Joe Mazzulla said all the right things. Asked before Tuesday’s game against the Bulls – which the Celtics needed to win by at least 23 points to have a chance to win their group in the In-Season Tournament – if he felt any obligation to win by a certain point differential, he was clear. “Zero,” Mazzulla replied. Mazzulla and the Celtics have continued to insist that their focus in these IST games is to win and create good habits first, and let the chips fall where they may in terms of making the tournament’s quarterfinals. They got both. Behind a big third-quarter surge, the Celtics did what t ..read more

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis said Tuesday that he’s feeling good and making progress in his recovery from the left calf strain he suffered in last Friday’s loss to the Magic and emphasized that he has no big concerns about the injury. Porzingis left last Friday’s game during the third quarter and missed his second game since suffering the injury on Tuesday against the Bulls. He said an MRI on Saturday revealed that he had a “low-level, low grade strain,” which confirmed his belief that the injury wasn’t serious. “I knew it wasn’t anything, but just a confirmation that something of course ..read more

When Al Horford blocks a shot into the crowd, occasionally the Celtics big man will follow it in case he can save it. But he certainly wasn’t expecting what happened when he made a block late in Sunday’s win over the Hawks. With less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Horford swatted Trae Young’s layup attempt with his left hand into the first row of the stands under the basket. The ball landed, by a wild chance, in his son Ean’s lap. “When I looked, I saw that it was him,” Horford said on Tuesday. Al Horford on his blocked shot that went to his son in the first row during Sunday ..read more

The scenarios are complicated, but there are several paths for the Celtics in their pursuit of making the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament. The Celtics hold a 2-1 record in Group C of the tournament entering Tuesday’s final group play game against the Bulls at TD Garden. The winners of all six groups plus two wild card teams (one per conference) will advance to next week’s quarterfinals. The C’s, depending on results around the league, can advance as the Group C winner or the Eastern Conference’s wild card team. Here are all the scenarios in play: Celtics clinch Group C if: – Celtics ..read more

Jaylen Brown got some space, a head of steam, and switched to his left hand. He took one more dribble and switched back to his right hand as he flew over Clint Capela and threw it down on him. Brown’s latest ferocious dunk was the highlight of another Celtics victory. But it’s what made that play happen that represented the night for the C’s. Moments before, Derrick White had missed a 3-pointer and the rebound went long. But Brown hustled after the ball and beat everyone to it. Moments later, Brown was flexing with both of his arms. The Celtics were outplayed, out-toughed, and out-hustled in a ..read more

Kristaps Porzingis will miss at least one week after the big man suffered a left calf strain in Friday’s loss to the Magic, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said on Sunday. Porzingis left during the third quarter of Friday’s loss and did not return after he felt some tightness. He did not think the injury was serious, posting on Instagram on Saturday that he received good news after reportedly having an MRI. But the big man will miss several games before the Celtics re-evaluate him. “I think it’s just a matter of how he feels,” Mazzulla said. “How it kind of heals when people look at it again after ..read more

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis will miss Sunday’s home game against the Hawks due to a left calf strain, the team announced. Porzingis left in the third quarter of Friday’s loss to the Magic with what the Celtics described as “left calf tightness.” He told the Globe postgame that he would get an MRI on Saturday and that he didn’t think the injury was serious. It’s unclear how much time he will miss, but he posted an encouraging message via his Instagram story on Saturday afternoon. “Good news this morning. Be back very soon,” Porzingis wrote. https://x.com/steve_hewitt/status/1728495727226 ..read more

After his team’s brutal overtime loss to the Hornets earlier this week, Kristaps Porzingis acknowledged that the Celtics will win most games because of their talent. But, the big man cautioned, they don’t want to become a team that relies on that. They want to be a team in Joe Mazzulla’s vision, one that shows up every night with the same mindset and effort no matter the opponent. That’s still a work in progress. Two nights after their best win of the young season over the Bucks, the Celtics fell back to earth on Friday afternoon in Orlando, where they were punked and bullied by the upstart Ma ..read more

With under one minute left in the third quarter of the Celtics’ victory over the Bucks on Wednesday night, Jaylen Brown found himself with the ball in the open floor with Sam Hauser. They had a 2-on-1 transition chance against Pat Connaughton. What happened next, to put it lightly, was unexpected. “We locked eyes and I said (expletive) it,” Brown said. Brown threw a lob to Hauser, who grabbed it cleanly and finished a two-handed alley-oop. The Celtics bench, especially Luke Kornet, went bonkers. Brown stopped and let out a celebratory scream to Hauser, who raised the roof with two hands as he ..read more

Jrue Holiday insisted Wednesday night’s showdown with the Bucks was just any other game, even though they just traded him less than two months ago. Joe Mazzulla echoed those sentiments. Though he recognized the hype of the Eastern Conference’s top two teams squaring off, he wants the Celtics to treat every game the same. And after a lackluster end to their road trip that concluded with an awful overtime loss to the Hornets, he was more worried about his team growing. But even if they’re not interested in making any early-season statements, the Celtics sent a message with their actions on Wedne ..read more