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Boston Celtics

Nuggets Tough on the Road

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Nuggets 114, Celtics 110

BOSTON – (staff and Wire Service Report) – Wrong Peyton.

Denver’s Peyton Watson scored 30 points and Jamal Murray added 22 points, eight rebounds and a career-high 17 assists to lead visiting Nuggets over the Boston Celtics for the Nuggets’ NBA-best 15th road victory.

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Watson made six of his seven 3-point attempts, including a 3-pointer that put Denver up 106-93 with 2:24 to play. Watson has scored at least 20 points in each of his last five games. Denver’s Nikola Jokic missed his fifth straight game with a knee injury. The Nuggets have a 3-2 record without him.

Boston received a game-high 33 points along with seven rebounds and four assists from Jaylen Brown, who also committed seven turnovers. Neemias Queta had six points and a career-high 20 rebounds for the Celtics. Ten of Queta’s 20 rebounds came at the offensive end.

Celtics Too Good for Bulls

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Anfernee Simons made eight 3-pointers and scored a game-high 27 points to help the Boston Celtics extend their winning streak to four games by beating the visiting Chicago Bulls 115-101 on Monday night. Payton Pritchard added 21 points for the Celtics, who received 13 points and 13 rebounds from Neemias Queta. Boston shot 40% from the field but matched its season high with 20 offensive rebounds.

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Matas Buzelis led Chicago with 26 points. Nikola Vucevic added 15 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. Ayo Dosunmu (15) and Tre Jones (10) were the only other Bulls who scored in double figures.

Boston’s Jaylen Brown was 6 of 24 from the floor and finished the game with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Chicago, which had won its last four road games, played without point guard Josh Giddey (left hamstring strain) and center/forward Jalen Smith (concussion). Giddey is averaging a team-high 19.2 points per game.

Shooting guard Coby White returned after missing Chicago’s last three games with a calf injury. White, who also began the night averaging 19.2 points per contest, had five points and six rebounds in 25 minutes.

The Bulls were up 9-6, but Boston went on a 16-2 run and led 22-11 with 3:51 remaining in the opening quarter. The Celtics scored 25 of the final 30 points in the quarter and had a 31-14 lead after 12 minutes.

The Bulls missed 19 of their first 21 3-point attempts and trailed by as many as 23 points in the second quarter. A Pritchard 3-pointer at the buzzer handed Boston a 54-33 halftime lead.

Chicago scored 34 points in the third quarter after scoring 33 in the first half but trailed 85-67 entering the fourth. The Bulls trailed by 10 after a Vucevic 3-pointer with 3:34 to play but failed to get any closer.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Botch One in Portland

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PORTLAND – (Wire Service Report) – Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe scored 26 points and Deni Avdija added 24 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds to help the host Trail Blazers defeat the Boston Celtics 114-108 on Sunday. Toumani Camara scored 20 points and Donovan Clingan recorded 18 points and 18 rebounds as the Trail Blazers halted a three-game skid. Caleb Love scored 18 off the bench as Portland also snapped a six-game losing streak against the Celtics.

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Jaylen Brown had 37 points and seven rebounds for Boston, which saw a four-game winning streak end. Brown has scored at least 30 in all nine of his appearances this month. Hugo Gonzalez and former Trail Blazer Anfernee Simons added 13 points apiece for Boston. Derrick White scored 12 and Neemias Queta added 11.

Love drained a 3-pointer to give the Trail Blazers a 103-100 advantage with 4:30 remaining. Boston later pulled within 109-108 on White’s 3-pointer with 43 seconds left. Clingan’s three-point play with 22 seconds left again gave Portland a four-point advantage.

After a Boston timeout, White turned the ball over with a bad pass. Avdija made two free throws with 15 seconds left to make a six-point margin and the Trail Blazers closed it out to improve to 1-3 on a five-game homestand.

The Trail Blazers made 47.2% of their field-goal attempts and were 18 of 51 from distance. Sharpe made 5 of 8 from 3-point range.

Brown scored 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting in the first half as Boston held a 63-55 lead. Sharpe had 15 in the half for Portland.

The Celtics led by 10 early in the third quarter before the Trail Blazers responded with a 14-2 push. Avdija’s jumper capped it and gave Portland a 69-67 lead. Simons scored eight straight points to put Boston up by two before Sharpe connected on a 3-pointer with 31 seconds to go and Portland took an 86-85 lead into the final stanza.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Ice Indiana Pacers

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Jaylen Brown tossed in a game-high 31 points and added nine rebounds to help the Boston Celtics overcome a 20-point deficit and defeat the visiting Indiana Pacers 103-95 Monday night. Indiana, which led by 20 early in the third quarter, was held to 34 points in the second half and 13 points in the fourth quarter.

