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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official Team News Release) – The Boston Celtics said center Kristaps Porzingis underwent successful surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior 
tibialis tendon. Porzingis is expected to return to play in 5-6 months.
Further medical updates will be provided as necessary, said the team in a brief statement.
BROOKLYN – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Atlanta holds the top pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and even the Hawks were not clear how that card might be played tonight.
Drafting in the top three for the first time since selecting Luka Doncic at No. 3 in 2018, the Hawks are hopeful they can turn their good fortune in the draft lottery order into something long-lasting. Atlanta finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and had only a 3 percent chance of winning the lottery and picking first. But now that general manager Landry Fields has the keys to the draft, he’s not planning to cede control or trade the pick.
“The more that we uncover, like we go, great, I’m glad we have No. 1. I keep joking around like I’m not giving it back,” said Fields, who was promoted to general manager in 2022. “So, I think we’re in a really good position here. I’m excited about it, frankly.”
Media pundits are not as excited about the crop of talent some have described as the worst in a decade or more.
Consensus from NBA evaluators place two French stars near the top of the draft board one year after the San Antonio Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama No. 1 overall.
Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher are narrowly ahead of Kentucky sharpshooter Reed Sheppard and UConn 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan, but at least six players are thought to be in the running for the No. 1 spot one day before the draft.
“We’re planning on picking No. 1,” Fields said of his constant contact with NBA trade suitors.
The NBA moved to a two-day draft format in the first change since adopting the current structure in 1989. The first round is Wednesday in Brooklyn with picks 1-30 announced before restarting the event Thursday night with the 31st selection. There are only 58 total picks in the 2024 draft because of the Nets and Suns being docked second-rounders for rules violations.
Washington won 21 fewer games than Atlanta but holds the No. 2 pick with needs at almost every position and draft lottery mainstay Houston sits third. The Wizards haven’t had a pick this high in the draft since 2010 when John Wall was the top pick out of Kentucky, two years before Washington added Bradley Beal with the No. 3 pick in 2012.
Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said he doesn’t “agree with the narrative” that the 2024 draft class lacks talent at the top. He said after 30 visits with prospects and private workouts, about 10 players remained in the conversation to be considered at No. 2.
The Rockets reportedly are higher on Clingan than most but also met privately with Sheppard and multiple other big men. Houston’s pick is part of the franchise’s return for trading James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.
A countryman to pair with Wembanyama could be an option for the Spurs, who select fourth and also have the No. 8 pick via trade from Toronto. Another 7-footer, Sarr spent last season in the Australian Basketball League after playing for Overtime Elite the two previous seasons. He has high-end mobility and athleticism for his size but isn’t on Wembanyama’s level as a shooter or creator on the offensive end.
Risacher is 6-9 and skilled in almost every facet of the game, earning high marks for his range and perimeter shooting with plus defensive ratings propped up by a 7-foot wingspan.
Sheppard has drawn comparisons to Steve Nash, but he was primarily a shooter in his only season at Kentucky, where his father helped the 1990s Wildcats achieve great success. Sheppard is a hair under 6-foot-4 but flashed a surprising 40-inch vertical and lateral agility at the draft combine to solidify his standing in the lottery.
Clingan’s UConn teammate Stephon Castle was praised for his versatility in his one season with the Huskies. At 6-6, he has point guard skills and dynamic traits as a defender.
Brian Wright has been GM of the Spurs since 2019 and said he’ll never deviate from the best-player-available strategy unless other means to improve the roster — such as packaging picks for a veteran — steers San Antonio away from its momentous youth movement.
Sarr’s older brother, Olivier, was one of 14 French-born players in the NBA last season and has played for the Thunder the past three seasons.
Wembanyama was never on the same team as Alexandre Sarr, but said his rapid improvement is a result of his “crazy talent.”
Behind the Spurs, the Detroit Pistons are set to draft fifth. New VP of basketball operations Trajan Langdon said he’s drawn to edgy and competitive athletes to complement 2021 No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham. This is the third consecutive draft in which Detroit enters with the No. 5 pick.
