Category: Basketball

Three areas the Celtics should focus on instead of the officials originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics have, in various tones, utilized their last three losses to vent about a perceived lack of whistles this season. 

Jaylen Brown twice complained about a lack of whistles: first, calmly after a loss to the Nuggets, then not-so quietly after a loss to the Spurs. His expletive-filled outburst on Saturday night included a plea to be punished, and the NBA obliged with a $35,000 fine.

After Monday’s loss in Indiana, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla spent the entirety of a 44-second postgame media session repeating, “Illegal screen,” seemingly miffed at the lack of a call when Pascal Siakam stuck out a leg to stall Derrick White before Siakam banked home a game-winner in the closing seconds.

Do we understand the Celtics’ frustrations? Absolutely. Brown has relentlessly attacked the basket this season and doesn’t seem to get the same friendly whistle that many superstars generate. Mazzulla knows better than anyone that Monday’s loss did not hinge solely on Siakam’s questionable screen, but likely used it as a means to join Brown’s bigger battle for whistle equality. 

Sometimes you have to be your own advocate. Brown has not been bashful about voicing his mind this season. Mazzulla lives to make others uncomfortable. Our only quibble would be that, after three vent sessions in six days (all following losses), the gripes land a bit like sour grapes for a team that had otherwise been one of the league’s feel-good stories to start the season.

Time will tell if Boston’s cries leads to better whistles. In calling out a referee and his crew by name after Saturday’s loss, Brown has most certainly caught the attention of the referee fraternity.

Mazzulla’s “illegal screen” reply to every postgame question spread quickly on social media and might have been a clever way to express dissatisfaction without losing any money from his wallet. We doubt any admission of a missed call in the Last 2 Minute report will make Mazzulla feel any better.

But the referees are far from Boston’s only concern after dropping three of its last four. The Celtics were cruising after winning nine of 10 while storming into the new calendar year, then endured consecutive defeats for the first time since mid-December with losses to San Antonio and Indiana.

It’s probably time for Boston to put the focus back on itself.

Mazzulla has famously stated, “When you decide you want to win at something, you don’t get to pick the environment. You don’t get to pick the circumstances. The only thing you get to pick is how you respond.” He’s typically been a firm believer in controlling what you can control.  

It’s time for the Celtics to put their energy into their play and not what the referees are calling (or not calling, in this case).

Here are three areas the Celtics need to tighten up, regardless of whether their whistle gets better or not: 

1. Opponent 3-pointers

Starting with the 2007-08 title campaign, the Celtics have ranked in the top 10 in opponent 3-point percentage in 17 of the past 18 seasons. The wonky 2020-21 COVID season is the only outlier in that group — until this season.

The 2025-26 Celtics rank 23rd in the NBA in opponent 3-point percentage, with opponents shooting 37 percent beyond the arc. What’s more, Boston ranks 26th in opponent 3-point makes (14.4 per game). Zoom in on the past 10 games, and Boston ranks 29th while allowing 15.9 opponent 3-pointers per game. 

The Celtics watched the Nuggets make five more 3-pointers than them last Wednesday. The Raptors were +4 on 3-pointers on Friday (only offset by Boston’s dominance in the paint), and the Pacers were +7 in Indy. Spotting the opponent 21 points on 3-point makes is tough, particularly in a game where both teams failed to reach triple digits.

Despite their lack of size, the Celtics have done a good job limiting opponents near the basket. But opponents seem way too comfortable shooting from the perimeter. Each night, Celtics fans are scrambling to rosters to see which random opponent is catching fire from deep. 

The Celtics have to find the right balance between protecting the basket and hunting rebounds, while not giving opponents as much space to fire away from distance.

2. Clutch stumbles

The Celtics are now 8-12 in clutch games (score within five points in the final five minutes). They rank 27th in clutch defensive rating (123.6) and 25th in net rating (minus-13.5). It’s not a terribly large sample size at 56 total minutes, but Boston has certainly not played its crispest basketball in those moments.

