<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/td.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics, TD Garden agree to lucrative, 15-year deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-21T16:56:08-08:00">January 21st, 4:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-21T16:56:08-08:00">January 21st, 4:56pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The TD Garden, home of the Boston Celtics, remains to be one of the most iconic stadiums in all of the NBA. According to <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/21/sports/celtics-extend-their-lease-td-garden-through-2035-36-season/">Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe</a>, the C’s have decided to carry on with their team’s legacy on their current home floor, with the team opting to sign a new 15-year deal with the TD Garden.</p><p>Boston has played their home games in the TD Garden since it opened its doors in 1995. This stadium has hosted more than a few memorable battles in the past, including several unforgettable playoff bouts. If you ask any Celtic fan about the most momentous games in the Garden, however, they are likely to give you one answer: June 17, 2008.</p><p>On that fateful date, the Celtics <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/the-2008-celtics-are-the-most-overrated-nba-champions-in-recent-history/">defeated their fiercest rivals</a> in the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-92, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. After routing the late, great Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers, Boston lifted their first championship in more than two decades. The iconic post-game celebrations of players like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen inside the TD Garden will forever be etched in Celtics history.</p><p>Boston co-owner Wyc Grousbeck shared his fondness with the TD Garden:</p><blockquote>“I love walking into TD Garden for our games, and for Bruins games and concerts as well,” Grousbeck said in a text message, via <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/21/sports/celtics-extend-their-lease-td-garden-through-2035-36-season/">Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe</a>. “It’s the right home for the Celtics, and we hope to welcome our fans back there as soon as possible.”</blockquote><p>The Celtics, as well as the rest of the NBA, are hoping to get fans back in the arenas at the soonest possible time. There are no ways about it: playing in the crowd-less arenas just isn’t the same.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics, TD Garden agree to lucrative, 15-year deal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jaylen.jpg"></figure><h1>Browns’ Jaylen Brown unloads on people overlooking COVID-19 safety after Joe Biden’s inauguration</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-21T14:59:20-08:00">January 21st, 2:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-21T14:59:20-08:00">January 21st, 2:59pm</time><address><a>Skyler Carlin</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With Joe Biden being sworn in as the President of the United States on Wednesday, some people are confident that the COVID-19 pandemic is nearing an end. On the contrary, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics was vocal about how the United States has plenty of progress that needs to be made in solving the COVID-19 crisis, via <a href="https://twitter.com/chrisgrenham/status/1352350838149283842?s=20">Chris Grenham of Forbes</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jaylen Brown:</p><p>"I don't want to be pessimistic, but I think now having a new face (Biden), people are taking their foot off the gas, thinking that everything is ok now. I would like to challenge that. We still have a lot of work to do, regardless if Biden is in office or not."</p><p>— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrisgrenham/status/1352350838149283842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Brown, who has expressed his opinions on political and racial issues in recent years, elaborated more on the topic, sharing that he <a href="https://twitter.com/chrisgrenham/status/1352353971512467456?s=20">wants the system to change</a>, regardless of who is living in the White House.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">More Jaylen Brown from this afternoon on continuing to fight for change: <a href="https://t.co/A3UBKkYozC" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/A3UBKkYozC</a></p><p>— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrisgrenham/status/1352353971512467456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Celtics have been one of the teams who have been most affected by COVID-19 to begin the 2020-21 season. Jayson Tatum is among the shortlist of players to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-rumors-jayson-tatums-covid-19-quarantine-due-to-single-positive-test/">test positive</a> for COVID-19 and Boston was forced to postpone games due to contact tracing.</p><p>Given that, Jaylen Brown understands how serious the COVID-19 pandemic is and how it still an issue in the country. Just because President Biden is now in charge, the Celtics swingman doesn’t want people to ease up on their desire for change, whether it is about racial or other serious issues.</p><p>Following Brown’s comments on COVID-19 and the current administration, Rep. Jamaal Bowman—a freshman congressman in New York—<a href="https://twitter.com/JamaalBowmanNY/status/1352369147896803337?s=20">thanked</a> Boston’s standout wing for speaking out on important issues that are prevalent in the United States.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Thank you for breaking this down, <a href="https://twitter.com/FCHWPO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@FCHWPO</a>. We can transform our country, but we have to be tireless. <a href="https://t.co/PhoZgpTLQS" target="_blank">https://t.co/PhoZgpTLQS</a></p><p>— Jamaal Bowman (@JamaalBowmanNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamaalBowmanNY/status/1352369147896803337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>While there is a reason for optimism moving forward pertaining to the COVID-19 crisis, Brown doesn’t want people to downplay the severity of it. At the same time, he wants everyone to continue doing their part in enticing government officials to act on things instead of just speaking on them.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Browns’ Jaylen Brown unloads on people overlooking COVID-19 safety after Joe Biden’s inauguration

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/kemba.jpg"></figure><h1>Kemba Walker’s 1-word reaction to questions about his knee injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-20T21:35:36-08:00">January 20th, 9:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-20T21:35:36-08:00">January 20th, 9:35pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kemba Walker is back and, as it seems, better than ever. The Boston Celtics star has returned after missing the first 11 games of the season due to a stem cell procedure in his left knee, which sidelined him for a total of 12 weeks. After two games, Walker is looking great out there on the floor.</p><p>After their 117-109 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, Walker opened up on how different he feels with a healthy body. When asked what he can do now that he couldn’t do when his knee wasn’t at 100% a few months ago, his response was clear and concise (via <a href="https://twitter.com/ByJayKing/status/1352097325372461057?s=20">Jay King of The Athletic</a>).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kemba Walker on what he can do now that he couldn’t do a few months ago when his knee was hurting: “Everything.”</p><p>— Jay King (@ByJayKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByJayKing/status/1352097325372461057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>This should be a welcome development for the Celtics who’ve been looking for some semblance of luck in terms of their health. Superstar forward Jayson Tatum has been missing action due to COVID-19, which means Walker’s return couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.