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Boston, MA
Despite Celtics loss, Jayson Tatum feels weight lifted after New York return
NEW YORK — Jayson Tatum was not looking forward to his first game back at Madison Square Garden since he ruptured his Achilles there last May.
He won’t remember the outcome fondly, either. The Celtics lost to the Knicks in a 112-106 nailbiter, missing out on a chance to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
But regardless of the result, Tatum viewed Thursday night’s matchup as another important step in his comeback journey.
“It was a big moment, big hurdle for me,” he said. “I was nervous and anxious to come back here. Obviously, I wanted to win and play great, but more importantly, I just kind of wanted to walk off the floor on my own two feet.”
Tatum did that, delivering an uneven but productive performance in his 16th game of the season.
The good: He played a season-high 40 minutes and tallied 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, narrowly missing what would have been his second triple-double in Boston’s last five games. The not-so-good: He shot the ball poorly (7-for-22; 2-for-10 from 3-point range), committed six turnovers and was a team-worst minus-16.
Despite the loss — just the Celtics’ third with Tatum in the lineup this season — he called the night a “huge” mental victory for him. He made the call earlier in the week to play in this game rather than Friday’s home matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, which would have delayed his emotional MSG return until a potential Celtics-Knicks rematch in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Tatum admitted he was “not thrilled” about the prospect of returning to MSG, but he wanted to “face the challenge head-on” and remove one of the final pieces of mental baggage he’d been carrying since his injury. The anxiety he felt when he arrived at the arena for morning shootaround lingered past tipoff before eventually dissipating.
“Today was important to me, especially when I made the decision to come back and then made the decision to play today,” Tatum said. “I’m glad I did. I feel a lot better. Even (with) the loss.”
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Tatum “looked good out there.”
“It looked comfortable,” Mazzulla said. “… Obviously a ton of emotions on a day like this, but once the game started, he kind of got in a game flow.”
Tatum now is likely to sit out against New Orleans, as he is not yet cleared to play on back-to-back nights. The Celtics can clinch the second seed by beating the Pelicans or the Orlando Magic in Sunday’s regular-season finale (both at TD Garden), or with a Knicks loss to the Toronto Raptors or Charlotte Hornets.
“I’m definitely checking off a lot of boxes,” Tatum said. “This was one of the last few. Obviously, playoffs coming up soon, but this is one of the ones that was at the top.”
Reserves Payton Pritchard (23 points, 10-for-20, six assists) and Baylor Scheierman (season-high 20 points, 7-for-8) starred in supporting roles for a Celtics team that was playing without top scorer Jaylen Brown. The Celtics got little offensive production from starters Derrick White and Sam Hauser, who scored a combined 14 points on 4-of-17 shooting in the loss.
The Celtics listed four-fifths of their starting lineup as questionable for Thursday’s game before upgrading White, Hauser and Neemias Queta to available. Brown was ruled out with Achilles tendonitis, the same ailment that sidelined him for wins over Atlanta and Charlotte late last month.
Jordan Walsh filled Brown’s spot, making his third start in the last seven games. Walsh sat through six consecutive DNP-CDs after Tatum’s return but recently reclaimed a spot in Mazzulla’s rotation. He spent much of the first half guarding Jalen Brunson, New York’s All-Star point guard, before getting in foul trouble and sitting for the final 20-plus minutes.
Knicks wing Mikal Bridges opened the game with a personal 7-0 run, but the Celtics responded by scoring 21 of the next 28 points. Tatum sparked that early rally with a steal and a fast-break layup, followed by a spinning and-one finish over Josh Hart and a drawn foul on another drive. He also lobbed an alley-oop to Queta, who added a putback off a missed Hauser 3-pointer and drew a foul on his second offensive rebound of the first quarter.
Pritchard scored 11 points over the final five minutes of the opening period. Brunson countered with eight points in the final 63 seconds — free throws after a Walsh foul and two triples — to cut Boston’s lead to 29-26.
The Knicks built a five-point lead early in the second by capitalizing on a series of Nikola Vucevic miscues. The Celtics’ backup center allowed two makes at the rim by his counterpart, Mitchell Robinson, fouled Robinson on a lob and committed a turnover that led to a fast-break layup by Jordan Clarkson.
The Celtics were outscored by nine points during Vucevic’s first shift off the bench, continuing a trend that’s persisted since his return from a fractured ring finger last weekend. The trade-deadline pickup was a minus-15 in the first half Sunday against Toronto and a minus-11 in the first quarter Tuesday against Charlotte.
