Category: recap/preview

Preview: Celtics take on visiting rival Lakers on MLK Day

The Boston Celtics host longtime rival Los Angeles Lakers at TD Garden on Martin Luther King Day as they seek to regain some of the lost spring in their step missing since dropping a string of games.

The 27-14 Boston Celtics face their longtime rival 34-8 Los Angeles Lakers at TD Garden today on Martin Luther King Day at 7:30pm ET.

Boston has stumbled of late, losing its last three games and winning just four of their last ten. Los Angeles, in contrast, has only lost one game over a similar stretch, possessing the second-best record in the NBA for their efforts.

It will be the first meeting of the two teams this season, and former Celtic Avery Bradley’s first return to TD Garden as a member of Boston’s nemesis.

The Celtics will play without center Robert Williams III, out recuperating from a left hip bone edema until at least the All-Star break, and could be without starters Jaylen Brown (thumb) and Kemba Walker (knee), both of whom have missed recent games due to the wear-and-tear of the season.

The Lakers are also a little banged up, with DeMarcus Cousins continuing to be out while recuperating from a torn ACL, and former Celtic Rajon Rondo (finger) questionable as well.

Rookie Carsen Edwards was recalled from the Maine Red Claws, and will be with the team as well.

There was doubt about whether center Anthony Davis would play after spending time out to recover from a bruised posterior, but team reporter Mike Trudell reports he will play against Boston.

The Celtics will have their work cut out for them even if they are only down Williams for the contest, which is seen in online sportsbook average spreads of +1.5.

It seems oddsmakers anticipate a fight, and the two franchises always bring out their best when they meet, so it should be an entertaining contest no matter how it breaks.

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Celtics lose to Suns 123-119 despite career night from Smart

The Boston Celtics lost another winnable game at home due to injury and a slow start despite a career night from veteran guard Marcus Smart.

Aron Baynes made his first return to Boston to play the Celtics with the Phoenix Suns and came away with a win.

His former team started slow yet again in the absence of starters Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown, who sat with knee soreness and a thumb sprain respectively.

In the absence of their scoring prowess, Boston reverted to their worst selves once again — to predictable result.

Falling behind early in the first, the team never quite got back in the hunt even they they got close several times and nearly managed to come back in a furious late push.

But, poor shooting from forward Gordon Hayward (8-of-20 overall and 1-of-3 from deep) would doom the Celtics to another loss despite a career-high 37 points and franchise-record 11 3-pointers from teammate Marcus Smart.

The Texan couldn’t push Boston over the edge even with Hayward’s 22 points, 7 rebounds and as many assists and swingman Jayson Tatum’s 26 points and 10 boards, and for the second night and third game in a row, the team finds itself on the losing side of the box score.

The Suns were led by 39 points, 10 boards and 9 assists from guard Devin Booker, 26 points and 15 rebounds from center Deandre Ayton, and 26 more from guard Mikal Bridges.

Baynes had himself a bit of a stinker as well in his return, putting up just 3 points, 2 boards and an assist in 12 minutes of playing time.

The Celtics now turn to their Monday showdown with longtime rival Los Angeles Lakers, who they will face at TD Garden on Monday, January 20th at 7:30pm.

With some luck, both Brown and Walker will be available, and the way this team has played lately they’ll need both to have any chance of winning at all.

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Preview: Celtics host Suns in Aron Baynes’ return to TD Garden

The Boston Celtics host the Phoenix Suns ahead of center Aron Baynes’ first return to TD Garden since being dealt to his new team in the offseason.

The 27-13 Boston Celtics take on the 17-24 Phoenix Suns at TD Garden Saturday, January 18th at 7pm ET.

The 12th-place Suns are trending up in the West, having won their last game and six of their last 10, while Boston is on a two-game losing streak and have won just five of their last 10 games.

Phoenix will be without center Frank Kaminsky, sidelined with a stress fracture in his left knee and forward Kelly Oubre, who has a concussion.

Rookie forward Cam Johnson is also questionable with a right quad bruise.

Boston will be without big man Robert Williams III, who will sit at least until All-Star Weekend with a left hip bone edema, and wing Jaylen Brown, who will sit to rest a sprained thumb.

The Celtics could also be without guard Kemba Walker (knee), reserve guard Marcus Smart (ankle) and center Daniel Theis (knee), but the latter pair are more likely than not to make a go of it.

It will be former Celtics center Aron Baynes first return to the Garden since being dealt to Phoenix over the summer, but it’ll take a major effort from his club to steal a road win, with most online sportsbooks granting Boston a -6.5 spread.

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Celtics take one on the chin vs. Bucks, lose 128-123

The Boston Celtics took a hard hit from the Milwaukee Bucks early and nearly fought their way back into the game late, but ultimately couldn’t recover.

The Boston Celtics came out against the Milwaukee Bucks much as they have the last few games — listless and unengaged.

So the Bucks squared up, and planted a big, fat knuckle sandwich in their collective mouth.

