (seven rebounds) and Chuma Okeke scored eight points apiece.

The Celtics held a 29-22 scoring edge in the third quarter for a 78-61 lead, then outscored Orlando 38-22 during the fourth to sweep the three-game season series. 

Boston once again stifled the Magic offensively after holding them to a season-low 79 points on Nov. 3.

The Magic converted 20 of 21 free throws during their 20th home loss of the season.

Boston missed 12 3-pointers in the first quarter, but the Celtics managed to make five triples in the next period en route to a 49-39 halftime lead. The Celtics ended the first half on a 12-5 run, while Orlando shot 32 percent during the opening 24 minutes with a 1-for-12 mark from beyond the arc.

-reuters

NBA: Jayson Tatum, Celtics knock off Detroit

Jayson Tatum had 24 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to a 102-93 road win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.

Jaylen Brown had 13 points and 7 rebounds, and Josh Richardson added 12 points for Boston, which won its 4th straight.

Hamidou Diallo had 21 points and 14 rebounds, Saddiq Bey scored 21 points and Isaiah Stewart had 17 rebounds in defeat for Detroit, which has lost 7 of its last 8.

After building a 46-31 lead at halftime, Boston added to Detroit's deficit in the 3rd, going up by 19 at 52-33 with 9:13 remaining in the quarter.

Detroit mounted a minor rally, going on a 14-5 run to cut Boston's lead to 57-47 with 6:26 remaining in the 3rd, but Boston answered with a 9-2 run to take a 66-49 lead with 3:47 left in the quarter.

Boston eventually took a 78-56 lead into the 4th quarter.

In the 4th, Detroit put a dent into Boston's lead, pulling to within 96-84 with 1:52 remaining following a 10-0 run.

The Pistons eventually cut Boston's lead to 100-93 with 20.6 seconds remaining after a 3-pointer by Killian Hayes.

But that was as close as the Pistons would get.

Detroit was playing without star rookie Cade Cunningham, who sat out the game with a hip pointer.

With Boston nursing a 13-11 lead in the 1st quarter, the Celtics separated themselves by going on a 15-5 run over the final 6:12 of the quarter to take a 28-16 lead going into the 2nd quarter.

Boston continued to build on its lead in the 2nd quarter, taking a 37-22 lead with 6:31 remaining until halftime.

Detroit couldn't cut its deficit to single digits the rest of the quarter and the Celtics took a 46-31 lead into the halftime break.

-reuters

NBA: Nurkic, Trail Blazers power past Celtics

Jusuf Nurkic had 29 points and 17 rebounds as the visiting Portland Trail Blazers held the Boston Celtics without a field goal for the final 7:19 of the game in a 109-105 victory Friday night.

Robert Covington hit a 3-pointer to give Portland a 103-102 lead with 32 seconds left before Jayson Tatum made 2 foul shots 6 seconds later to put Boston ahead.

Nurkic's hook shot gave the Blazers the lead with 13 seconds left, and he sealed the victory with 2 free throws with 0.8 seconds left.

CJ McCollum contributed 24 points, Anfernee Simons added 21, and Ben McLemore had 12 for Portland, which avenged a 145-117 loss to the Celtics on December 4.

Tatum scored 27 to pace Boston, which lost its 2nd straight and fell 1 game under .500 at 23-24. Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, Grant Williams added 13 and Romeo Langford had 12.

Boston took its biggest lead of the game at 100-89 with 7:19 to play after Langford and Payton Pritchard hit consecutive 3-pointers and Williams scored on a layup.

Portland answered with 11 straight points and tied the game at 100 on Nassir Little's dunk with 1:37 remaining.

Brown made 2 foul shots with 41.5 seconds left to break a Celtics' scoring drought that lasted nearly 7 minutes.

Portland made 6 of its first 8 3-point attempts and took a 30-25 lead into the 2nd quarter. The Blazers extended their lead to 15 before Boston responded with a 22-5 run.

Brown drilled a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give the Celtics a 58-54 advantage at the half.

Robert Williams III returned following a 2-game absence and had 5 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, which shot 11 of 37 (29.7 percent) from 3-point range.

Tatum was 0-for-6 from 3-point range and has missed his last 20 shots from beyond the arc.

Boston played its sixth straight game without forward Marcus Smart, who is working on his conditioning following a stint in the health and safety protocol.

-reuters

Nets get 7 3s from Harris, rout Celtics 130-108 for 2-0 lead

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn is more than just its Big Three. There’s also Joe Harris and his 3s.

Even if a team can contain Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, it still has to stop the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter.

That’s a lot of problems to solve, and Harris understands why teams don’t make him the priority.

