JAYSON TATUM

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 and the Boston Celtics spoiled Joel Embiid’s MVP coronation, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 114-102 Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 points and the Boston Celtics rolled past the Philadelphia 76ers 121-87, spoiling the return of reigning league MVP Joel Embiid.

James Harden matched his playoff career high with 45 points and hit a go-ahead, step-back 3-pointer over Al Horford with 8.7 seconds left as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied without Joel Embiid to beat the Boston Celtics 119-115 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal.

Al Horford hit a huge 3-pointer against his former team and the Boston Celtics broke open a tight game in the closing minutes to beat the Atlanta Hawks 128-120.

Trae Young had 38 points and drained a go-ahead 3-pointer from beyond the top of the key with 2.8 seconds left to help the Atlanta Hawks cap a late comeback and beat the Boston Celtics 119-117.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum each scored 31 points and the Boston Celtics led nearly the entire way, holding off the Atlanta Hawks for a 129-121 victory and a commanding 3-1 lead in the opening-round playoff series.

Trae Young scored 32 points in his best game of the playoffs and the Atlanta Hawks gave themselves a glimmer of hope, beating the Boston Celtics 130-122 to close the gap to 2-1 in their opening-round series.

Jayson Tatum had 29 points and an emphatic dunk to end a clinching late run and the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 119-106 on Tuesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.

Jaylen Brown scored 29 points and had 12 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics capitalized on a woeful shooting performance by the Atlanta Hawks to hold on for 112-99 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round matchup.

Scoring was up in the NBA this season, to a level not seen in more than a half-century.

Joel Embiid strengthened his MVP bid with 52 points, 13 rebounds, and the NBA scoring leader carried the Philadelphia 76ers to a 103-101 win over the Boston Celtics.

Jayson Tatum scored 40 points, Jaylen Brown added 30 and the Boston Celtics steamrolled the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks 140-99.

Mikal Bridges scored 38 points and the Brooklyn Nets overcame a 28-point deficit to stun the Boston Celtics 115-105 on Friday night.

Jayson Tatum made the winning 3-pointer for Boston with 1.3 seconds left to lead the Boston Celtics to a 110-107 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Best record in the NBA.

Jayson Tatum put on a record-setting show, and made Giannis Antetokounmpo look like a genius.

Jrue Holiday scored a season-high 40 points and made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 25.2 seconds left in overtime as the Milwaukee Bucks edged the short-handed Boston Celtics 131-125 on Tuesday for their 11th consecutive victory.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is teaming up with his brothers once again on All-Star Saturday.

Derrick White scored 23 points to help a shorthanded Boston team hold off Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies 119-109.

Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown has a broken bone in his face.

Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and had nine rebounds and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 139-96 win over the short-handed Brooklyn Nets.

Brace yourself.

The National Basketball Referees Association said Sunday that LeBron James was fouled on the last play of regulation in the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Boston Celtics.

Jaylen Brown scored 37 points, completing a tying three-point play with 4.1 seconds left in regulation and adding 11 more in overtime as the NBA-leading Boston Celtics snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the archrival Los Angeles Lakers 125-121 on Saturday night.

LeBron James is closing in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA career scoring record.

Jayson Tatum scored 34 points with a career-high 19 rebounds to help the Celtics pull away from Golden State in an NBA Finals rematch and beat the Warriors 121-118.

Jayson Tatum had 51 points including seven 3-pointers, and the Boston Celtics defeated the Charlotte Hornets for the second time in three days, 130-118.

Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 41 points and had 12 rebounds and the Boston Celtics won their fourth straight game, holding off the New Orleans Pelicans 125-114 on Wednesday night.

Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, and the hot-shooting Denver Nuggets beat the Boston Celtics 123-111 in a matchup of NBA conference leaders that was delayed about 35 minutes because a powerful dunk bent one of the rims.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 33 points and the Indiana Pacers opened a 30-point lead in the first half before holding off the slumping Boston Celtics 117-112 on Wednesday night.

Paolo Banchero scored 31 points and Admiral Schofield had 11 of his 13 in the fourth quarter to help the Orlando Magic sweep consecutive games in Boston with a 95-92 victory on Sunday.