Vucevic eventually scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and finished as plus-1 in 24 minutes. The Celtics view his often choppy minutes as necessary to get him reintegrated before the postseason.
“(They’re) very important,” Pritchard said. “He just came back from an injury, so he’s been out for a while. New team. So it’s an adjustment period, and we don’t have time to practice and play against each other, so this is kind of our practice time with him. He’s being thrown out there in these moments, but it’ll make us better and ready for the playoffs.”
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens recently said Vucevic will benefit more than any other Celtic from the team’s upcoming weeklong break, which will afford him valuable practice time before the playoffs begin. He’s been Mazzulla’s go-to big behind Queta since his finger healed, resulting in three straight healthy DNPs for Luka Garza.
As Boston entered halftime down 54-53, Tatum was one rebound shy of a double-double — plus four assists and a block on an OG Anunoby 3-pointer — but hadn’t made a field goal since his pair of early-game layups (2-for-11; 0-for-5 from three). Pritchard was the Celtics’ top scorer and shooter in the first half, scoring 15 points on 7-of-12. The rest of the team shot just 32.4% from the field.
Walsh picked up his fourth foul two seconds into the second half, then surrendered a Bridges 3-pointer. New York proceeded to hit four of those in quick succession, mounting an 18-6 run to stretch its lead to 72-59.
That’s when the Celtics finally found their stroke from beyond the arc. Six 3-pointers from five different players — including Vucevic’s first two 3-point makes since March 4 — erased New York’s cushion and put Boston up 78-76.
Pritchard and Scheierman — who subbed in for Walsh at the 9:23 mark of the third and played the rest of the way — each hit two threes in the quarter, and the Celtics took an 83-81 lead into the fourth.
“It was a fun experience, obviously,” said Scheierman, a second-year pro who’s looking to cement his spot in Mazzulla’s playoff rotation. “I wish we could’ve won at the end of the day, (but) obviously, it was a lot of fun to do that.”
Tatum sat for the first 2:15 of the final quarter before checking back in and burying a 3-pointer moments later. He then converted an and-one fadeaway over Robinson that made it 92-85, only for New York to reply with a 7-0 run. Hart’s transition layup off a Tatum turnover tied it at 92-92 with 6:21 remaining.
Boston scored on five of its next seven possessions — including two more 3-pointers by the red-hot Scheierman, who went 6-for-7 from deep — but could not manufacture enough stops at the other end. Consecutive threes by Hart in the final minute iced the game for New York.
Hart finished with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting to lead all scorers, with Brunson adding 25 and 10 assists.
“We’re just taking it a game at a time, “Pritchard said. “Obviously, we wanted this one. Didn’t get it. We’re looking forward to tomorrow and trying to get that win. Once that game’s over, we’ll look forward to the next.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, kicking off June 11, is expected to draw large crowds to Massachusetts, with matches scheduled at Boston Stadium (aka Gillette Stadium) across six different dates.
But it’s not the only major event happening across the Greater Boston area this summer, as the World Cup also overlaps with plenty of exciting local celebrations.
Whether you live in Massachusetts or are visiting for the World Cup, take a look at these events that promise an unforgettable experience:
GroundBeat Concert Series
The Esplanade along the Charles River will host a series of free waterfront concerts celebrating Boston’s vibrant music scene. All performances take place at the iconic DCR Hatch Memorial Shell at 47 David G. Mugar Way, and each event features live music, vendors, outdoor games and activities for the whole family—plus beautiful views of the Charles River. The concerts announced so far will be held Sunday, May 31; Wednesday, June 3; Wednesday, June 10; and Wednesday, June 17. For the full schedule and to register to attend, click here.
Boston FIFA Fan Fest
From June 12-27, the city will host the fan festival at City Hall. The daily event is free for all ages, with games, music, live entertainment, local vendors, and broadcasts of multiple World Cup matches. Attendees must register in advance, since only 5,000 fans will be allowed in due to security screening.
Guinness Record for the World’s Biggest Soccer Ball
On June 13, Massport will attempt to break the Guinness record for the biggest soccer ball in the world in East Boston. The free community event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at Piers Park II. The day will include family activities, games, and live entertainment, though World Cup matches will not be shown. The installation will be open to the public from June 12-18.
