NBA: Tatum, Celtics beat Nuggets for 7th straight victory

Jayson Tatum scored 24 points and Marcus Smart added 22 as the Boston Celtics extended their winning streak to 7 games with a 108-102 victory over the visiting Denver Nuggets on Friday.

Robert Williams had 15 points and 16 rebounds for Boston, which trailed 88-86 with 8:26 left before closing the game by outscoring the Nuggets 22-14.

Celtics guard Derrick White contributed 15 points and 6 rebounds off the bench in his 1st game since being acquired from the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.

Nikola Jokic paced Denver with 23 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. Aaron Gordon scored 17 points, Facundo Campazzo had 14, Will Barton added 13, and Bones Hyland had 10.

Jokic has recorded a triple-double in 8 of his past 14 games for Denver, which has lost 4 of its last 6.

White's layup put Boston ahead 100-97 with 1:59 left, and the Celtics hit 4 straight foul shots to extend the lead to 7 with 40 seconds remaining.

After the Nuggets pulled within 104-99 on Jokic's basket with 31 seconds left, Boston secured its 4th straight home victory at the foul line.

Denver took an early 11-point lead with 4:54 left in the 1st quarter before Boston closed on a 15-6 run to cut the deficit to 32-30.

Gordon and Barton scored a combined 21 points in the 1st half for Denver, which held a 60-51 advantage at the break.

Smart had 5 rebounds and 7 assists for Boston, which moved ahead 69-65 after his basket with 5:09 left in the 3rd quarter capped a 15-2 run.

Denver closed the period with 7 straight points and carried a 79-76 lead into the final quarter.

Boston regained the lead at 92-90 with 7:19 left in the contest after Tatum's technical free throw capped an 11-2 run.

Jokic tied the game at 95 by making one of his three 3-pointers with 5:28 remaining.

-reuters-

NBA: Celtics pull away from Jazz

Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter combined for all of Boston's scoring in a 15-5 burst to start the fourth quarter Wednesday night as the Celtics, on the second night of a back-to-back set, had enough depth and energy to outfinish the Utah Jazz, 114-103, in Salt Lake City.

Jayson Tatum had 33 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to pace the Celtics, who won three of four on their Western swing, losing only a two-point decision Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Donovan Mitchell poured in a game-high 37 points for the Jazz, who lost their fourth straight, all at home.

In the first meeting of the season between teams solidly entrenched in their respective playoff races, the Celtics and Jazz played on even terms for 35 1/2 minutes before Gordon Hayward buried a 3-pointer to give the visitors an 85-82 lead after three quarters.

Boston never trailed again.

Kanter opened the fourth period with two hoops, including the tip-in of a Brad Wanamaker miss, before Smart nailed three consecutive 3-pointers, sandwiching a pair of hoops by Utah's Jordan Clarkson, to help the Celtics take command.

When Kanter turned a Smart assist into a basket with 7:22 remaining in the game, the Celtics suddenly held a 100-87 advantage.

Utah got no closer than eight after that.

Tatum was the Celtics' driving force for the better part of three periods. He shot 13-for-20 overall and 3-for-5 on 3-point attempts to cap a remarkable trip on which he scored 28, 41, 36 and 33 points.

Jaylen Brown added 20 points, Smart finished with a game-high nine assists to complement 17 points, and Daniel Theis chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who were swept by the Jazz in the season series last year.

In his second return to Utah after playing his first seven seasons for the Jazz, Hayward contributed 12 points and five rebounds to the win.

The Celtics, who won 118-106 at Portland on Tuesday, outshot the Jazz 53.6 percent to 44.9 percent.

Mitchell's point total came on 15-of-32 shooting. He made just two of his 10 3-point attempts.

Mike Conley went for 15 points and Royce O'Neale 14 for Utah, which is now 1-4 on a six-game homestand that ends Friday against the Washington Wizards.

Jazz center Rudy Gobert grabbed a team-high nine rebounds to go with nine points.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Smart shoots Celtics past Kings in last minute

Marcus Smart connected on a driving layup with 31.1 seconds remaining and followed with a key steal to lead the host Boston Celtics past the Sacramento Kings, 103-102, Monday night.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 24 points, Jayson Tatum added 20, and Smart and Enes Kanter were also in double figures with 17 and 13, respectively, as the Celtics won for the second time in their past five games.