One year removed from picking No. 2 and 3, Charlotte is in the No. 6 spot and Portland at No. 7 plus the final selection of the lottery, No. 14.
Memphis (ninth), Utah (10th), Chicago (11th), Oklahoma City (12th via Houston) and Sacramento (13th) all hold picks as a result of the lottery or trades.
–Field Level Media
BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had two doubles and four RBIs while George Springer homered to help the visiting Blue Jays past the Boston Red Sox 9-4 on Tuesday. The Blue Jays scored all nine of their runs over the third and fourth innings, highlighted by an initial seven-run scoring frame that erased an early 2-0 Red Sox lead.
Blue Jays centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier also posted a three-hit game, scoring two runs and driving in another for Toronto. The support was more than enough for starter Kevin Gausman (6-6), whose six innings of work included five strikeouts and helped Toronto snap a seven-game skid.
Rafael Devers (2-for-4) and Tyler O’Neill each homered for the Red Sox, who were held to five hits while losing for just the second time in the past 10 games.
Brayan Bello (7-5) was roughed up for seven runs on five hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings. Josh Winckowski covered all but two outs the rest of the way, striking out a career-high eight over six innings of relief.
After a 1-2-3 start against Gausman, the Red Sox struck for a pair of quick runs in the second. Devers opened the scoring with a towering homer out to deep right center, his 16th homer of the season. O’Neill dropped a ball into shallow right over a lunging Guerrero’s glove at first base to continue the inning. Masataka Yoshida then lined a double to right and added to Boston’s lead at 2-0.
The Blue Jays wasted little time tying the game and more, tagging Bello for a seven-run inning in just a span of eight batters. Kiermaier knocked an RBI single off the glove of Enmanuel Valdez at second, and right fielder Wilyer Abreu’s relay throw sailed and led to the second run. After back-to-back walks, Guerrero crushed a go-ahead, two-run double into the centerfield triangle before a Turner grounder and two-run Springer homer into the Red Sox bullpen to bring Toronto in full command at 7-2. It was Springer’s sixth homer of the season.
The Toronto lead ballooned to 9-2 against the bullpen on Guerrero’s two-run double that bounced into the left-field corner and a subsequent throwing error. Devers’ fan-interfered double to center set up another RBI opportunity for Boston in the sixth, and O’Neill crushed a two-run homer out to deep right, his 16th homer of the season.
–Field Level Media
BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Reports) – A night after an exhilarating walk-off victory in the series opener, the Boston Red Sox will look for their fourth consecutive win when they oppose the visiting Toronto Blue Jays tonight.
Jarren Duran (3-for-5) hit a single on Monday to score Ceddanne Rafaela with the game-winning run for the Red Sox, who trailed 6-2 after seven innings but came back for their eighth win in nine games.
Three of Boston’s wins in that stretch came during a series sweep at Toronto early last week.
Rafael Devers (3-for-4 on Monday) and David Hamilton each homered and Romy Gonzalez hit a game-tying, pinch-hit, two-run single to help the Red Sox prevail with the NBA champion Boston Celtics in attendance.
“It was just amazing,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve never really been a part of something like this, and hopefully we can just keep this thing rolling.”
Duran has hit safely in a career-high 14 consecutive games.
The Tuesday pitching matchup is a rematch from the finale at Toronto last week. Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello (7-4, 4.83 ERA) will oppose Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (5-6, 4.24).
Bello pitched six innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts in Boston’s 7-3 win on Wednesday.
“When you’ve got 97-98 (mph) with movement, a good changeup and a good slider, we want our guys to keep pounding the strike zone and he did,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after Bello’s latest outing. “(The starting pitchers) worked hard (last) week just controlling the counts and pounding the strike zone, and he executed the plan.”
BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox look to get the best of an American League East rival for the second straight week, beginning another three-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, who will head to Fenway Park for the first time this season tonight.
It has been a winning stretch for Boston, which took series from the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees on their last homestand before going 5-1 on a trip through Toronto and Cincinnati.
