The Patriots Kept The No. 15 Pick In The NFL Draft & Used It On Alabama Quarterback Mac Jones

 

    For the first time in his very long NFL head coaching career, Bill Belichick finally used a first-round draft pick to select a quarterback. Tonight, the Patriots had the No. 15 pick and rather than trade up, trade down or use it on a nameless lineman, they kept it which paid off as Alabama quarterback Mac Jones slid to them at just that spot. I have my doubts regarding whether Jones will make much of an impact in the National Football League but at this point, I'm ready to give anyone besides incumbent Cam Newton a shot at QB this season for the Pats. Jones became the seventh Crimson Tide alum to be selected by the Pats since 2010-hello Nick Saban-and the first quarterback taken by the Patriots in the first round since No. 1 overall pick Drew Bledsoe way back in 1993. 

    I would still love to see New England try and swing a trade with San Francisco that would bring Jimmy Garoppolo back here but at least this shows that Belichick has some semblance of a plan for the team's future at the most important position in sports. This was thought to be a draft class deep with talented quarterbacks and most teams seemed to think so as four other guys (Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance and Justin Fields) all went before Jones was picked by the Pats. Jones is a throwback in terms of style: he's a big, slow dropback passer that will rarely choose to run the ball. In many ways, he's a very poor man's Tom Brady. Still, I hope he gets some time to develop before he's thrown in there when Newton inevitably plays terrible. As for Jarrett Stidham, don't expect him to be seeing the field much at all this season (not like he did in 2020 even when Cam struggled mightily) if all goes well.  

    Jones led Alabama to a national championship last season, granted he was throwing to the Heisman Trophy winner (DeVonta Smith) and another wide receiver (for a few games at least before he got hurt)-Jaylen Waddle-who were both Top-10 picks tonight. Until recent years, Alabama QBs have not had a ton of success in the NFL but with Tua in Miami and Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia, that narrative appears to be changing for the better. With all the money that they spent in free agency this off-season, New England has made a concerted effort to ensure that 7-9 doesn't happen again in 2021 (please note that this season will have 17 regular season games so that final record is now impossible to attain). Jones seems genuinely excited to play for Belichick and if you can have success under Saban, you at least should know what to expect from Belichick who has a quite similar prickly personality. Even if Mac Jones never does much of anything for the Patriots, this was a calculated risk that they had no choice but to make. Roll Tide!

After Last Week's Loss, The B's Put The Sabres Back In Their Place-The Gutter-With A 5-2 Win

 

    I cannot get enough of these thrilling Bruins (29-14-6 overall, 15-6-3)-Sabres (13-31-7 overall, 7-15-3 road) games this season, who's with me? Haha just kidding, I am completely sick of watching Buffalo try to play hockey as I'm sure that you are too. Thankfully after tonight's 5-2 victory by the B's at the TD Garden, Boston improved to 6-1 against Buffalo in 2021 with only one matchup left on Saturday afternoon (1, NESN). Five different Bruins scored goals and goaltender Tuukka Rask (29 saves, 13-4-2) avenged last Friday's 6-4 loss in Buffalo with this victory. In the East Division playoff outlook, fourth-place Boston kept pace (only 1 point behind with a game in hand) with the third-place Islanders (30-15-5) who won 4-0 at the Rangers (26-19-6) tonight at Madison Square Garden. 

    The black and gold were all about the early and late goals in the first period as right wing David Pastrnak's one-timer gave them a 1-0 lead at 1:16. Center Patrice Bergeron and left wing Brad Marchand had the assists on Pasta's 19th goal of the season. Sabres center Casey Mittlestadt tied it at one when he put in a juicy rebound at 14:09 of the first period. Right wing Arttu Ruotsalainen and left wing Rasmus Asplund picked up the assists on Mittlestadt's 10th goal of the season. Buzzer beaters are typically present in basketball games and not hockey but that was flipped tonight as Krejci scored a one-timer with less than one second left in the first period. BU's Charlie McAvoy and Craig Smith had the assists on Krejci's power play goal (his 8th goal of the season).  

    After no goals in the second period, things got tense for a bit in the third period as the Sabres tied it again. Right wing Sam Reinhardt found himself alone in front of Rask and left wing Victor Olofsson hit him with a pass from behind the net thru traffic. Buffalo's leading goal-scorer didn't skip a beat as left wing Jeff Skinner added the second assist on Reinhart's 23rd goal of the season at 1:43. BU's Charlie Coyle picked a great time to break his 28-game goalless streak with a sweet individual move and finish at 7:58. His sixth goal of the season was unassisted which seems fitting with how much he's been a ghost this season. Krejci continued to play great as he dangled around two helpless Sabres defensemen before feeding left wing Taylor Hall for the easy one-timer. Hall's seventh goal of the season (5th as a Bruin) was also assisted by right wing Craig Smith at 16:43. Marshy's empty-netter and team-high 27th goal of the season at 1826 made it 5-2 in favor of the road team.

The Celtics Snap A Three-Game Losing Streak & Take The Season Series (2-1) From The Hornets

 

    I'm done trying to make sense of the Celtics (33-30 overall, 20-12 home) or this goofy NBA season. Just when I had left them for dead yet again, they shut up the doubters for a night as they beat the Hornets (30-32 overall, 14-19 away) 120-111 this evening at the TD Garden. Boston had lost three games in a row including a 125-104 blowout in Charlotte on Sunday followed by last night's humiliating 119-115 loss to the Thunder (21-41) who entered riding a 14-game losing streak. The C's also did this without the services of their top two point guards as Kemba Walker (oblique) remains out and Marcus Smart was suspended for a game since he threatened officials on Tuesday. It's nice to see that he's really grown up after all these years of stupidity. Shooting guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 38 points, 7 rebounds) and swingman Jayson Tatum (35 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists) became the first Celtics teammates since 2006 to each score 35+ points in the same game. 

    This final score is misleading because the C's were up 20 points after a first quarter (39-19) in which Brown (20) single-handedly outscored the Hornets by himself. Charlotte chipped away at the lead, cutting it to 58-47 at halftime and 88-80 going into the fourth quarter but Boston held on for the much-needed victory. The other two standouts for the Celts were a pair of unlikely heroes: center Tristan Thompson (12 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks) had a double-double and rookie small forward Aaron Nesmith (career-high 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks) made the most of his 31 minutes off the bench. Brewster Academy's Devonte' Graham led the Hornets with 25 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two blocks while center P.J. Washington and small forward Miles Bridges (2 steals) both added 19 points in the loss. Former Celtics great Terry Rozier (15 points, 7 assists) was terrible as he shot 4-of-18 from the field including 1-of-8 on 3-pointers which felt like a fine tribute to his old teammate Smart. Center Cody Zeller scored 16 points off the bench in just 17 minutes. 

    Boston shot 5.3% better from the field than Charlotte (47.8%-42.5%), they hit two more 3-pointers (15-13), grabbed 21 more rebounds (54-33), had two more steals (9-7), blocked three more shots (8-5), scored 10 more points in the paint (54-44) and nine more second chance points (19-10). The win kept the Celtics in sixth-place (out of the play-in round) in the Eastern Conference but they are still tied with Miami (33-30) who is in seventh-place based on tiebreakers. Boston is one game behind Atlanta (34-29) and two games behind New York (35-28) with nine games left in the regular season. This four-game homestand continues on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) as the Celts welcome the Spurs (31-30 overall, 18-11 road) to the Garden. San Antonio is in ninth-place in the Western Conference, tied with the Grizzlies (31-30) and half a game in front of Golden State (31-31). This contest is very important to them as well since while they look destined to compete in the play-in round, they can still improve their seeding for that.

The Red Sox Found A Way To Beat Jacob deGrom & Sweep The Mini Two Game Series With The Mets

 

    It was only two games but it's tough to picture the Red Sox (16-9 overall, 8-1 away) having a much better stay in New York City than they did yesterday and today against the Mets (9-10 overall, 6-4 home) at Citi Field. After last night's 2-1 victory for Boston, they topped that with a 1-0 shutout tonight that featured the unlikely storyline of Nick Pivetta (3-0) getting the better of Jacob deGrom (2-2) aka the best pitcher in the world. The Red Sox only had four total hits-third baseman Rafael Devers was 2-for-3 with a double-but that was twice as many as the Mets who had no answers for Pivetta or three Boston relievers. With their third straight win, Boston swept the series (with two more meetings set for Sept. 21 & 22 at Fenway Park) and remained three games ahead of second-place Tampa Bay (13-12) in the AL East. 

