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TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | June 9

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While We’re Young (Ideas) – The 2024 NBA Finals

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Since yours truly rode off to the sunset from the halls of Olympic Tower-645 Fifth Avenue at the NBA in 2008, there’s been only one occasion for a road trip to the NBA Finals and that came June 9, 11 and 14, 2009 when the hometown Orlando Magic were overmatched against the LA Lakers with the late Kobe Bryant leading the way to the first of back-to-back NBA titles in ‘09 and 2010. Thankfully, since NBA Finals travel budgets for Digital Sports Desk were somewhat limited, it’s been nice that the Finals come to my hometown every now and then. For instance:

  • 2022: The Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics, 4-2
  • 2010: The LA Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics, 4-3
  • 2008: The Boston Celtics defeated the LA Lakers, 4-2

There’s been a bit of a drought for major sports championships on Causeway Street, dating back to the Boston Bruins defeating the Vancouver Canucks in 2011. Since the Year 2000, Boston/New England major professional sports teams have won a dozen championships, including six Super Bowl titles by the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots. Both the Sox and Patriots won in 2018. The list since the year 2000:

  • Patriots championships: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2018
  • Red Sox championships: 2004, 2007, 2013, 2018
  • Celtics championship: 2008
  • Bruins championship: 2013

Sunday night, your intrepid columnist will be working his 140th NBA Finals game, highlighted by 135 consecutive games in the early ‘80s to 2007. The NBA game has changed drastically since Game 4 of the 2007 NBA Finals. In that contest, the final game of a 4-0 sweep of the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers by the San Antonio Spurs, there were a combined 41 three-point field goals attempted. On Thursday, Boston shot 42 three-pointers on their own.

Looking further back to the great LA vs Boston (and Philadelphia 76ers) championship series of the ‘80s, the object of the game was to score off the fast break with easily made baskets in transition. “Showtime” orchestrated by Earvin “Magic” Johnson and the Lakers was based on pushing the ball up court and a combination of NBA All-time great James Worthy, two-guard Byron Scott or soon-to-be Hall of Fame inductee Michael Cooper could all finish with the best of ‘em all.

If the “Showtime” Lakers didn’t have a scoring opportunity off the break, the ball would cycle out and Johnson would yo-yo the basketball with his right fist in the air which signaled the most reliable scoring play in NBA history – a toss into the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the block for his unstoppable sky-hook.

The ‘86 Boston Celtics didn’t have Abdul-Jabbar and the sky-hook but they had one of – if not THE – most cohesive offensive units in NBA history. Again, the Celtics relied on controlling the defensive boards, throwing a crisp outlet pass and scoring easy baskets off their patented fast break.

If there wasn’t an opportunity to score off the break, the Celtics had size and scoring from a frontline unmatched in NBA history. Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish formed “the Big 3” while the smarts of Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge – and before them – Nate “Tiny” Archibald – moved the basketball and hit the open man time after time. In ‘86, the late, great Bill Walton joined the rotation to back-up Parish with more size, rebounding and scoring. The oft-injured Walton was able to play 80 of 82 games that season and won NBA Sixth Man honors.

Fast forward to the analytics-driven age of the NBA today and watch Dallas and Boston hoist nearly 80 shots from downtown, much to the delight of the Golden State Warriors of Steph Curry’s time when the Warriors won four NBA titles (2015, ‘17, ‘18 and 2022). The Warriors relied on Curry and Klay Thompson’s uncanny shooting abilities to score three points for every two-point basket by their opponents.

While the three-pointer was utilized in the 1960s by the American Basketball Association (ABA), adopted into the NBA in 1979-80, accelerated by Rick Pitino’s Providence team (1985-87) and his NBA New York Knicks teams of 1987-89, it was perfected by Curry and the Warriors – largely because of Curry’s unbelievable range.