“I think it’s just sort of, this is the reality of the matter,” Harris said. “I mean, we have three of the best offensive players that really have ever played.”

Harris tied a franchise playoff record with seven 3-pointers, Durant scored 26 points and the Nets routed the Boston Celtics 130-108 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Harris had a career playoff-high 25 points and Harden added 20 as the Nets unleashed their lethal offense after winning Game 1 largely with defense.

“Different games it’s going to be different guys,” Harden said. “Tonight it was Joe, next game, Game 3 it could be somebody else. So we’re just all locked in, we’re all on the same page and whatever it takes to win, we’re willing to do.”

Game 3 is Friday in Boston, where the Nets will attempt to build on their first 2-0 lead in a series since they swept the New York Knicks in the first round in 2004.

This one might be headed toward the same result, with the Celtics unable to do much scoring in Game 1 or stop the Nets from doing tons of it in Game 2.

“We’ve got to be way better,” coach Brad Stevens said, listing a number of defensive problems the Celtics have to address.

“They exposed that because they were really good, but I was disappointed in how we played versus the other night.”

Marcus Smart scored 19 points and Kemba Walker had 17 for the Celtics. Leading scorer Jayson Tatum had only nine points on 3-for-12 shooting before leaving after just 21 minutes when he was poked in the right eye.

After the Nets scored just 16 points in the first quarter of Game 1, Harris had that by himself in the opening quarter of this one while going 4 for 4 behind the arc.

The Nets had started slowly in Game 1 and in the only game their Big Three played together late in the regular season, and on Monday coach Steve Nash said he thought it might be a while before his three stars could walk on the court and be firing on all cylinders.

It was only a day later for Harris, who led the NBA in 3-point percentage at 47.5% this season.

Harris made three straight 3-pointers to extend a three-point lead to 25-13 and there was a little gasp from the crowd when he then stole the ball and dribbled down on a breakaway, as if he might pull up behind the arc. Instead, he went all the way for the layup and a 14-point lead.

It was 40-26 after one period and Harden made consecutive 3s to open the second. That made it a 20-point game and it was never close from there.

Walker said the Celtics have to look at the film to find opportunities they are missing.

“I know I missed a lot of passes myself that I could’ve made personally that I would definitely like to be better at,” he said. “So we’ve just got to be better.”

Irving had 15 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Nets, who made 17 3-pointers.

TIP-INS

Celtics: Boston has lost nine straight playoff games against the Nets and is 2-10 against them in the playoffs. ... Tristan Thompson had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Nets: Deron Williams made seven 3-pointers in Game 4 of the Nets’ first round series against Atlanta on April 27, 2015. ... F Jeff Green left in the second half with a bruised left foot. ... New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu was at the game, as was skier Lindsey Vonn.

IRVING BACK TO BOSTON

Game 3 will be Irving’s first time playing in front of fans in Boston since leaving as a free agent in 2019 following two seasons. Asked what he expected, he noted that it’s not his first time playing in Boston as an opponent.

“So I’m just looking forward to competing with my teammates and hopefully we can just keep it strictly basketball, there’s no belligerence or any racism going on, subtle racism and people yelling (stuff) from the crowd,” Irving said. “But even if it is, it’s part of the nature of the game and we’re just going to focus on what we can control.”

Asked if he had experienced that before, Irving said: “I’m not the only one that could attest to this, but it is what it is.”

-Associated Press

NBA: Celtics hold on to beat Clippers, Raptors edge Nets with Durant out

Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 34 points and Kemba Walker delivered a late surge as the Boston Celtics rallied from a first-half deficit to hold on and edge the Los Angeles Clippers 119-115 on Friday.

Walker tallied 24 points and Carsen Edwards came off the bench to score 16 as the Celtics took over in the third quarter, setting the stage for a thrilling back and forth final quarter.

Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points and Lou Williams added 18 for Los Angeles, who saw its six-game win streak at Staples Center arena halted.

Both teams were without key starters. Boston was missing Jaylen Brown who sat out with a sore knee and the Clippers, were minus Paul George because of a toe injury and Patrick Beverley (knee). 

The Clippers led by as many as 16 points late in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 62-51 lead.

In Brooklyn, Pascal Siakam scored a season-high 33 points as the Toronto Raptors recorded a 123-117 win over the Brooklyn Nets, who lost forward Kevin Durant twice in the same game due to Covid-19 contact tracing protocols. 

Siakam added 11 rebounds and six assists while shooting 12 of 23 from the floor and Kyle Lowry scored a season-high 30 points for the Raptors, who won for the eighth time in 12 games. 

