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NBA: Celtics Dominate vs Magic

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The short-handed Boston Celtics overcame a slow start en route to dominating the visiting Orlando Magic 128-111 on Friday. Jayson Tatum had 30 points, six rebounds and four assists to lead six double-figure scorers for Boston, which has won four straight and is 13-0 at home this season.

Payton Pritchard added 21 on a season-high six 3-pointers, while Derrick White stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, eight assists, four rebounds and four steals.

Jaylen Brown had 18 points, and Oshae Brissett and Sam Hauser 11 each to help the Celtics, who played without centers Kristaps Porzingis (calf), Al Horford (rest) and Luke Kornet (thigh) as well as guard Dalano Banton (non-COVID illness).

Orlando also had six players in double figures, including Jalen Suggs with 19 after suffering a wrist injury in the first half. Cole Anthony and Franz Wagner had 17 apiece.

Goga Bitadze posted a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double. Paolo Banchero added 14 points, and Anthony Black 13.

Orlando posted an opening 7-0 run and led 11-4 after Banchero’s driving finish at the 7:46 mark, but Brown’s 10 first-quarter points helped the hosts take back momentum.

Pritchard hit back-to-back 3-pointers off the bench, bringing Boston back within a basket with 4:32 left. Pritchard drained another after Tatum broke a tie in the final minute for a 30-24 advantage after one period.

After Tatum’s 3-point play got Boston off to a strong second-quarter start, Anthony sank a pair of threes and had eight points as Orlando responded with a 10-2 run.

Brissett had two of the Celtics’ next three baskets to help kick off a 13-3 spurt, extending their lead to double-digits. White fed Tatum for his second of three first-half dunks with 3:30 left before halftime.

The Celtics’ lead grew as high as 21 in the third, thanks to a 7-for-12 3-point shooting effort. Brown opened Boston’s scoring in the quarter with a turnaround shot, about two and a half minutes before White began the barrage from distance.

Pritchard also hit consecutive treys in the quarter, which Tatum finished with a driving 3-point play to get Boston over 100 points.

Moritz Wagner’s layup helped Orlando start the fourth on a 5-0 run, but Tatum and White responded with threes made 23 seconds apart. A Brissett dunk forced a Magic timeout with 7:52 left, matching Boston’s largest lead at 25.

Neemias Queta’s personal 5-0 run helped the Celtics late, responding to five straight Magic points.

–Field Level Media

Home Style: Celtics Defeat Cavs

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics look to beat a second straight opponent that has given them recent trouble as the Orlando Magic come in Friday night for the first of two games in three days between the teams. It may be only mid-December, but the series could have a big impact on the final Eastern Conference playoff picture as first-place Boston’s lead on Orlando — which is tied for third with Philadelphia — is just two games.

The Celtics are coming off sweeping Cleveland in another two-games-in-three-days set, beating the Cavaliers 120-113 on Tuesday and 116-107 on Thursday after Boston went 1-3 against Cleveland last season.

The wins moved Boston to 12-0 at home this season, but coach Joe Mazzulla knows his team’s mindset should not change regardless of where the games are played.

“We have to be able to play, regardless of circumstances,” he said, “and I think we’re starting to learn and not be defined by that.”

Jayson Tatum had double-doubles in the back-to-back wins against Cleveland, including 27 points and 11 rebounds on Thursday. Jaylen Brown, who was originally questionable due to a left ankle injury, added 18 of his 22 points in a hot first half.

Teammate Derrick White feels it’s about more than just stats for the star duo, who paced Boston’s 50.6 percent shooting.

“They do so much night in and night out that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet,” White said. “We’re thankful to have them.”

Similar to Cleveland, Orlando recently has had the upper hand in its series against Boston, winning four consecutive matchups dating to last December.

“I get it because we’re the Celtics and we’re supposed to win it every single year that there’s expectations of, ‘Yeah, two or three teams will give you (a hard time) but everyone else will be easy,’ and that’s just not the case,” Mazzulla said. “That’s not the NBA.”

Orlando’s streak of head-to-head success against Boston continued into this season with a 113-96 win on Nov. 24.

Moritz Wagner had a game-high 27 points while Tatum posted 26 to lead the Celtics, who shot just 40.8 percent.

The Magic have not allowed 100 points to Boston in three straight meetings, while their two most recent opponents — Detroit last Friday and Cleveland on Monday — were each held under 95.

“I think you continue to preach exactly what you know travels, which is defense,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. “That’s who we are, and that’s what we’ll continue to be about.”

