CLEVELAND (AP) — Celtics All-Star guard Kyrie Irving will miss Tuesday's game against the Cavaliers with a left hip strain.Irving has been bothered by the injury and the team announced Monday night they will rest him. Irving has missed two previous games with the injury. He had 30 points and 11 assists in Boston's win over Oklahoma City on Sunday.When they face the struggling Cavs, the Celtics also will be without forward Marcus Morris, who has a sore right knee and center Aron Baynes, who has a bruised right foot.Coach Brad Stevens doesn't expect Baynes to return until after the All-Star break. Baynes is averaging 5.7 points and 4.3 rebounds.Irving's absence against his former team comes on the heels of speculation about his future. Last week, he bristled at questions about his plans for this summer when he can become a free agent. Irving will miss any media opportunities until after Thursday's trade deadline.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics will be without starters Kyrie Irving and Al Horford for their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.Irving is sidelined with flu-like symptoms and Horford is getting rest Wednesday night. Horford missed seven games in December with left knee soreness.Coach Brad Stevens said Terry Rozier will take Irving's spot in the starting lineup and Aron Baynes would fill in for Horford.Boston enters with a four-game winning streak. The Cavaliers have lost 16 of their last 17 and have the NBA's worst record at 9-39.

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics star Kyrie Irving is back in the lineup against the Brooklyn Nets after being sidelined with an eye injury.Irving missed two games after scratching both corneas in a collision Dec. 31 at San Antonio. Boston won both — against Minnesota and Dallas — while Irving was out.He leads the team in scoring and assists entering Monday, averaging 23.1 points per game and 6.6 assists.Boston coach Brad Stevens also said forward Marcus Morris and rookie center Robert Williams were available Monday. Morris missed the last game with a stiff neck and Williams missed the previous six with a strained left groin.Stevens said center Aron Baynes, sidelined since mid-December after surgery on a broken left finger, "will be re-evaluated next week and the earliest he would play would be mid-to-late next week."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart and forward Aron Baynes and Cleveland Cavaliers forward J.R. Smith for an on-court shoving match in their exhibition game.NBA discipline boss Kiki VanDeWeghe fined Smart $25,000 for escalating the altercation and Smith $15,000 for shoving. Baynes was assessed $15,000 for initiating it.The league announced the fines Monday.In the first quarter of Saturday's game in Cleveland, Smith and Baynes got tangled up while boxing out under the Boston basket. Smith gave Baynes a two-handed push, and Smart ran in from near mid-court to retaliate with a shove of his own.Smart was given a technical foul and ejected. Smith was given a technical.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA has fined Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart and Cleveland Cavaliers forward J.R. Smith for an on-court shoving match in their exhibition game.The league announced the fines Monday.In the first quarter of Saturday's game in Cleveland, Smith and Celtics forward Aron Baynes got tangled up while boxing out under the Boston basket. Smith gave Baynes a two-handed push, and Smart ran in from near mid-court to retaliate with a shove of his own.NBA discipline boss Kiki VanDeWeghe fined Smart $25,000 for escalating the altercation and Smith $15,000 for initiating it.Smart had to be held back by two teammates, who tackled him to keep him from continuing to fight.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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) — The Celtics were in sunny Los Angeles, it was another sub-zero winter day back in Boston, and Gordon Hayward was stuck in rehab, shooting baskets from a chair and picking up marbles with his toes to work his surgically repaired ankle back into shape."The hardest part of the whole process has been the mental challenge," Hayward said Thursday, reporting that he is 100 percent healthy and preparing to be on the court for the Oct. 16 opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. "I think you find the fight within yourself."The Celtics' top free-agent acquisition of the 2017 summer, Hayward was injured in the first quarter of the first game of the season when he landed awkwardly on his left leg, breaking his tibia and dislocating his ankle. He may have been able to return before the end of the season, but then he needed more surgery in May.Other players did their best to keep up his spirits: One time, Aron Baynes brought back some Krispy Kreme doughnuts from a road trip and drove them... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics re-signed guard Marcus Smart on Thursday, bringing him back for four more years after he found the market for a restricted free agent defensive specialist wasn't as lucrative as he'd hoped.A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that Smart will be paid $52 million over the next four years. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team did not disclose the terms of the contract.The Celtics scheduled an availability with Smart after announcing the deal, then canceled it an hour later, saying he had flu-like symptoms and was being treated at a hospital with IV fluids.Smart averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. He returned from thumb surgery late in the first round of the playoffs and provided the defensive presence that was instrumental in the Celtics taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.LeBron James called Smart's creativity on the... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics have re-signed guard Marcus Smart.The 6-foot-4 defensive stalwart is returning to the team that picked him sixth overall in the 2014 draft after finding the market for a restricted free agent wasn't as lucrative as he'd hoped.A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that Smart signed a four-year, $52 million contract with the Celtics. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team did not disclose the terms of the contract.Smart averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. He returned from thumb surgery late in the first round of the playoffs and provided the defensive presence that was instrumental in the Celtics taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.LeBron James called Smart's creativity on the court "uncanny" during their matchup and coach Brad Stevens said Smart was "as tough as tough as they come," making hustle plays on offense... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics have re-signed guard Marcus Smart.The 6-foot-4 defensive stalwart is returning to the team that picked him sixth overall in the 2014 draft after finding the market for a restricted free agent wasn't as lucrative as he'd hoped.A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that Smart signed a four-year, $52 million contract with the Celtics. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team did not disclose the terms of the contract.Smart averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. He returned from thumb surgery late in the first round of the playoffs and provided the defensive presence that was instrumental in the Celtics taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.LeBron James called Smart's creativity on the court "uncanny" during their matchup and coach Brad Stevens said Smart was "as tough as tough as they come," making hustle plays on offense... [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.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics say forward Gordon Hayward had surgery to remove a plate and screws in his broken left leg and will be ready to start next season.Hayward missed almost the entire season after breaking his leg in the first quarter of the season opener. The Celtics went on to reach Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers.The team says his leg and ankle are sound, but the plate and screws that were implanted to help the injury heal were irritating his tendons. He is scheduled to resume basketball activities in six to eight weeks and be ready for training camp.Also Wednesday: the Celtics said center Aron Baynes had successful surgery to repair a nasal fracture he sustained during Game 6 of the Cleveland series. He is expected to be back on the court in two to four weeks.

