Category: Basketball

OG Anunoby scored 34 points and led the Knicks to a dominant 142-103 win over the Nuggets on Friday night in the first game of the team's West Coast trip.

Here are the takeaways...

- The Denver crowd was loud, especially to see the return of Aaron Gordon. They erupted when Gordon dunked to give Denver an early 4-2 lead, and coach Mike Brown called a timeout less than two minutes into this contest. Whatever was said didn't wake up the sluggish Knicks, as Denver scored seven straight points. New York would settle in on the offensive end, thanks to the energy from Josh Hart, who was questionable (back) before the game.

Karl-Anthony Towns picked up two fouls midway through the first and had to sit. That allowed Mitchell Robinson some early minutes, and his teammates fed him often, as the big man scored a team-high nine first quarter points. After trailing by nine, the Knicks cut the Nuggets' lead to just two at the end of one. 

Landry Shamet had six points on 2-of-3 from three, but the Knicks as a whole had trouble shooting it from long distance, going just 2-of-9 from three after one. 

- Towns returned to the floor to start the second and he took over. The big man drove to the basket and was drawing fouls even on the defensive end. And then it was Anunoby scoring seven straight points, including a step-back three with a defender all over him in the corner to give the Knicks a 53-44 lead with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half. 

The Knicks would build an 11-point lead with a minute to go when Anunoby drove into the lane for a slam, but was called for an offensive foul when Jamal Murray went backward. Murray stepped on Nikola Jokic's foot as he went back and twisted his ankle and had to be helped into the locker room. The Knicks challenged the call and got the call overturned and went into halftime with a 65-52 lead.

Anunoby led the Knicks with 14 points and Robinson had 13 but picked up three fouls trying to guard Jokic. The Nuggets All-Star had a game-high 21 points at the half, but the Knicks defense was great. Denver shot 45 percent in the first half, including 2-for-19 from three. The Knicks weren't much better from three (4-18) but were 48 percent from the field. 

- The third quarter was similar to the second. Without Murray on the floor -- he did not return -- the Nuggets could not find consistent scoring outside of Jokic. And the Knicks did a good job of forcing Jokic to shoot threes, limiting how many points the former MVP can put up. On the offensive end, Anunoby's hot shooting carried over into the third as he put up 14 points in the frame while playing his patented defense. 

New York finished the third up 105-80. 

- Anunoby and the Knicks came out firing in the fourth, hitting three after three and building a 30-point lead with nine minutes to go. The Nuggets waved the white flag and emptied the bench, and the Knicks did the same.

Anunoby finished with a team-high 34 points on 11-for-17 shooting (6-of-11 from three) to go along with seven rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block. 

Jalen Brunson (9) and Mikal Bridges (9) were the only starters not to score in double digits. Brunson dished out 15 assists and came down with three rebounds. Towns scored 17 to go with his 13 rebounds while Hart was second on the team with 18 points on 8 of 12 shooting (2-for-4 from three). He also had five rebounds and two assists. 

- Jokic had a game-high 38 points on 14-of-21 shooting but was just 1-for-7 from three. He had eight rebounds and five assists. The Nuggets as a whole shot 7-of-34 from three.

Game MVP: OG Anunoby

Anunoby did it all and filled up the stat line to get the Knicks back in the win column.

Highlights

Alley-oop to Robinson! pic.twitter.com/eTACWsVIjw

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 7, 2026

OG lobs it to Mitch! 💪 pic.twitter.com/yPyEFc9OYI

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 7, 2026

KAT lines up the triple 🎯 pic.twitter.com/HQYBrwsmeE

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 7, 2026

OG with the hot hand 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ICGEgrgvzJ

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 7, 2026

What's next

The Knicks continue their West Coast trip by heading to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers. Tip is set for 3:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

The Boston Celtics' newly acquired center, Nikola Vucevic, hit the locker room early and did not return after suffering an injury in Friday's game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Vucevic was ruled out with a right ring finger fracture, the team's PR staff reported on social media.

He was injured at the 4:35 mark in the first quarter of the contest after receiving a low post entry pass from Payton Pritchard.

Vucevic was being guarded by Mavericks center Moussa Cisse when Mavs teammate Khris Middleton went to help and took a swipe at Boston's big man, making contact with his hand. No foul was called.

Vucevic passed the ball back to Pritchard before fading to the corner. After Pritchard turned the ball over, Dallas went back and scored on the other end.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla called a timeout at the 4:21 mark, and seemingly discussed the no-call with an official, as the Mavericks took a 13-12 lead.