Jayson Tatum scored 44 points, Jaylen Brown added 25 and the Boston Celtics blew a 20-point lead in the second half before rallying from a late 13-point deficit for a thrilling 122-118 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Paul George scored 26 points, Kawhi Leonard had season highs of 25 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the NBA-leading Boston Celtics 113-93.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 25 points, Malcolm Brogdon added 16 off the bench and the Boston Celtics embarrassed the sloppy Phoenix Suns 125-98 on Wednesday night.

DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points, Zach LaVine added 22 and the Chicago Bulls stopped Boston’s nine-game win streak, beating the Celtics 121-107.

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points to lead a balanced Boston attack and the East-leading Celtics stretched their winning streak to eight with a 126-101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

Jayson Tatum had 31 points and five assists, and the Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons 128-112 on Wednesday night to earn their fourth straight victory.

Darius Garland scored 29 points in his return after missing five games with an ugly eye injury and Donovan Mitchell added 25, leading Cleveland to a 114-113 overtime win over Boston.

Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, Jaylen Brown added 28 and the Boston Celtics topped the Miami Heat 111-104 on Friday night in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference finals.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 35 points and the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 126-117 in the opening game of the NBA regular season.

A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that veteran big man Blake Griffin has agreed to a contract with the Boston Celtics.

Albert Pujols hit his 695th career home run in the eighth inning and Miles Mikolas tossed eight scoreless innings to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0.

The Celtics made an NBA Finals run nobody saw coming, going from a team that was three games under.

When Jayson Tatum made consecutive baskets to cap a game-opening Boston blitz, TD Garden was at its absolute loudest.

The Golden State Warriors are NBA champions once again, topping the Boston Celtics 103-90 for their fourth title in the last eight seasons.

Andrew Wiggins’ critics always focused on what they thought he wasn’t.

Stephen Curry and the Warriors have been within a game of clinching a championship in three of Golden State’s previous five trips to the NBA Finals during his 13-year NBA career.

The chlorine was just right at the Poole party as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 104-94 in game five of the NBA Finals.

The wear and tear from back-to-back seven-game series seems to be taking its toll on the Boston Celtics at the worst possible time.

The Boston Celtics couldn’t make a 3-pointer to start the game and found themselves in a deep hole.

Andrew Wiggins delivered the biggest game yet in his eight-year career with 26 points and 13 rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 21 points, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 104-94 for a 3-2 NBA Finals lead.

Boston's Jayson Tatum disappeared in crunch time during the NBA Finals, contributing to paralyzing fourth-quarter scoring drought as the Celtics squandered an opportunity to take stranglehold on the series.

The Boston Celtics couldn't hold off the Golden State Warriors and had trouble taking care of the basketball.

Stephen Curry scored 43 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 107-97 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry says there's no doubt that he'll play in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against Boston.

There was a time when the narrative surrounding Jaylen Brown was that he was a redundant player on a Celtics team shaping its identity around budding superstar Jayson Tatum.

The Golden State Warriors’ last chance at pulling out a comeback victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals ended during a scramble that went Boston's way with 3½ minutes left that went Boston’s way.

Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum added 26 and the Boston Celtics beat back another third-quarter onslaught by the Golden State Warriors in a 116-100 victory that gave them a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

Jordan Poole made a cannonball-type of splash in game two of the NBA Finals to help the Golden State Warriors boat race the Boston Celtics, 107-88, scoring 17 points with five three-pointers and two steals in the victory.

Jayson Tatum found his scoring touch after a rare poor shooting night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals but it was the rest of his Boston Celtics teammates who went missing.

Stephen Curry scored 29 points, Jordan Poole connected from just inside of midcourt to cap a huge third-quarter run and the Golden State Warriors evened the NBA Finals at a game apiece by beating the Boston Celtics 107-88 on Sunday night.

Brittney Griner hasn’t been forgotten at the NBA Finals.

Jaylen Brown fueled a comeback charge and scored 24 points, Al Horford hit six 3-pointers and the Boston Celtics rode the most lopsided fourth quarter in NBA Finals history to a 120-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1.

The Celtics’ transition from a team that has gone from just outside the top tier of the Eastern Conference to one that's four wins way from the franchise’s 18th NBA championship began the moment Ime Udoka took the microphone at his introductory news conference.

Somewhere, Gregg Popovich must be pleased.

Jayson Tatum scored 26 points, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each added 24 and the Boston Celtics held off a frantic rally in the final seconds to beat the Miami Heat 100-96 to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.

