After Back-To-Back Stinkers, The B's Looked Like Themselves Again In A 4-1 Win Vs. The Rangers

 

    For the first time since the very start of this season when the Bruins (12-5-2) struggled out of the gate, they faced some real adversity this week after getting embarrassed 7-2 against the Islanders (10-6-4) on Thursday followed by an equally depressing 6-2 loss to the Rangers (7-9-3) on Friday. All told, they had lost four out of their last five games (excluding the beating they threw on the Flyers at Lake Tahoe) but unlike the Celtics who recently suffered through an ugly 0-3 road trip, the B's made sure to show some pride this afternoon as they beat the Rangers 4-1 back at Madison Square Garden. The result and the style of the game was much more befitting of who Boston is rather than the frauds that got pushed around a few days ago by a decent team and then a rebuilding club.

    Three of the goals for the Bruins came during even-strength play (the other was an empty-netter) and also promising was the fact that none of them were scored by Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron or David Pastrnak-their fantastic top line. Center Charlie Coyle has been invisible for most of 2021 but he found the back of the net twice today so hopefully that gets him going. They also got another goal from rookie left wing Trent Frederic who has been a pleasant surprise all season long and star defenseman Charlie McAvoy continued his big year with more production in the form of a goal. Goaltender Tuukka Rask (20 saves, 8-3-1) got the start against New York after getting shelled the other night but this time things were much different thanks to a strong overall defensive effort by the entire team. 

    B's head coach Bruce Cassidy tweaked what he could to infuse some new energy into the lineup as he chose to sit down struggling veteran forwards Anders Bjork and Chris Wagner along with veteran defenseman John Moore in favor of forwards Karson Kuhlman and Greg McKegg (making his Bruins debut) and defenseman Steven Kampfer (playing in his 1st game this season). Those three guys that played today for the B's are all fringe NHLers so I don't think that Bjork, Wagner or to a lesser extent Moore have to worry about losing their jobs permanently but it's the usual reminder of how to change the mojo of a hockey team in the midst of a small slump. 

    Getting a lead right away always helps and Boston jumped ahead with a pair of goals in the opening frame. With the teams skating 4-on-4, Coyle fired a shot past Rangers goaltender Alexander Georgiev (31 saves, 3-3-2) at 6:41. Pasta and McAvoy recorded the assists on Coyle's fourth goal of the season. Georgiev suffered a cut a few minutes earlier that required medical attention so he was gone for the rest of the first period with backup goalie Igor Shesterkin taking over until the second period began. That means that the Russian was in the net when the Bruins went up 2-0 at 18:14. Frederic tipped in a shot by defenseman Connor Clifton with rookie center Jack Studnicka picking up the second assist on Frederic's second career NHL goal. 

    The B's are always looking for a little more offense from McAvoy who has all the skills to be a top defenseman in the NHL so it's nice to see him looking for his shot. His goal in the second period which gave Boston a commanding 3-0 lead came on a booming one-timer from Pastrnak and Marchand. McAvoy's third goal of the season was at 10:20 and with Artemi Panarin still out of action dealing with the Russian mob, New York was unlikely to see their pop gun attack rally from three goals down. The Rangers' only goal came in the third period as my St. John's Prep and Harvard homeboy Colin Blackwell took the abundant space that the Bruins gave him and he wired a top shelf shot by Rask. His fifth goal of the season was assisted by rookie left wing Alexis Lafreniere and rookie defenseman K'Andre Miller. Coyle put it to bed with an empty-net goal at 18:05 from center Sean Kuraly. 

    If it feels like the Black and Gold have barely played at TD Garden this season, you are on the right track since they've only been there for six games (5-1-0) while today was their 13th road game of this campaign. Turning the page on an up-and-down February, the B's are off tomorrow before they practice at Warrior Ice Arena on Tuesday. Their next three games are all here starting with a two-game set against former Bruins captain Zdeno Chara and the Capitals (12-5-4) beginning on Wednesday (7, NESN) and concluding on Friday (7, NESN). Washington has won its last three games in a row to vault into first-place in the East Division. They are two points ahead of the Bruins but Boston has two games in hand so that could change in a few days. Next week ends for the Bruins with the Devils (7-8-2) at the Garden on Sunday (5, NESN). Boston split two games in DC a month ago and they are 1-1-1 against New Jersey this season so accumulating many points in these next three games won't be easy.

After Three Straight Losses, The Celtics Finally Decided To Give That Winning Thing A Try Again

 

    After falling into a deep, dark hole the last few weeks-the product of going 3-8 and losing in a variety of excruciating ways-you better believe that tonight's 118-112 win by the Celtics (16-17 overall, 9-5 home) against the Pacers (15-16 overall, 8-6 away) at TD Garden meant something to them. Whatever you think of the players, their head coach and GM, we can all agree that they should still have a better record than they currently do since they have two All-Stars (did you hear about this?) and the Eastern Conference looks very mediocre behind the top three teams of Philadelphia (22-11), Brooklyn (22-12) and Milwaukee (20-13). One game in the standings separates the No. 4 team in the East (Toronto) from the No. 10 team (Charlotte) so yeah, it's going to be a wild race for the playoffs. A rested Kemba Walker (game-high 32 points, 6 assists) was sensational in his best game of 2020-21-granted that's not saying much-and he needed to be since those aforementioned stars-swingmen Jaylen Brown (15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) and Jayson Tatum (9 points, 9 rebounds)-look physically, emotionally and mentally drained. 

    Things certainly got off to a rough start for the home team as Indiana led 18-4 less than five minutes into the contest. Thankfully, the skittish Celtics settled down and actually outscored the Pacers 32-31 in that opening frame. Each club had 29 points in the second quarter so Boston took the slimmest of leads (61-60) into halftime. For once, the C's were ready to roll right away in the third quarter and that propelled them the rest of the night as they took those 12 minutes 31-24. Indiana got one more bucket than them in the fourth quarter (28-26) but the Celts did just enough to hang on for perhaps their most important victory of this campaign. 

    Center Daniel Theis' days in the starting lineup are probably numbered but he played well in this one with 17 points and three blocks. The guy that should eventually replace him-Robert Williams-continued his strong play with a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) and three blocks off the bench in only 22 minutes. It was bumpy for awhile but in his third NBA season, he appears (fingers and toes all crossed) to have made a huge step in his development both on and off the court. With his nearly limitless potential, it's not crazy to think that he's a key part of this group ever getting back to the high level of play that they've been at in the last few years. After basically being in a coma for weeks, veteran point guard Jeff Teague has now scored 14 points in back-to-back games which doesn't sound like much but a few days ago, we were thinking that this could be it for his professional career. 

    Pacers power forward Domantas Sabonis celebrated getting named to his first NBA All-Star Game (as an injury replacement for Kevin Durant but he should have been on it in the first place) by dropping a team-high 24 points along with nine assists and six rebounds. Shooting guard Justin Holiday (19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks), center Myles Turner (17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) and point guard Malcolm Brogdon (12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) all scored in double-figures. The other Holiday brother on the Pacers-Aaron-also added 15 points and two steals off the bench. At some point, they'll have to reunite with their older brother Jrue (currently on the Bucks) and all play on the same NBA team at the same time. Wouldn't that be something? 

    As a team, Boston shot nearly 12% better from the field (51.2%-39.3%) and they scored 16 more points in the paint. Allowing 112 points in regulation on your home court isn't exactly a defensive masterpiece but at least they made Indiana work for their points after that absurd start. It sounds silly to say it but the Celtics get another chance to beat the Wizards (12-18 overall, 7-9) on Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston) at the Garden. The C's had that embarrassing loss in DC on Valentine's Day (104-91) which surprisingly has turned Washington into one of the hotter teams in the league: 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Wizards are only 2.5 games out of a playoff spot and Tatum's main man Bradley Beal is an All-Star as well so the Celts need to take them seriously this time or else they'll lose again.

For The Second Straight Night, The Bruins Got Absolutely Blown Out By A Team In New York

 

    Running out of gas in the third period last night in Long Island and losing 7-2 to the Islanders (10-6-3) after giving up five goals in the third period was one thing but tonight at Madison Square Garden, the Bruins (11-5-2) fell apart one period earlier in a humbling 6-2 defeat to the Rangers (7-8-3). After goaltender Jaroslav Halak had to play the entire game vs. the Isles, goaltender Tuukka Rask (28 saves, 7-3-1) was up next to absorb an ugly loss for the B's. Boston has dropped four of its last five games and in all of those losses, they have scored exactly two goals. It's tough to complain about much since they got off to such an incredible start to this season but truth be told, they were probably due for a market correction around this time.

    To New York's credit, they stepped on Boston's throat from the beginning and never really let up. Something called Phillip Di Giuseppe opened the scoring for the Rangers as defenseman Julian Gauthier's shot deflected in thanks to the puck hitting the left wing while he was parked in a screening position on Rask. Former Bruins prospect Ryan Lindgren provided the secondary assist on Di Giuseppe's first goal of the season at 13:16 of the first period. New York doubled its lead early in the second period when center Ryan Strome whipped in a snap shot (his 6th goal of the season) from rookie left wing-and No. 1 overall pick-Alexis Lafreniere and BC's Chris Kreider at 2:32. 

    The Bruins showed a bit of a pulse before a quick flurry by the Rangers put this one to bed. The captain Patrice Bergeron re-directed a pass from right wing David Pastrnak and left wing Brad Marchand. Bergy's eighth goal of the season came at 4:02 and it cut the Rangers' lead down to 2-1. Two local guys scored 12 seconds apart to make New York's advantage way bigger heading into the third period. Harvard's Colin Blackwell tipped in a shot by his former Crimson teammate defenseman Adam Fox for a power play goal. The St. John's Prep alum's fourth goal of the season also featured a helper by Strome at 18:52. I'm guessing that Kreider's goal (his 9th of the season) at 19:04 is the one that Rask would most like to have back. Kreider didn't have much of an angle to shoot from and it wasn't a great shot but nonetheless it still went in the net with Strome registering the lone assist. 

    The entire third period was garbage time as far as I'm concerned and the B's played like it was since Rangers right wing Pavel Buchnevich and center Jonny Brodzinski each added a goal to make the final score even more impressive or depressing depending on who you root for. Boston's top line got the final goal as Marchand was rewarded for going to the net and sticking his large nose into the mix. His team-leading 10th goal of the season was also the 300th of his NHL career and he became only the seventh Bruin ever to reach that lofty mark. The B's will have a light practice tomorrow before a Sunday afternoon matinee (12, NBC) back at MSG. I couldn't tell you which Bruins goaltender will start but I feel like we could see Rangers goaltender Alexander Georgiev (31 saves, 3-2-2) again after he helped beat the Black and Gold tonight. B's defenseman Matt Grzelcyk is on this trip so there's been talk that he could return on Sunday. Their defense could certainly use any help that it can get as they try to avoid an 0-3 road trip (Celtics style!).

Tied Going Into The 3rd Period, The Bruins Epically Collapse Vs. Isles & Fall To 0-3 Against NY In 2021

 

    What is it about the Islanders (10-6-3) that has caused so many problems for the Bruins (11-4-2) early this season? For the third time in 2021, Boston visited Nassau Coliseum and they left with an ugly 7-2 loss that dropped them to 0-3 against New York during this campaign. Things looked promising as Boston scored first and then tied it at two in the second period before falling apart in Celtics-like fashion in a trainwreck of a final frame. The B's have only lost four times in regulation so far this season and three of those have come against the Isles. Boston will get five more chances (including four at TD Garden) to beat New York but regardless of how those turn out, this is not a club that they want to see in the playoffs. 

    Left wing Nick Ritchie staked Boston to a 1-0 lead just 1:02 into regulation. Like most of his goals, this one came by sitting next to the net and simply re-directing a pass. Defenseman Jakub Zboril and center Charlie Coyle had the assists on Ritchie's seventh goal of the season. 1-0 was the only lead of the night for the Bruins and it fittingly didn't last long as New York defenseman Adam Pelech put in a rebound at 3:16 to tie it (his 1st goal of the season was unassisted) and center Mathew Barzal sniped a shot past Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak (30 saves, 4-2-1) at 12:39. Defenseman Nick Leddy and goaltender Semyon Varlamov (34 saves, 9-4-2) had the assists on Barzal's seventh goal of the season. 

    Boston had the lone goal in the second period as right wing Craig Smith worked his way into New York's defensive zone and tried to feed it in front to rookie center Jack Studnicka but the puck instead deflected off an Islanders defenseman's stick and past Varlamov. Smith's fourth goal of the season came at 11:36 and it was assisted by right wing Jake DeBrusk and rookie Urho Vaakanainen. The Isles aren't known for an explosive offense but you could have fooled me with their absurd third period barrage of five unanswered goals. It all started when left wing Anthony Beauvillier stole the puck from rookie left wing Trent Frederic close to Halak and used a backhander to put in the go-ahead goal at 5:41. Another odd-man rush led to an insurance tally for the home team as right wing Jordan Eberle beat Halak up high at 10:45. His eighth goal of the season was assisted by Barzal and left wing Anders Lee. The wheels officially fell off for the Black and Gold at 12:24 as center Jean-Gabriel Pageau got a shorthanded breakaway and put the puck through Halak's five-hole. His eighth goal of the season was assisted by Pelech and it gave the Isles a 5-2 lead as Halak understandably smashed his stick (and broke the blade off) against one of the helpless goal posts. 

    Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy had no choice but to leave Halak out to dry since Boston has a game tomorrow (7, NESN) against the Rangers (6-8-3) at Madison Square Garden and he already confirmed before tonight's game that Tuukka Rask would start in NYC. Lee and BC's Oliver Wahlstrom-the rare Maine native in the NHL-rounded out the scoring for the Isles. The Bruins have dropped three of their last four games overall so the Rangers feel like the perfect antidote to help them get back untracked. The B's also take on the Rangers in a rare Sunday afternoon matinee (12, NBC) so hopefully they can win both installments just like they did two weeks ago in the Big Apple. The Rangers are 3-5-2 at home while the Bruins are 6-3-2 on the road after tonight's defeat in Long Island.

There Is No Other Way To Say It: Right Now, The Celtics Are A Disgrace In Every Possible Fashion

 

    We are still in a global pandemic so I cannot say with a straight face that the trials and tribulations of the Celtics (15-17 overall, 7-12 away) really seems all that important at this juncture. However, this is a Boston sports blog so I'd much rather complain here about our local teams instead of identifying the scary realities of our messed up world. With that said, what the hell has happened to the C's? Tonight, they lost their third straight game, 127-112 to the Hawks (14-18 overall, 8-9 home) at State Farm Arena. To say that Boston was a no-show for the contest would be far too kind. They gave up 72 points in the first half and trailed by as many as 27 points while Atlanta's veteran power forward Danilo Gallinari came off the bench to drill a career-high ten (!!!) 3-pointers as he scored a game-high 38 points. 

    The Hawks finished the season series 2-1 vs. the Celtics and if the playoffs started today, Boston would have to be in the play-in round (two playoff berths for the teams #7-#10 in each conference) since they've dropped to ninth-place in the Eastern Conference. This is the first time that they have been two games under .500 since the start of the 2017-18 season when they lost their first two contests. Since the Celts opened 8-3 in this campaign, they have gone 7-14 in their last 21 games. Is that bad? The team is completely lifeless and nobody besides the fans seems to really care that things have taken such a terrible turn for the worst. 

    I honestly don't know how this will be fixed anytime soon. Their defense is wretched, point guard Kemba Walker can't play back-to-back games (and he is a shell of himself when he does suit up), nobody besides their pair of All-Star swingmen Jaylen Brown (17 points, 5 assists) and Jayson Tatum (13 points on 4-of-20 shooting, 2 steals) can be counted on to do much of anything, the bench is a joke, head coach Brad Stevens' appears to have been tuned out by much of the team, GM Danny Ainge is petrified to shake this up and most of his draft picks lately except for Brown and Tatum have been useless. What else? There is no real accountability on the team and it is sorely lacking in leadership in terms of the players. I really couldn't tell you how a team that has gone to three of the last four Eastern Conference Finals could be in shambles like this. It is stunning to say the least although maybe not when you read the myriad reasons for their struggles that I just listed. 

