Mikal Bridges scored all of his 14 points in the fourth quarter before making his second straight game-clinching steal, and the New York Knicks overcame a 20-point deficit again to beat the Boston Celtics 91-90 on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder looked very much like the dominant teams they were during the regular season in securing lopsided first-round playoff series wins.

Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby each scored 29 points before Mikal Bridges stole the ball from Jaylen Brown with a second left in overtime, and the New York Knicks stunned the Boston Celtics 108-105 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Monday night.

Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla says guard Jrue Holiday remains day-to-day with a strained hamstring.

Franz Wagner scored 32 points, Paolo Banchero added 29 and the Orlando Magic beat Boston 95-93 on Friday night to cut the Celtics’ lead to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference first-round series.

Even with Jayson Tatum in the starting lineup, the Boston Celtics still couldn’t find a way to win in Orlando.

Jaylen Brown had 36 points and 10 rebounds, Kristaps Porzingis returned to the game after getting a bloody gash to the forehead and finished with 20 points, and the Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 109-100 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.

Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Boston’s Jayson Tatum have been the driving forces for their teams throughout the season.

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has been listed as doubtful with a bone bruise in his right wrist for Game 2 of Boston’s Eastern Conference first-round series against the Orlando Magic.

Derrick White scored 30 points, Jayson Tatum had 17 points and finished the game after a scary late fall, and the Boston Celtics rallied in the second half to beat the Orlando Magic 103-86 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

Tyler Herro had 25 points and nine assists and the Miami Heat extended their season-best winning streak to six games with a 124-103 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Sam Hauser started in place of Jayson Tatum and did what he and the Boston Celtics have done all season — shoot a bunch of 3-pointers and make more than their share.

Payton Pritchard and Derrick White have made NBA history.

Jayson Tatum scored 22 points, Derrick White added 20 and the Boston Celtics showed their championship makeup down the stretch with a 112-105 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a matchup of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.

Jayson Tatum scored 13 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter and the Boston Celtics rallied from a 26-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 118-110.

Amen Thompson hit a game-winning floater with 0.7 seconds left and finished with 33 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 114-112 victory over the Boston Celtics.

San Antonio Spurs Hall of Famer Tony Parker says Victor Wembanyama can be the best player in the NBA.

Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic was sidelined for Denver’s clash with Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night because of an illness.

Kawhi Leonard evidently is ready to play basketball again.

Joel Embiid popped up from a pregame fall and scored 27 points with nine rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 118-114 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Jaylen Brown had 28 points with nine assists and Kristaps Porzingis added 26 points and nine rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to their ninth victory in 10 games, a 130-120 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.

Donovan Mitchell scored 20 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter as the Cleveland Cavaliers ended Boston’s seven-game winning streak with a 115-111 victory over the Celtics in the second intense matchup between the Eastern Conference’s top teams this season.

President Joe Biden welcomed “Coach Joe” Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics to the White House to celebrate the franchise’s unprecedented 18th NBA championship.

The Boston Celtics stayed cool while Charlotte Hornets lost theirs.

The Boston Celtics tied the NBA record by making 29 3-pointers in their victory over the New York Knicks.

Jayson Tatum continued Boston’s Banner 18 celebration by scoring 37 points and making eight of the Celtics’ NBA record-tying 29 3-pointers as Boston ran away with a 132-109 victory over the New York Knicks on opening night.

The NBA returned to the Persian Gulf on Friday for the third consecutive year.

Derrick White has been named to the U.S. men’s basketball team for the Paris Olympics as a replacement for Kawhi Leonard.

It took more than a decade, savvy front office and draft moves, and some free agency growing pains for the Celtics to ultimately build the roster that ended their 16-year championship drought.

The last 12 games where Kyrie Irving has played against the Boston Celtics have all ended with the same outcome.

Jrue Holiday had 26 points and 11 rebounds, and Jayson Tatum made up for a rough shooting night with 12 assists and nine rebounds as the Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 105-98 on Sunday night to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

When the Boston Celtics make a ton of 3-pointers, forget it.

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, Kristaps Porzingis added 20 in his first game in more than a month and the Boston Celtics powered past the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Joe Mazzulla was thrust into a job he didn’t expect to have following former Celtics coach Ime Udoka’s suspension just days before the start of training camp last season.

The Celtics traded for 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis this past offseason hoping he might be the missing piece to help them hoist their 18th title.

Derrick White’s tiebreaking 3-pointer with 43 seconds left gave Boston the lead and the Celtics closed out a four-game sweep of the Indiana Pacers 105-102 to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.

Jaylen Brown matched his career playoff high with 40 points and the Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 126-110 to open a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Victor Wembanyama’s latest accolade was like none other.

Lu Dort was the defensive catalyst as the Oklahoma City Thunder held Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic to 19 points on 6-for-19 shooting in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and the Boston Celtics powered past the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-95 in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

The Boston Celtics ran away from the rest of the NBA in the regular season.

Jaylen Brown and Derrick White each scored 25 points and the Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, beating the short-handed Miami Heat 118-84 in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Derrick White scored a career-high 38 points, Jayson Tatum added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 102-88 to take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 22 points, and the Boston Celtics soundly beat the Miami Heat 104-84 to a take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Saturday night.

