Latest news with #Kornet
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
LeBron James and Luka Doncic could get the center they desperately need and Celtics fans won't like it
(Image Source - Getty Images) The Lakers in Los Angeles are trying to enhance their team with stars like LeBron James and Luka Doncic, and they're reportedly interested in Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet as a potential new player. Kornet has had some standout moments, particularly in the 2025 playoffs, making him a hot free-agent target. This situation creates extra tension for Celtics fans, as the idea of losing a key player to their historic rivals is quite nerve-wracking during the offseason. Luke Kornet's playoff surge and Boston's financial constraints could pave the way for a Lakers acquisition During Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks, Luke Kornet put on a fantastic show, scoring 10 points with perfect accuracy, collecting nine rebounds, and achieving a career-high of seven blocks in merely 26 minutes. This performance highlighted his defensive capabilities and his talent for rising to the challenge when it matters. During the 2024–25 NBA season, Kornet put up an average of 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists each game, boasting a remarkable 66.8% shooting percentage across 73 regular-season games. His playoff performance showcased even more of his skill, as he shot 72.4% from the field. This offseason, the Boston Celtics are facing major financial hurdles, being more than $40 million over the luxury tax and $20 million into the second apron, which results in significant financial penalties. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo With Kornet becoming an unrestricted free agent, the Celtics could have a hard time holding onto him, especially if other teams make more appealing offers. The Los Angeles Lakers are on the lookout for a dependable center to support LeBron James and Luka Doncic, and they might see Kornet as a perfect match. His skills as a lob threat and rim protector fit right into what the Lakers need. Plus, bringing Kornet on board would not just fill a gap in their lineup but also take away a key player from their rivals, the Celtics. The Lakers aren't flying solo in their pursuit. It seems the Golden State Warriors have their sights set on Kornet too, aiming to strengthen their frontcourt without adding to their luxury tax concerns. Also Read: Caitlin Clark says Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are in 'vacation mode' as Indiana Fever fans hope for a surprise game visit Luke Kornet has been performing consistently, and with the Celtics facing financial limits, he's a top target for teams like the Lakers. Although getting him might need a solid offer, the advantages he brings on both sides of the court could justify the cost. For Celtics fans, the thought of losing an important player to their historic rivals just adds more stress to the offseason. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Boston Globe
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Celtics roster evaluation, Part 2: Reviewing the top players off the bench and coach Joe Mazzulla
Related : Still, Horford remains impactful, as evidenced by the fact that the Celtics were 4.1 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor this season, the second-best differential among regular rotation players. When the team held exit interviews on Tuesday, players sounded devastated when Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Payton Pritchard Advertisement With Pritchard's 3-point shooting remains a weapon. He averaged a career-high 7.8 attempts this season and connected on 40.7 percent. But his impact is felt elsewhere, too. Payton Pritchard, winner of the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award this season, averaged a career-high 7.8 3-point attempts this season and connected on 40.7 percent. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff It's remarkable to watch a player his size essentially move larger defenders out of the way as he finds space closer to the rim. Also, his 1.3 offensive rebounds per game led NBA guards shorter than 6 feet 4 inches. Pritchard is generously listed at 6-1. Advertisement Sam Hauser Opponents have hunted Hauser on defense for years, and there have been times when their pursuit of matchups against him compromised their offense because they were straying from their general principles. But this season, Hauser did regress at that end of the court a bit. A season ago, opponents shot 1.4 percentage points above their average with Hauser serving as the primary defender, and this season that number sprouted by 4.8 percentage points. Hauser's consistency as a 3-point shooter has been a boon. He has made at least 41.5 percent of his attempts in all four of his NBA seasons, a remarkable run for a former undrafted free agent. Hauser had a sparkling plus-17.5 net rating during the playoffs, so maybe the ankle injury he sustained in Game 1 against the Knicks was more damaging than many realized. The Celtics could have a tough decision to make this summer. Hauser will receive a reasonable $10 million salary as his Luke Kornet If the Celtics had overcome the 3-1 deficit and defeated the Knicks, Advertisement Nevertheless, the backup big man had an excellent season, and as an unrestricted free agent will certainly command more on the open market than the minimum-salary deal he had this season. Kornet drew Mazzulla's constant praise for knowing where he needed to be in just about every situation on both ends of the floor, and he quickly moved ahead of Neemias Queta on the depth chart. Mazzulla embraced double-big lineups much more frequently this season, and Kornet thrived in them. He and Kristaps Porzingis had a plus-24.7 