    Atlanta also entered after playing last night but they weren't fazed by that. Point guard Trae Young (game-high 33 points, 7 assists) boosted his resume in case the All-Star Game needs a replacement player for the East, power forward John Collins had a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) while shooting guard Tony Snell added 12 points. Seven Celtics scored in double-digits which is only an indicator that everyone played since there was extended garbage time like you read about. Power forward Tristan Thompson had a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds) and point guard Jeff Teague (14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) made perhaps his final start in the NBA in his old home. Rookie small forward Aaron Nesmith scored 13 points off the bench while point guards Carsen Edwards and Tremont Waters each notched 11 points. 

    Boston has a four-game homestand leading into the All-Star break to try to turn this sinking ship around. They are 8-5 at the Garden as they host the Pacers (15-15 overall, 8-5 road) on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston), the Wizards (11-18 overall, 6-9 road) on Sunday night (7, NBC Sports Boston), the Clippers (23-10 overall, 11-4 road) on Tuesday (7:30, TNT) and closing with the Raptors (16-17 overall, 9-10 road) next Thursday (7, NBC Sports Boston). With the way that the C's have gone down in flames lately, I expect them to go 0-4 in that stretch or maybe 1-3 if they are lucky. Ugh, this terrible team is so depressing these days. How has it come to this? 

After Tatum & Brown Were Named To The All-Star Team, Doncic Proves That He's On Another Level

 

    The rapid freefall for the Celtics (15-16 overall, 7-11 road) continued in spectacular fashion tonight at American Airlines Center on the second stop of their doomed three-game road trip. The Mavericks (15-15 overall, 8-8 home) led by 11 points late in the fourth quarter before Boston rallied to go ahead 105-104 on shooting guard Jaylen Brown's (team-high 29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) short jumper in the lane. Dallas' superstar Luka Doncic (game-high 31 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists) answered with a patented step back 3-pointer. After a layup by Brown tied it, Doncic iced it with another step back three with 0.1 seconds left in regulation. Dallas won 110-107 to climb back to .500 after going 7-3 in their last 10 games. Conversely, the Celtics are fading away (3-7 in their last 10) into oblivion and dropped under .500 for the first time since Dec. 27 when a loss at Indiana made them 1-2.

    Earlier this evening, swingman Jayson Tatum (28 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Brown were named as reserves for the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Game in Atlanta next weekend. It will be Tatum's second All-Star appearance after he made it last year and the first of Brown's career. Those are both significant accomplishments that deserved to be noticed but at the moment, it's hard to feel good about anything involving the Celtics. After Sunday's blown 24-point lead and overtime loss to the Pelicans (13-17), you hoped that the team would exhibit some sort of anger and bounce back, especially with Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis (back tightness) missing this contest. Instead, they let a one-man team beat them. Point guard Jalen Brunson scored 22 points off the bench for Dallas, he was on fire in the fourth quarter before Luka predictably took over. Shooting guard Josh Richardson added 16 points while small forward Tim Hardaway Jr. (14 points) and goofy giant Boban Marjanovic (10 points, 8 rebounds) also scored in double-figures off the bench (which outscored Boston's 51-19!) for Rick Carlisle's club. 

    Celtics point guard Kemba Walker (21 points) was up and down but he hit a clutch 3-pointer that cut Dallas' lead to one point late in the fourth quarter. With how this turned out, sadly now nobody except him will ever remember that. Power forward Tristan Thompson (8 points, 10 rebounds) was alright and power forward Semi Ojeleye (8 points, 7 rebounds) was a bright spot off the bench but Brown, Tatum and Walker were their only players to score 10 points or more for the visitors. My favorite stat of the night came from C's rookie small forward Aaron Nesmith who played 22 minutes off the bench but didn't attempt a single shot (or free throw). This from a guy who was drafted 14th overall strictly because of his shooting ability, what else is he known for? 

    The C's and Mavs always seem to play close and entertaining games which made this one the latest installment. Other than that late run by Dallas, it was tight the whole way as the home team led 34-31 after the first quarter but trailed by one point (56-55) at halftime. The Mavericks outscored the Celtics 25-20 in a rock fight of a third quarter before that crazy fourth quarter unfolded. Besides the huge difference in bench points, the only other real different stat was in points off turnovers which Dallas doubled up on (18-9). 

    There is no time for Boston to feel sorry for themselves since they are back in action tomorrow night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at Atlanta (13-18 overall, 7-9 home). We know that Kemba will be out since it's the second game of a back-to-back and who knows what other ailments could be affecting them. You'll remember that they lost to the Hawks last Wednesday at the Garden (122-114) then beat them two nights later (121-109) so Atlanta is more than capable of knocking them off yet again and their young phenom Trae Young promises to be extra spicy after he was somehow left off the All-Star team (so far). In other words, it's hard to believe with how rough this has been lately for the C's but this could get even worse very soon.

The Bruins Are Our Only Hope & Thankfully, They Are Just The Team To Carry That Unfair Burden

 

    As I just wrote on the post below this, the Celtics are suddenly going nowhere fast this season, the Patriots don't have much hope unless they can unearth a legitimate quarterback in free agency, the draft or via trade and the Red Sox are sure to be awful once again just like last year which no one watched and/or will remember. That leaves the Bruins (11-3-2) to shoulder the weight of expectations for Boston sports teams right now while all the other ones sputter at best. The good news is that at least in the regular season (get back to me when they are ready to win another Cup), they are not only going to win a bunch of games but they are also going to have fun doing it: see the above picture filled with fantastic 90s outfits that they all wore this afternoon to the rink. Tonight at Lake Tahoe (yes that one), they pummeled the poor Flyers (8-4-3) 7-3 in the NHL's latest outdoor game. It wasn't even that close as B's superstar David Pastrnak potted a hat trick as Boston improved to 5-0 against Philly this season with three more meetings left to go with their East division punching bag.  

    With no fans in this spectacular setting, except a few randoms in boats and kayaks floating nearby, the Bruins had to manufacture their own excitement and boy did they ever particularly in the second period where they took a 2-2 tie and turned it into a 6-2 blowout. Pasta understandably will get most of the attention but plenty of other Bruins did good things too: left wing Nick Ritchie had a goal and an assist, left wing Brad Marchand and right wing Craig Smith along with defensemen John Moore and Connor Clifton each had two assists, left wing Trent Frederic scored his first NHL goal and defenseman Urho Vaakanainen recorded his first NHL assist/point. 

    As you can imagine, Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (16 saves, 7-2-1) was barely required to do anything while the Flyers goaltending duo of Carter Hart (17 saves, 6 goals allowed before he was pulled) and Brian Elliott (11 saves, 1 goal allowed) still can't figure out a way to beat Boston this season. Perhaps the most promising aspect of this victory for the Black and Gold was that they only scored one power play goal meaning that six of them came 5-on-5. It was also a hell of a night for Boston University hockey since they had three guys (Charlie McAvoy and Charlie Coyle on Boston; Joel Farabee on Philadelphia) all score goals in this event that the entire hockey world was watching on national TV during an otherwise sleepy Sunday night sports-wise. Somewhere former Terriers head coach Jack Parker was surely smiling while he thought about how much this will help recruiting efforts for future teams on Comm. Ave. 

    Pasta scored 34 seconds into the game because of course he did and from there, Philadelphia briefly led 2-1 (haha for 39 seconds!) before McAvoy tied it up at two heading into the first intermission. Boston could no wrong in the second period as Pastrnak, Coyle, Frederic and Ritchie (on the PP) all tallied goals with the final three coming in a span of 1:39. It might have been the thin mountain air but the Flyers' collective heads were no doubt spinning by that point. UNH's James van Riemsdyk (goal, 2 assists) would be in the Hockey Hall of Fame if he only played the Bruins, the guy always seems to show up against them. All that was left to do in the third period was for Pasta to get his 10th career NHL hat trick. He also paces the B's with nine goals in only nine games. 

    With a long flight home late tonight, Boston will return for a few days and then they will go back to New York for the weekend just like they did two weeks ago. That sounds like a cruel joke, with the only difference being that they play at Nassau Coliseum on Thursday (7, NESN) vs. the Islanders (8-6-3)-who have won both meetings in 2021-before a two-game set at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers (6-7-3) on Friday (7, NESN) and Sunday afternoon (12, NBC). With no practice tomorrow, they can catch up on their sleep and become reacclimated to the Eastern Time Zone before getting back to work. They should also savor all the sweet pictures and memories that they created these last few days in Lake Tahoe; if they do win that elusive Cup this summer, you can bet that this bonding trip will be prominently featured in the DVD celebrating the championship season and often cited in numerous stories as a key moment.