The Red Sox are 9-2 over their past 11 games after heading home following a 7-4 win over the Reds on Sunday, moving them into the third American League wild-card position.
Boston manager Alex Cora sees a talented team from top to bottom that is “playing with joy.”
“We went from a roster that we had some question marks early on in the season and now it feels like it’s one of the best rosters position-player-wise that we’ve had in a while,” Cora said. “From one to 13, we’re not afraid to play them. We’re in a good spot right now.”
Jarren Duran finished a highlight-filled series with a 3-for-5 performance Sunday to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. He also stole his 20th base.
“He works so hard and he now understands what he needs to do to play every day, to keep his energy the way he should,” Cora said.
Of course, starting pitching has also been a major strength. Tanner Houck (7-5, 2.14 ERA) is slated to pitch on Monday.
Houck allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings Tuesday at Toronto. The right-hander had a streak of five straight outings of at least six innings snapped, but the Red Sox were eventual 4-3 winners en route to the series sweep.
Houck, who is 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in six career outings (five starts) against Toronto, has still not allowed more than three earned runs in 12 straight starts dating to April 12.
“I’ve always known I can do better,” Houck said recently. “I’ve always known that I had the ability to do it and it was just kind of putting it together.”
The Blue Jays are trending in the opposite direction, having lost six straight and fallen to seven games under .500 after being swept in Cleveland.
On top of the extended skid, Orelvis Martinez — the organization’s star prospect who recorded his first major league hit Friday — received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
CINCINNATI – (Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – Boston’s Connor Wong and Rob Refsnyder each hit a two-run home run to propel the visiting Red Sox to a 7-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.
Wong (No. 7 of the season) homered in the fourth inning, and Refsnyder (No. 3) belted his home run in the sixth. Jarren Duran had three hits and two RBIs for the Red Sox, who took two of three games in the series and have won seven of their last eight.
Wong extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
Cincinnati starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (8-3) had won his five most recent starts, but exited the mound with two outs in the fifth. Lodolo allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits. He walked four and struck out three over 77 pitches.
Cincinnati manager David Bell was ejected in the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes. It was the 30th time he has been ejected during his managerial career, which ties him with Sparky Anderson for most ejections by a manager in Reds’ history.
Greg Weissert (3-1), one of eight pitchers Boston used in the game, picked up the win for tossing one scoreless inning. Kenley Jansen recorded his 15th save.
The Red Sox scored four times in the fourth. After Wong’s homer opened the scoring, Boston took a 3-0 lead when Ceddanne Rafaela hit into a fielder’s choice and Romy Gonzalez scored on Jonathan India’s throwing error from second base. Rafaela made it 4-0 by scoring on Duran’s RBI double.
The Reds got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. Elly De La Cruz doubled and scored on Jeimer Candelario’s single to left.
Duran’s RBI single drove in David Hamilton to stretch Boston’s lead to 5-1 in the sixth before Refsnyder homered two pitches later.
Cincinnati kept things interesting by scoring three runs in its half of the sixth, which included an RBI double by Tyler Stephenson and RBI singles from Santiago Espinal and Stuart Fairchild.
De La Cruz, India and Fairchild each had two hits in the loss.
–Field Level Media
CINCINNATI – (Staff an d Wire Service Report) – The Cincinnati Reds will send one of the National League’s hottest pitchers to the mound Sunday afternoon when they try to win the rubber match of a three-game series against the visiting Boston Red Sox.
Left-hander Nick Lodolo (8-2, 2.76 ERA) is listed as Cincinnati’s starter for Sunday’s matchup. Lodolo won his fifth consecutive start Tuesday when he pitched seven innings in a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh. He recorded eight strikeouts, gave up four hits and didn’t walk a batter. Lodolo has limited opponents to seven runs in 30 1/3 innings over his past five outings.
“I thought, overall, I just felt in control,” Lodolo said following Tuesday’s victory. “I just want to go out there and give us a good chance to win. … The goal is for me to go out there and get myself in position to win.