Orlando, which has not made the playoffs since 2020, is 11-2 since Nov. 15. A 104-94 win Monday at home against Cleveland was its second straight after back-to-back losses that ended a nine-game winning streak, the longest in the NBA this season.

Paolo Banchero, who has been Orlando’s leading scorer in two of the past three games, had 20 points and 10 rebounds Monday. He netted 11 as Orlando turned around a halftime deficit in a 30-15 third quarter.

“We don’t want to be the doormat anymore and a team that people talk about as, ‘It’s just the Orlando Magic,'” guard Jalen Suggs said. “We want to be that tough team, and you’ve got to scout and bring full mental energy and physicality when you come play us.”

The Celtics played Thursday without center Luke Kornet, who was a late scratch due to an adductor injury. As a result, Lamar Stevens contributed four points in nine minutes in his first action since Nov. 28.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Remain Unbeaten at Home

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics went 26-for-26 from the free-throw line and improved their home record to 11-0 this season by beating the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 120-113 on Tuesday night at TD Garden.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored a team-high 25 points for the Celtics, and Kristaps Porzingis finished with 21. Tatum and Porzingis each had a game-high 10 rebounds. Celtics guard Derrick White made 5 of 8 3-point attempts and added 17 points.

The game was tied 106-106 with 6:05 to play, but Boston scored the next nine points, and the Cavaliers were never closer than seven the rest of the way. The Celtics have won 18 consecutive regular-season home games dating back to March.

Cleveland received a game-high 29 points from Donovan Mitchell, and 26 from Darius Garland.

Caris LeVert returned to Cleveland’s lineup after missing the past four games with a knee injury and tossed in 11 points in 23 minutes, but the Cavaliers were without forward Evan Mobley (knee) for the third straight game. Mobley is averaging 16.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this season. He is shooting 57.3 percent from the field.

An 11-0 run gave Cleveland an 18-4 advantage with 7:34 remaining in the first quarter. A Mitchell 3-pointer extended the lead to 25-10 with 5:15 left in the first, and the Cavaliers led 31-21 after 12 minutes.

The Celtics tied the game at 52-52 on two Brown free throws with 3:52 left in the first half before taking their first lead on a Brown layup with 1:39 remaining. A Garland 3-pointer capped the first-half scoring and handed the Cavaliers a 60-59 halftime lead.

The Celtics had a 17-2 advantage in makes at the free-throw line in the first half.

A 13-2 run gave Cleveland a 74-68 edge with 7:30 left in the third quarter, but Boston regained the lead when a Jrue Holiday trey capped a 9-0 spurt that put the Celtics in front 83-82 with 3:53 left in the quarter. Boston had a 94-92 lead entering the fourth.

The Cavaliers lost despite making 19 of their 45 3-point attempts (42.2 percent).

The teams will meet again on Thursday in Boston.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Acquire O’Neill

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BOSTON – (Staff, Wire Service and Team News Release) – The Boston Red Sox worked to reshape their outfield when they acquired outfielder Tyler O’Neill in a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, according to the Red Sox team news release.

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O’Neill, 28, batted .231 with nine home runs and 21 RBIs in 72 games last season as he worked through a lower back strain. O’Neill has struggled to match his production from the 2021 season when he batted .286 and hit 34 home runs with 80 RBIs, while finishing eighth in National League MVP voting.

O’Neill has played all six of his major league seasons with the Cardinals, batting .248 with 78 home runs and 217 RBIs in 477 games.

Boston sent two right handed pitchers to St. Louis in the deal, in Nick Robertson and Carlos Santos.

Nick Robertson, 25, allowed eight runs in 12.0 innings over nine games with the Red Sox after he was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 25, 2023. The right-hander also made nine appearances with the Dodgers during 2023, his Major League debut, posting a 6.10 ERA (7 ER/10.1 IP) with 13 strikeouts. Selected by the Dodgers in the seventh round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, the Virginia native has recorded a 3.61 ERA (74 ER/184.2 IP), .227 opponent batting average, and 231 strikeouts in 150 career minor league games (three starts).

Carlos Santos, 23, missed the entire 2023 season due to a right elbow injury after attending spring training with Boston as a non-roster invitee. This winter, the Dominican Republic native has made seven appearances (five starts) for Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Professional Baseball League, going 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA (9 ER/27.1 IP), 23 strikeouts, six walks, and only one home run allowed. Signed as an international free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies in November 2016 and acquired by the Red Sox in July 2021, the right-hander owns a 3.72 ERA (184 ER/445.0 IP) over 101 career minor league appearances (71 starts).