    Don't be fooled by his .500 record, deGrom (6 IP, 1 ER, 3 hits, 9 Ks, 1 BB) is off to an unreal start and his crappy team for years has rarely given him any decent run support. Pivetta (5 IP, 1 hit, 7 Ks, 3 BBs) has been one of the most pleasant surprises of 2021 for the Red Sox. He took on the challenge of opposing deGrom and even though he lasted one less inning, he was somehow a little better than him. The only run of the entire game was in the second inning as shortstop Xander Bogaerts doubled and two batters later, catcher Christian Vazquez took a 100 mph deGrom fastball that was a tad high and drove it to right center which allowed Bogey to score. 

        Boston manager Alex Cora's secret weapon out of the bullpen-righty reliever Garrett Whitlock (2 IP, 1 hit, 4 Ks, 1 BB)-is not going to be sneaking up on anyone for much longer. After him, Northeastern's Adam Ottavino pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning with one strikeout (and a great leaping catch by second baseman Marwin Gonzalez) for the hold. Finally, can we talk about how Matt Barnes has suddenly morphed into one of the best closers in MLB? It took him two more pitches (12) than last night but Barnes once again pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning and this time he struck out the side as well for his sixth save of the season. 

    Boston's road trip ends with a four-game series at Texas (10-15 overall, 4-8 home) that begins tomorrow night (8:05, NESN) with Martin Perez (0-1) facing Kyle Gibson (2-0). On Friday (8:05, NESN), it'll be Nathan Eovaldi (3-2) vs. Japanese rookie righty Kohei Arihara (2-2). The teams ring in May Day on Saturday night (7:05, NESN) with Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0) taking on Jordan Lyles (2-2). Finally, it ends on Sunday afternoon (2:35, NESN) as Garrett Richards (1-2) opposes Mike Foltynewicz (1-3). The Rangers haven't been good in years and this campaign looks no different as they are already five games behind first-place Oakland (15-10) in the AL West and squarely in last-place. It's tough to expect another sweep on the road, especially in such a long series so I'll say that the Red Sox should win three out of four in Arlington, TX this weekend. 

While You Watched The B's & C's, Garrett Richards Tossed A Gem & The Red Sox Beat The Mets 2-1

 

    With the team off to such an unexpectedly positive start to the 2021 season, there really haven't been too many players to truly despise so far on the Red Sox (15-9 overall, 7-1 away). However, starting pitcher Garrett Richards (1-2) definitely got off to a rocky beginning to his stay in Boston but all of that was forgotten for at least one night as helped the Sox beat the Mets (9-9 overall, 6-3 home) 2-1 tonight at Citi Field. The veteran righty had two disastrous outings sandwiched around two decent performances but nobody could have expected what he did tonight in 93 pitches: 7 innings, one earned run, seven hits, 10 strikeouts and no walks. Haha who the hell was that guy? 

    New York's lefty starter-something called David Peterson (6 IP, 2 ER, 4 hits, 3 Ks, 2 BBs)-was pretty good too but Boston's offense squeezed just enough out of their five hits to get the win. Richards' only mistake was a hanger that Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil hit to the second deck in right field for a solo home run (his 2nd of the season) in the second inning. The Red Sox answered in the next inning as rookie first baseman Bobby Dalbec finally connected on his first longball of the season to tie it at one. In the sixth inning, center fielder Kike Hernandez doubled and came around to score on a bloop RBI single from third baseman Rafael Devers. 

    You figure that any start by Richards is going to be a bullpen game but not this time as it only took two Boston relievers to finish the job for him. Matt Andriese pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning with a strikeout to get his second hold of the season which paved the way for lights out closer Matt Barnes who pitched a clean ninth inning (1-2-3 with two strikeouts) for his fifth save of the season. This is only a two-game series and winning the opener was very important for the Sox since tomorrow night (6:40, NESN), New York's ace Jacob deGrom (2-1, 0.31 ERA, 50 Ks, 0.55 WHIP) gets the ball against Nick Pivetta (2-0). deGrom has won two Cy Young awards (in 2018 and 2019) and at the moment, he is pitching as well as he ever has in MLB which is crazy to think. In other words, if you like baseball, you'll have to tune in to see him do his thing tomorrow (since let's be serious, you never watch the Mets otherwise).

The Celtics Hit Rock Bottom With A Sickening 119-115 Loss At The Garden To The Tanking Thunder

 

    You could try but it would be hard to come up with a much more depressing single game result than what happened to the rudderless Celtics (32-30 overall, 19-12 home) this evening at the TD Garden. They somehow found a way to lose to one of the worst teams in the NBA-the Thunder (21-41 overall, 12-20 away)-by a score of 119-115. Yes, three of Boston's best players-Jayson Tatum (ankle), Kemba Walker (oblique) and Robert Williams (knee)-were all out but I don't care, if you consider yourself to be a contender let alone a playoff team, you can't lose to a bottom feeder outfit that entered with a 14-game losing streak and on the second night of a back-to-back. I'm pretty sure that mild-mannered Celts head coach Brad Stevens doesn't drink (of course not) but I wouldn't blame him for getting hammered tonight to forget about this loser squad of his. 

    Oklahoma City has been sitting many of their best players for weeks (to get the best draft position possible) so you have to be a truly hardcore NBA fan to name more than a few of the nobodies currently playing for the Thunder. They were led by swingman Luguentz Dort (team-high 24 points), power forward Darius Bazley had a double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) and seven-footer Aleksej Pokusevski (12 points, 6 rebounds) who somehow weighs under 200 pounds. Off the bench, center Isaiah Roby added 15 points and seven rebounds while shooting guard Ty Jerome also scored 15 points. The Thunder are a G-League team so they obviously gave the C's plenty of chances to come away with the win (27 turnovers!) but Boston could do nothing consistently except brick 3-pointers (11-of-49 for 22.4%) over and over. 

    There were only three Celtics that showed anything that resembled professionalism: shooting guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 39 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals), rookie guard Payton Pritchard who scored a career-high 28 points in 33 minutes off the bench and center Luke Kornet (10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks) who was another bright spot as a reserve. Guard Marcus Smart (14 points, 6 assists, 5 steals) had one of his patented brutal shooting performances (4-for-17 including 1-of-10 on 3-pointers) which always seem to come at the most opportune times. Swingman Evan Fournier (11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals) was similarly terrible when it came to putting the ball in the basket: 4-for-14 from the field and 2-of-9 on 3-pointers. 

    Boston has dropped its last three games in a row and they are right back at it tomorrow night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at home against Charlotte (30-31 overall, 14-18 away) who not only kicked their ass on Sunday but they are only a game and a half behind the C's with a game in hand. I hate to say it but this season just has to end for the Celtics before they do anything else like tonight's dreadful showing. Something major has to change with this team over the summer because they are not going anywhere with this current toxic mix of players and coaches. 

The Bruins Ended Their Five-Game & Two City Road Trip (3-2-0) With A 3-1 Victory At Pittsburgh

 

    After losing their last two games in regulation, Boston (28-14-6 overall, 14-8-3 away) looked much more like themselves in tonight's road trip finale-a solid 3-1 win at Pittsburgh's (32-15-3 overall, 20-4-2 home) PPG Paints Arena. It was nearly a shutout for goaltender Tuukka Rask (25 saves, 12-4-2) as the Bruins built up a 3-0 lead then gave up a meaningless garbage time goal to the Penguins with less than three minutes left in regulation. The game also served as a fitting last chapter for a regular season series that was won 5-3 by the B's. They now look ahead to the final eight games of the campaign with a real chance to catch the fading Islanders (29-15-5) who are only a point ahead of them for third-place in the East Division while Boston has a game in hand and one head-to-head matchup left. 

    After the Penguins won 1-0 on Sunday afternoon against the Bruins, it felt destined to be another low-scoring affair (hope you took the under!) as neither team scored in the first period and it remained scoreless late into the second period before center David Krejci potted a beautiful goal. On a play started by Rask, defenseman Charlie McAvoy hit Krejci with a breakout pass and the veteran did the rest by going forehand to backhand then beating Pens goalie Tristan Jarry (28 saves, 21-9-3) with a sizzling backhander. Krejci's seventh goal of the season gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 18:10 and that's where it would stand with 20 minutes remaining.

