Boston, MA
Boston finishes west coast road trip with a victory, Celtics win 118-106 over Nuggets
After a tough loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Celtics wrapped up their west coast road trip with a visit to the Mile High City to face off against the Denver Nuggets. With Nikola Jokic ruled out for this game, the Celtics were able to take care of business and defeated the Nuggets 118-106.
Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics with 29 points and 11 rebounds on 11-23 shooting while Kristaps Porzingis had one of his best games of the season finishing with 25 points and 11 rebounds on 9-18 shooting. Jrue Holiday had a sneaky great game as well with 19 points and 7 assists as it felt like he was always in the right place at the right time.
While the Celtics’ three ball was lacking, they dominated the paint in this game, winning the points in the paint battle 60-46.
The Celtics offense started with a lot of Kristaps Porzingis touches as he scored the first basket for Boston with a mid-range jumper and 9 of the Celtics first 12 points. The Nuggets looked good on offense as well as Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray, and Russell Westbrook carrying the load.
Porzingis finished the first quarter with 15 points on 6-10, including being the recipient of an alley-oop after Jayson Tatum blocked Christian Braun on one end and found Kristaps on the other.
The Celtics led 37-25 lead after the first quarter with their offense was clicking. Boston shot 14-27 (51.9%) in the quarter as the shorthanded Nuggets had no answers for them. Porzingis (15) and Tatum (11) combined for 26 of the Celtics’ 37 points in the quarter. Boston’s paint defense was elite as well, only allowing 2 points in the paint after one.
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The Celtics continued their hot shooting to start the second quarter, as they opened a 15-point lead on the Nuggets two minutes in. Denver responded with a 13-2 run of their own to cut Boston’s lead to single digits.
Neemias Queta started to make his presence known with three straight buckets for the Celtics as he played some solid minutes for Boston in the quarter, finishing with 8 points.
Jamal Murray started to heat up to end the quarter scoring 8 straight points for Denver as Boston started to struggle to hit shots. Payton Watson started to make an impact on this game with 3 blocks in the first half and a corner three that tied the game 57-57 going into the half.
The Nuggets ended the first half on a 12-4 run and finished with four players with double digit points. Boston started the second quarter well but couldn’t maintain it as their three point shooting hurt them. The Celtics only shot 5-16 (31.3%) from beyond the arc in the half while Denver out shot them going 9-18 (50%) from three.
The Jays were cold in the first half as they combined for 15 points on 5-18 shooting. Jaylen Brown especially struggled, with only 2 points on 0-4 shooting. Kristaps Porzingis was the Celtics leading scorer at the half with 16 points while Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 15 points.
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The second half started with Jaylen Brown facilitating the Celtics offense with three straight baskets and a nice assist to Porzingis to start the third quarter. The Nuggets were able to respond as the lead went back and forth.
A very loud “let’s go, Celtics” chant started to rain down in Ball Arena midway through the quarter just as Jrue Holiday grabbed a tough rebound and found a streaking Tatum on the other end for a dunk.
The Celtics were able to hold off the Nuggets with the lineup of Tatum and the bench to secure an 88-83 lead at the end of the third quarter. Jaylen Brown had a bounce back third quarter scoring 8 points on 4-4 shooting. The Celtics were still getting out shot from three, but they dominated the points in the paint battle.
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The fourth quarter started similarly to the way the third quarter went, both teams trading baskets. The Celtics played some tough defense highlighted by Porzingis meeting DeAndre Jordan at the summit to block a potential poster dunk.
With Denver only having one timeout left midway through the quarter, the Celtics rattled off a 12-0 run to push their lead back up to double digits and force the Nuggets to use their final timeout with under five minutes left in the quarter. That run had everyone involved as it included a Porzingis put back dunk, a Holiday three, a Brown layup, an Al Horford three, and finally a nasty mid-range jumper by Jayson Tatum.
The Nuggets tried to fight back but they just didn’t have enough as Tatum and Holiday buried them down the stretch to give the Celtics the victory.
The Celtics return home for their next game on Friday, January 10th to take on the Sacramento Kings at 7:30 pm.
Boston, MA
Woman killed in Mattapan carjacking crash honored at vigil
Three days after an alleged carjacker hit and killed a woman in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood, members of the community came together to honor her life.
A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday evening for 32-year-old Mabinty Janneh of Dorchester. She died after being hit Saturday afternoon on Blue Hill Avenue.
Ibraim Matos, 37, of Hyde Park, is charged with murder in the crash. He allegedly stole a vehicle and drove it onto the sidewalk, fatally hitting Janneh.
Ibraim Matos of Hyde Park has been charged with murder in the deadly crash.
Heartbroken family, friends and community members gathered near the site of the crash to remember Janneh Tuesday.
“We need justice for Mabinty,” said her aunt, Mbalu Tarawally.