UPDATE 2/24/21: More bad news for Boston's defensive corps as Jeremy Lauzon broke his left hand on Sunday, he had surgery today and he's expected to miss at least the next four weeks. 

It Turns Out A 24-Pt Lead Midway Through The 3rd Quarter Isn't Enough Against A 12-17 Team

    The Celtics (15-15 overall, 7-10 away) have officially entered the trainwreck portion of their 2020-21 regular season schedule. What I mean by that is while you know that something bad will probably take place, you still can't find a way to peel yourself away from viewing all the carnage. This afternoon on national TV (thanks ABC!) from the Smoothie King Center, Boston built a 24-point lead (79-55 w/6:29 left) midway through the third quarter only to watch it all crumble in an epic 120-115 overtime loss to the Pelicans (13-17 overall, 8-7 home). It marked the biggest comeback win in New Orleans' franchise history, what a way for the C's to begin a pivotal three-game road trip. Sigh. I'm not suggesting that head coach Brad Stevens should be fired (plus as we know, the Celts have basically anointed him for life) but this is the type of loss that can cost someone their job or that gets a player(s) traded. There is no good time to blow a 24-point lead but against a team that began the day in 12th place in the Western Conference fits the description of a club that you can never let do something like that to you. 

    Ironically, the contest only needed an extra session since Celtics star Jayson Tatum (team-high 32 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals) made a tough floater with 0.2 seconds left in regulation. The Pelicans obviously got strong performances from their Duke duo of small forward Brandon Ingram (game-high 33 points, 6 rebounds) and power forward Zion Williamson (28 points, 10 rebounds). Point guard Lonzo Ball added 16 points, six rebounds and two steals, center Willy Hernangomez grabbed 13 rebounds and the always underrated Josh Hart put together a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) off the bench which is a pretty hard thing to do. Showing their youthful energy, New Orleans scored 14 more fast break points (22-8) than Boston. 

    A bunch of other Celtics had decent numbers headlined by shooting guard Jaylen Brown (25 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds) and power forward Tristan Thompson (14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks) while point guard Kemba Walker shot 5-of-21 from the floor (14 points, 2 blocks), rookie small forward Aaron Nesmith added 10 points off the bench and center Robert Williams (8 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks) squeezed the most from his 21 minutes. So why did Boston lose this game you ask? Well as a team they shot under 40% from the field (39.8% to be exact) including a putrid 10-of-37 (27%) on 3-pointers. For a team that normally by design takes an absurd amount of 3s, it is endlessly frustrating that they never seem to change their approach when they have games like this (remember Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals vs. Cleveland?) where they are ice cold from downtown and yet they just keep shooting from there. 

    Boston led 30-28 after the first quarter which gave no hint for how they would dominate the second quarter (33-19) to take a 63-47 lead at halftime. New Orleans outscored them 27-24 in the third quarter but they still trailed by double-digits (87-74). The Pelicans really heated up in the fourth quarter (34-21) while the Celtics couldn't buy a basket to save their lives. An earlier clutch 3-pointer by Tatum and the floater only delayed the inevitable soul-crushing defeat. The C's will find themselves right back on national TV on Tuesday (7:30, TNT & NBC Sports Boston at Dallas (13-15 overall, 6-8 home) vs. another middling team in the Western Conference. What could possibly go wrong? Better yet, what is Luka Doncic's career-high in points? At this rate, he'll probably set that new record against the C's as part of a silly triple-double. I cannot wait to watch that happen! 

C's Take Rd. 2 vs. Hawks Thanks To Kemba Walker (Season-High 28 Pts) Turning Back The Clock

 

    At this point in his NBA career, it's hard to know what exactly Celtics (15-14 overall, 8-5 home) point guard Kemba Walker (team-high 28 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) is going to have in a given game. That's why nights like tonight are such a tease as Boston beat Atlanta 121-109 at TD Garden, a bit of payback after the Hawks won here on Wednesday and dropped the home team to the .500 mark. This was the fourth time this season that the C's have played a two-game set against the same opponent and they are 1-1 in three of them (losing Game 1 all four times) and 0-2 in one (falling twice in Philly to the best team in the East). All five Celtics starters scored at least 14 points in the victory while they led by as much as 25 points before hanging on as the Hawks cut it to a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter. 

    Last night, Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum (25 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (17 points, 6 assists) were not named starters (no surprise there) for the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game but they are both expected to be named reserves on the team. This is a big deal since Tatum made his first All-Star team last season and it would be Brown's first of his career-ironically in his hometown of Atlanta. For once, all of Boston's big guys played well in the same contest: power forward Tristian Thompson had 17 points and five rebounds, center Daniel Theis added 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks while Robert Williams was great off the bench with 12 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and two steals in only 16 minutes of action. For Atlanta, point guard Trae Young (game-high 31 points, 11 assists, 3 steals) and center Clint Capela (24 points, 15 rebounds) were both very good yet again but the difference this time is that the Celtics managed hold down Atlanta's others. Nobody else on the Hawks scored in double-figures and power forward John Collins (8 points on 3-of-13 shooting) was a non-factor after he had 20 points two nights earlier. 

    The C's were ready to go right from the opening tip (what a concept!) and that showed in a strong first quarter (33-22) and an even better second quarter which gave them an insurmountable 66-41 halftime lead. Each team scored 32 points apiece in the third quarter and then Atlanta finally woke up a bit in the fourth quarter but it was thankfully too late to make a real difference. Boston shot 13.4% better from the field (55.6%-42.2%) than the Hawks, they hit four more 3-pointers (14-10), pulled down seven more defensive rebounds (35-28), blocked twice as many shots (12-6), they scored 14 more points in the paint (66-52) and twice as many fast break points (12-6). 

    The Celtics now depart on a three-game road trip that on paper at least doesn't look that difficult: they are in New Orleans (12-17 overall, 7-7 home) on Sunday afternoon (3:30, ABC) to take on Zion Williamson and the Pelicans in a nationally televised matchup, weather-permitting they go to Dallas (13-15 overall, 6-8 home) on Tuesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) for their first look at Luka Doncic and the Mavericks this season and they wrap things up in Atlanta the next night (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). Who's drunken idea in the NBA league office was it to have the Celtics and Hawks face each other three times in a week in the regular season (these aren't make-up dates for postponed games)? None of those three clubs are over .500 and zero are currently playoff teams so the Celts need to go at least 2-1 on this trip. A mark of a good team in any sport is that they take care of business against the bad teams. They will see some of the league's brightest young talents but make no mistake, Boston should beat all of their mediocre at best teams.

    

    

    

After Not Playing A Game This Week, The Bruins Were Noticeably Rusty In A 3-2 Loss To The Devils

 

    The Bruins (10-3-2) have been lucky that they have yet to face a real Covid-19 outbreak among their team so far in this cursed season. However, like everyone else in the NHL, they still have been affected by it since so many other teams-like the Devils (6-3-2)-have caused many games to be postponed already. This is the reality of playing hockey in the middle of a pandemic so there is no need to complain about it since in one way or another, every team and player has to deal with it. For the second time in 2021, the B's had an unexpected break from games since their last contest was Saturday's 4-2 loss at the Islanders (8-5-3). Since then, Boston has practiced and waited around until tonight when they finally took the ice again at TD Garden (only their fifth home game of this campaign). Unfortunately, this was all a big set up for saying that the Black and Gold were noticeably rusty in a 3-2 loss to New Jersey. It was the first home loss for the Bruins this season and also the first time that they've dropped back-to-back tilts in regulation.

    I hesitate to call the Devils a good team but in three meetings with the Bruins this year, they have lost in a shootout, beat them in overtime and then this evening's victory so they are giving them some problems for sure. Head coach Bruce Cassidy made the bold move to put superstar David Pastrnak on the second line with his fellow Czech David Krejci at center and Nick Ritchie at left wing. Unfortunately, we barely got to see if that new line had any chemistry as Krejci left in the second period with a lower-body injury and never returned. We knew that Boston's trend earlier this season of rallying from multi-goal deficits was not going to last and the bubble has seemed to have predictably burst on that. After a sleepy and scoreless first period, New Jersey right wing Kyle Palmieri scored his first two goals of the season at 1:34 and 10:39. Center Jack Hughes had a sweet feed on the first goal while defenseman Damon Severson and left wing Jesper Bratt assisted on Palmieri's second tally which came while the Devils were shorthanded. 

