Devils made 33 of 42, 27 of those makes from Evans, Holder and Oleka.HIGHLIGHT REEL: Back-to-back dunks on consecutive Sun Devil possessions by Graham ignited the crowd and the ASU comeback

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Bostons Isaiah Thomas is feeling like a new man. A taller man.Im now listed at 6-1, the 5-foot-9 point guard joked when he sat down at Celtics media day on Monday. I grew a couple of inches this summer.While Thomas was speaking in jest, theres nothing at all fake about his excitement entering this season.The Celtics went into this past offseason focused on attracting the kind of star power to their roster that would help them move into the contender ranks of the Eastern Conference.They missed on Kevin Durant, but added veteran All-Star forward Al Horford to a young core that already includes Thomas -- a first time All-Star himself last season -- Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart.Its given coach Brad Stevens a lot to work with entering training camp as he tries to help Boston advance past the first round of the playoffs for first time since 2012.Were not asking Al to be any more than him, Stevens said. Hes a good fit for how we play on offense, hes good fit for how we play on defense...hes a guy that guys can follow by example. Its unfair to ask Al to be anything more than who he is.Who the Celtics have been the past two seasons is one of the surprise teams in the East. They improved from 25 wins in Stevens first season in 2013-14 to 40 and 48 wins the past two seasons, which both ended in playoff berths.Boston pushed the Atlanta Hawks to six games last season despite losing Bradley to a hamstring injury in Game 1 against the Hawks, seeing big man Kelly Olynyk aggravate a shoulder injury in the same game, and watching Crowder struggle throughout the series because of an ankle issue.Having a promising year derailed by that kind of bad luck has stuck with Thomas.All season thats all I thought about, Thomas said. Losing that series left a bad taste in all of our mouths. We want to get past that first round. I do, I know that. I want to win a playoff series. I want to go farther; we have a good enough team to make that happen.Gone are sixth man Evan Turner and Jared Sullinger, who both left in free agency. But the optimism and excitement surrounding Horford was palpable Tuesday. Not only for his ability to defend and be a big man who can stretch the floor, but for his anxiousness to see the Celtics return to a championship contender.His four-year, $113 million deal certainly carries with it some weighty burdens, but he said he isnt feeling any pressure because of it.In his very first trip to the Garden as a rookie in 2007, Horford recalled being mystified by Celtics championship banners hanging from the rafters.Youre very aware, Horford said. I couldnt stop looking at the banners up top. Maybe some guys feel differently, but I couldnt stop looking at them. Its something thats powerful. It leaves an impression on you.Team president Danny Ainge said he thinks Horford is joining a team that already has garnered the attention of other teams around the NBA.Were not going to be able to sneak up on anybody, Ainge said. I think that the team has earned a great deal of respect around the league the way they played last year, and the last couple of years. Thats a good thing. Thats progress. Thats where we want to be. We want our expectations to be higher. And learning to live up to those expectations is part of the grind.This month will be about integrating Horford into that foundation.Its a challenge Horford says hes eager to embrace.I have a good idea of the history of the Celtics, and of the passion of the people here. I know that its special, and thats part of the reason that Im here, he said. I want to be a part of that.Game notes Olynyk, who had arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder in May, is due to have his five-month evaluation on Oct. 15. But he has been cleared to do noncontact drills in the interim. Hopefully in the next three or four weeks, I can get out there and make something happen, Olynyk said. I just gotta make sure its strong enough to take the hit. ...Stevens said that he has had discussions with players and other team officials regarding the protest and demonstrations that have taken place during the national anthem in the NFL and other sports. Its been great to engage in those discussions. Its been really fun for me to hear about how excited our guys are about using their platforms to promote good things, Stevens said.---Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower Custom Buffalo Sabres Jerseys . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Buffalo Sabres 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. https://www.cheapsabres.com/ . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. Buffalo Sabres Pro Shop . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. Buffalo Sabres Shirts . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. TEMPE, Ariz. -- Four-guard starting lineups arent normal for Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley. He never used such a unit while head coach at Buffalo for two seasons.But Sunday nights smaller lineup got the job done for the Sun Devils and their second-year head coach.Tra Holder scored 24 points, his second straight 20-point game, and Shannon Evans II added 20 points, 12 of those on 12 free throw attempts. The Sun Devils rode a hot second half to a 96-74 win over Cal Poly.Another guard, Torian Graham, scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half, and forward Obinna Oleka added 17 points to go with 13 rebounds. The Sun Devils (2-0) outscored the Mustangs 57-36 in the second 20 minutes after a tight first half.ASU made 18 of 30 (60 percent) second-half shots after struggling in the first half.As these guys (big men) develop, we can get more conventional, and we will play a more conventional lineup, Hurley said. But its nice when you have guys on the perimeter that are as good as they are because Ive got to get those guys on the floor.Kyle Toth made 5 of 8 from 3-point range and led Cal Poly with 21 points. Josh Martin added 17 points.The Mustangs (0-2) led by as many as five points early in the second half, 48-43 on a Jaylen Shead driving layup against three defenders with 16:26 to play. The Sun Devils then went on a 10-3 run to take the lead.I think we wore down a little bit mentally and emotional as it continued, Mustangs coach Joe Callero said. They were able to really drive, and to get to the free throw line 42 times, thats a credit to their aggressiveness.ASU led by as many as 24. Evans sank two free throws to make the score 74-62 with 6:41 to play, and the Sun Devils scored 12 unanswered points over four minutes toward the end of the game.We were trying to stay aggressive. I felt like I couldnt get my shot going for us, Evans said. I knew that getting to the line would get me going. At halftime we talked about picking the ball up, pressuring it and playing defense with energy.Cal Poly trailed by as many as 10 points in the first haalf before rallying to tie the score at 36 on Martins reverse layup with 3:02 left in the half.dddddddddddd. The Mustangs took a 38-36 lead on their next possession, as Martin threw down a dunk off Ridge Shipleys assist.ASU went the last 5:21 of the first half without a field goal and led 39-38 at halftime only because Holder made one of two free throws with 44 seconds to go before Cal Poly let the shot clock expire at the other end.Cal Poly shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, including 7 of 17 from 3-point range. ASU made five fewer shots, going 10 for 25 in the first 20 minutes to help keep the Mustangs in the game.STAT OF THE NIGHT: ASU got to the foul line 20 more times than Cal Poly. The Mustangs were 12 of 22 while the Sun Devils made 33 of 42, 27 of those makes from Evans, Holder and Oleka.HIGHLIGHT REEL: Back-to-back dunks on consecutive Sun Devil possessions by Graham ignited the crowd and the ASU comeback from a five-point deficit early in the second half.TURNING POINT: After Grahams jams, Holder dished to Kodi Justice for a 3 with 14:51 to play, giving ASU a 53-51 lead. The Sun Devils never trailed after that.BIG PICTURECal Poly: After losses to a pair of Division I programs, including Pepperdine on Friday, the Mustangs get a shot at their first win of the season with their next two games at home against lower-division teams. Cal Poly faces California State-Dominguez Hills and Bethesda this week. Since joining Division I for the 1994-95 season, the Mustangs are 34-1 against non-Division I programs.Arizona State: The Sun Devils got wins in their first two games, now they will be tested. ASU will travel 12,900 miles for games and sleep in a hotel 11 of 25 nights between Nov. 16 and Dec. 10.UP NEXTCal Poly seeks its first win Thursday in its home opener against CSU-Dominguez Hills.Arizona State hits the road for its first trip of the season and takes on Northern Iowa on Thursday in Orlando. ' ' '