The move to acquire the right-handed-hitting O’Neill comes three days after Boston traded outfielder and left-handed hitter Alex Verdugo to the rival New York Yankees.

Celtics Back at Home for Knicks

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Boston Celtics will try to remain unbeaten at home this season and defeat the New York Knicks for the third time in as many meetings when the teams tip-off tonight.

Jayson Tatum scored 34 points in Boston’s 108-104 season-opening win in New York on Oct. 25. He added 35 in the Celtics’ 114-98 victory over the visiting Knicks on Nov. 13.

Tatum contributed 32 points and 12 rebounds on Monday as Boston dropped a 122-112 decision to the Indiana Pacers in an NBA in-season tournament quarterfinal clash. The setback meant that the Celtics would be staying home for their next game, as opposed to traveling west to Las Vegas for the semifinals of the tournament.

“I wanted to (expletive) go to Vegas,” Tatum said. “I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to go to Vegas. Next year, I guess.”

Jaylen Brown collected 30 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt.

Kristaps Porzingis expects to be in the lineup on Friday after sitting out the past four games due to a low-grade strain in his left calf. The Celtics said he is “available” to play on Friday morning.

“Of course, everybody was a little bit upset and mad at ourselves for not getting it done (against the Pacers),” Porzingis said. “But me especially, not being able to help out there, it hurts, especially knowing the vision that we had. But this is how it goes and that’s it. As I said, we’ll be back.”

Like the Celtics, the Knicks were bounced from the NBA in-season tournament with a 146-122 setback to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.

Eastern Conference Player of the Week Julius Randle erupted for a season-high 41 points for New York, which had won three in a row and 10 of 13 prior to that loss.

Randle made 14 of 19 shots from the floor and 11 of 12 attempts from the free-throw line versus Milwaukee.

“Just getting to my kill zones,” Randle told Newsday of his improved play. “The spots that I’m comfortable getting to on the floor and creating a shot for myself, my teammates.”

New York coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t interested in handing Randle a verbal bouquet, however. He had bigger fish to fry.

“I’m more concerned with taking a good, hard look at what we have to improve defensively,” Thibodeau said. “Obviously, we fell very short in that area.”

Jalen Brunson agreed after the Knicks allowed the Bucks to shoot a robust 60.4 percent from the floor and 60.5 percent from 3-point range.

“Defensively we didn’t really do anything all game. That’s the story. That’s it,” Brunson said. “I mean, offensively we were playing fine. Defensively, on that side of the ball, we just didn’t do anything. That’s it.”

Brunson, who averages a team-best 24.9 points per game, scored 24 on Tuesday. He had a team-high 26 points in the most recent meeting against Boston.

RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley each had 24 points in the season-opening loss to the Celtics.

–Field Level Media

Zappe Leads Patriots Over Pitt

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Bailey Zappe threw for three touchdowns and the New England Patriots held off a fourth-quarter rally by the host Pittsburgh Steelers to earn a 21-18 victory on Thursday night.

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Trailing 21-10, Pittsburgh (7-6) blocked Bryce Baringer’s punt and took over at the Patriots’ 26-yard line with 13:23 left in the game.

Two plays after a defensive pass interference penalty moved the ball to the New England 1, Steelers quarterback Mitchell Trubisky plunged into the end zone. He then found Pat Freiermuth on the ensuing two-point conversion, trimming the Patriots’ lead to 21-18 with 11:44 to go.

The Steelers ended up getting three more possessions, with their penultimate drive beginning with 2:44 remaining. They worked up to their own 49 but failed to convert a fourth-and-2, and New England (3-10) ran down the clock, giving the ball back to the hosts with just 15 seconds left.

A pair of deep passes got Pittsburgh into New England territory, but the second completion came as the clock hit zeros.

Zappe completed 19 of 28 passes for 240 yards and was picked off once. Ezekiel Elliott totaled 140 yards from scrimmage (68 rushing, 72 receiving) for the Patriots, who snapped a five-game skid.

New England’s JuJu Smith-Schuster hauled in four catches for 90 yards against his former team, while Hunter Henry caught a pair of touchdown passes.

Trubisky logged 190 yards, one TD and one interception on 22-of-35 passing. Najee Harris was held to 29 yards on 12 carries as Pittsburgh lost for the third time in the past four games.

After losing 6-0 to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, New England scored just 3:48 into the Thursday game when Zappe found Elliott for an 11-yard touchdown.

Chris Boswell capped the Steelers’ ensuing drive with a 56-yard field goal to make it 7-3.