    Both of Boston's goals came on the power play as left wing Jake DeBrusk stole a clearing attempt by Palmieri in front of his own goalie MacKenzie Blackwood (25 saves, 4-0-1) and he put a snap shot in the top shelf for his first goal of the season at 12:36 of the second period. The Bruins trailed 2-1 for only a few minutes as center Pavel Zacha finished off a pretty passing sequence with a quick wrist shot by B's goaltender Jaroslav Halak (23 saves, 4-1-1) at 15:37 of the second period. Left wing Andreas Johnsson and defenseman Will Butcher provided the helpers on Zacha's fourth goal of the season. 

    The Bruins left it really late for their latest failed comeback attempt as Pasta's shot deflected in with Halak pulled at 18:54. His sixth goal of the season initially looked like it was tipped in by defenseman Charlie McAvoy in front but it turns out that a Devils defenseman was the last one to touch it. Besides McAvoy, Ritchie had the other assist. Pastrnak even got a chance to tie it in the final seconds of regulation but his slap shot from in tight was blocked by Devils defenseman PK Subban, otherwise it very well could have gone in the net.

    There is no practice for the B's tomorrow as they head out for Lake Tahoe-not for a break but to play the Flyers (8-3-3) on Sunday afternoon (2, NBC) in the NHL's latest goofy spot for an outdoor game. The start time was actually moved up an hour tonight since the forecast calls for 45 degrees and bright sun. Haha can't wait for that terrible California fake ice! Boston is 4-0 against Philadelphia this season so obviously they are due to lose to the Flyers at some point. Regardless, hopefully it is a successful event for the league which can always use new fans to watch its mostly regional (Canada and cold places in the U.S.) product. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (6-2-1) will get the start as he tries to stop their modest two-game losing streak before it gets too serious. 

Another Guy Drops A 40-Piece On The Celts At TD Garden & This Time They Lose To Fall Back To .500

 

    Well so much for last night's win against the Nuggets (15-13) meaning anything as the Celtics (14-14 overall, 7-5 home) followed that up with a frustrating 122-114 loss at TD Garden this evening vs. the Hawks (12-16 overall, 6-7 away). Guards Kemba Walker (left knee injury management) and Marcus Smart (left calf tear) along with center Daniel Theis (right index finger sprain) all missed the game for Boston but even if they had played, Atlanta's big three of point guard Trae Young (game-high 40 points, 8 assists, 2 steals), center Clint Capela (24 points, 13 rebounds) and power forward John Collins (20 points, 6 rebounds) are better than anyone that the C's could pair with swingman Jayson Tatum (team-high 34 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (22 points, 7 assists). This contest served as yet another reminder that the 2020-21 Celtics are full of potential but also wildly inconsistent and unable to sustain anything positive for too long. 

    Atlanta torched Boston's invisible defense, shooting 57.1% from the field and outscoring them by 14 points in the paint (60-46). Like the 7-9 Patriots of last season (sorry to bring them up!), it's hard to pinpoint only a few of the many major issues facing the C's because they have a ton of them already less than halfway through this campaign. For instance, their lack of depth is quite scary since head coach Brad Stevens felt the need to start both Semi Ojeleye (9 points, 2 steals) and Javonte Green (9 points, 2 steals). Curiously, rookie guard Aaron Nesmith (2 points in 21 minutes) was the first Celtic to come off the bench in this mess. Is GM Danny Ainge showcasing his higher first-round pick that thus far has been completely overmatched in his brief stay here? 

    Fittingly, Boston's best quarter was the first as they outscored Atlanta 35-33 but then it was all downhill from there. The Hawks took a six-point lead (62-56) into halftime and they were up by nine points (90-81) heading into the fourth quarter. Power forward Tristan Thompson (14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) was alright (trade bait?) and rookie guard Payton Pritchard (11 points) continues to bring a spark off the bench for the Celts. Swingman Cam Reddish added 13 points, six rebounds and two steals in the win for Atlanta. These same two teams are set to meet again on Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) at the Garden. Kemba will be back for the Celtics and possibly Theis as well. Needless to say, Boston really cannot afford to get swept on their home floor by a club that came in three games behind them in the Eastern Conference standings.

For One Night, Winning Cures Everything For The Celts As They Beat Undermanned Denver 112-99

 

    It has been a rough week for the Celtics (14-13 overall, 7-4 home) and it felt like for once, nobody associated with the franchise (head coach, players, GM, etc.) was immune to some legitimate criticism after a pair of soul-crushing defeats to the Pistons (8-19) and Wizards (8-17). It would be silly to overreact and say that things are different now but at least in Boston's first chance at redemption, they responded in a big way by taking down Denver (15-12 overall, 7-6 away) 112-99 tonight at TD Garden. The fact that the Nuggets were playing without four guys from their rotation certainly helped the Celtics but honestly, any club with center/MVP candidate Nikola Jokic (game-high 43 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) and point guard Jamal Murray (25 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals) in the starting lineup still presents a formidable challenge. 

As always, the C's were led by shooting guard Jaylen Brown (team-high 27 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) and swingman Jayson Tatum (21 points, 8 assists) who were both instrumental in the victory. The plot twist for the home team was that they had many other guys pull their weight as well: with Daniel Theis out with a sprained finger, center Tristan Thompson had nine points and 12 rebounds; point guard Kemba Walker added 17 points while Boston's bench outscored Denver's 30-14. Rookie small forward Aaron Nesmith hit three 3-pointers, center Robert Williams notched eight points, eight rebounds and five steals (!) while rookie guard Payton Pritchard (8 points, 7 assists) continues to shine as veteran guard Jeff Teague racks up the DNP-CDs (did not play-coach's decision). 

    Jokic has become a freak of nature and I mean that in the highest form of praise that is possible. He is a matchup nightmare for anybody in the NBA because he has the size and post moves of an old school center yet he also can hit threes and pass like a point guard. The Joker basically single-handedly kept his team in it in the first half as he dropped 29 points while Boston led 30-26 after the first quarter and 59-54 at halftime. Murray's numbers look fine except I didn't mention his key stat: nine turnovers. Woof. The Celts outscored the Nuggets 27-21 in the third quarter and 26-24 in the fourth quarter to pick up their most important win of the season. Argentine point guard Facundo Campazzo (15 points, 8 assists, 2 steals) was the only other Nugget to score in double-figures which shows you just how much they missed their top role players.  

    The Celtics shot almost three percent better than Denver from the field (48.1%-45.2%), they hit six more 3-pointers (15-9), made five more free throws (19-14) and grabbed five more rebounds (43-38) including six more defensive boards (33-27). After such depressing back-to-back losses, this evening showed that when the C's are working together, they are capable of beating pretty much any other team in the NBA. Conversely, when things start to go off the rails, they proved that they can lose to the true dregs of the league just as easily. 

    I'll keep saying this until they start consistently winning again but the good feelings from tonight will be quickly erased unless they carry it over to tomorrow night's (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) contest with the Hawks (11-16 overall, 5-7 road). Boston seems to be catching Atlanta at the right time for a two-game set at the Garden (they also play on Friday at 7:30 as well) since the Hawks are free-falling out of playoff contention by losing four straight games coming in and going 2-8 in their last 10. Also, their head coach Lloyd Pierce will miss both games to be at the birth of his second child. Assistant coach Nate McMillan (former Pacers head coach) will be in charge for these matchups. Regardless, if point guard Trae Young (who is on the cusp of making his second All-Star Game in a row) and power forward John Collins are playing along with center Clint Capela, Atlanta is very dangerous and the Celts simply cannot afford to relax for a second thinking that they'll just roll over.  

Please Tell Me That Getting Blown Out By The Wizards Is Rock Bottom For The C's This Season

 

    Just when you think that things cannot get much worse for the reeling Celtics (13-13 overall, 7-9 away), they lay a complete egg on Valentine's Day against undoubtedly one of the worst teams in the NBA. Washington (7-17 overall, 3-9 home) was never even challenged this afternoon at Capital One Arena as they defeated Boston 104-91. Coming off of Friday's loss to another awful team-Detroit (8-19 overall)-you figured that the C's would be motivated and ready to show that they are not an utter mess. Welp, that didn't happen as they lost for the fourth time in the last five games and they fell to 3-7 in their last 10 games. Is that bad? I really don't know what Boston's excuse for playing so poorly will end up being. Other than guard Marcus Smart (left calf) remaining out, this was about as healthy as the Celts have been all season as forward Semi Ojeleye and center Robert Williams III both returned to the court. 