    After a spirited fight between B's defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and Penguins center Teddy Blueger, Boston scored twice more to put it out of reach. Jarry was forced into an awkward save on right wing David Pastrnak's shot which allowed left wing Brad Marchand to zip to the net and put in the rebound for his team-leading 26th goal of the season. Center Curtis Lazar had the second assist at 9:11. Left wing Taylor Hall turned out the lights on the Pens with a spectacular play that reminded you why he is a former No. 1 overall pick and NHL MVP. He took a pass from Krejci, worked around none other than one of the best players in the world (Sidney Crosby)-like he wasn't even there-then snapped a sizzling shot high blocker side on Jarry. Hall's sixth goal of the season (4th as a Bruin) was also assisted by defenseman Mike Reilly and it came at 12:18.  Center Jeff Carter caught Boston's defense in a messy line change and he blasted a shot off the post and in at 17:39. His 11th goal of the season was assisted by defenseman Kris Letang and right wing Kasperi Kapanen. 

    After more than a week on the road, the black and gold finally get to return home and who else will they see next but the Sabres (13-30-7 overall, 7-14-3 away) for two more games to close out their season series. The worst team in the NHL is at the TD Garden on Thursday (7, NESN+) and Saturday afternoon (1, NESN). After losing to them 6-4 on Friday in Buffalo, you can bet that the Bruins figure to be extra motivated to bank four more points and finish 7-1 against the Sabres in 2021. They have so much left to play for unlike Buffalo so I'd be shocked to see them fall again to that clown show of a hockey club. 

The Bruins & Penguins Did Their Part To Help Viewers Across The U.S. Fall Asleep This Afternoon

 

    It's rare that you would ever confuse a hockey game for a bad soccer game but this afternoon's 1-0 victory by the Penguins (32-14-3 overall, 20-3-2 home) over Boston (27-14-6 overall, 13-8-3 away) at PPG Paints Arena was about as dull as it gets for an NHL late regular season contest between two quality teams. Left wing Jake Guentzel provided the only goal with a perfect one-timer from captain Sidney Crosby and BC's Brian Dumoulin at 4:03 of the third period. His 21st goal of the season stood up as all it would take to beat the Bruins on this day. Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry's (30 saves, 20-8-3) first shutout of the season helped his team vault into first-place in the East Division thanks to their fourth straight win, one point ahead of idle Washington (31-13-4). 

    B's rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (28 saves, 5-2-0) deserved a better fate than what it probably feels like in baseball when you pitch a great outing but the opposing pitcher is only slightly better and earns the win. It was a strange tilt, proven by the fact that the only penalty of the night came from a high-sticking call on Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron late in the third period when Swayman was pulled for an extra attacker. With the loss, Boston fell to 4-3 vs. Pittsburgh this season meaning they only have one matchup left-on Tuesday (7, NESN)-also in the Steel City. I'm thinking that Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask will get the start for that one possibly facing the Penguins backup goalie UNH's Casey DeSmith but who knows? Needless to say, finishing 5-3 against the Penguins would look and feel way better than going 4-4 vs. them especially after Boston had put themselves in great position to take the season series coming into these final two encounters. 

If You Didn't See A Minute Of Hornets-Celtics This Afternoon, Consider Yourself A Very Lucky Person

 

    Even on a rainy Sunday afternoon, the Celtics (32-29 overall, 13-18 away) sure didn't give us any reasons to pay attention to them for long today as they got blown out 125-104 by the Hornets (30-30 overall, 16-12 home) at the Spectrum Center. Charlotte shot an absurd 48.8% on 3-pointers (21-for-43) and they handed out a season-high 39 assists as well. Four Hornets scored at least 20 points led by point guard Devonte' Graham (24 points, 9 assists); center P.J. Washington added 22 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, former Celtic Terry Rozier notched 21 points, 11 assists and five rebounds while small forward Miles Bridges put up 20 points and six rebounds. With the loss, Boston fell two games behind both New York (34-27) and Atlanta (34-27) for fourth and fifth-place in the Eastern Conference. The C's are in sixth-place, tied with the Heat (32-29) and now only a game and a half in front of the Hornets.

    It was just never really competitive as the Hornets were up double-digits in the first quarter which allowed them to cruise from there. Power forward Cody Martin had 13 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks in the win while another former Celtic-Brad Wanamaker-piled on with 12 points and two steals off the bench for Charlotte. There really was no excuse for suffering such a beating as other than center Robert Williams (left knee soreness), Celtics head coach Brad Stevens had about as close to a full lineup as he has used at any point of this cursed season. Point guard Kemba Walker (6 rebounds and 2 steals) along with shooting guard Jaylen Brown (8 rebounds and 2 steals) both paced the C's with 20 points apiece. Swingman Jayson Tatum (19 points, 11 rebounds) had another grimy double-double since he shot 6-of-16 from the field. Guard Marcus Smart (17 points) helped cut it to a six-point in the third quarter but that was as good as it would get for Boston.  

    The Celts return home for a critical four-game homestand: they host the awful Thunder (20-40 overall, 11-19 away)-who have lost 13 games in a row!-on Tuesday (7, NBC Sports Boston), followed by a rematch with Charlotte on Wednesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston), the Spurs (30-29 overall, 17-10 away) are here on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) and it ends on Sunday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) with Portland (32-28 overall, 16-12 away) who have lost five straight games. These are all winnable games for the C's although I could also seeing them losing the last three. Haha if they lose to Oklahoma City-who is tanking like you read about-I won't know what to say. 

No Durant Or Harden But The Celtics Still Couldn't Beat The Nets Who Swept The Season Series 4-0

 

    As a Celtics (32-28 overall, 13-17 away) fan, if you weren't already scared to death of the Nets (40-20 overall, 24-7 home), you should be now because no matter who is playing for Brooklyn this season, Boston has proven over and over again that they have no clue how to beat them. With tonight's 109-104 victory by the Nets at the Barclays Center, they earned the four-game season sweep over the Celtics. Yes, Jaylen Brown (shoulder), Robert Williams (knee) and Kemba Walker (load management) were all out for Boston but Brooklyn was missing two future Hall of Famers in Kevin Durant and James Harden (and yes it makes me sick that Harden will be a Hall of Famer but get over it). The good news is that the C's would not see the Nets again until the playoffs but on the off chance that they do meet this postseason, how could you have any confidence that Boston will turn this one-sided matchup around? 

    Five different Nets scored at least 13 points, led by sharpshooting small forward Joe Harris (20 points, 2 blocks). You would have figured that point guard Kyrie Irving (15 points, 11 assists, 4 steals) must have carried Brooklyn but he was awful in terms of shooting: 4-for-19 from the field including 0-of-6 on 3-pointers. Former Celtics great Jeff Green added 19 points and two steals while Boston native Bruce Brown notched 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench plus the ghost of Blake Griffin posted 13 points, five rebounds and two steals off the bench as well. The Celtics' lack of depth has been a major issue all season and it really comes to the forefront against a top team like the Nets. 

    There was basically three Celtics that decided to show up for this game: swingman Jayson Tatum (38 points, 10 rebounds) was unstoppable except for the fact that he had five costly turnovers. Point guard Marcus Smart had 19 points, five rebounds and two steals while rookie guard Payton Pritchard added 22 points (in 24 minutes!) off the bench. With the aforementioned injuries, head coach Brad Stevens chose to start Semi Ojeleye (3 points) and Romeo Langford (0 points). I get that neither guy is expected to put up a ton of points but you can't have two black holes like that offensively in the lineup against a quality opponent.

    Boston played well in the first quarter and great in the fourth quarter but they were awful in the second quarter and bad in the third quarter which was enough to cost them the game. The C's were up 25-21 after the first quarter but the Nets ran circles around them in the second quarter (39-26) for a 60-51 halftime lead. Things didn't get better for the visitors in the third quarter (Nets outscored them 28-22) and they responded in the fourth quarter (31-21) but it was too late, no matter how many shots Kyrie missed. The Celts were also playing in the second game of a back-to-back which is not an excuse but just a fact in this crazy condensed schedule. 

    Some of these numbers were eye-opening as the Nets made 13 more free throws (24-11), dished out five more assists (26-21), had twice as many steals (12-6) and eight less turnovers than the Celtics. Brooklyn scored 10 more points in the paint (48-38) than them but the true nightmare fuel that will probably keep Stevens and his coaching staff up for days is the fact that the Nets somehow outscored them by 29 in fastbreak points (32-3). Haha have you ever heard something like that in an NBA game (that wasn't a 40-point blowout)? That's absurd. 

