Thomas’ big 4th lifts Celtics
Isaiah Thomas is even starting to amaze some of his teammates.
Thomas scored 17 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, and the surging Boston Celtics beat the Charlotte Hornets 108-98 on Monday night for their ninth victory in 11games.
It was Thomas’ 25th straight game with 20 or more points. He’s been putting up big final quarters of late — scoring 20 or more three times this season. No other NBA player had done it more than once entering Monday.
Al Horford had 22 points, while Olynyk and Jae Crowder added 15 apiece for Boston, which has won all three meetings with Charlotte this season. points and John Wall had 24 as the Washington Wizards took a page from the Portland Trail Blazers’ playbook by hitting 13 3-pointers in a comfortable victory. The Wizards, who rely less on the 3-pointer than almost any NBA team, were 13 of 23 from beyond the arc in their 12th consecutive home victory. The 3-pointer-heavy Trail Blazers shot 8 of 26 on 3-point attempts.
Antonio Brown wanted to let the world in on the party when he live streamed the giddy celebration in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ locker room after an 18-16 playoff win over Kansas City on Sunday night.
The All-Pro receiver also happened to catch coach Mike Tomlin indelicately describing the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh’s opponent in next Sunday’s AFC Championship game.
Tomlin, who was out of the shot and unaware it was being recorded, could be heard clearly in the packed locker room.
“When you get to this point in the journey, man, not a lot needs to be said,” Tomlin can be heard saying. “Let’s say very little moving forward. Let’s start our preparations. We just spotted these (expletive) a day and a half. They played yesterday. Our game got moved to tonight. We’re going to touch down at 4 o’clock in the (expletive) morning. So be it. We’ll be ready for their (expletive). But you ain’t got to tell them we’re coming. Keep a low profile, and let’s get ready to ball like this up again here in a few days and be right back at it. That’s our story.”
Tomlin’s rant didn’t bother the Pittsburgh players as much as Brown’s decision to throw back the curtain on what usually is a private moment.
“Personally I’d like some of that stuff (to be) sacred,” long snapper Greg Warren said Monday. “But this is a changing world, a changing environment. I can’t be some old guy stuck under a rock.”
Brown’s 17-minute video collected more than 900,000 views in a few hours before being removed (though it lives on through YouTube).
Patriots coach Bill Belichick downplayed
Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan appears to be the front-runner for the vacant San Francisco 49ers coaching job after New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels pulled out of the running, the San Jose (California) Mercury News reported.
Shanahan interviewed with the 49ers in the Atlanta area two weekends ago, when NFL rules allowed him to do so because the Falcons had a bye week for the wild-card round of the playoffs. But with the Falcons in the NFC championship game on Sunday, by league rule, Shanahan isn’t allowed to have contact with the 49ers until after that game.
Quick slants
Atlanta coach Dan Quinn said that All-Pro receiver Julio Jones will be in the lineup when the Falcons play for a spot in the Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers, despite a lingering foot injury that limited Jones in the second half of a divisional-round victory over Seattle.
Chip Kelly interviewed to become offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars, two weeks after being fired as head coach of the 49ers. The Jaguars, meanwhile, hired former Michigan standout Tyrone Wheatley as running backs coach. Wheatley, 44, spent the past two years coaching running backs at his alma mater.