Lowry tied a season-best with a half dozen threes and helped clinch the victory by scoring on a layup with 35 seconds left to give Toronto a 121-113 lead.

"We missed some open looks and Lowry made some big shots," Nets coach Steve Nash said. "You add it all up and they found separation in the last couple of minutes."

The Raptors also took advantage of the loss off Durant who was held out of the starting lineup. 

Durant was pulled from the starting lineup shortly before the opening tipoff and then allowed to come into the game in the first quarter. He scored eight points in 19 minutes before he was told by Nets officials to leave the bench and return to the dressing room midway through the third. 

- Durant pulled in third -

It was the first time in his 867-game career that Durant entered a game as a reserve.

In Florida, Nikola Vucevic scored a career-high 43 points and added 19 rebounds as the Orlando Magic held off the Chicago Bulls for a 123-119 victory. 

Vucevic's hot start included scoring 13 points in the game's first three minutes. 

Vucevic set his career high with two free throws with two seconds left in the game. He surpassed his previous high of 41 points, which he scored in 2017 against Brooklyn. 

"It felt great to have a career high in a win because the last one was a loss," Vucevic said. "It's much better when you win because you can enjoy these things more when you win. I'm most happy about the win because I thought we had great effort from the beginning."

Chicago's Zach LaVine took over late, scoring 24 of his team-high 26 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough to get Chicago the win.

Also, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points as the Milwaukee Bucks opened a six-game road trip with a 123-105 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Antetokounmpo echoed the comments from LeBron James a day earlier that the 2021 all-star game should not go ahead because of the short off season due to the global pandemic.

"The big dog says he has zero excitement and zero energy for the all-star game, and I'm the same way. I really right now don't care about the all-star game. We cannot see our families," he said.

Elsewhere, Brandon Ingram scored 30 points and Lonzo Ball added 20 as the New Orleans Pelicans held off the Indiana Pacers for a 114-113 victory in Indianapolis. 

Zion Williamson scored 18, Steven Adams had 12 points and 12 rebounds, JJ Redick scored 12 and Josh Hart scored 11 for New Orleans.

Agence France-Presse

Antetokounmpo, Bucks return with 119-112 win over Celtics

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared on his way out of the game. Moments later, he was instead on his way to the foul line.

A replay overturned what would have been the NBA’s MVP sixth foul with 1:28 left and he made the most of his second chance, helping the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Boston Celtics 119-112 on Friday night.

Antetokounmpo had 36 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in the Bucks’ first game in the restart. Milwaukee improved the NBA’s best record to 54-12 and moved within a victory of clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the second straight year.

It appeared the Bucks would have to do it without the Greek Freak when Marcus Smart slid in front of a driving Antetokounmpo as he scored in the lane. A charge was called but eventually overturned, with Smart saying the official explanation from referees was that he was too late.

“Quite frankly, I think we know all what that was all about. Giannis’ sixth foul and they didn’t want to get him out,” Smart said. “Let’s just call that spade a spade and that’s just what it is.”

The Bucks disagreed.

“I felt like he was moving on the last play but either way if it was a charge, if it was not a charge, I’m happy that we got the win and I’ll learn from the play,” Antetokounmpo said.

Antetokounmpo made the free throw to make it 110-107. Khris Middleton then knocked down a 3-pointer for a six-point advantage.

Middleton added 18 points for the Bucks, who played without Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton while they work on their conditioning after testing positive for the coronavirus. Marvin Williams sat out with a strained left groin.

Smart scored 23 points for the Celtics and Jaylen Brown had 22, but star forward Jayson Tatum had a nightmarish restart. He had five points on 2-for-18 shooting — though he actually only made one basket.

Kemba Walker scored 16 points but played just 19 minutes as the Celtics look to keep the All-Star guard healthy after he’s been battling a sore knee.

Milwaukee had lost its final three games before the season was suspended in March but came back looking like the team that otherwise overpowered opponents all season. The Bucks broke to a 17-2 lead and should have been pitching a shutout. The lone Boston basket came when Antetokounmpo and Wesley Matthews tipped in Walker’s missed 3-pointer. Tatum was given credit for the basket as the closest Celtics player.

“I thought we had a great mindset coming out in the first five minutes,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said.

TIP-INS

Celtics: Gordon Hayward scored 17 points and Daniel Theis had 13 points and 12 rebounds. ... Boston fell to 3-8, counting playoffs, against the Bucks the last two seasons. Milwaukee eliminated the Celtics in five games in last year’s East semifinals.

Bucks: Lopez had six blocked shots. ... Coach Mike Budenholzer said he believed Williams’ injury wasn’t serious and hoped the forward could be available soon. He thinks Williams was hurt during the second scrimmage and felt sore the next morning.

