Boston, MA
Boston Celtics (41-12) at Miami Heat (28-24) Game #53 2/11/24
The Celtics begin their two-game mini road trip with a matchup against the Miami Heat this afternoon. The final of three regular season games, the C’s hold a 2-0 series lead over Miami. Boston took care of business 119-111 at home back on October 27th. In the second game of the series, Joe Mazzulla and company obliterated Miami 143-110 on January 25th. In that matchup, Boston had seven players finish with double figures in points.
Less than a week until the All-Star break, the Celtics remain the number one seed in the East, with a 15-9 record on the road. Four and half games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston is on a three-game win streak. Over the past week, the C’s have victories over the Memphis Grizzlies and the Atlanta Hawks. On Friday night, they defeated the Washington Wizards 133-129, thanks to a third quarter spark. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games, and 4-1 in their last five games on the road.
Up a game-high 15 points against Washington, the Celtics had one of their most dominant performances inside, outscoring the Wizards 62-42 in the paint. Boston mainly struggled, aside from of Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis, who combined for 69 points. Although it was a tough shooting night for number 0, Tatum and Porzingis both finished with double-double performances. If you ask me, it was a little too close for comfort, especially given the Wizards have just nine wins on the season.
Sunday’s matchup will mark the first road game for Boston since January 25th, ironically which was against the Heat.
A classic rematch between two Eastern Conference rivals, Boston has an 82-53 record versus Miami all-time. In those 135 regular season games, the Celtics average nearly 100 points, 21.6 assists, 4.5 blocks, 7.9 steals, and 41.3 rebounds per game. Since the 2010 season, Boston has faced Miami six times in the playoffs.
The Celtics remain a top seed in offensive and defensive rating. Leading the NBA in net rating (9.6), Boston remains one of the most prolific three-point shooting teams. First in three-point attempts (42.8), the C’s put up 120.6 points per game. First in rebounding, they will look for a full sweep this afternoon against Miami and aim for five consecutive victories.
After this trip to Miami, the Celtics will play their next six of ten games on the road against the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, and Phoenix Suns.
Post-trade deadline, the Celtics were fairly active, while the Heat remained quiet. Weeks before, Miami acquired Terry Rozier from the Charlotte Hornets for Kyle Lowry. On Friday, Miami signed guard Alondes Williams on a two-way contract.
Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens proved his brilliancy yet again. Boston acquired Xavier Tillman from the Grizzlies, and Jaden Springer from the 76ers. With the acquisitions, the C’s parted ways with Lamar Stevens and Dalano Banton.
28-24 on the year, Miami hasn’t been as efficient, sitting as the number 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. 15-12 at home, the Heat are 4-6 in their last ten games, and finish up a four-game home stand today. The Heat and Celtics are historically known for their rivalry, however, these teams couldn’t be further apart on paper.
Still in playoff contention, the Heat remain half a game back behind the Orlando Magic for the 7th seed. A -0.2 point differential on the season, they remain 3.5 games ahead of the Bulls.
Similar to last season, the Heat rank 23rd in offensive rating, putting up a league low 110.5 points per game. Just above Portland, Charlotte, and Memphis in scoring production, Miami remains one of the least efficient shooting teams from the floor (46 %), and have trouble rebounding the ball, especially on the offensive boards.
There are multiple injury reports for today’s afternoon game. For the Celtics, Springer remains out with an ankle injury. In addition, newly acquired Tillman won’t suit up due to a knee injury. For the Miami Heat, Jimmy “Buckets” Butler is listed as a game time decision for personal reasons.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Starters
PG, #4 : Jrue Holiday
SG, #9: Derrick White
SF, #7: Jaylen Brown
PF, #0: Jayson Tatum
C: #8: Kristaps Porzingis
Celtics Reserves
- G, #11: Jaden Springer
- G, #50: Svi Mykhailiuk
- G, #11: Payton Pritchard
- G, #27: Jordan Walsh
- G, #20: JD Davidson (2-way player)
- F, #12: Oshae Brissett
- F, #30: Sam Hauser
- F: Xavier Tillman
- F, #1: Nathan Knight (2-way player)
- F, #42: Al Horford
- C, #40: Luke Kornet
- C, #88: Neemias Queta (2-way player)
Injuries
Xavier Tillman: questionable
Jaden Springer: questionable
Boston Celtics Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Heat Starters
Heat Starters
PG, #2: Terry Rozier
SG, #14: Tyler Herro
SF, #22: Jimmy Butler
PF, #16: Caleb Martin
C, #13: Bam Adebayo
Heat Reserves
- G, #15: Alondes Williams (2-way player)
- G: #9: Dru Smith
- G, #0: Josh Richardson
- F, #5: Nikola Jovic
- F, #55: Duncan Robinson
- F, #11: Jaime Jaquez Jr.