“I just felt like I needed to be present,” said Rev. Dr. Barbara Simmons. “If the family lost a person, the least I can do is come here and show my face.”
“She was young, vibrant. Hard worker. Wants to do everything,” said Ahmad Thorley, a family member of Janneh.
The suspect in a deadly carjacking and crash in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood appeared in court to face charges including murder.
Witnesses said Matos dragged Janneh several hundred feet after hitting her.
The stolen Toyota RAV4 crashed into an MBTA bus, and people at the pulled Matos out of the car and holding him there until police arrived.
Matos pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of leaving the scene of personal injury and death and motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation, along with murder and carjacking. His defense attorney spoke briefly on Monday, saying they will evaluate “where we stand” in a few weeks after the mental health evaluation.
Boston, MA
Your next Uber ride in Boston could be a taxi
Boston taxis will be able to pick up passengers who request Uber and Lyft rides under a new pilot program announced by Mayor Michelle Wu Tuesday.
Customers who get a cab through a ride-hailing app will still see the cost upfront on their phone as opposed to the typical taxi fare structure.
“The goal of the pilot is to give Boston passengers more options to hail a taxi and to allow Boston’s licensed taxis to participate directly in meeting the demand for trips generated through Uber and Lyft,” the city said in a news release.
Wu said the yearlong pilot will allow cab drivers to earn more while reducing wait times for passengers.
“We’re thankful for the collaboration and advocacy from our taxicab drivers to introduce this new transportation service, and excited to support the people who keep our city moving,” the mayor said.
The program excludes taxi trips to Boston’s Logan Airport, and allows the Hackney Division to make exceptions during some special events in the city.
Uber’s website informs users “you might get matched with a Boston taxi driver.”
“If so, you’ll enjoy the same 24/7 availability and affordable prices you know with UberX while riding to your destination in a cab,” Uber says.
The city said it expects taxi drivers will now be able to “access a significantly larger number of trips than most currently serve.”
“This change is a major boost for taxi drivers in Boston and the passengers we serve,” said Balwinder Gill, who has owned and operated a Boston taxi for 25 years.
Boston, MA
Editorial: With Boston’s World Cup win, could we host Olympics?
The World Cup economic windfall boosting Boston gives rise to a question: Could the Hub host the Olympics?
Certainly Bostonians have more than risen to the occasion in terms of welcoming international visitors to our city and showing them a good time (and vice versa, Tartan Army). But it takes more than great hosts and a convivial atmosphere to pull off an epic sporting event.
It takes money, lots of it, political transparency, and a process open to public scrutiny and feedback. In other words, no, we couldn’t.
Public reception to the 2014 Olympics bid was tepid at best, as it would entail multiple construction projects. And when big construction projects are presented in Boston, taxpayers get suspicious. Big Dig, anyone?
Boston 24 announced it estimated the Games would produce at least $4.8 billion in revenues from television broadcast rights, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and other revenues, the Associated Press reported. They assumed nearly $4.6 billion in costs, including $176 million for a temporary Olympic Stadium, $90 million for the athletes’ village, about $754 million to build other Olympic venues and another $132 million to rent other locations.
They reportedly announced all this to answer critics who said the privately funded Boston 2024 withheld details of the bid to prevent the public from assessing whether the Games could be staged, as promised, without the need for taxpayer money.
We learned the answer to that soon enough.
In this case, as the Herald reported that year, details from Boston 2024’s so-called bid book indicated that plans sent to the U.S. Olympic Committee called for the Hub to fund “land acquisition and infrastructure costs” at Widett Circle, where a temporary Olympic stadium was being proposed. It came after months of promises that the group planned to run a privately funded Olympics.
“They’ve been saying for months, ‘No taxpayer (money),’ ” said Evan Falchuk, a vocal bid critic who pushed for a statewide ballot question on hosting the games. “Then you read what they told the USOC. … It’s a devastating blow to their credibility. There’s a reason why voters don’t trust what they’ve heard and (Boston 2024 has) got a lot of work to do to earn that trust.”
And all this talk of money came before any cost overruns made an appearance. London’s budget for the 2012 Summer Games escalated by about 300%, ending somewhere in the $14 billion range. What were the chances we’d fare any better?
No wonder Bostonians gave the Olympics idea the cold shoulder.
But what of the city’s World Cup success story? For starters, Gillette Stadium is already built, and the only large element requiring a cash infusion was the MBTA, which shelled out $35 million to upgrade Foxboro Station in advance of the Cup. They’ll make a nice chunk of that back, as the T spiked round-trip Commuter Rail ticket prices between South Station and Gillette Stadium for fútbol fans to $80.
In this case, Bostonians are on the winning side, reaping benefits from free-spending (and thirsty) visitors, and reveling in the good vibes.
It would be great for the city if megaprojects, or even minor ones, came with the guarantee of financial transparency before shovels hit the dirt. Optimists should look at White Stadium before calling it a day.
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