A Friday night matchup with the Jazz ended in the Celtics’ seventh loss of the season. 33 points from Kyrie Irving went for nought as a balanced Jazz attack lead by Ricky Rubio with 22 prevailed as the Jazz won 107-95.
Game two of the back-to-back proved to be a 102-93 win for the Celtics, lead by 20 points from Irving. Marc Gasol had 30 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
A thrilling game against the Indiana Pacers ended in a game-winning steal and dunk by Terry Rozier, and the Celtics won 112-111. The Celts were led by Irving with 30 points, while Victor Oladipo had 38 for Indiana.
On Wednesday night, the Heat again proved to be problematic for Boston, as they beat the Celtics 90-89. Irving again had the highest tally for the Celtics with 33 points, while Kelly Olynyk poured in 32 for the Heat in his return to Boston
Olynyk honored in return to Boston
Kelly Olynyk was honored by the Celtics during last night’s game, as he was named the “Hero Among Us” for the game against the Heat. The forward played four years with the Celtics before departing for Miami this offseason, and Olynyk was recognized for his contributions to the Boston community in his return.
“It was just fun, you know; fun to get out there with the kids, especially,” Olynyk said to reporter’s after the team’s Wednesday shootaround. “This community does a lot for this team. When I first got here, [the Celtics] weren’t very good at all, but [the community] supports you. No matter what you do, no matter what your record is, they’re going to be behind you, and I wanted to be behind them the same way that they were behind us.”
Kristaps Porzingis eyes return against Celtics
Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis has missed the past six games due to a knee injury, but he is hoping to return for the team’s matchup with the Celtics on Thursday. The Knicks are officially listing him as “Questionable”, but Porzingis is more optimistic.
“I went through the whole practice,” Porzingis said. “They were trying to take me out. I wanted to stay in. I felt great. The knee felt stable. I don’t see why I would not play.”
The Celtics should be at full strength for the matchup.
Next 7 days at a glance
Thursday, Dec. 21 at 8:00 pm @ New York Knicks
Saturday, Dec. 23 at 7:30 pm vs Chicago Bulls
Monday, Dec. 25 at 5:30 pm vs Washington Wizards
Wednesday, Dec. 27 at 7:00 pm @ New Orleans Hornets
