Tag: Recap

Celtics continue their skid, fall 109-98 to 76ers

The Boston Celtics saw their losing streak continue after letting a 15-point first half lead slip away to Josh Richardson and the Philadelphia 76ers on the road.

The Boston Celtics showed up for Thursday night’s contest with Atlantic Division rival Philadelphia 76ers ready to play for the first game in over a week, but ultimately, it wasn’t enough.

The game was close from the tip until the start of the second, when Boston built a 15-point lead — only to see it shrink to a 55-48 lead at the half, and nothing soon after.

Starting point guard Kemba Walker injured his thumb near the end of the first half — his second collision-related issue in 24 hours — after colliding with reserve forward Mike Scott, but was able to return in the second half with no apparent issue.

Even without starting center Joel Embiid, out after tearing a ligament in a finger earlier in the week against the Oklahoma City Thunder, The Celtics simply couldn’t hang on to a lead, fading in the third quarter for their third straight loss.

Shooting guard Josh Richardson in particular was a problem for Boston, scoring 29 points and 7 rebounds to lead the Sixers with 9-of-16 shooting, while point guard Ben Simmons had 19 points and 9 rebounds for Philly on 9-of-15 shooting.

Tobias Harris also had 16 points and 7 boards for the 76ers.

Boston saw Walker lead the way with 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting despite the jammed thumb, and reserve guard Marcus Smart has 24 points off the bench on sizzling 9-of-14 shooting with five of his seven treys going in.

Swingman Jayson Tatum logged 15 points and 10 rebounds on the night.

Jaylen Brown struggled considerably against Philly’s length, going just 2-for-12 despite hitting half of his four 3-point attempts.

The Celtics fall to 25-11 and a game-and-a-half behind the second-place Miami Heat, with the fourth-place Toronto Raptors now just one game behind them.

The Boston Celtics next play the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, January 11th at 7pm ET.

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Celtics survive pesky Hawks’ tepid attack, win 109-106

The Boston Celtics managed to eke out a win despite bad defense and worse 3-point shooting Friday night, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 109-106.

The Boston Celtics started their Friday night home matchup against the Atlanta Hawks showing just how little they respected the league’s worst team in terms of record.

The then-7-27 Hawks jumped out to an 18-point lead with Boston not bothering to put up much a fight early, and kept a double-digit lead until the ten-minute mark of the second quarter, very little in the way of defense being played by either team.

It also didn’t help the Celtics went 6-of-25 from deep.

The game would stay close until the game’s final seconds, and ended with a last-second Daniel Theis block of a Trae Young 3-pointer followed by a foul called against Young as guard Marcus Smart stepped over and tripped on the Oklahoma product.

The odd moment, which nearly erupted into a fight as Smart had words with center Alex Len, instead sent the Texan to the line to secure the 109-106 win from the charity stripe.

Starting point guard Kemba Walker missed the contest due to flu-like symptoms, but shooting guard Jaylen Brown kept the game from getting out of hand with key buckets at several points of the game, finishing with 24 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting.

Forward Gordon Hayward logged 18 points and 6 rebounds on the evening, and Smart — who started in Walker’s stead — recorded 15 points, 6 boards and 9 assists.

Reserve center Enes Kanter continued his strong play off the bench, putting up 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, while swingman Jayson Tatum had an off shooting night, going 2-of-16 for 13 points and 9 rebounds.

Atlanta was led by Young’s 28-point, 5-board, 10-assist night, with Kevin Huerter adding 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists while forward John Collins scored 16 points and 8 boards before leaving the game in the third frame after a mid-air collision with Tatum.

The Boston Celtics next face the Chicago Bulls at United Center tomorrow, January 4 at 8pm ET.

Alamo Bowl halftime recap

In a great position to win their third straight bowl, if UT can replicate their first half in the second half, they will pull out a victory.

After a solid first quarter for the Longhorns, the second quarter started out even better with a 71-yard punt return from D’Shawn Jamison, setting Texas up inside their own 10-yard line.