</p><p>Walker’s second game back was solid. He posted 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting from long range and dished out six assists in 22 minutes of action against the Sixers. Obviously, Brad Stevens want to manage Walker’s numbers as he slowly gets his groove back. But it’s pretty clear that the former Connecticut standout is an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-boston-has-no-shot-at-title-without-kemba-walker-being-good/">integral piece to the Celtics’ title hopes</a>.</p><p>Though the C’s have lost two games since his return, having a healthy Kemba Walker will only bode well for them as the season progresses. With Gordon Hayward departing for the Charlotte Hornets, the Celtics will be relying on Walker to step up more than ever and help out the duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kemba Walker’s 1-word reaction to questions about his knee injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/joel-marcus.jpg"></figure><h1>Sixers’ Joel Embiid fires back at Marcus Smart for calling him a flopper</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-20T20:37:20-08:00">January 20th, 8:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-20T20:37:20-08:00">January 20th, 8:37pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart slammed Joel Embiid by calling him a flopper. As expected, the Philadelphia 76ers big man had a sharp retort.</p><p>Per <a href="https://twitter.com/DerekBodnerNBA/status/1352092468821549059" rel="noopener">Derek Bodner of The Athletic</a>, Embiid retaliated to Smart’s criticism by telling the Celtics guard to look at himself in the mirror.</p><blockquote>“Marcus Smart just told me that I flail a lot? Come on. I’m sure he knows himself and he knows his game. You know he does a lot of that,” the Sixers big man shared.</blockquote><p>Embiid did not deny that flopping is part of his antics. Rather, he expressed his belief that this tactic is his way of outsmarting his opponents. For JoJo, the rule is simple: if you get too aggressive, he’ll use that over-eagerness to get to the free-throw line and score some points.</p><p>For what it’s worth, in the Sixers’ <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/scores/nba/bb36158a-42d8-4237-8043-0ac4e07e2f6f/boston-celtics-philadelphia-76ers-01-21-2021" rel="noopener">117-109 victory</a>, the Cameroonian dropped 42 points and snagged 10 rebounds.</p><blockquote>“The game is physical, other teams tend to try to be extra physical against me, and I guess I’m just smarter than everybody else…If you’re gonna put your hand up there, I’m gonna take advantage of it and I’m gonna get to the free-throw line,” Embiid continued.</blockquote><p>The tension between Marcus Smart and Joel Embiid is expected. The Celtics and the Sixers have been two of the best teams in the East for the past couple of years. They have face one another in the playoffs multiple times. Last year, Boston gave the Sixers a 4-0 beatdown in the first round of the postseason.</p><p>Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was more objective in his observation of Embiid’s outburst. Of course, he wasn’t happy that the Sixers ‘ star big man dropped 42 on them, but he credited him for being patient when the double team came.</p><blockquote>“He’s going to score some, but 42 is too much,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, per the Associated Press via ESPN. “I thought not only did he score those points, he also handed the double (team) pretty well and on a couple of occasions, it led to 3-pointers.”</blockquote><p>The two teams will battle again on Friday in Philly.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Sixers’ Joel Embiid fires back at Marcus Smart for calling him a flopper

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Jaylen-Brown_s-savage-taunt-after-scoring-on-Ben-Simmons.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics guard Jaylen Brown’s savage taunt after scoring on Ben Simmons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-20T18:40:38-08:00">January 20th, 6:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-20T18:41:27-08:00">January 20th, 6:41pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Wednesday, Jaylen Brown went deep in his bag of tricks to take Ben Simmons to nursery school. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/boston-celtics/news">Boston Celtics</a> star put on a show late in the third quarter that had Simmons confused as hell.</p><p>Simmons, one of the Philadelphia 76ers’ best wing defenders, actually put up a good stand. It was just better offense from Brown as he dazzled his way to a fantastic bucket.</p><p>Brown had to let Simmons know he was too small after making the bucket with a savage flex.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jaylen Brown said Ben Simmons was too small after crossing him up 👀</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@celtics</a>)<a href="https://t.co/zCeNrXSxGc" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/zCeNrXSxGc</a></p><p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1352075958237319169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The 6’10” Simmons couldn’t do anything on the play. Brown, who stands at 6’6″, was able to outmaneuver himself out of Simmons’ length to give him enough space for a fadeaway jumper. That’s as smooth as smooth gets for the Celtics forward.</p><p>Brown has been rolling this year in his fifth season for the Celtics. He’s been on a tear as one of Boston’s main men alongside Jayson Tatum. With Tatum missing his third game due to COVID-19, Brown continues to fill in the void as Boston’s main man.</p><p>12 games into the 2020-21 season, it’s been nothing but highs for the 24-year-old Brown. He’s been averaging a career-high in points (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/brownja02.html">25.8 per game</a>), field goal percentage (52.9%), three-pointers (2.4 per game), and assists (3.8 per game).</p><p>As long as he can stay healthy and dodge the COVID-19 outbreak, Brown is poised to have a monster season which bodes well in his bid to lead the Celtics back to the playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics guard Jaylen Brown’s savage taunt after scoring on Ben Simmons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/tatum-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Jayson Tatum’s improved odds to return vs. Sixers, per Celtics coach Brad Stevens</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-20T15:17:30-08:00">January 20th, 3:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-20T15:17:30-08:00">January 20th, 3:17pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Celtics have been missing the services of superstar forward Jayson Tatum over the past couple of games, as the 22-year-old continues to remain out due to health and safety protocols. However, it appears that the All-Star wing will return to action sooner rather than later, with Cs coach Brad Stevens providing an optimistic update on Tatum’s status star moving forward.</p><p>According to Stevens, Boston could get Tatum back as early as Friday’s tilt with the Philadelphia 76ers (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1352024501068967939">Keith Smith</a> of Yahoo Sports):</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Brad Stevens said that Jayson Tatum is out of the health and safety protocol and is working up to a return to action. Stevens said that Tatum was 50-50 to return to play on Friday. Tatum is out tonight.</p><p>— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1352024501068967939?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 20, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Tatum returned a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-rumors-jayson-tatums-covid-19-quarantine-due-to-single-positive-test/" rel="noopener">positive test</a> result for COVID-19 on Jan. 10, and has since been self-isolating. He is now nearing the two-week mark of his mandatory quarantine period, and as the report states above, he could be available for Boston for Friday’s matchup against the Sixers.</p><p>One of the league’s health and safety requirements for quarantined players include registering negative test results for the coronavirus. With reports stating that Tatum was already able to practice on Wednesday, it would be safe to assume that he was able to meet this particular protocol.</p><p>It is worth noting, though, that even if Tatum is indeed available for the Celtics on Friday, conditioning could be an issue. Not only was he forced to sit out a couple of weeks, but also, his body had to go through a taxing bout against COVID-19. It would not be surprising if Stevens opts to ease his star back into action, so Tatum could be on a minutes limit for Friday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jayson Tatum’s improved odds to return vs. Sixers, per Celtics coach Brad Stevens

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/nba-news-celtics-sweep-away-sixers-with-commanding-game-4-victory.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA odds: Celtics vs. Sixers prediction, odds, pick, and more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-20T11:53:05-08:00">January 20th, 11:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-20T11:54:14-08:00">January 20th, 11:54am</time><address><a>Noam Bernstein</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers meet for the first matchup of a back-to-back set tonight. It’s time to continue our <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/2021-nba-championship-odds/" rel="noopener">NBA odds</a> series and make a Celtics-Sixers prediction and pick.</p><p>The Celtics hold an overall record of 8-4 and are 7-5 against the spread. Boston is coming off a blowout loss to the New York Knicks.</p><p>The 76ers stand at 9-5 overall, but they are only 7-6-1 against the spread. In the Sixers’ most recent game, they fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in a tight contest.</p><p>Here’s how <a href="https://www.betonline.ag/sportsbook/basketball/nba" rel="noopener">sportsbooks</a> have set the opening Celtics-Sixers odds.</p><h2><b>NBA Odds: Celtics-Sixers Odds</b></h2><p>Boston Celtics +5  (-115)</p><p>Philadelphia 76ers -5 (-105)</p><p>Over 221.5 Points (-105)</p><p>Under 221.5 Points (-115)</p><h2><b>Why The Sixers Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/76ers-Ben-Simmons.jpg"></figure><p>After a hot start, the Sixers have been frustrating bettors over their last few matchups.</p><p>Without Ben Simmons, they were blown out by the Atlanta Hawks. When Simmons returned, they were barely able to defeat a Miami Heat team ravaged by COVID-19.</p><p>Sixers fans might’ve thought they turned a page in a blowout win over the Heat in the next matchup, but Philadelphia (sans Joel Embiid) promptly lost to the Grizzlies.</p><p>The good news for Philly bettors is they expect to have both of their stars in this game, with Simmons and Embiid both suiting up.</p><p>When both Sixers stars suit up, the team has been excellent.</p><p>Philadelphia has played 10 games with both of their All-Stars in the starting lineup. In those games, they are 9-1, with the sole loss coming against the Brooklyn Nets.</p><p>The average margin of victory in those games? 10.1 points.</p><p>The Sixers will be helped further by the absence of Jayson Tatum, the Celtics’ leading scorer.</p><p>Against a Celtics team that has struggled offensively, missing Tatum will be a critical blow. The Sixers already hold teams to the third-lowest field-goal percentage in the league, and Boston could struggle to score without their go-to guy. Five points could be eclipsed quickly if the Celtics can’t produce good looks against an efficient Philly defense.</p><h2><b>Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread</b></h2><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Kemba-Walker-Celtics.jpg"></figure><p>While the Celtics will be playing without Jayson Tatum, you could make an argument that Tatum hasn’t even been their best player this season.</p><p>Jaylen Brown has been a key part of the Celtics’ success this season, averaging career-highs in points (26.9), rebounds (7.1), and assists (3.8).</p><p>Boston will miss Tatum on the floor, but they have guys capable of stepping up in his absence.</p><p>Kemba Walker will play his second game of the season, giving the C’s another scoring threat. Walker struggled to find his shot in his first game back against the New York Knicks, but he should improve incrementally as he regains his footing.</p><p>Additionally, the Celtics have thrived as underdogs this season. Vegas has ticketed Boston as an underdog five times this season, and the Celtics won four of those games straight up.</p><p>Boston needs a big performance out of Brown today if they want to stay in this game and an excellent defensive performance. If the Celtics can make Embiid work for his points down low and keep the game slower paced, they can pull an upset on the Sixers home floor.</p><h2><b>Final Celtics-Sixers</b><b> </b><b>Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>While the Sixers have been inconsistent lately, their record when they have both their stars healthy is hard to bet against. Even if Brown has a big game, the Celtics might not have enough to keep up with both Embiid and Simmons. I’ll take the team that has their MVP candidate playing to cover the small spread.</p><p>FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: PHI 113, BOS 103</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA odds: Celtics vs. Sixers prediction, odds, pick, and more

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Joel-Embiid-Ben-Simmons-have-been-using-practice-facility.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics-76ers: Game Time, Odds, Schedule, TV Channel, Betting Odds, and Live Stream (Wednesday, January 20th)</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-20T10:00:22-08:00">January 20th, 10:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-20T10:00:22-08:00">January 20th, 10:00am</time><address><a>ClutchPoints</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA Game Time</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/boston-celtics">Boston Celtics</a> (8-4) take on the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/philadelphia-76ers">Philadelphia 76ers</a> (9-5) at Wells Fargo Center.</p><p><b>Game Time:</b> 7:00PM EST/4:00PM PST on Wednesday, January 20th</p><p><b>TV:</b> ESPN</p><p><b>Betting Odds:</b> <a href="https://www.bovada.lv/sports/basketball/nba" rel="noopener noreferrer">NBA Odds</a></p><p><b>Live Stream:</b> Watch the game <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408&amp;bgvideo=NBATV.mp4" rel="noopener noreferrer">online with fuboTV (free trial)</a>. Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. With a subscription, you can watch the live stream on <a href="http://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn" rel="noopener noreferrer">Watch ESPN app</a>. You can also follow the game live on the <a href="http://bit.ly/CPAppNow" rel="noopener noreferrer">ClutchPoints app</a>. <br> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/adamsilver4live/comments/ezi3xz/games_will_be_posted_here/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reddit Thread.</a></p><p><b>Celtics Active Roster:</b> Payton Pritchard, Tacko Fall, Javonte Green, Tristan Thompson, Grant Williams, Aaron Nesmith, Jayson Tatum, Jeff Teague, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/kemba-walker/c61a0a6f">Kemba Walker</a>, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III, Tremont Waters, Romeo Langford, Carsen Edwards, Daniel Theis, Semi Ojeleye, Jaylen Brown</p><p><b>Celtics Injured Players:</b></p><ul><li>Jayson Tatum (Out – Health and Safety Protocols): Tatum is out for Wednesday’s (Jan. 20) game against Philadelphia.</li><li>Romeo Langford (Out – Right wrist): The Celtics announced G-F Romeo Langford underwent surgery on his wrist and he’s expected to miss the next four-to-five months.</li><li>Carsen Edwards (Out – Health and Safety Protocols): Edwards is listed as OUT for Wednesday’s (Jan. 20) game.</li></ul><p><b>76ers Active Roster:</b> Seth Curry, Vincent Poirier, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/ben-simmons/b7cf09aa">Ben Simmons</a>, Isaiah Joe, Danny Green, Shake Milton, Tony Bradley, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Dwight Howard, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/joel-embiid/bafc0a09">Joel Embiid</a>, Terrance Ferguson, Paul Reed, Mike Scott, Furkan Korkmaz</p><p><b>76ers Injured Players:</b></p><ul><li>Vincent Poirier (Out – Health and Safety Protocols): Poirier is OUT for Wednesday’s (Jan. 20) game.</li><li>Mike Scott (Out – Knee): Scott is listed as OUT for Wednesday’s (Jan. 20) game.</li></ul><p><b>Follow us on Twitter</b> at <a href="https://twitter.com/CelticsNationCP" rel="noopener noreferrer">@CelticsNationCP</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SixersNationCP" rel="noopener noreferrer">@SixersNationCP</a>.</p><p><b>Follow us on Facebook</b> at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BostonCelticsNation" rel="noopener noreferrer">Boston Celtics</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PhiladelphiaSixersNation" rel="noopener noreferrer">Philadelphia 76ers</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics-76ers: Game Time, Odds, Schedule, TV Channel, Betting Odds, and Live Stream (Wednesday, January 20th)

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Jayson-Tatum-Joel-Embiid-Celtics.jpg"></figure><h1>Jayson Tatum slated to miss matchup with Joel Embiid, Sixers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-19T21:38:54-08:00">January 19th, 9:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-19T21:38:54-08:00">January 19th, 9:38pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The much-anticipated matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers will be on Wednesday. Fans from both sides not only look forward to some good basketball between two Eastern powerhouses, but also a bunch of stars battling it out. Unfortunately, Jayson Tatum will not suit up against Joel Embiid and the 76ers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-rumors-jayson-tatums-covid-19-quarantine-due-to-single-positive-test/">for health and safety reasons.</a></p><p>The Celtics are set to face the 76ers two consecutive times at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday and Friday. According to Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, star swingman Tatum’s status for the games is “to be determined.” To recall, three of the Celtics’ games this month have been postponed. Tatum, Robert Williams, and Carsen Edwards have been out in observance of health and safety protocols.</p><p>Amid the uncertainty of Tatum’s status, Stevens and the Celtics have their eyes locked on the 76ers who have a bunch of players who are having a breakout year.</p><blockquote>“Obviously, [Joel] Embiid and [Ben] Simmons are special,” Stevens said, per <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2021/1/19/22239042/robert-williams-iii-back-from-covid-jayson-tatum-remains-out-boston-celtics-76ers-nba-coronavirus">Bobby Manning of SB Nation</a>. “They’ve surrounded those guys with really good players. The guards are playing great — [Tyrese] Maxey and [Shake] Milton are having a great year, Tobias Harris is a really good player, obviously, and on down the line. They’ve got a really nice team and not a surprise they’ve started the way they’ve started.”</blockquote><p>It’s unfortunate that fans may not witness both teams at full strength. Despite this, they can still expect a classic duel between two teams who are expected to represent the East in the NBA Finals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jayson Tatum slated to miss matchup with Joel Embiid, Sixers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/seth.jpg"></figure><h1>Sixers’ Seth Curry cleared of COVID-19, will play Wednesday vs. Celtics</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-19T15:20:50-08:00">January 19th, 3:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-19T15:20:50-08:00">January 19th, 3:20pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia 76ers have received a boost ahead of their Wednesday matchup against arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics. Sources say that after being sidelined for the past couple of weeks due to a bout with COVID-19, Sixers point guard Seth Curry has been cleared to play and is expected to return to action on Wednesday.</p><p>This report comes via <a href="https://twitter.com/PompeyOnSixers/status/1351664974373015554">Keith Pompey</a> of the Philly Inquirer:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Sixers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Sixers</a> SG Seth Curry has been cleared to play in tomorrow’s game vs. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Celtics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Celtics</a>. He is not listed on the NBA injury report.  Curry had missed the last five games while in the NBA’s health and safety protocol  after testing positive for COVID-19.</p><p>— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) <a href="https://twitter.com/PompeyOnSixers/status/1351664974373015554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Curry <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sixers-news-seth-curry-tests-positive-for-coronavirus/">returned a positive COVID-19 result</a> back on Jan. 7, which incidentally, was discovered during Philly’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. Curry was immediately pulled out of the game and was asked to self-isolate. He has been in quarantine since then, and it is a great development that he has now been cleared of the virus.</p><p>Curry’s prior exposure to his teammates, however, required the Sixers to undergo some intense contact tracing within the squad. Several players were asked to isolate themselves because of the same, which eventually led to Philly being unable to field the league minimum of eight players for last Saturday’s encounter with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The NBA had no other choice but to suspend that game.</p><p>After joining the Sixers in the offseason, Curry has had a hot start to the new campaign. He’s been putting up career-best numbers of <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/curryse01.html#all_per_game">17.0 points</a> (on 60.3 percent shooting), 2.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, while also connecting on 3.1 triples per game on an insane 59.5-percent clip.</p><p>It is also worth noting that after initially being tagged as questionable for the bout against Boston due to a right knee issue, Sixers star big man Joel Embiid is also expected to suit up for Philadelphia on Wednesday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Sixers’ Seth Curry cleared of COVID-19, will play Wednesday vs. Celtics

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Celtics-Kemba-Walker-Jayson-Tatum-Jaylen-Brown.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics have no shot at title without Kemba Walker being good</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-19T10:57:02-08:00">January 19th, 10:57am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-19T10:57:27-08:00">January 19th, 10:57am</time><address><a>Immanuel Canicosa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kemba Walker had a quiet return for the Boston Celtics, but head coach Brad Stevens understands his importance for their team.</p><p>Walker scored finished with nine points, three rebounds, and four assists in 19 minutes of play in the Celtics, 105-75 loss to the New York Knicks, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-kemba-walker-opens-up-knee-injury-after-making-season-debut/">his first game this season</a> since receiving a stem cell injection in his left knee just before the start of the season.</p><p>But even though the 30-year old point guard was far from his usual form in his return, Stevens knows that Boston is a different team when the four-time All-Star is playing alongside the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart, <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianTRobb/status/1351590795686641671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1351590795686641671%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D979120action%3Dedit">according to Brian Robb of Boston Sports Journal</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Brad Stevens on Kemba's return to offense: "If we are going to be a good team and compete with the best in the league, we don't have a shot if we don't let Kemba be him."</p><p>— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianTRobb/status/1351590795686641671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Even without Walker, the Celtics have compiled an 8-3 record, winning five straight before the loss to the Knicks and remaining among the best teams in the Eastern Conference. However, the ninth overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft will still have a minutes restriction moving forward, with Stevens limiting him to<a href="https://www.nba.com/news/kemba-walker-available-to-play-against-knicks"> 20 minutes per game.</a></p><p>Last season, in his first year with the team after joining the Celtics via a sign and trade deal from the Charlotte Hornets, the UConn product averaged 20.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 43.4% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc. He helped Boston reach the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Miami Heat in six games.</p><p>Walker and the Celtics have a chance to bounce back from the rout against the Knicks when they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday in a game between two of the early leaders in the conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics have no shot at title without Kemba Walker being good

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/x-jayson-tatum-rookie-cards-that-sold-for-the-craziest-prices.jpg"></figure><h1>5 Jayson Tatum rookie cards that sold for the craziest prices</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-19T08:34:22-08:00">January 19th, 8:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-19T08:35:07-08:00">January 19th, 8:35am</time><address><a>Julio Luis Munar</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In 2017, some Boston Celtics fans wondered both with awe and doubt whether trading down from the top draft spot would be a good idea. At that time, they had just traded for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/kyrie-irving/a5ba0900">Kyrie Irving</a>, securing the point guard position. This made the top picks at that time, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/markelle-fultz/b9e909e3">Markelle Fultz</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/lonzo-ball/b5820a02">Lonzo Ball</a>, unnecessary for their plans. As a result of this move, they ended up using the third pick of the draft on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/jayson-tatum/a6dc0929">Jayson Tatum</a>.</p><p>The decision couldn’t have turned out any better for Tatum and the Celtics.</p><p>Fans have seen Tatum develop from a promising rookie season to a full-blown star during his third year in the league. Now in his fourth, the Celtics All-Star is continuing to impress by averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, and field goal percentage, among other categories. </p><p>Tatum’s ascension to the top has fans all over the world excited for his future in Boston. The same goes for card collectors. The Celtics star enjoys a prominent presence among the community, with his cards commanding premium prices. This is especially true for Tatum’s rookie cards on the market right now.</p><p>Shown below are five Jayson Tatum rookie cards that fetched crazy-high prices when they were recently sold on the market.</p><h2><b>5. 2017-18 Select Tie-Dye Prizm Rookie Card /25 PSA 10</b></h2><p>Coming in at No. 5 on this list is a thing of beauty. Jayson Tatum’s Select Tie-Dye card from his rookie year is something to behold at. Its intricate design grants a sense of wonder and awe with the Celtics star right in the middle. The card’s limited print run to only 25 copies certainly increases its value as well.</p><p>What makes this Tatum card more desirable is its PSA 10 mint grade. The fact that there are only four cards with this kind of grading is also a welcome detail. All of these qualities pushed the <a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/2017-18-Select-Tie-Dye-Prizm-256-Jayson-Tatum-Courtside-RC-25-PSA-10-Pop-1-4/164372895968?hash=item26456358e0:g:Z7IAAOSws6tfMEw-">card’s price to $9,999</a> when it was sold on Oct. 28, 2020.</p><h2><b>4. 2017-18 Immaculate Gold Rookie Card /10 PSA 10</b></h2><p>It’s always a wonder to own a numbered card from a premium brand like Panini Immaculate. Things get better if you have one from Jayson Tatum’s rookie year. That’s certainly how the owner of this 2017-18 Immaculate Gold Rookie Card feels.</p><p>For starters, it’s numbered to 10 and has a PSA mint 10 score. As far as cards are concerned, this combination really knocks it out of the park with its <a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/2017-18-Panini-Immaculate-JAYSON-TATUM-GOLD-rookie-10-PSA-10-Gem-Mint-Pop-1-1-1-/254738377580?hash=item3b4f972b6c%3Ag%3AF5QAAOSwNWxfLSJJ&amp;nma=true&amp;si=nRb6uhhtcCG9Xdb7A%252FhJ21r4fZM%253D&amp;orig_cvip=true&amp;nordt=true&amp;rt=nc&amp;_trksid=p2047675.l2557">$9,999 price tag</a>. Add its clean-looking design, and you’ve got a classic card of an NBA All-Star in your hands. </p><h2><b>3. 2017-18 Select Courtside Zebra PSA 10</b></h2><p>There’s just something about Select’s Zebra cards. This distinct parallel really captures the attention of collectors everywhere because there’s nothing like it on the market.</p><p>Just take Jayson Tatum’s 2017-18 Select Courtside Zebra rookie card. It’s a marvel to look at because of its eye-catching design, which helps Boston’s superstar to stand out. It’s also slabbed with a PSA 10 gem-mint grade, making it more valuable.</p><p>As 2020 was about to end, a fan bit the bullet and <a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/JAYSON-TATUM-2017-Panini-SELECT-Courtside-ZEBRA-Rookie-Prizm-256-PSA-10/174574956241?hash=item28a57a6ed1:g:8R8AAOSw31xf6ftc">purchased this grail for $12,999</a>. Even if it’s considered an exuberant purchase, you can expect this card to soar higher with each game Tatum dominates for the Celtics.</p><h2><b>2. 2017-18 Immaculate Rookie Patch Auto Gold /10</b></h2><p>Just this year, on Jan. 10 to be exact, a fan dished out $13,500 for a single card: <a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/2017-18-Immaculate-Jayson-Tatum-RPA-RC-Rookie-Patch-AUTO-GOLD-10-Autograph/303840716277?hash=item46be5165f5:g:GT8AAOSwNTZfp5ti">Jayson Tatum’s 2017-18 Immaculate Rookie Patch Auto Gold /10</a>. As mentioned earlier, Immaculate’s status as one of the top brands produced by Panini is in full effect here. The dual-color patch is paired with the young star’s signature within a green and gold design.</p><p>The card’s limited print run to 10 copies, of which this is the third, only serves to make it a sought-after card among collectors. Just imagine if this is sent to a grading company and achieves a good grade. That would make the amount invested in this card more worth it.</p><h2><b>1. 2017-18 Prizm Rookie Card Orange / 49 BGS 9.5</b></h2><p>At the top of this list is no surprise at all. Prizm has long been the gold standard among card enthusiasts, and it is clearly shown here. Tatum’s 2017-18 Prizm Orange /49 rookie card encased in a BGS 9.5 slab was sold on Jan. 15, 2021 at a <a href="https://www.ebay.com/itm/2017-18-Panini-Prizm-JAYSON-TATUM-16-ROOKIE-PRIZM-ORANGE-49-BGS-9-5-GEM-MINT/203195582704?hash=item2f4f6688f0:g:bl4AAOSw66tfvclU">whopping price of $14,999.99</a>.</p><p>There are several factors that come into play here. For one, the parallel card’s limited print run ensures that there are few copies floating around the market. Its gem-mint condition locks in the card’s value as well. Plus, with the way Boston’s All-Star is playing, this card will surely command a premium price. All of these details come together to make this item the most expensive Jayson Tatum card, as of the moment.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

5 Jayson Tatum rookie cards that sold for the craziest prices

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/harden-1-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics entered Rockets’ trade talks for James Harden before Nets pulled trigger on deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-18T15:13:30-08:00">January 18th, 3:13pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-18T15:13:59-08:00">January 18th, 3:13pm</time><address><a>Candice Evans</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Sixers, Rockets, and Nets know the James Harden saga has definitely had its twist and turns, from Harden’s late arrival to preseason play down to the trade itself all the way to fans discussing whether or not Harden wore a fat suit prior to the trade. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/was-the-daryl-morey-era-with-rockets-a-success-or-failure/">The situation had its drama</a>, and according to <i>The Athletic</i>, the Celtics were involved in the theatrics.</p><p>Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge downplayed his team’s involvement in the trade, indicating that there hadn’t been any recent communication between the teams prior to Harden being traded to the Nets.</p><blockquote>“Yeah, we had conversations regarding James, not recently but yeah, we did have conversations,”<a href="https://www.slamonline.com/nba/danny-ainge-on-potential-james-harden-trade-the-price-was-really-high-for-us/"> Ainge said.