Boston played without point guard Kemba Walker, who was ruled out a couple hours before tipoff due to a neck sprain.

Buddy Hield enjoyed a big night for the Kings with a career-high 41 points and a franchise-record 11 3-pointers. Harrison Barnes added 20 points, and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 13 points and eight assists for Sacramento, which lost for the third time in its past eight.

Hield took over in the second half, scoring 21 of his team's 29 points in the third quarter alone. His 10th 3-pointer -- the most ever in a game against the Celtics -- got the Kings within 95-93 with 3:17 left in the fourth.

After a pair of Smart free throws, Hield drilled his 11th from deep to cut the Boston lead to one. Boston got a basket from Brown, but a Cory Joseph trey tied the score at 99. Following a Smart hoop, Bogdanovic hit a 3-pointer to give the Kings a 102-101 lead with 39.8 seconds remaining.

Smart responded with his game-winning layup before coming up with a steal on Bogdanovic with 27.8 ticks left. Though Tatum missed a 3-point try with 8.2 seconds left, the Kings were unable to score on a late shot by Bogdanovic, sealing the result.

The Kings grabbed the largest lead of the first half, up 39-28, on a Barnes 3-pointer with 6:31 left in the second quarter. The Celtics stormed back with a 15-2 run, going up 43-41 on an Enes Kanter basket with 2:26 to go.

After a Hield trey halted the Boston run, the Celtics ended the half with a 10-2 stretch to lead 53-46 at the break.

Barnes led all scorers with 14 at intermission while Tatum, Kanter and Brown were all at 11 for the Celtics.

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: 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: Balanced Celtics stop Cavs for 5th straight win

Jayson Tatum scored 25 points and Gordon Hayward scored 18 points off the bench to lead the visiting Boston Celtics to a 103-96 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.

Marcus Smart added 17 points and Jaylen Brown 13 and seven rebounds for Boston, which won its fifth straight game.

Rookie Collin Sexton led the Cavaliers with 27 points. Alec Burks added 21 points for Cleveland, which lost for the eighth time in 10 tries.

Both teams played short-handed. The Celtics were without Kyrie Irving, who sat out with a hip strain. Boston also did not have Marcus Morris(right knee) and Aron Baynes(foot).

Cedi Osman was held out after injuring his ankle in Cleveland's loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.

Sexton was in attack mode all night, pushing the ball and helping the Cavaliers turn an eight-point halftime deficit into a four-point lead with 5:11 left in the third.

Smart tied the score when he completed a four-point play. Tatum scored the next four points and Boston went on a 13-5 run to take an eight-point lead.

The Cavaliers cut the deficit to 90-87 on a long 3 by Matthew Dellavedova with just under 10 minutes to go. But another dry spell doomed the Cavs as the Celtics went up 101-91.

The Cavs took advantage of Boston's lack of depth in the middle, outrebounding the Celtics 48-42 and recording 22 second-chance points. Boston had just four second-chance points.

Cleveland grabbed a 30-28 lead after one period. Sexton led the way with nine points while Tatum paced the Celtics with 10.

The Celtics outscored the Cavs 31-21 in the second period to take a 59-51 lead into intermission. Boston went on a 12-0 to turn a six-point deficit into a six-point lead.

Boston took advantage of the Cavs' soft interior defense, scoring on a Brown floater and three straight dunks midway through the period.

Then like he did in Boston's win over Cleveland on Jan. 23, Terry Rozier connected from beyond the 3-point line as time expired to put Boston up by eight.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Smart shots carry Celtics over Nets

Marcus Smart drained 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the first quarter Monday to begin a game-changing run by the host Boston Celtics, who went on to beat the Brooklyn Nets, 116-95.

The Celtics have won three straight and four of five. The Nets, who were trying to reach .500 beyond the midway point of the season for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign, had a three-game winning streak snapped and lost for just the fourth time in the last 16 games.

