Boston, MA
Defense, Donovan Clingan power Trail Blazers past Boston Celtics
There was clutch fourth-quarter defense, inspiring two-way play from Toumani Camara and another stat-stuffing performance by Deni Avdija.
But perhaps no one or no thing meant more to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday than Donovan Clingan.
The starting center’s combination of defense, emotion and dominance powered the Blazers to a 114-108 win over the Boston Celtics before 17,949 at the Moda Center.
“I think he was our best defensive player,” Blazers acting coach Tiago Splitter said of Clingan. “Just his presence, reading every situation, talking, leading. He was a big part of our win.”
Clingan finished with 18 points and 18 rebounds, recording his ninth double-double of the season, as the Blazers (13-19) ended a three-game losing streak. He was suffocating early, producing 11 points and eight rebounds in the first quarter. He was clutch late, adding five points and six rebounds in the fourth. And he was a mountain of energy and intensity throughout.
He stared down Celtics players after monster two-handed dunks. He came oh-so-close to drawing a technical foul in the second half, when he towered over a Boston player after finishing a dunk. And he punctuated big shots with screams to the rafters and raised arms.
The Blazers seemed to feed off his energy and emotion, riding it all the way a much-needed win.
“He’s one of those dudes that scores (and) looks at the opponent,” Splitter said. “He tries to bring some juice every time he (has) a good play or a block or something like that, just to pass (it along) to the rest of the guys, the energy, the belief that he has. He’s very important for our defense, for our offense, for the whole locker room’s energy. He’s one of those guys.”
Of course, it took more than Clingan for the shorthanded Blazers to topple the Celtics (19-12).
Camara finished with 20 points, made four of five three-pointers in the second half and played imposing defense. Avdija overcame a shaky first half that included five turnovers to produce 24 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Shaedon Sharpe added 26 points and five rebounds and Caleb Love scored 18 points off the bench, which included 10 crucial points in the fourth quarter.
Boston had control for most of the first half and built a 10-point lead in the third quarter, thanks in large part to a breathtaking performance by Jaylen Brown, who torched the Blazers with 27 points on 11-for-16 shooting before halftime.
But Splitter tweaked his defense to feature a swarm of double teams and blitzes at the Celtics’ All-Star forward, and it helped fuel a second-half turnaround.
Portland opened the third quarter by outscoring Boston 12-2 and Brown managed just 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting after halftime.
Still, like most of the Blazers’ games this season, the outcome came down to clutch time. And this time, the Blazers’ defense was the difference.
Portland held Boston to three points over the final two minutes, 41 seconds of the game, allowing just one field goal — a Derrick White three-pointer with 43.0 seconds left. Otherwise, the Blazers’ defense was stifling, forcing two missed shots and four turnovers, including two on the Celtics’ final two possessions of the game. The Celtics scored just 45 points in the second half, including 23 in the pivotal fourth quarter.
“I think Sidy (Cissoko) brought energy,” Splitter said. “Toumani always (does). D.C. was protecting the rim, his rebounding was huge. But as a group, the energy was there. We were fighting every screen. They have great players that can shoot the ball. They’re one of the best shooting teams in the league. So (we) had to fight all those screens, getting over or under, and (we) did a good job navigating those positions.”
Top performers
Avdija finished with 20 or more points for the 26th time this season and recorded double-digits in assists for the fifth time this season.
Brown finished with 37 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Celtics, who had won four in a row and nine of 11.
A pair of reunions
Anfernee Simons returned to the Moda Center for the first time as a visitor, finishing with 13 points, three rebounds, two steals and one assist in 19 minutes.
Simons, who spent his first seven seasons with the Blazers, was traded to the Celtics in the offseason in a move that brought Jrue Holiday to Portland. Simons came off the bench for Boston on Sunday and swished his first shot — a three — 17 seconds later. But his shot was mostly cold the rest of the night as Simons made just 4 of 11 field goals, including 2 of 6 threes.
Meanwhile, Payton Pritchard, who went to West Linn High School and played for the Oregon Ducks, recorded nine points, five assists, five rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes.
Meanwhile, Payton Pritchard, who went to West Linn High School and played for the Oregon Ducks, recorded nine points, five assists, five rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes.
Next up
The Blazers host the Dallas Mavericks and No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg Monday night at 7:30 at the Moda Center.
Boston, MA
Ariana Grande fan gets better tickets to TD Garden concert in Boston after resolving StubHub issue
Ariana Grande is coming to Boston next week and one of her biggest fans in Massachusetts will be there after resolving a ticket issue with StubHub.
