Celtics hold off Hawks to advance in NBA playoffs

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 62 points and the Boston Celtics clamped down late to hold off the Atlanta Hawks in a 128-120 thriller on Thursday to win their NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

The Celtics, trying to get back to the NBA Finals after falling last season to the Golden State Warriors, won the best-of-seven series, 4-2, to line up a conference semi-final showdown with a Philadelphia 76ers team led by Joel Embiid and James Harden.

Trae Young, hero of the Hawks' 119-117 come-from-behind victory in Game 5 that extended the series on Tuesday, scored 30 points with 10 assists.

But Young ran out of gas in the second half, scoring just five points after the break and finishing the game nine-for-28 from the field.

Brown scored 32 points and Tatum had 30 for the Celtics, who used an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter to finally take control of a game that featured 22 lead changes and was tied 15 times.

"I think in that fourth quarter, four minutes left, we made winning plays," Tatum told broadcaster TNT. "We talked about it before the game -- do whatever it takes."

The lead changed hands seven times in the fourth quarter alone. Former Hawk Al Horford put the Celtics up for good with a three-pointer with 3:35 remaining.

Tatum followed with another three-pointer, Brown produced a block and Tatum slammed home a Horford miss to cap the 11-0 run that had the Celtics up by eight with 2:07 to play.

Atlanta wouldn't get the deficit below five points the rest of the way.

Marcus Smart scored 22 points, Malcolm Brogdon added 17 off the bench and Horford chipped in 10 for the Celtics.

"I thought Smart was tremendous, especially late in the fourth quarter," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. "He got us organized and then he was kind of the triggerman. They were blitzing, he made the right plays."

Young, whose 38 points in Game 5 included a game-winning three-pointer, said he just couldn't shake Smart in the second half.

"Marcus was being way more aggressive," Young said. "In the second half he was more just connected to me. They picked up the physicality. It was tough."

In the end, Hawks coach Quin Snyder said, the Celtics were just too much.

"Obviously Tatum and Brown were a handful, which we expect," Snyder said. "We blitzed their pick and roll, we hit them on the dribble, hit them on the pass and when we didn't they were able to make plays. When we did, you're susceptible to the three."

The Celtics made 18 of their 42 three-point attempts, Brown draining six from beyond the arc and every Boston starter making at least one trey.

Even so, Snyder said, "we were right there. It's a tough game."

Added Young: "You've just got to tip your cap sometimes and give credit where it's due."

The second-seeded Celtics, the highest seeds left in the East after the Miami Heat's upset of the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, host the third-seeded 76ers in game one on Monday.

Agence France-Presse

Depleted Celtics edge Raptors for ninth straight NBA win, 76ers beat Kings

LOS ANGELES --  The Boston Celtics shook off the absence of injured Jayson Tatum and the early exits of Marcus Smart and Robert Williams to beat the Toronto Raptors 106-104 on Saturday and push their NBA winning streak to nine games.

Jaylen Brown scored 27 points and Grant Williams added a career-high 25 for the Celtics, who improved their league-best record to 35-12.

Coming off a gritty overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, the Celtics trailed 85-81 going into the fourth quarter.

But they opened the final frame with a 9-0 run courtesy of three-pointers from Brown, Payton Pritchard and Grant Williams and stayed in front until Toronto tied it up at 103-103 on Gary Trent Jr.'s three-pointer with 2:23 to play.

Pritchard, who scored all of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, drained another three-pointer that proved to be enough after veteran Al Horford came up with a block and a steal in the final 10 seconds.

Malcolm Brogdon added 23 points off the bench for Boston, whose top scorer Tatum was sidelined with a sore left wrist.

Grant Williams said Tatum's absence was no reason for the Celtics to surrender the mindset of an elite team gunning to get back to the NBA Finals for a second straight year after falling to Golden State in the title series.

"You can't back down from any challenge, no matter if you're down 12 guys, no matter if you're down four, no matter if you're down two, no matter if you're a full team," he said. "You have to do your job."

Smart rolled his right ankle in the second quarter and left the game while Robert Williams hurt his left knee.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Williams's injury was "nothing serious" and Smart had a sprained ankle.

"X-rays were negative," he said of Smart, who had to be helped off the court. "So it's just a matter of how he's able to cope with it day to day."

The Philadelphia 76ers, playing without star center Joel Embiid and playmaker James Harden because of injury management, completed a perfect 5-0 road trip against Western Conference teams with a 129-127 victory over the Kings in Sacramento.

The 76ers ended the Kings' six-game win streak, using a big third quarter to turn the tide after trailing by 21 on the way to a 10-point halftime deficit.

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 32 points and six assists.

Domantas Sabonis had a near triple-double for Sacramento with 16 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. De'Aaron Fox scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter -- when the Kings got an 11-point deficit down to one three times before the Sixers closed it out.

- Mobley propels Cavs -

In Cleveland, Evan Mobley scored a career-high 38 points in a 114-102 victory over a Milwaukee Bucks team missing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.

A day earlier, the Cavs let a Golden State team missing star shooter Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green get past them, with coach J.B. Bickerstaff saying his team "got what we deserved" after taking the depleted Warriors too lightly.

On Saturday, second-year forward Mobley was laser-focused, connecting on 19 of 27 shots from the field and grabbing nine rebounds.

Mobley scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone. Darius Garland added 21 points and 10 assists and Caris LeVert, starting in place of the Cavs' injured top scorer Donovan Mitchell, added 13 points.

Milwaukee led by Jrue Holiday's 28 points, trailed much of the contest but managed to edge ahead twice early in the fourth quarter before Cleveland closed the door.

In Minneapolis, Anthony Edwards scored a season-high 44 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 113-104 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Elsewhere the lowly Charlotte Hornets claimed back-to-back games for just the second time this season as they eked out a 122-118 victory over the Hawks in Atlanta.

