Scoreboard
Celtics 119, Grizzlies 109
Raptors 119, Pistons 108
What went down
In the NBA's understandably thin Super Bowl Sunday slate, the two matchups delivered some good stories and performances.
First, the Boston Celtics’ bench stepped up and powered the East's best team to a big home win against the Memphis Grizzlies.
"This feels like a playoff game."
— NBA (@NBA) February 12, 2023
Fun way to start super Sunday... get to ABC for the 4th quarter! pic.twitter.com/XFlvVFdZUv
In a game dictated by sudden spurts on both ends, Derrick White stabilized the Celtics in the fourth period and finished with 23 points and 10 assists. Sam Hauser was also huge for Boston, drilling six triples en route to 20 points.
The Celtics are going to need everything they can get from their deep rotation as Jaylen Brown (face) and Marcus Smart (ankle) are set to miss at least a few more games due to injury. Teams are going to key in on Jayson Tatum, who the Grizzlies held to 3-for-16 shooting from the field today.
The Celtics’ grip on the top seed in the East had been loosening until today. They’re at 41-16, 1.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Big-time baller
In Toronto, Fred VanVleet caught fire to lead the Raptors to a win over the Detroit Pistons.
FVV = 3/3 from the 3PT line 👌 pic.twitter.com/gGmxirZTFh
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 12, 2023
He topped all scorers with 35 points to go with eight assists. The Raptors, despite their posturing before the trade deadline, still look pretty good heading down the stretch of the season. They are holding on to the final play-in spot in the East with a 27-31 record.
What he said
The Warriors will go through with the Gary Payton II four-team trade, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Golden State will not pass Payton's physical exam, sources said, but has decided to move forward with deal that brings back the key 2022 championship piece.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 12, 2023
The Warriors-Trail Blazers-Gary Payton II situation just got a tiny bit messier. If you weren’t keeping up, the TL:DR of the situation is this: The Warriors and Blazers were involved in a four-team trade agreed upon at the trade deadline that was in danger of falling through due to miscommunication regarding the status of Payton II’s abdominal injury. Now, the Warriors are apparently going to go through with the deal despite the claim GPII won’t be fit to play until at least a month.
The back-and-forth between both organizations, including Payton’s agent, has contained plenty of claims. The NBA hasn’t yet formally stated if they will investigate the situation.
Did you see that?
Chris Boucher has been giving the Raptors quality minutes as of late. And that includes highlights like this one:
It's showtime on the NBA App!
— NBA (@NBA) February 12, 2023
Pascal ?? Boucher pic.twitter.com/5VHEEjwuV9