(As an fyi – the three-pointer was actually “tested” in college basketball in 1945 with a 21-foot line in a game featuring Columbia and Fordham. It reappeared in 1958 for another one-nighter between Siena and St. Francis (NY) before the defunct ABL wrote the “3” into the rule book in 1961. The Eastern Pro League utilized the long distance shot in 1963 and then the ABA put “Downtown” on the map for good when they began play in 1967-68).

While the “three” wasn’t in Dr. James Naismith’s original rules of the game of basketball, the shot became quite popular with fans and was largely and “only” used when a team trailed significantly and needed to comeback from a large deficit in the fourth quarter.

Long before Curry and the Warriors, Louie Dampier and Darel Carrier of the ABA’s Kentucky Colonels utilized the three-pointer much to their advantage, scoring frequently and opening up the middle for Hall of Famers Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore.

Maybe that was a foreshadowing of the NBA of 2024 as the Celtics and Mavericks both spread the court, rotated the basketball and hit open jump shooters for three-point attempts more and better than any other championship-level teams in the league.

There’s no special insight into the outcome of the NBA Finals, other than the belief it is far from being over. The impact of Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis was quite apparent in Game 1 as he returned from a month-long layoff, nursing a sore calf muscle. Porzingis had 20 points, six rebounds, and three blocks in the Celtics’ 107-89 Game 1 win over the Mavericks. Obviously, if Porzingis (and starting center Al Horford) can spread the court, score from downtown and defend the rim, the scales of victory lean towards Boston.

Early in this series, the old adage remains: “A series doesn’t really begin until a team wins on the road.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The NHL and NHL Players Association are getting into the business of running international events. The organizations announced that the Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston will serve as host venues and cities for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025, which will feature international tournament play between NHL Players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States. In addition, the NHL and NHLPA announced the 4 Nations Face-Off schedule of games, which will be broadcast exclusively in North America by The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC), TNT Sports, Sportsnet and TVA Sports.

The 4 Nations Face-Off will consist of a total of seven games played over a nine-day period from Feb. 12-20, 2025 along with two designated training/practice days (Feb. 10 and Feb. 11). All games in the 4 Nations Face-Off will be played in accordance with NHL rules. Each team will play three tournament games in a traditional Round Robin format, under the following points system: three points for a win in regulation time; two points for a win in overtime/shootout; one point for a loss in overtime/shootout; and 0 points for a loss in regulation time. The two teams with the best tournament record will then advance to a one-game final which will be played in Boston. Look for the first six players from each team to be announced Friday, June 28.

NHL MAX-MID-MIN TEAM SALARY: The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association announced Team Payroll Ranges for the 2024-25 season. The lower limit for team salary is going to be $65.0 million, the midpoint of $76.5 million and an upper limit or cap of $88.0 million.

FIRST NBA FINALS AND FIRST CUP FINAL: After five seasons of being All-NBA first team, Dallas’ Luka Doncic is playing in his first NBA championship series. Similarly, all world NHL star Connor McDavid is making his first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. Doncic is 25 years old and hails from Ljubljana (Slovenia) while McDavid is 27 years old and grew up in Richmond Hill, Ontario (Canada). McDavid, the most skilled and outstanding player in ice hockey, led his Edmonton Oilers to the Final (which began at 8pm ET June 8). McDavid is a three time Hart Memorial Trophy winner (MVP) and a five time Art Ross Trophy winner as the leading scorer in the NHL. The match-up, pitting the Florida Panthers vs Western Canada’s Oilers, does not figure to fare very well with the annual Nielsen ratings system. … On the other hand, Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics’ 18-point victory over Doncic’s Mavericks, delivered the largest Game 1 audience share ever on ABC with 20.3 percent, quadrupling the viewership of the closest competition on television, according to Nielsen. Additionally, the audience share in the coveted 18-34 demographic rated at 49.6 percent, the largest ever for an NBA Finals Game 1 on ABC. Translated, Game 1 averaged 11 million viewers, peaking with more than 12 million viewers from 9:15-9:30pm (ET) when the Celtics blew the game open. By comparison though, Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals (Chicago Bulls defeating the Utah Jazz) drew 35.89 million viewers.

