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Nuggets Beat Celtics, 115-109

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DENVER – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Denver’s Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his 20th triple-double of the season, and the host Nuggets overcame a big night by Jaylen Brown to beat the Boston Celtics 115-109 on Thursday night.

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Denver swept the season series and has won seven of eight out of the All-Star break. Jamal Murray scored 19 points, Aaron Gordon contributed 16 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Peyton Watson had 11 points each for the Nuggets.

Brown had 41 points and 13 rebounds, both season-highs, but missed seven free throws. Kristaps Porzingis had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Jayson Tatum finished with 15 points and Jrue Holiday added 12 for Boston.

The Celtics have lost consecutive games for just the second time this season.

Denver led 62-54 at halftime but Boston scored the first eight points of the third. The teams traded buckets before Denver went on a 14-5 run to go ahead 82-73 and took a 90-80 lead into the fourth quarter.

Murray dunked for the first points of the final period. The Celtics scored the next five points but Denver answered with four straight to restore a double-digit lead.

Porzingis hit a jumper to make it 101-93 and had a chance to pull closer when Tatum stole the ball from Murray but the Nuggets stole it back and turned it into a dunk for Gordon with 5:13 remaining.

Brown’s three-point play and a technical on Jokic gave the Celtics a four-point trip to cut it to 105-98. Porzingis hit a 14-footer to trim the deficit to five and Gordon had a putback dunk to make it 109-102.

Holiday got Boston within two with a pair of 3-pointers, Tatum missed a 3-pointer that would have given the Celtics the lead with 45 seconds left and Jokic fed Gordon for another dunk to make it 113-109 with 19.8 seconds remaining.

Derrick White missed a 3-pointer and Denver held on.

Murray hit a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer to put the Nuggets ahead 30-28, and they didn’t trail the rest of the night.

–Field Level Media

Sports Biz: FOX Friday Night Football

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Fox will broadcast a Friday college football game every week of the 2024 season, The Athletic and Sports Business Journal reported.

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College football’s TV schedule will not be ironed out until May, but the games eligible for the Friday night treatment will feature teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Mountain West conferences.

Once reserved for high schools, Friday night football is not new to the Big Ten, which started putting select games on Friday nights in 2017. The Big Ten Network and Fox Sports 1 (FS1) have carried those games in the past.

Now, games will be carried on Fox each week in the run-up to the network’s “Big Noon Saturday,” its weekly show that competes with ESPN’s “College GameDay” and highlights its best game of the week.

The college football games will fill an empty window after Fox did not renew its agreement for WWE’s “Friday Night Smackdown.”

–Field Level Media

Up 23, Celtics Lose to Cavs

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CLEVELAND – (Staff and Wire Service Reports) – Dean Wade scored 23 points and Jarrett Allen finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds to help the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers overcome a 22-point, fourth-quarter deficit and beat the visiting Boston Celtics 105-104 on Tuesday night.

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The Celtics trailed by one point when Cleveland’s Darius Garland was called for a foul on Jayson Tatum with 0.7 seconds to play, but the Cavaliers challenged the call and it was overturned. The loss ended Boston’s 11-game winning streak and its eight-game road winning streak.

Cleveland took a 105-104 lead on a Wade dunk with 19.1 seconds to play. The Cavaliers outscored the Celtics 34-17 in the fourth.

Tatum had 26 points and 13 rebounds. The Celtics received 24 points and nine rebounds from Kristaps Porzingis and 21 points from Jaylen Brown.

The Cavaliers were without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who sat out for the third straight game with a left knee bone bruise. Mitchell, who is expected to miss at least two more games, is averaging 28.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and a career-high 6.2 assists per game this season.

Cleveland’s Max Strus was also a late scratch because of a knee injury.

Garland and Isaac Okoro each scored 16 points. Garland also had 11 assists.

Cleveland led 9-6 early, but Boston surged ahead by scoring the next 14 points to take a 20-9 lead. The Celtics were up 33-25 after one quarter and led 55-45 at halftime.