AWARD WINNERS

The game featured all the the monthly award winners in the Eastern Conference this season. Antetokounmpo won for October/November, December and January before Tatum earned the first of his career in February.

UP NEXT

Celtics: Play Portland on Sunday.

Bucks: Play Houston on Sunday.

AP

Tatum, Walker lead Celtics over Hornets

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics found a game plan that worked in crunch time against the Charlotte Hornets.

They got the ball to Jayson Tatum and got out of the way.


Tatum scored 22 of his career-high 39 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed 12 rebounds as Boston pulled away and beat Charlotte 119-93 on Sunday night.

“I was really happy with our team for finding him,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “As he got hot, they were locked into him.”

Tatum eclipsed his previous high of 34 points against Brooklyn on Jan. 14. The promising 21-year-old forward didn’t have a 30-point game before that but has now had four.

“I just try to stay aggressive no matter what,” Tatum said. “I feel like we’ve done a good job this year with (finding) different guys. Just trying to continue to make the right play but find the guy that’s hot.”

Kemba Walker added 23 points against his former team. Jaylen Brown had 16 points and nine rebounds, and rookie Grant Williams added 12 points off the bench for the Celtics. Boston has won three straight and seven of nine.


Devonte’ Graham had 23 points and 10 assists, Bismack Biyombo scored 18 and Miles Bridges 15 to lead the Hornets. Charlotte has dropped three straight and four of five.

Terry Rozier scored 14 for the Hornets in his return to Boston. He left the team in free agency last summer. Rozier finished with three points on 1-of-11 shooting in a 108-87 home loss to Boston on Nov. 7.

Rozier didn’t get a video tribute as some ex-Celtics do in their return, but a small picture of him with the caption “welcome back” was hung outside the Hornets’ locker room.

“Yeah, I think I need a bigger sign,” Rozier said with a laugh.


Walker had 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting in his return to Charlotte in November. Walker left the Hornets in July after eight seasons, joining the Celtics on a four-year, $141 million deal in free agency.

Boston opened the game’s first double-digit lead at 72-62 on a 3-pointer from the right corner by Semi Ojeleye with 7:24 left in the third quarter.

Charlotte pulled within 75-73 after Biyombo’s floater with 4:30 left capped an 11-3 run.

Malik Monk’s three-point play 13 seconds into the fourth cut the Celtics’ lead to 84-80, but Tatum scored 17 of the Celtics’ next 19 points to blow the game open.

“You know he’s going to score at some point,” Charlotte’s Marvin Williams said of Tatum. “You just hope he doesn’t get 40 like he did tonight. He’s good enough to get 40. It’s just one of those nights for him.”

Tatum’s step-back 3-pointer with 4:30 remaining gave him a career high.

Tatum’s late surge reminded Rozier of what it felt like to go on a run in front of the Boston crowd.

“There’s nothing better than these fans. They make you feel like you can touch the sky. He did just that,” Rozier said. “He’s a superstar in the making and just killed us tonight.”

Boston led by as many as 26 points in the closing minutes.

Graham scored 17 points as Charlotte led 37-30 after one quarter, but the second-year guard was held to two in the second and Boston took a 59-56 lead into halftime.


KEMBA-LIKE

Graham was hot in the first quarter, going 5 for 6 from beyond the arc. Graham tied a franchise record for 3-pointers in a quarter, a record shared by ex-Hornet Walker. Graham’s 17 first-quarter points also matched Walker for the most by a Hornets player in the last two seasons.

NOT SO SCARY

Rozier, nicknamed “Scary Terry” during his tenure in Boston, is a combined 7 for 28 in two games against his former team.

TACKO TIME II

For the second straight game, the crowd erupted when Celtics’ 7-foot-5 reserve Tacko Fall stood up to check in with three and a half minutes remaining. The crowd again chanted “MVP!” and cheered wildly for every play Fall was involved in. Fall finished with four points, two rebounds, and a block.

TIP-INS

Hornets: Rookie F P.J. Washington was sidelined for a fifth straight game after fracturing his right pinkie finger on Dec. 13 at Chicago. Washington, the No. 12 overall pick in this year’s draft, is averaging 12.3 points through 28 games.

Celtics: F Gordon Hayward (sore left foot) sat out a third straight game, but coach Brad Stevens said he “felt better” after a morning workout. “I would guess he’ll be bumped up to probable after today,” Stevens said. … G Marcus Smart (eye infection) has been cleared to work out at the team’s facilities. Stevens said he expects Smart to return shortly after a six-game absence. … G Carsen Edwards was available after being considered probable with a right quad contusion. Edwards was recalled from Maine of the NBA G-League before the game.