The Hornets, down by as many as 19 in the third quarter, snapped the Hawks' five-game winning streak.

Terry Rozier led Charlotte with 34 points, including three free-throws with 1.1 seconds left and another pair of free throws to seal it.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Brown leads Celtics over Pelicans, Bucks sink Hawks

Jaylen Brown scored 41 points as the Boston Celtics underscored their status as the NBA's form team with a 125-114 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

The Eastern Conference leaders warmed up for Thursday's crunch clash against Brooklyn with a composed performance to overpower the Pelicans, the third-ranked team in the Western Conference this season.

Brown, averaging just under 27 points per game this season, once again delivered for the Celtics, shooting 15-of-21 from the field with 12 rebounds.

"It's a long season, it's a lot of basketball, day-in, day-out -- you've just got to come in ready to do your job," Brown said after his season-high points tally. "I was able to come out and get something going."

Boston's balanced offense proved too much for New Orleans, with Jayson Tatum also chipping in with 31 points and Malcolm Brogdon adding 20 from the bench. 

Al Horford added 14 points for Boston, who were missing starters Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III.

C.J. McCollum excelled for New Orleans with 38 points while Naji Marshall added 18 for a Pelicans team missing the injured Zion Williamson (hamstring) and Brandon Ingram (toe).

Boston lead the Eastern Conference with a 30-12 record heading into Thursday's game against the second-placed Nets.

The third-placed Milwaukee Bucks meanwhile kept up the pursuit of the Eastern Conference leaders with a 114-105 win over the Hawks in Atlanta, Jrue Holiday leading the scoring with 27 points.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was restricted to a season-low seven points but still influenced proceedings with 18 rebounds and 10 assists

Holiday was one of five Milwaukee players in double figures, with Brook Lopez adding 20 points and Bobby Portis and Jevon Carter each scoring 13. Pat Connaughton finished with 10 points.

Milwaukee looked to be in total control early in the second half, jumping into a 24-point third quarter lead and seemingly poised for a routine win. 

However Atlanta chipped away at the Bucks total and eventually grabbed their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter when Bogdan Bogdanovic's pullup jump shot made it 103-101.

Lopez restored the Bucks’ advantage with a three-pointer to make it 104-103 and Milwaukee reasserted their control to close out the win.

Elsewhere Wednesday, Ja Morant returned from a two-game injury absence to score 38 points as the Memphis Grizzlies claimed a 136-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

In other games, the Detroit Pistons moved off the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 135-118 blowout over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Saddiq Bey led the scoring for Detroit with 31 points as the Pistons snapped a three-game losing streak to climb above the Charlotte Hornets at the foot of the table.

Agence France-Presse

Celtics rip Suns in NBA showdown while Morant has triple double

WASHINGTON -- Boston's Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum turned a matchup of NBA conference leaders into a rout on Wednesday while Ja Morant's triple double sparked the Memphis Grizzlies over Oklahoma City.

Tatum and Brown each scored 25 points as the Celtics improved the NBA's best record to 21-5 with a 125-98 blowout victory at Western Conference leader Phoenix.

Boston stayed two games atop Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference while Phoenix fell to 16-9 and a half-game behind New Orleans (16-8) in the West.

The Suns trailed 69-42 at halftime, their largest deficit of the season to that point, and by as many as 45 points in the third quarter.

"We were just really connected," Tatum said. "We're just making the right plays. We hit a lot of shots tonight."

The Celtics, who lost to Golden State in last season's NBA Finals, improved to 10-3 on the road.

"We're happy with the way we're playing," Tatum said. "But we're far from satisfied. This doesn't mean anything if we don't get back to where we want to get to (the NBA Finals) and get over that hump.

"It's a long process but we're trending in the right direction."

Phoenix welcomed back guard Chris Paul, who missed a month with a heel injury. He had four points, four rebounds and four assists.

Morant, meanwhile, delivered a triple double with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to lead host Memphis over the Thunder 123-102.

It was a club-record sixth career triple double for the 23-year-old US guard.

"It means a lot," Morant said. "A lot of credit goes to my teammates and my coaches putting me in positions to excel at a high level.

"We knew rebounding was important. I took it upon myself early on, I think I had seven early. Every other stat was from my teammates. Them knocking down shots opened up shots for me on the floor as well."

Memphis allowed only 15 points in the fourth quarter.

"It was pretty much just locking in, getting stops and rebounds," Morant said. "We've got to continue fighting and play hard."

Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and added six rebounds and seven assists while Jrue Holiday contributed 31 points in Milwaukee's 126-113 victory over visiting Sacramento. The Bucks improved the NBA's second-best record to 18-6.

Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 33 points with nine assists, five rebounds and four blocked shots while Kevin Durant added 29 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in Brooklyn's 122-116 home victory over Charlotte.

- Jazz edge Golden State -

Simone Fontecchio made the winning basket with 1.4 seconds remaining to give Utah a 124-123 home victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Golden State's Jordan Poole scored a game-high 36 points but his bad pass set up the Italian forward's decisive inside shot.

Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 22 points while Fontecchio added 18 off the bench.

Zion Williamson scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to spark New Orleans over Detroit 104-98. The host Pelicans took the West lead with their fifth consecutive victory.

D'Angelo Russell scored a game-high 28 points and Frenchman Rudy Gobert added 16 points and 21 rebounds to power Minnesota's 121-115 home win over Indiana.

Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet each scored 25 points to lead the Toronto Raptors over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 126-113.

The Lakers, without Anthony Davis due to illness and LeBron James with a sore ankle, were led by German guard Dennis Schroder's 18 points.

Orlando's Paolo Banchero made six free throws in the last seven seconds of overtime to give the Magic a 116-111 home triumph over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Italian-American Banchero scored a game-high 23 points and went 13-of-14 from the free throw line.