Operating without Jayson Tatum and — on nights like Monday, without Jaylen Brown — obviously adds a layer of complexity to late-game situations. Boston is 5-8 in one-possession games in the final minute. Its offense has actually been solid but the team’s inability to generate stops has complicated matters. 

The 2021-22 Celtics taught us that regular-season clutch numbers are not indicative of what will happen in the postseason. The Celtics were 13-22 in clutch games during that season, then stormed to the NBA Finals. A healthy Tatum on a playoff stage could give the Celtics the focus they’ve lacked at times this season. 

But Boston still has a ways to go in nailing down the five-man lineup it wants to trot out in must-have situations, and can also tighten up the execution in those spots. 

3. Need more from the core

Derrick White is shooting 36.8 percent overall and 23.6 percent on 3-pointers over Boston’s last five games. He was 7-for-19 shooting vs. Denver, 11-of-26 vs. San Antonio, and 7-of-21 vs. Indiana. White ranks 133rd out of the 136 qualifiers in field goal percentage and 141st out of 164 qualifiers in 3-point percentage during that span. 

White’s defense has been excellent, and he’s clearly impacting winning on most nights. But he still hasn’t quite pulled himself out of an early-season shooting funk. And particularly on nights when the Celtics don’t have Brown, it’s even more imperative that he and the rest of his teammates find a bit more consistency. 

Payton Pritchard eventually kicked into high gear in the third quarter against the Pacers, but was 7-of-22 combined shooting against Denver and San Antonio. Anfernee Simons has quarters where he’s off-the-charts hot, and the Anferno is fun to watch in those moments, but he sometimes struggles to maintain that output.

On a night-to-night basis, it’s hard to know which of Boston’s young wings the team can lean on, and Mazzulla is forced to pick which dart to throw. He’s been more successful than not, but the wings could help that cause by all stating their cases more often.

The Celtics simply need more consistency from the supporting cast. It felt like Boston was finding that a bit during their December surge, but better opponents — and certainly more physical defenses — have diminished the team’s offensive efficiency. 

Steve Kerr remains committed to Warriors starting five, but should he be? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

They still are searching for their first four-game win streak and haven’t been four games above .500 once.

Inconsistency in the starting lineup also was a major theme, until four weeks ago. Warriors coach Steve Kerr on Dec. 14 started Moses Moody and Quinten Post alongside Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green and hasn’t looked back since. 

Kerr says though the stats of the group together don’t show the best results, he’s sticking with them for multiple reasons. 

“I’m committed to it because we’re generally in a good place. … We committed, what was it, three weeks ago, to just staying with the same starting five and same rotation to try to get guys more comfortable and we’ve achieved that,” Kerr told reporters Monday after Warriors practice. “I know that five-man group hasn’t been great, but again, it allows Draymond to start at the 4. Like tomorrow, he doesn’t have to guard [Donovan] Clingan to start the game. That’s a big deal for us.” 

The first game Kerr unveiled the Curry-Moody-Butler-Green-Post starting five was in a 136-131 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in which Curry’s 48 points couldn’t result in a win. That same starting five is expected to begin the game Tuesday night when the Warriors play the Blazers for the fourth time this season. They’re 0-3 against them thus far, losing twice without the starting five and once with it. 

Moody and Post have each played and started every game since Dec. 14. Curry, Butler and Green each missed one, a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 2. In the 13 games all five have played and started alongside each other in that span, the unit has produced a minus-1.3 net rating with a 113.5 offensive rating and 114.8 defensive rating. 

“While the numbers may not be that impressive, it allows the game to unfold in a way that we like,” Kerr explained. 

So, should Kerr be this committed to the current starting five? And does it really matter? 

Since turning to the starting five, the Warriors are 8-6 overall and 8-5 in the games they have played together. Following a three-game losing streak, the Warriors now have won eight of their last 12 games but haven’t gained ground in the Western Conference standings and remain the No. 8 seed. 

It was a goal of Kerr’s to not start Green at center all season and limit his minutes against giants like the 7-foot-2, 280-pound Clingan. That is a big deal for him and the Warriors alike. Theoretically, the lineup makes sense in putting size, shooting and defense around the Warriors’ veteran Big Three. 