- F, #42: Kevin Love
- F: #24: Haywood Highsmith
- F: #8: Jamal Cain (2-way player)
- F: #21: Cole Swider (2-way player)
- C: #25: Orlando Robinson
- C, #31 Thomas Bryant
Injuries
Jimmy Butler: game-time-decision (personal)
Miami Heat Head Coach
Erik Spoelstra
Keys for a Cs win
Rebounding: Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics pride themselves on defensive, and have consistently built that culture throughout the season. First in rebounding in the NBA, Boston had control of the boards through their first two matchups. In those two victories, not only did the Celtics out-rebound Miami 102-76, they had a point differential of +41. Through only 12 losses, 7 of the came when Boston got out rebounded by their opponent. As we all know, grabbing the boards is. They must secure the boards on offense.
Take advantage of a healthy C’s lineup: I’ve said this before: it’s always a blessing when the Celtics have a healthy starting five, plus Al Horford. Boston is coming off one day of rest, and will get a clean bill of health for today’s matchup. It’s not everyday where this group gets to play together, and each time they do, they continue to grow and build chemistry.
Boston is on the road: Only 15-9 away from TD Garden this season, the Celtics have won four straight on the road, including finishing 4-1 on a rigorous west coast trip at the end of December. Although they don’t have the best record away from Beantown, the Celtics dominated Miami by a margin of 33 points at the Kaseya Center last matchup.
Don’t get overly confident: The Celtics are currently up 2-0 against the Heat this season, however, that doesn’t mean much. Having led the series 3-1 last year against Miami, Boston went on to face a heartbreaking Game 7 loss against them in the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s vital the Cs don’t let their foot off the gas, and play them as if was a playoff series, After all, the probability of Boston seeing Miami in the playoffs is fairly high.
Limit turnovers and fast break points: On Friday evening, the Celtics played an unrecognizable second quarter, in which they allowed the Wizards to score 18 fast break points. Although they declared victory, Washington scored a season-high 36 fast break points against Boston. With a total of 26 turnovers in the first two games against Miami, it will be imperative to take care of the ball, and get defensive stops.
Attacking in the paint: It’s no secret that the Celtics love to shoot threes, and have several players that can hit from deep. With that said, they’ve been figuring out various ways to score, especially after their paint domination Friday night. In two games against Miami, Boston has done a great job of creating mismatches, and finding ways to score in the post. In two matchups this season, Boston outscored Miami 96-78 in the paint.
Defense: Much like last matchup, today is a classic example of a top defensive team vs. a team that struggles to score. This is the case especially if Jimmy Butler can’t suit up this afternoon. Although they’ve won two straight against the Wizards and Kings, the Heat are only putting up just over 111 points over the last 5 games. Combine that the Celtics defense, Boston can put them back in the chamber by making offensive plays difficult for them. Over the last five games, Boston is limiting opponents to 115 points per game.
Matchup of the game:
Bam Adebayo vs. Kristaps Porzingis
Today will be the battle between two defensive centers, Bam Adebayo and Kristaps Porzings. In two games this year, Adebayo is averaging 23 points, 1.5 blocks, and 6.0 rebounds against Boston. Against Miami, Porzingis is putting up 18 points, 1.5 steals, and 6.5 against Miami. Given Adebayo is a paint guy, KP is averaging 50 percent from deep against Miami.
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Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 59 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers looked like a completely different team against the Boston Celtics in Game 2.
And unlike Game 1, the Sixers’ defense also showed up, holding Boston to 43 second-half points and 39 percent shooting for the game in a 111-97 road win to tie this Eastern Conference first-round series at 1-1.