Kyrie Irving, who returned after missing two games with a left eye injury, scored 17 points to lead a balanced Celtics attack. Seven other players scored in double figures for Boston, with 16 points by Jayson Tatum and 12 apiece by Smart, Marcus Morris, Al Horford and Gordon Hayward. Daniel Theis had 11 points and Terry Rozier added 10 points.

Rookie Rodions Kurucs scored 24 points and drained five 3-pointers for the Nets, one shy of the franchise's rookie single-game record. Kenneth Faried (13 points, 12 rebounds) had a double-double before exiting in the final minutes with what appeared to be an ankle injury. Spencer Dinwiddie (15 points), Ed Davis (11 points) and Shabazz Napier (10 points) also scored in double figures for Brooklyn.


The Nets opened the game on a 12-4 run behind Kurucs, whose first two 3-pointers began and ended the run. But the Celtics quickly took control. Smart's first 3-pointer snapped a 17-17 tie, gave Boston the lead for good and sparked a 22-5 run that spanned the first and second quarters.

The Nets, meanwhile, missed eight straight shots from the field over a 5:49 stretch in the first and second. A layup by Tatum with 7:38 left in the half gave the Celtics their first 20-point lead at 47-27.

The Nets mounted a 9-0 run early in the third to get within 59-54, but Irving scored seven points as the Celtics answered with a 17-6 run. Boston maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way and scored 12 unanswered points in the fourth to take its biggest lead at 108-84 on Horford's jumper with 4:37 remaining.

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

Celtics' Smart looking for rich payday

Marcus Smart is on the verge of becoming a restricted free agent, which likely means he will continue to be a member of the Boston Celtics.

That would be just fine with the 24-year-old guard, who just completed his fourth season with the franchise.

He likes the city of Boston and he prefers to stay with the Celtics. He also is fond of coach Brad Stevens and president Danny Ainge.

"I'm here," Smart said. "They're already planning for me to be here. Those guys, I tip my hat to those guys. You don't see a lot of organizations that's as clear about their players as the way this organization does it.

"Danny and Brad (do) a good job of letting us be our own individuals and maxing that with the team and getting a good look."


Economics will likely be the deciding part as Smart said after Sunday's Game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers that he is worth in excess of $12 to 14 million a season.

Boston already has three players signed to megadeals in Al Horford, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward. Ainge will likely have to discuss the possibility of going over the luxury tax with club ownership for Smart to land a long-term commitment above the price he threw out.

"We know that in Boston, our ownership group has been fantastic," Ainge told reporters. "They've been willing to pay for teams that have a chance.

"The way that our team played this year, the hope that there is, that will make it easier for them to step forward and realize the potential of this team and be willing to pay the money that we need to be as good as we can."

Ainge, of course, is also highly aware there are limits to spending.

"There's certainly plateaus and ridiculous spending," Ainge said, "And there's responsible spending and that's what we're trying to do, is be responsible."

Smart has averaged 9.4 points and 3.9 assists in 261 games (83 starts) over four seasons. Shooting has been an issue as he has hit just 36.0 percent of his field-goal attempts with his high mark being 36.7.

But Smart is highly valuable as a defender and has recorded 386 career steals. He is a fan favorite for his tenacious approach and hard-charging style of play.

Smart averaged 9.8 points and shot just 33.6 percent from the field in this postseason, which ended one game shy of the NBA Finals with the 87-79 loss to the Cavaliers in the deciding game of the Eastern Conference finals.

He scored four points on 1-of-10 shooting in Game 7.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Celtics clamp down on Cavs, take 3-2 series edge

Jayson Tatum scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-83 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Jaylen Brown added 17 points, Al Horford had 15 points and 12 boards, and both Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart scored 13 for Boston. The Celtics have earned all three of their wins this series at home, where they are 10-0 in the playoffs.

LeBron James finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for Cleveland, though he committed six turnovers. Kevin Love had 14 points and seven boards for the Cavaliers, who had evened the series with a 111-102 win in Game 4 Monday.

James and Love were the only two Cleveland players to score in double figures.

Game 5 winners in best-of-seven playoff series that were tied 2-2 have won the series 83.1 percent of the time (167-34).

Game 6 is Friday night in Cleveland.