Boston Dragon Boat Festival
The 2026 Boston Dragon Boat Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14. This event welcomes more than 70 teams and over 60,000 attendees and athletes. The festival day includes arts and crafts activities, performances, food vendors, and racing competitions.
Bunker Hill Parade
The Bunker Hill Parade commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill, the armed forces, and the spirit of American heritage, while celebrating Boston’s historic Charlestown neighborhood. The event will take place on June 14 at 12:30 p.m., and the march runs from Vine Street to Bunker Hill Street, then to Main Street, to Monument Avenue, to Monument Square, to Winthrop Street and ending at Common Street. Considered one of the longest-running parades in the United States, it’s a wonderful chance—if you’re visiting during the World Cup—to experience authentic Boston.
Boston Asian Food Festival
This food festival is scheduled for June 20-21 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Rose Kennedy Greenway on Atlantic Ave. The festival features delicious food, fun games, live performances, live music, and a DJ keeping the energy up all day long. More information here.
Boston Harborfest
From July 2-4, this festival will offer hundreds of activities during Independence Day week at the city’s most iconic historic landmarks. This family-friendly event is Boston’s Official Fourth of July Celebration. Boston Harborfest activities include the annual opening ceremony in Downtown Crossing, historical reenactments, live music, fireworks, and much more!
Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular
The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular returns to the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade for its 52nd edition on Saturday, July 4, from 7-9:30 p.m. The Pops concert will feature three very special guest artists: Grammy-winning country superstar Lainey Wilson, three-time Grammy winner Chance the Rapper, and Grammy-winning NOLA icon Trombone Shorty. The event will conclude with a stunning fireworks show that will light up the Charles River, synchronized to music performed by the Boston Pops starting at 9:15 p.m.
Sail Boston
Boston is an official port of Sail250, a global gathering of tall ships and military vessels celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The Tall Ships return to Boston Harbor from July 11-16. This spectacular event offers crews, cadets, and visitors from around the world an unforgettable experience and a first-class maritime celebration. Come see why Tall Ships America named Boston its Port of the Year in 2009 and 2017.
The Boston City Council deadlocked on a call to reject Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposed $4.9 billion budget, killing a bid from some councilors to put pressure on Wu to increase spending in a way that would prevent painful cuts.
Councilor Brian Worrell, the Ways and Means chair last term, called for the Council to reject the mayor’s budget on Wednesday — going against the recommendation of Councilor Ben Weber, the Ways and Means chair this term, who sought to keep the budget in committee for further discussion.
“For me, this is about whether the Council will use all the tools that we have before us to fight for what we’ve heard over the course of a month and a half,” Worrell said. “Residents have been clear they do not want fewer youth jobs, less housing support, or cuts to food justice, arts and culture, veteran services, age strong or the complete defunding of human rights.
“While services are being cut, homeowners are still facing double-digit property tax increases. People are being asked to pay more and get less, and that is a hard message to defend,” Worrell added. “The public came here asking us to use our power today. Using our power means sending this budget back and asking for a stronger one.”
Worrell’s call came after Mayor Wu issued a rebuke to councilors considering voting down her budget last Thursday, saying she would not increase spending and that requests for her to do so were “fiscally irresponsible.”
Weber, an ally of the mayor, cited the mayor’s comments when speaking against the effort to reject the budget, saying that the Council risks having Wu come back with a reduced spending plan due to lower state aid projections than initially anticipated, and losing its ability to amend the mayor’s budget.
The Council has the authority to amend, but not increase the overall budget, by moving money around between or within departments. Weber said the Council should stick to the amendment process, rather than look to “artificially inflate” revenue or spend from the city’s $1.7 billion reserve fund.
“The mayor’s made it clear that she will just resubmit the budget or a smaller one because state aid is less than expected,” Weber said. “Unlike under Menino or Flynn or White, the mayor doesn’t need our support. It is our job, if we have a problem with the budget, to amend it and override her vetoes if we have nine votes.
“So, a rejection now would be a gesture, just one with potentially serious consequences, and the hard work will still remain for us to do one week from now,” Weber said. “I deeply respect the advocates who have helped come up with these ideas, and I share the same goal — restore as much of the grant funding as possible — but I don’t want that to come at the expense of our financial future.”
Worrell argued that rejecting the budget early on would still allow the Council to go through the amendment process, given that the body has until June 10 to submit its amendment package to the mayor for consideration.
