Celtics

Isaiah Thomas highlights: I.T.'s best plays vs. Celtics in Boston return

Isaiah Thomas highlights: I.T.'s best plays vs. Celtics in Boston return

By Darren Hartwell November 13, 2019 9:45 PM

Isaiah Thomas officially went 908 days between buckets at TD Garden.

And while he didn't come through on his pregame promise of 50 points, he certainly made up for lost time Wednesday night.

The Wizards guard scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting in Washington's 140-133 loss to the Boston Celtics, going 3-for-6 from 3-point range while adding a team-high seven assists.

The game marked Thomas' second in Boston as an active player since the Celtics traded him in the 2017 offseason, but the point guard went scoreless in six minutes for the Denver Nuggets when they came to town last spring.

Thomas needed all of 28 seconds to change that Wednesday, drilling a pull-up jumper on the Wizards' opening possession:

Celtics fans also may remember this vintage pull-up 3-pointer from IT's Boston days:

Thomas had some fun at his former teammates' expense, too; after hitting a 3-pointer over Marcus Smart late in the second quarter, the 30-year-old gave Smart a nice smack on the rear.

Thomas then splashed another deep ball out of the gate in the second half and appeared to have some words for the Celtics' bench:

Oh, and he can still get to the rack:

The Celtics didn't take Thomas' attack lying down, though. Jaylen Brown -- who took some heat from I.T. earlier this week over his new haircut -- was one of several C's to take advantage of the 5-foot-9 guard's limitations on defense.

Thomas finished as Washington's third-leading scorer and is enjoying a fine season for the Wizards, but his former team made sure he didn't leave the Garden happy Wednesday.

Don’t miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Warriors, which tips off Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET with Celtics Pregame Live, and then Mike & Scal have the call of the game at 10:30 p.m. You can also stream the game through the MyTeams App.

Defense is what's fueling the Celtics' strong play of late

Defense is what's fueling the Celtics' strong play of late

By A. Sherrod Blakely January 23, 2020 9:48 PM

BOSTON -- The Los Angeles Lakers came to town and got crushed by the Boston Celtics. 

Up next was Memphis, a red-hot team on the rise with a next-level rookie leading the way, who got one of those back-of-the-woodshed beatdowns. 

The Celtics are coming off their best back-to-back performances this season and are looking to continue that strong play away from the TD Garden with the next three games on the road, beginning with Friday night’s matchup at Orlando. 

LIVE stream the Celtics all season and get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App.

Indeed, there is an undeniable amount of pressure on them to continue on their winning ways. 

And the key to that success lies in their defense; specifically their ability to apply pressure at a consistent level. 

The last two games have seen the Celtics deliver the defensive hammer in a way we have not seen with this kind of consistency. 

Yes, it’s only two games. 

But here’s the thing. 

You can probably count the minutes in those two games that Boston hasn’t played with a sharp edge defensively, on the one hand. 

And the numbers only amplify how well they have ratcheted up their play at that end of the floor lately. 

In the last two games, Boston’s defense has averaged 25.0 points off turnovers which is tops in the league, 22.5 fast-break points which ranks second in the NBA in the last two games, and they are limiting opponents to just 10.0 points via fast-breaks which is the league’s fifth-lowest average in the last two games. 

Blanketing teams with pressure defensively has been something Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has been imploring his players to do all season. 

“Without any resistance, they catch it inside the three-point line or at the three-point line without any resistance, then we’re in trouble,” Stevens said. “Our best rim defense is keeping the ball away from it.”

And lately, the Celtics have done this at an elite level with their position-less brand of basketball paying dividends by being able to switch constantly defensively and not being burned by a bad matchup. 

Daniel Theis has been particularly impressive recently. 

This season, Theis has a defensive rating of 103.4 but in the last two games, his defensive rating is a strong 78.9. 

And when you start looking at Boston’s other core players, they too have seen a noticeable improvement in their defensive ratings such as Jayson Tatum (101.8 defensive rating this season, 80.2 in the last two games); Gordon Hayward (104.7 this season, 91.3 defensive rating the last two games); and Kemba Walker whose defensive rating of 108.6 has taken a major nose dive the last two games, to 94.8. 

“We have to be a defense-first kind of team; we are,” Hayward told NBC Sports Boston earlier this week. “When we let our defense leads the way for us, good things usually happen.”

Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Magic, which begins Friday at 6 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live, followed by tip-off at 7 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.

Celtics rookie Tacko Fall gets seven player votes for NBA All-Star Game

Celtics rookie Tacko Fall gets seven player votes for NBA All-Star Game

By Justin Leger January 23, 2020 8:35 PM

Tacko-mania isn't just for fans. Apparently, some NBA players are in on the craze too.

Tacko Fall has been among fan voting leaders for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, and he managed to snag a few votes from his NBA peers despite appearing in only four games with the Boston Celtics this season. He's spent most of his time in the NBA G League with the Maine Red Claws.

The 7-foot-5 phenom received seven player votes, topping teammates Gordon Hayward (six) and Enes Kanter (four). Fellow C's rookie Grant Williams earned two votes from players.

LIVE stream the Celtics all season and get the latest news and analysis on all of your teams from NBC Sports Boston by downloading the My Teams App.

Considering the amount of attention Tacko has received throughout his rookie campaign, it's really no surprise he's faring well in the popularity contest that is NBA All-Star voting. While it's all fun and games for some, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens made it known he isn't a fan of Tacko-mania extending into the voting process.

Celtics star Kemba Walker was named a starter for the All-Star Game on Thursday. Reserves will be announced on Jan. 30.

Forsberg: This is no passing fancy with Smart

Don't miss NBC Sports Boston's coverage of Celtics-Magic, which begins Friday at 6 p.m. with Celtics Pregame Live, followed by tip-off at 7 p.m. You can also stream the game on the MyTeams App.

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