Jabrill Peppers picked off Trubisky to open the second quarter, and two plays later, Zappe found Henry in the end zone for an 8-yard TD to put the Patriots up 14-3 with 14:14 left in the first half.

Zappe then connected with Henry for another score — this time from 24 yards out — to give New England an 18-point cushion with 7:38 remaining until the break.

Trubisky threw a 25-yard scoring strike to Diontae Johnson around five minutes later to pull Pittsburgh within 21-10 entering halftime.

–Field Level Media

Listless and Lifeless On to Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Rarely have the Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves sporting a more impressive offense than their opponent this season, but that very well could be the case on Thursday night when they face the visiting New England Patriots.

New England (2-10) has been anemic over its past three games, scoring a total of 13 points. It was shut out for the second time this season in a 6-0 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Prior to that, the Patriots lost 10-7 to the New York Giants on Nov. 26 after falling 10-6 to the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 12.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, New England is the first team in 85 years to allow no more than 10 points in three straight games while dropping all three.

Bailey Zappe was hoping to help the Patriots turn things around when he made his third career start on Sunday, but he ended up completing just 13 of 25 passes for 141 yards. Zappe was starting in place of Mac Jones, who was benched after throwing for 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions through the first 11 games.

While New England appears to already have enough on its plate, here come the Steelers (7-5) on a short week.

“It’s about rest, recovery, being physically ready to go and mentally. It’s a quick turnaround from (Sunday’s) game to Pittsburgh’s scouting report,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “You know, a couple days of trying to get things covered. We’re pretty far into the season, I don’t think there is a lot of new things. It’s more about adapting to what we do against what they do.”

One of those adaptations New England will have to make is game planning for Mitch Trubisky, who will be taking over behind center for Kenny Pickett.

Pickett sustained an ankle injury during a 24-10 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday and underwent surgery on Monday. Trubisky threw for 117 yards and a TD on 11-for-17 passing against Arizona, but he knows facing the Patriots will be a challenge.

“They’re always very sound,” Trubisky said of the Steelers’ longtime AFC rivals. “I think their guys up front don’t get a lot of credit, but they’re very good players. … Always well coached. They do a good job of mixing it up trying to confuse the quarterback with different looks.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for them. It’s gonna be a good challenge for us on Thursday.”

Trubisky will try to provide a spark for a Pittsburgh team averaging the fifth-fewest points per game in the NFL (16.0). New England ranks dead last with 12.3 points per game.

In what is already expected to be a low-scoring matchup, both sides could be without some of their top playmakers, too.

ESPN reported Tuesday that Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson will be out for a few weeks due to a high ankle sprain. He has not practiced this week.

Demario Douglas (concussion) has yet to practice for the Patriots this week as well, while fellow receivers DeVante Parker (knee) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) were among those limited, along with running back Ezekiel Elliott (thigh).

Running back Najee Harris did not participate in the Steelers’ practice on Tuesday because of a knee injury. Cornerback James Pierre (shoulder) was also out. Star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (broken hand) practiced in full.

–Field Level Media

Castiglione Honored with Frick Award

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COOPERSTOWN – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Joe Castiglione, who has called Red Sox games on the radio for a record 41 seasons, has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

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Castiglione will be honored during the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation as part of Hall of Fame Weekend, July 19-22, 2024. Castiglione becomes the 48th winner of the Frick Award, as he earned the highest point total in a vote conducted by the Hall of Fame’s 15-member Frick Award Committee.

The final ballot featured broadcasters whose main contributions came as local and national voices and whose careers began after, or extended into, the Wild Card Era. The 10 finalists were: Joe Buck, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Tom Hamilton, Ernie Johnson Sr., Ken Korach, Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper, Dan Shulman and Castiglione.

“Bringing knowledge and passion to the booth every day for more than four decades, Joe Castiglione has given voice to the greatest era of Red Sox success in the broadcast era,” said Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “Starting with the team in 1983 in Carl Yastrzemski’s final season, Joe has connected generations of Red Sox fans with a delivery that has become part of the New England fabric. His calls of the team’s four World Series wins in the past 20 seasons provided fans with memories that will echo forever throughout Red Sox nation.”

Born March 2, 1947, in Hamden, Conn., Castiglione earned an undergraduate degree at Colgate University and took his master’s degree at Syracuse University – each about an hour from Cooperstown – before beginning his career at WFMJ-TV in Youngstown, Ohio. After moving to Cleveland to work for WKYC-TV, he began calling Indians games in 1979 before working Brewers games in 1981 and then returning to the Indians’ booth in 1982.

