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Red Sox Acquire C.J. Cron

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FORT MYERS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox signed veteran first baseman C.J. Cron on Sunday to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

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Cron began working with the team Sunday, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the right-handed hitter likely will make his spring training debut on March 11 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cron, 34, was a free agent after playing last season for the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels. He was limited by back issues and batted a combined .248 with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs in 71 games.

A first-round selection (17th overall) by the Angels in the 2011 MLB Draft, Cron has played 10 seasons for the Angels (2014-17, 2023), Tampa Bay Rays (2018), Minnesota Twins (2019), Detroit Tigers (2020) and Rockies (2021-23).

Cron has batted .260 with a .320 on-base percentage, .471 slugging percentage to go along with 187 homers and 604 RBIs in 1,049 games. His best season as a power hitter was in 2022, when he was selected to the All-Star Game and posted 29 homers and a career-high 102 RBIs.

–Field Level Media

LeBron James: First to 40,000 Points

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LOS ANGELES – Veteran NBA star LeBron James became the first NBA player to reach 40,000 career points, scoring on a driving layup in Saturday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets.

James became the NBA’s all-time scoring leader over a year ago when he passed former Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 7, 2022. Abdul-Jabbar had 38,387 points over 20 seasons.

James entered Saturday’s game with a career average of 27.1 points per game over 1,474 contests in 21 NBA seasons.

Needing nine points to reach his latest milestone, the Akron, Ohio, native had five points on 2 of 3 shooting in the first quarter.

James cut to the basket for a layup to open the second quarter then reached the 40,000 mark when he drove past the Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. with a spin then made a left-handed layup with 10:39 remaining in the second quarter.

The 39-year-old has been on a scoring surge of late with an average of 30.8 points over his previous four games. James entered the game averaging 25.3 points per game this season with 7.1 rebounds and 7.9 assists.

James scored the first points of his career as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 29, 2003, against the Sacramento Kings. He reached 10,000 points in February 2008, and hit 20,000 points in January 2013. James made his 30,000th point in January 2018.

–Field Level Media

Big East: Coming Down Home Stretch

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PROVIDENCE – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – In Saturday’s battle between ranked teams, No 12 Creighton celebrated its Senior Day while knocking off a short-handed No. 5 Marquette squad that was missing two key performers. Villanova used a strong second half to grab a key road win at Providence. Butler and Xavier picked up a road victories.

Baylor Scheierman led Crieghton (22-8, 13-6 BIG EAST) with game highs of 26 points and 16 rebounds, including three 3-pointers in a span of 1:53 down the stretch to seal an 89-75 victory. Marquette (22-7, 13-5) was missing Tyler Kolek due to an oblique injury and Oso Ighodaro due to illness. Kam Jones scored a team-high 23 points and David Joplin added 21.

Villanova and Providence went into their game with 9-8 league records. The Wildcats used a strong second half buoyed by some accurate 3-point shooting to post a 71-60 victory at the AMP and move into fifth place. Villanova (17-12, 10-8) shot 13-of-23 from 3-point range and outscored the Friars 37-23 in the second half. Justin Moore led a balanced offense with 15 points. Providence (18-11, 9-9) got 16 points and nine rebounds from Josh Oduro.

Butler ended a five-game losing streak with an 82-63 victory at DePaul. The Bulldogs (17-13, 8-11) were trailing 19-15 before taking control with a 17-0 run. DJ Davis netted a game-high 24 points. Pierre Brooks II scored all of his 16 points in the first half. Jaden Henley led the Blue Demons (3-26, 0-18) with 15 points.

Xavier got back to 9-9 in the league with a come-from-behind 98-93 win at Georgetown. The Musketeers (15-14, 9-9) were down 49-37 at halftime, but scored 61 points in the second half to nail down the win. Desmond Claude poured in 36 points. Rowan Brumbaugh led the Hoyas (9-20, 2-16) with 24 points.

