Tag: 2023 nba playoffs first round

No restrictions for Jaylen Brown in practice after re-injuring hand in Game 1 vs. Atlanta

In Game 1, Brown, leading the team in scoring, managed to open the cut up during the game, even having to leave the court to get it taken care of at one point.

Fans of the Boston Celtics who have been eyeing the injury report for Game 2 of the Celtics’ first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks for signs that star Boston forward Jaylen Brown might need to sit out a game or two after reinjuring his hand in Game 1 of the East first round can breathe a sigh of relief.

CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning reports that the Georgia native went through the team’s last practice without any restrictions. Brown had injured his hand on a broken vase ahead of the ball club’s penultimate contest of the season, missing the team’s last two regular season games as five stitches on his shooting hand healed.

In Game 1, Brown, leading the team in scoring, managed to open the cut up during the game, even having to leave the court to get it taken care of at one point.

Postgame, the Cal alum downplayed the severity of the reinjury, and it seems his assessment was spot on given it looks like Brown will be back on the court without issue Tuesday evening.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics: How to watch, broadcast, lineups (Game 2)

The Celtics will look to take a 2-0 series lead against the Hawks as the series shifts to Atlanta for two games after Tuesday, while their opponent will hope to build off of the spark they saw in the second half of Game 1.

The Boston Celtics get another crack at the Atlanta Hawks in their home arena of TD Garden on Tuesday night in Game 2 of their 2023 Eastern Conference Playoffs series. The Celtics will look to take a 2-0 series lead against the Hawks as the series shifts to Atlanta for two games after Tuesday, while their opponent will hope to build off of the spark they saw in the second half of Game 1.

If you happen to be looking for a way to watch the on-court action live on cable television or a local or national online streaming service, keep reading while we get you up to speed on everything else you need to know about the game.

Let’s begin with the players who are among those listed to be available to play.

Atlanta’s Trae Young points to defense as key for Hawks in future first round tilts with Celtics

The plan is solid. The execution to date, less so.

Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks think they have the formula to beat the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs.

The problem is executing their plan, however, as we saw in the Celtics’ 112-99 win over the Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference series on Saturday night.

“You’ve got to try to force them to take tough 2s,” said Young to reporters postgame via Heavy’s Adam Taylor.

“Not over helping too much, because that’s when they get wide-open 3s and good looks at the 3-point line,” added the Hawks floor general “But we’ve got to do a better job collectively at staying in front of our man and not let them get layups.”

“If we let them all get into the lane for layups, then we’ve got to help, and that’s how they get open 3s,” suggested Young.

“So, we’ve got to figure out how to just stay in front of our man and then not let them get easy looks,” he finished.

An admirable plan, but one Atlanta has had considerable issues making happen on the court — not that we are complaining.

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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Jaylen Brown gets game-high 29 points, 12 rebounds vs. Atlanta Hawks in Game 1

The Celtics forward was the best player on the floor most fo the night despite reinjuring his hand.

In the Boston Celtics’ 112-99 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series on Saturday night, star Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was the best player on the floor for either team despite playing through the stitches on his hand splitting open midgame.

The Georgia native put up an impressive 29 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in 37 minutes of game time. Brown shot an efficient 12-of-23 from the floor, 2-of-6 from beyond the arc and 3-of-3 from the line. The hand bothered the former Cal player to the tune of six turnovers, but even with three personal fouls called on him in the first half (and no more after), it was an impressive postseason performance.

To see the highlights, take a look at the clip embedded below courtesy of fan videographer Tomasz Kordylewski.

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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Hawks’ Dejounte Murray believes Atlanta’s second half vs. Boston Celtics a model to build on

‘I think you turn you turn a negative into a positive, and the positive is how we finished that game,’ said Murray.

The Atlanta Hawks made it look like their first-round series against the Boston Celtics in the 2023 NBA playoffs would be a short one in the first half of Game 1. The Celtics built a lead as large as 32 points in the storied franchise’s 112-99 home victory on Saturday night.

In the second half, the Hawks nearly made a game of things by walking the lead down to 12 points. Not quite striking distance, but something Atlanta guard Dejounte Murray believed his team could build that.

“Obviously, that’s a talented team,” apprised Murray of the Celtics via Heavy’s Adam Taylor.

“They shot the ball well; that’s what they do. They shoot the ball really well,” he added.

“Tonight, we didn’t shoot the ball the way we want to, but at the end of the day, I think you turn you turn a negative into a positive, and the positive is how we finished that game competing from the third and fourth quarter.”