White Sox Take Another from Red Sox

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Chicago’s Gavin Sheets belted a grand slam among his three hits, Paul DeJong homered and four pitchers delivered 4 2/3 innings of three-hit relief to lift the host Chicago White Sox to a 6-1 victory against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

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After stopping a franchise-worst 14-game losing streak Friday night, the White Sox used a five-run fifth Saturday en route to winning consecutive games for the first time since May 14-15.

Chicago collected six of its 10 hits against Boston starter Brayan Bello (6-3) in the fifth. Sheets punctuated the rally with his first career grand slam one batter after Andrew Vaughn tied the game at 1 with an RBI infield single.

DeJong and Lenyn Sosa added two hits apiece for the White Sox, who out-hit the Red Sox 10-5. DeJong provided the final margin in the seventh with his team-leading 11th home run.

White Sox rookie right-hander Nick Nastrini was unable to earn his first victory despite delivering the best start of his young career, scattering one run and two hits in 4 1/3 innings with five strikeouts.

While he needed 71 pitches to do it, an effectively wild Nastrini held Boston without a hit over the first four innings.

Nastrini issued five walks but made pitches when he needed to, including when he induced Dominic Brown on a double-play grounder on a 3-1 count to end the third inning.

Bobby Dalbec delivered Boston’s first hit and the game’s first run with a solo homer that narrowly cleared the right field wall leading off the fifth.

David Hamilton followed with a bloop single to left. Jarren Duran walked two batters later to spell the end of Nastrini’s outing, but Chicago escaped further trouble. Tanner Banks picked Duran off at first base before throwing a pitch and then struck Jamie Westbrook out looking.

Home plate umpire Alan Porter ejected Boston manager Alex Cora for arguing balls and strikes moments later.

Banks (1-2) was the winner, allowing one hit in 1 2/3 innings to go with two strikeouts.

Bello allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings with three walks and two strikeouts.

The Red Sox finished 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position while stranding nine. Hamilton had two hits.

–Field Level Media

37-Day Layoff No Issue for Porzingis

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s veteran center Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t going to let a 37-day layoff slow him down during the biggest game of his NBA career.

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Playing in the NBA Finals for the first time, the Celtics big man returned from a 10-game absence to record 20 points off the bench and Boston snuffed a second-half rally to beat the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 on Thursday night in Game 1.

Porzingis hadn’t played since April 29 due to a right calf strain that he sustained during Game 4 of the Celtics’ first-round series against the Miami Heat. He quickly found his groove again, though, making 8 of 13 field-goal attempts while collecting six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes.

“Even if I have time off, I can jump right back in and I feel the same way,” Porzingis said. “I get to my spots … so whether it’s playoffs, regular season or whatever, I know how to do this. That’s it, just having that confidence, going out there whatever, first round or Finals, just going out there with full confidence and giving what I have to the team.”

Can White Sox Break the Losing Streak

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The White Sox of Chi-town will attempt to win for the first time since May 21 when they face the visiting Boston Red Sox on Friday night in the second game of their four-game series.

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Boston opened the series with a 14-2 victory Thursday. That was Chicago’s 14th straight defeat, which broke the franchise record for consecutive losses in a season, set 100 years ago.

“It’s difficult, but today is over,” Chicago’s Paul DeJong said following Thursday’s loss. “We can flush it and prepare to win (Friday). That’s all we can really do is control what we can do in the moment. Right now the game’s over. Just go home and rest and get ready to go (Friday).

“Today could be a little different based on the score of the game, but overall I think in the last week we’ve been playing a lot of tight games and just can’t quite pull out that small margin of victory. I think we have to do everything we can each day to win a game. I think that’s what other teams are doing to us, and we have to match that intensity.”