CHICAGO (AP) — Brock Boeser batted the puck in to break a tie at 2:40 of the third period and the NHL-worst Vancouver Canucks beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 on Friday night to end a seven-game losing streak that started in January.

Boeser smacked the puck past Arvid Soderblom after Linus Karlsson's cross-ice feed ramped up the goalie's stick and into the air. Max Sasson and Boeser added empty-netters.

Drew O’Connor, Jake DeBrusk and Teddy Blueger had first-period goals and Nikita Tolopilo stopped 20 shots to help Vancouver win for the first time since a 2-0 home victory over Anaheim on Jan. 29. The Canucks had lost 10 of 11.

Ryan Donato, Ilya Mikheyev and Frank Nazar scored for Chicago in its fourth loss in five games since the Olympic break. Soderblom made 16 saves.

Before the game, Chicago traded forward Nick Foligno to Minnesota for future considerations. Andrew Mangiapane made his debut for the Blackhawks after being acquired from Edmonton on Wednesday.

Vancouver made a couple of big moves leading up to the trade deadline Friday, sending defenseman Tyler Myers to Dallas on Wednesday and winger Conor Garland to Columbus late Thursday. In December, the Canucks made the biggest deal of the season when they shipped captain Quinn Hughes to Minnesota.

Vancouver led 3-2 after a period. There were three goals in the first 2:32 and four in the first 6:32.

Donato opened the scoring for Chicago on a backhander at 1:08. Vancouver scored the next three — O’Connor at 2:08, DeBrusk at 2:32, both on tips, and Blueger at 6:32.

Mikheyev scored for Chicago from the slot with eight minutes left in the period, and Nazar tied it on a tip with 43 seconds to go in second.

Up next

Canucks: At Winnipeg on Saturday.

Blackhawks: At Dallas on Sunday

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Charge continued their impressive season on Friday as they cruised to an easy 125-99 win over the shorthanded Windy City Bulls thanks to standout performances from Riley Minix and Tristan Enaruna. The victory pulls the Charge within a half game of the top spot in the conference.

G League success is defined in two ways. Are you winning? And are your players being called up? The Charge have checked both boxes, which is incredibly difficult to do because that means you need to be continually replacing the players who were just called up.

“It means that we have an incredible group, an incredible organization, and a staff that just continues to pour into these guys,” Charge head coach Eli Kell-Abrams said. “I just could not be prouder of the group we have. It’s really hard to lose the guys you lose and maintain your culture.”

One of the culture pieces they lost was Norchad Omier, who recently signed a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. This left a hole inside, which is why they targeted Olivier Sarr to fill that role. The Cleveland Cavaliers signed him to a two-way deal, and he made his debut with the Charge on Friday.

Kell-Abrams said he was proud of the way Sarr fought through adversity in his first game with the team. Sarr picked up two fouls in the first minute of the second half, which forced him to sit out the rest of the third quarter. He made up for lost time by pouring in 14 of his 18 points in the final quarter to help the Charge extend their 10-point lead at the beginning of the quarter into the 26-point blowout it became.

“He offers a level of rim protection that’s unprecedented in the G, and it’s something we’re going to rely on,” Kell-Abrams said after Sarr picked up a block and two steals to go along with his all-around good debut, albeit in just 21 minutes of play.

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Minix is another player the Charge added midway through the season, who has allowed them to keep momentum going. The Cavs signed him to a two-way deal in the middle of February. He once again made an impact with his outside shot, going 4-8 from three in his 22-point performance.

Despite how well the on-court results have been for Minix since coming to Cleveland — he came into this game averaging 19.9 points and 7.1 rebounds on .549/.461/.774 shooting splits — how he’s fit into the overall team structure is what has impressed his head coach.

“With his skill level, he could have come in and just been about his shots, been about his minutes, been about whatever he needed to do to get to the next level,” Kell-Abrams said. “But he bought into the group, and he won the guys instantly.”

Friday’s win was also carried by two guys who’ve been here all season: Enaruna and Darius Brown II.

It’s easy to talk yourself into Enaruna making an impact at the next level sooner rather than later. He’s a 6’7” wing who can attack off-the-dribble, has good lateral quickness, and most importantly has a great feel for the game.

There’s always room on an NBA court for people who have that skill. Especially one who has improved his outside shot as much as Enaruna has.

Confidence in the outside shot has been an issue with Enaruna, but that’s turning around. He shot 28.6% from three during the first 14 games of the Tip-Off Tournament, but is connecting on 47.9% of his threes since the regular season began around the start of the new year.