Jayson Tatum notched his first career playoff triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Boston Celtics past the Miami Heat 114-94 to open their first-round playoff series.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss the rest of the regular season after an MRI confirmed the two-time MVP has a strained left calf, while his availability for the start of the playoffs remains uncertain.

Giannis Antetokounmpo left the Milwaukee Bucks’ game with the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night with an apparent injury to his left leg.

Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, Kristaps Porzingis had 22 and the NBA-leading Boston Celtics easily handled the New York Knicks 116-102 for their eighth consecutive victory.

Jamal Murray scored 35 points, Nikola Jokic finished with 34 and the Denver Nuggets held on to hand the Boston Celtics their first home loss of the season 102-100.

Jayson Tatum scored 45 points — 14 of them in the fourth quarter and another 12 in overtime — as the Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-120 in a matchup of the two conference leaders to remain perfect at home.

Hoping to avoid a 28th straight loss that would match the longest losing streak in NBA history, the Detroit Pistons forced overtime against the league-best Celtics before Boston recovered to win 128-122.

Kristaps Porzingis had 28 points and 11 rebounds, Jayson Tatum added 25 points and the Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time in Christmas Day meetings 126-115 on Monday.

Stephen Curry swished a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left in overtime on the way to scoring 33, and the Golden State Warriors rallied past the Celtics 132-126 to snap Boston’s five-game winning streak.

Jayson Tatum shook off an illness to have 23 points and 11 rebounds, carrying the Boston Celtics over the Milwaukee Bucks 119-116 on Wednesday night in an early showdown of top Eastern Conference teams.

Jayson Tatum had 30 points and 12 rebounds in less than three quarters and the Boston Celtics used a blistering start to pull away from the Indiana Pacers, winning 155-104 on Wednesday night to remain unbeaten.

Jimmy Butler scored 28 points and Caleb Martin gave Miami 26 points and 10 rebounds in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to help the Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 and turn back Boston’s attempt at an unprecedented comeback.

The Miami Heat were 0.1 seconds away from a trip to the NBA Finals.

Derrick White scored on a putback as time expired and the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history, holding off the Miami Heat 104-103 to force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals.

Derrick White had 24 points, including six 3-pointers, helping lead the charge as the Boston Celtics dominated the Miami Heat 110-97 in Game 5 on to extend the Eastern Conference finals.

Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Jaylen Brown added 17 points and the Boston Celtics staved off elimination in the Eastern Conference finals by running away in the second half to beat the Miami Heat 116-99 in Game 4 on Tuesday night.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

He hit a championship-winning shot with Michael Jordan.

The Boston Celtics realize they must find an answer to Stephen Curry and do a better job making things difficult for the two-time MVP.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Al Horford and Marcus Smart are coming back.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Stephen Curry went down with a left foot injury late in the first half and didn’t return as Marcus Smart and the Boston Celtics routed the Golden State Warriors 110-88 on Wednesday night.

Devin Booker scored 28 points, Mikal Bridges added a season-high 26 and the Phoenix Suns overcame a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win their 10th straight game, beating the San Antonio Spurs 115-110 on Sunday night.

Keita Bates-Diop scored a career-high 30 points and the San Antonio Spurs routed the slumping Los Angeles Lakers 138-110 in the final event at Staples Center under the 22-year-old arena’s original name.

Anthony Davis had 34 points and 15 rebounds to help the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-106 on Sunday.

Jaylen Brown hit a 3-pointer with 16.7 seconds remaining in overtime, Jayson Tatum scored a career-high 60 points and the Boston Celtics rallied from a 32-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 143-140.

Erik Spoelstra got a milestone win, and it didn’t come easily.

Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds, and the Denver Nuggets held off the San Antonio Spurs for a 121-119 win when DeMar DeRozan’s shot attempt at the buzzer rolled out.

Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will both be unable to start the second half of the season with the Philadelphia 76ers, though neither All-Star will be missing from the Eastern Conference leaders’ lineup for long. Both will miss Philadelphia’s game Thursday in Chicago, and Simmons will also miss the 76ers’ contest on Friday against Washington. Provided both continue to test negative for COVID-19, they would be cleared after those games, the 76ers said. Simmons and Embiid both traveled to Atlanta for Sunday’s All-Star Game, only to learn the night before that they were flagged by contact tracing data. Dallas and Washington both have 38 games remaining, tied for the third-most in the league.

Brooklyn Nets' James Harden, left, and San Antonio Spurs' Patty Mills chase the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 1, 2021, in San Antonio. “I thought they were great,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. All five starters scored in double figures for San Antonio. San Antonio is still without Rudy Gay, Keldon Johnson, Derrick White, Devin Vassell and Quinndary Weatherspoon, who are sidelined due to the league’s health and safety protocols. Spurs: The Spurs announced fans can return to the AT&T Center beginning March 12 against Orlando.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, right, talks to San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)The San Antonio Spurs are still dealing with a coronavirus outbreak, their state is reeling from the aftereffects of a deadly icy blast that has affected millions of Texans, and one of their best players is mourning the death of a parent. Given all that, basketball seems secondary to the Spurs right now. They will be without at least six players when they return to the court Wednesday at Oklahoma City. The NBA initially said last week that four Spurs players had tested positive for COVID-19, without identifying any by name.