UP NEXT

Hornets: Host Thunder on Friday night.

Celtics: Visit defending champion Raptors at noon on Christmas Day.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Kemba Walker suffers concussion against Nuggets

Boston guard Kemba Walker was diagnosed with a likely concussion after being stretchered off the court during the second quarter of the Celtics’ 106-102 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

Walker had his head down and collided head first into the stomach of teammate Semi Ojeleye with just over three minutes remaining in the first half.

Walker lay motionless for a few minutes and paramedics put a neck brace on him before he was eventually removed from the floor.

The club announced after the game that Walker was being examined at a local hospital for a concussion.

The 29-year-old veteran is in his first season with the Celtics, averaging 22.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 14 games.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Gordon Hayward says latest injury ‘frustrating’

BOSTON — Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward said he considers it “relatively good news” that his latest injury is only expected to keep him out for six weeks, even though it struck just as he was returning to form from the broken leg that cost him almost a full season.

“It’s a drop in the bucket, for sure,” Hayward said on Wednesday night before watching from the bench in street clothes as Boston beat the Wizards 140-133. “Just happy that it shouldn’t be that long. Obviously frustrated. It sucks watching and not being able to go out there and play, especially with the start that we’ve had.”

Hayward broke his hand when he collided with LaMarcus Aldridge in Saturday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. The Boston forward had surgery Monday.

“You always think about the worst-case scenario, and certainly on the play I didn’t know exactly what happened,” he said. “But I heard it, and felt it and knew something immediately was wrong.”

Hayward missed all but five minutes of the 2017-18 season after breaking his leg in the first quarter of the opener. The gruesome injury left his teammates looking away in horror, and Hayward took a year or so before he was even willing to watch it on videotape.

But this one he watched right away — if only to see what went wrong.


“When you watch it in slow motion, it’s like ‘What happened?’ Like, I don’t think anything even should have happened. It doesn’t look like it’s that bad at all,” he said. “It was just a random play. Sometimes that’s basketball.”

Hayward, 29, returned last season and played in 72 games, most of them off the bench, and averaged 11.5 points and 4.5 rebounds — far short of his numbers before the injury. He had been closer to his peak performance in the first seven games this season, averaging 19 points, four assists and a career-high seven rebounds before the latest injury.

“Yeah, it’s frustrating. There’s no doubt about it,” he said. “Felt like we were building some good momentum as a team, as well as me individually. So the timing of it, definitely frustrating. All things considered, I think it’s not that bad.”

Another difference between his last injury and this one is that Hayward will be able to run and maintain his conditioning while he waits for his hand to heal. Last time, he was forced to shoot baskets from a chair, and practice picking things up with his toes to regain his dexterity.

Hayward said the doctors put a pin and a plate in his hand, which will make it stronger and help him heal faster. He isn’t sure on his timetable to begin shooting again.


He is allowed to take the splint off to exercise, but there’s a bigger problem: His daughters helped decorate it, and they used the colors of the rival Los Angeles Lakers.

“Some of my favorite things: Puppies, unicorns, rainbows,” Hayward said. “I tried to get them to not use purple and go with some green, but they were pretty adamant about some of the colors they picked. I guess an artist is going to be an artist.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Celtics hold on to no. 4, drop Heat to 9th in East playoff race

MIAMI — Gordon Hayward is playing his best basketball of the year, and his timing could not be better for the Boston Celtics.

Hayward scored 25 points, Kyrie Irving added 23 and the Celtics pulled away in the final minutes to beat the Miami Heat 112-102 on Wednesday night to hang on to the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. It was the sixth consecutive double-figure scoring game for Hayward, his longest such streak of the season.


“Everyone made big-time plays for us,” Hayward said. “We want to be playing the best we can be going into the playoffs.”

Hayward had 15 of his 25 points after halftime, made 12 of 13 shots from the foul line and added eight rebounds and five assists. Al Horford scored 21 and Jayson Tatum scored nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Celtics, who went on a 10-2 run over a decisive three-minute late stretch to turn a two-point lead into a 10-point edge.

“Guys did a good job on both ends,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.

Aron Baynes had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, which remained tied with Indiana for the fourth-best record in the East. Those teams meet in Indianapolis on Friday, with the winner getting the No. 4 spot in the conference with two games left.

Dion Waiters scored 21 points for Miami, which was potentially playing the next-to-last home game of Dwyane Wade’s career. Hassan Whiteside came off the bench to finish with 18 points and 15 rebounds for Miami, and Wade scored 17 for the Heat.