Joining the Red Sox radio team in 1983, Castiglione has shared the microphone with partners including Bob Starr, Dave O’Brien, Jerry Trupiano and Will Flemming while also teaching broadcast journalism at Northeastern University, Franklin Pierce University and Emerson College.

Inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2014, Castiglione is the longest tenured broadcaster in Red Sox history and has called historic moments that have included both of Roger Clemens’ 20-strikeout games and four no-hitters. In 2022, the home Fenway Park radio booth was named in his honor.

The 15-member Frick Award voting electorate, comprised of the 12 living recipients and three broadcast historians/columnists, includes Frick honorees Marty Brennaman, Bob Costas, Ken Harrelson, Pat Hughes, Jaime Jarrín, Tony Kubek, Denny Matthews, Al Michaels, Jon Miller, Eric Nadel, Bob Uecker and Dave Van Horne, and historians/columnists David J. Halberstam (historian), Barry Horn (formerly of the Dallas Morning News) and Curt Smith (historian).

The list of 10 Frick Award finalists was constructed by a subcommittee of the electorate that included Brennaman, Costas, Hughes, Halberstam and Smith. The Ford C. Frick Award is voted upon annually and is named in memory of the sportswriter, radio broadcaster, National League president and baseball commissioner. Frick was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1970.

For a complete list of Frick Award winners, click here.

As established by the Board of Directors, criteria for selection is as follows: “Commitment to excellence, quality of broadcasting abilities, reverence within the game, popularity with fans, and recognition by peers.”  To be considered, an active or retired broadcaster must have a minimum of 10 years of continuous major league broadcast service with a ball club, network, or a combination of the two.

The Frick Award election cycle rotates between a composite ballot featuring local and national voices whose careers began after, or extended into, the Wild Card Era in four consecutive years, followed by a fifth year featuring a ballot of candidates whose broadcasting careers concluded prior to the advent of the Wild Card Era in 1994. The cycle began with the 2023 Frick Award, with composite ballots of local and national voices continuing with the Awards in 2024, 2025 and 2026 before the pre-Wild Card Era ballot is considered for the 2027 Award.

VERDU- GO! – Red Sox Trade Outfielder to Evil Empire

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NASHVILLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New York Yankees added an outfielder from their fiercest rival on Tuesday, acquiring Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for three right-handed pitchers as the MLB Winter Meetings are underway.

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Boston got Greg Weissert and minor-leaguers Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice in the swap.

Verdugo, 27, is arguably better known for how he got to Boston rather than anything he has accomplished on the field. He, catcher Connor Wong and infielder Jeter Downs were acquired in the February 2020 deal that sent superstar Mookie Betts and left-hander David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In four years with the Red Sox, Verdugo hit a composite .281 with a .338 on-base percentage, a .424 slugging percentage, 43 homers and 206 RBIs. He played 142 games in 2023, batting .264/.324/.421 with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs.

Counting the three seasons he spent with the Dodgers, Verdugo has a career .281/.337/.428 batting line with 57 home runs and 255 RBIs in 651 games.

Primarily a corner outfielder, Verdugo also has seen time in center field. He could be a free agent following the upcoming season.

Weissert, 28, made 17 relief appearances for the Yankees this year, netting no decisions and a 4.05 ERA. He broke into the majors with 12 games out of the New York bullpen in 2022, when he finished 3-0 with a 5.56 ERA.

Fitts, 23, spent the 2023 season in Double-A, where he went 11-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 27 starts. He was a sixth-round draft pick in 2021 out of Auburn.

Judice, 22, has yet to make his pro debut after New York selected him in the eighth round of the 2023 draft out of UL-Monroe.

The Red Sox and Yankees have come together for just eight trades since 1969, according to MLB.com.

–Field Level Media

Patriots’ Stevenson Out

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson was diagnosed with a high right-ankle sprain and likely will miss “a few weeks,” ESPN reported Tuesday.

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He sprained his ankle in the first quarter Sunday in the 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and did not play the rest of the game.

Ezekiel Elliott is expected to start at running back when the Patriots (2-10) meet the Steelers (7-5) in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Stevenson leads the Patriots in rushing yards (619) and receptions (38) and has four rushing touchdowns.

Elliott, who twice led the league in rushing as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, has run for 429 yards and two touchdowns in his first season with the Patriots.

New England selected Stevenson in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

In three seasons, the 25-year-old has gained 2,265 yards on 499 carries with 14 scores. He also has caught 121 passes for 782 yards and a touchdown.

–Field Level Media