Two plays later, Collin Johnson broke wide open in the back of the end zone, giving the Longhorns their first touchdown of the night. It was Johnson’s first score since the Kansas State game.

Utah’s offense remained stalled to start out the second quarter, only gaining 25 yards on eight plays. Two sacks from Ta’Quon Graham and Joseph Ossai mixed with a false start from the offensive line forced the Utes back.

After only throwing for 33 yards in the first half, Ehlinger finally found his groove throwing the ball down the field. First, Johnson had a big play for 23 yards and then Devin Duvernay got a 40-yard reception down the sideline.

The Longhorn got cute on the next play, as Duvernay lost eight yards on a reverse. That play killed the Texas drive, making it 4th and 2 after Ehlinger managed nine yards on third down.

Tom Herman decided it was worth to go for it, but after good pressure from the Utes, Ehlinger threw an interception to Utah’s Javelin Guidry. Originally called a drop, the referees reviewed it, putting the Utes on the one-yard line.

Getting the first turnover of the game, Utah finally started to get their offense rolling to close the half. A big 26 yard run from running back Zach Moss got the Utes into Texas territory for the first time.

Just when it started to go well for them, an ineligible man downfield and an intentional grounding penalty killed the drive. They were forced to punt for the fifth time.

Texas is playing really well, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Shutting an explosive Utah offense was not something expected from the Longhorns, but is no doubt welcomed. Besides the turnover, everything has gone right for Sam Ehlinger and the offense.

In a great position to win their third straight bowl game, if Texas can replicate their first half in the second half, they will pull out a victory.

You can catch the second half of the Alamo Bowl on ESPN.

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Alamo Bowl First Quarter Recap

Texas has played well so far. If the defense continues to play this way, the offense will have a great chance to win it for the Longhorns.

To start the game, Texas won the toss and elected to receive. Putting Sam Ehlinger and the offense on the field immediately, the Longhorns started out strong with a deep shot to Collin Johnson for 34 yards down the middle.

From that point on, Keaontay Ingram was solid in the run game, getting Texas down to the Utah 10 yard line. On third down, Ehlinger got away with a throw, as Utah more than likely should have had a pick-six.

Cameron Dicker hit a 29-yard field goal to put Texas up 3-0.

With Utah getting the ball for the first time, they got a first down via a Tyler Huntley throw to Cole Fotheringham on their first play. Texas forced a punt three plays later after stuffing running back Zach Moss and quarterback Tyler Huntley.

Texas got the ball back after a Utah punt and was not able to do much. Only gaining a first down through a Ute penalty, second and third down was dominated by the Utah defensive line, getting to Ingram and Ehlinger behind the line of scrimmage.

Zach Moss started to do Zach Moss type things for the Utes to open up their second drive, gaining 11 yards on the first two plays. Utah went to the passing game after that but found little success. Devonta’e Henry dropped a swing pass from Huntley that could have gone a long way. The Longhorn defense continued their strong start, forcing another punt.

Roschon Johnson got in the action to start the third drive, getting 21 yards throughout the entire drive. Texas could not capitalize on his gains though, punting for the second time after a Brennan Eagles screen pass forced a 4th and 11.

After getting away with a field goal on their first drive, Texas is lucky to be up 3-0 in this game. The defense has been outstanding so far, limiting Tyler Huntley to what he can do in the passing game. If they continue to play this way throughout the entire game, the offense will have a great chance to win Tom Herman’s third consecutive bowl game.

Texas stats

Sam Ehlinger: 2-6 33 yards

Keaontay Ingram: Five rushes, 20 yards

Roschon Johnson: Three rushes, 21 yards

Collin Johnson: One catch, 34 yards

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Raptors get their revenge on Celtics, win 113-97

The Toronto Raptors got their revenge for their home court Christmas Day loss to the Boston Celtics, talking a 113-97 win at TD Garden.

The Boston Celtics probably should have seen this coming.