Chicago defeated visiting Washington 115-111 behind 27 points from DeMar DeRozan while Julius Randle had 34 points and 17 rebounds to lead New York over visiting Atlanta 113-89.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Celtics wins 9th straight; Lakers, Warriors win

The Boston Celtics rolled to a ninth straight NBA victory on Friday while Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic notched another milestone with his 50th career triple-double.

Doncic scored 33 points with 12 rebounds and 11 assists in the Mavericks' 127-99 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

At 23 years and 263 days old in his 279th game became the second-youngest and second-fastest NBA player to 50 triple-doubles.

Oscar Robertson was 23 years and 32 days old when he achieved the feat in his 111th career game.

It marked the 25th time that Doncic has scored at least 30 points in a triple-double. He's got four 30-point triple-doubles in 14 games this season.

His Friday exploit came as the Nuggets are without two-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, who missed a second straight game due to Covid-19 protocols.

"It's great," Doncic said of the achievement, albeit without much enthusiasm, adding: "A win is a win."

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was a bit more effusive in discussing his young star.

"He's already rewriting the record books," Kidd said. "Oscar is pretty special, so to be in there behind Oscar – it just shows you how good he is."

In New Orleans, the Celtics improved their league-leading record to 13-3, their latest long-range barrage burying the Pelicans 117-109.

Each of Boston's five starters scored in double figures and each drained at least two of the Celtics' 20 three-pointers – Derrick White connecting on six.

Jaylen Brown paced the Celtics with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and White added 26.

New Orleans cut a 13-point deficit to six midway through the fourth quarter before the Celtics pulled away again, and Brown said that despite their recent dominance the Celtics can improve their focus.

"Sometimes we get a lead and we let the game get away from us," he said. "That's the challenge, to be mature, to be locked in and be focused.

"Other teams are not going to lay down. They know we got to the Finals last year so they're going to come with their 'A' game."

The Golden State Warriors, who beat the Celtics in last season's championship series but have struggled in the early stages of their title defense, rebounded from an ugly loss to Phoenix with a 111-101 victory over the New York Knicks.

"Our defensive effort tonight was finally a little bit better," said Stephen Curry, who led the Warriors with 24 points and 10 rebounds. "We still believe that's how we win. We've just got to put it together game after game after game."

In Philadelphia, 76ers center Joel Embiid scored 32 points and out-dueled Milwaukee big man Giannis Antetokounmpo to lead the injury-depleted hosts to a 110-102 victory over the Bucks.

The Sixers, missing James Harden, Tobias Harris and Furkan Korkmaz going into the contest, lost Tyrese Maxey to a foot injury at halftime.

Maxey had scored 24 points before he limped out late in the second quarter.

Embiid's 19 second-half points propelled the 76ers past the Bucks, who led 62-55 at halftime.

Embiid – coming off 42-point and 59-point performances on Saturday and Sunday – added 11 rebounds and eight assists.

Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 25 points and 14 rebounds. But he connected on just four of 15 free-throw attempts.

- Morant injures ankle -

In Memphis, Jaren Jackson's 25 points and 12 rebounds led the Grizzlies in a 121-110 victory over Oklahoma City, but it could prove a costly win after Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant departed late in the contest with a left ankle injury.

The Cavaliers needed two overtimes to put away the Charlotte Hornets 132-122 in Cleveland.

Darius Garland scored 41 points and Donovan Mitchell added 34 for the Cavs, who saw their 10-point lead erased in the final 52.4 seconds of regulation.

It also went to overtime in Washington, where the Wizards edged the short-handed Miami Heat 107-106.

Bradley Beal scored 27 points, Kyle Kuzma added 21 and Kristaps Porzingis added 20 with 17 rebounds for the Wizards, who withstood a triple-double of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists by Miami's Kyle Lowry.

The Utah Jazz came out on top in a shootout with Phoenix, edging the Suns 134-133.

Utah's Lauri Markkanen scored a career-high 38 points, including a go-ahead turnaround jump shot with 38.5 seconds left.

Devin Booker led the Suns with 49 points but was frustrated late as the Jazz ended a three-game skid.

In Los Angeles, the Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 128-121, despite the absence of superstar LeBron James for a third straight game with a groin injury.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Celtics notch eighth straight win

LOS ANGELES -- Boston's bench came up big Wednesday to help the Celtics notch an eighth straight NBA victory, 126-101 over the Hawks in Atlanta.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 22 points and his fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum added 19, but Brown said it was the 44 points from the Boston reserves that ultimately made the difference.

"They won the game," Brown said after Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet scored 15 points apiece off the bench and Payton Pritchard added 14.

"Me and JT played decent, but our bench carried us and carried our team."

Brown said the reserves' contribution made up for the injury absences of Marcus Smart and Malcolm Brogdon.

The Celtics went into the contest leading the NBA in three-pointers made per game and knocked down 21 as a team.

Trae Young led the Hawks with 27 points, but the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics held Atlanta to just 41.6% shooting in a dominant performance.

"We just play the game the right way," Brown said. "We play solid ball, we try to get everyone involved. We've got a really good team from top to bottom."

Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed the game-winning three-pointer in the Thunder's 121-120 come-from-behind victory over the Wizards in Washington.

The Thunder trailed by 17 in the first quarter and were down by 13 at the half, but clawed their way back in a game that featured 15 lead changes.

Bradley Beal put the Wizards up 120-118 with a fadeaway jumper with 6.7 seconds remaining.

But Gilgeous-Alexander had the answer with a step-back trey with 1.9 seconds on the clock.

The Wizards had one more possession, but an inbounds pass lofted across the court toward Beal was sent out of bounds by Lu Dort as time expired.

"We gave them a little bit of a lead tonight and we had to fight to get back," Gilgeous-Alexander, who matched his career-high with 42 points -- 30 of them in the second half -- said in a post-game television interview.

He added six rebounds and seven assists for his third straight game of at least 35 points and five assists.

