Boston, MA
San Antonio Spurs (7-32) at Boston Celtics (31-9) Game #41 1/17/24
The Celtics are back at home to take on the San Antonio Spurs after a short handed win in Toronto. This is the second and final game between these two teams this season. The Celtics beat the Spurs 134-101 on New Year’s Eve in San Antonio. The Celtics won the series last season 2-0, winning in Boston by 44 points. The Celtics are 46-56 overall all time against the Spurs and they are 23-28 in games played in Boston.
The Celtics remain first in the East. They are three games ahead of second-place Milwaukee, four and a half games ahead of third-place Philadelphia (who beat Denver on Tuesday), and seven games ahead of fourth-place Cleveland and fifth-place Miami. They are eight games ahead of sixth-place Indiana. They are 19-0 at home and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are 8-3 against Western Conference opponents. They have won their last two games.
The San Antonio Spurs are 15th and in last place in the West. They are three games behind 14th-place Portland. They are eight and a half games behind 13th-place Memphis. They are 12 games behind the 10th place Los Angeles Lakers for the final play-in spot. They are 4-16 on the road and 3-7 in their last 10 games. They are 2-13 against Eastern Conference teams. They have lost their last two games.
The Celtics have been alternating home and road games for the past few games. They played at Indiana, then Minnesota at home, then at Milwaukee and Houston at home and finally at Toronto for their last game. They are once again at home to face the Spurs. They will play Denver at home on Friday before heading out on a three-game road trip through Houston, Dallas and Miami. Following that, they have a seven-game home stand.
The Spurs are playing in the second game of a five-game road trip. They played at Atlanta on Monday and lost that game 109-99. After this game at Boston, they will play Charlotte, Washington and Philadelphia to complete the five-game road trip. They will then return home for a seven-game home stand.
The Celtics may be short handed against the Spurs. Derrick White is questionable with a sprained ankle. He came up limping in Monday’s game against the Raptors but was able to finish the game. Kristaps Porzingis is questionable due to right knee inflammation. Jrue Holiday is questionable for this game due to a right elbow sprain. He suffered the elbow sprain at the end of December but has continued to play through the issue, missing just one game. I’m just going to post the regular starting five because these players may or may not play and if they don’t, I’m not sure who will start.
For the Spurs, Sidy Cissoko is listed as out due to a left ankle sprain. He has already missed five games with the injury. Zach Collins is also out with a sprained right ankle. He has been out since Dec. 31 and has yet to return to practice. Charles Bassey is out for the remainder of the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee. Victor Wembanyama was originally listed as questionable but is no longer on the report at this time.
Probable Celtics Starters
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Kristaps Porzingis
Celtics Reserves
Dalano Banton
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Lamar Stevens
Jordan Walsh
Luke Kornet
Al Horford
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Neemias Queta
Injuries/Out
None
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
PG: Tre Jones
SG: Devin Vassell
SF: Julian Champagnie
PF: Jeremy Sochan
C: Victor Wembanyama
Spurs Reserves
Malaki Branham
Sidy Cissoko
Devonte Graham
Keldon Johnson
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Doug McDermott
Cedi Osman
Blake Wesley
Two Way Players
Dominick Barlow
David Duke, Jr
Injuries/Out
Zach Collins (ankle) out
Charles Bassey (knee) out
Sidy Cissoko (ankle) out
Head Coach
Gregg Popovich
Key Matchups
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Kristaps Porzingis
Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
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Victor Wembanyama
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Kristaps Porzingis vs Victor Wembanyama
Assuming that Porzingis will play, this should be a fun matchup. Wembanyama is 7’4” while Porzingis is 7’2”. Wembanyama is averaging 19.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists 1.1 steals and 3.2 blocks. He is shooting 45.9% from the field and 29.2% from beyond the arc. In the first game against Boston, Wemby finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block. He shot 50% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to be especially aware of Wemby when they are going to the basket as he is a threat to block shots every time. They also need to keep him out of the paint and off the glass.
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Derrick White
Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
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Devin Vassell
Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Derrick White vs Devin Vassell
Vassell is averaging 17.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is shooting 45.4% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals. He shot 60% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Celtics have to do a better job of defending him in this game.