    Point guard Kemba Walker (25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (25 points, 7 rebounds) were both good for Boston but their next highest scorer was Jayson Tatum (6 points, 8 rebounds) who had one of the worst performances in his NBA career, going 3-of-14 from the field which is stunning for him especially against what should be a very favorable opponent to do some damage against. I'm really struggling to figure out a quick-fix solution to whatever is ailing the Celtics at the moment. Head coach Brad Stevens and/or GM Danny Ainge don't deserve to be fired, let's not be ridiculous, but it shows you how rough things have been lately that those words don't seem completely far-fetched. Still, it's all about the players and while the roster is flawed, they should not be sitting at .500 this far into the campaign. 

    The Wizards had five guys score in double-figures led by shooting guard Bradley Beal (game-high 35 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) who would be a lock for the All-Star Game if his team wasn't such a joke. Power forward Rui Hachimura added 15 points, the ghost of Russell Westbrook nearly had a triple-double (13 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds), center Mo Wagner notched 11 points and two steals while Sideshow Robin Lopez posted 10 points off the bench. It's not even halfway through this season but coming into today, I would have called it basically a must-win for the C's. They apparently didn't get the memo though as they never even made it remotely competitive. Down 29-22 after the first quarter, they trailed by double-digits (55-43) at halftime and then they gave up in the third quarter-getting outscored by 10 points (34-24). 

    I'm at a loss for words, this is simply not acceptable for a club that went to the Eastern Conference Final last season and had similar expectations in 2020-21 with two young All-Stars just starting to reach their prime years and a decent supporting cast around them. They trailed by 25 points today to a team that will be one of the front-runners to get the No. 1 pick in this 2021 Draft. They were outworked by a group of misfits that are already playing out the string: Washington hit 13 more free throws (31-18) and handed out 10 more assists (24-14). Losing to the Pistons should have served as a wake-up call and now it's on the players to figure this out or else Ainge might be forced to make some drastic changes. 

    Boston returns to TD Garden for a pivotal three-game homestand this week starting with Denver (15-11 overall, 7-5 road) on Tuesday (7, NBC Sports Boston) then followed by two games with Atlanta (11-15 overall, 5-6 road) on Wednesday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) and Friday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston). The Nuggets are better than their record indicates (like the Celtics, they reached their conference final in the bubble) and the Hawks are in a tailspin themselves but as these past few games for the C's have shown, they can't afford to overlook anybody at the moment-no matter if they are some of the NBA's worst teams.

For Some Reason, The Islanders Have Been Kryptonite For The B's In Their Two Games In '21

 

    Sports are weird in the sense that every season there are certain opposing players and teams that always give you fits, even if they're not that good (like the Pistons with the Celtics). The Islanders (6-4-3) have proven to be a major thorn in the Bruins' (10-2-2) side thus far in 2021. Tonight at Nassau Coliseum, New York beat Boston 4-2 which prevented the Bruins from sweeping their three games in New York this week (after winning twice in NYC vs. the Rangers). The loss snapped the Bruins' five-game win streak and also handed them just their second regulation loss of the season. Ironically enough, the Isles were the team to beat Boston that other time too. This looked like the last game of a road trip for the B's since they were outshot 42-30, they allowed a power play goal and a shorthanded goal plus goaltender Tuukka Rask (38 saves, 6-2-1) gave up a weak goal that shouldn't have gone in.

    The good news for the Black and Gold is that they will have six more cracks at the Isles, including four matchups at TD Garden before the playoffs start this spring. This evening began on a high note for the Bruins as left wing Brad Marchand fired a shot past Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (28 saves, 6-2-2) at 8:41 of the first period. Center Patrice Bergeron found him with a sweet backhand pass while right wing David Pastrnak had the second assist on Marchand's team-high ninth goal of the season. New York only trailed for less than three minutes as center Jean-Gabriel Pageau went to the net and was able to put in a rebound at 11:36. Defenseman Ryan Pulock and right wing Leo Komarov (fresh off not being clamed on waivers) provided the assists on JGP's third goal of the season. The Islanders took a 2-1 lead at 15:16 as right wing Jordan Eberle's shot from distance leaked through Rask's five-hole. Eberle's sixth goal of the season was assisted by center Brock Nelson and defenseman Scott Mayfield but he really should have been thanking Boston's goalie for letting that innocent shot go in. 

    The first line for the Bruins provided all of their offense (which is hardly ever a good thing against a decent opponent) because Bergeron tied it up with assists from Marchand and Pastrnak at 16:51 of the second period. Bergy's goal-scoring tends to come and go at times which is why it's nice to see him get off to such a good start this season in that department. Boston played the last two periods with five defensemen after Jakub Zboril left in the first period with an upper-body injury and he never returned to action. Not to throw out all the possible excuses at once but keep in mind that the B's were also playing in the second game of a back-to-back after a rare Friday contest last night at MSG. The Isles sure looked like the more rested club in what crazy NESN Bruins announcer Jack Edwards likes to call "winning time." Center Mathew Barzal absolutely destroyed a one-timer from the slot at 5:30 of the third period for what turned out to be the game-winning goal-his sixth tally of the season. Left wing Anders Lee and Eberle notched the assists on Barzal's cannon that went top shelf giving Rask no chance to stop it. Pageau clinched it with a shorthanded goal at 14:32 after Boston fumbled with the puck trying to get their power play set up. New York briefly had a 2-on-1 and Komarov led JGP with a sweet saucer pass that he was able to corral and put in the net. 

    Thanks to another team's Covid-19 outbreak, the Bruins will hopefully reap the reward of a mini-break since they were scheduled to meet New Jersey (4-3-2) on Monday at the Garden but the Devils haven't played since January 31. They are hoping to get back to work on Thursday (7, NESN) against the B's in Boston, fingers crossed that it happens. The B's get tomorrow (Valentine's Day) off and then they will practice on Monday at Warrior Ice Arena in preparation for NJ. Head coach Bruce Cassidy and his coaching staff used their unexpected time off last week (when Buffalo couldn't play) wisely since the Bruins won the next two games against the Rangers.

It's Bad Enough To Lose To The Pistons Once This Season But Twice? Come on Celtics, Wake Up!

 

    May I ask a simple question: what the hell is wrong with the Celtics (13-12 overall, 6-4 home)? Coming off a promising win over the Raptors (12-14) last night, they fell flat on their face tonight at TD Garden as they lost 108-102 to the tanking Pistons (7-19 overall, 2-11 away). Detroit has already played Boston three times this season and they've won two of those games so they are 2-1 vs. the C's and 5-18 against the rest of the NBA. Wait what? As if this result needed any more of a kick to the nuts, they watched rookie swingman Saddiq Bey-who was taken five picks (19th overall) after Celts rookie Aaron Nesmith who rarely ever plays-dominate them to the tune of a team-high 30 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and a perfect 7-for-7 on 3-pointers in 27 ultra productive minutes off the bench. Ouch babe!

    Point guard Kemba Walker sat out for the second game of a back-to-back which is his custom for this season, guard Marcus Smart (left calf tear) remains sidelined for awhile longer and center Robert Williams (left hip soreness) has missed these past two games with a bizarre injury for such a young guy but none of this should matter in terms of winning or losing against Detroit. Anyone that they throw out there should be capable of beating a wretched team like the Pistons. Rookie guard Payton Pritchard got his first career start and after dropping 20 points against Toronto (for the 2nd time), he no-showed with just two points. Even more worrisome, swingman Semi Ojeleye (who scored a career-high 24 points in Thursday's win) was rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup as well but he left early and never returned with a right knee injury. Fingers crossed, we don't know the severity of that issue yet but geez. 

    Trailing by 13 in the fourth quarter, Boston cut it down to a two-point Pistons lead but then Bey hit some clutch 3-pointers to end any hopes of an improbable rally. Shooting guard Delon Wright (22 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) also played well for Detroit while small forward Jeremi Grant (15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) and power forward Blake Griffin (12 points, 6 assists) also scored in double-figures and shooting guard Josh Jackson (5 rebounds, 2 blocks) added 14 points off the bench. For the Celtics, swingman Jayson Tatum (33 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) and shooting guard Jaylen Brown (27 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) combined for 60 points but none of their teammates really did anything notable. In fact, center Daniel Theis (11 points, 9 rebounds) was the only other Celtic to reach double-digits in scoring which is crazy against such a terrible opponent. 