Outside of the start of the first and third quarters, the group isn’t playing long stretches next to one another. Kerr quickly is turning to his depth and playing his bench players in short bursts, another stylistic decision he appears to be sticking to. 

“As a player, it’s not easy to play a four-minute stretch and come out,” Kerr admits. “You feel like maybe you don’t have a chance to get your rhythm. But with the speed and pace of the game and the nature of our roster, where we have a lot of depth but not a lot of clear separation, we’re definitely playing more people. 

“I think we’re playing an 11-man rotation right now, pretty consistently, which I don’t think we’ve ever done since I’ve been here, and as a result of that we’re playing guys in shorter bursts of four or five-minute stretches.” 

Defense and spacing is the idea around starting Moody and Post as the complements to Curry, Butler and Green. Post leads the Warriors in defensive rating (106.5) and Moody is second (107.2). Fast-twitch guards still give Moody problems, however, and teams aren’t exactly scared of Post protecting the rim. 

Advanced stats have flipped for the Warriors since implementing their new starting five. The Warriors rank fifth in offensive rating (117.5) and 19th in defensive rating (115.3) since Dec. 14. Oddly enough, Moody (30.6 percent) and Post (33.3 percent) have struggled shooting from long distance in their 14 straight games starting together. 

The Warriors rank dead last in first-quarter points per game this season (27.1) but are 22nd since Dec. 14 (28.9) and scoring 23 first-quarter points in the one game Curry, Butler and Green didn’t play doesn’t help. 

This starting five also rarely, if ever, closes games. 

Whenever De’Anthony Melton, who has been Kerr’s closer out of the bullpen, is able to play 30 minutes, he more than likely will be Curry’s backcourt mate. Post is shooting 41.2 percent from three in the first quarter, which is by far his best 3-point percentage of any quarter. He provides the size and spacing needed next to Green, and it allows Al Horford to thrive in lineups centered around Butler and be able to finish games. 

Changes could come eventually, and maybe even from the Feb. 5 trade deadline. Until then, Kerr is going to stick to one of the only parts of the season that has been consistent for the Warriors after searching for a starting five for so long early on.

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As the Philadelphia 76ers rolled into Scotiabank Arena on Sunday for a matchup against the Toronto Raptors, a familiar face walked in wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.

Former Raptor Kyle Lowry sported an Auston Matthews-signed sweater going into the arena ahead of the first half of a back-to-back in Toronto. Lowry, who won an NBA Championship with the Raptors in 2019, has known Matthews ever since the Maple Leafs' forward was drafted into the NHL in 2016.

On the back of the jersey, Matthews wrote: "To Kyle, Toronto legend! Much love, Auston Matthews".

"I respect the hell out of Auston," Lowry told reporters (via TSN's Josh Lewenberg) with a smile on Sunday. "We have a mutual relationship, and I gotta pay tribute to my city and, I'm not going to say my country because it's the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"But you know, I'm a Maple Leafs guy, and that's a great jersey. I didn't know how big those damn jerseys were, but it looked good with my fit. I appreciate him and I wanted to show the support for the city and also for him, for giving me the jersey."

Still reppin' the North 🙌

Kyle Lowry arrives in an Auston Matthews jersey in his return to Toronto 🍁 pic.twitter.com/kdt1zW1f9b

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 11, 2026

The video of Lowry entering Scotiabank Arena wearing the jersey received a lot of love from Toronto's fans, not only because of what he was wearing, but also for what the 39-year-old means to the city and the Raptors.

"He's a Raptors legend, Toronto legend and a guy I got a lot of respect for," Matthews said after being asked about Lowry wearing his jersey. "I bumped into him a few times in my tenure here, and he’s been nothing but class. It was pretty cool to see him wear that jersey."

Matthews had been to several Raptors games while Lowry was with the team. Lowry was with the Raptors from 2012 to 2021, playing 601 games for Toronto. He was an NBA All-Star in six of his nine seasons with the Raptors.