"Feels good," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Last week or so, same situation, we didn't close the game out the way we wanted to. We've learned from it, and we got better. That's our goal every day."

Beal, returning from a five-game absence because of Covid protocols, scored 25 points. Kristaps Porzingis led Washington with 27, but the Wizards' four-game win streak ended.

- Hornets' Ball limps out -

In Toronto, O.G. Anunoby scored a season-high 32 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Raptors in a 112-104 victory over Miami that snapped the Heat's three-game winning streak.

The Indiana Pacers stung the Hornets 125-113 in Charlotte, a defeat made even more painful for the hosts when guard LaMelo Ball, who missed the first 13 games of the season, reinjured his left ankle with a couple of minutes remaining when he stepped on a fan's foot trying to chase down a loose ball.

Ball led the Hornets with 26 points, 16 in the second half, and made five three-pointers before departing.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 22 points and handed out 11 assists and Myles Turner added 20 points for the Pacers, who won for the sixth time in eight games.

The Minnesota Timberwolves romped to a 126-108 victory over the injury depleted Magic in Orlando.

Minnesota's Anthony Edwards led all scorers with 35 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 30 for the Timberwolves, who led 42-24 after the first quarter and rolled from there.

The Magic were without number one draft pick Paolo Banchero for a fourth straight game,

They still managed to reduce a 27-point deficit to nine in the fourth quarter before the T-Wolves relentlessly pulled away again.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Celtics down Thunder to stretch win streak to seven

WASHINGTON -- Jayson Tatum scored 27 points and Jaylen Brown added 26 to lead the Boston Celtics over Oklahoma City 126-122 on Monday, stretching their NBA win streak to seven games.

Marcus Smart added 22 points, Al Horford had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Tatum also contributed 10 rebounds as the Celtics improved to 11-3 on the season while the Thunder fell to 6-8.

The Celtics, down by seven at halftime and after three quarters, outscored Oklahoma City 37-26 in the fourth quarter to rally for the victory, with Derrick White coming off the bench to score 16 points.

"I thought our bench did a great job of bringing the energy and picking us up," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.

Payton Pritchard added 10 points and two steals in a reserve role.

"We were a little sluggish starting this game," he said. "I think the second half we just wanted to come out, pressure the ball, make them uncomfortable and that led to points on the other end.

"Stay being resilient. That's what it is. Got to be resilient always."

Boston moved atop the Eastern Conference after the Milwaukee Bucks fell to 10-3 with a 121-106 home loss to Atlanta.

De'Andre Hunter led the Hawks with 24 points while Trae Young added 21 points and nine assists for Atlanta, which improved to 9-5. Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela each added 19 points and Capela had 10 rebounds for the Hawks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 27 points and added eight rebounds and four assists.

Bam Adebayo scored 30 points to lead seven Miami scorers in double figures as the Heat edged visiting Phoenix 113-112. Adebayo, who grabbed 10 rebounds, was 9-of-18 from the floor and 12-of-14 from the free throw line.

Adebayo's jumper with 58 seconds remaining gave Miami a 111-110 edge but Cameron Payne answered to give Phoenix a 112-111 lead.

Adebayo was fouled by Deandre Ayton and hit two free throws with 35 seconds remaining to give the Heat their final victory margin.

Payne missed a late jumper and Devin Booker, who led Phoenix with 25 points, missed a 3-pointer in the last two seconds to end the Suns' final hope.

Jimmy Butler added 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for Miami.

Canadian guard Dalano Banton scored 27 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 115-111 triumph at Detroit.

Paul George had 22 points and a game-high eight rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 122-106 victory at Houston.

Reggie Jackson and reserve Norman Powell each added 17 points for the Clippers while Jalen Green scored a game-high 25 points for the Rockets.

Mason Plumlee scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier each added 17 to spark Charlotte over host Orlando 112-105.

Ball also had a game-high nine assists while Franz Wagner scored a game-high 23 points in a losing cause.

Agence France-Presse

NBA Finals tied, as Curry leads Warriors past Celtics in Game 4

Stephen Curry produced a dazzling 43-point display as the Golden State Warriors battled past the Boston Celtics 107-97 to level the NBA Finals series at 2-2 on Saturday (Manila time).

With the Warriors needing a victory at Boston's TD Garden to avoid going down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, Curry delivered one of the best performances of his glittering career to reignite Golden State's hopes of a seventh championship.

Curry had entered game four with concerns swirling over his fitness after suffering a knock to his foot in the Warriors game three defeat on Wednesday.

But the 34-year-old two-time NBA Most Valuable Player emphatically laid to rest any doubts about his fitness as he single-handedly hauled Golden State back into the finals with game five back in San Francisco on Monday.

Curry finished with 43 points, 10 rebounds and four assists on a night when Golden State again struggled to find their offensive rhythm for long periods against a powerful Boston line-up.

Klay Thompson added 18 points for the Warriors while Andrew Wiggins produced 17 points and 16 rebounds in a crucial contribution. Jordan Poole added 14 from the bench.

"A lot of pride in our group, a lot of talk over the last 48 hours about how we can get back into this series," said Curry. 

"It's crazy because I still feel we can play a little bit better. But to win on the road and get home court advantage back, is big for this group. We've been here six times, we've got a lot of experience of staying confident and composed. 

"I'm just thankful for everyone on our team because we brought a lot of toughness and physicality tonight.

"We knew how big this game was. For us to come out and do what we did and go home. That five-and-a-half hour flight home got a little better after tonight."

- Green struggles -

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, meanwhile, took the bold decision to remove Draymond Green from the fray during the fourth quarter before returning him to the court for the closing passage of play.

Green again struggled on offense with only two points but finished with nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

But the undeniable man of the hour was once again Curry, a model of clear-headed composure as bedlam raged around Boston’s raucous arena.

