Celtics Hold Off Lakers for 10th Straight Win
The Boston Celtics looked to be well on their way to a 10th consecutive victory on Wednesday night, but it ended up being a little tougher than it first looked to be. After the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from an early 21-point deficit to be down by two in the fourth, the Celtics were able to hold them off late for a 107-96 win at TD Garden. The victory is their 10th in a row, improving them to 10-2 after their 0-2 start. They are the sixth team in NBA history to win 10 in a row after starting 0-2 or worse. Aaron Baynes led the way with a career-high 21 points, eight rebounds, and three assists down low for Boston, who also got 19 points and six rebounds from Kyrie Irving. After a slow 16-point first quarter, the Lakers trailed by 17 12 minutes into the game. That lead increased to 21 in the second quarter, before being knocked down to just nine at the half. Due to the Lakers big rally, they ended up out-shooting the Celtics 43%-39%, but they turned the ball over seven more times in the defeat. Brandon Ingram and Jordan Clarkson had 18 points apiece to lead the Lakers, while Julius Randle had a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds. The Celtics will now put their win streak on the line against the Charlotte Hornets at home on Friday. The Lakers continue their road trip in D.C. to battle the Washington Wizards tomorrow night.
Warriors Pull Away From Timberwolves Late
The new-look Minnesota Timberwolves were able to hang tight with the Golden State Warriors for a while on Wednesday night, but a late surge haunted them in a 125-101 loss to the defending champs. Klay Thompson had 28 points, including six three-pointers to lead the Warriors, who outscored the T'Wolves by 23 in the second half after a chippy back and forth first half. Steph Curry fell short of a triple-double with 22 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists to add on to Golden State's fifth straight win. Draymond Green provided another Green-like game with seven points, six rebounds, six assists, and two blocks, and was not afraid to read off those stats in his post-game press conference. The Warriors were playing without Kevin Durant for the first time this season due to a thigh injury. Andre Iguodala got the start for the Finals MVP and put up a season-high 11 points on the night. Andrew Wiggins had 17 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 16 points and 12 rebounds in the T'Wolves' fourth loss of the year, three of which have come on the road. The Warriors improved to 4-2 on their home floor and will look to continue to defend Oracle Arena when the streaking Philadelphia 76ers come to town on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves stay out west to visit the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.
Lightning Improve NHL's Best Record Against Sharks
The Tampa Bay Lightning's multiple weapons on the ice have all come together to help them take the top spot in the NHL early on in the season. Those weapons came together again on Wednesday, as a three-goal second period powered a 5-1 win on the road against the San Jose Sharks. Vladislav Namestnikov scored twice, while Nikita Kucherov recorded his 15th goal of the year, as Tampa Bay put an end to the Sharks' four-game win streak. Steven Stamkos had three assists, while Kucherov had two, as those two added to their league lead in points with 28 and 26 respectively. Jake Dotchin's first-career goal and Slater Koekkoek's late goal provided the final two goals for Tampa Bay, who improved their record to 12-2-2, giving them an NHL-leading 26 points early on. Joonas Donskoi scored 25 seconds into the game for the lone goal for the Sharks, as they surrendered five goals in a game for the third time this season. Starting goaltender Martin Jones was pulled after allowing four goals on 21 shots. His backup, Aaron Dell, gave up the final goal on nine shots. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots for the Lightning, who move on for a showdown with the second-best team in the NHL, the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. The Sharks will look to start a new win streak when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
The Boston Celtics looked to be well on their way to a 10th consecutive victory on Wednesday night, but it ended up being a little tougher than it first looked to be. After the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from an early 21-point deficit to be down by two in the fourth, the Celtics were able to hold them off late for a 107-96 win at TD Garden. The victory is their 10th in a row, improving them to 10-2 after their 0-2 start. They are the sixth team in NBA history to win 10 in a row after starting 0-2 or worse. Aaron Baynes led the way with a career-high 21 points, eight rebounds, and three assists down low for Boston, who also got 19 points and six rebounds from Kyrie Irving. After a slow 16-point first quarter, the Lakers trailed by 17 12 minutes into the game. That lead increased to 21 in the second quarter, before being knocked down to just nine at the half. Due to the Lakers big rally, they ended up out-shooting the Celtics 43%-39%, but they turned the ball over seven more times in the defeat. Brandon Ingram and Jordan Clarkson had 18 points apiece to lead the Lakers, while Julius Randle had a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds. The Celtics will now put their win streak on the line against the Charlotte Hornets at home on Friday. The Lakers continue their road trip in D.C. to battle the Washington Wizards tomorrow night.
Warriors Pull Away From Timberwolves Late
The new-look Minnesota Timberwolves were able to hang tight with the Golden State Warriors for a while on Wednesday night, but a late surge haunted them in a 125-101 loss to the defending champs. Klay Thompson had 28 points, including six three-pointers to lead the Warriors, who outscored the T'Wolves by 23 in the second half after a chippy back and forth first half. Steph Curry fell short of a triple-double with 22 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists to add on to Golden State's fifth straight win. Draymond Green provided another Green-like game with seven points, six rebounds, six assists, and two blocks, and was not afraid to read off those stats in his post-game press conference. The Warriors were playing without Kevin Durant for the first time this season due to a thigh injury. Andre Iguodala got the start for the Finals MVP and put up a season-high 11 points on the night. Andrew Wiggins had 17 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 16 points and 12 rebounds in the T'Wolves' fourth loss of the year, three of which have come on the road. The Warriors improved to 4-2 on their home floor and will look to continue to defend Oracle Arena when the streaking Philadelphia 76ers come to town on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves stay out west to visit the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.
Lightning Improve NHL's Best Record Against Sharks
The Tampa Bay Lightning's multiple weapons on the ice have all come together to help them take the top spot in the NHL early on in the season. Those weapons came together again on Wednesday, as a three-goal second period powered a 5-1 win on the road against the San Jose Sharks. Vladislav Namestnikov scored twice, while Nikita Kucherov recorded his 15th goal of the year, as Tampa Bay put an end to the Sharks' four-game win streak. Steven Stamkos had three assists, while Kucherov had two, as those two added to their league lead in points with 28 and 26 respectively. Jake Dotchin's first-career goal and Slater Koekkoek's late goal provided the final two goals for Tampa Bay, who improved their record to 12-2-2, giving them an NHL-leading 26 points early on. Joonas Donskoi scored 25 seconds into the game for the lone goal for the Sharks, as they surrendered five goals in a game for the third time this season. Starting goaltender Martin Jones was pulled after allowing four goals on 21 shots. His backup, Aaron Dell, gave up the final goal on nine shots. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots for the Lightning, who move on for a showdown with the second-best team in the NHL, the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night. The Sharks will look to start a new win streak when they host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