Enaruna attributes the improvement to having more confidence in his shot.

“Basketball is very statistics-based,” Enaruna said.

That got into his head to the point that he would worry about misses so much that it affected how he reacted when he got the ball open on the perimeter.

“I could feel my body tense up because I wanted to make it so bad,” Enaruna said. The solution was coming to a better understanding that you aren’t defined by one shot and trusting the work that you put in.

“I’ve shot thousands of threes,” Enaruna said. “I know how to make them. You just got to trust your body to do that.”

That worked on Friday, as Enaruna went 3-7 from deep en route to a 25-point, 11-rebound, and two-assist night.

Brown once again contributed 15 or more assists for the fifth time this season as he collected 18 in the victory.

“He drives it all,” Kell-Abram said of Brown. “When you have guys that are not about themselves, that are pass first in a league that is not a pass-first league, that makes us different than everybody else.”

This Charge team has indeed been different all season. They’re within striking distance of the first spot in the conference and have a deep enough team to make a run in the postseason. And that’s because this group has been built on the right things and has completely bought into each other’s success.

“It starts with the foundation,” Enaruna said. “The coaching staff putting a plan together before the season about how we’re going to do things right, no matter who we got on our squad. Whether guys are going up and down, we have this system that works, and everybody just buys in. It works for everybody.”

HOUSTON (AP) — Alperen Sengun scored 28 points, Amen Thompson had 26 and the Houston Rockets used a dominant fourth quarter to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 106-99 on Friday night.

Sengun shot 11 of 15 from the field while playing just 26 minutes due to foul trouble, while Thompson converted all but one of his 12 shot attempts and scored eight points in the fourth quarter.

Houston trailed 85-77 after Matisse Thybuille drained a 3-pointer a minute into the final period, but Portland missed 11 of its next 13 shots and the Rockets went on a 23-4 run that covered close to eight minutes.

Houston shot 67% in the fourth quarter, outscoring Portland 29-17.

Kevin Durant added 20 points for the Rockets (39-23), who entered the day tied for fourth in the Western Conference.

Jerami Grant led Portland with 21 points. Jrue Holiday added 20 points and 10 assists, while Donovan Clingan finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Toumani Camara made four 3-pointers while scoring 14 points in a first quarter that ended with Portland leading 34-27.

Sengun scored 15 points in the second quarter on 6-of-8 shooting to help the Rockets take a 57-56 lead into halftime.

Blazers All-Star forward Deni Avdija missed his sixth straight game with a low back injury. Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. also sat out one night after returning from the sprained right ankle that sidelined him the previous two games.

Up next

Rockets: At the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.

Trail Blazers: Host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Honor Huff scored 24 points and West Virginia finished off a season sweep of UCF with a 77-62 victory on Friday night to close out the Big 12 Conference regular season.

Huff made 4 of 14 from 3-point range and all 10 of his free throws for the Mountaineers (18-13, 9-9), who posted a 74-67 victory over UCF on Feb. 14. Brenen Lorient missed just one shot and scored 14. Reserve Chance Moore had 13 points and Jasper Floyd scored 10.

Themus Fulks and Riley Kugel both scored 16 for the Knights (20-10, 9-9), who have lost three in a row since beating then-No. 19 BYU 97-84 on Feb. 24. Jordan Burks totaled 14 points and nine rebounds.

Huff hit two of West Virginia's four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes to help the Mountaineers take an 18-10 lead. Floyd and Harlan Obioha followed with layups to cap a 9-0 run for a 12 point advantage.

UCF trailed by as many as 13, but Burks' layup with one second left made it 32-23 at halftime. UCF shot 35.5% overall, missed 5 of 6 from 3-point range and did not attempt a free throw in the first 20 minutes.

Fulks had a layup to get UCF within 44-40 with 12 minutes left, but the Knights would get no closer.

Huff was fouled beyond the arc, made all three three throws, then hit a 3-pointer before a three-point play by Moore capped a 9-1 spurt and West Virginia wasn't threatened over the final 10:22.

The rest of the Big 12 concludes play Saturday.

Up next

The conference tournament begins Tuesday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.

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The Celtics have lost one of their big men for the foreseeable future.

Center Nikola Vucevic fractured his right ring finger early on during Friday’s 120-100 win over the Mavericks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.

Vucevic is set to undergo a procedure on Saturday and will miss about one month.