Honorable Mention
Sam Hauser vs Keldon Johnson
Johnson comes off the bench for the Spurs and is averaging 17.2 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. He is shooting 44.6% from the field and 34.6% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need Hauser and the Celtics reserves to step up to match Johnson’s impact on the game. He didn’t play against the Celtics in the first game in San Antonio.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense will always be the most important key to winning games. The Celtics are second with a defensive rating of 110.6 while the Spurs are 24th with a defensive rating of 117.5. The Celtics have to especially defend in the paint since the Spurs average 49.6 points in the paint per game. The Celtics need to make defense a priority and play tough team defense in every game and not let up.
Rebound – The Celtics can’t score if they don’t have the ball, and they will struggle if they give up second chance points to the Spurs. The Celtics are averaging 47.4 rebounds per game (first) while the Spurs are averaging 43.2 rebounds per game (21st). Rebounding takes effort and when the Celtics put forth the extra effort on the boards, that tends to spread to other areas of the game as well.
Be Aggressive – The Celtics need to play hard and be the more aggressive team. They have to go after rebounds, loose balls, and 50/50 balls. They have to be aggressive on defense and in getting to the basket. They have to be the team that works harder and wants to win more. Even the last team in the standings can beat the #1 team if they play harder and are more aggressive.
Play the Right Way – The Celtics need to move the ball to find the best shot. When they play hero ball and don’t keep the ball moving, the Celtics struggle. But, when they keep the ball moving and move without the ball, they are very tough to beat. They need to focus on playing defense and having each others backs. They need to crash the boards and box out. They need to focus on taking and making good shots. If the 3’s aren’t falling, take the ball to the basket. Play with focus and with energy.
X-Factors
Home Game and Don’t Underestimate – The Spurs are playing in their second straight road game and have three more to go. The Spurs will likely be feeling some fatigue from travel and being on the road and from staying in hotels and playing in front of hostile crowds. The Celtics need to take advantage of having the crowd behind them and from playing in the friendly confines of the TD Garden. The Celtics can’t underestimate the Spurs based on their 33-point win in San Antonio and the Spurs record. If a team underestimates an opponent, even the worst team in the league, there’s always a chance it can come back to bite them.
Injuries – The Celtics have three players listed as questionable on the injury report. Their status will be a game time decision. It goes without saying that this game will be a lot tougher without Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Kristaps Porzingis. If one or more of those starters are out, it will be up to the remaining players to pick up their games and to play harder. Hopefully at least one or two of them will be able to play.
Officiating – Officiating is always an X-Factor. Every crew officiates differently and teams need to adjust to the way the game is called. Will they call the game evenly or favor the home team? Will they call it tight or let them play? It seems that the officiating has been particularly poor this season so far. Hopefully we get fair officiating and they let them play and the Celtics focus on playing and not on the officiating.
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Boston, MA
Practice Report: Bruins Have Last Skate in Boston Before Leaving for Buffalo | Boston Bruins
“It is a division team, we’ve played them enough to know kind of what they’re about. They’ve had a great season. They’re a high rush team, a lot of speed and a lot of skill. It is going to be a fun matchup,” Lindholm said. “It is a fun challenge for us, coming in a little bit as an underdog and prove people wrong.”
Lindholm has also been quarterbacking the second power-play unit, which is primed to feature James Hagens. The 19-year-old forward signed his entry-level contract on April 8 and played in the final two games of the regular season. The B’s, however, did not get on the man advantage in either game, so Sturm has yet to see Hagens on the power play outside of practice. The coach thinks it is one of Hagens’ best assets, though.
“He doesn’t have to play or make special plays. He has some really good players on that unit. As long as he’s going to play fast and keep it simple – I think that is something that might be different from college and NHL,” Sturm said. “I think it will be fine because Buffalo, they will come, they pressure hard. So you don’t want to be surprised. You want to be quick, you want to be fast. That’s something that has to be in his mind.”
Hagens has been skating on the third line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov, and that stayed the same in Saturday’s practice. The three youngsters will all be playing in their first NHL postseason.
“Every night you have to give it your all. You have to give everything you possibly have. This is playoff hockey – you want to win every single game like always. Nothing changes, but there are a lot higher stakes,” Hagens said. “This is something you dream of. Something you grow up watching and praying that you could be in the moment one day and be playing in. Now that it’s reality, it’s something that is really surreal.”
