Tag: celtics injury news

The Celtics defense shows up again in 95-78 win over the Heat

The Celtics put together another complete defensive effort in a win over Miami

For the second straight night, it was the Celtics defense that proved to be the difference in their 95-78 win over Miami.

The Heat had only been held below 100 points once on the year, and Boston was able to hold them below 80. The Celtics gained their separation in the second quarter by winning the period 33-9 to head into halftime with a 16-point lead.

Jaylen Brown once again led the way offensively before exiting the game late with a hamstring injury. Brown finished with a team-high 17 points, while the Celtics struggled as a team from the field.

The Celtics bench proved to be the difference, as Aaron Nesmith finally showed his NBA Summer League form after getting another shot. The Vanderbilt product had been out of the rotation in the previous four contests, but that didn’t stop him from igniting the second-quarter run and going 3-5 from three to finish with 13 points.

Dennis Schroder and Romeo Langford combined for 26 points off the pine, while Miami’s bench managed just 20 total points.

The second half saw the Celtics in cruise control, with the only worrisome moment coming when Brown exited the game and did not return.

The Celtics improved to 4-5 with the win, and have now won back-to-back games for the second time this season. Up next for Boston is a visit to Dallas on Saturday.

Here is a look at how the Celtics performed on an individual level in the win:

Jaylen Brown leads the Celtics to a needed bounce back win over Orlando

The Celtics get a needed win in Orlando after a tumultuous start to the week

Following a tumultuous week for the Celtics, they were able to briefly stem the tide with a 92-79 win over the Magic.

Boston’s win came on the heels of ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski’s reports of a team-only meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The emotional meeting came as the result of a 2-5 start for Boston and Marcus Smart’s comments about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s lack of passing following a crushing collapse against Chicago on Monday.

Wednesday evening, however, was a slight sigh of relief. Jaylen Brown led the way offensively, but it was the Celtics defense that got the job done as they held Orlando to just 32.1% from the field.

While a win over the Magic won’t solve the Celtics’ problems, it at least put the fourth quarter against Chicago behind them for good.

On Wednesday in Orlando, it was the third quarter that proved to be the difference. After the two teams traded leads early, the Celtics used a 31-10 third stanza to put the game on ice. Brown finished with 8 points in the quarter, and a team-high 28 points on the evening.

Following a flurry of scoring this past week, Magic guard Cole Anthony struggled mightily from the field going just 2-11 from distance and 4-18 overall.

The Celtics improved to 3-5, and take on the Miami Heat on Thursday night. Here is a look at how the Celtics starters performed on an individual level:

The Celtics will be without two rotation pieces for Monday’s matchup with the Hornets

The Celtics will be without to rotational pieces on Monday in Charlotte:

On Monday night in Charlotte, the Celtics will look to pick up their second straight shorthanded win as a pair of rotational pieces are out for Boston.

Starting with the good news, the Celtics will have Jaylen Brown back after he missed Sunday’s win over Houston with left patellar tendinopathy. With the second night of a back-to-back likely factoring into the equation, they will be without Romeo Langford and Al Horford on Monday.

Horford is being listed with a left abductor strain, while Langford has left calf tightness causing them to miss Monday’s matchup with the Hornets. The injuries will potentially open up opportunities for players on the fringes of the Boston rotation, as coach Ime Udoka said he will be looking to go small in order to deal with the loss of Horford. Whether that means Enes Kanter, Juancho Hernangomez, Jabari Parker, or some combination of the three getting minutes remains to be seen, but at least one of them should likely crack a shorthanded Celtics rotation.

The Celtics (1-2) and Hornets (3-0) are set to start at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Celtics fall flat in their home opener, lose 115-83 to the Raptors

The Celtics fall flat in their home opener as Scottie Barnes and the Raptors cruise

The first third quarter of the regular season at TD Garden saw boos raining down from the Boston crowd as the Toronto Raptors pulled away from the Celtics in a 115-83 blowout victory.

Coming off of am emotionally taxing double overtime loss to the Knicks, the Celtics let the game slip away from them in the second half. Jayson Tatum started strong after a poor shooting night in New York, but it was Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes who stole the show in a breakout evening for the former Florida State star.

Boston stayed even with Toronto early behind a scoring flurry from Tatum, and the Raptors carried a four point lead into the halftime break. Oftentimes in 2021 NBA blowouts, you can run to the box score and see a definitive disparity in three-point shooting. That wasn’t the case on Friday night, and that was arguably an even more worrisome sign for Boston and first-year head coach Ime Udoka. The Celtics actually shot better from three than Toronto, making 11 of their 34 tries to Toronto’s 10-35.

Instead, it was the length of Toronto defensively and the Raptors’ rebounding prowess that proved to be the difference. After being blown out by Washington in their opener, the Raptors’ young pieces came to play in game two. Precious Achiuwa led the contest with 15 rebounds to go along with his 15 points. Toronto outrebounded Boston 60 to 42 on the night and turned the Celtics over 25 times.