Boston acquired Vucevic, 35, near the trade deadline last month from the Bulls in exchange for guard Anfernee Simons.

The move provided the Celtics with a veteran big man to pair alongside 26-year-old Neemias Queta and 27-year-old Luka Garza for the final stretch of the regular season.

The two-time All-Star has made just one start since landing in Boston, averaging 11.4 points and 7.8 rebounds in 23.5 minutes in 11 games.

Vucevic’s injury comes the same day Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum made his return following an Achilles tear he suffered during last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks.

Tatum did have some rust to shake off during Friday’s game, shooting 2-for-8 from the field during the first half.

The six-time All-Star finished the game with 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and a steal while shooting 6-for-16 from the field and 3-8 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Despite being without their star player, Boston has played well this season, sitting second in the Eastern Conference with a 42-21 record.

During an appearance on “The Pivot Podcast” in January, Tatum admitted that he was concerned about fitting into a team that was performing so well without him.

“If or when I do come back this season, they will have played 50-some-odd games without me, so they have an identity this year or things that they’ve felt have clicked for them,” he said. “And it’s been successful. They’re the (second) team in the East up to this point.”

The Dallas Mavericks (21-42) played the Boston Celtics (42-21) on Friday, losing 120-100 at TD Garden. The game was a dual return of sorts, with Cooper Flagg coming back (near) home and Jason Tatum making his season debut after 298 days on the shelf following an Achilles injury last season.

The first half was close, but things started to slip away in the third quarter before coming completely unraveled in the late stages

35.3%: Combined shooting percentage in an ugly first quarter

The Mavericks have made a habit of falling behind big in the first quarter. Friday night flipped the script, but just barely, as Dallas led 22-21 after the first frame. Despite carrying a lead after 12 minutes, nothing was pretty for either team to start things off. Dallas connected on 8-of-23 shots, with Boston hitting 10-of-28. Compounding things, the Mavericks only had two starters in the scoring column; Flagg with six and Khris Middleton with three. Max Christie, P.J. Washington and Dwight Powell combined for zero first quarter and only 19 for the game.

+13: Boston’s rebounding differential

Without Daniel Gafford and Marvin Bagley, Dallas rolled out a center tandem of Powell and Moussa Cisse. The two combined for 12 rebounds, but no single player broke double figures as Flagg led the way with eight. Boston meanwhile had two starters combine for 27 boards en route to out-rebounding Dallas by double digits as a team. Giving a team that many more opportunities to possess the ball is a recipe for disaster.

58/42: Dallas’ bench-scoring vs. starter-scoring

The Mavericks bench-players outplayed the starters by a big margin. You may think that was because more bench players than starters actually played, however if you factor out Ryan Nembhard’s five points in the closing minutes, the other five bench players still chipped in 11 more points than the starters. Flagg and P.J. Washington combining to go 9-for-32 from the floor was certainly a big factor in the disparity.

4: Quarters in a basketball game

The Mavs must have thought the game was over after three quarters, because they really didn’t show up in the fourth until it was far too late. The box score looks borderline presentable, but the reality is that Dallas sat on seven fourth-quarter points for more than six minutes. Dallas couldn’t get much to fall throughout the night (40.9% field goals), but especially so in the fourth quarter as Boston easily pulled away.

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Cooper Flagg's homecoming at TD Garden was nearly cut short in the opening minutes of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics.

Flagg limped off the court after he drove toward the basket, while splitting two defenders, for a shot attempt. Flagg's shot was short as he went to the ground and immediately began holding his left leg and ankle.

The Maine native did return and finished out the game in the eventual 120-100 loss to the Celtics.

Flagg returned from an eight-game absence on Thursday in a 115-114 loss to the Orlando Magic. Flagg had suffered a left midfoot sprain on Feb. 10.

Cooper Flagg stats vs. Celtics

Points: 16

FG: 7-for-23 (0-for-4 from 3-point line)

Free throws: 2-for-2

Rebounds: 8

Assists: 6

Steals: 1

Blocks: 0

Turnovers: 3

Fouls: 5

Minutes: 30

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cooper Flagg stats, points tonight, Mavericks vs Celtics highlights

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Tyler Herro had 33 points, nine rebounds and nine assists and the Miami Heat snapped the Charlotte Hornets' six-game winning streak with a 128-120 victory Friday night.

Herro was 8 for 10 from 3-point range, including one that broke a 108-all tie with 7:06 to play. That came during a 9-0 run after the Hornets led by two and was essentially the difference in the game.