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The Celtics received 19 points from Derrick White and a game-high 11 rebounds from rookie Hugo Gonzalez. Pascal Siakam tallied 25 points for Indiana and Andrew Nembhard contributed 20. Bennedict Mathurin added 16 points and nine rebounds for Indiana, which has lost five in a row.

Boston forward Jordan Walsh did not play because of an illness that also prevented him from playing in the second half of Saturday’s 112-96 victory over Toronto. Walsh is averaging 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game this season.

Indiana led 30-18 after an Ethan Thompson 3-pointer with 4:25 left in the opening quarter. It was the last of eight straight 3-point shots the Pacers made in the quarter. Boston scored the next eight points, but Indiana led 35-26 after 12 minutes. The Pacers held a 61-41 lead — their largest lead of the first half — with 1:22 remaining in the second quarter. Indiana made 12 of 30 3-point attempts in the first half and led 61-43 entering the third.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters early in the third, and Boston whittled Indiana’s lead to six points, 74-68, on an Anfernee Simons 3-pointer with 3:15 left in the third. The Pacers led 82-74 after three quarters, but misfired on 11 of their 12 3-point attempts in the stanza. The Celtics took their first lead in the second half on a Brown reverse layup that put Boston in front 85-84 with 7:19 to play.

With the score tied at 91, the hosts outscored their guests, 10-0, capped by a White driving layup with 41.7 seconds remaining.

The Pacers missed 19 of their 20 3-point attempts in the second half. Boston outscored Indiana 52-28 in the paint.

The two squads will meet again Friday in Indiana.

–Field Level Media

Reeling Raptors Host Celtics

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Toronto Raptors are showing the effects of a grueling stretch in the schedule and there is no letup this afternoon when they host the Boston Celtics. The Raptors have dropped four of five after losing 111-86 to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.

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The five games have come in a seven-day stretch starting Nov. 29 when they lost 118-111 in overtime at Charlotte to end their nine-game winning streak.

The Raptors are 1-2 to start a five-game homestand with the loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday snapping an eight-game home winning streak.

“Mentally, physically, we’ve got to get away, we’ve got to recharge very quickly for Sunday and a 3:30 p.m. game,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “A quick turnaround over here, the schedule is what it is. We’re going to bounce back and find our energy levels and compete.”

The Celtics, meanwhile, romped to a 126-105 victory over the undermanned Lakers on Friday and have won four straight and nine of 11.

They also were playing their fifth game in seven days on Friday.

“I thought we did a good job — tremendous job — of figuring out how to pull out wins,” said Payton Pritchard, who scored 15 points on Friday. “And then in these past two games, we kind of just put our foot on the gas and took care of business. I feel like our team is growing, and we’ve just got to keep growing and keep getting better.”

The Celtics defeated the host Washington Wizards 146-101 on Thursday without Jaylen Brown, who scored 30 against the Lakers.

This will be the first meeting between Boston and Toronto this season. The Celtics won three of four from the Raptors last season with the teams splitting two in Toronto.

The Celtics have made an impressive adjustment to the prolonged absence of Jayson Tatum.

Jordan Walsh is one reason for the Celtics’ surge. He shot 6-for-7 from the field on Friday and is shooting 18-for-19 over the past three games.

He had four 3-pointers and scored 17 points against the Lakers, adding two blocked shots and one steal in 26:17. He posted a team-high box plus/minus of +28.

“He’s been great,” Brown said. “I don’t want to boost his head up too much. I don’t want him to start getting cute. He’s got to still take care of the details. But he’s been doing a good job.”

The Raptors did not get much help from their supporting cast on Friday. Immanuel Quickley scored a season-best 31 points, and Scottie Barnes had 13. No one else had more than Jamal Shead’s nine points. Brandon Ingram, who has been among Toronto’s most consistent scorers, was held to seven points on 3-for-13 shooting. He grabbed nine rebounds.

“Physically, we were worn down,” Rajakovic said. “I’m really proud of our guys tonight. I really thought that we tried. We tried. But when you’re trying and you’re missing layups, and you’re missing wide open shots, it’s hard to keep it up. What I think that we did an outstanding job at was we did not quit. We continued fighting and fighting and fighting.”

Jakob Poeltl, who rested his back injury on Thursday, returned on Friday and had five points and seven rebounds.

RJ Barrett (sprained knee) remained out against Charlotte. Jamison Battle suffered a sprained left ankle early in the fourth quarter on Friday. X-rays were negative.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Cruise Past Lakers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jaylen Brown had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help the Boston Celtics stretch their winning streak to four games by beating the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 126-105 Friday night.