Tatum led all scorers with 22 points in the first half, when he also grabbed eight rebounds. Tatum made 7 of 9 field-goal attempts in the half, including five of his six 3-point attempts. The Cavaliers shot 32.1 percent from the field in the first two quarters (17 of 53).

Cleveland was within four after Garland capped a 7-0 spurt with a 3-pointer that trimmed Boston’s lead to 69-65 with 5:02 left in the third quarter, but the Celtics outscored the Cavaliers 18-6 in the remainder of the frame and had an 87-71 advantage heading into the fourth.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: This Week

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ORLANDO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The PGA Tour tees up its fourth signature event of 2024 this week, while tournaments will also be played in Puerto Rico, China and Hong Kong. Be sure to visit www.pgatourbrunch.com

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PGA TOUR
LAST TOURNAMENT: Cognizant Classic (Austin Eckroat)
THIS WEEK: Arnold Palmer Invitational, Orlando, Fla., March 7-10
Course: Bay Hill Club & Lodge (Par 72, 7,466 yards)
Purse: $20M (Winner: $4M)
Defending Champion: Kurt Kitayama
FedEx Cup Leader: Matthieu Pavon
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. (GC), 2:30-6 p.m. (NBC)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @APInv
NOTES: This is the second of three player-hosted invitationals along with Tiger Woods’ at the Genesis and Jack Nicklaus’ at the Memorial. It’s also the fourth of eight signature events, featuring a $20 million purse and 700 FedEx Cup points. Player-hosted signature events are the only ones to feature a 36-hole cut, with the low 50 and ties advancing to the weekend. … Tony Finau is the only eligible player among 70 who is not competing this week. … Kitayama seeks to become the first player to successfully defend at Bay Hill since Matt Every in 2015. … The API has three qualifying spots available for The Open Championship to those not already qualified. … European Ryder Cup players Nicolai Hojgaard and Shane Lowry are in the field on sponsors exemptions, and will be joined by 2018 Players champion Webb Simpson. … North Carolina junior David Ford will make his first start on tour after winning a vote of his peers at the 2023 Palmer Cup. … Payne Stewart holds the tournament scoring record of 264 set in 1987.
BEST BETS: Scottie Scheffler (+650 at BetMGM) has gone T4-1-T15 in his past three starts at Bay Hill. He hasn’t finished worse than T17 in his past five starts on tour, but Scheffler is seeking his first official tour win since The Players last March. … Rory McIlroy (+900) won the API in 2018 and was the runner-up last year. He has six top-10s at Bay Hill since 2015. … Viktor Hovland (+1400) makes his first start since a T19 at the Genesis. … Min Woo Lee’s (+4500) late charge for a T2 at PGA National helped earn a spot in the field. He enters the week a career-best 31st in the world rankings.

THIS WEEK: Puerto Rico Open, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, March 7-10
Course: Grand Reserve Golf Club (Par 72, 7,506 Yards)
Purse: $4M (Winner: $720,000)
Defending Champion: Nico Echavarria

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HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 2:30-5 p.m. (All times Golf Channel)
X: @PGATour
NOTES: This is the 16th playing of the event, and the winner will earn a spot in next week’s Players Championship if not already qualified. … Echavarria is seeking to become the first player to successfully defend in Puerto Rico. He tied the tournament scoring record of 267 first set by Chesson Hadley in 2014. … Aaron Wise, who withdrew from the Masters last year to focus on his mental health, is making his first start since last year’s U.S. Open. … Daniel Berger has made three of four cuts since returning from an 18-month absence due to a back injury. … Puerto Rican Rafa Campos is making his 15th event start, with his best previous finish a third place in 2020.
NEXT TOURNAMENT: The Players Championship, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., March 14-17

Red Sox: Giolito Injured; Torn UCL

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston Red Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito could miss the entire 2024 season after initial imaging revealed a partially torn UCL and flexor strain in his pitching elbow. If Giolito requires surgery as opposed to extensive rehab, he’s likely to miss up to 10 months.