“I’m really just five days at a time. I feel like you start looking ahead, you never know. I just have to stay present and do it again in five days.”
The only run Lodolo allowed against Pittsburgh was a solo home run to Ke’Bryan Hayes with one out in the seventh inning. He retired 11 in a row before giving up the home run.
Lodolo is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in his career against the Red Sox. He’s made one appearance against Boston and allowed three runs on three hits — including two homers — in five innings of a 5-3 setback on Sept. 20, 2022.
Cincinnati opened the three-game series against Boston with a 5-2 victory on Friday. The Reds, however, squandered a three-run lead in a 4-3 loss on Saturday and fell to 2-5 in their past seven games.
Boston has won six of its past seven. Saturday’s win improved the Red Sox to 4-1 on their current road trip.
“Secures a good week, right,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “That’s four (wins) this week. We get a chance tomorrow against a good lefty. He’s really good, so we’ll see what we do. It feels good winning this one.”
“A good team win,” Boston’s Rob Refsnyder said. “Just looking back at it, it feels like everyone contributed.”
The Red Sox are expected to employ a bullpen game Sunday after sending right-handed starting pitcher Cooper Criswell to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday. Criswell made 11 starts for the Red Sox after being recalled from Worcester.
Right-hander Zack Kelly (2-1, 1.75) is expected to get the start. Kelly is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two career appearances (1 1/3 innings) against Cincinnati.
The Red Sox didn’t play Thursday and have three days off during a 12-day stretch that begins June 27. That could allow Boston to use its top four starters — Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Nick Pivetta — until at least early July.
The Reds have hit five home runs in the first two games of the series but had two players thrown out at the plate and another picked off second base Saturday.
“We’re going to be an aggressive baserunning team,” Cincinnati manager David Bell said. “We have to continue to learn from each thing and get every edge on the bases. It’s going to be a part of our game.”
–Field Level Media
CROMWELL – Back close to home, Keegan Bradley looks to defend his Travelers Championship title when he tees off this week at TPC River Highlands in the suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut.
The Woodstock, Vermont and Hopkinson, Massachusetts native carded an event-record 23-under finish to earn his sixth and most recent PGA Tour win here in 2023.
“I have great memories of here throughout my whole entire life, so it’s fun to come back as a winner of the tournament,” said Bradley, returning to his favorite golf course.
“I can think of when I was a 12-, 13-year-old kid coming here to watch David Duval play. And then now getting to come as defending champion is pretty cool.”
Bradley has had an up-and-down 2024.
He missed the cut at three of four events across February and March, but he has posted a pair of T2 finishes, including last month’s Charles Schwab Challenge.
“It’s been a weird season,” Bradley said, adding that he has felt “really strong” over the last few months.
Bradley, though, has shot over par in each of his last two events. He followed his season-worst 9-over-par finish at the Memorial by shooting 7-over at last week’s U.S. Open.
Putting has been a struggle, Bradley said, but he feels like his short game is coming along as of late and returning to TPC River Highlands may give Bradley’s putter another boost.
“Sometimes coming to a course like this that you’ve had some success at is just what you need to maybe hopefully contend,” he said.
Asked if he had re-watched his victory from last year, Bradley said he was selective about it.
“I can watch up until about 13 or 14, and then I started whacking balls in the water and making bogeys, so we fast forwarded through that part,” he said.
Bradley said he’s proud to have the Travelers Championship represent his “home event” and relishes the nostalgia it delivers aside from last year’s win.
“This tournament really, it means a lot to me before I had won. I mean, like I say every week, this is a very important tournament to the Northeast and New England golfers,” Bradley said. “And a kid like me, this is the only chance I would get to come up here and watch professional golfers play. So this is an important week for the game of golf in this area.”
–Field Level Media
TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Enmanuel Valdez and Jarren Duran hit solo home runs and visiting Boston defeated the Blue Jays, 7-3. Duran also had an RBI single to help the Red Sox sweep the three-game series and extend their winning streak to five games.
Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (5-6) allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out four in 5 2/3 innings.