It looked bad — real bad. So bad Boston was on pace to let a team shoot 60 % or better against them for the second consecutive night. So bad, the team chalked up its biggest deficit of the season at 27 points by the six-minute mark of the season.

League-leading Milwaukee went into halftime with a 76-58 lead, Boston’s defense in disarray and offense consisting of chucking up 3-pointers seconds into a possession.

Then, in the third, the Celtics began to show signs of life.

Little by little, they began to pass the ball on one end and communicate on defense on the other, and good things started to happen.

By the five-minute mark of the penultimate frame, Boston cut the game to six, and it looked like they might make a game of it. Milwaukee would have none of it though, fighting off the Celtics each time they threatened to cut the game to a single possession.

Ultimately, the team that came out and played hard from the opening tip won the day, but the Celtics could have stolen this one if they’d simply done the same.

They were led by an outstanding offensive night by point guard Kemba Walker, who dropped 40 points and 11 rebounds on the Bucks in the losing effort.

Swingman Jayson Tatum chipped in 17 points and 7 boards while fellow Jay Teamer Jaylen Brown sat with a (hopefully) sprained thumb, while Marcus Smart added 24 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo put up yet another absurd-yet-normal stat line with 32 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks, with forward Khris Middleton adding 23 points and 7 rebounds.

Reserve guard Donte DiVincenzo had 19 points off the bench for Milwaukee.

The Boston Celtics next play the Phoenix Suns at TD Garden on Saturday, at 7pm ET.

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Preview: Boston tries to right ship at NBA-best Bucks

The Boston Celtics have been stumbling against lesser opponents in recent weeks — will they rise to the challenge when facing the NBA’s best Thursday night?

The league-leading Milwaukee Bucks host an up-and-down Boston Celtics trying to keep their season going strong.

After a spate of uninspired play in a busy January schedule brought the high-flying Massachusetts franchise down to earth in recent weeks, Boston hopes the anticipated showdown for two of the East’s top teams inspires the player show up and play hard from tip to buzzer.

At 27-12 and trailing the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference’s third slot by a half game, the Celtics have won but half of their last 10 games. Meanwhile, Milwaukee has only dropped a single contest over the same number of games with an NBA-best 36-6 record.

Boston won the two team’s first clash, a 116-105 win at home on Oct. 30, though the Celtics have lost as many games in December alone as Milwaukee has since.

With star Giannis Antetokounmpo a leading MVP candidate by most accounts, Boston will have its hands full even if shooting guards Donte DiVincenzo (finger) and Wesley Matthews (finger) and point guard Frank Mason III (oblique) all sit, the trio currently questionable for the contest.

Boston might not have All-Star hopeful Jaylen Brown available with a finger sprain of his own sustained late in Wednesday night’s loss to the Detroit Pistons, but it will have swingman Jayson Tatum back, who sat vs. Detroit with right knee soreness.

Second-year center Robert Williams III continues to recuperate from a left hip bone edema, and will not be suiting up as well as a result.

Boston has gotten into a bad habit of dropping games to teams it has been favored against, so perhaps being designated +8.5 spread underdogs by most online sportsbooks will be the whiteboard motivation the team needs to steal a much-needed win.

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Celtics run out of gas vs. Pistons, lose 116-103

The Boston Celtics drop a game to a hungrier Detroit Pistons outfit after a poor-shooting night by Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart.

The Detroit Pistons came out to play on a night the Boston Celtics were content to mail it in, and the Motor City franchise secured itself an unlikely win as a result.

A breakout performance by Pistons rookie Sekou Doumbouya coupled with poor shooting from both Kemba Walker (2-of-11 from deep and 7-of-19 overall) and Marcus Smart (1-of-9 overall and 1-of-4 from three) was simply too much for a lethargic Celtics squad.

Boston allowed the Pistons to shoot 60.3 % from the floor, which, when combined with the poor shooting night from the starting backcourt, kept the contest close until late in the third quarter.

Detroit began the final frame with a 17-5 run that effectively put the game out of reach, and Smart would get himself ejected in the quarter’s final moments contesting a call after getting tangled up with Pistons point guard Derrick Rose.

The Pistons were led by Doumbouya with 24 points, with Rose adding 22 more plus 6 assists.

Andre Drummond logged 13 points and as many boards, while Markieff Morris and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk chipped in 23 and 21 off the bench respectively.

The Celtics saw Gordon Hayward lead the team with 25 points and 7 boards on 11-of-15 shooting, and Jaylen Brown seems to have left behind his own slump after logging 24 points and 12 rebounds on 10-of-16 shooting, but their efficiency wasn’t enough to offset their teammate’s inaccuracy vs. Detroit.

The Boston Celtics next take on the Milwaukee Bucks on the road Thursday, Jan. 16 at 8pm ET.

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Preview: Boston Celtics host Detroit Pistons, try for 3rd win in a row

The Detroit Pistons visit TD Garden Wednesday evening as the Boston Celtics look to take care of business at home ahead of a meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks Jan. 16.

