Tag: Recap

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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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 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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