In today’s lone contest, Connecticut can clinch the BIG EAST regular-season crown outright with a victory over Seton Hall at Gampel Pavilion at noon ET on CBS. The Huskies (25-3, 15-2), who opened their league season with a 75-60 loss to the Pirates (18-10, 11-6) on Dec. 20, are seeking their first outright crown since 1999.

Brown Leads Streaking Celtics Over NY

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report)  – Celtics F/G Jaylen Brown collected 30 points and eight rebounds to help the visiting Boston Celtics extend their winning streak to eight games by beating the New York Knicks 116-102 Saturday night.

Boston made 15 of its 35 3-point attempts and shot 56.8 percent from the field.

Knicks’ All-Star guard Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 34 points and had nine assists for the Knicks, who dropped to 0-4 against the Celtics this season. Josh Hart added 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists for New York, and Precious Achiuwa finished with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.

The Celtics led by four points at halftime and outscored the Knicks 35-26 in the third. New York failed to cut its deficit below nine points in the final quarter.

The Celtics received 22 points from Kristaps Porzingis and 19 points, six rebounds and six assists from Jayson Tatum. Six Boston players scored at least 10 points, and the Celtics had a 58-38 edge in points in the paint.

Boston ended the opening quarter on a 9-2 run and had a 30-26 advantage after 12 minutes. The Celtics extended their lead to 56-46 on a traditional three-point play by Porzingis with 3:26 remaining in the second quarter, but the Knicks closed the gap to 62-58 at halftime.

Brown led all scorers with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting in the first half. Brunson had 19 points in the half.

It was 64-64 following a Brunson free throw with 10:47 left in the third, but Boston went on a 33-13 run and had a 97-77 lead after a Tatum 3-pointer with 1:39 left in the quarter. Boston made 9 of its 13 3-point attempts in the third, but the Knicks scored the final seven points in the quarter to trim Boston’s lead to 97-84 after three.

Donte Divincenzo (12 points) and Miles McBride (11 points) were the only other players who scored in double figures for the Knicks, who turned the ball over 14 times.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Put Streak on Line at MSG

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics will attempt to stretch their season-high winning streak to eight games when they visit the New York Knicks tonight. The Celtics returned from the All-Star break and earned their seventh straight victory by beating the Chicago Bulls 129-112 on the road Thursday.

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Boston’s offensive depth was on display, as Derrick White scored 28 points, Jayson Tatum finished with 25 and Jaylen Brown added 21. Boston made 23 of its 47 3-point attempts. White and Tatum each made five shots from beyond the 3-point arc.

“That’s the fun thing about this team is most nights it’s JT (Tatum), JB (Brown) and KP (Kristaps Porzingis). They allow myself and everyone else the freedom to do what we need to do, too,” White said. “Having guys like that at the top is just allowing us to be aggressive and makes this a fun team to play with. That’s the fun thing, each quarter it might be somebody different and we’re all ready to go and having a lot of fun with it.”

Tatum, who is averaging a team-high 27.1 points per game, is among those being mentioned as a possible MVP candidate.

“There’s a lot of talented guys in this league right now,” Tatum said. “A lot of guys doing great things. I won’t have the points per game that the other three or four guys will, but I think the voters are smart enough to understand the dynamic of our team. Essentially having to do less scoring maybe on certain nights, but still impact the game in a lot of ways to kind of ensure that we win every single night.

“I know I can score 30 a night, but that’s not necessarily what this team needs on a nightly basis. Taking that step back, in a sense, for us to be better. I’ve done everything but win a championship.”

The Knicks ended a four-game losing streak by beating the Philadelphia 76ers 110-96 on Thursday. Jalen Brunson led the way with 21 points and 12 assists in the win.

The Knicks received a 22-point performance from Bojan Bogdanovic; 18 points and 12 rebounds from Josh Hart; and 18 points and 11 rebounds from Precious Achiuwa. New York connected on 15 of its 34 3-point attempts.

“The way we moved the ball, it was a great team effort,” said Bogdanovic, who shot 6-for-6 from the 3-point arc.