</a> “We (Celtics) had numerous talks, but the price really wasn’t changing. The price was really high for us, and it was something we really didn’t want to do… I think unanimously, we decided it wasn’t time for us and it wasn’t the price.”</blockquote><p>Still, <a href="https://theathletic.com/2329532/2021/01/18/inside-the-final-days-of-the-james-harden-era-with-the-houston-rockets/?source=emp_shared_article">sources say</a> there were multiple configurations of a deal still possible between the Celtics and Rockets but, just like other suitors in the Harden saga, the Celtics were unable to ever gain any ground. </p><p>There have been reports that teams involved in the Harden trade talks who weren’t named the Nets felt their ultimate purpose in the negotiations was to provide the Rockets the leverage needed to maximize the return with the Nets– despite their strong interest in landing Harden. </p><p>James Harden is definitely worth the hype for most teams, but his role on this current Celtics team could’ve gone two ways: either propelling them into the NBA Finals or busting up their locker room– a scene that has already been acted out in 2019.</p><p>Either way, the Celtics now have the three-headed monster of Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving standing in their way of getting to the NBA Final. </p><p>How the Celtics fare in that battle is yet to come.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics entered Rockets’ trade talks for James Harden before Nets pulled trigger on deal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Rockets-rumors-Houston-used-Sixers-Celtics-as-leverage-to-get-ideal-James-Harden-trade-return-from-Nets.jpg"></figure><h1>Rockets used Sixers, Celtics as leverage to get ideal James Harden trade return from Nets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-18T09:39:55-08:00">January 18th, 9:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-18T10:34:16-08:00">January 18th, 10:34am</time><address><a>Candice Evans</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The James Harden saga with the Houston Rockets proved that the NBA is still one of America’s best reality television series – and what reality show doesn’t have its fair share of manipulation?</p><p><a href="https://theathletic.com/2329532/2021/01/18/inside-the-final-days-of-the-james-harden-era-with-the-houston-rockets/?source=emp_shared_article">According to The Athletic</a>, the Rockets used the Sixers and Celtics as leverage to garner the perfect trade with the Nets.</p><p>Despite the Sixers having former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, someone who has a relationship with Harden, the Sixers were never able to gain any ground in their Harden talks. Even with Simmons included in the talks, Philly couldn’t compete with the Nets – who seemed to up the ante at every turn.</p><p>Sources told The Athletic that Philadelphia felt that their ultimate purpose in the negotiations was to provide the Rockets with the leverage needed to maximize the return with the Nets – despite their strong interest in landing Harden. </p><p><a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2021/1/18/22236679/nba-power-rankings-james-harden-trade" rel="noopener">According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer</a>, the Rockets demanded Simmons, Tyrese Maxey and three first-round picks.</p><p>Towards the end of the saga, the Celtics entered the chat. There were reportedly multiple configurations of a deal still possible between the Celtics and Rockets but, just like the Sixers, the Celtics were unable to ever gain any ground. </p><p>“Brooklyn went Full Monty,” <a href="https://theathletic.com/2329532/2021/01/18/inside-the-final-days-of-the-james-harden-era-with-the-houston-rockets/?source=emp_shared_article">one rival executive whose team showed interest in Harden said</a>. “Desperation was in the cards, and there’s nothing better in this league than to have desperation. …(The Rockets) are banking on it blowing up.”</p><p>And that’s what happened. Brooklyn broke their bank to land Harden. But that’s not the only thing that blew up. The Rockets’ locker room was nearly in shambles prior to the trade – John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins <a href="https://theathletic.com/2329532/2021/01/18/inside-the-final-days-of-the-james-harden-era-with-the-houston-rockets/?source=emp_shared_article">calling Harden out </a>after what became their last game together.</p><p>And therein lies the dirty truth of the reality show that the NBA is: When big deals transpire there are always casualties made – whether it be financial, opposing teams, or even the main squad in the locker room. </p><p>In the end, Brooklyn’s urgency and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-james-harden-nets-debut/">Harden desire to move on from the Rockets</a> landed the four-team blockbuster trade that nearly broke Twitter.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets used Sixers, Celtics as leverage to get ideal James Harden trade return from Nets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Kemba-Walker-opens-up-on-knee-injury-after-making-season-debut.jpg"></figure><h1>Kemba Walker opens up on knee injury after making Celtics season debut</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-17T13:47:16-08:00">January 17th, 1:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-17T13:47:16-08:00">January 17th, 1:47pm</time><address><a>Skyler Carlin</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Celtics were ecstatic to get Kemba Walker back in their lineup on Sunday despite getting blown out by the New York Knicks. Following Sunday’s loss to the Knicks, Walker spoke about his knee injury after making his season debut for the Celtics, via <a href="https://twitter.com/TimBontemps/status/1350911134300299264?s=20">ESPN’s Tim Bontemps</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kemba Walker says he’s been in pain for “a really long time,” and is excited that he was able to move freely and without any pain in this game. Celtics will be thrilled if that remains the case moving forward.</p><p>— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimBontemps/status/1350911134300299264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Prior to Sunday’s game versus the Knicks, Walker hadn’t played in a game since Sept. 27 against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Given that, Walker was glad to finally have an opportunity to play pain-free for the first time in months.</p><p>Walker <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-kemba-walker-shows-off-burst-first-basket-2020-21-season/">would be limited</a> to 19 minutes on Sunday as he contributed nine points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals in Boston’s lopsided loss. At the same time, Walker would show rust in the shooting department as he made only three of his 13 attempts, including just one of his eight 3-point attempts.</p><p>Despite being able to return to the court for the first time, Walker <a href="https://twitter.com/TimBontemps/status/1350911424848142336?s=20">expects to have restricted minutes</a> for the foreseeable future.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kemba Walker says he expects his minutes limit to be in place for awhile, and that he’s in “no rush” as he builds himself back up after so much time off.</p><p>— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimBontemps/status/1350911424848142336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The former first-round selection of the Hornets would first suffer the knee injury last season. As a result, Walker was far from 100 percent in the NBA bubble last season and through the entirety of the playoffs.</p><p>While speaking about his first game back, Kemba Walker pointed out that he <a href="https://twitter.com/TimBontemps/status/1350912097023045634?s=20">didn’t feel like himself</a> in the bubble and looks forward to getting back to his All-Star form moving forward.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kemba Walker says all he could think about in the bubble was his pain in his knee. He said that today he was only thinking about making his moves, and that when he made those moves today he felt “joy” for the lack of pain that went along with them.</p><p>— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimBontemps/status/1350912097023045634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Even though the Celtics were handily defeated on Sunday by the Knicks, they are excited to get Walker gradually acclimated back into their lineup.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kemba Walker opens up on knee injury after making Celtics season debut