    I don't want to overreact to a single game but this is a bigger issue that's been building lately since the C's fell to 3-6 in their last nine games. The Pistons were up 27-23 after the first quarter and 54-52 at halftime. Whatever head coach Brad Stevens said at halftime didn't work as Detroit outscored Boston 28-20 in the third quarter. The C's took the fourth quarter (30-26) but not by enough so it didn't matter one bit. Thanks to Bey's sharp-shooting, the Pistons hit seven more 3-pointers (15-8) than the Celtics, they had 10 more assists (25-15), they blocked three times as many shots (6-2) and their bench obliterated Boston's (49-20). 

    All that the C's can do now is to dust themselves off and take out their collective anger on another doormat-the Wizards (6-17) who they visit on Sunday afternoon (1, NBC Sports Boston) at the Capital One Arena. They beat Washington 116-107 on January 8th, the night before Tatum tested positive for Covid-19 which started an outbreak on the team that caused their next three games to be postponed. Poor Bradley Beal is still stuck on that miserable team which has the worst record in the Eastern Conference and second worst in the NBA with only Minnesota (6-20) owning an even more pathetic record. Sunday is Valentine's Day so I'd recommend focusing on that (if you can), because Celtics-Wizards is going to be one gross game that really cannot bring us any joy, only further anger and frustration. Good times!

The Bruins Won Their Fifth Straight Game (All On The Road) With A 1-0 Shutout Of The Rangers

 

    It's becoming routine this season that the Bruins (10-1-2) can usually adapt to any style of game and then almost always end up on top by the end of the contest. Tonight at Madison Square Garden, they blanked the Rangers (4-6-3) 1-0 to sweep their two-game set with their new East Division rival. Boston is 9-0-1 in its last 10 games and they have won their last five games in a row (all on the road). Goaltender Jaroslav Halak (21 saves, 4-0-1) notched the first shutout of the season for the B's and the 51st of his long NHL career. Left wing Nick Ritchie scored the lone goal of the tilt and these clubs are already starting to hate each other as they had a pair of spirited fights in the second period. 

    Boston's penalty kill unit also deserves plenty of praise since they went a perfect 6-for-6. After a scoreless first period, things heated up in the second quarter with the Bruins outshooting the Rangers 18-6. Ritchie ended the deadlock with a weird goal: his initial backhander was stopped by New York's goaltender Igor Shesterkin (3-4-1, 29 saves) but somehow his forehand followup squeezed into the net at 9:27. His fifth goal of the season was assisted by center David Krejci and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon. One second after the ensuing face-off, Bruins winger Trent Frederic dropped the gloves with Rangers left wing Brendan Lemieux. A few minutes later, Lauzon took on Rangers right wing Pavel Buchnevich who is not a goon by trade. 

    New York's best player Artemi Panarin was out with an undisclosed injury so clearly his teammates missed his excellent offensive ability. It looks like it will be another forgettable season for the Rangers since they continue to be anchored near the basement of the East Division. As a team, they don't score many goals but then again, they don't allow many either. This loss dropped them to 3-4-3 in their last 10 games with a 3-4-2 record on home ice. Two nights after Tuukka Rask (6-1-1) was forced to make a bunch of quality saves, Halak was not nearly as busy plus he did not face the same type of shots from New York. 

    The B's are now 6-1-2 on the road in 2021 and they travel to Uniondale, NY tomorrow night (7, NESN) to take on the Islanders (5-4-3) in their first back-to-back outing of the season. Boston will try to avenge it's only regulation loss: a lifeless 1-0 shutout of their own to the Isles back on Martin Luther King Day at Nassau Coliseum. As per usual, the Isles struggle to score but their defense and goaltending keep them in most games. They are also very physical so thus not an ideal opponent to see in the second half of a back-to-back after a chippy affair. Rask is a lock to be in between the pipes after he got the night off. The Bruins will look to build on their lead over second-place Philadephia (8-3-2) in the division. 

Semi Ojeleye Has The Best Game Of His NBA Life As The Celtics Easily Beat The Raptors 120-106

 

    With their bumpy 2-3 West Coast road trip now thankfully in the rear view mirror, the Celtics (13-11 overall, 6-3 home) returned to TD Garden tonight in search of a win and nothing more. They found it as their supporting cast was amazing while their top stars nearly both reached double-digit assist totals (which is rare to say the least) in a 120-106 victory over the Raptors (12-14 overall, 6-9 away). Forward Semi Ojeleye was a surprise inclusion in the starting lineup and he came through with a career-high (24 points, 6 rebounds). Along with rookie guard Payton Pritchard (20 points, 5 rebounds), they were both 6-of-8 on 3-pointers to become the first teammates in franchise history to each hit six-plus 3s in the same contest. Point guard Kemba Walker (21 points, 5 rebounds) also recovered-for one game at least-from a rough trip as Boston improved to 2-0 vs. Toronto this season.

    Like a comet in the sky, don't expect to ever see Semi, Pritchard and Kemba all score 20+ points in the same contest unless it's a preseason game. It helped that shooting guard Jaylen Brown (12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) made up for an awful shooting night (3-of-14 from the field) with a career-high 10 assists. Swingman Jayson Tatum (17 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) also passed as well as we've ever seen from him, including seven dimes in the first half alone. This was just the type of win that the C's desperately needed and make no mistake, they cruised as they led by as much as 19 points while the Raptors never led in the entire 48 minutes which is incredible when you think about it. 

    Center Daniel Theis blocked four shots and fellow big man Tristan Thompson grabbed 11 rebounds off the bench in only 19 minutes of work. Toronto found out this morning that they would have their entire home slate this season in Tampa Bay and they have been playing much better lately after a miserable start to 2020-21. Point guard Kyle Lowry (team-high 24 points, 6 assists) and power forward Pascal Siakam (23 points) were the only guys that really showed up for the Raptors. Shooting guard Nolan Powell added 15 points and power forward Chris Boucher (12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks) made his case for starting since he was very effective in 25 minutes off the bench. 

    Boston kept its foot on the gas for almost the entire game as they outscored Toronto in every quarter but the third and they went over 30 points in the first, second and fourth. They were up 34-29 after one which morphed into 66-56 at halftime. The Raptors showed a flicker of life in the third (24-22) but it hardly mattered as the C's closed hard in the fourth (32-26) which allowed head coach Brad Stevens to empty his bench in garbage time (can you say Tacko Time?) with Jeff Teague being the only guy out of 14 players for the Celtics who didn't see the floor at all. 

    As you would expect with Ojeleye and Payton's shooting nights, the Celts hit 11 more 3-pointers (20-9) than the Raptors and made seven more free throws (22-15). Boston pulled down 17 more rebounds (49-32) including 11 more offensive boards (14-3) along with scoring 17 more second chance points (17-0) and seven more fast break points (12-5) than Toronto. The fun of this beating will be quickly forgotten if the C's don't take care of business tomorrow night (8, NBC Sports Boston) against the awful Pistons (6-19) who are tied with the Timberwolves for the worst record in the league. The Celtics know not to take them lightly though as they've already met twice this season and lost one of those meetings in Detroit. Boston has a ton of games in the next few weeks but especially with this stretch, they need to take advantage of the weaker teams on their schedule. The Pistons are 3-7 in their last 10 games and 1-11 on the road so I have a feeling, a blowout could be on the menu for Friday night at the empty Garden.

Andrew Benintendi Goes To Kansas City In A 3-Way Trade But Does Anybody Notice Or Care?

 

        Not that we needed further proof of baseball's complete irrelevance both locally and nationally these days but tonight, one of Boston's best players was traded a week before Spring Training begins in Fort Myers and barely anyone seemed to realize it. There were rumors for months that the Red Sox were shopping outfielder Andrew Benintendi and they finally came to fruition as chief baseball officer (that will never sound less ridiculous) Chaim Bloom flipped him and an unspecified amount of cash to the Royals for outfielder Franchy Cordero and two players to be named later. Additionally, Boston gets a minor league right-handed pitcher (Josh Winckowski) and a player to be named later from the Mets. 