    Boston doesn't have much time to feel sorry for themselves as they go to Charlotte (29-30 overall, 15-12 home) on Sunday afternoon (1, NBC Sports Boston). The Hornets and Terry Rozier are clinging to eighth-place in the Eastern Conference but they are only two and a half games behind the sixth-place Celtics. You'll remember that when we last saw Charlotte, Boston embarrassed them 116-86 on Easter at the TD Garden. The two teams are about to meet twice in four days for a home-and-home set with Rookie of the Year favorite LaMelo Ball expected to return very soon from his wrist injury, in fact he could possibly play this weekend.

After Going 0-5 Vs. The Bruins, The Sabres Finally Beat Them 6-4 Behind Sam Reinhart's Hat Trick

 

    I'm not going to say that the worst team in the NHL was due for a win but the Sabres (13-28-7) found a way to beat the Bruins (27-13-6) for the first time this season, 6-4 this evening at the KeyBank Center. The loss snapped Boston's season-high six-game winning streak and also their bid for a perfect campaign against Buffalo (now 5-1 with 2 games left to play). It wasn't B's goaltender Tuukka Rask's night (24 saves) either as he got pulled early in the third period and backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak made his first appearance since April 3 after he tested positive for Covid-19. Boston won on Tuesday and last night as well in Buffalo so it's tough to be too hard on them, still any loss to the Sabres these days is a really bad one. 

    Center Patrice Bergeron was a last-minute scratch for the B's with a foot injury (from blocking a shot on Thursday), that meant that BU's Charlie Coyle took his spot on the top line. Boston actually scored first before Buffalo buried them with a barrage of five goals in a row. Defenseman Steven Kampfer made it 1-0 in favor of the black and gold with a snipe off the post and in at 2:15 of the first period. Left wing Taylor Hall and Rask provided the assists on Kampfer's second goal of the season. After going 0-for-11 in the previous two tilts this week against Boston, Buffalo's power play went 2-for-3 tonight. Center Sam Reinhart tied it with a power play tally at 15:40. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and left wing Victor Olofsson had the assists on Reinhart's team-leading 18th goal of the season. 

    Things started to fall apart for the Bruins in the second period as Dahlin made it 2-1 at 6:54 (his 5th goal of the season was assisted by center Riley Sheahan and left wing Tobias Rieder) then center Casey Mittelstadt put the Sabres up 3-1 at 14:17. UConn's Tage Thompson and rookie defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (1st NHL point) picked up the helpers on Mittelstadt's ninth goal of the season. It only got worse for the B's early in the third period as Buffalo continued to pour it on. Rookie right wing Arttu Ruotsalainen gave the Sabres a three-goal lead (something I'm sure they have not experienced too often this season) at 1:14. Center Dylan Cozens and Samuelsson had the assists on Ruotsalainen's fourth goal of the season and his second in two nights. That's when Rask's outing was over and things didn't start much better for Halak since Reinhart got another power play goal at 4:30. 

    That's when Boston mercifully remembered who they are (and who the Sabres are) because they rattled off three straight goals to briefly cut it to a one-goal game (5-4) late in the third. Left wing Nick Ritchie scored his 12th goal of the season at 12:06 (assisted by Kamper and right wing Jake DeBrusk) and it was also his second game in a row with a tally after he had gone 13 consecutive games without one. Defenseman Kevan Miller scored his first regular season goal since December 2017, cutting it to 5-3 at 15:25 (Kampfer and left wing Sean Kuraly notched the assists on that one). I have to admit that I thought Buffalo would blow it when left wing Taylor Hall's attempted pass deflected into the net past rookie goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (36 saves) who was making his NHL debut. Hall famously had just two goals for Buffalo this season and that was already his third in a Bruins uniform with defenseman Charlie McAvoy and center David Krejci registering assists on that goal at 17:12. Boston had plenty of time left to tie it but they couldn't and it was over when Reinhardt put in an empty-net goal at 19:18. 

    I can't imagine how badly that the Bruins wanted to get out of Buffalo after spending at least the past four days there. Their reward is a trip to Pittsburgh (30-14-3) where they will meet the Penguins on Sunday afternoon (3, NBC) and then the rematch on Tuesday (7, NESN). Boston is 4-2 against Pittsburgh in 2021 so this two-game set will close their season series. The Pens are three points ahead of the B's while Boston has a game in hand. If they want to have a chance to catch them, they can't afford to get swept. Conversely, if the Bruins can win both games, the East Division will be complete chaos down the stretch.

After Last Night's 5-1 Easy Win Vs. The Sabres, The B's Are Enjoying An Extended Stay In Buffalo

 

    Things couldn't be working out much better for the Bruins (27-12-6 overall, 13-6-3 road) at the moment as they are taking full advantage of all their games against the putrid Sabres (12-28-7 overall, 5-16-4) after last night's routine 5-1 victory for the black and gold at the KeyBank Center. That gave Boston a season-high six game winning streak which can become seven tonight (7, NESN Plus) as they play one more game in Buffalo against these scrubs. 12 different Bruins had points and rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (5-1-0) made 29 saves as the B's improved to a perfect 5-0 against the Sabres in 2021. There are three more layups, oops I mean games left to go with the worst team in the NHL.

    This installment was close for two periods since Boston led 2-1 going into the third before they broke it open with three goals in the final 20 minutes. It's hard to take too much from these glorified exhibition games but it was nice to see all five of the Bruins' goals come 5-on-5 while their penalty kill is a combined 11-for-11 in their last two meetings with Buffalo. Left wing Brad Marchand staked the B's to an early 1-0 lead when he put in a rebound past Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski (33 saves, 2-7-2). Center Patrice Bergeron and defenseman Mike Reilly had the assists at 12:36 on Marchand's team-leading 25th goal of the season. 

          Buffalo right wing Arttu Ruotsalainen tied it at 5:27 of the second period with his third goal of the season. It was the only highlight of the night for the home team as former Bruin Anders Bjork fed Ruotsalainen for the tap-in after center Dylan Cozens had stole the puck along the boards in Boston's defensive zone. BU's Matt Grzelcyk put Boston ahead for good with a wrist shot that Tokarski should have grabbed at 12:50 of the second period. Fellow Terrier alum Charlie McAvoy and right wing David Pastrnak registered the assists on Grzelcyk's fourth goal of the season.  

    You could feel Buffalo's souls leave their bodies in the third period as the Bruins ruthlessly ran up the score on them. Pasta's goal was a pretty one as he drove to the right then shot a low hard shot against the grain that Tokarski had no chance to stop. His 18th goal of the season came at 4:55 and it was assisted by Marchand and Grzelcyk. Left wing Nick Ritchie broke his cold streak with a goal at 6:01, his 11th of the season, from right wing Jake DeBrusk and BU's Charlie Coyle (300th NHL point). Poor Tokarski understandably wanted to be anywhere but there when defenseman Jeremy Lauzon's shot hit the post and center David Krejci touched in the rebound for the final tally. It was Krejci's sixth goal of the season and the secondary assist came from former Sabres great Taylor Hall at 18:02. How happy is he to be a Bruin after playing for so many terrible teams in his NHL career (Oilers, Devils, Coyotes and Sabres)? 

    No matter how much of a joke these Bruins-Sabres games appear to be, don't forget how important they are to Boston. The Rangers (23-18-6) have dropped their last two games which has allowed the Bruins to move eight points ahead of them with two games in hand. Barring a huge collapse, it looks like the Bruins will finish in the top four in the East Division but they can still move up with a strong push at the end of the regular season. The Islanders (29-13-5) are only three points ahead of them with the B's having two games in hand and one meeting left to go. The Penguins (30-14-3) are also just three points in front of Boston while the Bruins own two games in hand plus they play them twice in a row after they finally get out of Buffalo. Top seed Washington (30-13-4) is four points up on Boston but the black and gold have two games in hand and the regular season finale is against them so that could potentially mean something to both clubs. 

