urth driver Juan Montoya won at Mid-Ohio for Ganassi Racing in 19

AUBURN HILLS. Mich. -- Al Horford got the winning basket, though it was Marcus Smart who made the biggest play.With the game tied at 92, Jae Crowder missed a go-ahead 3-pointer, but Smart came from the corner to tip the ball back at the basket. His shot didnt go in, but it gave Horford time to set himself for the follow shot with 1.3 seconds left that gave the Boston Celtics a 94-92 victory over the Detroit Pistons.The credit goes to Marcus, because that was a championship-level play, Horford said. He crashed the glass hard.Said Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy: We just stood there and watched. They missed and no one moved or blocked out.Isaiah Thomas had 24 points and eight assists for Boston, while Horford added 18 points and 11 rebounds.We didnt call a timeout in the last four minutes, because I just wanted to let them play, Boston coach Brad Stevens said. Our guys were making the right reads and the right plays.Marcus Morris led Detroit with 24 points and Andre Drummond had 20 points and 17 rebounds. The Pistons became the last NBA team to lose at home.The teams traded the lead for most of the fourth quarter, and Kentavious Caldwell Popes 3-pointer -- his first basket of the game -- gave the Pistons an 87-86 lead with 1:54 left. The teams traded dunks, and Thomas hit a layup over Drummond with 1:10 to play to make it 90-89.Caldwell-Pope missed an open 3, making him 1 for 7 on the night, and Drummond fouled Thomas on another drive. He made both free throws with 30.5 seconds left to give the Celtics a three-point lead, but Tobias Harris hit a tying 3-pointer.We were in position to come out of here with a victory, but we let them get off two extra shots, Harris said. Nobody, including myself, turned around to keep someone off the glass.Boston, realizing that Drummond was on the bench, didnt call a timeout and it ended up being the difference in the game.Im kicking myself right now, because if we have Andre on the floor, we get that rebound and were in overtime, Van Gundy said. We had Aron on the floor to run the play that led to our 3-pointer, but when they didnt call a timeout, we couldnt get Andre back out there.The Celtics were 6 of 10 on 3-pointers in the first quarter, including Thomas buzzer-beater, to take a 30-23 lead. Boston led 50-47 at halftime.Detroit got 37 points from its starting frontcourt in the half, but guards Ish Smith and Caldwell-Pope had three points on 1-of-5 shooting. Bostons backcourt of Avery Bradley and Thomas combined for 18 points and nine assists.The Pistons used a 10-0 run to take the lead midway through the third quarter, and still had a 73-71 advantage at quarters end.TIP-INSCeltics: Thomas started the second half with a four-point possession. He hit a free throw after the Pistons were called for a defensive three-second violation, then knocked down his second 3-pointer of the game.Pistons: Stanley Johnson, normally one of the Detroits top bench players, didnt play. Van Gundy said that Johnson will only be used as a backup small forward, and he wasnt needed with Morris and Harris both playing well.DRUMMOND MILESTONEDrummond pulled down his 4,000th career rebound in the third quarter. At 23 years and 101 days, he is the second-youngest player to reach the milestone, trailing only Dwight Howard (22 years, 129 days).CELTICS PLAY SMALLStevens wanted to keep a smaller lineup on the floor to try to give Drummond and Baynes matchup problems. Smart played 30:36 while starter Amir Johnson only got 20:22. We were trying to stretch those guys as much as we could, he said. It is hard to do that, because of Morris and Harris, but we thought it went well.UP NEXTCeltics: Travel to Minneapolis to play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.Pistons: Host the Houston Rockets on Monday.Custom Seattle Mariners Jerseys . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. Seattle Mariners Gear . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. https://www.cheapmariners.com/ . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. Mariners Jerseys 2020 .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. Seattle Mariners Store .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena.STEAM CORNERS, OHIO -- Road racing has become the bread and butter of the Verizon IndyCar Series, and the open-wheelers headline one of Americas top summer road racing festivals this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.?The Honda Indy 200 weekend features not only the IndyCar Series, but the full Mazda Road to Indy lineup as well as multiple classes in the Pirelli World Challenge, creating three days of dawn-to-dusk action.?While oval tracks like Texas Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway struggled to fill the seats this summer, business was booming for IndyCar in June on its return to the Road America road course in Wisconsin after a nine-year absence. The Honda Indy Toronto also demonstrated a substantial increase in attendance this year as well, and Long Beach, St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park continue to perform well for IndyCar at the gate.?Boosted by the presence of the Columbus-based Truesports team and driver Bobby