Boston is one win away from its first NBA Finals appearance since 2010, when it lost to the rival Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Cleveland has been in three consecutive Finals while James has gone to seven in a row between the Cavs and Miami Heat.

Down 76-60 entering the fourth quarter, Cleveland fell behind by 20 early in the period before pulling within 85-73 on James' layup with 4:43 to play. Boston's Terry Rozier hit a pull-up jumper 17 seconds later, and Horford's 3-pointer with 3:53 left put Boston ahead 90-73.

The Cavs waived the white flag when James checked out with 3:11 remaining.

Boston was up 53-42 at halftime.

Tensions flared early in the second quarter when Cleveland's Larry Nance Jr. shoved Morris under the basket. Nance took exception to Morris standing over him after falling while battling for a loose ball.

Technical fouls were assessed to Morris, Nance and Rozier, who shoved Nance in retaliation as the teams scuffled. Cleveland trailed 36-19 at the time but used a 12-3 run to pull within eight with 8:40 left until halftime.

The Celtics led 32-19 after one quarter.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Celtics ace Smart hits out at 'dirty' Smith

LOS ANGELES -- Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has accused Cleveland Cavaliers rival J.R. Smith of being a "dirty" player after the two almost came to blows in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Smart lunged at Smith after the Cavs player shoved an airborne Al Horford in the back as the Celtics took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series on Tuesday at the TD Garden.

Smith was later issued with a flagrant foul over the push, which sent Horford crashing to the floor. Smart meanwhile needed to be restrained after angrily confronting Smith over the incident.

Smart later told reporters he had felt moved to defend his team-mate Horford.


"You know, and I just looked at it, Al is a defenseless person. He's in the air. He can't control how his body goes, and he's not even looking, and you go and take two hands to the back, that's a dirty shot," Smart said following Boston's 107-94 win.

"You just can't allow that to keep happening. That's not the first time JR has done some dirty stuff, especially playing against us. He's known for it, especially playing against us. We know that.

"So you know, it's like a bully, you keep letting a bully keep picking on you, he's going to pick on you until you finally stand up, and that's what I tried to do."

"One of my guys was down, and I took offence to it," added Smart, who produced a superb defensive display to help contain LeBron James and the Cavaliers on Tuesday.

Smart, 24, said his refusal to back down was the result of his upbringing as the youngest of four brothers.

"That's me. That's how I was raised," Smart said. "I'm the youngest of four boys. My whole life I had to fight. I had to get down and do things in order to secure my spot in the household.

"So coming on to the court it's nothing different. We're the underdogs. We're coming in, Cleveland is picked to beat us.

"We've got to come and give energy, extraordinary energy all the time, and I just try to be that spark plug."

Game three in the series takes place in Cleveland on Saturday.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Celtics charge to 2-0 lead over Cavs

Jaylen Brown totaled 23 points and seven rebounds to help the Boston Celtics take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals with a 107-94 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.

Terry Rozier scored 18 points, Al Horford added 15 points and 10 boards, Marcus Morris had 12 points and both Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart contributed 11 for the Celtics, who were 108-83 winners Sunday in Game 1.

LeBron James recorded 42 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, marking his NBA-record 17th career playoff game with 30 points and 10 assists.

Kevin Love added 22 points and 15 rebounds, but Kyle Korver (11 points) was the only other Cleveland player to score in double figures.

James, who managed just 15 points in the Game 1 loss, has won five consecutive East playoff series after losing the series opener.

Boston, which improved to 9-0 at home this postseason, has never lost a best-of-seven playoff series when leading 2-0.

Game 3 is Saturday night in Cleveland.

Smart's 3-pointer with 4:34 left in the third quarter gave the Celtics a 72-71 lead after they had trailed by 11. It was their first lead since they were up 3-2 only 49 seconds in.

Boston was on top 84-77 entering the fourth quarter.

Greg Monroe's cutting layup with 11:14 remaining put Boston up by 11. Neither team scored again until James' reverse layup with 9:08 on the clock.

Tensions boiled over when Cleveland's JR Smith shoved Horford on a drive to the basket. Smart and Smith exchanged shoves and had to be separated, with each player being whistled for a technical foul.