net rating when paired together, and Kornet was plus-20.5 with Queta and plus-14.5 alongside Horford. Kornet does not play above the rim, but he has turned into an excellent shot-blocker and rebounder. His offensive rebounding percentage (13.4) was more than Porzingis and Horford combined (10.0). Joe Mazzulla Through three full seasons, Mazzulla's .740 winning percentage is the best in NBA history by a wide margin, with former Bulls and Lakers Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson second at .704. Still, an argument can be made that the Celtics should have two NBA championships under Mazzulla, and perhaps even three, rather than one. Related : The Celtics' reliance on the 3-pointer ultimately proved costly this season; their 25-for-100 shooting through the first two games of the Knicks series was part of the reason they fell into an 0-2 deficit. The Celtics fired up an NBA-record 48.2 per game during the regular season, leading the league for the second consecutive season. But their shooting percentage dipped from second last season to 10th this season. Still, Mazzulla showed a willingness to adapt in other areas, from shifting to successful double-big sets to using timeouts more urgently. Advertisement Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at
USA Today
16-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Luke Kornet on what went into the Boston Celtics Game 5 win vs. the New York Knicks
Luke Kornet on what went into the Boston Celtics Game 5 win vs. the New York Knicks When veteran Boston Celtics big man Al Horford sat down with the team after Jayson Tatum went down with what was later confirmed to be an Achilles tendon tear, Celtics center Luke Kornet got the message loud and clear. "I feel like they're very just aware of kind of the situation that it was," said Kornet via CLNS Media. "We do have an opportunity to move forward, and we said to take it one game at a time and the goal for today was just to make it back to New York," he added. Boston would do so, and handily -- thanks in no small part to the Vanderbilt alum's career night vs. the Knicks in Game 5. "Throughout my time of the Celtics and throughout my career whatever coach asked me to do, I'm just there to do it," said Kornet. The folks behind the "CLNS Media Boston Sports Network" YouTube channel put together a clip of the full Kornet interview for us to watch later. Check it out below! If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network:
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
In honor of the Luke Kornet Game, revisiting big man's best Celtics moments
In honor of the Luke Kornet Game, revisiting big man's best Celtics moments originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston With their season on the line and Kristaps Porzingis hampered by a lingering illness, the Boston Celtics needed a big man to step up Wednesday night. Advertisement Enter Luke Kornet. The eight-year veteran was a force in Game 5 against the New York Knicks, racking up 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks off the bench while becoming the first player in NBA playoff history to post that stat line on 100 percent shooting (5 for 5). Kornet's performance on both ends was critical to Boston's 127-102 win, and may have felt like an outlier for those who glance at the big man's relatively modest career stats. But as Celtics fans well know, Kornet has been making an outsized impact all season, both with his play on the court and his, shall we say, 'unique' personality off the court. So on the heels of the 'Luke Kornet Game,' we're bringing back some of Kornet's best moments from the 2024-25 campaign, including hilarious interviews, wacky celebrations and more. Advertisement Roll the tape! Kornet's epic interview with Abby Chin before Celtics' championship parade Kornet has some interesting takes on the NBA Cup Kornet offers dental advice after Derrick White loses tooth vs. 76ers Jaylen Brown shares Kornet's hilarious reaction to Giannis' handshake fakeout Breaking down the best Kornet celebrations with Luke and Sam Hauser Inside look at Kornet's pregame ritual: The windmill dunk Kornet takes aim at PGL crew after not winning 'Tommy Award' A message from Kornet regarding the race for the season-long Tommy Award Exclusive: Derrick White responds to Kornet's Tommy Award 'attack ad' Hauser wants to hear TD Garden barking with Kornet
Boston Globe
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Garden Party: WOOF WOOF 🐕
Do you hear ... barking? Don't worry; you don't need to get your ears checked. That's just the sound of 19,000 Celtics fans sounding off at Luke Kornet, who came off the bench for 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 (seven!) blocks in the Perhaps emboldened by the election of a new Pope (Kornet is a Catholic and has a defunct Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I was barking with him,' Derrick White said after the game. 'It's just fun to see him do that.' Advertisement The barking celebration Kornet made plenty of them on Wednesday, and the Celtics live to see another game. Woof woof, indeed. Let's get into it. About last night and what's on deck The Swiss Army Knife Celtics With no Jayson Tatum, the Celtics needed a little of everything from all of their players — and that's what they got. Advertisement Six Celtics (Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, White, and Luke Kornet) hit double figures, led by 34 points from White and 26 points, 12 assists, and 8 rebounds from Brown. Brown even But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. New York was a thorn in Boston's side all night, leading by 2 after the first quarter and getting things tied up by halftime. Boston began to pull away in the third, then extended its lead in the fourth, but it wasn't until the final minutes that the Knicks looked like they were out of it. Josh Hart led the scoring for New York with 24, and Jalen Brunson had 22 before fouling out in the fourth quarter. He made sure to wave to the crowd when he was shown on the TD Garden Jumbotron after his sixth foul, which, of course, The win keeps Boston's title defense hopes alive, as the Celtics will head down to what's sure to be a hostile Madison Square Garden on Friday for Game 6. Don't get in Luke Kornet's way when he's got a full head of steam. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff End of the road for Warriors, Golden Knights, Toronto Sceptres Here's what you may have missed Wednesday night. 🏀 The Warriors' season came to an end with a 121-110 loss to Minnesota in Game 5. 🏒 Ah, Brad Marchand — remember that guy? The former Bruin seems to have found greener pastures. His Florida Panthers steamrolled his longtime nemesis, Toronto, in a 6-1 win in Game 5. (The Lil' Ball o' Hate contributed an assist in the win.) Florida now has a 3-2 edge and can close it out at home on Friday. Advertisement 🏒 A scrum in front of the Vegas crease resulted in an overtime goal from Kasperi Kapanen, and the Oilers won, 1-0, to take the series in five games. They'll play the winner of the Dallas-Winnipeg series, which the Stars lead 3-1. 🏒 Kendall Coyne Schofield scored late in the third period to force overtime, and Taylor Heise scored the winner as the Minnesota Frost hung on to beat Toronto, 4-3, in the first round of the PWHL playoffs. The Frost will continue their pursuit of a second straight Walter Cup against the winner of the Montreal-Ottawa series, which continues Friday. 🗓️ Up next: This Eastern Conference semifinal will head back to New York Friday for Game 6 at Madison Square Garden. In the know Christopher L. Gasper on the Celtics' most crucial pieces Derrick White serves up a triple to go with a side of sass. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff We caught up with Emma: It was a huge game for a number of Celtics, with six players in double figures in Jayson Tatum's absence. Whose contribution do you think was most crucial to the win? Chris: It's tough. There were a lot of guys that really stepped up. I thought Jaylen Brown stepped up in terms of his distributing. And then how can you not look at what Kornet did coming off the bench, having to play when Kristaps Porzingis was unable to go. Coach Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis couldn't breathe. He just played 12 minutes in the first half, and he wasn't particularly effective. The Knicks have hurt them with that double big lineup, and Kornet was able to come off the bench. He had 7 blocks, 5 in the third quarter, 10 points, 9 rebounds — sort of that unsung hero guy. Advertisement You knew you needed a big night from Jaylen, you got that. You knew you needed a big night from White, you got that. But you weren't expecting to get what you got from Kornet for sure. Emma: Coming into Game 5, what was your prediction for the series? And did that change at all after seeing what you saw on Wednesday? Chris: I thought the Celtics would win this game tonight, because for the Knicks, it's human nature to let up a little bit. And with Tatum being out, they let up a little bit. And when I looked at the Celtics, I think sometimes people forget you still have an All-NBA wing, you still have All-Star caliber players in White and Holiday, and you have the Sixth Man of the Year in Pritchard. So yeah, you don't have a top five player in Tatum, but it's not like you're completely bereft of talent. And even when you watch the game and you watch Game 5, I didn't look out there and think, 'Oh my God, the Celtics are totally outmanned.' I thought it was still pretty even from a talent standpoint. So I thought they would win this game, but the challenge will be Game 6, because that's basically going to be do or die for both teams. I think the Knicks know if they lose that game, it's really dicey to have to come back [to Boston], and the pressure shifts to them. The Celtics, obviously, they can't afford another loss. Look, only 13 teams in the history of the NBA have come back from 3-1 down. It is a tremendous climb, but they've given themselves an opportunity. Advertisement For the group chat Lisan al Gaib It's no use, Joe! Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff Death, taxes, and Timothée Chalamet courtside at Knicks games. The 29-year-old actor (who you may know as Paul Atreides in 'Dune,' Bob Dylan in 'A Complete Unknown,' and Theodore 'Laurie' Laurence in 'Little Women,' which is, in my opinion, the greatest film adaptation of a book of all time outside the Harry Potter universe, but I digress), is a native New Yorker and a diehard Knicks fan, and he's been in attendance for each of the last three games of this series. Chalamet, who had been in Rome just days earlier, Before Game 5, Chalamet posted a video to his Instagram story declaring that he was behind enemy lines, seated courtside at TD Garden, but by the end of the game, the post had been removed. He replaced it with an image of a black background with the number 6 on it. But his beloved Knickerbockers are 1-2 in games Chalamet has attended this series, so perhaps his favorite team would prefer if he sat this next one out. Advertisement Go deeper Three stories you shouldn't miss Get that weak stuff outta here. Barry Chin/Globe Staff 🐶 Woof woof: Luke Kornet has become a bit of a folk hero for Celtics fans, but on Wednesday, he played the role of hero on the court as well. 💪 Pressure's on: The Celtics won Game 5 with small adjustments and unselfish play. 🧦 Don't let 'em win one: The Celtics heard the rumblings that their season was as good as over and responded loudly in Game 5. Emma Healy can be reached at