Kyle Lowry is soaking it all in. 🥺🥺❤️

🎥: Sportsnet https://t.co/41133L1s4mpic.twitter.com/9jBcdDkUx9

— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) January 13, 2026

Lowry potentially played his final game in Toronto on Monday night with the 76ers. Once he calls it quits, Lowry said he will retire a Raptor, and it's also likely he'll have his number '7' retired and put up in the rafters inside Scotiabank Arena.

"If it does and when it does, it will be a super emotional day. I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into that seven," Lowry added, "and to know that it probably won't ever be worn again, it'd be pretty special. I think, something that, for my basketball legacy, is pretty, pretty darn cool."

David Greenwood, one of the best high school basketball players in Southern California history, will have his jersey retired on Friday night during a ceremony at his alma mater, Verbum Dei.

Greenwood, who died on June 8 at the age of 68 after a bout with cancer, teamed with Roy Hamilton to make Verbum Dei one of the best teams during his high school days in the 1970s. He'd go on to be an All-American at UCLA and played 12 years in the NBA. He came back to coach at Verbum Dei.

Verbum Dei is playing Gardena Serra on Friday at 7 p.m. The ceremony will be held at halftime.

Greenwood was the No. 2 pick in the 1979 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. Magic Johnson went No. 1 to the Lakers. He'd win an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons.

He coached Verbum Dei to state championships in 1998 and 1999.

"David was a hero to me," said Verbum Dei alumnus DeAnthony Langston. "He's one of the all-time greats in Verbum Dei history."

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Luka Doncic scored 40 points through three quarters for the Lakers against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, going 15 for 21 from the field. He had seven assists and six rebounds and had played more than 30 minutes.

But then he got his left thigh wrapped.

After that, Doncic only made one of four shots, missing both of his three-point attempts in the Lakers' 124-112 loss to the hot-shooting Kings.

Doncic didn't provide much clarity on what he might be dealing with, saying his ailment was "somewhere" in the inner thigh or groin area.

Read more:Luka Doncic and LeBron James both falter at finish as Lakers lose to Bucks

“Yeah, I was really uncertain. Before the game ... I felt something,” said Doncic, who was unsure if he would play before the game. “But tomorrow, we'll see how I wake up.”

Doncic finished with 42 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. He was two for nine from three-point range. He didn't let the injury be an excuse for his fourth-quarter struggles.

“If I'm out there, I'll try to go," Doncic said. "So that's never an excuse. I'm good.”

The Lakers were down by 20 points in the third quarter and were forced to play catch-up the rest of the way. They got to within seven points in the fourth quarter before the Kings pulled away.

They shot decently from the field, shooting 49%. But they were horrible from three-point range, making just 22% (eight for 36).

“It’s literally we can’t make a shot,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

The Kings shot 59% from the field and 65% from three-point range.

“Defensively, I mean, I think we played solid defense,” LeBron James said. “I mean, they made a bunch of threes. We didn't make many, but I thought we played. We had our game plan. We executed our game plan. Tonight was just one of those cases where you didn't make shots.”

DeMar DeRozan torched the Lakers inside, scoring 32 points on 14-for-19 shooting.

Malik Monk came off the bench and scored 26 points, going seven for nine from three-point range. Even Russell Westbrook torched the Lakers, scoring 22 points in making four of his eight three-pointers.

When the Lakers got to within 112-104, the Kings put the game away with a DeRozan jumper and three-pointers from Monk and Precious Achiuwa.

Redick pulled his starters with 1:53 left.

“We faced a hot-shooting team tonight,” Redick said.

Rui Hachimura was in uniform but didn't play after missing the previous six games with right calf soreness. There's a good chance he will see playing time against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

LeBron loves his 'super cool' patch

James, who scored 22 points, wore a patch on his jersey commemorating his unprecedented 23rd NBA season in the city where he played his first NBA game. It features a silhouette of his pregame chalk toss and three colored stripes that represents the three franchises he has played on — the Lakers, Cavaliers and Heat.

He will wear the patch for the remainder of the season. After each game, the patch will be removed from his jersey for that game, dated and shipped to a Topps’ production facility to be authenticated and inserted into a pack of trading cards.

“Super cool. Super surreal. Super humbled, blessed,” James said. “I walked in here and saw it for the first time. It was like an emotional moment as well. Just think about the journey thus far and have an opportunity to be here where it kind of all started obviously, but in this city.

