標籤: era

The Minnesota Timberwolves finally ended an unwanted streak against the Boston Celtics after earning a 102-92 win at TD Garden on Sunday.

Thankfully, the Timberwolves had lost 18 consecutive games in Boston before breaking the decade-long skid.

Bones Hyland had a stellar performance for Minnesota, scoring 23 points on 8-14 shooting off the bench. He also had three rebounds and three assists, improving to 44-28, including 20-15 on the road.

The last time the Timberwolves beat the Celtics at home was in 2005. According to Statmuse, the team’s starting five That included Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell, Troy Hudson, Trenton Hassell and John Thomas.

Wolves starters last time they won in Boston:

– Latrell Sprewell
-Kevin Garnett
– John Thomas
– Trenton Hassell
– Troy Hudson

Tonight they broke an 18 game losing streak. pic.twitter.com/dbzxbIsZeB

– Statmuse (@statmuse) 23 March 2026

Minnesota won 99–97 after Sprewell scored with 0.9 seconds remaining. Garnett, who was coming off an MVP season, had 21 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and two steals. Wally Szczerbiak added 20 points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench.

Garnett and Szczerbiak eventually played for the Celtics.

When the 25-year-old Hyland was told about Minnesota winning in Boston last fall, he was surprised, the Associated Press reports.

“Dang, that doesn’t even feel right. I was five years old. This is crazy,” Hyland said.

He stepped up for the Timberwolves, with Julius Randle struggling for only nine points on 3 of 14 shooting.

Hyland has been playing well in the absence of Anthony Edwards, who is out for two weeks with a knee injury.

Jaden McDaniels had 19 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Ayo Dosunmu added 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks.

The Timberwolves, who are 3-3 in their last six games, host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

It’s looked hopeless at many points this season, but somehow, the Milwaukee Bucks are still alive in the playoff race — especially now that Giannis Antetokounmpo is back in action after a long absence of more than a month due to a calf injury.

Although it is mathematically possible for the Bucks to make the play-in tournament, as at the time of writing, they are only four games behind the Atlanta Hawks in the standings, the fact that they are not in the playoff picture is a clear indication that the team is not very good right now.

There’s no denying Antetokounmpo’s greatness, but the prolonged absence of a superstar shouldn’t mean the team will collapse around him. For the Bucks, they have collapsed most of the season when Antetokounmpo is on the mend. They’ve gone 11-18 without him, and that won’t cut it.

Of course, the good news is that Antetokounmpo remains on the roster, even though he was on the trade block just a month ago and it looked like a blockbuster trade involving him would finally materialize.

It simply means that the Bucks are still on the clock, as there is not zero chance that Antetokounmpo will commit his future to the team despite his disappointing short-term to medium-term outlook.

And while they are limited in the changes they can make to the roster, perhaps the Bucks can start convincing Antetokounmpo that they mean business by cleaning house – starting with the departure of head coach Doc Rivers.

Bucks need to start fresh, move on from Doc Rivers

Despite having a 30–13 record, the Bucks made the surprise decision to fire Adrian Griffin and replace him with Doc Rivers as the team’s head coach in 2024. They finished the season under .500 under Rivers (they went 19–20) and lost in the first round of the playoffs against the eventual conference finalists Indiana Pacers.

Now, this isn’t going to turn into Griffin’s defense. By all accounts, the Bucks locker room questioned his strategy because Griffin had not maximized the team’s personnel. But reports revealed that when Griffin called his players out he took it in stride, although the fact that he did meant that his respect for them was fractured from the start.

Still, Griffin coached a terrible defense, and it was clear Antetokounmpo was growing tired of his schemes. They replaced Griffin with Rivers, who at least has the respect of people in the locker room.

This may be Rivers’ only save at this stage of his coaching career. Everyone knows the story with Rivers: He won a title with the Boston Celtics in 2008, maintains a sense of professionalism in the locker room that commands respect from everyone on the team, and he’s a consistent win producer, at least in the regular season.

Rivers has had his fair share of black eyes in the playoffs. He is the only head coach in NBA history to lead multiple 3–1 playoff series. His star-studded teams perform poorly under the bright lights of the postseason. But that’s all moot when the Bucks team he’s currently coaching couldn’t even make the start of the postseason.

Some Bucks fans may be wondering why Rivers hasn’t been fired yet. The results have not been there, and there has been nothing but disappointment in the Cream City since the team brought him in. It’s clear his voice still has influence in the locker room, and Antetokounmpo is at least there to stay with him unlike Griffin.

The Bucks’ shortcomings this season aren’t really Rivers’ fault. The team he is currently coaching is not very good anyway. But he’s not really adding wins to the team. Some of his rotation decisions recently were surprising; Why did Kyle Kuzma not play at all in their recent loss to the Boston Celtics? Why was Ryan Rollins, of all people, benched upon Antetokounmpo’s return?

It’s time for a fresh start for the Bucks under the tutelage of a well-known coach who knows how to handle a locker room with big egos. And for once, the Bucks will have to enlist the services of a new voice, an up-and-coming assistant who has paid his dues during his time in the NBA.

Why Mika Nori deserves a chance in Milwaukee?

Nouri has been an assistant coach in the NBA for 17 seasons, and he is currently part of the Minnesota Timberwolves coaching staff under head coach Chris Finch. He is the main assistant of the team, as he replaces Finch if he is out or misses time due to personal reasons or injury.

