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Celtics’ Jordan Walsh wanted to make ‘statement’ with dunk in Summer League win vs. Lakers
"I was even more motivated when we came out and they were hitting me and pushing me, all type of dirty stuff."
The Summer (League) of Jordan Walsh: While the Celtics‘ offseason has mostly been dominated by difficult news — the ongoing rehab of injured star Jayson Tatum, and the trading of multiple starters in order to avoid a secondary luxury tax — the annual Summer League has provided some moments of humor and optimism.
Some of that has centered around third-year bench player Jordan Walsh. Though he was recently ejected from a loss against the Heat, Walsh has played well and drawn praise from head coach Joe Mazzulla. On Thursday, he led the Celtics to a win over the rival Lakers, 87-78.
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Walsh, 21, scored a team-high 17 points, adding six rebounds and two steals. In the fourth quarter, he added an exclamation point with a windmill dunk.
“I really wanted to beat the Lakers bad,” Walsh said, per MassLive’s Brian Robb. “I wanted to make a statement real bad, so I decided to put some icing on the cake.”
Though the game has low stakes for fans, it remained a clash of eternal NBA rivals in Walsh’s view. The intensity ramped up even farther when Los Angeles utilized what the Celtics forward saw as “dirty” tactics.
“Super motivated. I was even more motivated when we came out and they were hitting me and pushing me, all type of dirty stuff,” Walsh said. “I was just like, ‘Stay cool, calm play, let’s win this game and be happy afterwards.'”
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In the process, Walsh also became the team’s all-time leading Summer League scorer, surpassing Al Jefferson.
Scores and schedules:
Today, the Red Sox resume play following the All-Star break. Boston will face the Cubs at Wrigley Field at 2:20 p.m. in the first of a three-game series.
Tomorrow, the Revolution host Orlando City at 7:30 p.m.
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Women’s Euro highlights: On what was a slow sports day in the U.S. following the MLB All-Star Game, the Women’s Euros filled the void with a dramatic England-Sweden quarterfinal matchup. The game was eventually decided via penalty kick after a back-and-forth 120 minutes.
On this day: In 1976, Nadia Comăneci of Romania made history as the first gymnast in Olympic history to achieve a perfect score of 10.0 in competition (doing so initially on the uneven bars).
Comăneci was awarded six additional perfect scores in subsequent events, winning three gold medals at the Montreal Summer Games. She finished her Olympic career with a total of five golds, three silvers, and one bronze.
Daily highlight: Tadej Pogačar put the hammer down on the daunting final climb of Thursday’s stage 12 of the Tour de France. The 26-year-old Slovenian star ascended the “beyond category” Hautacam climb with dizzying speed, leaving rival Jonas Vingegaard trailing in his wake.
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