Boston Celtics

Morning sports update: Raptors coach Nick Nurse called NBA officiating ‘frustrating’ after Game 2 loss

"They took pretty good care of him tonight."

Nick Nurse NBA refs
Nick Nurse speaks with NBA referee Tony Brothers during Game 2 of the Celtics-Raptors series. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

The Celtics rallied to win Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday night, defeating the Raptors 102-99 to take a 2-0 series lead.

Marcus Smart played the key role for Boston, nailing five 3-pointers in just over three minutes during the fourth quarter as the Celtics rallied from what was once a 12-point third quarter deficit.

The Red Sox fell to the Braves 10-3 behind Marcell Ozuna’s three home runs.

And tonight, the Revolution face New York City FC at Gillette Stadium. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m.

Nick Nurse on the Game 2 officiating: Celtics forward Jayson Tatum shot 8-17 on Tuesday in the Celtics’ comeback win over the Raptors, and the 22-year-old finished with 34 points.

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His total was helped by 14 free throws, all of which he made. It was a conspicuous stat, according to Raptors coach Nick Nurse, who took issue with the officiating after his team lost to fall into a 2-0 series hole.

“The only frustrating part about it is this,” Nurse told reporters. “He shoots 14 free throws, which is as much as our whole team shoots.”

Nurse’s counting wasn’t entirely correct, as Toronto shot 19 free throws in the 102-99 loss. Still, the tally was close enough for Nurse to convey his point.

“That’s the frustrating part,” Nurse explained. “I mean I think our guys were working hard on him and we were doing a pretty good job. He made some good shots. They were obviously getting him the ball a lot, getting him in space.

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“We could have helped a little bit better here in there,” Nurse added. “But they took pretty good care of him tonight.”

Trivia: What former Red Sox pitcher — who produced multiple 20-win seasons — also suffered a 20-loss season during his career.

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: The 20-loss season happened when he was pitching for Cleveland in 1969.

More from Boston.com:

Marcus Smart’s explanation for his burst of fourth quarter three-pointers

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Bill Belichick’s deadpan humor in the Subway commercial:

https://youtu.be/qQeH_ZbXHic

On this day: In 1960, Wilma Rudolph won gold in the 100-meter sprint at the Rome Olympics.

Rudolph’s story is incredible. She was born prematurely in 1940, weighing only 4 1/2 pounds. Due to childhood fights with scarlet fever, pneumonia, and polio, Rudolph suffered from infantile paralysis.

She walked with the support of a leg brace from the age of six until she was 12, and only overcame the effects due to daily massages from her siblings (she was the 20th of 22) as well as a 90-mile roundtrip therapy session she attended with her mother every week.

Incredibly, Rudolph not only overcame her early life struggles to walk (and run) again, but quickly showed she was the best among her peers. At 16, she competed in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, winning a bronze medal as a member of the 4 x 100 relay team.

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Yet it was four years later in Rome that Rudolph created a historic legacy. After the win in the 100-meter, she triumphed again in the 200-meter, and anchored the 4 x 100 relay team to a third gold medal. It was record haul for U.S. women at the Olympics, and an inspiration for generations afterward.

Daily highlight: Mike Yastrzemski once again took a page from his grandfather’s story, making a diving catch on Tuesday.

Trivia answer: Luis Tiant

Hayden Bird

Sports Staff

Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.

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