"And it's been a heck of a journey and people have followed my career and my fans have followed my career to get an opportunity to be a part of it."

Lakers fans might not get the chance to see James and his patch up close on Tuesday night. There's a good chance he will not play in the second game of a back-to-back.

“We’ll see how he feels in the morning,” Redick said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

DALLAS (AP) — Cooper Flagg scored 27 points and matched a season high with three steals, and Naji Marshall had three straight baskets down the stretch and finished with 22 points as the depleted Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-105 on Monday night.

The Mavericks (15-25) snapped a two-game skid. Klay Thompson scored 18 off the bench and matched a season high with six three-pointers.

Michael Porter Jr. scored 28 points and Day’Ron Sharpe had 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for the Nets (11-26), who have lost four consecutive games. They were swept in a road back-to-back, losing 103-98 at Memphis on Sunday.

Brooklyn cut a 14-point second-half deficit to 99-95 with five minutes left, but couldn’t get any closer.

Flagg rebounded after shooting 4 for 13 and scoring 11 points in Dallas’ 125-17 loss at Chicago on Saturday.

Dallas’ Jaden Hardy, making his second start of the season, scored 11 of his 14 points in the first five minutes, including three of his four 3-pointers.

The Mavericks used three players on two-way contracts while missing four injured starters, including Anthony Davis (out indefinitely with ligament damage in his left hand suffered on Thursday) and P.J. Washington Jr. (missing his third straight game with an ankle injury).

Porter returned after sitting out Sunday’s game, while Brooklyn’s Cam Thomas and Egor Dёmin were held out Monday after playing Sunday.

When the Mavericks beat the Nets 119-111 in Dallas on Dec. 12, there were 23 lead changes and 16 ties. On Monday night, there was one lead change and one tie.

Up next

Nets: At New Orleans on Wednesday.

Mavericks: Host Denver on Wednesday.

How Kings rookies helped Malik Monk stay ready to make impact in win vs. Lakers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

It hasn’t been an easy 2025-26 NBA season so far for the Kings, and the same can be said for Malik Monk.

But Sacramento has put together two consecutive wins after their dominant 124-112 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night at Golden 1 Center, and the veteran point guard has battled through adversity to make an impact in both. Staying ready hasn’t been easy, but taking up a mentorship role has helped Monk focus on the task at hand: contributing no matter what his situation is.

“Man, come in here, whether I’m playing or not — come on, man, watch out,” Monk told Morgan Ragan and Kyle Draper on “Kings Postgame Live” as rookie centers Dylan Cardwell and Maxime Raynaud interrupted the interview. “Just dealing what I was dealing with, coming in and not hanging my head, talking to my rooks right here that just came up, just trying to teach them the game and keep my mind off of the stuff I can’t control. So that’s how I just stay ready.

“Kept getting shots up, staying with my work and playing the game like this, man. Playing the game like this. Happy about it.”

Monk has dealt with trade rumors and DNPs in recent weeks, sitting three straight games from Jan. 2-6 after two DNPs in December, but helping the rookies has allowed him to keep a clear head and contribute off the bench. He scored 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 7 of 9 from deep with a game-high-tying eight assists against the Lakers, one night after contributing 15 points in Sacramento’s home win over the Houston Rockets.

While Monk said after Monday’s game he wasn’t given a specific adjustment he needed to make in order to return to the Kings’ rotation, coach Doug Christie told reporters the point guard has played to Sacramento’s “standard” over the last two games with Dennis Schröder suspended.

“… Everything about his focus. He’s talented as hell, man,” Christie said after the win. “So defensive intensity, coverages, communicating with his teammates. Everything about him has been top-notch. So, he deserves everything. He was the player of the game for us. The 26 points, as I told him, fantastic. It was the eight assists that was really impressive for me, actually, because he has the capabilities to do all those things.”

Monk’s teammate Russell Westbrook never felt worried that time on the bench would impact the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award finalist.

