Brown helps Celtics thump Curry-less Warriors 121-110 — and more

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists for his third triple-double of the season, and the Boston Celtics rolled over a Golden State Warriors team playing without Stephen Curry, 121-110 on Thursday night.

Payton Pritchard added 26 points and Sam Hauser scored 16 to help Boston win for the seventh time in eight games and spoil the Golden State debut of former Celtic Kristaps Porzingis.

Brown, the leading scorer in the Eastern Conference before the All-Star break, matched his career-high in rebounds, all on the defensive end. His 13 assists are a career-best.

It was the All-Star's fifth career triple-double.

Porzingis played in 99 games over two seasons in Boston and winning a championship before getting traded to Atlanta over the summer. The Warriors acquired him from the Hawks at the trade deadline but the oft-injured 7-foot-2 center had been nursing a left Achilles injury.

The Warriors played without two-time NBA MVP Curry, who is sidelined with a knee injury. Golden State is 6-11 this season when Curry doesn’t play.

Golden State struggled to get much going without their star.

De'Anthony Melton had 18 points and Will Richard and Gui Santos had 17 each for the Warriors. Porzingis had 12 points.

Boston led by 30 then had to hold on when Golden State made a run in the fourth quarter. Gary Payton II’s dunk got the Warriors within 111-99 with six minutes left before Pritchard made back-to-back 3-pointers.

Brown had eight points and was one of eight Celtics to score in the first quarter.

Boston pulled away after that. The Celtics opened the second quarter with a 17-2 run, driving past Porzingis several times while building a 74-51 halftime lead.

Up next

Celtics: Face the Lakers in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Warriors: Host Denver on Sunday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Chicago Cubs’ Dansby Swanson shows that he’s a college basketball sicko just like the rest of us originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Dansby Swanson found a creative and hilarious way to explain the Chicago Cubs’ roster-building, putting together comments that show he might be a college basketball sicko.

Speaking about the roster and offseason additions, the Cubs' shortstop talked about Duke basketball’s transfer portal to make a point about chemistry over star power.

“Like Duke basketball. People were super underwhelmed about their transfer portal stuff a couple years ago. Maliq Brown, Sion James, Mason Gillis. Jon Scheyer said ‘this is exactly what we need...this fits for our group.’ Then they went out and did what they did. It’s not about names but actual fits.”

Swanson’s comparison also shows a belief that roster success isn’t always dictated by massive moves. Instead, it’s about identifying players who fit what a team is trying to do. It can also be a possibility thathe simply knows Jed Hoyer won’t make five big deals and they’ll have to settle with one. 

This offseason, Alex Bregman was the one star they brought in.

But the Duke talk is funny, as it’s a bit surprising to see many MLB players know Sion James, Mason Gillis, and some others. Swanson is clearly taking a look at what the Blue Devils are doing on the court, as they sit at 24-2 overall.

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One of us.