Kelsie Duest of Hopedale had two front row balcony seats to Grande’s show on July 23 at TD Garden. Her brother bought them for her on StubHub last year. Her mother said it cost nearly $1,400 for the pair.
But about a month later, Sharon Duest checked her Apple Wallet and noticed the tickets were invalid. She said StubHub offered them a choice, take a refund or different tickets.
Duest ended up accepting the tickets that were offered, only to learn they were obstructed view seats behind the stage and Kelsie wouldn’t be able to see Grande during parts of the concert.
Concerned that her daughter, who has Down syndrome, would miss out on the experience of seeing Grande on stage, Duest tried calling and emailing Stubhub hoping to get better seats.
“We didn’t want anything for free. We just wanted just the tickets that we had,” she told WBZ-TV.
With the concert coming up soon, the Duests reached out to the I-Team’s Call for Action for help, who contacted StubHub.
“We’re so sorry about the issues Sharon experienced with their ticket order, especially given how meaningful this concert is to Kelsie,” a company spokesperson said in an email.
“We understand how disappointing and stressful that situation was. Our Customer Care team worked with them to resolve the issue and ultimately secured upgraded replacement tickets in a section in front of where the original seats were located, allowing them to attend the show with an improved view.”
Kelsie and her mom now have club seats closer to the stage than the tickets they originally purchased.
“I know we couldn’t have done this without you guys. Thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Sharon Duest said.
A good rule of thumb with electronic tickets is to always check on them to confirm that they remain valid up until the event. You should also keep good records in case you need a refund or a replacement.
Boston, MA
ICE Boston arrests Barbados national during targeted operations in Attleboro
ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WJAR) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Boston said Friday that it arrested a Barbados national during targeted operations in Attleboro.
ICE Boston said Irijah Jabarri Stowe Marshall is “a criminal illegal alien.”
According to officials, his criminal history includes a pending charge for failing to register as a sex offender in Massachusetts.
He was also previously convicted of attempted rape and aggravated sexual contact, ICE Boston said.
Boston, MA
Man who allegedly shot at Boston Police officers arrested after foot chase in Dorchester
A 20-year-old Boston man is facing a series of charges after prosecutors say he shot at Boston Police officers during an attempted stop in Dorchester before leading them on a foot chase through neighborhood backyards.
Rasiel Carbuccia was arraigned in Dorchester District Court Thursday on a list of charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying without a license and possession of a large capacity firearm, stemming from the Wednesday night incident near Devon and Laredo streets.
Opened fire with ghost gun, prosecutors say
According to prosecutors, Boston Police officers attempted to stop Carbuccia when he pulled out a gun and began shooting, striking a Boston police cruiser before fleeing the scene.
Investigators said Carbuccia ran through backyards and hopped fences before he was taken into custody. Officers did not fire their weapons during the encounter.
Prosecutors said investigators later recovered the firearm along the path where Carbuccia had been running.
“It was determined that the firearm was a ghost gun, and it did not possess a serial number,” Suffolk County prosecutor Jacqueline Martinelli said in court.
Union says “everyone should be outraged”
Larry Calderone, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, said the shooting is part of what he believes is a troubling trend of violence this summer and renewed his call for more officers on Boston streets.
“Everybody should be outraged. Bullets flying in the city’s streets at uniformed police officers. How can we possibly convince the general public that they’re safe to walk around their own neighborhoods?” Calderone said.
“We have teenagers pulling firearms and stealing mopeds from others in broad daylight. We have shots being fired at police officers in uniform, officers being attacked, people being shot daily that we can’t solve the crimes,” he added.
No one was injured in the shooting, but Calderone said the outcome could have been much worse.
“Thank goodness, neither officer or a pedestrian, an innocent child or somebody in the middle of the evening did not get killed last night. Just as thankful, at least they caught him. They recovered the weapon,” he said.
After the arraignment, Carbuccia’s attorney declined to discuss the case in detail but indicated mental health issues could become part of the proceedings.
“Ultimately as you guys know this is a process that has to play out and he’s presumed innocent and there’s going to be a number of things that are going to come out in respect to mental health and potentially the investigation, I don’t really have much more to say beyond that,” attorney Bob White told reporters.
According to prosecutors, Carbuccia had two open assault cases and an active warrant at the time of his arrest.
He’s being held in jail without bail and is scheduled to return to court later this month for a dangerousness hearing.
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