After having a whirlwind start to his pro career, it has been helpful for Hagens to get full practices in with the group.
“It’s been great to be able to be out there, practice with these guys. Not only to learn the systems but to be able to talk to teammates, get feedback from coaches,” Hagens said. “Just the repetition, being able to do reps, try to learn day by day.”
The energy is palpable for Boston, but the team knows the work has just begun.
“Everyone is equal in this room. We’re a tight-knit group here, we’re all good buddies…Just go out there and play with that joy that we have in the locker room,” Lindholm said. “It is a really serious time of year, but I think within this room here, just go out there and enjoy, too. Play for each other – I think that’s how you win this time of year.”
Hao-Yu Lee called up by Detroit Tigers after Zach McKinstry hits IL
Tigers call up infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee as Zach McKinstry hits 10-day IL; Lee starts at Fenway, strong vs. lefties.
Boston — Can’t lose at home. Can’t win on the road.
The Tigers are establishing a very unhealthy pattern early this season. Coming off six straight wins at Comerica Park, they rode an eight-game road losing streak into Fenway Park Friday night.
Make it nine straight road losses.
Scoreless through regulation, the Boston Red Sox scratched across a run in the bottom of the 10th inning to take the opener of a four-game series, 1-0.
“We don’t look at it like that,” said catcher Dillon Dingler of the home-road contrast. “We played a tough game tonight. Just not a ton of hitting. I left three guys out there myself.”
Dingler nearly ended the game-winning threat before it started. With speedy Jarren Duran at second as the free runner, reliever Will Vest threw a pitch in the dirt. Duran got a good break off second but Dingler pounced on the ball and threw a seed to third base.
It would have been a bang-bang play, but third baseman Hao-Yu Lee, in his big-league debut, was unable to catch the throw.
“I don’t know how that play would’ve gone,” manager AJ Hinch said.
Vest struck out Ceddanne Rafaela, then with one out, Hinch brought Javier Báez in from center field, using a five-infielder, two-outfielder alignment against Red Sox lefty-swinging pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida.
“Our backs were against the wall,” he said. “We were hoping he hits it at somebody. He ended up chopping it over the infield.”
Yoshida’s high-bouncer went over the infielders’ heads and ended the game, leaving the Tigers to rue their two missed chances late in the game.
BOX SCORE: Red Sox 1, Tigers 0 (10)
The Tigers put runners at second and third against Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the top of the ninth. Jahmai Jones ripped a double into the left-field corner, sending rookie Kevin McGonigle (safe on a fielder’s choice) to third.
But Champman punched out Dingler with back-to-back heaters — 100 mph and 101 mph.
They stranded the free runner in the top of the 10th against right-handed reliever Garrett Whitlock, too. With Dingler at third and one out, Wenceel Perez struck out and Spencer Torkelson grounded out to short.
Hinch had left-handed hitters Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith available on the bench.
“Obviously we were looking for contact (from Perez),” he said. “Generally, Whitlock is going to keep the ball down. (Perez) just chased at the end.”
But, as Hinch said, there was a lot more going on than just the 10th inning.
“I mean, a zero-zero game at Fenway in the 10th inning?” Hinch said. “That’s a game that’s very rare around here.”
Credit starting pitchers Casey Mize and Red Sox lefty Ranger Suarez for that. They put on a show, impressively trading outs in their own unique style.
The Tigers got two singles off Suarez in the first inning and then nothing over the next seven.
Mize, with a four-seam fastball that was hitting 96 mph that greatly enhanced the effectiveness of his splitter and slider, allowed three hits through 6.2 innings.
“Casey was incredible,” Hinch said. “I told him afterward, that was the best combination of stuff, execution and the way his body was moving. He was excellent. Unfortunately, so was their guy.”
Said Dingler: “Robin (Lund, assistant pitching coach) said Casey’s slider strike percentage was 93 percent. He was dominating that outer rail with all three of his pitches. It was fun to catch. He made my job easier.”
The third hit, a two-out infield single in the seventh, ended Mize’s night. But he was brilliant. He struck out seven with one walk. He got 14 whiffs on 42 swings and 16 called strikes.
“We had a good game plan,” said Mize, who dominated a lot of the same Red Sox hitters last September at Fenway. “I was able to execute at a pretty high clip tonight. I felt like I was moving well and the ball was coming out well. When you execute, more times than not you are going to have nights like this.”