    I'm not heartbroken to see Benny go but I just wish that the Red Sox started acting like a big market team again instead of Tampa Bay North. They have the money and the resources to attract whomever they want, so it's frustrating when they sell off their assets both big and small for a bunch of lottery tickets (which is what minor leaguers might as well be). Plus, this was a guy that is still only 26 years old and due for a bounce back after a down year in 2019 followed by basically a non-existent 2020-he was awful in 14 games before the Sox shut him down to save face in their pointless Covid-19 campaign.

    He was also one of their biggest prospects in years as Benintendi was chosen No. 7 overall in the 2015 draft, he reached the majors in two years (finishing as the runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year in 2017) and was a key part (.290 batting average, 16 HRs and 87 RBIs) of their World Series champion squad in 2018. With a resume like that, coupled with a sweet swing and natural ability in the outfield, you can see why he probably got overrated a little too soon. It'll be interesting to see if his career gets back untracked in Kansas City where there is no pressure and once again, the team is in the gutter. 

    I couldn't care less about these guys that the Red Sox received since I've never heard of either of them before. There are so many levels in professional baseball and therefore it's so hard to make it to MLB that it is a complete waste of time to talk about any of them before they are on the verge of getting called up to the highest level. Baseball already has way too many problems with the game itself and I worry that it'll be another lost season for the Red Sox in 2021. I used to love the sport and this team but they have each made it very hard in recent years to have anything besides a passing interest in it anymore. Please change my mind Red Sox but I'm not holding my breath for robot Bloom and his legion of dorks to make this dead product more exciting. 

Back From Their Mini-Break, The Bruins Just Keep Rolling Along With A 3-2 OT Win Vs. The Rangers

 

    After having two games against Buffalo (4-4-2) postponed over the weekend due to a Covid-19 outbreak within the Sabres organization, the Bruins (9-1-2) were understandably a little rusty as they returned to action tonight at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers (4-5-3). They allowed the game's first goal and gave up a slim third period lead but they still managed to come away with a 3-2 overtime victory thanks to left wing Brad Marchand's sweet move on a breakaway. Boston kept pace atop the East Division as they improved to 8-0-1 in their last nine games and won the first meeting with New York this season. 

    Rangers rookie right wing Julien Gauthier staked his club to a 1-0 lead at 13:50 of the first period as he roofed a one-timer that was in close to the net from left wing Brendan Lemieux. Boston trailed 1-0 after the first but they tied it at one in the second period as Walpole's Chris Wagner used his speed to get in on a breakaway of his own and finish a forehand shot around Rangers goaltender Alexander Georgiev (29 saves, 1-2-2). Wagner's second goal of the season was unassisted and it came at 9:41. It was a sweet play for a guy that was unofficially benched in Boston's last game for taking a couple of penalties vs. Philadelphia (8-3-2). He also fought Northeastern's Anthony Bitetto in the third period after New York's defenseman for some reason took exception to a hard but clean hit. 

    Even though he gave up a pair of goals, Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (33 saves, 6-1-1) had one of his better performances of the season. Earlier in the second period with the home team on the power play, Rask made an incredible diving glove save on center Mika Zibanejad's re-direct from left wing Chris Kreider that normally is an automatic goal for a guy of that skill level. Boston went up 2-1 at 9:00 of the third period as left wing Anders Bjork beat Georgiev five-hole after a pretty feed from behind the night by the returning Jake DeBrusk (out since January 26 with a lower-body injury). Defenseman Kevan Miller added the second assist on Bjork's first goal of the season. 

    New York tied it at two on a strange play: defenseman Ryan Lindgren's fluttering shot was deflected by Lemieux then it hit Rask and fell on the goal-line where PC's Kevin Rooney was able to tap it in at 11:22. Rask immediately went to the refs complaining that Lemieux used a high stick but after a review, it stood up as Rooney's third goal of the season. It didn't take too long in overtime for the Bruins to grab their fourth straight win. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy broke up a 2-on-1 for New York and chipped the puck ahead to Marchand who made no mistake by flipping in a backhander for his team-leading eighth goal of the season. Center Patrice Bergeron notched the secondary assist on the goal which came only 36 seconds into the extra session. 

    These same clubs will meet again on Friday (7, NESN) at MSG. Backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak (3-0-1) hasn't played since February 1 against Washington (6-3-3) so I would expect him to get the call in this rematch against the Rangers. New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin (3-3-1) has appeared a little more often than Georgiev this season and he's been noticeably better leading me to believe that ex-BU head coach Dave Quinn will go to him for the second meeting with Boston. The Rangers are only a point ahead of the Devils (4-3-2) and Sabres who have both been paused for awhile now so they need to get some more points to create separation before New Jersey and Buffalo are back with a bunch of games in hand.

The C's Limp Home After A Choppy West Coast Road Trip (2-3) That Ended With A Loss In Utah

 

    There is no shame in losing to the team with the best record in the NBA, haha you will notice I didn't say the best team since we all know that the Lakers (19-6) are still the team to beat. You could also say that tonight was a schedule loss for the Celtics (12-11 overall, 7-8 away) since they had been stuck in Salt Lake City-which is always a tough place to win-for a few days and away from home for over a week now. Still, by falling 122-108 this evening against Utah (20-5 overall, 10-2 home) at Vivint Arena, the fact is that Boston finished 2-3 on their difficult West Coast road trip and they return home with plenty of questions surrounding them. They don't have much time to figure things out either as they fly home tomorrow and then have three games in four days and five games in the next seven days. Uh oh.    

    After missing two games with a left knee injury, Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown (team-high 33 points, 8 rebounds) didn't miss a beat as he pushes for his first All-Star Game (which shouldn't physically take place in 2021 but I digress) appearance. Conversely, former All-Star Kemba Walker (7 points, 7 assists, 2-of-12 from the field) is in a major funk save for 24 points in the win over the Clippers (17-8) on Friday-one of the only highlights of the trip. Without much from him, the C's are basically a two-man team of Brown and swingman Jayson Tatum (23 points). Center Daniel Theis hit five 3-pointers but he can't have too many nice things all at once so he promptly fouled out in 28 minutes.  

    There is a reason that the Jazz have won 17 of their last 18 games, they are clearly a cohesive group with defined roles led by superstar guard Donovan Mitchell (game-high 36 points, 9 assists, 2 blocks) who is playing out of his mind even by his lofty standards. Small forward Joe Ingles (24 points, 6 assists) might not look like your typical NBA player but he does so many things well on a basketball court. Center Rudy Gobert (18 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks) added a double-double and swingman Bojan Bogdanovic (16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists) made some timely baskets as the Celtics cut Utah's lead down to four multiple times in the fourth quarter but that's as close as they would get. Guard Jordan Clarkson notched 13 points and five assists off the bench for the Jazz as well.

    Boston's defense has been predictably MIA since their defensive catalyst Marcus Smart hurt his calf on January 30 vs. the Lakers. He might be wildly overrated-especially by Green Teamers and most Celtics media members-but at times like this when he's out, it's so easy to argue that Smart makes the Celtics much harder to play against. The C's led 27-24 after the first quarter and only trailed by one point (48-47) at halftime. Utah took control with a huge third quarter (outscoring Boston 42-32; tying the most points allowed in a frame by the C's this season) and they always had an answer in the fourth quarter when Boston threatened to make it really tight.

    Utah shot 3.4% better from the field (47.6%-44.2%), made five more 3-pointers (18-13), hit five more free throws (24-19), grabbed six more rebounds (41-35) including seven more defensive boards (31-24), handed out 10 more assists (28-18) and blocked five more shots (7-2) than the Celtics. No matter who they face at the moment, there are (at least temporarily) no automatic wins for Boston. They host Toronto (11-13) on Thursday (7:30, NBC Sports Boston) then they have a back-to-back with Detroit (6-18) coming to town the next night (8, NBC Sports Boston). That's followed by a Valentine's Day matinee (1, NBC Sports Boston) in DC with the Wizards (6-15). The Celtics somehow are still in fourth-place in the Eastern Conference but don't be fooled by that since they are only 1.5 games ahead of the eighth-place Raptors. Head coach Brad Stevens has to hope that their fortunes will change at the Garden where the Celts are 5-3 this season. Whatever it takes, they just need to start stacking up some more wins since they are 4-6 in their last 10 games which is not going to get it done, especially in a shortened campaign like this.