Bam Adebayo added 24 points and 12 rebounds to help the Heat win their fourth straight game. Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 21 points off the bench. Miami was 18 for 38 (47%) on 3s.

Kon Knueppel scored 27 points for the Hornets, going 6 for 10 behind the arc. Brandon Miller had 22 points and 13 rebounds, while LaMelo Ball scored 21 points but was 7 for 22 from the field.

Charlotte fell back to .500 at 32-32. All the victories during the Hornets' winning streak had been by 15 or more points, tying the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors for the second-longest streak in NBA history.

The first meeting between the teams in four months showed how much things had changed for the Hornets. Miami rang up a franchise-record 53 points in the first quarter of that Nov. 7 game, rolling to a 126-108 victory.

Charlotte had become the team hanging big numbers on opponents and tried to rally behind Knueppel, who hit consecutive 3-pointers to cut it to 120-117. But Herro hit a jumper and Dru Smith had a follow shot to push it back to seven.

The Hornets have another winning streak they will try to extend in their next game. They have won a franchise-record 10 straight on the road and go to Phoenix to begin a four-game trip Sunday.

Up next

Heat: Host Detroit on Sunday.

Hornets: At Phoenix on Sunday to open a four-game trip.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

NEW YORK (AP) — Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin was suspended for five games for slashing Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin on the head, a punishment that will cost the Penguins forward nearly $160,000, the NHL announced Friday night.

Malkin was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking, a major penalty for slashing and a game misconduct 35 seconds into the second period of the Penguins' 4-1 loss to the Sabres on Thursday night.

Video showed that Malkin and Dahlin made contact at the side of the Buffalo net. Dahlin cross-checked Malkin, for which he was penalized, and Malkin responded by raising his stick and striking Dahlin on his helmet and shoulder.

The NHL's Department of Player Safety noted that Malkin was not off-balance and the contact was not accidental.

The 39-year-old Malkin has been fined five times and suspended twice previously in his NHL career, one game for high-sticking Philadelphia’s Michael Raffl in February 2019 and four games in April 2022 for cross-checking Nashville’s Mark Borowiecki.

Malkin has 13 goals and 47 points in 46 games this season and 527 goals and 1,393 points in a 20-year NHL career, all in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins are already without captain Sidney Crosby for a minimum of four weeks because of a lower-body injury as the team, currently in second place in the Metropolitan Division, battles for playoff position.

Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Malkin will forfeit $158,854.15. That money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Lanie Grant scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, Nyla Harris had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and third-seeded and No. 16 North Carolina beat No. 6 seed Virginia Tech 85-68 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday night.

North Carolina (26-6) plays No. 12 and second-seeded Louisville in the semifinals Saturday.

Grant hit 4 of 7 from 3-point range and Harris made 8 of 11 from the field. Elina Aarnisalo totaled 18 points, six assists and five rebounds for UNC, and Nyla Brooks added 10 points.

Harris made a layup that gave the Tar Heels the lead for good and sparked an 11-2 run that made it 30-22 with 4:33 left in the second quarter. Aarnisalo hit a 3-pointer and added two free throws as UNC scored eight of the final nine first-half points to take a 13-point lead into the intermission.

Carleigh Wenzel made 14 of 15 from the free-throw line and finished with 26 points for Virginia Tech (23-9) but was 6-of-17 shooting, 0 of 6 from 3-point range.

Wenzel scored six consecutive points to cut the Hokies' deficit to nine points with 3:34 left in the third quarter, but Grant answered 12 seconds later with a three-point play and North Carolina led by double figures the rest of the way.

The Mountaineers missed their first 10 3-point shots and finished 2 of 18 from behind the arc.

Up next

North Carolina: Plays in the semifinals Saturday.

Virginia Tech: Awaits a likely at-large NCAA Tournament berth.

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The Dallas Mavericks (21-42) lost to the Boston Celtics (42-21) on Friday, 120-100. Jaylen Brown led a balanced effort from Boston, scoring 24 while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing seven assists. Klay Thompson was the high point man for Dallas, scoring 19 off the bench.

Before the game, the ESPN broadcast had a great deal of understandable Jayson Tatum-adjacent pageantry as he’s coming back just 10 months after tearing his Achilles tendon. The first portion of the game was filled with offensive offense; nary a soul could hit a shot. Dallas fans dealt with a scare as Cooper Flagg grabbed his ankle following a shot attempt in the paint, but he gutted out the free throws and stayed in the game. Both teams found some scoring in the latter half of the period, and the game finally felt a bit more like basketball. Dallas led after one, 22-21.