“We don’t lose anything by rejecting this budget,” Worrell said. “I don’t know what the mayor will do, but there’s an opportunity for all of us working together to make this budget better, and the only way that the mayor can help out in that process is if we send it back.”
Ultimately, Worrell’s call for a vote to reject the budget failed, as he needed a two-thirds majority, or nine votes, to allow the matter to be taken up.
The Council deadlocked, 6-6, to allow Worrell’s motion to reject the budget to come to a vote, in a split that’s become common this term, between Wu’s council allies and others who are either critics of the mayor or aren’t necessarily Wu allies.
Lining up behind Worrell were Councilors Miniard Culpepper, John FitzGerald, Ed Flynn, Julia Mejia, and Erin Murphy. Backing Weber were Council President Liz Breadon and Councilors Sharon Durkan, Ruthzee Louijeune, Enrique Pepén, and Henry Santana. Gabriela Coletta Zapata was absent.
The vote to block the matter from official consideration came after more than an hour of debate.
All councilors, depending on where they stood on the vote, expressed concern about the cuts that have been proposed in the mayor’s budget, which Worrell cited when urging his colleagues to vote it down.
“No one has got up and said this is a good budget, but we can’t get to nine to reject what everyone has said,” Worrell said.
Durkan said her vote was about “fiscal responsibility.”
“I can see places for cuts, and I can see places for restoration,” Durkan said.
FitzGerald, on the other hand, said his vote was about looking out for the financial future of the city.
“The City of Boston is on shaky financial ground, and the projections that we see … show even less and less growth and even less and less revenue,” FitzGerald said. “It is our duty to apply pressure to the administration when we see that the City of Boston is trending in the wrong direction.
“I’m taking a long-term view here and saying that if we don’t put the pressure to change the underlying things, we will continue to deal with this,” Fitzgerald added. “The amendment process is only going to get harder in years to come, because every department is going to be on life support and pulling from one might actually kill it, and that’s what this body is tasked to do.”
Weber said the Council should find a way to make the mayor’s budget work, with the funding that’s already been proposed.
“We all have tough choices to make,” Weber said. “If the mayor on her own was trying to increase revenues artificially and spend down the reserves, I hope we would do everything we could to stop her from doing that. Just asking her to do that is not what I want to see in our city.
“We have $4.9 billion,” Weber said. “Let’s use it to provide the benefits our residents are asking for.”
Local News
Healthcare, life sciences, and finance companies dominated this year’s list.
LinkedIn has released its 2026 top companies list for Boston, highlighting the employers it says offer workers the strongest opportunities for career growth in the region.
The annual ranking, based entirely on LinkedIn data, evaluates companies on factors tied to career advancement, including skill development and promotion. To qualify, companies needed at least 250 global employees with at least 100 located in the city as of Dec. 31, 2025.
Healthcare, life sciences, and finance companies dominated this year’s list, underscoring the industries that continue to shape Greater Boston’s economy.
CVS Health claimed the top spot on the ranking, followed by Mass General Brigham and Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
Financial firms Fidelity Investments and State Street also landed in the top 10, alongside healthcare and research institutions including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
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Fidelity reorganizes its workplace with new hires — and a few cuts
LinkedIn said the rankings reflect Boston’s status as a major hub for biotech and healthcare innovation.
“The list is more than a ranking — it’s a snapshot of the world of work in Boston right now,” LinkedIn wrote in the report.
The company said its methodology measures workplace growth using data on employee advancement, skill growth, external opportunities, and company stability. Unlike LinkedIn’s national Top Companies ranking, the Boston list focuses specifically on activity within the local metro area.
Several companies on the list stood out for specialized skills in growing industries.
At Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the most notable employee skills included pharmaceutical manufacturing, pathology, and nanotechnology, while Liberty Mutual Insurance highlighted expertise in artificial intelligence engineering and software development.
Amazon, which rounded out the list at No. 10, was recognized for skills tied to AI engineering, mobile application development, and linguistics.
The report also identified some of the most common jobs at each company. Research roles were among the most common positions at Mass General Brigham, while software engineer positions appeared frequently at Fidelity Investments, Liberty Mutual, and Amazon.
Here are LinkedIn’s top 10 companies in Boston for 2026:
- CVS Health
- Mass General Brigham
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals
- Fidelity Investments
- Sanofi
- The TJX Companies
- Liberty Mutual Insurance
- State Street
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Amazon
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