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The news would be a potentially significant blow to the Red Sox, who signed the former Chicago White Sox ace to address their starting pitching depth. He signed a a two-year contract worth $38.5 million.

Giolito, 29, became a free agent after spending time with three clubs during 2023.

Giolito produced a cumulative 8-15 record with a 4.88 ERA in 33 total starts last season with the White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians. He allowed 41 home runs, the second-highest total in the majors, but struck out 204 batters over 184 1/3 innings.

Giolito was an All-Star in 2019 and received American League Cy Young Award votes in three straight seasons (2019-21). Across eight MLB seasons with the Washington Nationals (2016), White Sox (2017-23), Angels and Guardians, Giolito is 61-62 with a 4.43 ERA and 1,077 strikeouts over 1,013 2/3 innings of 180 appearances (178 starts).

While with the White Sox, Giolito tossed a no-hitter in 2020 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Ready for Visiting Oilers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Coach Jim Montgomery knew exactly what he was looking for out of his Boston Bruins team.

“We’ve been talking about getting our game going — and raising our level to get ready for the playoffs,” Montgomery said of the aftermath of a 5-1 road loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday.

Mission accomplished.

Just a night after a complete team effort produced a 4-1 road win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins will look to continue down the right track on Tuesday when they entertain another high-skill team in the visiting Edmonton Oilers.

Not only did Pavel Zacha post his first multi-goal game of the season and Morgan Geekie score his fourth goal in three games, but Jeremy Swayman’s 32-save effort backstopped a gem of a game that had often been missing of late.

“The whole game (was strong). We finally put up a good 60 minutes,” Bruins forward David Pastrnak said. “It’s a huge step forward, and a big win for our team.”

Pastrnak dished out three assists against Toronto, giving him eight points in his last four games and 90 for the season. The top-scoring winger is the eighth player in Bruins franchise history to reach that mark in consecutive seasons.

Prior to Monday, Boston had allowed three or more goals in 10 of its previous 11 games dating back to a 4-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 8. That game was also the last in which Boston had more than a two-goal lead through two periods.

The Bruins, who are just 5-4-5 since the All-Star break, will look to carry Monday’s momentum into a stretch that includes seven out of eight games on home ice.

A chance at sweeping the four-game season series from Toronto comes on Thursday.

“We take the positive out of it (whether an effort like Saturday’s or Monday’s), we learn,” Pastrnak said.

The Oilers — who sit second in the Pacific Division but with four games in hand on the first-place Vancouver Canucks — are on a four-game win streak and begin a four-game road trip after cruising to a 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

It was a good day up and down the Edmonton lineup as six players recorded multiple points, including Zach Hyman (two goals), Leon Draisaitl (three assists), Connor McDavid and Ryan McLeod (one goal, one assist each).

“You need those games every once in a while, but we put a lot of work into creating a game like that. It doesn’t just happen,” Draisaitl said. “We put a lot of work into it and did the little things right. Every once in a while a game like that is nice.”

Draisaitl has three goals and 10 points across his last six games.

McDavid is on an 11-game point streak over which he has posted 26 points, 24 of which are assists.

Despite those incredible scoring talents, great goaltending has been a key to the recent run. Calvin Pickard, who has won eight of his 11 starts, made 22 stops against Pittsburgh.

“Maybe three of the (last four games) we could have easily lost,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Goaltending was outstanding. So, good defense usually wins you games. You look at our goals-against, down. And also our penalty kill is looking a lot better than it had been previously.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Primed for Road Trip

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CLEVELAND – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Cleveland Cavaliers will attempt to cool off the NBA’s hottest team when they play the visiting Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. Boston owns an 11-game winning streak, and has won eight in a row away from home. The Celtics turned in their most impressive half of the season Sunday when they built a 44-point halftime lead en route to a 140-88 home victory over Golden State.