The Knicks continue to play without forward Julius Randle (shoulder), center Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and guard/forward OG Anunoby (elbow). It’s uncertain when any of the three will return.

“We’re undermanned right now,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Our starting frontcourt is not there so we know we have to play hard as hell. We know if we do that, we’ll have a chance to win.”

Saturday’s game will be the fourth meeting between the Celtics and Knicks this season. Boston won the first three. The Knicks will be looking to improve on their 19-8 home record.

“Just find a way to win — that’s what we have to do,” Thibodeau said. “We have to scratch them out right now.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Pick Up Pace After Break

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Derrick White scored 28 points and Jayson Tatum followed with 25 to help the visiting Boston Celtics top the Chicago Bulls 129-112 on Thursday for their season-high seventh straight victory.

In their first game back from the All-Star break, the league-best Celtics shot 54.2 percent, including 48.9 percent from long range.

That compared to 46.8 percent overall and 35.7 percent from deep for the Bulls, who lost for the third time in four games.

Jaylen Brown (21 points) and Kristaps Porzingis (14) also scored in double figures for Boston.

Nikola Vucevic logged 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls. After scoring 20 points in the first half to match Brown, Vucevic did not make his first (and only) basket of the second half until 6:34 remained in the game.

Chicago’s Coby White scored 20 points and DeMar DeRozan chipped in 18, while Ayo Dosunmu (14), Alex Caruso (12) and Andre Drummond (11) also finished in double figures.

Drummond added eight rebounds and Dosunmu dished a game-high eight assists.

Boston opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run to erase a three-point halftime deficit and never trailed after that. Chicago drew within five points midway through the quarter but was unable to keep pace. Tatum erupted for 15 points in the third quarter after scoring just five in the first half. He also led the team with seven rebounds.

The Celtics swished 23 3-pointers to the Bulls’ 10.

After trailing by as many as 16 points in the early going, the Bulls regained their composure in a breakout second quarter. Chicago’s 8-0 run to close the first period set the tone while helping offset a monster start for Derrick White, who had 12 points and three blocks in the first 12 minutes.

Chicago outscored Boston 39-28 in the second quarter to take a 62-59 advantage into halftime. The Bulls grabbed their first lead since 2-0 when Vucevic hit a pair of free throws with 1:58 remaining in the second quarter.

Torrey Craig (right knee) and Patrick Williams (left foot) missed the game for the Bulls.

–Field Level Media

Tatum and Celtics Look at Big Picture

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With the NBA All-Star Game returning to the Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format, Boston Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were able to giddily team up.

Tatum and Brown combined for 56 points as the East coasted to a 211-186 victory, and now the duo will return to the court for the top team in the league when Boston faces the host Chicago Bulls on Thursday night to open the second half of the season.

“It was pretty cool,” Brown said of getting to play alongside Tatum in Indianapolis. “We got the win, and we had fun. I think it’s just another platform to continue to raise for yourself but also raise for the city of Boston, just represent. I think that’s what we kind of look at it as. That’s what we’ve become.”

Boston entered the All-Star break with six straight wins — its third streak this season of at least that many victories –and is coming off a 50-point home win against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 14.

Balance has boosted the Celtics, who have five players with scoring averages in double figures, led by Tatum (27.1 points per game), Brown (22.0) and Kristaps Porzingis (20.2).

Also the team leader in rebounds per game (8.6) and the co-leader in assists per game (4.8), Tatum is aware of the chatter about his league MVP candidacy, but he is quick to cast it aside as the Celtics pursue a championship.

“They have individual awards for a reason,” Tatum said. “As a competitor, as a player, you grew up watching your favorite players winning MVP and first-team All-NBA and all that.

“Of course you want to win those things. But you can’t take precedent over playing the right way and doing the things that you have to do in order for your team to essentially be the best team in the league and have a chance to win a championship.”

Chicago hopes to gain stability for the stretch run after resetting during the break. While the Bulls have not been over .500 this season nor at the break-even mark since Oct. 30, they enter the second half in ninth place in the East with room to ascend.