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Knicks-news-Tom-Thibodeau_s-on-brand-reaction-to-beating-Celtics-by-30.jpg"></figure><h1>Tom Thibodeau’s on-brand reaction to Knicks beating Celtics by 30</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-17T13:29:48-08:00">January 17th, 1:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-17T13:29:48-08:00">January 17th, 1:29pm</time><address><a>Christopher Denson</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is pulling his weight in attempting to turn around an uninspiring organization by improving their play on the court. He furthered those measures on Sunday after the Knicks put a 30-point beatdown on the Boston Celtics.</p><p>During his postgame press conference, Thibodeau made sure to save face by giving off his usual “never impressed” front while giving the cameras a heartfelt smile. The 6-8 squad also made sure to celebrate Thibodeau’s birthday following the pummeling.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I'm not happy unless I'm miserable," Tom Thibodeau says after a 30-point Knicks win over the Celtics on his 63rd birthday. (but he's smiling) <a href="https://t.co/S4SQpicGwG" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/S4SQpicGwG</a></p><p>— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeVorkunov/status/1350905808356319234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Knicks apparently sang Happy Birthday to Tom Thibodeau after their blowout win over Boston today. When asked, lightheartedly, whether he was happy with a win in Boston on his birthday, Thibodeau said with a grin, "I'm not happy unless I’m miserable." <a href="https://t.co/pBweCPuWAy" target="_blank">https://t.co/pBweCPuWAy</a></p><p>— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) <a href="https://twitter.com/IanBegley/status/1350910474116804609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Knicks have been through a slew of head coaches in recent memory, and Thibodeau is one of the more decorated of the batch. Thibodeau, 63, previously coached the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves before landing with New York last year.</p><p>The Knicks jumped out to a healthy start on the Celtics on Sunday from the opening minutes, and Boston was <a href="https://theknickswall.com/knicks-embarrass-tatum-less-celtics-snap-five-game-skid/">never able to fully recover</a> or rally in enough time.</p><p>While the Knicks were given their normal failing grades for the offseason after failing to nab premier stars, their subprime talent has been more than plentiful so far. Julius Randle has been phenomenal, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-oscar-robertson-no-longer-alone-exclusive-club-thanks-julius-randle/">leading the Knicks in scoring, rebounds and assists</a> throughout their first stretch of the season.</p><p>He finished Sunday with 20 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, all resembling his season averages on a <a href="https://theknickswall.com/julius-randle-is-turning-into-dare-to-say-all-star-level-playmaker-knicks/">nightly basis</a> so far. Knocking off a contending team in the Celtics is definitely an accomplishment, but the Knicks still have much work to do if they plan to make the playoffs for the first time in years.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Tom Thibodeau’s on-brand reaction to Knicks beating Celtics by 30

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Kemba-Walker-shows-off-the-burst-on-his-first-basket-of-2020-21-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Video: Celtics star Kemba Walker shows off burst on his first basket of 2020-21 season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-17T11:50:50-08:00">January 17th, 11:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-17T11:50:50-08:00">January 17th, 11:50am</time><address><a>Skyler Carlin</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Boston Celtics star Kemba Walker finally returned to the court on Sunday, making his 2020-21 season debut against the New York Knicks.</p><p>Early in the second quarter, Walker <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1350878195969454081?s=20">scored his first basket</a> of the campaign on a drive to the hoop:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kemba Walker's first bucket of the 2020-'21 season 🙌<a href="https://t.co/iRMdPkBL4p" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/iRMdPkBL4p</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1350878195969454081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>When Walker was with the Charlotte Hornets earlier in his career, he was always explosive around the rim, especially for a point guard. Even though he isn’t the same player he was with the Hornets, Walker is proving that he can still finish at the basket over taller defenders.</p><p>Walker was unable to play in the first 11 games of the 2020-2021 season with the Celtics due to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-star-kemba-walker-provides-update-on-knee-injury-return-date-looms/">knee injury</a> he suffered last season. While he was sidelined, Boston compiled an 8-3 record, which is good enough for the best record in the Eastern Conference.</p><p>In his first season with the Celtics in 2019-2020, Walker averaged 20.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 56 games. Even though his scoring average was the lowest of his career since 2014-2015, Walker shot 38.1 percent from 3-point range, which was the third-best mark of his career.</p><p>Since he’s making debut for the Celtics this season on Sunday versus the Knicks, Walker is going to have his minutes limited on Sunday. Unfortunately, things aren’t going well overall for Walker and his Boston teammates, as the Celtics are in the process of getting throttled by New York. The All-Star has struggled with his jumper and turnovers, and the team will need a big fourth-quarter comeback to win.</p><p>Still, it’s no surprise Walker is showing some rust. Once he finds his rhythm again, Boston will be that much more dangerous down the line.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Video: Celtics star Kemba Walker shows off burst on his first basket of 2020-21 season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Kemba-Walker-Celtics.jpg"></figure><h1>Kemba Walker to make 2020-21 season debut vs. Knicks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-17T08:40:28-08:00">January 17th, 8:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-17T08:40:28-08:00">January 17th, 8:40am</time><address><a>Mike Cruz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Boston Celtics All-Star Kemba Walker will finally make his 2020-21 season debut against the New York Knicks, the <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1350832578790621189?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1350832578790621189%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D976720action%3Dedit">team reported</a> on Sunday.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NEBHInjuryReport?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#NEBHInjuryReport</a> Update:</p><p>Tacko Fall (Left Ankle Sprain) – QUESTIONABLE<br>Daniel Theis – AVAILABLE<br>Kemba Walker – AVAILABLE</p><p>— Boston Celtics (@celtics) <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1350832578790621189?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Celtics injury report indicated that Walker is available, alongside center Daniel Theis. Meanwhile, Tacko Fail is questionable due to a left ankle sprain.</p><p>Walker’s season debut has been on the horizon for quite a while now after Boston upgraded his status to questionable a couple of days ago. The 6-foot-1 guard had a stem-cell injection in his left knee in early October. The procedure put the 2011 no. 9 overall pick on a 12-week strengthening program that should help him stay on the court for the rest of the season.</p><p>Boston head coach Brad Stevens said that he intends to play the former UConn Husky for roughly 20 minutes, Tim Bontemps of ESPN reports. The minutes restriction is understandable as the Celtics look to ease Walker back into game shape.