Dallas kept the pressure on Boston in the second, with rather relentless rim pressure. Naji Marshall in particular kept the Mavericks ahead, scoring in crafty ways around the basket. The Celtics couldn’t take or hold a lead versus Dallas very long, but made threes and kept it close. Tatum finally got on the board late in the half to give the Celtics the lead on a putback dunk. He followed that up with a big three which nearly brought the house down. Dallas seemed to come apart down the stretch after leading nearly the entire half. Dallas entered the half down 58-53.

During the third, I ate my dinner while Dallas slowly got out-mathed by Boston. Three is worth more than two and while Dallas made numerous valiant efforts to keep pace, by the end of the quarter, it felt hopeless for the Mavericks, given the talent disparity between the two teams. Dallas went into the fourth quarter down 90-80.

The game got out of hand in the fourth. The Mavericks offense died as Boston seemed content to let Dalals drive and defend the rim with multiple guys swarming. Defensively, the Celtics spread Dallas too thin. They were unable to cover the Celtics from deep and protect the rim and the Boston lead grew throughout the frame. Dallas fell to Boston, 120-100.

Cooper didn’t look right

When Flagg went down, grabbing his ankle, I assumed his night was over. It’s the same foot he missed a month of game action due to a sprain in the midfoot area. But when he toughed it out, I wasn’t surprised; he’s 19 after all. Remember when Dereck Lively sprained his neck in the Western Conference Finals? I assumed he’d be out the series, instead he missed the game. That’s a part of being a super human athlete at 19 I guess.

All the same, Flagg did not look like Flagg all game. He was slow to move and his anticipation and quickness is his game, partocualrly on the defensive side of the floor. I have to imagine the decision was made because Flagg couldn’t hurt the ankle worse and because it was an important game for him with family coming to see him live. And yet I didn’t feel good watching him play this one. Hopefully he heals up and we get more off the Flagg we’ve come to know and love.

PJ Washington is a mess

2026 has not been Washington’s year on the basketball court. He’s not been able to string more than a game together without looking like he’s new to basketball. It’s disappointing too — he’s important to what Dallas wants to do. He’s another guy where I wonder if he’ll be with the team after this season, but I hope so. We’ve seen what he can be, and right now we’re looking at a shell of a player.

Jayson Tatum looks great

He had to shake off the nerves and rust, but Tatum looked like the exact same player who helped lead the Celtics to the 2024 NBA championship. He’s a really unique player and while I will never love him (for the aforementioend 2024 ring), I appreciate what he brings to the NBA and the kind of work it takes to come back from this kind of injury. I look forward to seeing how he finishes the season and in the playoffs.

“I’m excited.”

Two simple words followed by an ear-to-ear smile as Tatum walked the halls of TD Garden headed to the Celtics locker room. That grin lasted well into joining Jaylen Brown in pre-game warmups, a tradition the two have done since they become the cornerstones of the franchise.

With Deuce back on the sidelines, a raucous home crowd welcomed him out of the tunnel in his first game back after two hundred ninety-eight days of recovery and rehabilitation on not just the road to re-build his Achilles, but regain his confidence.

It wasn’t perfect to start. He missed his first six shots — including a loud missed dunk attacking a closeout — but connected on two alley-oop passes to Neemias Queta and found Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White behind the arc.

In a pair of six-minute stints, his legs looked heavy. There was a slight tentativeness with contact around the rim. With collective anticipation in the air, Tatum, the team, and TD Garden hung with every missed shot.

Then, a putback dunk off a Payton Pritchard miss gave the Celtics the lead again. He followed his first points of the season by a patented sidestep three and the top blew off the Garden.

That’s all it seemingly took as Tatum took over in the second half. He worked off the dribble at the top of the arc — the triple threat 6’8 point forward working back into perennial MVP candidate form. Absorbing contact on a drive and finishing off the glass? Check. The mid-range fall-away? Still got it. A jab step triple in the corner? Swish.

Starter or second unit, primary playmaker or second side swingman, Tatum naturally looked rusty, but it’s clear he kept his tools sharp over the last nine months. In a game that saw the prodigal son of Maine, Cooper Flag, return to New England and Nic Vucevic fracture his ring finger, the obvious headline of the night was Tatum’s return to the parquet.

It wasn’t about the numbers. However, a near triple-double of 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists only shows how a complete a player that Boston has been missing all year.

Celtics 120, Mavericks 100 with Jayson Tatum the big winner of the night.

Welcome back, champ.