Celtics Lock Down The Suns, Picking Up One Of Their Best Wins Of The Season, 99-86

 

    The game itself was far from pretty but the end result was beautiful last night at the TD Garden as the Celtics (32-27 overall, 19-11 home) easily dispatched of the weary Suns (42-17 overall, 19-8 away) 99-86. Phoenix entered having won in overtime at Milwaukee (36-22) on Monday and at Philadelphia (39-20) on Wednesday, so you can understand why they didn't have much energy left by the time they reached the Garden parquet. For what it's worth, Boston was missing three of their best players: shooting guard Jaylen Brown (left shoulder bursitis), center Robert Williams (left knee soreness) and swingman Evan Fournier (health and safety protocol) all missed the rematch between the C's and the Suns. The Celtics were also coming off of one of the worst losses of their season 102-96 to the Bulls (25-34) on Monday so this was a great bounceback victory which gives them wins in seven out of their last eight contests. 

    The Suns are fighting for a top seed in the Western Conference though so they respectfully had all their best players in the lineup: point guard Chris Paul (22 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals), shooting guard Devin Booker (15 points, 5 turnovers before he fouled out), small forward Mikal Bridges (15 points) and center Deandre Ayton (10 points, 9 rebounds) all played their normal minutes. Boston was led by point guard Kemba Walker who tied his season-high with 32 points. Swingman Jayson Tatum (15 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 turnovers) had another ugly shooting performance (3-for-17) but at least he's getting to the free throw line way more than earlier this season and converting them (8-of-8). Guard Marcus Smart added 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists while center Tristan Thompson (9 points, 12 rebounds) missed out on a double-double by one measly point. Rookie guard Payton Pritchard (10 points) continued his late season reemergence in 21 valuable minutes off the bench. 

    The C's smartly jumped on the Suns right away as they led 26-21 after the first quarter and they were up by as many as 21 points in the second quarter before settling into a 53-37 halftime advantage. Phoenix pushed back in the third quarter (28-24) but with Booker out, there would be no comeback in the fourth quarter as Boston edged them 22-21. Neither team shot well but the Celtics did hit twice as many 3-pointers (12-6) as the Suns, they also made 13 more free throws (21-8) and grabbed 10 more rebounds (48-38). For a team that has struggled so much defensively all season, it was refreshing to see the Celts hold an elite opponent to 40.9% shooting from the field and 17.1% on 3-pointers (which has to be a season-best). 

    The middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race is a complete mess so this win allowed Boston to keep pace with fifth-place Atlanta (32-27) and remain a half game behind the fourth-place Knicks (33-27) along with one game ahead of seventh-place Miami (31-28). After three blowout losses to the Nets (39-20 overall, 23-7 home) earlier this season, tonight (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at the Barclays Center is the last chance for the Celtics to finally beat Brooklyn before they could potentially see them again in the postseason. Kevin Durant (leg) and James Harden (hamstring) are both out, leaving only Kyrie Irving from the Nets' Big Three so even though it's in a back-to-back, this feels like the best time for the C's to come out on top. Brooklyn is 5-5 in their last 10 games due to all the changes in their lineup but they remain in a dead heat with the Sixers for the top spot in the East. This game means so much to both teams therefore it should be a good one.

Rodriguez (3-0) Is Starting To Look Like An Ace Again As Sox Beat Ryu (1-2) & Jays 4-2 Last Night

 

    It's easy to forget sometimes because so much has happened since then, but we are only two seasons removed from an outstanding 19-6 campaign by Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez. Yes, he gets hurt all the time and he missed all of 2020 with a scary heart condition (not to mention a bout with Covid-19) but so far in 2021, Eddie is showing signs that he has found that No. 1 starter form again. Last night in the mini-series opener at Fenway Park vs. Toronto (7-10 overall, 4-7 away), Rodriguez (6 IP, 2 ER, 3 hits, 6 Ks, 1 BB) helped Boston (12-6 overall, 6-5 home) to a 4-2 victory. He was matched up with the Blue Jays ace Hyun Jin Ryu (5 IP, 4 ER, 8 hits, 2 Ks, 0 BBs) and Rodriguez came out on top of that battle.

    The only runs for Toronto came via a solo home run by shortstop Bo Bichette (2-for-4) in the fourth-fifth of the season-and center fielder Randal Grichuk (2-for-4) in the seventh-his second of the season. That gave them a short-lived 1-0 lead in the fourth and cut it to 4-2 in the seventh. All of Boston's runs were in the fourth inning as shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2-for-4) crushed a three-run bomb to center that scored second baseman Christian Arroyo (3-for-4, 2B, run) and left fielder J.D. Martinez. We had started to worry a bit that Bogey hadn't homered this season but with the weather starting to warm up, I bet that gets him going. The Aruba native is hitting .393 with a .439 OBP and .557 SLG, so everybody can relax. First baseman Bobby Dalbec (2-for-3) added an RBI triple (1st 3B of his career) that plated third baseman Marwin Gonzalez. 

    I feel like a broken record here but once again, Boston's bullpen was excellent. Matt Andriese pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning with one strikeout, Northeastern's Adam Ottavino had a scoreless eighth inning with one strikeout and one walk setting the stage for closer Matt Barnes who allowed an infield single but got a strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning for his third save of the season. Tonight (7:10, NESN) is the series finale with Garrett Richards (0-1) facing something called Trent Thornton (0-0). Haha whatever the over/under is, take the over since I feel like both of those nobodies will get shelled. There is no Celtics or Bruins game this evening so expect a long night of baseball at Fenway.

Halfway Through The Season Series Vs. Sabres, B's Are Unbeaten (4-0) After Last Night's 2-0 Shutout

 

    With the borderline AHL club that the Sabres (12-27-7) are rolling out there this season, it truthfully doesn't take much to beat them. Still, give the Bruins (26-12-6) credit for staying focused while they play the worst team in the league. Last night at the KeyBank Center, Boston blanked Buffalo 2-0 for their fifth straight win thanks to 32 saves by goaltender Tuukka Rask (11-4-2) who earned his first shutout of the season and the 51st of his NHL career. Thanks to a scheduling quirk in a year that's full of them, this was the first of three straight games between the Bruins and Sabres while Boston will also play these bums five times in their next seven contests. Haha what a gift as they try to lock up a playoff spot and move up in the East Division: the B's are now only four points behind the Capitals (29-13-4) and Islanders (29-13-4) plus just three points behind the Penguins (29-14-3) with two games in hand against all of those clubs.

    As you can probably conclude from the final score, this contest was pretty cut and dry. Boston scored a goal in the first period and a goal in the second period and that's more than they needed to beat a punchless group that went 0-for-6 on the power play. Left wing Brad Marchand gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead with a sweet backhander at 8:06 of the first period. Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski (39 saves, 2-6-2) left a juicy rebound then Marchand was able to swoop in and finish a backhander top shelf. Right wing David Pastrnak and defenseman Mike Reilly had the assists on Marchand's team-leading 24th goal of the season. 

    Defenseman Connor Clifton's goal at 3:03 of the second period was a classic goal allowed by an awful team. His shot from the point squeaked through Tokarski's five-hole and then for good measure, he kicked it with his skate which gave it just enough momentum to get over the goal line. It was the first goal of the season for the former Quinnipiac star, assisted by left wing Sean Kuraly and center Curtis Lazar (playing in his first game back in Buffalo). After a day off today, these teams return to the ice in Western NY tomorrow night (7, NESN) followed by a back-to-back on Friday (7, NESN). The Bruins are 4-0 against the Sabres with four matchups left this season and needless to say, those are eight easy points that they need to grab like their lives depend on it.

The Celtics' Six-Game Winning Streak Ends With A Whimper As They Fell 102-96 To The Lowly Bulls

 

    The Celtics (31-27 overall, 18-11 home) had been playing so well lately-winning their last six games in a row-that we all started to forget the earlier problems that plagued them for much of this lackluster season. Unfortunately, their lack of depth, costly turnovers and brutal third quarters all came back in spades tonight at the TD Garden as they lost 102-96 to the Bulls (24-33 overall, 13-15 away). Swingman Evan Fournier (health and safety protocol) and center Robert Williams (left knee soreness) remained out for the C's while they were joined on the sidelines by guards Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart who both were out with illness (not Covid-19, apparently). Even with all those guys not playing, the Celtics should have still beaten a team that is clinging to 10th-place in the Eastern Conference and the final play-in spot. 

