Today in Boston Celtics history, Antoine Walker put up a triple-double in a 99-87 defeat at the hands of the Charlotte Hornets in 2000. The University of Kentucky alum put up 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists with 1 foul and 6 turnovers in just under 45 minutes of floor time in the losing contest from the Celtics.
He hit a mere 7 of his 20 attempts from the floor overall that night, and only 1 of his 7 attempts from beyond the arc, a likely key cause in the defeat — although Walker did hit a total of 5 of his 6 trips to the free throw line that evening.
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Teammate Paul Pierce added 19 points and 5 rebounds and Bryant Stith chipped in another 14, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win for Boston.
Historic milestones
It is also on this day in 1979 that the Celtics saw (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets guard Mike Newlin hang 52 points on the Celtics, tied for the sixth-most points a player has scored against Boston. The performance came in a loss for the Nets though, the Celtics coming away with a 115-112 overtime win, the game played at the Nets’ arena for their fourth season in the NBA, Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey. Newlin’s full stat line was 52 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in 49 minutes of play with 3 fouls and 4 turnovers.
May 15, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Celtics logo is seen at center court before game seven of the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs between the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
He shot 19-of-28 overall and hit one of his three attempts from beyond the arc while going 13-of-15 from the charity stripe, yet again not enough for Boston’s opponent to come away with a victory.
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Birthdays
Finally, it is also the birthday of former Celtics forward Bennie Swain, who came into this world in 1933 in Talladega, Alabama. Swain would play collegiately at Texas Southern University and led the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in scoring in the 1957-58 season, earning him NAIA All-American honors.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 20: A view of the Boston Celtics Championship Banners at TD Garden on April 20, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
That got him on the radar of the Celtics, who picked him up with the seventh overall selection of the 1958 NBA Draft. He only played a single season for the franchise in 1958-59, but won a title with them in it, averaging 4.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Walker triple-double; Newlin 52 vs. Cs; Swain born
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