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Brad Stevens says Kemba Walker will play around 20 minutes today. Says they just want him to be himself, and that Walker – understandably – is excited to play. Says he's done "very little" as far as full practices with Boston.</p><p>— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimBontemps/status/1350839581684461571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Celtics have started the season strong despite not having their floor general out there. They currently sit atop the Eastern Conference with an 8-3 record.</p><p>Recently, however, Boston was struck with a COVID-19 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-rumors-jayson-tatums-covid-19-quarantine-due-to-single-positive-test/">outbreak within the team</a>. Three of their games last week were postponed to another date. They only made their return to action on Friday, which fortunately yielded a positive result in a 124-97 win over the Orlando Magic.</p><p>Unfortunately, the Celtics will still be without star forward Jayson Tatum, as well as Carson Edwards and Robert Williams on Sunday, as they are still out due to the NBA’s health and safety COVID-19 protocols. Nevertheless, Boston must be elated that Walker is healthy once again after beginning the first month of the 2020-21 campaign without him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kemba Walker to make 2020-21 season debut vs. Knicks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Brad-Stevens-doesn_t-see-the-big-fuss-over-who_s-in-the-starting-lineup-_inconsequential_.jpg"></figure><h1>Knicks-Celtics: Game Time, Odds, Schedule, TV Channel, Betting Odds, and Live Stream (Sunday, January 17th)</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-17T04:00:03-08:00">January 17th, 4:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-17T04:00:03-08:00">January 17th, 4:00am</time><address><a>ClutchPoints</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA Game Time</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Knicks (5-8) take on the Boston Celtics (8-3) at TD Garden.</p><p><b>Game Time:</b> 1:00PM EST/10:00AM PST on Sunday, January 17th</p><p><b>TV:</b> NBA TV</p><p><b>Betting Odds:</b> <a href="https://www.bovada.lv/sports/basketball/nba" rel="noopener noreferrer">NBA Odds</a></p><p><b>Live Stream:</b> Watch the game <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/lp/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408&amp;bgvideo=NBATV.mp4" rel="noopener noreferrer">online with fuboTV (free trial)</a>. Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. You can follow the game live on the <a href="http://bit.ly/CPAppNow" rel="noopener noreferrer">ClutchPoints app</a>. <br> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/adamsilver4live/comments/ezi3xz/games_will_be_posted_here/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reddit Thread.</a></p><p><b>Knicks Active Roster:</b> Ignas Brazdeikis, Nerlens Noel, Kevin Knox II, Julius Randle, Austin Rivers, Frank Ntilikina, RJ Barrett, Reggie Bullock, Elfrid Payton, Alec Burks, Dennis Smith Jr., Mitchell Robinson, Theo Pinson, Taj Gibson, Jared Harper, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin</p><p><b>Knicks Injured Players:</b></p><ul><li>Nerlens Noel (Day To Day – Lower Back): The Knicks have listed Noel as PROBABLE for Sunday’s game (Jan. 17) against the Celtics.</li><li>Frank Ntilikina (Out – Right Knee): Ntilikina is still a week away from practicing, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.</li><li>Alec Burks (Day To Day – Ankle): The Knicks have listed Burks as DOUBTFUL for Sunday’s game (Jan. 17) against the Celtics.</li><li>Mitchell Robinson (Day To Day – Right heel): The Knicks have listed Robinson as PROBABLE for Sunday’s game (Jan. 17) against the Celtics.</li></ul><p><b>Celtics Active Roster:</b> Payton Pritchard, Tacko Fall, Javonte Green, Tristan Thompson, Grant Williams, Aaron Nesmith, Jayson Tatum, Jeff Teague, Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III, Tremont Waters, Romeo Langford, Carsen Edwards, Daniel Theis, Semi Ojeleye, Jaylen Brown</p><p><b>Celtics Injured Players:</b></p><ul><li>Tacko Fall (Day To Day – Ankle): The Celtics have listed Fall as QUESTIONABLE for Sunday’s game (Jan. 17) against the Knicks.</li><li>Jayson Tatum (Out – Health and Safety Protocols): The Celtics have listed Tatum as OUT for Sunday’s game (Jan. 17) against the Knicks.</li><li>Kemba Walker (Day To Day – Left Knee): The Celtics have listed Walker as QUESTIONABLE for Sunday’s game (Jan. 17) against the Knicks.</li><li>Robert Williams III (Out – Health and Safety Protocols): Williams is facing a minimum of a seven-day quarantine due to health and safety protocols, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.</li><li>Romeo Langford (Out – Right wrist): The Celtics announced G-F Romeo Langford underwent surgery on his wrist and he’s expected to miss the next four-to-five months.</li><li>Carsen Edwards (Out – Health and Safety Protocols): The Celtics have listed Edwards as OUT for Sunday’s game (Jan. 17) against the Knicks.</li><li>Daniel Theis (Day To Day – Finger): The Celtics have listed Theis as QUESTIONABLE for Sunday’s game (Jan. 17) against the Knicks.</li></ul><p><b>Follow us on Twitter</b> at <a href="https://twitter.com/KnicksNationCP" rel="noopener noreferrer">@KnicksNationCP</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/CelticsNationCP" rel="noopener noreferrer">@CelticsNationCP</a>.</p><p><b>Follow us on Facebook</b> at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkKnicksNation" rel="noopener noreferrer">New York Knicks</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BostonCelticsNation" rel="noopener noreferrer">Boston Celtics</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Knicks-Celtics: Game Time, Odds, Schedule, TV Channel, Betting Odds, and Live Stream (Sunday, January 17th)

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Celtics-news-Kemba-Walker-getting-closer-to-season-debut-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Kemba Walker inching closer to 2020-21 Celtics season debut</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-16T14:35:04-08:00">January 16th, 2:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-16T14:35:04-08:00">January 16th, 2:35pm</time><address><a>Skyler Carlin</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Boston Celtics haven’t had a full complement of players to begin the season, but it appears they could get a much-needed reinforcement in the backcourt soon. According to <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1350562983857057796?s=20">Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports</a>, Kemba Walker is inching closer to making his season debut with the Celtics.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Kemba Walker has been upgraded to questionable for tomorrow's Boston Celtics game at the New York Knicks.</p><p>— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status/1350562983857057796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Walker has been out for Boston’s first 11 games of the 2020-21 season due to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-kemba-walkers-timetable-for-return-to-boston-revealed/">left knee injury</a> that he suffered last season. Amid his absence to start the season, the Celtics have used an assortment of players like Jeff Teague, Payton Pritchard, and Marcus Smart to replace him in the starting lineup.</p><p>In addition, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have seen expanded roles on the offensive end of the floor. Both Brown and Tatum are recording career-highs in points per game as Tatum leads the Celtics with 26.9 points per game.</p><p>The news of Walker being questionable for Sunday’s game versus the New York Knicks is a step in the right direction for Boston. The veteran point guard has been ruled out of every game thus far, which shows that he’s made enough progress to near a return.</p><p>Seeing that the Celtics have been playing well without Walker in the lineup, Brad Stevens may choose to be cautious with Walker. Even if he does suit up on Sunday against the Knicks, he likely won’t see huge minutes.</p><p>And if Walker is ruled out for his 12th straight game, then his next chance of making his season debut for the Celtics would come next Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

BostonCeltics NEWS

Boston
Celtics NEWS