“Kind of like a playoffs kind of game,” Wade said. “It was a good basketball game. They held us at bay. Every time we tried to make a run and get close, they made something happen.”

Detroit and Brooklyn also lost on Wednesday, meaning the race for the No. 6 spot in the East is even more muddled than it was entering the night. Detroit is sixth at 39-39, Brooklyn and Orlando (which beat New York) are 39-40, and the Heat fell to ninth at 38-40 — a half-game out of eighth, a game out of sixth, but running out of time.


It could be a doubly costly loss for Miami. Josh Richardson returned from a three-game absence with a sore heel, and left early in the third quarter with a leg injury. He’ll get an MRI on Thursday and the Heat are concerned.

“They got us into some tough looks and when we were open, we missed some of those,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team shot 41 percent and went only 12 for 20 from the foul line. “It was a combination of everything. You have to credit their defense.”


Boston led for the overwhelming majority of the first three quarters — the Heat led for 5:36 of those 36 minutes, yet the Celtics never really seemed in full control of the game until the final moments.

Little spurts were enough. Goran Dragic tied the game for the sixth time with a pair of free throws to open the fourth quarter, and Boston scored the next six to go up 89-83 with 8:55 remaining. The Celtics held the lead the rest of the way.

“I think we’re doing a great job right now just being patient, taking the shots that are afforded and being aggressive,” Irving said.

TIP- INS

Celtics: Boston, which jumped out to a 17-2 lead over Miami on Monday, started this game on a 9-0 run. … Jaylen Brown missed his second consecutive game with back spasms, and Marcus Morris was out with a sore left knee. … Irving has now played in 11 games at Miami; his Cleveland teams went 0-7 on the Heat home floor, and his Celtics teams are now 2-2.

Heat: Justise Winslow (thigh, nine games missed) and Rodney McGruder (knee, eight games) returned from injuries. … Miami has now used 26 starting lineups this season. … Heat legend Chris Bosh sat courtside.

SPECIAL ANTHEM

The national anthem was performed pregame using “The Instrument of Hope,” a trumpet made from bullet casings — a project by students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The trumpet has been on tour for the past several weeks, part of the students at the Parkland, Florida, school’s quest to continue the conversation about gun violence.

WADE AT HOME

Wade played for the 574th time at home in a Heat uniform. He’s assured of only one more game in Miami — the Heat close their home regular-season schedule on Tuesday against Philadelphia.


UP NEXT

Celtics: Visit Indiana on Friday.

Heat: Visit Minnesota on Friday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Kyrie Irving gets cheers and a win at MSG as Celtics beat Knicks

NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving heard the “We want Kyrie! We want Kyrie!” chants that echoed through Madison Square Garden.

He seemed more annoyed than flattered.


“It’s nothing but a distraction at this point,” he said.

Irving and the Boston Celtics handled it as easily as they handled the overmatched Knicks, winning 113-99 on Friday night in the first game since New York traded Kristaps Porzingis.

Irving had 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists before a crowd eager to start the free agent wooing five months early.

The trade to Dallas gave the Knicks money to chase two top free agents this summer and fans showed Irving that they want him to be one of them, cheering him before and during his return from a two-game absence with a hip injury.

Irving is one of the headline names in the 2019 free agent class, and though he said at a Celtics fan event last fall that he intended to re-sign in Boston, that may be no guarantee. He told reporters at the morning shootaround to “Ask me July 1” if his plans had changed.

Discouraged earlier this season by the play of some of his younger teammates, his frustration now is with the talk about matters beyond basketball, with the trade deadline less than a week away and his name being tied to Anthony Davis’ future as he seeks a trade from New Orleans.

So the former New Jersey high school star figured it would be a scene when he was back in the area.

“Like I said, I’m appreciative of the fan support I get in any arena, but of course coming back home,” he said. “Obviously what’s going on in terms of that noise and commentary is just a bunch of nonsense right now. Can’t do anything about it so I’m just accepting, I’m appreciative, but at the same time I’ve got a game to focus on.”

Marcus Morris added 18 points for the Celtics, who won for the eighth time in nine games and remain supportive of Irving.

“He’s a guy that’s very polarizing in the NBA and the world so everything he says, even if it’s not really that serious, it’s going to be taken out of proportion,” Morris said. “But like I said, he still comes in, he’s a professional. We all love him, we all want him here.”

Damyean Dotson scored 22 points and Kevin Knox had 21 for the Knicks, who dropped their 12th straight.

The Knicks dealt Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke to Dallas along with the injured Porzingis, getting Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews in return, plus two future first-round picks.

