With a 30-point lead at the half of the second quarter, the Boston Celtics were ready to raise their record to an NBA-best and extend their winning run to ten games. However, the Atlanta Hawks stepped up and controlled the game.
With little over four minutes remaining before halftime, the Hawks trailed 68-38. However, they overcame the 30-point deficit to defeat the Celtics shockingly with a score of 120-118.
The NBA claims that this was the biggest comeback in this year’s season and the biggest turnaround of Hawks since the 1997-98.
In the closing seconds of the game, Hawks player De’Andre Hunter received the ball outside the three-point line after Clint Capela had successfully grabbed the offensive rebound, giving Atlanta supporters something to celebrate.
Atlanta Hawks – Uleashing power
With just 11 seconds remaining with Atlanta up by one point, Hunter ought to have clung to the ball. To the delight of both his teammates and Hawks supporters, Hunter instead unleashed his shooting from three-point range and scored to secure the victory.
In a post-game conference, Hawks coach Quin Snyder stated: “Any time you’re down that much, you have to have something out of the ordinary to get back in the game.. And when you have a group of people you know who are behind you, thick or thin, rain or shine – and there was a lot of rain early – they were a big part of helping the sun come out tonight.”
While Atlanta celebrated their victory with smiles on their faces, Boston was embarrassed by the game, losing to a team that is currently nine slots behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference rankings as the regular season draws to an end.
The Celtics finish the regular season with a 57-15 record, but they still have the best record in the league going into the postseason.
Jayson Tatum scored 37 points and grabbed 13 rebounds Wednesday to spark the NBA-leading Boston Celtics to a 125-112 victory over visiting Dallas despite 42 points from Luka Doncic.
The Celtics, whose nine-game win streak was snapped Monday at Chicago, bounced back by dominating the Mavericks, improving to 7-1 in Boston and an NBA-best 14-4 overall.
Tatum’s remarks
“I think we were locked in from the beginning,” Tatum said. “Losing to Chicago made us regroup and refocus.
“We just knew they were a really talented team. Luka is the head of the snake. It was good to come home and get back in the win column.”
It was Tatum’s 10th career game with 35 points and 10 rebounds. He made 11-of-24 from the floor and 13-of-15 from the free throw line.
Image of Jayson Tatum (right), from Wikipedia.
In a showdown of early season NBA Most Valuable Player candidates, league scoring leader Doncic countered with a game-high point total on 17-of-28 shooting and 5=of-9 from the line. The Slovenian guard also had nine assists and eight rebounds.
“Everybody knows how talented and special he is,” Tatum said. “He can do so many things on the court. He’s somebody I respect and like competing against.”
The Celtics led 70-49 at halftime and by double figures from late in the first quarter until Doncic sparked a late rally to pull Dallas within 114-105 with 3:43 remaining.
Al Horford answered with a 3-pointer to ignite a 10-2 Boston run and Dallas never came within 13 again.
The Sacramento Kings saw their seven-game win streak snapped as Trae Young scored 35 points to lead the host Atlanta Hawks to a 115-106 victory.
Domantas Sabonis had 15 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists to spark Sacramento (10-7). Clint Capela pulled down 14 rebounds for the Hawks (11-7).
Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers over Portland 114-96 and stretch their win streak to four games.
The Cavs improved to 8-1 at home and 12-6 overall as Darius Garland had 24 points and 12 assists while Jarrett Allen added 24 points and 13 rebounds.
DeMar DeRozan scored 36 points and added eight assists to lead the Chicago Bulls over host Milwaukee 118-113, dropping the Bucks to 12-5 despite 36 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists from Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Colby White and Nikola Vucevic sank back-to-back 3-pointers to give Chicago a 115-109 lead and DeRozan and Patrick Williams sank late free throws to seal the triumph.
T-Wolves defeat Pacers
Karl-Anthony Towns had 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists while Frenchman Rudy Gobert contributed 21 points and 16 rebounds in Minnesota’s 115-101 victory at Indiana.
Myles Turner scored a game-high 31 points for the Pacers, whose five-game win streak ended.
Zion Williamson scored 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to power the New Orleans Pelicans to a 129-110 victory at San Antonio. He shot 14-of-18 from the floor and 4-of-8 from the free throw line.
At Miami, Kyle Lowry scored 28 points and Caleb Martin had 24 to power the host Heat over Washington 113-105. Kyle Kuzman had a game-high 33 points for the Wizards.
