BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics center Aron Baynes has had surgery on a broken left finger and will be out four to six weeks.The team made the announcement on Thursday, a day after Baynes left early in the game against the Phoenix Suns after deflecting a pass with his left hand.Baynes shook his hand in visible pain and went to the locker room when play stopped.Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after the 111-103 loss on Wednesday night that he could see the break on the X-ray.Big man Al Horford has also been ruled out for Friday night's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Guerschon Yabusele, Daniel Theis and rookie Robert Williams are expected to have increased responsibilities at center.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics were without four key players against the New Orleans Pelicans, with stars Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and Gordon Hayward all out for the game.Big man Aron Baynes was also out with a sprained ankle Monday night. Horford was nursing a sore left knee, Irving had a sore right shoulder, and Hayward was ill.The four players combine to average more than 50 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists this season.Daniel Theis and Terry Rozier each made his second start of the season. Marcus Morris, Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum also were in the starting lineup.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Celtics forward Al Horford has a sore left knee and will miss a game for the first time of the season.Marcus Morris took Horford's spot in the lineup against Atlanta, making his first start since last season.Horford was listed as probable with the same injury before Wednesday's home loss to the New York Knicks but finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 35 minutes. Coach Brad Stevens decided to rest him after Friday's shoot-around.Horford is averaging 11.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in his third season with the Celtics. The 12-year veteran spent his first nine seasons in Atlanta.Morris is averaging 13.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 17 games.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MIAMI (AP) — Dwyane Wade is putting family over basketball right now.Wade will miss at least another week before resuming his final Heat season, telling The Associated Press in an interview Sunday that he needs time to continue bonding with and caring for his daughter. Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union-Wade, had the baby via a surrogate last week.The couple and their baby are now at their Los Angeles home, and Wade said all are doing well. The baby's name has not been publicly released."With my daughter coming a couple weeks early, she's a little tiny right now, so we're making sure health-wise that she's OK," Wade said. "And for me, once I leave and go back to the season, not really being able to be with me everywhere I go, this time right now, this bonding moment with my daughter is the most important thing in my life at this time."Wade will miss, at minimum, upcoming Heat games against Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Indiana and the Los Angeles Lakers. He has also missed Miami's last... [More]

CANTON, Mass. (AP) — Last summer, new Boston Celtics arrivals Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward beamed just imagining what it would be like to share the court together.Those dreams lasted all of five minutes before Hayward was lost for the season to a gruesome leg injury on the opening night of the season.The Celtics somehow survived it and had set themselves up to make a run at the Eastern Conference title when Irving was lost for the final stretch of the regular season and the playoffs following a pair of knee surgeries.But four months after a season with so much potential was tossed into the "what might have been" basket and following an offseason conference shake-up that saw LeBron James head west to Los Angeles, Boston again finds itself in the spotlight heading into training camp.Irving and Hayward are back and healthy. And they are flanked by a loaded roster of veterans and talented young players who are hungry for another shot at the franchise's 18th championship.Irving said last... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics boss Danny Ainge was puzzled by all the talk about how Texas A&M forward Robert Williams didn't work hard enough to make it in the NBA."It's hard to have a 'low motor' and be the defensive player of the year two years in a row in a tough conference," Ainge said Friday after the news conference to introduce Williams.Williams was named the Southeastern Conference's co-defensive player of the year in 2018 after winning the award outright in 2017."That's pretty hard to do if you don't have the motor," Ainge said. "But if the motor can get better, that's an even bigger upside."A 6-foot-10, 237-pound native of Oil City, Louisiana, Williams had been considered a lottery pick after his freshman year but he returned to play another season in college. He was projected as an early first-rounder in this year's draft, but he fell to the Celtics at No. 27 overall.Williams said his mother believed he needed another year to mature in college. Asked if he regretted not coming... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Power forward Robert Williams was projected to be a lottery pick — and that was last year, after his freshman year at Texas A&M.But there he was, sliding down to the Boston Celtics at the 27th pick in the NBA draft Thursday night."It's not my job to know what the other 26 teams are thinking," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after adding the two-time Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year. "We thought that he was the right pick for us, and we felt very fortunate to be able to get him."A 6-foot-10, 237-pound Oil City, Louisiana, native, Williams was considered a certain first-round pick as a freshman — maybe in the top 10.But he decided he wasn't ready. He returned and averaged 10.4 points and an SEC-leading 9.2 rebounds while leading the Aggies to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16."He's a rim-protector and a rebounder, and he can play above the rim on both ends of the court," Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said. "We don't have much of that."Williams, 20,... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Power forward Robert Williams was projected to be a lottery pick — and that was last year, after his freshman year at Texas A&M.But there he was, sliding down to the Boston Celtics at the 27th overall pick in the NBA draft Thursday night."It's not my job to know what the other 26 teams are thinking," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after adding the two-time Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year. "We thought that he was the right pick for us, and we felt very fortunate to be able to get him."A 6-foot-10, 237-pound Oil City, Louisiana, native, Williams was considered a certain first-round pick as a freshman — maybe in the top 10.But he decided he wasn't ready. He returned and averaged 10.4 points and an SEC-leading 9.2 rebounds while leading the Aggies to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16.He still has some work to do— especially on offense, according to scouting reports. Stevens said current Celtics big men Al Horford and Gordon Hayward will be a big help in... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics have selected Texas A&M power forward Robert Williams with the No. 27 pick in the NBA draft.The 6-foot-10, 237-pound sophomore is a two-time Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year. He averaged 10.4 points and 9.2 rebounds for the Aggies last year. He had been projected as a lottery pick.The Celtics followed an appearance in the 2017 Eastern Conference finals with an offseason overhaul that brought in Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving. Despite losing both of them to injuries during the season, they returned to the league's final four.They had picked third in back-to-back years, landing Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, thanks to the trades that dismantled their 2008 championship team. Williams could replace free agent Aron Baynes as a big man in the rotation behind Al Horford.

WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) — Danny Ainge tore apart the team that made the Eastern Conference finals last year, and then put together a new roster that came one victory from playing for an NBA title.This summer may present him with an even bigger challenge: standing pat.With Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving coming back from injuries to join fellow All-Star Al Horford and young stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics general manager doesn't really need to do much to give the NBA's most-decorated franchise a chance at its 18th title.And that's not really in Ainge's nature."I like this group of guys," he said Monday, a day after the Celtics lost Game 7 of the conference finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. "We're not looking to make changes, other than a handful of tweaks."But he also said: "You never know what opportunities will present themselves."The Celtics finished with the No. 1 seed in the East in 2017, but the five-game loss to the Cavaliers in the conference finals reinforced... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics expected to see a different LeBron James in Cleveland after the Cavaliers fell into a 2-0 hole to open the Eastern Conference finals.Two games and back-to-back wins later , James has reminded everyone exactly why he's been to seven straight NBA Finals.Boston will be back in the embrace of its raucous fans at TD Garden for Game 5 on Wednesday. But a team that has thrived on youth this postseason suddenly looks disoriented without a go-to player and opposite a more veteran squad that has found a new attitude thanks to the fuel being provided by its biggest star.Celtics coach Brad Stevens said all you can do against James is "make it as hard as you can.""LeBron is the best player of this generation and he's just maintained that because of his commitment to improvement," Stevens said. "He's always been an unbelievable physical player. He's always been a savvy player. And he's always had, just like the natural instincts to make the right basketball play along with his... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics expected to see a different LeBron James in Cleveland after the Cavaliers fell into a 2-0 hole to open the Eastern Conference finalsTwo games and back-to-back wins later , James has reminded everyone exactly why he's been to seven straight NBA finals.Boston will be back in the embrace of its raucous fans at TD Garden for Game 5 on Wednesday. But a team that has thrived on youth this postseason suddenly looks disoriented without a go-to player and opposite a more veteran squad that has found a new attitude thanks to the fuel being provided by its biggest star.Celtics coach Brad Stevens said all you can do against James is "make it as hard as you can.""LeBron is the best player of this generation and he's just maintained that because of his commitment to improvement," Stevens said. "He's always been an unbelievable physical player. He's always been a savvy player. And he's always had, just like the natural instincts to make the right basketball play along with his... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics expected to see a different LeBron James in Cleveland after the Cavaliers fell into a 2-0 hole to open the Eastern Conference finalsTwo games and back-to-back wins later , James has reminded everyone exactly why he's been to seven straight NBA finals.Boston will be back in the embrace of its raucous fans at TD Garden for Game 5 on Wednesday. But a team that has thrived on youth this postseason suddenly looks disoriented without a go-to player and opposite a more veteran squad that has found a new attitude thanks to the fuel being provided by its biggest star."My teammates are putting me in position and wanting me to be in attack mode and trusting me to put our guys in position to be successful," James said. "It's not about me. It's about the collective group, and I'm one of the byproducts of that."While the Cavs are certainly feeling rejuvenated, coach Tyronn Lue said it hasn't changed their sense of urgency."We still gotta play," Lue said. "We have veteran guys... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Celtics were loose, smiling and laughing. They weren't straining to hear each other speak and there were no obnoxious Cleveland fans heckling them.All was quiet as Boston worked out Sunday.Practice isn't an issue on the road in the postseason. Playing games is the problem.Less than 24 hours after a 30-point bludgeoning at the hands of LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics did some film study and critical evaluation.They were hard on themselves."I thought it was embarrassing," Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said of Boston's 116-86 loss — and his own performance. "I thought we came out, the way I played, the way I performed, how not aggressive I was in the first half, I look at that as fuel to come out in Game 4 and be excited about it and be ready to play and ready to fight."Brown scored just 10 points — 13 below his average after two games in the series — and was in almost immediate foul trouble as the Cavs dominated while... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Celtics were loose, smiling and laughing. They weren't straining to hear each other speak and there were no obnoxious Cleveland fans heckling them.All was quiet as Boston worked out Sunday.Practice isn't an issue on the road in the postseason. Playing games is the problem.Less than 24 hours after a 30-point bludgeoning at the hands of LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics did some film study and critical evaluation.They were hard on themselves."I thought it was embarrassing," Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said of Boston's 116-86 loss — and his own performance. "I thought we came out, the way I played, the way I performed, how not aggressive I was in the first half, I look at that as fuel to come out in Game 4 and be excited about it and be ready to play and ready to fight."Brown scored just 10 points — 13 below his average after two games in the series — and was in almost immediate foul trouble as the Cavs dominated while... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — J.R. Smith reached out, placed his hands on Al Horford's back and shoved Boston's big man out of bounds.It was the only time Smith was on target.Smith's shoddy performance in Game 2 — he missed all seven shots and committed a flagrant 1 foul in 27 forgettable minutes — underscored a startling disparity between Cleveland's and Boston's starting backcourts that allowed the fearless Celtics to withstand a brilliant, 42-point effort by LeBron James and take a 2-0 series lead.Smith and point guard George Hill were outscored 41-3 by Boston's Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, who were faster, hungrier and maybe tougher."I don't think tougher," Smith said afterward, showing better defensive instincts than during the game. "They made shots, we missed shots at the end of the day. We had some good looks, they didn't fall. For them playing on their home court, they fell. It's a matter for us to bounce back, go home, try and get (win) two, even the series up and come back here."Smith will... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — J.R. Smith reached out, placed his hands on Al Horford's back and shoved Boston's big man out of bounds.It was the only time Smith was on target.Smith's shoddy performance in Game 2 — he missed all seven shots and committed a flagrant 1 foul in 27 forgettable minutes — underscored a startling disparity between Cleveland's and Boston's starting backcourts that allowed the fearless Celtics to withstand a brilliant, 42-point effort by LeBron James and take a 2-0 series lead.Smith and point guard George Hill were outscored 41-3 by Boston's Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, who were faster, hungrier and maybe tougher."I don't think tougher," Smith said afterward, showing better defensive instincts than during the game. "They made shots, we missed shots at the end of the day. We had some good looks, they didn't fall. For them playing on their home court, they fell. It's a matter for us to bounce back, go home, try and get (win) two, even the series up and come back here."Smith will... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics coach Brad Stevens has said what has carried his team through the NBA postseason is its ability to make "winning plays" with the game on the line.And more times than not, it's been Marcus Smart making them.Since returning from thumb surgery late in the first round, Smart has been unflappable and Boston's unquestioned deacon of toughness.From sacrificing his body diving for loose balls or keeping plays alive with a rebound , to causing deflections on defense, to popping up out of the crowd for a timely rebound or tip-in, Smart is the proud everyman for a once underdog Celtics team that has outworked the Cavaliers through the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals."That's me. That's how I was raised," said Smart, who was Boston's top performer off the bench in the Celtics' 107-94 Game 2 win with 11 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four steals. "I'm the youngest of four boys. My whole life I had to fight."I had to get down and do things in order to secure... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — J.R. Smith reached out, placed his hands on Al Horford's back and shoved Boston's big man out of bounds.It was the only time Smith was on target.Smith's shoddy performance in Game 2 — he missed all seven shots and committed a flagrant foul in 27 forgettable minutes — underscored a startling disparity between Cleveland's and Boston's starting backcourts that allowed the fearless Celtics to withstand a brilliant, 42-point effort by LeBron James and take a 2-0 series lead.Smith and point guard George Hill were outscored 41-3 by Boston's Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, who were faster, hungrier and maybe tougher."I don't think tougher," Smith said afterward, showing better defensive instincts than during the game. "They made shots, we missed shots at the end of the day. We had some good looks, they didn't fall. For them playing on their home court, they fell. It's a matter for us to bounce back, go home, try and get (win) two, even the series up and come back here."Thanks to... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Put Kevin Love's name atop the list of the Cavaliers that walked out of Cleveland's 25-point Eastern Conference finals Game 1 loss to Boston a little staggered, but with an unbowed head.The reason: He's got a teammate by the name of LeBron James that's had a way of responding after lopsided playoff defeats.Just ask the Indiana Pacers.The Pacers stunned the Cavs at home in their first-round opener, rolling to an 18-point victory. In Game 2, James was all but unstoppable as he replied with a 46-point, 12-rebound performance."I expect him to have a big response," Love said of James on Monday. "He's always done it. Even before he came back to Cleveland and since I've been here he's always responded big. .... He's going to approach this game as one that he's going to have to lead and bounce back."Even if James does have a big Game 2 Tuesday night in Boston, he'll need some help — and the Cavaliers know it.Love said he thought the Cavs were a "little soft" in the first half in Game... [More]