Still smarting from the Christmas Day defeat on their home floor, the Toronto Raptors got their revenge on Boston, leading almost wire-to-wire and winning 113-97 with a huge night from veteran point guard Kyle Lowry.

The Philadelphia native dropped 30 points and 7 assists on the Celtics, with 20 points and 10 rebounds from big man Serge Ibaka. Shooting guards Fred VanVleet and Patrick McCaw added 18 points each, the latter 5 assists and 5 steals as well and the former 7 boards and 8 assists to give Toronto the win.

Boston had an atrocious night in terms of shooting, going just 21.9 % from deep and 39.7 % overall.

Led by point guard Kemba Walker with 30 points and wing Jaylen Brown with 17 points and 5 rebounds, the Celtics never found their shot. Jayson tatum went 3-of-7 from the field for 12 points, and Gordon Hayward 3-of-13 (including 1-of-7 from three) to score just 13.

Veteran guard Marcus Smart shot 2-of-9 in his return from a severe eye infection, scoring only 7 points in 23 minutes.

The Celtics managed to get the score to within 3 points about halfway through the penultimate frame, but Toronto responded with an 8-0 run that ultimately sealed the deal.

In the end, the Raptors simply wanted it more — and Boston let them take it.

“We beat those guys two times already, and obviously a few days ago on Christmas,” observed Walker (via the Associated Press). “They definitely remembered that, of course. But those are the defending champs. They’ve got a target on their back, you know?”

“They’re the team to beat. They came in like they were the defending champs tonight,” added the UConn product.

The Celtics next face the Charlotte Hornets on the road for New Years Eve, with an early 3pm tip-off ahead of the evening’s festivities.

Game Ball Awards for Notre Dame’s Win over Stanford

I still think the Irish win Saturday had Isaiah Foskey not blocked the punt late in the first half because Notre Dame was simply too dominant afterwards to think it was only that play.

A look at the final score and you might not think Saturday’s 45-24 Notre Dame win over Stanford and think they dominated for the entire afternoon.

Although domination eventually came on, for 27 minutes or so in the first half things were anything but for the Fighting Irish.

So who gets the reward of the game balls in today’s win that wraps up a 10-2 regular season?

Let’s check it out:

Offense:

I could go a couple different ways here with Chase Claypool scoring twice and providing the go-ahead touchdown or Tony Jones scoring and putting up 90 total yards but to me it was Ian Book that offensively was the biggest star.

Four touchdowns and no interceptions, his ground game wasn’t as strong today but it was just as lethal when it absolutely needed to be, his fourth down run for 26 yards to the Stanford three while still only leading 21-17 was a huge play by the quarterback who Brian Kelly had big-time praise for after the game (more on that, later).

Ian Book: 17/30, 255 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 29 rush yards

Defense and Special Teams…

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Vols men’s basketball falter vs FSU

NICEVILLE – The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team’s season-opening winning streak has finally come to an end, losing a tough game in the final minutes on the road to the Florida State Seminoles, 60-57, in the Emerald Coast Classic. The Vols …

NICEVILLE — The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team’s season-opening winning streak has finally come to an end, losing a tough game in the final minutes on the road to the Florida State Seminoles, 60-57, in the Emerald Coast Classic.

The Vols were led by Lamonte Turner, who scored 20 points, but only shot 4-14 from the field and did most of his damage at the charity stripe, going 11-14; he also gave away 8 turnovers. Yves Pons brought the double-double trouble scoring 13 points, grabbing 10 boards and swatting three shots, representing the Vols’ best performance on the evening. Jordan Bowden was the only other UT player to reach double digit points, adding 11 of his own to go along with five rebounds.

Despite the close finish, Tennessee never led in this game. It was a furious comeback in the last two minutes that produced the final margin of defeat, with the Vols falling short in the end. Their largest deficit of 13 came at 10:42 in the second half, and the Volunteers just were not able to dig themselves out of that hole. FSU made three of four free throw attempts in the final seconds to seal the loss despite a last-second trey by Turner.