The new players weren’t available, so the Knicks started with a backcourt of Dotson and Kadeem Allen.

The short-handed lineup hung around into the fourth quarter before opening February with a loss after going a combined 3-24 in December and January.

TIP-INS

Celtics: Al Horford and Gordon Hayward each had 14 points. … Irving gave his jersey to his father after the game.

Knicks: Coach David Fizdale said the new players had been in the arena Friday before the game. … Luke Kornet started at center and scored nine points after missing the last five games with a sprained left ankle.

GOODBYE AND GOOD LUCK

Fizdale said he and Porzingis had a nice chat Thursday, wishing each other and joking about never getting onto the court. He said he didn’t question whether there was more he could have done to keep Porzingis happy in New York. 



“I can’t think that way. He’s obviously been here and has dealt with whatever he’s had to deal with throughout the course of his career. I can’t personalize that and put that on me,” Fizdale said. “Obviously I really worked hard to build a great relationship with him, going over to Latvia and everything, and really trying to involve him in a lot of the stuff that we’re doing.”

KYRIE’S CHEERS

Fizdale, on the chants for Irving: “You know, I am on a whole other planet when it comes to that stuff. I am just constantly into how do I help these guys win the next play, how do I get them past the last play?”

UP NEXT

Celtics: Host Oklahoma City on Sunday.

Knicks: Host Memphis on Sunday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Kyrie Irving gets season-high 43 points as Celtics overcome Raptors

BOSTON — Kyrie Irving had 11 straight Boston points down the stretch and scored 17 in all in the last 8:06 of the fourth quarter.

Then in overtime, he really turned it on.


The Celtics guard made or assisted on every basket in the extra period, finishing with 11 assists and a season-high 43 points on Friday night to lead Boston to a 123-116 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

“Man, he made some shots tonight where you’re just like, ‘Wow,'” forward Gordon Hayward said. “You catch yourself being a fan. When he gets into that mode, the whole arena knew where we were going, and so did the Raptors. They just couldn’t stop him.”

It was the first time Irving has scored at least 40 points with 10 or more assists in a game. He was the first player do it in the NBA this year, and the first Celtics player since Antoine Walker in 2001.

“Kyrie did a great job in the fourth quarter knocking down shots,” said Kawhi Leonard, who scored 31 points and had a season-high 15 rebounds for Toronto. “We fought hard tonight, they played a better game and we’ve just got to keep playing better.”

Jayson Tatum had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who evened the season series at one game apiece against the only team to finish above them in the Eastern Conference last season. The home team has won nine straight matchups.

Serge Ibaka scored 21 and Pascal Siakam had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost three straight since opening the season with 12 victories in their first 13 games. Toronto never led in overtime.

“It was just a veteran game out there, just great competition for a Friday night in the NBA,” Irving said. “You’ve got to appreciate that, two great teams going at it. And I’m pretty sure we’ll see them down the road.”

HEY, HEY!

Hayward scored 15 points and had five rebounds and five assists in a team-high 39 minutes — by far his biggest workload since the injury that knocked him out in the first quarter of the first game last season.

“I was wondering if they were going to take me out of the game,” he said. “Happy that he left me in. It felt good to play that many minutes. It’s been such a long time. It was a good confidence-builder.”

Hayward hit a pair of free throws to open the overtime, Ibaka answered with a jumper and from there it was all Celtics. Hayward scored on a pass from Irving, then Irving rescued Tatum from a near-turnover and drove for the layup to give Boston a 113-109 lead.

The Raptors never got closer than three points after that.

“Not too often during the regular season we get to have games like this,” Irving said. “A great test for your team on both ends of the basketball floor, a great player in that other locker room, the competition and the level of play raises and you’ve just got to appreciate that.”

END OF REGULATION

Toronto led by eight early in the fourth quarter and still had a 107-103 lead with 90 seconds left. But Tatum dunked to cut the deficit to two points and Siakam was called for pushing while going for a rebound, sending Hayward to the line for the game-tying free throws.

Leonard had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but his long jumper went off the rim.

“The main thing is we’re going to hold it until the very last shot so that nothing bad happens and they can’t get a rebound and call a timeout,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “It’s just man on man and you hope your guy can make the basket and we have a lot of faith in him that he can.”

DUCK

Late in the third quarter, Kyle Lowry got Tatum in the air with a fake and then tried to duck under him as the Celtics forward came over the top. But Tatum wound up kicking him in the head as he came back down.

Lowry went to the floor but remained in the game and made both free throws to give Toronto a 78-68 lead their first double-digit advantage of the game.