"Just stunning," was how Kerr described Curry's performance. "The physicality out there is, you know, pretty dramatic. I mean, Boston's got obviously, best defense in the league.

"Huge and powerful at every position, and for Steph to take that -- that kind of pressure all game long and still be able to defend at the other end when they are coming at him shows you, I think, this is the strongest physically he's ever been in his career, and it's allowing him to do what he's doing."

Boston had led by four points at 94-90 with just under five minutes remaining before a Wiggins layup and a Thompson three-pointer put Golden State up 95-94. Curry then extended the lead with a layup to make it 97-94 before driving in the dagger with a three-pointer to leave the Warriors 100-94 ahead.

Al Horford cut the deficit for Boston with a corner three, but Kevon Looney’s layup restored the Warriors' five-point cushion.

Curry then closed out the game, cleverly drawing fouls from Boston to nail five points from the free throw line.

Jayson Tatum led the Boston scorers with 23 points while Jaylen Brown finished with 21 points. Marcus Smart added 18 points and Derrick White chipped in with 16.

Agence France-Presse

Tatum, Brown lead Boston romp over Sacramento

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 62 points and the Boston Celtics made it two straight wins on their Western trip with a 126-97 pounding of the host Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

Payton Pritchard made all five of his shots, including a 4-for-4 effort on 3-pointers, on a 14-point night off the bench as the Celtics overpowered the Kings with 56.1-percent shooting overall and 55.0-percent accuracy from beyond the 3-point line.

Domantas Sabonis compiled a 30-point, 20-rebound double-double for Sacramento, which lost for the sixth time in its last seven games.

Twenty-one of Tatum's 32 points came on seven 3-pointers in 10 attempts, helping Boston connect 22 times from beyond the arc.

Brown added 3-for-5 on 3's en route to 30 points for the Celtics, who opened a four-game trip with a 110-88 romp over the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on Wednesday night.

En route to its 17th win in the last 20 games, Boston trailed only momentarily after scoring the game's first 11 points. Brown and Al Horford had two hoops apiece in the early flurry.

The Celtics went up by as many as 21 in the second quarter, 23 in the third and 29 in the fourth in completing a one-sided, season-series sweep. Boston had beaten Sacramento 128-75 at home in January.

Daniel Theis added 11 points for the Celtics, who got scoring from 11 different players.

Marcus Smart chipped in with a game-high eight assists to complement nine points, four rebounds and four steals, while Horford finished with a team-high nine rebounds to go with six points.

Sabonis' double-double was his 45th of the season, his eighth with at least 30 points and third with at least 20 rebounds. He had never previously had 30 points and 20 rebounds in the same game.

He also led the Kings with five assists.

Justin Holiday went for 21 points for the Kings, while Trey Lyles had 19, Davion Mitchell 12 and Chimezie Metu 10.

De'Aaron Fox sat out the game with a bruised right hand, while Harrison Barnes went scoreless in 24 minutes, missing all five of his shots.

-reuters-

NBA: Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum lead Celtics past pesky Pistons

Jaylen Brown had 27 points and Jayson Tatum contributed 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists as the Boston Celtics extended their road winning streak to seven games with a 113-104 victory over Detroit on Saturday afternoon.

Payton Pritchard supplied 19 points and six assists off the bench for the Celtics, who have won 11 of their past 12 games. They avenged the lone defeat during that stretch -- Detroit's 112-111 win in Boston on Feb. 16.

Grant Williams added 13 points, four rebounds and three assists and Robert Williams chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Cory Joseph had 15 points, Marvin Bagley scored 14 and Saddiq Bey added 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Pistons. Detroit made just 7 of 27 3-point attempts.

Detroit's Hamidou Diallo was ejected in the second quarter for touching an official.

Tatum had 17 points. seven rebounds and six assists by halftime but Boston was clinging to a 56-54 lead.

The Celtics never trailed in their past five road games. That streak ended quickly Saturday as Joseph scored the game's first basket and Detroit led 10-4 during the first three-plus minutes. Neither team had more than a six-point advantage prior to the break.

Joseph also scored the first points of the second half, a 3-pointer. Late in the quarter, Cunningham made two consecutive baskets to give Detroit a 74-71 edge.

Bagley had six points in the final 2:14 of the quarter as Detroit carried an 82-78 lead into the fourth.

Grant Williams had a personal 5-0 run to start the final quarter and provide the Celtics with a one-point edge.

A 10-0 spurt gave the Celtics a 95-88 lead. Pritchard had five points and an assist during that stretch. Tatum stretched the advantage to 10 on a 3-pointer with 5:17 remaining.

After the Pistons pulled within six, Tatum made a dunk with 1:13 remaining.

-reuters-

NBA: Celtics pull away for win over Rockets

Jayson Tatum scored 26 points, Jaylen Brown added 22 with 11 rebounds and the Boston Celtics beat the visiting Houston Rockets, 118-102, Friday night.

Robert Williams III scored a career-high 20 points on 9-of-9 shooting in his return from a game missed due to a non-COVID illness as the Celtics snapped a two-game losing streak.

Williams added nine rebounds and a career-high eight assists in his fourth start of the season. New addition Evan Fournier scored 23 points and sank seven 3-pointers. Marcus Smart had 10 of Boston's 35 assists on the night.

Christian Wood amassed 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Rockets, who have lost three straight and 5 of 6 since snapping a 20-game skid.

The Celtics upped an eight-point advantage at halftime to double digits, 59-49, on a Tatum breakaway dunk with 8:39 remaining in the third quarter. The slam kicked off a 16-6 stretch in which Brown scored eight consecutive Boston points. He picked up a technical foul along the way for waving his arm at the referee after a layup.

The Celtics' lead reached 77-59 before the Rockets ripped off an 8-0 run. Boston ended the third up, 82-70.

Tatum and Brown scored 13 points apiece in the period.