Tuesday’s game will be the start of a five-game road trip that also takes Boston to games against Denver, Phoenix, Portland and Utah.

“We’re gonna have to take it to the road now,” the Celtics’ Derrick White said. “This is the NBA. Got a lot of good teams coming up on the schedule and it’s going to be a good challenge for us.”

Boston’s lead in the Eastern Conference has grown to 8.5 games over the Milwaukee Bucks and nine games over the Cavaliers entering play Monday.

Golden State played soft defense against Boston’s Jaylen Brown on Sunday and paid the price. Brown scored 19 points in the first quarter and 29 in the game, despite not playing in the second half, and was a bit miffed by the Warriors’ defensive approach.

“For the most part my job is to get to the paint,” Brown said. “We got enough 3-point shooters on our team, so I don’t take a lot of 3s for the most part throughout the season because we have enough of that. I get to the paint to open it up for everybody else, but if you want to dare me to shoot we can do that too.

“I thought it was a little disrespectful, but we took advantage of it and didn’t look back.”

Cleveland is coming off Sunday’s night’s 107-98 loss to the New York Knicks. The Cavaliers were without leading scorer Donovan Mitchell, who has missed the past two games with a sore knee. Mitchell is averaging 28.0 points, 6.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game this season.

Eckroat Wins in Monday Finish

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PALM BEACH GARDENS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Austin Eckroat won the weather-delayed Cognizant Classic by three strokes Monday to capture his first career PGA Tour title in the tour’s first event of the season in Florida.

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Eckroat was 15 under through seven holes Sunday when play was suspended due to darkness at PGA National’s Champion course. He added three birdies and a bogey on the back nine Monday morning to card a 4-under 67 for a winning score of 17-under 267.

South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen had been the leader in the clubhouse after finishing at 14 under on Sunday. He posted a final-round low of 63 and tied for second with Australia’s Min Woo Lee (final round 67).

Five players tied for fourth at 13 under, including rookie Jake Knapp (66), who was picked up his first career win at the Mexico Open at Vidanta last week. South Korea’s Kyoung-hoon Lee (66), Cameron Young (66), Ireland’s Shane Lowry (71) and England’s David Skinns (71) were also at 13 under.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Crush GS Warriors

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – A dominant first half allowed the Boston Celtics to extend their winning streak to 11 games by beating the visiting Golden State Warriors 140-88 Sunday.

Boston made 15 of 24 3-point attempts in the first two quarters and led 82-38 at halftime. Boston’s 44-point halftime lead is the largest in the franchise’s history.

The Celtics shot 60 percent from the field in the first half (30 of 50), when they committed one turnover. The Warriors trailed by as many as 45 points in the second quarter. Each team rested its starters for all or most of the second half.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 29 points, and Jayson Tatum added 27 on his 26th birthday. Boston made 25 of 49 3-pointers (51 percent) in the win.

Lester Quinones tossed in a team-high 17 points for the Warriors, who trailed 115-62 after three quarters. Boston led by as many as 56 points in the fourth.

Steph Curry went 2-of-13 from the field (0-for-9 from 3-point territory) in the first half and finished the game with four points. He did not play in the second half. Klay Thompson (six points) sat out the second half because of a hamstring injury.

The loss ended Golden State’s eight-game road winning streak.

Center Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t available for the Celtics because of a left quad contusion. Porzingis is averaging 20.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 44 games (all starts) for Boston this season.

The Celtics made 10 3-pointers in the first quarter for a 44-22 advantage. It was 21-21 with 6:05 left in the quarter, but the Celtics scored the next 14 points. Boston scored 23 of the final 24 points in the quarter.

Brown made five of Boston’s 10 3-pointers in the first and finished the quarter with 19 points.

The Celtics outscored the Warriors 38-16 in the second quarter to build their 44-point halftime lead. Tatum scored 20 points in the second quarter and had 22 points at the half.

It was the second meeting between the teams this season. Golden State earned a 132-126 victory in overtime when it played Boston at home on Dec. 19.

–Field Level Media

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