“Not surprising to me,” Westbrook told reporters postgame. “‘Lik can hoop, can put the ball in the hole. Give [him] an opportunity, he’ll produce some shape or form. If it’s not scoring, generating off — he [does] good job of making the best play for somebody else as well, too. So, I never worry about Malik one bit.”

Nothing is certain — in life, or in the NBA. But ensuring he’s prepared to make an impact helped Monk contribute to the Kings’ 10th win of the season and just their second winning streak of the campaign, on a back-to-back, no less.

When Sacramento plays former Kings coach Mike Brown and the New York Knicks on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center, Monk no doubt will look to do the same as the team seeks it’s first three-game streak of the season.

“Definitely trying to come in and make an immediate impact so I can stay on the court,” Monk said. “So yeah … I do that, I’ll be out there.”

And in the meantime, he’ll continue to teach Sacramento’s promising group of youngsters.

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Observations after massive 1st half drives Sixers to bounce-back win  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers rode a dream first half to a bounce-back win Monday night in Toronto. 

They earned a split in their back-to-back against the Raptors with a 115-102 victory.

Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points. Joel Embiid had 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

The 22-16 Sixers had a full-strength squad. The 24-17 Raptors’ RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl and Ja’Kobe Walter were out with injuries. 

The Sixers will host the Cavs on both Wednesday and Friday nights. Here are observations on their win over the Raptors:

Maxey shows off three-level skills 

Paul George scored the Sixers’ first five points on two free throws and a pull-up three-pointer. VJ Edgecombe and Embiid also canned early long-distance jumpers.

Maxey wasted no time in displaying his three-level scoring prowess. He sped past defenders, hit mid-range jumpers, fired away well beyond the arc and appeared to pose a legitimate threat from almost anywhere.

The 25-year-old tallied 18 points in the first quarter on 6-for-7 shooting. Through 36 games, Maxey’s averaged 30.9 points. It’s remarkable that, if Maxey finishes the season with at least 30 points per game, the Sixers will have had four such years in the past five. Embiid did it three straight times between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 campaigns and won two scoring titles in the process. Maxey currently leads the Eastern Conference in scoring and sits third in the NBA. 

As a team, the Sixers shot 14 for 17 from the floor in the first quarter (7 for 8 from three-point range). The Sixers’ star trio had 37 of the team’s 45 first-period points.

Embiid above the rim

Unfortunately for the Raptors, a new quarter did not mean the Sixers’ offense drastically cooled off.

Embiid jammed in his most powerful dunk of the season in the second quarter. He accepted an Edgecombe pass, took a hard dribble through the lane and elevated for a one-hand slam that the Sixers’ bench enjoyed. Beyond the entertaining two points, it’s clearly an excellent indicator with Embiid’s health that he’s willing and able to score in that fashion above the rim.

Embiid’s now just three points away from the milestone of 13,000 career points. He’s seventh on the Sixers’ all-time scoring list.

Toronto remained unable to handle the Maxey-Embiid two-man game. Maxey sunk yet another three off of an Embiid dribble handoff to stretch the Sixers’ advantage to 73–44. They led by as many as 31 points late in the second quarter. 

The Sixers were due for a good shooting game after subpar outings in their win over the Magic and overtime loss Sunday to the Raptors. Their first half Monday night was better than anyone could’ve possibly envisioned.

Lowry feels the love

Edgecombe was a significant part of the much-improved shooting effort. The rookie posted 15 points (5 for 7 from the field, 5 for 6 from three-point range) and eight assists. 

Toronto finally gathered some momentum late in the third quarter, making a run and cutting the Sixers’ lead to 18 points on a Gradey Dick layup.

The Raptors hung around in the fourth, though never to a degree that truly alarmed the Sixers. For several minutes, the main lingering question was whether all the fans asking for Sixers head coach Nick Nurse to sub in Kyle Lowry would get their wish.

Much to everyone’s delight, Lowry checked in at the 1:57 mark. The six-time All-Star and Raptors legend basked in the moment and thanked the crowd.

The 39-year-old tried three jumpers and came up empty. That didn’t diminish the cheers at the final buzzer. Lowry held the ball as the clock expired and raised his arm to acknowledge the love again.