Fournier made four consecutive 3-point attempts early in the fourth, the last producing a 100-81 advantage with 8:06 to go. He sank two more threes in the quarter as Boston led by as much as 24 down the stretch.

Brown exited with a left knee contusion with 6:39 remaining and did not return.

The Celtics entered the second quarter up, 33-25, but couldn't shake off the Rockets. Houston used a 9-0 run to take a 38-37 edge and led again 44-43 with 3:37 left before Boston ended the half with a 9-0 spurt for a 52-44 lead at the break.

Tatum topped the Celtics with 13 first-half points. Wood paced the Rockets with 14 before intermission.

-reuters-

Tatum has 34 as Celtics beat Trail Blazers 128-124

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 34 points, Jaylen Brown added 30 and the Boston Celtics built a big early lead before holding on for a 128-124 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

“That was a playoff-level energy that we had to play with at the end of the game,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said. “This is a great experience.”

Tatum, who added a career-high eight assists, rebounded from a terrible performance in a loss to Milwaukee on Friday when he scored just five points on 2-of-18 shooting.

“It’s just about making the right reads,” Tatum said. “Seeing the double-teams. Making the right play. Jaylen was open and those were the right reads.”

Damian Lillard had 30 points and 16 assists for Portland. Jusuf Nurkic added 30 points in his second official game back after breaking his leg in March 2019.

Boston led by as many as 24 in the second quarter. But Portland opened the fourth quarter with a 15-4 run, with three 3-pointers from Lillard and two from CJ McCollum, to put them on top 101-98.

“If anything, we’ll take away we played extremely well in the second half against a really good team,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said. “We don’t have any time to have a hangover after a loss.”

Gary Trent Jr. hit a 3-pointer with less than 2 minutes to go before the Celtics used a 7-0 run to take a 125-119 lead with about 30 seconds left.

Carmelo Anthony got the Blazers within three with a 3-pointer and Gordon Hayward was called for a backcourt violation to give Portland the ball back. Lillard lost the ball and the Celtics were called for a foul to give Portland another possession with 6.8 seconds to go.

A layup by Nurkic cut the lead to one with 3.4 seconds left and Hayward added two free throws to push the lead to 127-124. Nurkic’s long inbounds pass bounced out of bounds to secure Boston’s victory.

The Celtics had a 10-point lead with less than a minute left in the third when Lillard was fouled as he banked in an off-balance 3-pointer and he made the free throw to get Portland within 92-86.

Kemba Walker finished the quarter with a basket for Boston to make it 94-86 entering the fourth.

TIP-INS

Trail Blazers: Trent had 21 points off the bench on seven 3s. ... Portland made its first 14 free throws and finished 15 of 16.

Celtics: Walker had 14 points in 22 minutes as the team limits his minutes to prepare for the playoffs. ... Boston made 18 of 30 3-pointers.

HEALTH UPDATE

Nurkic said after the game that his grandmother Hana is now awake after being in a coma after a COVID-19 diagnosis. The 67-year-old is hospitalized in Bosnia.

UP NEXT

Trail Blazers: Play Houston on Tuesday night.

Celtics: Play the Heat on Tuesday night.

-Associated Press-

NBA: Brown, Tatum lead Celtics past Cavaliers

Jaylen Brown matched his career high of 34 points and Jayson Tatum scored 24 of his 30 in the first half as the host Boston Celtics cruised to a 129-117 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

Brown followed up a season high-tying 30-point performance in Boston's 118-102 victory over Toronto on Wednesday by making 13 of 20 shots, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

Tatum, who also made 5 of 10 from beyond the arc, sank 9 of 13 shots from the floor in the first half and finished 11 of 20 to answer a dismal 5-for-18 performance against the Raptors.

Enes Kanter chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench as the Celtics collected their fifth straight win overall and seventh in a row versus Cleveland.

Kevin Love scored 21 of his 30 points in the first half and made 6 of 11 3-point attempts for the Cavaliers, who had won a season-high three in a row after losing 16 of their previous 18.

Collin Sexton chipped in 21 points and rookie Kevin Porter Jr. added 16 off the bench for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers trimmed the Celtics' lead to 92-81 at the end of the third quarter and Dante Exum opened the fourth with a 3-pointer. 

Tatum answered with one of his own, Daniel Theis followed suit and Brown later sank back-to-back 3-pointers to push Boston's advantage to 108-90 with 7:20 to play.

Brown scored the Celtics' first seven points and finished with 12 on 5-of-7 shooting to give his team a 33-22 lead after the first quarter. Boston made 13 of 23 shots in the quarter.

Tatum capped a 10-0 run with a step-back 3-pointer, boosting the Celtics' advantage to 48-26 with 6:50 remaining in the second quarter.

Cleveland chipped away slowly to cut Boston's lead to 62-47 at halftime and scored the first four points of the third quarter before the Celtics reignited their offense.

Tatum took advantage of a mismatch on the low block to convert a 3-point play and give Boston a 76-58 lead with 6:54 remaining in the third quarter.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Celtics cruise past Pistons

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum scored 26 points apiece to lead the Boston Celtics to a 114-93 rout of the visiting Detroit Pistons on Friday night.

Rookie Grant Williams chipped in a season-high 18 points off the bench, and Enes Kanter had 18 rebounds as the Celtics won their second straight. Kemba Walker was held to two points on 0-for-6 shooting but had 11 assists.

Andre Drummond had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Thon Maker scored 15 points for the Pistons, who have lost four of five.

Detroit committed 25 turnovers in the contest and shot 40 percent (34 of 85). Boston had 20 turnovers but shot 52.3 percent (45 of 86).

The Celtics were up by 12 at the half and maintained their double-digit advantage throughout the third quarter, increasing their lead to 23, 87-64, on a Brad Wanamaker floater to complete a 14-1 spurt with 2:03 to go.