    Center Nikola Vucevic (game-high 29 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals) was probably the best player to be moved at the trade deadline this year and he's shown no signs of slowing down since coming to Chicago from Orlando. Point guard Coby White added 19 points and seven assists while journeyman Garrett Temple scored 13 points (I can just hear Charles Barkley saying his name during Inside The NBA's hilarious "Who He Play For?" segment) and veteran big man Thaddeus Young added 13 points and two steals off the bench. Finally, former Celtic Daniel Theis (6 points and 6 rebounds in 29 minutes) was pretty quiet in his first return to the Garden. As you can imagine, it was a mixed bag for the Celts as shooting guard Jaylen Brown led the way with 23 points while swingman Jayson Tatum followed up his 44-point explosion in Saturday's heart-pounding win vs. Golden State (29-29) with his first career triple-double (14 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists). The only issue with Tatum's game was that he shot 3-of-17 from the field which seems impossible for a player with his immense skills. Center Tristan Thompson added 11 points and five rebounds while spot starting rookie point guard Payton Pritchard tossed in 14 points.

    It wasn't going to be pretty but Boston was in decent shape as they led 30-24 after the first quarter but both teams went ice cold in the second quarter which resulted in a 48-42 halftime advantage for the C's. The Bulls woke up in the third quarter, outscoring the Celtics by a wide margin-32-18. Boston rallied in the fourth quarter a bit (30-28) but it just wasn't enough. Chicago had three times as many offensive rebounds (9-3) which resulted in 14 more second chance points (18-4). The Bulls also recorded nine more assists (30-21), four times as many blocks (8-2) and three less turnovers (15-12) than the careless Celtics.

    For the first time in over a month-which is truly insane-the Celts have two days between now and their next game on Thursday (7, NBC Sports Boston) at the Garden against the Suns (41-16 overall, 18-7 road). Future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul has helped Phoenix exceed expectations in a major way, they have not only the second-best record in the Western Conference but in the whole league. The only other time that these clubs met this season was on Super Bowl Sunday (February 7) in Phoenix, won 100-91 by the home team. For once, the C's will be rested while the Suns figure to be tired after playing at Philadelphia (39-18)-still the top team in the East-on Wednesday night. Dare I say it could be an NBA Finals preview for this summer? Haha yeah right, that's not happening. 

Still No Boston Marathon On Patriots' Day But At Least The Red Sox Crushed The White Sox 11-4

 

    Our world is still nothing like it was in pre-pandemic times but at least in terms of sports, we are slowly getting back to a sense of some normalcy. Patriots' Day is typically a sacred holiday in Massachusetts: the Boston Marathon starts in Hopkinton that morning and ends in downtown Boston that afternoon while the Red Sox always play a game at Fenway Park with an early start time of 11:10 a.m. In 2020, the Boston Marathon was virtual and MLB's regular season didn't start until July (mostly with empty stadiums) so you had to smile today when it was a sunny April day in the Bay State and the Red Sox (11-6 overall, 5-5 home) hosted the White Sox (8-9 overall, 5-6 away) in their four-game series finale. After getting swept 3-2 and 5-1 yesterday in a doubleheader, Boston bounced back with a resounding 11-4 win to gain a split of the series. The end result was never in doubt since the home team scored six runs in the first and led 10-2 by the fourth inning to cruise to the easy victory. 

White Sox starter Lucas Giolito (1-1) is a good pitcher, not that you would get that impression today if you watched the Red Sox run him over. In one plus innings, he allowed eight runs (7 earned) on eight hits with two walks and zero strikeouts. Is that bad? Things got so hopeless for Chicago that manager/your drunk grandpa Tony LaRussa used not one but two position players (Yermin Mercedes and UMass Lowell's Danny Mendick) to close out the last two innings. In situations like that, MLB should adopt some type of pseudo-Little League mercy rule. On the other side, Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi (3-1) had a better outing: 6.1 innings, four earned runs, nine hits, 10 strikeouts and zero walks. He threw exactly 100 pitches before being lifted for ace reliever Garrett Whitlock who was able to get the last eight outs (including 2 strikeouts) without allowing a hit or walk. How impressive has he been so far this season? 

    The Red Sox had 17 hits and six guys put together multi-hit performances, in fact first baseman Bobby Dalbec was the only Boston hitter to finish without a hit. DH J.D. Martinez (3-for-5, 2 RBIs, 2 runs), center fielder Alex Verdugo (3-for-4, 2 RBIs, BB) & second baseman Kike Hernandez (2-for-6, 2B, 2 runs) all hit solo homers. Catcher Christian Vazquez was 3-for-5 with two runs scored, third baseman Rafael Devers was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two walks and two runs scored while left fielder Franchy Cordero was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one walk. The only White Sox hitters to show up after their early morning wake-up calls were shortstop Tim Anderson (3-for-4, 2 runs, 2B) and right fielder Adam Eaton (2 2Bs, 3 RBIs).

    Chicago actually led for a very brief moment in time when center fielder Luis Robert doubled in Anderson in the first inning. Hernandez tied it with a lead-off home run (his 3rd HR of the season) that sneaked just over the line above the Green Monster. Devers and shortstop Marwin Gonzalez each added an RBI single before another run scored on a groundout then two more runs scored following a single by Cordero and a fielding error by left fielder Leury Garcia. Martinez crushed a homer to left in the second (his 6th HR of the season) and right fielder Hunter Renfroe drove in Devers with a sacrifice fly. 

    Eaton's RBI double in the third scored second baseman Nick Madrigal and cut it to 8-2 Red Sox but Verdugo answered in the bottom of the frame with a blast to right (his 3rd HR of the season). The Red Sox increased their lead to eight runs when Vazquez scored on Cordero's infield single in the fourth inning to make it 10-2 in favor of the home team. Eaton wasn't giving any at bats away as he notched another RBI double in the fifth that scored Anderson and the final White Sox run came in to score on a groundout in the seventh. Martinez provided the last run with an RBI single in the seventh that scored Hernandez. 

    Toronto (7-9 overall, 4-6 away) visits Fenway the next two nights for the first meetings of the season between the AL East rivals. Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0) faces Blue Jays ace Hyun Jin Ryu (1-1) tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) in a battle of quality lefties. On Wednesday night (7:10, NESN), it'll be the immortal Garrett Richards (0-1) vs. TBA. Toronto is tied with Baltimore (7-9) for third-place in the AL East, 3.5 games behind the first-place Red Sox but at least they are still 1.5 games ahead of the awful Yankees (5-10). The Red Sox lead MLB in runs scored (96) and they have the best run-differential in the American League (+28) so it would be nice if Rodriguez could give them a little more than the five inning outings that he's posted in his first two starts of 2021.  

B's Showed How Far They've Come in A Week, Beating The Caps 6-3 In Their Fourth Straight Win

 

    The Bruins (25-12-6) have picked a wonderful time of the regular season to start playing their best hockey in 2021. This afternoon at the TD Garden, Boston outlasted Washington (29-13-4) 6-3 thanks to a pair of goals from left wing Brad Marchand (2 assists), center Patrice Bergeron (assist) and center David Krejci. Like most meetings with the Capitals, this turned out to be a wild one complete with cheap shots and plenty of blood but sadly no Zdeno Chara (undisclosed) who hadn't missed a game before that for Washington. Boston scored twice to start the game, Washington responded with three goals in a row from late in the first period to the early in the second period to take a temporary 3-2 lead. Finally, the black and gold shut the door by scoring three more times in the middle frame then adding an empty-net goal late in the third period. After bottoming out in their 8-1 beating at the hands of Washington last Sunday night at the Garden, the B's have completely turned it around since this was their fourth straight victory. Boston took a 1-0 lead at 12:02 of the first period thanks to some great hustle by Marchand. He deflected an attempted pass behind his own net by Capitals defenseman John Carlson (game-low minus-5!) and the puck ended up right on Bergy's stick in front of goaltender Vitek Vanecek (22 saves, 17-9-3). He went around him so easily and finished with a backhander for his 17th goal of the season. Less than two minutes later, Krejci doubled the Bruins lead by going to the net and redirecting a pass from defenseman Connor Clifton. Right wing Craig Smith notched the secondary assist on Krejci's fourth goal of the season at 13:56. Washington got on the board with a goal at 19:50 of the first period. Center Nicklas Backstrom skated in on a breakaway that was stopped by B's goaltender Tuukka Rask (30 saves, 10-4-2) but right wing T.J. Oshie followed it up to knock in the rebound for his 15th goal of the season. 