Rahal, open-wheel racing built a substantial crowd base in Ohio when the CART-sanctioned IndyCar Series raced there from 1983-2003. After dropping off the calendar in the latter years of the IndyCar split, Mid-Ohios crowds have grown every year since 2007, the year the modern IndyCar Series made its debut on the 2.38-mile road course located -- logically enough -- midway between Columbus and Cleveland.?The IndyCar event, known as the Honda Indy 200, succeeds almost in spite of itself. Mid-Ohio was built in the early 1960s, updated and expanded in the early 80s, and it is still state-of-the-art 1983. Thats part of its charm, but its also frustrating to think just how much potential the venue would have if track owners Kevin Savoree and Kim Green would make the same kind of investment that has resulted in Road America maintaining its old-fashioned allure while providing modern amenities to spectators and competitors.?At Mid-Ohio, its the facility itself that continues to draw people. The hilly, wooded terrain is perfect for camping and hiking, and the race track that winds through the land is a gem for spectators, compact enough to walk most of a lap and watch from almost all of the 14 corners in an hour.?Its a favorite among drivers too. Youll often hear words like technical, challenging, and physically demanding come up in discussion.?The corners range from the 50-mph hairpin known as the Keyhole to the fearsome Turn 1, an off-camber, 90-degree left-hander taken flat in fifth gear more than 100 mph faster. Theres hard braking into the Keyhole and the unique banked Esses, and many good qualifying efforts have been thrown away when a driver failed to properly negotiate the Carousel that ends the lap.?Its a course that really has a bit of everything, observed Chip Ganassi Racings Charlie Kimball, who earned his only Indy car win with a dominant drive in 2013. Tight corners, flowing corners, elevation changes -- it can be challenging, for sure.?More than any other team, Ganassi Racing has gotten a handle on Mid-Ohio and its quirks. Ganassi drivers have won six of the last seven Indy car races at Mid-Ohio, with a total of 10 wins since 1996.?Four-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon is respoonsible for half of those victories, taking the honors in 2007, 09, 11, 12 and 14.dddddddddddd There have been times when the New Zealander has been simply peerless, such as in 2009 when he won by nearly 30 seconds.?Dixon arrives at Mid-Ohio this year not only needing a win to get back into championship contention (hes fourth in the IndyCar Series standings, 83 points behind leader Simon Pagenaud) but also to gain some momentum and positive attention for Ganassi in the wake of this weeks news that longtime sponsor Target Stores is ending its support of the team at the end of the 2016 season after 27 years. ?Dixon was unofficially fastest in a recent open test at Mid-Ohio, reported lapping about 0.1 second under his track record of 1:04.55.?Its a place that we always feel that all four of our teams will have a shot at winning, and there arent many tracks out there where your confidence level is that high as a team, Dixon stated. We always have a stable platform to work with at Mid-Ohio and its a track that really feels like home.?Mid-Ohio truly is a home track for Graham Rahal, who despite no longer living in greater Columbus, has taken on his fathers mantle as the local favorite.?Graham Rahals victory at Mid-Ohio in 2015 was one of the most popular wins in recent memory, and he made it even more special to the partisan crowd by wearing a helmet designed to look like an Ohio State Buckeyes football helmet.?This year, Rahal has refined the design, adding additional buckeye stickers to signify the five podium finishes he achieved in the last year -- and a few grass stains too. Hell also wear a firesuit that incorporates Steak n Shake branding into an OSU football uniform theme.?To win at Mid-Ohio is a career accomplishment that I will never forget or take for granted, Rahal remarked. The way it all came together last year, every aspect of it, made it perfect for me.?Other drivers to watch this weekend include points leader Pagenaud, who has seen his margin shrink to 47 points over Will Power. Helio Castroneves is 74 points back as Team Penske drivers hold down positions 1-2-3 in the IndyCar Series championship standings.?Pagenaud was pleased with his recent Mid-Ohio test program, declaring Were ready to go.?Castroneves owns two Mid-Ohio wins, but they came back in 2000 and 01 in the CART-sanctioned Indy car series. Team Penskes fourth driver Juan Montoya won at Mid-Ohio for Ganassi Racing in 1999.?Surprisingly, Power has never won at a track that would seem to suit him. Hes earned multiple poles and led many laps, but never bettered a second place finish.?Weve built a lot of momentum in the middle part of the season and well look to keep it going at Mid-Ohio, Power said. Weve gotten ourselves into the championship fight, but its still a little early to be counting points. We just need to keep doing what we have been and let the points manage themselves.?It is not a track that Ive won at before, so this would be a great time to do that, he added. But well need to work hard to accomplish that. ' ' '