Celtics' Comeback Falls Short, Ending Their Streak
The Boston Celtics' have actually lost a game, but it was before another comeback attempt was nearly completed. After trailing by 18 in the first half and 13 at the half, the Celtics made things interesting late, but fell short against the Miami Heat in a 104-98 loss, snapping their 16-game win streak. Goran Dragic led Miami with 27 points, while Dion Waiters added 26, including two three-pointers late in the fourth quarter to seal the upset win. The loss is the first for Boston since starting the season 0-2, as they nearly pulled off what would've been their fifth comeback during the win streak. They have rallied from deficits such as 18, 17, 16, and 13 points while winning 16 in a row. They used a 13-0 run in the second half to cut the deficit to one with 3:14 left, and that's when Waiters took over from downtown to push the lead back to seven. Despite coming that close, Boston never led in this game. Kyrie Irving led Boston with 23 points in the loss, while Jayson Tatum added 18, as they dropped to 16-3 on the season. The Heat moved their record to 8-9, as Tyler Johnson contributed 18 points for Miami, who shot 49 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Celtics, 48-37. The Heat will look to get their record back to .500 after this upset as they head to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Friday. The Celtics will be back at home on Friday to host the Orlando Magic.
Westbrook, Thunder Get Best of Durant, Warriors
A season after Kevin Durant led his new team into a season-series sweep of his old team, his old running mate, Russell Westbrook, had his way in the first meeting of this season. In what was a testy matchup between the old teammates, Westbrook fell an assist shy of a triple-double in a 108-91 Oklahoma City Thunder rout of the Golden State Warriors. The reigning MVP put up a season-high 34 points in his first win against Durant's Warriors, as KD put up just 21 points, which is his lowest against OKC. Westbrook added 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder, who improved to 6-2 on their home floor, but just 8-9 overall. Last season, they dropped all four games by an average of 20 points to Golden State, who had won seven in a row in head-to-head matchups with OKC. Steph Curry led the scoring for the Warriors with 24 points, as the starters sat on the bench in the fourth with the game out of reach. Westbrook also got help from his new teammates, as Carmelo Anthony had 22 points, while Paul George contributed 20 points in the big win. It took the Thunder no time to take a big lead, as it was at 17 at halftime, and got as large as 23 in the second half. They can thank the turnover game which gave them more opportunities, as they forced 22 of them from the Warriors. The Thunder are hoping that this can turn their season around for the better, and they will look to make that happen on Friday when they host the Detroit Pistons. Meanwhile, the Warriors return home Friday night to host the Chicago Bulls.
Notre Dame Rallies Past Wichita State, Arizona Goes Down
Wichita State seemed to have had the Maui Invitational Title well in hand on Wednesday night with a double digit lead in the second half. Although, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rallied from a 16-point deficit to snatch the Maui Invitational with a 67-66 win over the sixth-ranked Shockers. Martinas Geben hit two free throws with 2.3 seconds left to seal the comeback, which was led by Bonzie Colson's 25 points. With the win, No. 13 Notre Dame improved to a perfect 6-0, while handing Wichita State their first loss of the season. Notre Dame got to the title game by topping Chaminade and LSU with ease, while Wichita State rallied against California and got past Marquette to reach Wednesday night. The Shockers weren't the only top-10 team to fall on Wednesday, as No. 2 Arizona went down against NC State, 90-84. Freshman Braxton Beverly put up a season-high 20 points in the opener of the Battle 4 Atlantic Tournament. Allerik Freeman led the charge with 24 points for the Wolfpack, who shot 49 percent from the floor, including 40 percent from three, in the win. The win put them at 5-0 on the season, well on their way to a top-25 ranking after handing the Wildcats their first loss of the year. Allonzo Trier had 27 points, 24 of which came in the second half for the Wildcats, who will take on SMU in the losers bracket beginning Thursday. Meanwhile, NC State goes against Northern Iowa on the other end of the bracket.