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]

WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) — Celtics general manager Danny Ainge says point guard Kyrie Irving was unable to attend Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals because he was recovering from nasal surgery.Ainge said on Monday that Irving had a deviated septum. The injury occurred in November when he was hit in the face by teammate Aron Baynes. Irving wore a mask while healing from the facial fracture.Irving has not played since March because of a knee injury. But his absence on the Boston bench was noted when the Celtics played his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.Ainge joked: "I don't think he wanted to be seen in public and ruin his movie career."___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue was answering a question about Boston's defense on LeBron James during a teleconference when he tripped the security system at his home.A piercing alarm sounded."Uh-oh," Lue said Thursday as he punched in a code to silence the screaming siren.While Lue and his home were clearly safe, and the light-hearted moment passed quickly, it was also symbolic of Cleveland's urgent situation.The Cavs are in a dangerous spot.Beaten for the third time in Boston in these home-sweet-home Eastern Conference finals, Cleveland will face its second elimination game of the postseason on Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena.Game 6 is for everything.Except, of course, if there's a Game 7 on Sunday in Boston.Fueled by fueled-up Boston fans who must feel some sort of birthright to see their cherished team play in the Finals, the youthful Celtics again showed zero fear or hesitation on their parquet floor on Wednesday night during a 96-83 win in Game 5 that was never in... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Boston's Marcus Morris and Cleveland's Larry Nance Jr. had to be pulled apart in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night after a hard defensive play by Morris sent Nance to the floor.Morris and Nance both went up for a pass, and the Cavaliers forward wound up crashing into the first row of seats. Morris appeared to wander over and say something, prompting Nance to jump up and body check him; Morris responded with a one-handed shove to the face.Aron Baynes and Jaylen Brown came in to break it up, and Terry Rozier put a body on Nance. After a review, the referees called technicals on Rozier, Nance and Morris. Korver made the foul shot to make it 36-20 and spark a 7-0 run.

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]

BOSTON (AP) — LeBron James has made Boston's TD Garden his personal playground during the playoffs in recent years.The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the Eastern Conference finals with a 9-3 record against the Celtics in games played at the Garden over the last four years, including six straight wins.James' 979 postseason points against Boston were the most by any player against any opponent in the last 50 years. And his 21 playoff wins against the Celtics were also the most against them during that span.But none of that mattered Sunday in Boston's dominating 108-83 win over Cleveland in Game 1 , in which James committed seven turnovers while being held to just 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.It would be solid night for most NBA players, but was pedestrian by the super-human standard that LeBron has set for himself this postseason, at times single-handedly carrying the Cavs to victories.But he was clear that his concern level down being 1-0 was "zero.""I didn't go to college, so... [More]