Philadelphia holds the MLB record for consecutive losses in a season — 23 in 1961. Baltimore holds the American League record with 21 straight in 1988.

Chicago has been outscored 97-45 during its 14-game losing streak. The White Sox have lost 18 of their past 19 games.

Boston led 3-0 after two innings Thursday and 7-0 after four.

“We just got down early,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “They came out swinging it, and we faced a pretty good pitcher (Tanner Houck). We just have to regroup and get back after it.”

The White Sox haven’t won since they beat Toronto 5-0 on May 21 to end a four-game losing streak. Left-hander Garrett Crochet, who was the winning pitcher in that game, is scheduled to start Friday for Chicago.

Crochet (5-5, 3.49 ERA) is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in four career relief appearances (three innings) against the Red Sox.

Right-hander Cooper Criswell (3-2, 3.92) is Boston’s probable starter. Criswell didn’t figure into the decision in his only career appearance against the White Sox. He allowed a run on three hits in 2 2/3 innings on April 21, 2023, while pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays.

“He’ll give us at least five, probably more,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “The pitching has been good.”

The Red Sox hit three home runs and collected a season-high 24 hits in Thursday’s win. Each of the 11 Boston players who came to the plate had at least one hit. Ceddanne Rafaela led the offense with four hits and four RBIs.

Rafaela leads major league rookies with 37 RBIs.

“It’s nice to see that the hard work we put in pays off,” he said. “When we put it together, these are the types of games we’re going to have, where we pass it to each other. Just keep getting yours. Take as much as you can. It’s fun to have these type of games with my guys. It’s nice to get it going. It’s nice.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Jump On Mavs in Game 1

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – There were two key questions coming into Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals.

  1. Would the Boston Celtics come out primed and well rested or flat after a nine day layoff resulting from a 4-0 sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals?
  2. Would Celtics’ center Kristaps Porzingis be healthy and effective after a month long injury hiatus resulting from a strained calf?

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The answers for the Celtics became evident in the very first quarter of this championship series as the Celtics jumped out to a 37-20 advantage and Porzingis led the way with 16 points on 4-of-5 FG shooting, including 1-of-2 from three-point land, 2-of-2 from the line. Porzingis also grabbed three rebounds and blocked two important Dallas shots in the first quarter to set the defensive tone Boston thrived on throughout their league-leading regular season and 12-2 march to the Finals.

The final score of Boston 107, Dallas 89 further answered tho0se questions.

Dallas All-NBA star Luka Doncic slugged it out and managed to score 30 points on 12-of-26 field goal shooting, including a horrid 4-of-12 from 3-point range and sub par 2-of-5 from the free throw line.

Porzingis played 7:17 of the first quarter, looked agile and worked pain free, posting up his defenders, passing well, running the pick and roll and sprinting the length of the floor to hit the defensive boards. The effort allowed Boston to cruise to a 63-42 halftime lead and establish control over the game, allowing only flurries of the Mavericks’ high powered offense to surface.

Boston two All-Stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum scored 22 and 16 points, respectively. Tatum led the Celtics with 11 rebounds. Boston had a narrow 47-43 edge on the boards and an impressive 32-20 advantage on bench scoring, much to the credit of Porzingis’ 20-point effort.

Winning Game 1 in the NBA Finals gives the Celtics a 70% chance of taking the best-of-seven game series which resumes this Sunday on the same TD Garden court.

Game 1 – 2024 NBA Finals

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Preview) – Welcome to Digital Sports Desk’s on-site coverage as the 2024 NBA Finals tipoff tonight with the Dallas Mavericks visiting the Boston Celtics in Game 1 at TD Garden. The Celtics are consensus 6.5-point favorites coming off their sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Meanwhile, the Mavericks seek to steal home-court advantage in their quest for the franchise’s first NBA title since 2011.

TRENDING
The underdog Mavericks have been popular with the public ahead of Game 1, which is understandable considering Dallas has covered the spread in seven of its past eight road games. The Mavericks have been backed by 74 percent of the spread-line money at BetRivers, where they have also drawn 57 percent of the moneyline handle at +200.