Toronto won the third quarter 33-17 behind lockdown team defense and a scoring surge from Gary Trent Jr., who finished with 20 points on the night. Barnes was exceptional on both ends, answering predraft questions in real time about his shooting, offensive playmaking, and on-ball decisions. He seamlessly hit mid-range jumpers, attacked the glass, and used his 6-foot-9 frame to cause problems defensively. The fourth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft finished with a game-high 25 points, 13 rebounds, and a pair of assists.

When the third quarter buzzer sounded, the Raptors led 84-64 and had all but put the game away.

It was unsurprisingly a bounce back shooting night for Tatum, who went 8-14 from the field for a team-high 18 points. On the other side of the coin, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown combined to go just 3-19 from the field.

The Celtics fell to 0-2 on the year as Toronto evened their record up to 1-1. Boston travels to Houston on Sunday to take on the Rockets, as they look for their first win of the season.

Boston takes control in the fourth quarter to finish off the LA Clippers 117-112

The Celtics finish off the Clippers late in 117-112 win

Coming off of one of the most improbable NBA wins of the year on Sunday, the Boston Celtics carried the clutch gene into Tuesday’s win over the Clippers at TD Garden. Down one heading into the fourth quarter, excellent early minutes from Jeff Teague and Robert Williams III restored order as Kemba Walker and the starters were able to shut the door for a 117-112 triumph.

Walker continued to look like he is nearing full health, pouring in 25 points to lead the way.

Boston (18-17) was able to find sources of offense outside of their main three contributors. Rookie Payton Pritchard came off the pine for 14 key points, and Williams poured in 13 of his own. Teague’s fourth quarter five-point flurry was as essential as any offensive stretch.

It was fourth-quarter defense, however, that proved to be the difference for the Celtics. With Kawhi Leonard ruled out minutes before tip due to back spasms, there was one less star to worry about. While Clipper point guard Reggie Jackson filled in some of the scoring by dropping 25 points, Boston was able to adjust and switch nearly every late screen. The strategy put Paul George in difficult situations, forcing a number of late contested jumpers that clanked off.

The emergence of Williams continued tonight as the “Time Lord” played an excellent 22 minutes on both ends. In the postgame press conference, Brad Stevens noted the influences of past Celtics on the young big and touched on his growth:

The Celtics are back over .500 at 18-17 on the year. The Toronto Raptors come to town on Thursday in the final Boston clash before the NBA All-Star break.

Hospital Celtics return as four Boston players could miss time vs Dallas, beyond

The Hospital Celtics make an unwanted return as Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Robert Williams and Vincent Poirier all may miss time in the coming days.

The Hospital Celtics are back in a big way, though hopefully not for very long.

Swingman Jayson Tatum, second-year center Robert Williams III, defensive specialist Marcus Smart, and even rookie big man Vincent Poirier are beset with a laundry list of injuries, reports NBC Boston’s Chris Forsberg.

Smart has been battling illness, injury and an eye infection over the last few weeks, and the eye infection has now spread to both eyes, per the Athletic’s Jared Weiss.

Tatum has joined the ranks of the ill as well, with a sinus infection that could see him miss the team’s next game against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 18.

The frenchman jammed a finger badly enough recently that an x-ray was needed, though no further word at present if he’ll also need time to recuperate.

While it’s unclear just how long that trio will be out of commision, Williams condition — previously thought to be a sore hip — is more concerning than the original diagnosis.

Doctors have determined he has a bone edema in his left hip that requires at least three weeks without basketball activities to heal, which will further limit Boston’s frontcourt flexibility until at least the first week of the new year.

While Timelord may be able to participate in upper-body strength training, it could require total rest for his lower extremities.

It’s possible his conditioning could be affected by the extended layoff, with the team planning to re-assess his condition at the end of that period.

Rookie wing Romeo Langford’s call-up earlier in the day makes more sense in this context, as the Celtics could conceivably be down both Smart and Tatum for Wednesday night’s tilt.

No word on a timetable for the Duke product to return.

Tatum’s Texan teammate was anticipated to return from his eye infection between seven and 10 days from initial diagnosis (before it spread), with today being day No. 7.

If both Smart and Tatum join Williams as unavailable vs. Dallas, they will have the small consolation of knowing that their opponent will be without its best player.

Early-season MVP candidate Luka Doncic is likely to miss the next few weeks with an ankle sprain sustained earlier this week.

The team will then face the Detroit Pistons on Friday followed by the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 22, giving the team a little more time to get most of its players back into a healthy state.

With a Christmas Day rematch with the 17-8 Toronto Raptors coming soon thereafter and the Raps sitting a half-game behind Boston in fifth place in the East, the team will need some quality minutes from its bench to avoid a slide in the standings.