Overall, the Vols only shot 33 percent from the field and a putrid 23 percent from behind the arc. Their 89 percent mark from the free throw line on 29 attempts is very encouraging, as was their team total of seven blocks, but it is hard to win games against quality opponents when you cough up the ball 21 times.

The match was the first between the two teams in three decades, with the all-time record in the series now standing at 5-4 in favor of Tennessee. The loss ended a five-game winning streak to open the year for the Vols, though there remain plenty more games to be played.

The Volunteers next face either Purdue or VCU on Saturday at 4 or 7 p.m. ET, depending on game results, and will be broadcasted on the CBS Sports Network.

3 takeaways from Falcons vs. Saints Thanksgiving matchup

This was by far the most exciting/predictably disappointing loss the Falcons had all season due to two onside kick recoveries giving them a chance at the end.

The Atlanta Falcons came up short on Thursday night, losing, 26-18, to the New Orleans Saints in front of their home crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thanksgiving.

It was the same old story fans are sick of reading about each and every week. The Falcons’ slow start offensively hurt the defense, then the team put up garbage-time points, and seriously flirted with a comeback.

Here are four takeaways from Atlanta’s ninth loss of the 2019 season.

Ryan’s turnovers, offensive line killed the Falcons

Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan scrambling behind a leaky offensive line is not the kind of production that analysts had in mind when they routinely projected Atlanta to have one of the NFL’s elite offenses the season. For the second straight week, the Falcons offensive line lost the battle up front, which was the biggest difference between Thursday’s loss and the team’s Week 10 upset. While Ryan made the best of it early, he clearly got rattled late, fumbling and throwing two interceptions to kill the team’s chances with the game still up for grabs. This was the kind of offensive performance that gets offensive coordinators fired.

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Instant analysis of Falcons’ 26-18 loss to Saints on Thanksgiving

Here’s a look at how the Falcons’ offense, defense and special teams units fared on Thursday night’s disappointing yet predictable loss.

The Falcons were defeated by the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving night, 26-18, falling to 3-9 on the season. Despite a valiant comeback effort, this team continues to struggle in front of its fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, losing a fifth of six home games this season.

Here’s a look at how the Falcons’ offense, defense and special teams units fared on Thursday night’s disappointing yet predictable loss.

Offense

With Julio Jones out, Matt Ryan had to look to Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage and Christian Blake. Atlanta started slow, and wasted an early drive by failing on a fourth-and-short inside the five. The running game was a tad better, but Matt Ryan’s two second-half interceptions killed any realistic comeback attempt — until the Falcons recovered two onside kicks (and technically three with a penalty calling back the first). Still, it was too little, too late. Sound familiar?

Defense

Defensively, the Falcons were put in a bad spot after a first-quarter punt block, giving the Saints an easy score to go up 7-0. From there, Atlanta’s defense tightened up. If the offense had controlled the ball a little better, we’d probably be talking about how well they played. Still, it was another sack-less game for Atlanta, which is inexcusable given what we’ve seen this team do against the same New Orleans team three weeks ago.

Special Teams

After a quick three-and-out on the team’s opening possession, Atlanta had a punt blocked and the Saints quickly scored a touchdown a few plays later. Kicker Younghoe Koo missed a field goal and an extra point. He’d later make his next two and keep the Falcons in the game.

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Falcons LG James Carpenter leaves game with possible concussion

Atlanta’s offensive line has another injury, with starting left guard James Carpenter leaving the game in the second quarter after suffering an apparent an head injury. Carpenter is questionable to return. 

Atlanta’s offensive line has another injury, with starting left guard James Carpenter leaving the game in the second quarter after suffering an apparent head injury. Carpenter is questionable to return.

 

Wes Schweitzer, who had started at right guard, has slid over to Carpenter’s spot, with Jamon Brown taking over for Schweitzer at right guard.

The Falcons trail 7-6 to the Saints early in the second quarter.

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