Getting Walker back on court doesn’t help Celtics in loss
Julius Randle scored 20 points with 12 rebounds and RJ Barrett had 19 and 11 on Sunday to help the visiting New York Knicks snap a five-game losing streak and beat the Boston Celtics 105-75.
Jaylen Brown scored 25 for Boston, which had the best record in the Eastern Conference after winning five in a row but suffered its biggest blowout and lowest-scoring output of the season.
“I don’t believe that’s who this team is,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “We had a clunker. You try to have as few of those as you can . ... We just looked like we were in mud today.”
All-Star Kemba Walker made his season debut after missing the first 11 games with a left knee injury but left in the third quarter with a rib injury. Fellow Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum missed his second straight game with COVID-19. POSTPONEMENTS MOUNT >> Another NBA game was called off because of coronavirus concerns, and the Memphis Grizzlies said center Jonas Valanciunas will not play tonight because of the league’s health and safety protocols.
The NBA said the Philadelphia at Oklahoma City game, scheduled for Sunday night, could not be played because the 76ers did not “have the leaguerequired eight available players to proceed” because of contact tracing.
It was the 13th game called off since Jan. 10 because of virus issues and the 14th game overall.
That 76ers-Thunder determination was made about 90 minutes before the planned start time. The 76ers played in Memphis on Saturday night in a game where Valanciunas played 20 minutes.
The Grizzlies said he would be unable to play against Phoenix because of the league’s protocols.
ABDUL-JABBAR ADVOCATES VACCINATIONS >> Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has revealed that he received the COVID-19 vaccine and is encouraging others to consider doing the same.
The Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA’s all-time leading scorer has taped a short message that will be aired beginning today during broadcasts of games played on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. The video shows AbdulJabbar receiving a vaccine.
BULLS 117, MAVERICKS 101 >>
Lauri Markkanen had 29 points and 10 rebounds, and Garrett Temple scored 15 of his 21 points in the second quarter to help Chicago end a four-game losing streak.
Dallas star Luka Doncic passed Michael Jordan on the career list with his 29th triple-double, finishing with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists. Doncic is tied with Grant Hill for 15th place.
Doncic, who had 30 points at halftime, didn’t get nearly enough help with the Mavericks missing five rotation players because of COVID-19 protocols and guard Tim Hardaway Jr. with a left groin strain.
JAZZ 109, NUGGETS 105
Reserve Jordan Clarkson scored 23 points, Donovan Mitchell added 18 and Utah beat Denver in a rematch of their thrilling first-round playoff series last season that the Nuggets won in seven games.
Rudy Gobert finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds as the Jazz won their fifth straight game.
Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets.