Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

While the Celtics continue to improve as the season goes on, Minott believes there's one area in the NBA that hasn't been improving, officiating. "I could list them off, there's a lot," Minott told reporters before Thursday's game, referring to missed calls by referees on him this season. "I could make you a mixtape of all the times."

The 7-foot-1 inch center swatted a layup attempt from Orlando's Moe Wagner as time expired Wednesday, allowing the Spurs to hang onto a 114-112 road victory. Kornet pointed one hand to the crowd and held the other back as if he were shooting an arrow. Hugs and pats on the back from his San Antonio teammates followed. He beamed with pride after making the clutch play.

This trend continued into the regular season, with Boston being out-rebounded by a combined 31 boards during their first three games, on their way to an 0-3 start. However, after 15 games, it seems like Mazzulla has found his "five guys that rebound," and then some. Although they still can't be described as an elite rebounding team, the Celtics have gradually been improving. They now average 45 boards a night, which ranks 12th in the league.

Payton Pritchard hit five 3-pointers, scored 24 points and had nine assists and the Boston Celtics used a big second half to run past the Memphis Grizzlies 131-95 on Wednesday night. The Grizzlies played without Ja Morant, the star guard who sat out because of a right ankle injury sustained Tuesday night in a loss at New York. Derrick White added 20 points for the Celtics, and Jaylen Brown had 19.

The Celtics were a combination of unlucky and inattentive in the final minutes, which is not a good combination for a team that can no longer get by on talent alone. First, some unlucky: With 2:20 remaining, Sixers rookie V.J. Edgecombe fired up a 3-pointer that bounded high off the back rim and seemed to scrape the rafters before falling back through, which gave Philadelphia a crucial two-possession advantage at 100-96.

Boston drafted Scheierman with the 30th overall pick in 2024 out of Creighton, where he averaged 18.5 points per game as a senior on his way to being named a third-team All-American. But Scheierman has only played a small role for the Celtics so far, averaging 8.5 minutes per game and scoring just three points this season. However, he has shown potential for how he can impact this team for the better with his passing and hustle in Summer League.

Jaylen Brown admitted that he isn't fully up to date on the details in the illegal gambling scandal that led to the arrests of three NBA figures, but he isn't a fan of the betting culture that's made its way into sports. The Celtics star called for more player support from the NBA on sports gambling, believing players have been made vulnerable to social media attacks due to wagers placed on them.