TIP-INS

Irving surpassed the 10,000 point and the 2,500 assist milestones. … After going 1-4 on a road trip, the Celtics have won two in a row at home. … Toronto’s OG Anunoby left the game in the third quarter with a sprained right wrist. … The Raptors already beat Boston 113-101 on Oct. 19. The teams, which have won 11 of the last 12 Atlantic Division championships, will play twice more.

UP NEXT

Raptors: Visit the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.

Celtics: Host the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Tatum shines, Brown returns as Celtics beat 76ers for 2-0 lead

BOSTON — The youth movement is alive and thriving for the Boston Celtics.

And for the second straight game it was enough to upend a Philadelphia 76ers team that still has much to figure out as it heads home trailing 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Rookie Jayson Tatum scored 21 points and hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds, helping the Celtics rally from a 22-point deficit to beat the 76ers 108-103 on Thursday night.

Terry Rozier added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Marcus Smart finished with 19 points and five rebounds as the Celtics improved to 6-0 at TD Garden this postseason. They have never blown a 2-0 lead.

“Coach was saying whoever is the tougher team is going to win,” Rozier said. “They definitely punched us in the mouth at the beginning of the game. We just had to bounce back and get things together.”

Game 3 is Saturday in Philadelphia.

J.J. Redick had 23 points for the 76ers, making five 3-pointers. Robert Covington added 22 points and nine rebounds. Joel Embiid finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, but rookie star Ben Simmons missed all four shots and had just one point.

“Mentally, just thinking too much,” Simmons said of his tough night. “I’m going to have bad games. It happens. Obviously, it’s bad timing.”

Philadelphia recovered after squandering its big lead to nudge back in front 93-88 midway through the fourth quarter.

But an 11-4 run put Boston back in the lead 99-95 with less than four minutes to play.

It was 101-97 when a missed Philadelphia jumper led to a 2-on-1 fast break and alley-oop dunk from Rozier to Tatum with 2:23 left.

A layup by Dario Saric cut it to 104-101. But Al Horford was able to drive past Embiid for a layup with 8.3 seconds left.

Saric scored out of a timeout to make it 106-103. The Sixers quickly fouled Tatum, who calmly hit a pair of free throws.

Following an anemic offensive effort in Game 1, the Sixers looked rejuvenated early in Game 2, using a 14-2 run to begin the second quarter on their way to building a 48-26 lead.

It didn’t last.

The Celtics responded by ending the half on a 25-8 run. It included three straight 3-pointers and a tip-dunk by Jaylen Brown, who returned to action after sitting out the series opener with a strained right hamstring. He came off the bench and played 25 minutes, scoring 13 points and grabbing four rebounds.

The Sixers’ lead was completely erased midway through the third quarter, when Aron Baynes got a 3-pointer to bounce in and put Boston in front for the first time.

The lead grew to 76-68 on a baseline dunk by Tatum that capped a 50-20 Celtics run.

“Once we got on that run we never looked back,” Rozier said.

Brown entered the game for the first time at the 7:14 mark of first quarter. It took less than a minute to make an impact. He missed his first shot attempt before chasing down a loose ball and sprinting ahead for a one-handed dunk .

Prior to Thursday, Brown had started every game he’d appeared in this season. It was his first time off the bench since Game 5 of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals.

“They won two games at home and we have to reciprocate,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said. “There’s not going to be a pity party.”

TIP-INS

76ers: Outrebounded the Celtics 49-41. … Went 13 of 33 from the 3-point line.

Celtics: The 22-point comeback victory represents their largest come-from-behind playoff victory since Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals (24 pts). … Went 15 of 36 from the 3-point line.

HE SAID IT

“It’s like a movie. You only see these type of comebacks in movies.” — Celtics guard Marcus Smart.

SLOW START

Despite Brown’s early highlight, the Celtics were sluggish early.

They started off the game 0 for 5 and didn’t score until Smart’s 3-pointer at the 8:37 mark of the first quarter.

Horford (1 for 3), Rozier (0 for 4), Brown (1 for 4) and Marcus Morris (0 for 3) were a combined 2 for 14 in the period, allowing Philadelphia to build a 31-22.

CELEB SIGHTINGS

Philadelphia-born rapper Meek Mill sat courtside for Game 2. Mill was released from jail last week after spending nearly five months behind bars on a probation violation. Rapper Gucci Mane sat across from the 76ers bench wearing a Brown jersey. The two met last year when Brown attended one of his concerts.

Another Philly native, actor Kevin Hart, sat a few seats down from Gucci. Hart at times antagonized the TD Garden fans, drawing boos.

source:sports.inquirer.net