    As good teams often tend to do, the Caps took advantage of the situation when Clifton was called for his second high-sticking penalty (double minor) of the game early in the second period. First some tic-tac-toe passing led to a sweet one-timer for Oshie right from the slot. Center Evgeny Kuznetsov and Backstrom had the assists on the tying goal at 3:48. The newest Capital right wing Anthony Manta fired in a screened shot at 4:54 of the second period for another power play tally. His 15th goal of the season (and 4th as a Cap, he's scored in every game so far) was assisted by defenseman Dmitry Orlov and center Lars Eller. Marchand tied it at three with his a nifty move by Vitacek that resulted in his team-best 22nd goal of the season at 6:33. Pasta and Bergeron had the helpers with Brad possibly taking the puck off David's stick, oh well! Krejci's second goal was a vintage edition: he deked around a Capitals defenseman before slowly roofing a shot for his fifth goal of the season at 16:02. Smith and left wing Taylor Hall provided the assists on that game-winner. Late in the second period, Boston's top line combined for a gorgeous goal: Marchand and Pastrnak raced in on a 2-on-1 with Pasta eventually dropping the puck back to Bergeron for a one-timer. The captain's 18th goal of the season came at 17:45 of the second period and it gave his club a 5-3 advantage. 

    Marchand closed out his great performance by bagging that empty-netter at 18:16 of the third period, assisted by Pastrnak. Boston has earned at least a point in six of their seven meetings (4-1-2) with Washington this season; they take on the Capitals one more time-the regular season finale for both teams on May 11 (7, NESN) which will probably have some type of playoff implications in it. Winning four out of five games last week was nice and all but I think the Bruins have a good chance to really make a move in the East Division since they play their next three games against the wretched Sabres (12-26-7) at the KeyBank Center: Tuesday (6:30, NESN), Thursday (7, NESN) and Friday (7, NESN). The long five-game road trip concludes with a pair of games in Pittsburgh (28-14-3) next Sunday afternoon (3, NBC) followed by Tuesday's finale (7, NESN). The Bruins are only six points behind the first-place Caps, four points in back of the Islanders (28-13-4) and the Pens lead them by three points. They also have at least two games in hand over all those teams. Boston must pay attention to the Rangers (23-16-6) though who have won four games in a row to remain four points behind the Bruins in fifth-place and show no signs of letting up (7-1-2 in their last 10) anytime soon. 

Jayson Tatum (44 Pts) & Stephen Curry (47) Have A Classic Duel As C's Outlast Warriors 119-114

 

    ABC and ESPN executives must have been doing cartwheels late last night as the shorthanded Celtics (31-26 overall, 18-10 home) and Warriors (28-29 overall, 11-19 away) staged an improbable instant classic regular season game. Down two starters (Jaylon Brown and Robert Williams) plus a top reserve (Evan Fournier), Boston won 119-114 at the TD Garden thanks to a true superstar performance by swingman Jayson Tatum (44 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals) which was just enough to survive another unforgettable outing by Warriors icon Stephen Curry (47 points, 11 3-pointers, 7 rebounds) who is the greatest shooter in NBA history. Most importantly, it was Boston's season-high sixth win in a row which vaulted them ahead of idle Atlanta (30-26) and into fourth-place in the Eastern Conference. 

    This matchup had it all, including a crazy dive into the scorer's table by Warriors small forward Juan Toscano-Anderson (6 rebounds) that resulted in a cut on his head and possible concussion while the newest Celtic Jabari Parker scored 11 points in 16 minutes off the bench. Wait what? Celts point guard Kemba Walker (26 points, 8 rebounds) was really good and guard Marcus Smart (16 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals) had the impossible task of slowing down a red-hot Curry. Rookie guard Payton Pritchard (11 points) also gave Boston head coach Brad Stevens some valuable minutes off the bench as well. 

    With Klay Thompson sadly out for the entire season, Golden State is left to scrap for the play-in round of the Western Conference playoffs. As you can tell by the box score, Curry does not have much help at the moment. Former No. 1 pick in 2014 (1 spot ahead of Parker!) small forward Andrew Wiggins (22 points) has never developed into the star that many thought he would be. Swingman Kent Bazemore added 16 points for the Warriors while shooting guard Jordan Poole had 12 points off the bench. Uniquely gifted power forward Draymond Green (5 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds) was held in check after he's had some monster numbers lately. 

    Golden State was hot right away as they led 33-24 after the first quarter and 66-60 at halftime. Truthfully, it felt like a gift that Boston was only down two possessions after two quarters since Tatum hit a tough jumper at the halftime buzzer. The C's made another push to tie it at 89 after three quarters before closing it out 30-25 in the fourth quarter. Boston had five more rebounds (45-40) including six more offensive boards (14-8) which led to 10 more points in the paint (48-38) and 11 more points second chance points (26-15). They also had three more steals (9-6) and eight less turnovers (17-9) than the sloppy Warriors which resulted in 15 more points off turnovers (23-8). 

    This was the start of an important three-game homestand for the Celtics as they host the Bulls (23-33 overall, 12-15 away) tomorrow night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). Brown was sick (not with Covid-19) so hopefully he can return for that one. Williams is dealing with left knee soreness so we'll see about that and Stevens already said that Fournier is out of the league's health and safety protocol but he won't be suiting up against Chicago. Milwaukee (35-21) is four and a half games ahead of Boston so realistically, the best that they can finish in the East in 2021 is in fourth. Therefore, they have to do everything they can to hold onto that spot with less than a month left to go in the regular season.

The Red Sox Opened The White Sox Series At Fenway With Another Comeback Victory, 7-4

 

    After Friday night's series opener vs. Chicago (6-8 overall, 3-5 away) was postponed due to rain (haha and snow!), the teams got things started at Fenway Park yesterday afternoon with the Red Sox (10-4 overall, 4-3 home) picking up a solid 7-4 win. The White Sox scored twice in the first inning and later tied it at three in the seventh inning but both times, the home team had a timely response. First baseman Marwin Gonzalez hit his first home run for the Red Sox to ignite the four-run eighth inning which ended with a two-run double by shortstop Xander Bogaerts (4-for-5, 18th career 4-hit game). 

    Boston survived a poor start by Nick Pivetta (3.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 hits, 3 Ks, 4 BBs) who wasn't able to get out of the fourth inning. That forced Red Sox manager Alex Cora to dip into his bullpen early but it worked out as Josh Taylor struck out the one guy he faced in the fourth then Matt Andriese went three valuable innings. Northeastern's Adam Ottavino (2-1) had an impressive eighth inning, striking out the side on 12 pitches to earn the win. The only downside from a pitching perspective (besides Pivetta's dud) was that Cora burned closer Matt Barnes (28 pitches) in a non-save situation since he warmed up in the eighth for a long time and was ready to go before Boston rallied to break the game open. 

    Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on first baseman Jose Abreu's (2 hits) RBI double that scored Adam Eaton. The other White Sox run came on a groundout. Boston tied it with a pair of sacrifice flies-by right fielder Alex Verdugo and third baseman Rafael Devers-in the third inning. Center fielder Kike Hernandez (4-for-5, 2B, RBI) had his best game in a Red Sox uniform and he put them ahead 3-2 in the sixth with an RBI single that scored catcher Kevin Plawecki. 

    A sacrifice fly by Chicago in the seventh tied it at three before Gonzalez hit his bomb to right center in the eighth. J.D. Martinez added a bases loaded walk for an insurance run before Xander's clutch extra-base hit. Get ready for plenty of baseball today as there will be a doubleheader: rookie Tanner Houck (0-1) faces Dallas Kuechel (0-0) in Game 1 (1:10, NESN) followed by Martin Perez (0-0) vs. TBA in Game 2 (5:10, NESN). Boston is 9-1 in their last 10 games and they own the best record in the American League so they just want to keep it rolling on this beautiful Sunday.

The Bruins Have Finally Figured Out The Islanders As They Beat Them For The Second Night In A Row

 

    It's amazing what the infusion of a three new quality players can do for a hockey team. Suddenly, the Bruins (24-12-6) have new life and are playing great, blanking the Islanders (27-13-4) 3-0 tonight at the TD Garden for their second win against New York in 24 hours. The B's were 0-3-2 against the Isles this season before Thursday and they totally flipped the script the last few nights by outscoring them 7-1. Rookie goaltender Jeremy Swayman (25 saves, 4-1-0) recorded the first shutout of his NHL career and I'm going to venture an educated guess that it won't be his last. Boston scored a goal in each period: including another from left wing Taylor Hall, right wing David Pastrnak snapped his goal drought and center Curtis Lazar's notched his first as a Bruin. 