Boston has won eight consecutive games against Western Conference opponents, and the Celtics have won the first half in each of their past five meetings against the Mavs.

The Over/Under on the Vegas line was at 215.5 this morning, with the Over heavily supported with 84 percent of the money.

PROP PICKS
–Luka Doncic Over 31.5 Points (-110 at DraftKings): This has been the most popular player point total prop at the books, and Dallas’ superstar averaged 32.4 points in the team’s five-game win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. That was a significant uptick from averaging 24.7 points in the six-game series win over Oklahoma City in the semis.

–Jaylen Brown Over 20.5 Points (-265 at BettingHero): The book reported 4.7 percent of the total player prop bets ahead of Game 1 have backed the Over on Brown’s point total. Dallas has a superior defense to Indiana’s, but Brown did average 29.8 points in the sweep of the Pacers while scoring at least 24 in each game.

STARS REBORN
Dallas guard Kyrie Irving and Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis find themselves pitted against their former teams, with Irving’s breakup with the Celtics much messier than Porzingis’ departure from the Mavericks.

Irving spent two seasons in Boston (2017-19) and told fans that he planned on re-signing with the Celtics. That didn’t happen, though, and Irving broke for the Brooklyn Nets once the summer rolled around. He has been met with boos when playing in Boston ever since, and his teams have lost the past six games against the Celtics.

But a hostile environment is the last thing Irving is worried about on the NBA’s biggest stage.

“There’s no fear out here, man. It’s basketball,” Irving said. “The fans are going to say what they’re going to say. I appreciate them and their relationship they have to the game. But it’s about the players at the end of the day.”

Dallas moved on from Porzingis at the 2022 trade deadline, shipping him to the Washington Wizards after deciding that he wasn’t the right piece to pair with Doncic.

“I don’t know why it didn’t work out,” Doncic said. “We were still both young. We tried to make it work, but it just didn’t work.”

DROUGHT STRICKEN
Both teams are trying to win a championship for the first time in over a decade. The Mavericks’ last title came in 2011, while Boston hasn’t gone all the way since 2008.

The Celtics had a golden opportunity to secure their 18th title in franchise history just two years ago, but they fell 4-2 to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals. Looking back on it now, Boston star Jayson Tatum thinks there was a silver lining in coming up short.

“It was a lesson to be learned,” Tatum said. “I told myself that if I ever got the opportunity again to make it to the Finals, that (I’d) never take it for granted. Obviously, we’re here now and thankful to be here.

“I’m excited to get ready to play and have fun (Thursday).”

Dallas, on the other hand, will be appearing in the Finals for the first time since its title run 13 years ago. Irving, Markieff Morris and Derrick Jones Jr. are the only Mavericks with experience in this stage of the postseason.

“Some of us for the Mavs have been here, some of us haven’t,” said Dallas coach Jason Kidd, who was the starting point guard on the Mavericks’ 2011 championship team. “We’re going to embrace that and find a way to hopefully win a series.”

INJURY REPORT
Beating the Celtics could get a lot harder depending on the health of Porzingis, who has missed the past 10 games due to a right soleus (calf) strain. Porzingis will be good to go for Game 1, but he’s unsure if he will be operating at 100 percent.

“I did as much as I could to prepare for this moment, but there’s nothing like game minutes and game experience that I’m going to get (Thursday),” Porzingis said. “It will be tough to jump into the Finals like this.”

PREDICTION
The Celtics have been riding a high since their improbable final-minute comeback against Indiana to kick off the conference finals. The 6.5-point line is a big one to swallow, so we’re more focused on Game 1 odds contributing to a slow start and backing the Under at 215.5 points. — Game 1: Celtics 109, Mavericks 104. Celtics in 7 for the NBA Finals.