Edgecombe scored a team-high 30 points on 12-for-20 shooting, and Maxey added 29 points and nine assists. The Sixers’ backcourt duo combined to shoot 11-for-22 from 3-point range. The Sixers were 19-for-39 from 3 after going 4 of 23 from that distance in Game 1.
Boston was led by Jaylen Brown’s game-high 36 points, but Jayson Tatum was the only other Celtics player who scored in double figures with 19. Boston shot 13-for-50 from 3-point range.
Here are some takeaways with Game 3 set for Friday in Philadelphia.
Celtics offense falls flat
The Celtics knew to expect a different effort from the 76ers.
One adjustment from Philadelphia likely didn’t take Boston by surprise. After taking just 23 3-pointers in Game 1, the 76ers sought out more long balls in Game 2.
Maxey called his own number more often. Edgecombe was aggressive from the start. As a team, the 76ers played with more freedom, firing plenty of shots that they might have turned down in the series opener. Philadelphia made plenty of those looks while shooting 48.7 percent from behind the arc.
Still, the Celtics would have been all right if they had played their usual offensive game. Instead, their offense was their biggest issue. They shot just 39.3 percent on field goal attempts. They missed 37 of 50 3-point attempts. They committed an atypical 13 turnovers.
Trying to come back in the fourth quarter, they had too many empty offensive possessions. Jaylen Brown got blocked while trying to beat the shot clock buzzer and picked up an offensive foul while hitting Maxey in the face. Jayson Tatum missed a contested pull-up 3-pointer early in the shot clock on one possession and threw away a pass on another. Derrick White was left wide open in the left corner but couldn’t find the bottom of the net. The 76ers left the door open early in the fourth quarter by missing several shots, including a couple of layups, but the Celtics couldn’t fully capitalize. Eventually, Maxey sank a series of baskets to create more separation for Philadelphia, and the Celtics largely went away down the stretch. — Jay King, Celtics beat writer
Sixers bounce back in Boston
This is the way the 76ers have to play if they want to extend this series as far as possible.
Maxey and Edgecombe have to dominate their guard matchups, which is exactly what they did in Tuesday night’s Game 2. Paul George needs to be a deterrent to Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. He doesn’t have to eclipse them, because that would be difficult. But he does have to give them a bit of pause. Most of all, the 76ers have to play the focused brand of basketball they exhibited in Game 2 rather than the sloppy and slapstick kind of hoops they played in Game 1.
The Celtics are such a good team that the above equates to near-perfect basketball. But that’s the task the Sixers are facing, particularly without star center Joel Embiid. On Tuesday night, this was a team up to the task. They were focused. They executed on both ends of the floor. They got much better play from their role players. Maxey and Edgecombe were absolutely dominant.
Overall, on both ends of the floor, this is the best game the 76ers have played in months. And they got it at just the right time. Now we have a 1-1 series heading back to Philadelphia. — Tony Jones, Sixers beat writer
A former doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston has been indicted on 81 new sexual assault charges, prosecutors announced Tuesday. Dr. Derrick Todd, a rheumatologist, was already facing rape and assault charges in Middlesex County and had been sued by dozens of former patients.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the new charges stem from accusations made by 22 victims between 17 and 56 years old. Todd faces 21 new rape charges, 59 new counts of indecent assault and battery and one count of assault with intent to rape.
“Many of these women had complicated and gravely serious symptoms and conditions. Some were in excruciating pain. Many were desperate for relief,” Hayden said. “Dr. Todd intently groomed them all into quiet submission.”
With the latest indictments, Todd is now facing more than 100 charges of sexual assault in Massachusetts.
“Almost unimaginable”
The alleged assaults occurred between 2017 and 2023 at Brigham and Women’s Hale Building in Boston and the Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain. Hayden said it’s “almost unimaginable” how Todd was able to violate and betray patients’ trust.
“The scale of victimization and the magnitude of trauma left in the wake of these allegations is something we have never encountered,” Hayden said.
WBZ-TV has reached out to Todd’s lawyer for comment. He could be arraigned in court on the new charges this week, Hayden said.
Charges against Dr. Derrick Todd
Brigham and Women’s fired Todd in 2023 following accusations that he performed inappropriate pelvic and breast exams on his patients. The I-Team reported at the time that police were investigating more than a dozen complaints of sex assault against Todd by his female patients.