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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Celtics offer steep praise for Al Horford following Game 1 victory

Jaylen Brown and Derrick White lauded the “big emotional plays” Al Horford provides the Boston Celtics after a Game 1 victory.

Boston Celtics big man Al Horford has long been an anchor for his team, so its no surprise he was a big part of the club’s Game 1 victory to open the 2023 postseason. Horford finished with 6 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists to go with a steal and 2 blocks, but per usual, his impact on the game went far beyond box score stats.

Now in his sixteenth year as a pro, Horford has established himself as one of the NBA’s top veteran talents. Not only has he done a nice job keeping Father Time time at bay, but the former Florida Gator is now a critical leader in the Celtics locker room.

After Saturday’s game, his teammates were quick to praise Horford’s emotional leadership and reliability.

‘He was great for us on both ends,’ says Derrick White of Robert Williams III vs. the Hawks

‘Whether it’s above the rim, bounce passes wherever we might be, he was great for us,’ said Derrick White after the win.

After a bit of a moribund start for the former Texas A&M standout, as the 2022-23 regular season wore on, Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III increasingly began to look like the player that anchored the Celtics’ fearsome defense the season prior.

Boston’s Game 1 win over the Atlanta Hawks had moments when it appeared Timelord was truly back to his old self.

“He was great for us on both ends,” said teammate Derrick White to the press postgame. “Just active, flying around. When you drive, or you have people coming over, he’s always just an outlet for us.”

“Whether it’s above the rim, bounce passes wherever we might be, he was great for us. He had a huge game, it was nice to have him out there with us.”

Williams had a perfect game from the floor, scoring 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting, pulling down 8 boards, and blocking 1 glorious shot that Timelord converted into a rebound in one fluid motion in the first half.

Boston next plays Atlanta on Tuesday, April 18, at 7 p.m. ET to try to take a 2-0 series lead at home.

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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Jaylen Brown on playing with lacerated hand: ‘It split open during the game, but it’s fine now.’

The stitches on Jaylen Brown’s lacerated hand may have split open during Game 1 on Saturday, but the All-Star forward isn’t worried.

Jaylen Brown scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Boston Celtics in the team’s emphatic Game 1 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Brown led all scorers despite playing through a few complications related to his lacerated shooting hand

Brown suffered a cut on his right finger while watering his plants a few weeks ago just prior to the start of the postseason. He received several stitches and played Saturday’s game with a bandage. At one point, Brown left the action, but soon returned to the court in dominant fashion. After the game, he gave an update on the hand.

“It’s fine,” Brown said. “It split open during the game, but it’s fine now.”

Brown told reporters he believed the hand would be okay, and that it would be evaluated the next day. The wrap he wore to the postgame press conference was more elaborate than the smaller bandage he wore during the game.

‘It starts with him,’ says Joe Mazzulla of Marcus Smart’s defensive masterpiece vs. Atlanta

“He was physical,” said Mazzulla postgame. “His pickup points were great.”

If you only looked at the box score for the Boston Celtics’ 112-99 Game 1 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, you might think veteran point guard Marcus Smart had a middling game at best. He had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

But the Flower Mound native put together one of his best defensive performances of the season to help propel the Celtics to the victory over Atlanta, and head coach Joe Mazzulla took note.

“He was physical,” said Mazzulla postgame. “His pickup points were great. He has a presence to be the quarterback on the defensive end where it puts us — where we’re able to change coverages, change matchups.”

“When he’s doing that, our defense is special, and it starts with him,” he added. “Because I thought he brought it both physically and mentally on the defensive end. I thought that was key for us.”

The Celtics took a 1-0 series lead and will face the Hawks again at TD Garden on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 7 p.m. ET.

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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Celtics open ’23 postseason with emphatic 112-99 win over Hawks

Boston’s defense dismantled Atlanta as the Celtics beat the Hawks 112-99 in Game 1.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks 112-99 Saturday afternoon, grabbing a big Game 1 victory to open the first round of the playoffs. From start to finish, the Celtics were decidedly the better team, with a positively dominant showing on both sides of the ball.

Jaylen Brown led the way with 29 points and 12 rebounds, but in reality the entire team in green was dialed in. Boston took a 74-44 lead at halftime, a metric of how particularly lopsided this game really was. This marks head coach Joe Mazzulla’s first postseason win as a head coach in the NBA.

Saturday was One Boston Day, a chance to honor the tenth anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing. The Celtics wore blue and yellow warmups to commemorate the day, making a nice playoff victory a little more special. Here’s what you may have missed from Game 1.