–Field Level Media

Bloomberg Joining A-Rod’s NBA Pursuit

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MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) –  Former baseball great Alex Rodriguez and business partner Marc Lore have added a power hitter to their team as they attempt to gain majority ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx.

Billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg, the former presidential candidate and New York City mayor, is joining the prospective ownership group, The Athletic reported. Rodriguez and Lore currently own a 40 percent stake in the franchises, and they are embroiled in a dispute with current owner Glen Taylor as they attempt to gain control of the teams.

Forbes’ real-time billionaires list on Thursday reported the 82-year-old Bloomberg has a net worth of $106.2 billion, making him the 13th-richest person in the world.

Rodriguez and Lore had agreed to buy the franchises from Taylor at a valuation of $1.5 billion and had been buying chunks in 20 percent increments. In March, they owed Taylor more than $600 million as they attempted to buy another 40 percent and gain majority control, but Taylor said he canceled the deal when the partners changed financing groups and couldn’t come up with the money.

The prospective owners said that wasn’t true, and they have entered arbitration with Taylor in an attempt to resolve the issue. Should the deal go forward, Rodriguez and Lore would have until next March to buy the remaining 20 percent at a $300 million tag.

Per The Athletic, Bloomberg would contribute a portion of that $300 million to allow Rodriguez, Lore and their partner group to become 100 percent owners without waiting until March.

Rodriguez and Lore don’t plan to stop with just buying the franchises, should the arbitration go their way and the NBA governors approve their purchase. The Athletic reported they also are hoping to build a new, privately financed arena to replace the Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Timberwolves have played at Target Center since the 1990-91 season, making it the second-oldest NBA venue, trailing only Madison Square Garden in New York.

Kyrie Irving “No Fear” As Finals Begin

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A pair of stars will need no introduction when the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks meet for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

Dallas guard Kyrie Irving and Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis find themselves pitted against their former teams, with Irving’s breakup with the Celtics getting much messier than Porzingis’ departure from the Mavericks.

Irving spent two seasons in Boston and told fans that he planned on re-signing with the Celtics following the 2018-19 campaign.

That didn’t happen, though, and Irving broke for the Brooklyn Nets once the summer rolled around. He has been met with boos when playing in Boston ever since while posting an 0-10 record overall in his past 10 games against the Celtics.

But a hostile environment is the last thing Irving is worried about on the NBA’s biggest stage.

“There’s no fear out here, man. It’s basketball,” Irving said. “The fans are going to say what they’re going to say. I appreciate them and their relationship they have to the game. But it’s about the players at the end of the day.”

Dallas moved on from Porzingis at the 2022 trade deadline, shipping him to the Washington Wizards after deciding that he wasn’t the right piece to pair with star guard Luka Doncic.

“I don’t know why it didn’t work out,” Doncic said. “We were still both young. We tried to make it work, but it just didn’t work.”

History aside, both Irving and Porzingis are primarily concerned with helping their current teams lock up a championship for the first time in over a decade. The Mavericks’ last title came in 2011, while Boston hasn’t gone all the way since 2008.

The Celtics had a golden opportunity to secure their 18th title in franchise history just two years ago, but they fell 4-2 to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals. Looking back on it now, Boston star Jayson Tatum thinks there was a silver lining in coming up short.

“It was a lesson to be learned,” Tatum said. “I told myself that if I ever got the opportunity again to make it to the Finals, that (I’d) never take it for granted. Obviously, we’re here now and thankful to be here.

“I’m excited to get ready to play and have fun (Thursday).”

Dallas, on the other hand, will be appearing in the Finals for the first time since its title run 13 years ago. Irving, Markieff Morris and Derrick Jones Jr. are the only Mavericks with experience in this stage of the postseason.

“Some of us for the Mavs have been here, some of us haven’t,” said Dallas coach Jason Kidd, who was the starting point guard on the Mavericks’ 2011 championship team. “We’re going to embrace that and find a way to hopefully win a series.”