The Boston Celtics' have actually lost a game, but it was before another comeback attempt was nearly completed. After trailing by 18 in the first half and 13 at the half, the Celtics made things interesting late, but fell short against the Miami Heat in a 104-98 loss, snapping their 16-game win streak. Goran Dragic led Miami with 27 points, while Dion Waiters added 26, including two three-pointers late in the fourth quarter to seal the upset win. The loss is the first for Boston since starting the season 0-2, as they nearly pulled off what would've been their fifth comeback during the win streak. They have rallied from deficits such as 18, 17, 16, and 13 points while winning 16 in a row. They used a 13-0 run in the second half to cut the deficit to one with 3:14 left, and that's when Waiters took over from downtown to push the lead back to seven. Despite coming that close, Boston never led in this game. Kyrie Irving led Boston with 23 points in the loss, while Jayson Tatum added 18, as they dropped to 16-3 on the season. The Heat moved their record to 8-9, as Tyler Johnson contributed 18 points for Miami, who shot 49 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Celtics, 48-37. The Heat will look to get their record back to .500 after this upset as they head to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Friday. The Celtics will be back at home on Friday to host the Orlando Magic.
Westbrook, Thunder Get Best of Durant, Warriors
A season after Kevin Durant led his new team into a season-series sweep of his old team, his old running mate, Russell Westbrook, had his way in the first meeting of this season. In what was a testy matchup between the old teammates, Westbrook fell an assist shy of a triple-double in a 108-91 Oklahoma City Thunder rout of the Golden State Warriors. The reigning MVP put up a season-high 34 points in his first win against Durant's Warriors, as KD put up just 21 points, which is his lowest against OKC. Westbrook added 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Thunder, who improved to 6-2 on their home floor, but just 8-9 overall. Last season, they dropped all four games by an average of 20 points to Golden State, who had won seven in a row in head-to-head matchups with OKC. Steph Curry led the scoring for the Warriors with 24 points, as the starters sat on the bench in the fourth with the game out of reach. Westbrook also got help from his new teammates, as Carmelo Anthony had 22 points, while Paul George contributed 20 points in the big win. It took the Thunder no time to take a big lead, as it was at 17 at halftime, and got as large as 23 in the second half. They can thank the turnover game which gave them more opportunities, as they forced 22 of them from the Warriors. The Thunder are hoping that this can turn their season around for the better, and they will look to make that happen on Friday when they host the Detroit Pistons. Meanwhile, the Warriors return home Friday night to host the Chicago Bulls.
Notre Dame Rallies Past Wichita State, Arizona Goes Down
Wichita State seemed to have had the Maui Invitational Title well in hand on Wednesday night with a double digit lead in the second half. Although, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rallied from a 16-point deficit to snatch the Maui Invitational with a 67-66 win over the sixth-ranked Shockers. Martinas Geben hit two free throws with 2.3 seconds left to seal the comeback, which was led by Bonzie Colson's 25 points. With the win, No. 13 Notre Dame improved to a perfect 6-0, while handing Wichita State their first loss of the season. Notre Dame got to the title game by topping Chaminade and LSU with ease, while Wichita State rallied against California and got past Marquette to reach Wednesday night. The Shockers weren't the only top-10 team to fall on Wednesday, as No. 2 Arizona went down against NC State, 90-84. Freshman Braxton Beverly put up a season-high 20 points in the opener of the Battle 4 Atlantic Tournament. Allerik Freeman led the charge with 24 points for the Wolfpack, who shot 49 percent from the floor, including 40 percent from three, in the win. The win put them at 5-0 on the season, well on their way to a top-25 ranking after handing the Wildcats their first loss of the year. Allonzo Trier had 27 points, 24 of which came in the second half for the Wildcats, who will take on SMU in the losers bracket beginning Thursday. Meanwhile, NC State goes against Northern Iowa on the other end of the bracket.