Suarez, meanwhile, was mixing changeups, curveballs and cutters off his 91-mph sinker and getting the Tigers’ hitters to beat the ball in the ground. Nine ground ball outs and nothing but weak contact.
“There’s a reason he signed a deal with these guys,” said Mize of Suarez’s five-year, $130 million deal with the Red Sox. “He’s a really good pitcher and it made it tough on our team and on myself, knowing I was going to have to match him zero for zero.”
McGonigle singled with one out in the first and Jones followed, belting a line drive off the Green Monster in right field. McGonigle breezed into third but center fielder Rafaela played the carom expertly and threw out Jones at second base.
“Once he settled in, he was in and around the zone just enough,” Hinch said. “The ball never moved the same way twice. He’s tough.”
The Tigers’ only runner after the first against Suarez was Dingler, who drew a two-out walk in the fourth.
Suarez set down 13 straight hitters after that through the eighth.
Dingler, besides calling a smart pitch-mix for Mize, helped out with two defensive plays befitting a Gold Glove catcher. He ended the second inning by pouncing on a topper in front of the plate to retire Rafaela. Dingler ran through Rafaela to get the ball, knocking him out of the base path.
He took Rafaela off the bases again in the fifth. This time, he threw him out at second trying to steal second base. The throw was perfect, an 87-mph dart that popped into the glove of shortstop McGonigle in 1.85 seconds.
“Ding is such an influence behind the plate,” Hinch said. “It starts with the game-calling. And he threw it well tonight. We know they’re going to be aggressive. They have a ton of athleticism and speed. And Ding is a big weapon for us to stop it.”
Friday was the big-league debut for Tigers’ infielder Hao-Yu Lee. He went hitless in three at-bats against Suarez, though he did drive a ball to track in right-center field the Rafaela ran down in the fifth.
Playing third base, he ended seventh inning fielding a ground ball behind the bag at third and throwing across the diamond to retire Rafaela and stranding a runner at second. First baseman Spencer Torkelson made an outstanding scoop on Lee’s low throw.
Lee’s throwing error in the bottom of the ninth extended the inning but caused no damage.
“It’s a big stage,” Hinch said. “I think he handled himself well.”
For Mize, it was his third start this season where he allowed one run or less. The Tigers are 1-2 in those three starts.
“Yeah, you know, I feel good,” he said. “I feel fine. But we’ve got to translate them into wins. That’s what I care about the most.”
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
Dare we say this could be one of the deepest women’s pro fields we’ve seen assembled for the Boston Marathon? The 130th edition of the race from Hopkinton to Boylston Street gets underway on Monday, and a slew of the top racers in women’s road running currently will look to finish atop the podium at one of the toughest of the World Marathon Majors.
Defending champion and course record holder (2:17:22) Sharon Lokedi returns as one of the favorites to win yet another Boston Marathon title, and she enters coming off a notable 2025 marathon campaign that featured wins in both Boston and New York. Among some of her top challengers are fellow Kenyan Irine Cheptai, who took fourth in Boston last year, and Ethiopia’s Workenesh Edesa, who dipped under the 2:18 mark to win the 2025 Hamburg Marathon.
But perhaps the biggest storyline to follow on Patriots’ Day? The competition among the U.S. contingent. With American record holder Emily Sisson running the Boston Marathon for the first time in her career, as well as 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials winner Fiona O’Keeffe, Paris Olympian Dakota Popehn, 2025 Boston Marathon top U.S. finisher Jess McClain, and plenty of other notable names all toeing the line together, expect an entertaining battle to play out on race day.
Content hype editor Ashley Tysiac breaks down what you can expect from the women’s race on Monday. You can continue to stay in-the-know on all things Boston with our watch guide, and you can follow along with Runner’s World’s coverage of the 2026 Boston Marathon by exploring our full collection of stories. You can also dive into our preview of the men’s race here.
Ashley is Editor of Content Hype at Hearst’s Enthusiast & Wellness Group. She is a former collegiate runner at UNC Asheville where she studied mass communication. Ashley loves all things running; she has raced two marathons, plus has covered some of the sport’s top events in her career, including the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials and multiple World Marathon Majors.
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