Beating the Celtics could get a lot harder depending on the health of Porzingis, who has missed the past 10 games due to a right soleus (calf) strain. Porzingis will be good to go for Game 1, but he’s unsure if he will be operating at 100 percent.

“I did as much as I could to prepare for this moment, but there’s nothing like game minutes and game experience that I’m going to get (Thursday),” Porzingis said. “It will be tough to jump into the Finals like this.”

– Field Level Media

Morikawa Gets Second Chance at Jack’s

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DUBLIN, Ohio – (Staff and Wire Service Report – Collin Morikawa recalled that he was nearly moved to tears when he had to withdraw from the 2023 Memorial Tournament on the morning of the final round because of a back injury.

But Morikawa has returned for this year’s edition of the Memorial, which starts on Thursday at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio.

Morikawa will be trying to capture the victory that eluded him a year ago while also going for a handshake from the event’s longtime host, golf legend Jack Nicklaus, on the 18th green.

“I felt gutted last year,” said Morikawa, who was tied for ninth at 4-under par and two shots behind the leaders after three rounds when he suffered back spasms during a workout that Sunday morning.

“I hurt myself on Sunday and I felt like I had a chance,” Morikawa said Wednesday. “I went in there and I was nearly sobbing because I had to go tell (Nicklaus) that I had to withdraw. It sucks because you show up to certain events and you just, you have this thing about an event that you just love, and I love this golf course.”

Morikawa, 27, is a two-time major champion since turning pro in 2019, having won the PGA Championship in 2020 and The Open in 2021. Among his six victories on the PGA Tour is his win at the Workday Charity Open held at Muirfield Village in 2020, but that didn’t come with a handshake from Nicklaus.

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Another shot to win the Memorial came in 2021, when Morikawa lost to Patrick Cantlay in a playoff.

“Oh, it would be so special,” Morikawa said of getting a handshake from the 84-year-old Nicklaus, an 18-time major champion. “Look, what Jack has done for this game, what his voice does, what he represents, it’s a lot. You can’t replace history, you can’t replace someone like that, so to have that chance hopefully come Sunday, it would mean the world. …

Sox, Pivetta One-Hits Braves

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s starting pitcher Nick Pivetta threw seven shutout innings and Rafael Devers hit two home runs as the Red Sox defeated the visiting Atlanta Braves 9-0 on Wednesday and earn a split in the two-game series.

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Pivetta (3-4) struck out nine and walked two. Austin Riley collected the only hit against Pivetta, a single in the fourth inning. It was Atlanta’s only hit in the game.

The Braves, who struck out 11 times in the loss, were shut out for the first time this season.

Devers hit a solo home run in the second inning and a two-run homer in the seventh. He has 13 home runs this season.

Boston also got a solo home run from Jarren Duran, his fourth of the season.

Boston’s Zack Kelly pitched the eighth, and Brad Keller worked the ninth.

The Red Sox, who dropped an 8-3 decision to Atlanta on Tuesday, scored three runs in the second, three in the fifth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth.

Boston’s Tyler O’Neill (2-for-4, one RBI) was reinstated from the 10-day injury list Wednesday and started in right field. Dominic Smith and Rob Refsnyder each added two hits for the Red Sox, who had 13 hits in the game.

Boston’s Jamie Westbrook, in his third major league game, collected his first career hit when he singled in the eighth.

The Red Sox opened the scoring when Devers homered off Atlanta starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach (0-2) in the second. The Red Sox made it 2-0 when David Hamilton doubled home O’Neill, and they stretched the lead to 3-0 when Reese McGuire’s sacrifice fly drove in Smith.

Boston’s three-run fifth featured an RBI double from Enmanuel Valdez, an RBI single from O’Neill and an RBI double by Smith.

Devers homered in the seventh, and Duran homered in the eighth.

Schwellenbach, who was making his second major league start, allowed six runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander walked two (one intentional) and struck out four.

The Red Sox improved to 1-3 against the Braves this season.

–Field Level Media