Horford's jump shot with 2:54 remaining pushed the Celtics' advantage to 103-89. After a James' layup, Rozier tossed in a layup to make it a 14-point game. Cleveland waved the white flag and emptied its bench after that.

The Cavaliers led 55-48 at halftime.

James briefly exited with 3:48 remaining in the second quarter after being hit in the face by an inadvertent shoulder from Tatum under the basket, but he returned with 1:57 to play in the half. James was diagnosed with a strained neck.

James and Brown combined for 35 of the game's first 50 points as the Cavaliers jumped out to a 27-23 lead after one quarter.

Before the game, the Cavs landed this year's eighth overall pick as the NBA held its draft lottery. Cleveland acquired the selection, which originally belonged to the Brooklyn Nets, in the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston last offseason.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Celtics breeze past slumping Pistons

LOS ANGELES -- The Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics avenged a November loss to Detroit on Sunday, handing the slumping Pistons a sixth straight NBA defeat 91-81.

Al Horford scored 18 points, handed out six assists and pulled down nine rebounds for the Celtics.

Kyrie Irving, able to play without the protective mask he had worn since suffering a facial fracture on November 10, added 16 points and Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown chipped in 12 apiece for Boston, who were beaten on their home court by the Pistons on November 27.

Detroit scored a season-low in points and shot a season-worst 33.3 percent from the field, connecting on just 28 of their 84 attempts.

The Pistons' skid is their longest since they dropped 10 straight in February and March of 2015.

   
In addition to avenging last month's defeat, the Celtics bounced back from a disappointing loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday -- when Argentinian veteran Manu Ginobili drained a three-pointer with five-seconds to play to give the Spurs a 105-102 win.

But the Celtics didn't make it easy on themselves.

Up by 16 with less than nine minutes to play, Boston saw the Pistons score 12 straight points to close the gap.

Brown, Horford and rookie Jason Tatum scored on three of the Celtics' next four possessions, however, to rebuild Boston's lead.

Boston complete a back-to-back against the Bulls in Chicago on Monday.

Prior to the game, Celtics coach Brad Stevens addressed the possibility that Gordon Hayward, who suffered a grisly broken leg and dislocated left ankle in a season-opening loss at Cleveland, might return this season.

"We're not planning on him," Stevens said, adding that the team's goal is for Hayward to be "fully healthy" when he returns.

Even so, Stevens was heartened by Hayward's comments to the Boston Globe saying he hadn't given up on the idea of returning this season.

"It's definitely in the back of my mind," Hayward told the newspaper, although he added: "Coming back early and hurting something else is not part of that plan. So I'm making sure that if I come back, I'm 1,000 percent confident in myself and my leg."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Boston beats Indiana, but loses Smart to injury

The Boston Celtics beat Indiana but lost rookie Marcus Smart to what appeared to be a serious left ankle injury, 101-98.

Smart, the sixth pick in the 2014 NBA draft, was fouled in the fourth quarter and left the court on a stretcher, his left leg being held in the air by the team doctor.

Jared Sullinger had 17 points for the Celtics (2-3). Indiana fell to 1-5.

- - -

Magic 112, Timberwolves 103 (overtime)

Orlando Magic rookies Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton combined for 32 points, including 10 in overtime, to lead the Orlando Magic to a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Evan Fournier scored 20 points and Tobias Harris had 17 points and 16 rebounds to provide veteran leadership for the Magic (2-4), who won their second consecutive game.

Kevin Martin had 21 points for the Timberwolves (2-3).

- - -

Pistons 98, Bucks 95

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led a balanced attack with 19 points and the Detroit Pistons held off the Milwaukee Bucks.

Josh Smith finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists while making a layup to put Detroit up 97-93 with 15 seconds remaining.

Rookie forward Jabari Parker had a season-high 18 points for the Bucks (2-4).

- - -

Raptors 103, Wizards 84

Kyle Lowry had a triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Washington Wizards for their third straight win.

DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points and forward Terrence Ross added 18 for the Raptors, who have opened the season with a 5-1 record for the first time in team history.

Otto Porter scored 13 points to lead the Wizards (4-2). (Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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