The 27-11 Boston Celtics aim for another three-game winning streak against the 14-27 Detroit Pistons, on a three-game losing streak of their own this Wednesday at TD Garden at 7pm ET.

Despite being in a four-way tie with the Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards for ninth place in the East, rumbles that the franchise is pivoting to a rebuild are reflected in the team’s recent record, having won just three of their last 10 contests.

Second-place Boston, on the other hand, seems to be emerging out of a funk which took hold of the team around the start of the new year, the Celtics having won six of their last 10 games.

The Celtics will be playing without center Robert Williams III (hip) as he continues to recuperate, and he may be joined by big man Daniel Theis, who is listed as ‘questionable’ due to right knee soreness.

There is a chance forward Jayson Tatum sits as well, listed as ‘probable’ with the same issue the German center has been dealing with.

With the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks playing Boston the following evening, it wouldn’t be out of the question to give the Duke product a night to rest.

Tatum is currently the only Celtic who has not missed a game this season.

Detroit is without All-NBA forward Blake Griffin due to knee issues driving the pivot to a rebuild, and shooting guard Luke Kennard (knee) will also sit.

Center Christian Wood (right knee soreness), shooting guard Khyri Thomas (foot) and point guard Reggie Jackson (back) may also miss the tilt.

Boston has both a talent and health advantage in this contest, which is reflected by average online sportsbook spreads of -10.5 for the Celtics.

Detroit’s likeliest path to a win would simply be a return to the malaise haunting the Celtics slow starts earlier in the month, with Boston’s mind being on the looming showdown with the Bucks.

As long as the Celtics can stay focused on this game, a win should be forthcoming.

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Celtics pen up pesky Bulls, win 113-101

After a bit of a slow start, the Celtics found their footing against the Bulls and took care of business in Chicago, coming away with a 113-101 win.

The Boston Celtics flirted with a return to their slow starts against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center Monday night.

The Massachusetts franchise came out without much of a sense of urgency on either side of the ball, and the Bulls kept pace with Boston until nearly the midpoint of the first frame.

Starting point guard Kemba Walker got cooking with a few quick layups and a trey to put the Celtics up 18-9 with just under five minutes left in the quarter.

Rookie forward Grant Williams hurt his shoulder trying to guard Chicago guard Tomas Satoransky, wincing in pain for some moments before heading back to the locker room, where he was diagnosed with shoulder soreness per the Athletics’ Jared Weiss.

Williams would return in the second half, Boston carrying a 55-37 lead into the break.

The Bulls cut the lead to six late in the third quarter on a Zach LaVine 3-pointer as the Celtics took their foot off the gas a bit, but Boston snapped out of their malaise as Williams hit a three of his own.

Chicago never really threatened again, and the Celtics came away with a healthy 113-101 win.

Boston was led by a balanced attack, with swingman Jayson Tatum scoring 21 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, while wing Jaylen Brown added 19, and floor general Kemba Walker added 14 points and 2 blocks.

Center Enes Kanter had 15 points and 9 boards in his first start since the end of November, and reserve guard Marcus Smart had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists off the bench.

Guard Zach LaVine led Chicago with 30 points and 5 rebounds on 9-of-18 shooting, and Satoransky chipped in 12 points and 7 assists. Veteran forward Thad Young added 17 points off the bench for the Bulls.

The Boston Celtics next play the Detroit Pistons at 7pm ET on Jan. 15 at TD Garden.

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Preview: Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls

The 26-11 Boston Celtics attempt to keep the wins coming as they take on the 14-26 Chicago Bulls on the road.

The 26-11 Boston Celtics look to continue their winning ways Monday, Jan. 13 as they travel to face the 14-26 Chicago Bulls at United Center at 7:30 pm ET.

Boston, who fell to third in the East despite a 140-05 win over the New Orleans Pelicans Jan. 11, returned to the win column Saturday evening after a three-game skid, the team winning six of its last ten games.

The tenth-place Bulls won their last game, but lost seven of their last ten — including one to the Celtics on Jan. 4.

Chicago forward Otto Porter (foot) and center Wendell Carter (ankle) will be out against Boston, with Carter out at least another month, and Porter looking to return close to the All-Star game.

Lauri Markkanen (ankle), Ryan Arcidiacono (elbow) and Chandler Hutchison (shoulder) are all questionable for Monday’s contest, though Markkanen has played every game since turning his ankle in the two team’s last meeting.

Boston big man Vincent Poirier has a chance to return from a broken hand sustained in December after being upgraded to questionable Sunday. Conversely, center Daniel Theis may end up sitting due to soreness in his right knee.

Rookie wing Romeo Langford will be available after missing several games due to illness, while center Robert Williams III (hip) will be out for at least a few more weeks, according to the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.

The Celtics should win this contest handily, but shouldn’t expect the Bulls to roll over, even with so many players potentially sitting. Possessing one of the better defenses in the league, Chicago is a tougher team than many might assume based solely on their record.

Despite the Bulls’ defensive competence, online sportsbooks favor Boston considerably, extending an average spread of -9.5.

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