Boston carried a 91-69 lead into the fourth and would go up by as many as 27. Tatum and Brown sat out the entire quarter; to the delight of the crowd, 7-foot-5 rookie Tacko Fall made his home debut with 4:31 remaining.

The Celtics used an 11-0 run to grab their first double-digit lead, 41-31, with 8:14 remaining in the second quarter. 

The Pistons got as close as six, but Boston responded with Brown hitting a pair of 3-pointers around a steal in an 11-second span for a 56-42 edge.

Brown was at it again with 1.1 seconds left, completing a four-point play to give the Celtics a 60-48 lead at the break.

Brown had 19 points, and Tatum 15. Markieff Morris paced Detroit with 10.

Tatum had 13 points after one as Boston led 28-26.

Both teams played short-handed, the Celtics without Gordon Hayward (foot) and Marcus Smart (eye), and the Pistons down Blake Griffin, Luke Kennard and Christian Wood - all with knee injuries.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Celtics rout Spurs despite Hayward's injury

Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, and Kemba Walker added 26 as the Boston Celtics overcame a first-half injury to Gordon Hayward to reach a season high in points in beating the Spurs, 135-115, Saturday night for a rare victory at San Antonio.

Jayson Tatum had 19 points, Marcus Smart had 16 and Robert Williams III chipped in 11 as the Celtics won their seventh straight game -- and first at San Antonio since 2011. Boston had lost 14 of its last 15 to the Spurs overall.

DeMar DeRozan scored 22, and Patty Mills added 20 for the Spurs, who lost for the third time in four games. LaMarcus Aldridge was held to three points, taking just four shots from the field in 26 minutes.

Hayward fractured his left hand when he ran into Aldridge while guarding Dejounte Murray with 1:34 left before halftime. Aldridge was assessed an offensive foul, and Hayward quickly exited to the locker room.

The Celtics announced the diagnosis early in the third following an X-ray, and Hayward was ruled out for the remainder of the game. He will see a specialist Monday to determine if surgery is necessary, according to ESPN.

Despite the injury, Boston was up by 18 at the half and increased increased the margin to 20 on a pair of Smart free throws 12 seconds into the third. San Antonio battled back within 14 before the Celtics restored the 20-point margin, 88-68, on a Brown floater with 6:20 remaining.

The Spurs inched within 12, ultimately entering the fourth trailing, 104-91. Boston went up by as much as 24 the rest of the way to cruise to victory.

The Spurs opened the game on a 7-0 run before the Celtics blew past them with a 19-3 stretch. Boston's lead in the first reached as high as 15 as the Celtics ended the quarter up 39-30, their largest-scoring opening period of the season.

San Antonio fell further behind in the second, trailing by as much as 19 when a Javonte Green layup put Boston up 70-51 with 25.3 seconds to go. Brown led all scorers with 20 points as the Celtics entered the half up 72-54.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Brown, Tatum drive Celtics past Raptors

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum each scored 25 points, and Kemba Walker had 11 of his 22 in the fourth quarter as the Boston Celtics rallied past the visiting Toronto Raptors 112-106 in their home opener Friday.

Gordon Hayward had 15 points, and Marcus Smart 10 as the Celtics improved to 1-1 on the season.

Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 33 points, and Kyle Lowry had 29 for the Raptors, who lost their first after a win in their opener Tuesday.

Boston took 31 more shots than Toronto in the contest, though the Celtics shot 38.5 percent (42 of 109).

A Hayward 3-pointer put Boston up for good, 107-104, with 3:27 to go. A pair of Siakam free throws got Toronto within one, but the Raptors would score no more, with Brown hitting a three with 2:49 left for a four-point Celtics lead.

The Raptors entered the fourth quarter up 82-76. To that point, the six-point advantage matched the largest lead by either team in the game.

Toronto finally forged ahead by seven when Lowry drilled a three with 9:47 left for an 89-82 lead. Walker scored nine straight points to get Boston within two on two occasions, and his layup with 7:02 left got the Celtics within 95-93.

Serge Ibaka drilled a three for a 98-93 Raptors lead, but a 6-0 Celtics run put Boston ahead with 5:43 to go.

Toronto went back ahead on a Siakam basket, but Grant Williams responded with a layup for a 101-100 Celtics edge. Tatum sank a three with 4:33 to go to put Boston up by four.

The Raptors tied the score at 104 when Siakam converted an alley-oop at 3:41.

The Celtics entered halftime up 50-49. Brown led Boston at the half with 13 points, and Lowry paced Toronto with 11.

During the second quarter, Celtics big man Daniel Theis sustained a left ankle sprain with 8:13 left on the clock. Though he limped to the locker room under his own power, he returned to start the third.

Boston ended the first quarter up 22-21.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: 6 Celtics score in double figures in beating Pistons

Jayson Tatum led six Boston players in double figures with 19 points and the host Celtics ended the Detroit Pistons' four-game winning streak with a 118-110 victory on Wednesday.

Gordon Hayward contributed 18 points and eight assists, while Al Horford supplied 17 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Jaylen Brown had 17 points and seven rebounds, Marcus Smart added 16 points and five assists, and Marcus Morris chipped in 11 points.

The Celtics were missing their top two point guards. All-Star Kyrie Irving sat out for the second consecutive night with a right knee strain, while Terry Rozier was sidelined by an illness.

Blake Griffin led Detroit with 32 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Andre Drummond had 21 points, 17 rebounds and four steals, Reggie Jackson tossed in 18 points, and Wayne Ellington added 13 points off the bench.

Both teams were playing their final game before the All-Star break. Boston was playing the tail end of a back-to-back after winning in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Hayward scored 11 first-half points as Boston led 57-52 at halftime. Brown contributed 10 points off the bench, while Griffin reached the 20-point mark.

The Celtics took control in the third, outscoring Detroit 34-20 to gain a 91-72 lead.

Boston opened up an 11-point lead early in the third with an 8-0 spurt that included 3-pointers from Hayward and Smart.

