Celtics top Mavs thanks to Thomas’ late surge
BOSTON — Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas, taking advantage of injuries to the Dallas Mavericks backcourt, put on a one-man show down the stretch at TD Garden Wednesday night.
With Deron Williams, J.J. Barea and Devin Harris all out with injuries by game’s end, Thomas, who had been quiet most of the night, exploded for 20 points and a dynamic assist in the final 6:01 to carry Boston to a 90-83 victory over the Mavericks.
Thomas, who hasn’t scored fewer than 23 points in a game this season, was 3-for-13 from the floor through three quarters and then erupted, finishing with 30 points (22 in the fourth quarter), six assists and four rebounds.
With no real guards to cover him, Thomas fouled 7-footer Andrew Bogut out with a 3-point attempt (he hit the three free throws) and then drove past 6-11 Dwight Powell on the next two possession.
Thomas heard chants of “M-V-P” as he hit two free throws with 41.4 seconds left.
He scored all but four of Boston’s points down the stretch. Avery Bradley, who finished with 18 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, scored the other points, one a slam dunk off a behind-the-back Thomas feed.
Harrison Barnes and Wesley Matthews did their best to keep the Mavericks alive, but with Dirk Nowitzki on the bench in street clothes and the guards hurt, Dallas (2-8) just ran out of gas. Barnes finished with 28 points, and Matthews had 22.
Patriots re-sign FB Gronkowski to practice squad
The New England Patriots re-signed fullback Glenn Gronkowski to their practice squad on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old Gronkowski, younger brother of New England tight end Rob Gronkowski, begins his third stint on the Patriots’ practice squad.
The 6-foot-3, 234-pound fullback originally entered the NFL on May 2 with the Buffalo Bills as a rookie free agent out of Kansas State. Gronkowski made the Bills’ 53-man roster and played in the season opener but did not record any statistics.
Gronkowski was released by the Bills on Sept. 12 and signed by the Patriots to the practice squad on Oct. 1. He was released on Oct. 12 before being re-signed on Oct. 17 and released again on Nov. 7.
Spurs to retire Duncan’s No. 21 jersey
The San Antonio Spurs will retire the No. 21 jersey of future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, who retired in July after 19 seasons and five NBA titles.
The team announced Wednesday the ceremony will take place on Sunday, Dec. 18 when the Spurs host the New Orleans Pelicans.
Duncan will become the eighth Spurs player in franchise history to have his number raised to the rafters, joining Bruce Bowen (12), Sean Elliott (32), George Gervin (44), Avery Johnson (6), Johnny Moore (00), David Robinson (50) and James Silas (13).
Duncan and Gregg Popovich have the most wins by a player-coach duo in NBA history (1,001) and the forward finished his career in San Antonio as one of just three players in NBA history, along with John Stockton of the Utah Jazz and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, to spend 19 seasons with one franchise.
Duncan is one of two players in NBA history to record at least 26,000 points, 15,000 rebounds and 3,000 blocks in his career (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the other).
Lightning lose injured Stamkos for six weeks
Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is out indefinitely with a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee suffered Tuesday night in a win over the Detroit Red Wings.
Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said the team is evaluating different medical options, leaving the recovery time in flux.
Stamkos, currently the team’s leading scorer with nine goals and 20 points in 17 games, was sent back to Tampa on Wednesday for evaluation. He appeared to injure his right leg in a collision with Detroit’s Gustav Nyquist along the boards.
Meanwhile, in Detroit, forward Darren Helm will miss a minimum of six weeks with the Red Wings after suffering a dislocated shoulder, according to a tweet from the team’s Twitter account.
Helm had an MRI to confirm the injury, which he suffered Tuesday in a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has four goals and three assists in 17 games this season.
Meanwhile, Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said Thomas Vanek (hip) is expected to play Sunday. The 32-year-old Vanek has been out since Oct. 25.
Grizzlies’ Wright has ankle surgery
Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Brandan Wright has undergone successful arthroscopic ankle surgery and is out indefinitely, the team announced.
Wright, 29, underwent arthroscopic debridement of his left ankle Tuesday after non-surgical interventions failed to eliminate his posterior tibialis tendinopathy, the Grizzlies said in a news release. There is currently no timetable for Wright’s return to the court, but he will begin rehabilitation in Memphis immediately.
The 6-foot-10, 230-pound Wright has been sidelined for all 10 of the team’s regular-season games this season. He last appeared in an Oct. 6 preseason game.
Nuggets sign Gee
The Denver Nuggets signed forward Alonzo Gee to a free agent contract for a second stint with the team.
Gee is a seven-year NBA veteran who has appeared in 404 career games (213 starts) for Washington, San Antonio, Cleveland, Denver, Portland and New Orleans. He owns career averages of 6.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
Gee, 29, most recently played for the Pelicans during the 2015-16 season, averaging 4.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 73 games (38 starts). He was released Oct. 24 in the final cut to reach the regular-season roster limit.