Nets at Pelicans game preview: How to watch, TV channel, start time

Here’s the preview of Nets-Pelicans on Friday.

The Brooklyn Nets visit Smoothie King Center on Friday to take on the New Orleans Pelicans for the second and final matchup between the two teams this season. The Pelicans lead the regular-season series 1-0.

In the first game, a Pelicans 130-108 win on Oct. 19, Zion Williamson returned from missing about one year to score 25 points and grab nine rebounds. This game also represented Ben Simmons’ return to the court after missing last season for a variety of reasons. Kevin Durant scored 32 points, but the next highest-scoring Net was Patty Mills with 16 points off the bench.

Coming into this game, Brooklyn has won 12 of its last 13 games after losing to the Chicago Bulls 121-112 on Wednesday to end the streak. New Orleans has won six of its last 10 games. Both teams are within the top-5 of the NBA in average point differential.

Here’s when and where you should tune in to see the matchup:

How the Los Angeles Lakers’ Magic Johnson and Boston Celtics’ Larry Bird revitalized a struggling NBA

Most younger fans of the NBA do not recall the time when the league was perpetually in financial danger and struggling to carve out its own sports broadcasting niche, thanks to these two.

Most younger fans of the NBA do not recall the time when the league was perpetually in financial danger and struggling to carve out a sports broadcasting niche compared to football and baseball, which dominated the sports scene in the United States until the Association began to find a firmer footing in the mid-1980s.

It was the storied rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers re-emerging in the 80s that was the engine driving the stability of the league, specifically the star power of Larry Joe Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson for the Celtics and the Lakers, respectively.

The folks over at the Old Skool Basketball YouTube channel put together a clip discussing this revitalization at the hands of two longtime friends off of the court and rivals on the parquet, with Bird and Magic as the starting point of the league we love today.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear it in full!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston big man legend Robert Parish on how yoga helped save his NBA career

Improving his diet and flexibility through eating well and doing yoga — now a staple of athletes in the Association — the Centenary College alum added years to his time in the league.

With a Hall of Fame NBA career spanning more than two decades, iconic Boston Celtics big man Robert Parish extended the years of his legendary playing career through what were, at that time in the history of the league, quite unorthodox methods.

Improving his diet and flexibility through eating well and doing yoga — now a staple of athletes in the Association — the Centenary College alum added years to his time in the league, even winning a fourth title with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls after his time in Boston had come to an end in the early 1990s.

Speaking in an interview with the “Players Own Voice” podcast, Parish explained how it all started for him regarding said unorthodox methods.

Making sense of Payton Pritchard trade murmurs from the Boston Celtics’ perspective

Should the Celtics keep an ear open for potential deals that make sense? Is Pritchard too important for Boston to consider trading? Or should they do the man a solid and get him somewhere he is more needed?

The Boston Celtics have a recent history of squandering the talent they drafted by not having the playing time to develop those players.

However, it is very clear Payton Pritchard can turn on the offense in an instant, providing microwave scoring and depth on a team with title aspirations.

So, what should fans make of the recent rumbles regarding other teams sniffing around the West Linn native? Should the Celtics keep an ear open for potential deals that make sense? Is the former Oregon standout too important for Boston to consider trading? Or should they do the man a solid and get him somewhere he is needed more?

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Vitamin Cs” podcast got into those issues and had thoughts about how the Celtics should proceed with Pritchard.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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When will the Boston Celtics remove Joe Mazzulla’s interim tag?

Given all that he has on his plate, that the Celtics are among the best teams in the NBA even with some stumbles is all the more impressive.

It is hard enough to be the head coach of an NBA team without the distraction of an interim tag attached to your name in every article about how you are doing your job.

Add the fact the head coach, even if in title only, is still technically part of the organization and that a return to his post — however improbable — is theoretically possible.

That scenario is what Boston Celtics interim head coach Joe Mazzulla is dealing with.

That the Celtics are among the best teams in the NBA, given all he has on his plate, is even more impressive. That begs the question of when or if the Celtics’ front office will remove the interim tag from Mazzulla.

There are of course details of import to consider before taking such an action, and all of them were discussed on a recent episode of the CLNS Media “Celtics Beat” podcast.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what host Adam Kaufman had to say in conversation with guest Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Takeaways: Lauri Markkanen cooks Rockets, Jalen Green drops 30 in loss to Utah

Jalen Green had his first 30-point game in nearly a month, but the #Rockets still lost for an 11th time in 12 games thanks to a career-high 49 points from Utah’s Lauri Markkanen.

Lauri Markkanen continued his torrid 2022-23 season with a game- and career-high 49 points, leading the Utah Jazz to a 131-114 win (box score) on Thursday night at Houston’s Toyota Center.

The 7-foot Finnish forward shot 15-of-27 from the field (55.6%), 6-of-15 from 3-point range (40%) and 13-of-13 on free throws.

The Rockets (10-29), who remain in last place in the Western Conference, have lost six straight games and 11 of 12 overall. The Jazz (20-21) snapped a five-game losing streak.

Jalen Green led Houston in defeat with 30 points and 4 assists, making 10-of-11 from the free-throw line (90.9%). It was Green’s first 30-point game since a Dec. 11 victory versus Milwaukee.

Alperen Sengun added 20 points (50% FG) and 14 rebounds, while Kevin Porter Jr. had 23 points and 6 assists. Jae’Sean Tate returned from a multi-month absence due to a right ankle injury and scored 11 points in 19 reserve minutes, making 5-of-8 shots (62.5%) overall.

Scroll on for highlights, analysis and postgame interview reaction. Houston concludes its two-game homestand on Sunday versus Minnesota. The tip from Toyota Center is 6 p.m. Central.

Celtics at Mavs: Boston blows out Mavs 124-95 behind Jayson Tatum triple-double

Let’s take a look at some of the best plays captured in images from the Celtics’ 39th game of their 2022-23 campaign.

The Boston Celtics ended up embarrassing themselves with a historically bad performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night but showed up to play the Dallas Mavericks on the road Thursday evening, earning a 124-95 win as a result.

The Celtics did everything right they did not their game prior, looking much more like the title contender they have been most of this season as they held MVP candidate Luka Doncic to 23 points and 9 rebounds. Jayston Tatum logged the second triple-double of his career (29 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists), and had plenty of help from Jaylen Brown (19 points, 7 boards), Marcus Smart (15 points, 5 rebounds), Malcolm Brogdon (15 points) and Grant Williams (12 points), with the latter two coming off of the bench.

With the win, the Celtics maintain their hold on the East’s top spot as they improve to 27-12 and a 1.5 game lead on the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets.

Let’s take a look at some of the best plays captured in images from the Celtics’ 39th game of their 2022-23 campaign.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

With Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown each coming in fourth in fan voting, will the Boston Celtics field an All-Star starter?

This Thursday afternoon, the league released the results from the first round of 2023 NBA All-Star Game fan voting returns.

On Thursday afternoon, the league released the first results of 2023 NBA All-Star Game fan voting returns. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are among the top vote-getters in the first wave of returns, so it seems likely the Celtics will have at least that many All-Stars this season.

But the fan votes make up of only 50% of the total vote pool for All-Star starter selections. The media and players each contribute a quarter of the overall vote.

In the first wave of fan voting results that were released, Tatum and Brown are fourth in frontcourt and backcourt voting, respectively.

With this in mind, how many Celtics are likely to be starters in the 2023 All-Star Game?

On the most recent episode of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast, the hosts and guest Michael Mulford of Bulls Wire and SI’s Dallas Basketball got into the early expectations for All-Star voting and their projected starters, as well as a look ahead to games against the Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear their views on potential Boston 2023 All-Star starters and what lies ahead this week for the Celtics.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Marcus Smart fined $35K by NBA for ‘inappropriate language’ post-ejection in OKC Thunder drubbing

The Celtics veteran’s temper not only got him booted from the game, but hit in the wallet later on.

The NBA reports it fined veteran Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart $35,000 for “directing inappropriate language toward a game official” per messaging from Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars via the league’s official communications account on Twitter.

Per NBA communications, the “incident, for which Smart was assessed a second technical foul and ejected, occurred with 2:46 remaining in the third quarter of the Celtics’ 150-117 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 3 at Paycom Center.” The Flower Mound native had been T’d up previously. After vigorously protesting a potential shooting foul, he earned a trip to the locker room.

Smart needed to be restrained by interim head coach Joe Mazzulla and teammate Sam Hauser upon hsi ejection, clearly launching some inaudible protests in the direction of the official with gusto.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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The Vikings will be facing 1 of 4 teams in the Wild Card round

The Vikings can play one of four opponents on Wild Card weekend

The Minnesota Vikings are heading to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. They went 1-1 that year with a loss at San Francisco, something that could end up happening again this season.

As it stands heading into week 18, the Vikings will be either the two or three seed. They have four potential opponents in the Wild Card round and they all require a different set of outcomes.

Here is how the Vikings could end up playing each of their four potential opponents.