Tag: boston celtics schedule

The Knicks outlast the Celtics 138-134 in a 2OT opening-night thriller

The Celtics mount a furious comeback, but fall short in New York on opening night

While the Madison Square Garden environment felt more like a May matchup than an October meeting, both the Celtics (0-1) and Knicks (1-0) showed their early-season legs late in a frantic double-OT finish. Ultimately, Julius Randle and Evan Fournier outlasted the Celtics in a 138-134 thriller after Boston mounted a furious comeback to force overtime.

Following a Fournier three with 58 seconds left, the Celtics trailed 112-106 in a game that felt over following a Knicks third-quarter surge. After a Grant Williams layup cut the lead to four, the Celtics came up with a steal and Robert Williams III converted on a pair of free throws.

Jaylen Brown had three of his game-high 46 points from the parking lot to put the pressure on New York late.

A wild sequence and inexplicably poor defense from the Knicks gave Marcus Smart a wide open three-point look at the buzzer which he drained to force overtime.

The overtime session began with both teams connecting on their first four shots from the field. Brown scored four of the first five Celtics points to begin the extra period, while Fournier poured in three straight threes for the Knicks. After trading blows, it was Jayson Tatum with the final look. The Celtics star could not connect on a difficult 15-footer as Boston headed to a second overtime on opening night.

Tatum struggled with his shot all night long, finishing 7-30 from the field and just 2-15 from three-point range. He would end the night with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

The second overtime saw Fournier with yet another answer for New York, as his sixth three gave the Knicks a 136-134 lead with under a minute remaining. The Frenchman finished with 32 points in his Knick debut.

Before there was double-overtime craziness at Madison Square Garden, the Celtics built a six-point first-quarter lead behind hot shooting early. Late in the third-quarter, a scoring flurry from RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin turned a seven-point Celtics lead into a four-point Knicks lead by the end of the period.

In the end, both teams were playing on tired legs in the overtime sessions as the Knicks were able to knock down a few more late jumpers.

It was an incredible Boston comeback to force the overtime session, but the Knicks showed the resilience that defined them a year ago in the opening win.

The Celtics will have to fight

WATCH: What will be the Celtics playing style this season?

With leadership changes, what will Boston’s playing style look like this season?

The Celtics’ summer, as it feels like it does for nearly all teams in the modern era of NBA basketball, featured significant turnover.

While Boston brought in new faces on the court, the biggest news of the summer came in the front office. With president of basketball operations Danny Ainge retiring in early June and Brad Stevens taking his place, Ime Udoka became the new head coach.

With Udoka, there will likely be slight tweaks but no systemic overhaul. While losing Kemba Walker to the Knicks, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will once again be the offensive core.

As the Celtics adjust to a new coach and the additions of guard Dennis Schroeder, wing Josh Richardson and familiar face Al Horford, among others, what will Boston’s identity look like? Celtics All Access on CLNS talked through a renewed emphasis on pace, their defensive identity and the evolution of Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum:

Romeo Langford’s heroics lift Celtics over Magic in preseason opener

The Celtics open preseason with a dramatic win at TD Garden

It may have been only a preseason game at TD Garden, but it was not a preseason crowd. Celtics fans were in midseason form during the 98-97 win, as Boston ventured back from down 11 in the fourth quarter to steal their preseason opener from Orlando in front of the raucous garden fans.

The Celtics started many of the usual suspects, with Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Jayson Tatum all getting the nod. Despite starting, all three played around 25 minutes on the night. Brown opened the night with early 8-0 run of his own making to give Boston a 21-20 advantage after the opening quarter. He would lead the Celtics with 25 points on the night despite not closing out the game.

The second quarter belonged to Magic center Mo Bamba, who responded with the first nine Orlando points of the period. The 2018 lottery pick got it done in a variety of ways, knocking down threes, finishing lobs, and turning offensive rebounds into points. Bamba finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds on 6-10 from the field. The two teams traded leads as the Magic took a 52-50 advantage into the half.

Throughout the third quarter and into the first half of the fourth, Orlando built their lead behind hot shooting from distance. A Bamba dunk gave the Magic a 97-86 advantage with 6:23 in the contest. From there, it was the Celtics youngsters who brought Boston back behind an incredible TD Garden crowd.

Aaron Nesmith connected on his only two threes of the ballgame, Payton Pritchard drilled a pair of 28-footers, and all of a sudden the Celtics were down only a pair with 36 seconds left. Following a Pritchard miss and an Orlando rebound, Langford came up with a key steal and save. From there, it was no hesitation as Pritchard found him for the game-winning three.

That’s not a normal preseason crowd reaction:

The Celtics take on Toronto on Saturday in their second preseason game of the season.

 

A look at which second-round picks the Celtics are dealing to the Thunder

A look at the details surrounding the picks that each team receives

A wild start to the offseason continued in Boston when the Celtics dealt Kemba Walker, the No. 16 overall pick, and a 2025 second-round pick to Oklahoma City in exchange for Al Horford, Moses Brown, and a 2023 second-round pick.

With the Celtics controlling multiple 2025 second-round picks and OKC having a boatload of picks in seemingly every draft for the next decade, the picks each team receives could vary based on which team they originally belonged to. The Thunder cleared up which picks each team were receiving in a press release on Friday morning.

OKC will receive the better 2025 second-round pick between Boston and Memphis, while Boston will get the lowest of the three 2023 second-round pick that the Thunder have.

 

Jayson Tatum lost out on millions because of strange NBA voting rules

The Celtics star was the victim of strange NBA voting rules

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum not only missed out on an All-NBA team, but also missed out on a more than $25 million dollar payday along with it. The reasons went beyond just how voters viewed his play this season.

Tatum plays without a true position for the Celtics, and therefore was listed as a guard and a forward on the voting ballots. The former Duke star lost out to a fellow Blue Devil as Kyrie Irving inched out a third-team appearance. The catch was that Tatum actually had more votes than Irving, but was classified as a forward because that’s where he received the most votes.

For something so crucial to his bank account, Tatum was a victim of strange NBA rules.

Celtics at Nets: Live stream, lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Game 5

Everything you need to know to watch/stream Game 5

After the Brooklyn Nets’ big three took over in a 141-126 Game 4 win in Boston’s TD Garden, the Celtics head back to Barclays Center down 3-1 with their season on the brink. The Nets will look to close the series out on Tuesday, while Boston hopes to get Kemba Walker and Robert Williams III back for a must-win Game 5 on the road.

If you are looking for a way to watch the action live on television or a streaming service, keep reading while we get you up to speed. Let’s dive into what you need to know about Tuesday’s action.

This is who you should expect to see in the respective starting lineups for the two Eastern Conference foes:

Probable Starting Lineups

Boston Celtics

  • Jayson Tatum – forward
  • Evan Fournier – forward
  • Tristan Thompson – center
  • Marcus Smart – guard
  • Kemba Walker – guard

Brooklyn Nets

  • Kevin Durant – forward
  • Blake Griffin – forward
  • DeAndre Jordan – center
  • James Harden – guard
  • Kyrie Irving – guard

How to watch or stream

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: 6/1/2021
  • Time: 7:30 PM ET
  • TV Channel: TNT
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

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Injury Reports

For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown (wrist ligament) remains out. While both Robert Williams III (left ankle sprain) and Kemba Walker (left knee bone bruise) missed Game 4, their status is still up in the air for Game 5.

For the Nets, Jeff Green (left plantar fascia strain) and Spencer Dinwiddie (partially torn right ACL) are out for the game.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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