The Brooklyn Nets, humbled by a loss Tuesday to a Philadelphia team lacking three top starters, bounced back by winning at Toronto 112-98.
Kyrie Irving scored 29 points, Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton each added 14 points and Kevin Durant had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Nets.
Terry Rozier scored 22 points and P.J. Washington added 19 to spark the Charlotte Hornets over visiting Philadelphia 107-101.
Shake Milton led the 76ers with 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Mason Plumlee and Nick Richards each had 13 rebounds for the Hornets.
The Denver Nuggets rallied from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to win in overtime at Oklahoma City 131-126.
Nikola Jokic had a game-high 39 points plus 10 rebounds and nine assists for Denver and sank two clinching free throws with 8.3 seconds remaining in overtime.
Bruce Brown had a triple double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Nuggets while Aaron Gordon had 30 points for Denver. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 31 points.
Jaylen Brown scored 41 points as the Boston Celtics underscored their status as the NBA’s form team with a 125-114 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
The Eastern Conference leaders warmed up for Thursday’s crunch clash against Brooklyn with a composed performance to overpower the Pelicans, the third-ranked team in the Western Conference this season.
Brown, averaging just under 27 points per game this season, once again delivered for the Celtics, shooting 15-of-21 from the field with 12 rebounds.
Brown’s statement
“It’s a long season, it’s a lot of basketball, day-in, day-out — you’ve just got to come in ready to do your job,” Brown said after his season-high points tally. “I was able to come out and get something going.”
Boston’s balanced offense proved too much for New Orleans, with Jayson Tatum also chipping in with 31 points and Malcolm Brogdon adding 20 from the bench.
Al Horford added 14 points for Boston, who were missing starters Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III.
C.J. McCollum excelled for New Orleans with 38 points while Naji Marshall added 18 for a Pelicans team missing the injured Zion Williamson (hamstring) and Brandon Ingram (toe).
Boston lead the Eastern Conference with a 30-12 record heading into Thursday’s game against the second-placed Nets.
The third-placed Milwaukee Bucks meanwhile kept up the pursuit of the Eastern Conference leaders with a 114-105 win over the Hawks in Atlanta, Jrue Holiday leading the scoring with 27 points.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was restricted to a season-low seven points but still influenced proceedings with 18 rebounds and 10 assists
Holiday was one of five Milwaukee players in double figures, with Brook Lopez adding 20 points and Bobby Portis and Jevon Carter each scoring 13. Pat Connaughton finished with 10 points.
Milwaukee looked to be in total control early in the second half, jumping into a 24-point third quarter lead and seemingly poised for a routine win.
However Atlanta chipped away at the Bucks total and eventually grabbed their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter when Bogdan Bogdanovic’s pullup jump shot made it 103-101.
Lopez restored the Bucks’ advantage with a three-pointer to make it 104-103 and Milwaukee reasserted their control to close out the win.
Elsewhere Wednesday, Ja Morant returned from a two-game injury absence to score 38 points as the Memphis Grizzlies claimed a 136-129 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
In other games, the Detroit Pistons moved off the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 135-118 blowout over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Saddiq Bey led the scoring for Detroit with 31 points as the Pistons snapped a three-game losing streak to climb above the Charlotte Hornets at the foot of the table.
This season, Domantas Sabonis has been the definition of consistency; he has put up strong performances every night, scoring double figures in both points and rebounds. With 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists against the 76ers on Monday, Sabonis demonstrated his versatility and surpassed Kevin Love for the longest streak since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976–77 with his 54th consecutive double-double.
Wilt Chamberlain is notable for having set the record with an incredible 227 double-doubles. Sabonis’s outstanding accomplishment confirms his status as one of the NBA’s best players and emphasizes his lasting influence on the court.
“Everyone’s been talking about it for the past few weeks, and all I was trying to do was play my game and help this team win.” nbcsports quoted Sabonis as saying.
Sabonis – historic record
After recording his 25th triple-double of the year, Sabonis joins the ranks of basketball greats such as Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Nikola Jokic, and Russell Westbrook.
Keegan Murray and De’Aaron Fox each scored 23 points apiece to help the Kings win 108-96 in a pivotal game against the 76ers. This victory is significant because it keeps Sacramento and the Mavericks in a tie for the sixth or seventh spot in the hotly contested Western Conference.
The Kings have a 2-0 season series lead over Dallas and are presently holding the tiebreaker, so the stakes are very high with two more games remaining. There will be a lot riding on Sacramento’s performance tonight against the Mavericks; a double-double from Sabonis in particular will be crucial if they hope to make the playoffs.