Most accounts state that Nori is adept at managing game situations, meaning his main strength is adjusting to what he sees on the court. Now, the head coaching job requires much more than mastering such skills. Still, his tactical plans could be what brings Antetokounmpo on board for at least the next few years.

If there’s one thing Antetokounmpo wants from a coach, it’s defensive consistency and communication. Nori provides both; Players have appreciated the Timberwolves assistant’s ability to build relationships with them, and he has been instrumental in crafting a Minnesota defense that routinely ranks top-10 in the NBA.

Given that the Bucks lack scoring weapons around Antetokounmpo, getting it done on defense should be priority number one for them. They are currently ranked 24th in that department, so that won’t make the cut. They have solid individual pieces on defense, Kevin Porter Jr. and Rollins are very disruptive, and Myles Turner has a long history of adequate rim protection, but it hasn’t come together under Rivers.

Now, the Bucks may need an experienced head coach to reassign Antetokounmpo. But Milwaukee needs to avoid retreading head coaches at all costs. And there may be no better candidate for the potential Bucks head coaching vacancy than Nouri.

The Houston Rockets earned a hard-earned 123-118 win against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Center on Monday, with Kevin Durant and Alpern Sengun doing most of the damage.

What was supposed to be a one-sided affair for the Rockets turned out to be a tight contest as the Wizards played hard with a scrappy group of role players.

However, Washington will finally get a star when Trae Young makes his debut on Thursday against the Utah Jazz. Young missed most of the season due to an MCL injury.

Durant, who cheered the Wizards as a child, expressed his excitement over Young’s return. He said that the pairing of Young and Anthony Davis should do wonders As for Washington, who has long been a cellar-dweller.

“He (Young) is dynamic. A guy that can create for everybody, score for himself. He’ll make the game easier for everybody else on the floor. He’s a true point guard. Right now, they’re doing it by committee, so with him being there, it will make everybody’s mind and their game easier, and they can just settle into their roles,” Durant said in a video on the Space City Home Network.

“I’m excited for the hometown team. I’m also excited for Eddie to wear the jersey and represent the city. I see bright things in his future.”

Kevin Durant on Wizards:

“(Trey will make the game easier for everyone else on the field. I’m excited for the hometown team, excited for Eddie to also wear the jersey and represent the city. I see bright things in his future.” pic.twitter.com/Ae58p7yClt

– Oh no, he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) 3 March 2026

The Wizards acquired Young and Davis at the trade deadline. When both are healthy, they can provide true two-way production and make the Wizards competitive immediately.

The starting unit of Young, Davies, Bilal Koulibaly, Kishawn George and Alex Sarr has the right mix of experience, youth, strength and agility. They can also be skilled on both ends.

The fresh start could also be good for Young and Davis, who have a combined 14 All-Star Game appearances.

When Mitch Marner left Toronto last summer, he did so with that reputation hanging over his head like a cartoon storm cloud.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a historic, Original Six franchise. Marner left his mark on his record by wearing his hometown team’s sweater during his 657 games. At the conclusion of his Leafs tenure, Marner was fifth in scoring with 751 points. He was and still is fourth in career assists with 520.

But when fans talk about Marner, they don’t even mention his offensive talent, or his perennial candidacy for the Selke Trophy. Instead, they refer to him as someone who disappears when the lights are brightest.

in an article for athleticJonas Siegel called Marner a ‘two-way powerhouse’ who helped the Maple Leafs win a lot of games in the regular season.

He wrote, “But this was not the player who got them in the postseason, at least not often, and certainly not in the biggest games.”

“In [2025] In the playoffs, the Leafs swept their way around the Ottawa Senators in the first round and took a 2–0 series lead against the Panthers, but squandered it in disastrous fashion. Siegel wrote in a separate article, Marner again failed to produce when the Leafs needed him most.

Mark Stone, his teammate on the Vegas Golden Knights, disagreed with the sentiment that Marner was not a ‘clutch’ player.

“As a teammate, I haven’t experienced this,” he said after Marner led Canada to a 4-3 overtime win on Wednesday. “[At] 4 Nations, he gets a big overtime goal for us [against Sweden]Makes for an incredible game for the winner [in the gold medal game]. Then tonight, when we need him most, he makes a play.

“So… I guess it’s a Toronto thing,” Stone finished.

Marner is in the midst of his first season with the Golden Knights. Thus, he has not yet had the opportunity to fully shed his playoff demons. But Stone brought up three different ‘big moments’ where Marner came through for his team.

The first ‘big moment’ was Canada’s first game in the 4 Nations tournament. Canada led 3–1 after 40 minutes, but lost the third period. But in overtime, Marner answered the call and saved Canada from disaster with a heroic solo-try goal.

The second ‘big moment’ came just eight days later in the gold medal game at the 4 Nations tournament. Canada trailed 2–1 in the third period, but Marner forced a Sam Bennett goal to force overtime. And in overtime, Marner again had a big play, finding Connor McDavid alone for the game-winner.

The final – and arguably the biggest – ‘big moment’ was the quarter-final match between Czechia and Canada. Trailing 3–2, Canada scored late in the third period and forced overtime. And in overtime, as he had done against Sweden a year earlier in the 4 Nations, Marner did it himself and scored a goal to send Canada to the semi-finals.

Calling Marner a player who can’t perform in big moments is simply not accurate.

Maybe Mark Stone is right. maybe this Is A ‘Toronto thing.’

Hannah Kirkel is a beat writer who covers the Vegas Golden Knights for Vegas Hockey Now on SportsNote. She studied more about Hannah Kirkel