    Boston's opening goal was a backbreaker as weird as that sounds on the surface because there was 2.4 seconds left in the first period when defenseman Mike Reilly threw a pass in front of the net, on the money to Pasta who roofed it over Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (11-4-1, 25 saves). Pastrnak's 17th goal of the season was also assisted by center Patrice Bergeron. That late momentum shift for the home team clearly carried over to the second period as Hall made it 2-0 47 seconds into that frame. He worked a give-and-go with center David Krejci, ending with Hall going to the net and blowing past New York defenseman Scott Mayfield before redirecting Krejci's pass through Sorokin's five-hole for his fourth goal of the season. Defenseman Steven Kampfer earned the secondary assist on Hall's second goal in black and gold. 

    Boston's penalty kill was outstanding as New York's power play went 0-for-5. Like any good goalie, Swayman was their top penalty killer as he made a bunch of quality stops. Tuukka Rask got the night off after beating the Islanders on Thursday so fellow rookie Dan Vladar served as Swayman's backup instead. It's not hard to picture that duo being Boston's goaltenders of the (near) future if they both keep this up. All three of the newcomers got on the score sheet so an empty-net goal for Lazar seemed like the perfect way to end this impressive performance. His sixth goal of the season was unassisted at 18:48 of the third period. 

    The B's have won their last three games-all since the trade deadline-and they are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. I'm not saying that they are going to catch the three teams in front of them in the East Division-Pittsburgh (57 points), NYI and Washington (60 points)-but at least now that is more than a pipe dream. After getting humbled 8-1 by the Caps (28-12-4) last Sunday on their home ice, Boston gets another crack at them on Sunday afternoon (12, NBC) back at the Garden. Anything can happen but I'll guarantee that the Capitals won't beat them by seven goals this time around.

The C's Capped Off A 3-0 West Coast Trip With A Win Vs. The JV Lakers (Missing Both LeBron & AD)

 

    My how things have changed in a little over a week for the Celtics (30-26 overall, 13-16 away). They polished off a perfect West Coast road trip with a fun 121-113 victory tonight at the Staples Center against the Lakers (34-22 overall, 16-12 home). Sure this win will have two very large asterisks attached to it since two of the best players in the NBA-LeBron James and Anthony Davis-were sitting in street clothes by LA's bench area but when it comes to this rivalry, who cares who is suiting up? It always matters when these teams meet, regardless of records or rosters. Boston was led by shooting guard Jaylen Brown (game-high 40 points, 9 rebounds) who had one of his best games as a pro, shooting an absurd 17-of-20 from the floor in 32 minutes. The Celtics return home tied with Atlanta (30-26) for fourth-place in the Eastern Conference, a game ahead of sixth-place New York (29-27) and most importantly, 1.5 games ahead of seventh-place Miami (28-27) and out of the play-in round. 

    All of Boston's starters scored at least 12 points; guard Marcus Smart had 15 points and six rebounds, swingman Jayson Tatum (5 rebounds, 5 assists) and center Tristan Thompson (6 rebounds, 5 assists) both notched 14 points while point guard Kemba Walker added 12 points and seven assists. Rookie guard Payton Pritchard also put together his best performance in weeks with 15 points and seven rebounds in 20 impressive minutes off the bench. All you need to know about the scrubs that the Lakers rolled out this evening was that something called Talen Horton-Tucker (19 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) was their best player, followed closely by the ghost of Marc Gasol (18 points). For once, LA head coach Frank Vogel had to work but what could he really do? Scrap heap guard Ben McLeMore added 17 points off the bench, small forward Kyle Kuzma struggled to get 13 points, center Montrezl Harrell (12 points, 8 rebounds) and small forward Alfonzo McKinnie (10 points) were the other Lakers reserves to score in double figures. 

    The Celts reached 30+ points in every quarter: they were up 31-23 after the first quarter and 61-48 at halftime. LA took the third quarter (31-30) by the narrowest of margins and they outscored Boston 34-30 in the fourth quarter but that was all window dressing, it was never really in doubt for the visitors who led by as much as 27 points. Thanks to Brown's NBA Jam like outing, Boston shot almost 12% better than the Lakers from the field (56.5%-44.9%). Boston hit two more 3-pointers (14-12) and grabbed 12 more rebounds overall (48-36) including 16 defensive boards (41-25!) which led to 14 more points in the paint (64-50). The Celtics also had five more assists (33-28) and three times as many blocks (6-2) as the Lakers. 

    Boston returns home for three important games starting with a primetime matchup with the Warriors (28-28 overall, 11-18 away) on Saturday night (8:30, ABC). Then they host Daniel Theis and the Bulls (22-32 overall, 12-15 away) on Monday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston), I can't wait for his tribute video! Chicago's star guard Zach LaVine went into the league's health and safety protocol earlier today so don't expect to see him for that matchup. Finally, the Celtics take on the Suns (40-15 overall, 17-7 away)-one of the NBA's biggest surprises this season-on Thursday (7, NBC Sports Boston). Steph Curry is liable to drop 50 points on their head but with the way that the C's are playing now, they should take care of Golden State and Chicago setting up a juicy rematch with Phoenix who beat them 100-91 on Super Bowl Sunday in the desert.

UPDATE 4/16/21: The Celts signed former No. 2 pick Jabari Parker to a two-year deal and to make room on the roster, they waived center Mo Wagner. 

It Only Took Them Six Tries But Thanks To Taylor Hall, The B's Finally Beat The Isles This Season

 

    Thanks to the return of goaltender Tuukka Rask (22 saves, 9-4-2) who missed the past 11 games, two goals from left wing Brad Marchand and a highlight reel first goal as a Bruin for left wing Taylor Hall, Boston (23-12-6) was finally able to beat the Islanders (27-12-4) this evening at the TD Garden. Far more than any other club in the East Division, the Islanders had given the Bruins fits this season before tonight: beating them three times in regulation, once in overtime and once in a shootout. The B's were determined to change that narrative as they had an awesome first period by outshooting New York 23-7 (their most shots on goal in a frame this season) and building a 2-0 lead then never looking back. 

    The importance of getting their No. 1 goalie on the ice can't be overlooked as Rask happened to pick up his 300th career NHL win in the process. Rookie Jeremy Swayman (3-1-0) has been a great story but if the Black and Gold are going anywhere this season, their best chance is with a healthy and motivated Rask in net. This is the 10th time in Marchand's NHL career (and 8th in a row) where he has scored 20+ goals. He made it 1-0 just 1:49 into the contest when center Patrice Bergeron's wild shot deflected off his linemate's back and past Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (41 saves, 16-9-3). Another one of the three newest Bruins-defenseman Mike Reilly picked up his first point with Boston by grabbing the secondary assist there. Right wing Craig Smith doubled Boston's lead with a power play goal at 17:55. He was in Bergy's famous bumper position and was able to one-time a shot through traffic for the tally. Center David Krejci and defenseman Charlie McAvoy had the assists on that key strike.

    Center Travis Zajac scored his first goal as an Islander to cut it to 2-1 early in the second period at 2:56. New York's star left winger Mathew Barzal and right wing Jordan Eberle had the assists on the eighth goal of the season for the former Devil who was acquired at the trade deadline. Barzal changed directions behind the net and used a nifty pass to find Zajac in front for the one-timer that he got all of. Hall's goal was definitely a wow moment and a refresher for why he was once the No. 1 pick (in 2010) and the NHL MVP (in 2017). Right wing David Pastrnak sprung him for a partial breakaway and he sealed off his defender before firing a perfect low shot by Varlamov for his third goal of the season at 1:52 of the third period. I don't think it's hyperbole to say that there are only a few guys on the Bruins that could have pulled that move off and most importantly, had it result in a goal. Marchand wrapped up the huge two points with an empty-netter at 18:24 from Pastrnak. 

    In a true 2021 scheduling quirk, these same clubs meet again tomorrow night (7, NESN) at the Garden. The only thing about the game that I can say with any certainty right now is that I'm sure Swayman will face the Islanders backup goalie Ilya Sorokin (11-3-1). New York still has a nice cushion of six points separating themselves from Boston but if the Bruins can win on Friday, they would make it especially interesting because they still have two games in hand over the Isles with one final meeting left to go. It should be a grind and both teams don't shy away from fighting so don't be surprised if you see a few guys drop the gloves.