“The last couple of weeks have been kind of crazy for us with injuries, dealing with all the noise on the outside and the trade rumors,” said Bulls leading scorer DeMar DeRozan (22.7 ppg). “Emotionally, physically, mentally, we took on a tall task, and we pushed through it. Now we can kind of just breathe a little and gather our minds and emotions.

“Get some bodies back and get rejuvenated for the next 27 games. We’re going to need to put everything and more into those.”

The Bulls’ front office stood pat at the deadline after learning potential trade chip Zach LaVine needed season-ending foot surgery.

Steady play and leadership from DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic — coupled with the emergence of guard Coby White, who is averaging 24.2 points per game and shooting 44.7 percent from deep in February — have fueled the organization’s optimism.

Boston routed the visiting Bulls 124-97 on Nov. 28. Brown poured in 30 points and Tatum chipped in 21 to lead six Celtics scorers in double figures.

The teams are 5-5 in their past 10 meetings and split four games last season, with the home team prevailing each time.

–Field Level Media

Sorry Charlie!

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HOBE SOUND – Charlie Woods was unsuccessful in his first attempt at qualifying for a PGA Tour event.

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The 15-year-old son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods carded a 12 at the par-4 seventh hole and finished 16-over 86 on Thursday at Lost Lake Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla. The pre-qualifying event was one of four for the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, a tournament formerly known as the Honda Classic.

The younger Woods was 4-over par through his first six holes. He rebounded from a disastrous performance on the seventh to piece together six straight pars before recording a double-bogey on No. 14.

One of Woods’ playing partners was Olin Browne Jr., who is the son of the three-time PGA Tour winner by the same name. He carded a 2-over 72 on Thursday.

The top 25 finishers and ties will advance to the event’s Monday qualifier at the Tesoro Club’s Palmer Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla. From there, four players will earn a spot in the field for the Cognizant Classic on Feb. 29-March 3 at PGA National Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

–Field Level Media

Patriots’ Slater to Retire

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FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater announced his retirement Tuesday after 16 seasons. The three-time Super Bowl champion holds the NFL record for special teams players with 10 Pro Bowl selections.

Slater, 38, played in 264 games (including playoffs) for the Patriots from 2008-23, second only to Tom Brady (326).

“I have given all that I possibly can to respect and honor the game,” he wrote in a lengthy post on social media. “Though it is time for my relationship with the game to evolve, the love I have for it will last a lifetime.”

Originally drafted as a wide receiver in the fifth round in 2008, Slater made his impact on special teams. He served as a kick returner on and off between 2008 and 2016 and amassed 191 tackles in kick and punt coverage.

“In 2008, I came here as a young man with hopes and dreams,” Slater wrote. “In 2024, I can retire knowing this experience has exceeded any hope or dream I ever had.”

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Sign Liam Hendriks

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox and All-Star closer Liam Hendriks have agreed to a two-year deal worth a guaranteed $10 million, multiple outlets reported Monday.

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The deal is pending a physical for the right-hander, who is coming off Tommy John surgery in August and is not expected to pitch much, if at all, in the 2024 season. If he does return, it would be well after the All-Star break, per the reports.

The deal is loaded with incentives, which could put the value at $20 million and includes a mutual option for 2026, per the reports.

Hendriks, 35, pitched just five games for the Chicago White Sox after returning last May from stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hendriks went 2-0 with a 5.40 ERA across five innings. He also had one save before undergoing surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

Hendriks began the 2023 season on the IL. He completed lymphoma treatment on April 3 and announced he was cancer-free 17 days later. He was diagnosed in the fall of 2022.

Hendriks, a three-time All-Star, is 33-34 with a 3.82 ERA and 116 saves in 476 career appearances (44 starts) for five teams, including the Oakland A’s (2016-20) and White Sox (2021-23).

The Red Sox are expected to start the season with Kenley Jansen as their closer, though he has been the subject of trade rumors.

–Field Level Media