When Tatum made a trey from the right side with 6:47 left in the quarter, Boston's lead was 72-58.

Later in the quarter, Smart drained back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the Celtics' advantage to 17 at 85-68.

Tatum fired in another long shot in the final minute of the quarter to make it 89-69. Smart made the last basket of the quarter, scoring along the right baseline while falling down.

The Pistons didn't go quietly. They reeled off a 20-2 run, capped by a Drummond steal and dunk, to cut Boston's lead to 10. Horford made a three to end that outburst. Detroit couldn't get the deficit into single digits until the final two minutes.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Rozier keeps Celtics on a roll in win over Hornets

Terry Rozier filled in for injured Kyrie Irving and had 17 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, and the Boston Celtics remained hot with an easy 126-94 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night.

The Celtics took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Hornets, 35-16, to push a four-point halftime lead to 23. They went on to lead by as many as 35 points in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics (32-19) have won seven of their past eight games. They are also now 24-4 over the past two seasons when playing without Irving, who missed his third game in the past week with a strained left hip.

Jaylen Brown came off the bench to lead the Celtics with 24 points. The Celtics also got 20 points from Jayson Tatum, 15 from Marcus Morris, 14 from Al Horford, and 12 from Gordon Hayward. The Celtics shot 55.6 percent from the field.

Kemba Walker led the Hornets (24-26) with 21 points, although he didn't play in the fourth quarter with the game out of hand. It was Walker's best game since being named as a starter for the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game.

The Hornets also got 16 points from Malik Monk, 13 points from Nicolas Batum and 10 from Marvin Williams.

The Hornets were without Tony Parker, who has an ankle injury. They have been without Cody Zeller (fractured hand) for the past 13 games, but Zeller worked out before the game and his return is expected soon.

The Celtics led, 35-28, after one quarter and 63-59 at halftime, then pushed the lead to 98-75 after three quarters.

The Celtics and Hornets split two previous games this season. The Hornets won in Charlotte, 117-112, on November 19, then the Celtics won, 119-103, in Boston on December 23.

The Celtics closed out a five-game homestand. They play the Knicks at New York on Friday. The Hornets will return home to host Memphis on Friday.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: No Irving, but Rozier leads Celtics past Cavaliers

Terry Rozier, starting in place of the injured Kyrie Irving, scored 22 of his 26 points in the first half to spark the Boston Celtics to a 125-103 win over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers.

Irving sat out with flulike symptoms but was hardly missed. Rozier, who played high school basketball in Cleveland, was perfect in the first two periods, going 8-for-8, including connecting on a buzzer-beater from 31 feet to give Boston a 65-50 lead at halftime.

Rozier also finished with eight rebounds and six assists. Jaylen Brown added 23 points, and Jayson Tatum notched 17 points and three steals.

Boston has won 10 straight at home and five straight overall while Cleveland, the NBA's worst team with just nine wins in 49 games, lost its fifth straight.

The Celtics trailed 30-27 entering the second period, despite Rozier scoring 16 first-quarter points. But Boston's defense came alive, recording seven steals in the second and holding the Cavs to just 20 points.

Brad Wannamaker came off the bench to give the Celtics' offense a lift with eight points and two assists in the period.

Marcus Smart's 23-foot 3-pointer at the 6:35 mark gave Boston a 41-39 lead. Boston scored the next seven points and never was threatened the rest of the way.

After hitting his first eight shots, Rozier missed back-to-back shots early in the third, but Boston still was able to expand its lead to 19 at 74-55 with Tatum driving hard to the basket for a layup, and then stealing the ball and taking it all the way for an uncontested layup.

Cleveland cut the deficit to 12 with a Jordan Clarkson layup at the end of the third period, but Boston scored the first seven points of the fourth to build the lead back to 19 at 99-80.

Boston was also without Al Horford, who was given the night off to rest. Horford missed seven games in December because of a sore left knee.

Ante Zizic, the former Celtic, got the start for Cleveland, who played without big men Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr. Zizic scored 19 points and had eight rebounds.

Cedi Osman led Cleveland with 25 points, while Collin Sexton had 16 points, Clarkson added 14 and Alec Burks chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Celtics never trail in blowing out Mavericks

Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 114-93 wire-to-wire victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

Jayson Tatum added 18 points and Marcus Smart had 17, including five 3-pointers, to pick up the scoring slack with leading scorer Kyrie Irving missing a second consecutive game with eye irritation.

The Celtics also played without forward Marcus Morris, who hurt his neck after a scary fall in Wednesday's game against Minnesota.

Boston was challenged only once, when their 53-36 second-quarter lead got whittled down to 58-57 early in the third. 

But after Mavs rookie sensation Luka Doncic drained a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game, his 3-point attempt to grab the lead missed everything. The Celtics answered with a 21-6 run.

Dallas was trying to put together back-to-back road wins for the first time this season after routing Charlotte on Wednesday. The Mavs made 10 3-pointers in the first quarter of that game.

Against Boston, they made 11 for the entire game on 44 attempts. Boston finished 21 of 45 from deep.

Harrison Barnes led Dallas with 20 points, while Doncic had 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists. DeAndre Jordan tallied 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Dirk Nowitzki, who has averaged more points in his career against the Celtics than any other team, received a standing ovation from the Boston crowd when he checked in.

But the No. 7 scorer in NBA history failed to score and missed all 10 of his shot attempts, eight from beyond the arc. In the final minutes, the Boston crowd cheered him on, trying to will him onto the scoresheet.

The Celtics, who also got 16 points from Gordon Hayward, got off to a fast start, using an 8-0 run to end the first quarter with a 34-23 lead.

The final six points of the spurt came on consecutive 3-pointers by reserve guard Brad Wanamaker to quickly eclipse his previous season-high of five points. He finished with eight points, four assists and three steals in a season-high 22 minutes.

source: news.abs-cbn.com