Following their triumphant 2-1 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Boston Red Sox found ample time on Saturday night to indulge in the luxurious offerings of Scottsdale. However, their hearts remained captivated by another sporting spectacle.
Instead of venturing out, the team opted to bask in the electric atmosphere of their visiting clubhouse at Chase Field, collectively witnessing and exulting in the Boston Celtics’ awe-inspiring 104-103 victory over the Miami Heat. With Game 7 now on the horizon, the Celtics threatened to embark on a historical journey, echoing the remarkable feat of the 2004 Red Sox—an unparalleled achievement in North American sports.
The Red Sox were down 3-0 to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, and they remain the only club in baseball history to return from that position. Boston later defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in three games of the World Series to snap its 86-year title drought.
Red Sox “I think there’s a good chance that there’ll be a lot of people going,” Manager Alex Cora, closer Kenley Jansen, and numerous more will be present. The Celtics now have a chance to make NBA history by being the first club to achieve the feat. (an article from USA Today reported)
“It’s fun. I tell these guys from the get-go that you have to enjoy the whole experience. This city’s different, with all due respect to the other ones, but watching the Bruins, watching the Celtics, what they’ve done so far is eye-opening, right? Understanding how hard it is to win the series, and to win games in a row, in an environment that’s a lot different than baseball,” Cora said.
In an NBA game, there aren’t any pitchers with aces to their pitches who can stifle the opponent by themselves. The same players are used, but you devise various methods in the hopes that they will be successful.
Cora said, “There, you saw what happened in the end, right? Marcus Smart took the last shot. You prepare. You defend. You probably know every play that is called. It’s about execution. I don’t want to say they got lucky, but you know, they went to the rim. (Jayson) Tatum was on one side. (Derrick) White was on the other side.” (an article from USA Today reported)
Further, he added, “But at the same time the ball has to bounce your way. It just seemed like it bounced the Heat’s way a little bit there, and the ball bounces into White’s hand.”
“That’s something you can’t measure. We, as leaders of an organization, try to make it as fun as possible, as cohesive as possible for stuff like this to happen. I think the family aspect helps too. Make it a family event, regardless of the situation, and enjoy it as much as possible, regardless of where you’re at. That way, you can actually disconnect yourself from what’s really happening and actually enjoy.
“They’re one win away from pulling this off. (Monday) should be crazy.”
By the end of the third quarter, everyone in Madison Square Garden thought that the New York Knicks would lose. With a score of 87-71, it was hard to come back from a 16-point deficit, especially early in the fourth quarter when this increased to 21 points. They were against the Miami Heat, the very team that beat them last spring in the Eastern Conference Semifinal round.
The odds were awfully stacked against them, and there was a quiet sort of desperation looming over the team as they struggled to gain momentum in the game.
However, just when they were about to hit the ground, there were two things that made them bounce back harder: the entrance of Knicks point guard Immanuel Quickley, and a certain fan.
Quickley entered the third quarter with only four minutes left on the clock. Remaining optimistic about the situation, the point guard refused to back down, drove to the basket, and scored numerous times. In doing so, he became instrumental in helping the team close the gap on Miami.
“It’s a decision to mentally check out or not. It’s a decision to keep fighting. It’s a decision to tell yourself you got to keep fighting no matter what,” said Quickley, as per SNY.tv.
14 of Quickley’s 20 points came in the last 16 minutes of play.
Jalen Brunson, on the other hand, made three clutch baskets and scored 8 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. The reason? A certain fan had looked him in the eye and said, “This is embarrassing.”
"Honestly, a fan looked at me in my eye over here and said 'This is embarrassing.' So I'll say him"
–– Jalen Brunson to Cassidy Hubbarth on what motivated him in the Knicks 21-point comeback win over Miami pic.twitter.com/iLqvfhxQhw
Taking the comment personally, Brunson was in no time observed to be in a fired-up state with the manic glint back in his eyes.
Sure enough, with the team’s optimism and desperation, they outscored the Heat with only 1:59 remaining in the clock, 96-97.
And they kept the advantage on their side until the end of the match, managing to hold off the Heat with a final score of 98-100.
Brunson led the Knicks’ offensive effort with 24 points while also posting 3 assists and 3 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Quickley had 20 points, 2 assists, and 4 rebounds. RJ Barrett, who also had clutch moments in the game, added 18 points, 1 assist, and 7 rebounds.
The Knicks trailed by 21 points.
They came back in the 4Q to win a must-win game and keep their East Group B hopes alive.