Jimmy Butler had 47 points, nine rebounds and eight assists and the Miami Heat forced the Eastern Conference finals to a decisive seventh game by beating the Boston Celtics 111-103 on Friday night.

The Celtics' confidence is high after seizing a 3-2 Eastern Conference finals lead over top seed Miami.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Jayson Tatum added 22 and the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of a berth in the NBA Finals, running away after halftime to beat the Miami Heat 93-80 and take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference title series.

Tyler Herro’s strained left groin forced the Miami Heat to rule him out of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

The Eastern Conference finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are as close as can be, heading back to Miami all tied up at two wins apiece.

The Boston Celtics took their turn pounding the Miami Heat early.

Celtics point guard and Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart was ruled out for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against Miami.

Bam Adebayo scored 31 points with 10 rebounds to lead Miami to a 109-103 victory in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Boston Celtics got outworked by the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals but returned the favor in Game 2.

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each scored 24 and the Boston Celtics dominated the first half to roll past the Miami Heat 127-102 and tie the Eastern Conference finals at a game apiece.

Things have been working out just fine so far in this postseason for Jimmy Butler and the top-seeded Miami Heat.

Jimmy Butler scored 41 points, and the Miami Heat turned things around with a huge third quarter on the way to beating the shorthanded Boston Celtics 118-107 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night.

Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka and Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra have enormous respect for each other and a bond that stems from their shared history in the sport.

Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven 3-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 3-pointers to eliminate the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The NBA’s long regular season can be tedious, but make no mistake, it matters.

Jayson Tatum scored 46 points, outdueling Giannis Antetokounmpo and making sure there wouldn’t be another Milwaukee Bucks fourth-quarter comeback, and the Boston Celtics beat the defending champions 108-95 to force a seventh game in their Eastern Conference semifinal.

The Milwaukee Bucks want to build off the momentum from a thrilling comeback.

Bobby Portis made a putback off Giannis Antetokounmpo’s missed free throw with 15 seconds left, Jrue Holiday snuffed Marcus Smart on Boston’s final two possessions and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Celtics 110-107 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 series lead.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks will have two preseason matchups at Abu Dhabi in October.

Al Horford and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points each and led the Boston Celtics’ fourth-quarter comeback in a 116-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that tied their Eastern Conference semifinal at two games apiece.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points and made the go-ahead basket with 44.3 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood a frantic flurry of shots in the final seconds to beat the Boston Celtics 103-101 on Saturday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 of his 30 points in the first half, and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 109-86 to even their second-round playoff at one game apiece.

Game 1 showed that whoever wins the 1-on-1 scoring battle between Memphis’ Ja Morant and Stephen Curry of the Warriors doesn’t mean their team will win the game or their Western Conference semifinal.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had his second career postseason triple-double to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 101-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

The only team to register a first-round sweep, the Boston Celtics enter their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks loaded with confidence.

Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, Jaylen Brown had 22 and the Boston Celtics completed a four-game sweep of the Brooklyn Nets, becoming the first team to reach the second round of the playoffs with a 116-112 victory.

Jayson Tatum scored 39 points, Jaylen Brown had 23 and the Boston Celtics took a 3-0 lead over the Brooklyn Nets with a 109-103 victory.

Scoring has rarely looked so difficult for Kevin Durant.

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and the Boston Celtics rallied from 17 points down to beat the Brooklyn Nets 114-107 and take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

There's no overwhelming favorite for NBA champion as the playoffs start, but that was by no means a problem for ABC and ESPN.

Nets guard Kyrie Irving has been fined $50,000 for making obscene gestures and directing profane language toward the crowd during Brooklyn’s Game 1 playoff loss to the Celtics.

Jayson Tatum made a layup at the buzzer on a pass from Marcus Smart to give the Boston Celtics a dramatic 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in the Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Jimmy Butler had 24 points, Kyle Lowry added 23 and the Miami Heat rallied in the fourth quarter to hold off the Boston Celtics 106-98 to stay atop a tight race for the Eastern Conference’s top seed.

Jayson Tatum scored 34 points and Jaylen Brown had 31 points and 10 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics coast to a 134-112 over the Minnesota Timberwolves and take over the top spot in the Eastern Conference.