In January of 2025, Todd pleaded not guilty in Middlesex Superior Court to rape charges involving two of his former patients at Charles River Medical Associates in Framingham.
Last month, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said a grand jury indicted Todd on three new charges of rape and 17 counts of indecent assault and battery.
Boston, MA
Between Providence And Boston Is A Vibrant Massachusetts Town Bursting With Diverse Entertainment – Islands
For some, New England might conjure images of skating rinks, Colonial architecture, and quaint villages. Others might picture waterfront cities like Boston or Providence, rich in history and — in the case of Boston, especially — towering skyscrapers. As you drive between these two capitals along Interstate 95 — a trip that should take about an hour — you’ll pass by towns like Foxborough. For the last few decades, this little community has developed a reputation as a hub of diverse entertainment, making it a worthwhile pit-stop as you journey along the East Coast.
If you’ve ever watched the Patriots kick off from Gillette Stadium on TV, then you’re already familiar with this Massachusetts town. The stadium, considered one of the 10 best in the U.S. for fun activities and events, was completed in 2002, but Foxborough itself has served as the home base for the Patriots since the 1970s. In the decades since, the team has attracted millions of visitors.
Foxborough — also spelled “Foxboro” — is normally home to about 6,500 year-rounders, but it floods with thousands more people on game or concert days. In total, the stadium can accommodate over 65,000 fans. When you’re not at Gillette Stadium, which is less than 4 miles from the heart of downtown, you’ll find plenty of other things to do. There’s live theater, outdoor recreational opportunities, and an eclectic mix of dining options, each deserving some exploration.
NFL games and Cranberry Bogs in Foxborough
Foxborough is located roughly 30 miles from Boston and just over 20 miles from Providence. In the area, you’ll find plenty of suburbs with historic downtowns and lush trails, like Hopedale, but Foxborough, nicknamed the “Gem of Norfolk County,” has one of the most diverse mixes of entertainment options. Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center, for instance, housed in a 1920s-era silent movie theater, offers a busy calendar of comedy and musical performances year-round.
Football fans will also enjoy visiting the Patriots Hall in Patriot Place Mall, which is open daily for $10 per standard ticket. Here, you’ll be able to watch interviews with former players and stroll through a range of exhibits. “I liked all the different memorabilia from all different players all labeled with who and what milestone they came from,” reads one review on Tripadvisor. Afterward, check out the dozens of shopping and dining options in the surrounding mall, which also has its own commuter rail station and connected hotels. Gillette Stadium is next door; along with the Patriots, the venue has hosted performers like Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, and The Rolling Stones.
The Ocean Spray Cranberry Bogs and surrounding nature trails are also part of Patriot Place. Planted back in the 1920s, these bogs continue to thrive. They’re typically harvested in October, when visitors can attend the annual Harvest Festival. At this fun and family-friendly local event, you’ll be able to enjoy an inflatable corn maze, a beer garden, live music, and more.
Where to eat and sleep in Foxborough
As you explore Foxborough, you’ll find a range of dining options, from classic breakfast plates at The Commons, to artisanal burgers at Union Straw. As one reviewer writes about the latter on Google, “[This is a] Gorgeous venue, one of our favorite daytime lunch or date places. All food options are 10/10, truffle burger, gnocchi bolognese, and the flatbread pizzas are delicious and the fries are perfect.”
If you’re planning to spend the night rather than hit the road after a burger at Union Straw or a long football game, you’ll have a range of vacation rentals, local inns, and chain hotels to choose from. The Rally Point Inn & Pub, for instance, is within walking distance of local restaurants and shops. It also has its own sport-themed bar, weekly trivia nights, and karaoke. Just make sure to book your stay well in advance, as places tend to fill up before popular events.
The nearest airport is also in Providence, but you’ll find more flight options at Boston Logan International. Travelers can also opt for the “Event Train,” which runs between Patriot Place and Boston’s South Station on game days, providing a convenient way to avoid the notorious traffic. Besides the I-95 drive from Providence to Boston, there are plenty of other New England road trip tours you can take through gorgeous small towns. That being said, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a destination that attracts as many annual visitors as Foxborough.
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