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Brown was one of six Boston players who scored in double figures. The Celtics received 19 points from Derrick White, 17 from Jordan Walsh and 15 from Payton Pritchard. Sam Hauser added 12 points and Neemias Queta finished with 10.

Walsh has made 18 of his 19 shots from the floor over the last three games.

The Lakers played without Luka Doncic (personal reasons), LeBron James (right sciatica and left foot joint arthritis) and Marcus Smart (muscle strain). Doncic is the NBA’s leading scorer (35.3 points per game).

Boston made 24 of its 45 3-point attempts (53.3%). White connected on 5 of 10 3-pointers.

Austin Reaves had a 36-point performance for Los Angeles. Gabe Vincent tossed in 18, and Deandre Ayton had six points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Los Angeles lost despite making 25 of 29 shots from the free throw line. Boston made 10 of its 12 free throw attempts.

Boston started off hot and had a 39-17 lead after one quarter. The Celtics had their largest lead of the first half after Pritchard made a stepback jumper that put Boston up 56-27 with 7:08 remaining in the second quarter.

The Celtics shot 52% from 3-point territory through the first two quarters (13 of 25) and had a 69-46 halftime lead. The Lakers were 13-of-40 (32.5%) from the floor in the first half.

A 9-0 run trimmed Boston’s lead to 17 points, 85-68, with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter. A Reaves jumper with 8.6 seconds left in the third capped an 8-0 Lakers run that made it 97-82 entering the final 12 minutes, but Boston regained the momentum by scoring the first nine points in the fourth.

Boston has won 9 of its last 11 games.

–Field Level Media

Nets Beat Celtics in NBA Cup

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Brooklyn’s Michael Porter Jr. scored 33 points and Nic Claxton recorded his first career triple-double, fueling the visiting Nets to a 113-105 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday to salvage a split of their home-and-home series. Porter sank 13 of 21 shots from the floor — including 4 of 6 from 3-point range — to extend his career-best run of games with at least 20 points to eight in a row. He scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.

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Brooklyn, which avenged its 113-99 home court setback on Tuesday, improved to 1-2 in NBA Cup Group B play. The Celtics, in turn, fell to 1-2.

Noah Clowney scored 19 points and Claxton had 18 to go along with 12 assists and 11 rebounds. Rookie Egor Demin added 12 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Nets, who have recorded all three of their wins this season on the road.

Jaylen Brown collected 26 points and eight rebounds while dealing with foul trouble for the Celtics, and Anfernee Simons added 23 points off the bench.

Boston trimmed a 15-point deficit down to four at 96-94 following a 17-4 run to start the fourth quarter before Demin drained a crowd-silencing 3-pointer with 5:04 remaining. Porter sandwiched shots from the interior along with a 3-pointer to push Brooklyn’s lead to 106-97 with 2:50 to play. Neemias Queta made a tip-in to bring the Celtics within three points at 71-68 midway into the third quarter before the Nets ignited a 19-4 run. Ziaire Williams threw down a dunk in transition to cap the sequence.

Brooklyn capped a 40-point second quarter with an 11-2 run. Demin scored four points during that sequence and recorded a crucial steal and set up a Clowney for a layup with 2.8 seconds remaining to give the Nets a 62-53 lead at halftime. Porter drained a 3-pointer to stake Brooklyn to a 19-12 lead with 5:14 remaining in the first before Boston began a 16-3 run to end the quarter. Payton Pritchard converted three times from beyond the arc and Luka Garza added a 3-pointer during that sequence and the Celtics took a 28-22 lead after 12 minutes.

Brooklyn converted 43 of 82 shots from the floor (52.4%), while Boston attempted eight more shots, but sank one less field goal (42 of 90, 46.7%).

–Field Level Media

Celtics Sign Harper, Jr. to 2-Way Deal

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Celtics announced the player contract for guard-forward Ron Harper Jr. was converted to a two-way contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced. The slot opened when the Celtics waived R.J. Luis – the 2025 BIG EAST Player of the Year – was waived on October 15.

Harper Jr. (6-5, 233) has appeared in 56 career regular season G League games (49 starts) across three seasons with Toronto (2022-24), Maine (2024-25), and Motor City (2024-25), averaging 17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals in 32.6 minutes per game. The 25-year-old scored in double figures in 23 outings last season, including nine games with 20+ points and three games with 30+ points. Harper Jr. posted a G-League career-high 38 points (13-20 FG, 11-18 3FG, 1-1 FT) to go with three rebounds, eight assists, and one steal in a victory over Long Island Feb. 1.

The New Jersey native has seen action in 11 NBA games over three seasons with Toronto (2022-24) and Detroit (2024-25) with averages of 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game. In three appearances with Boston in the 2025-26 preseason, Harper Jr. averaged 4.3 points and 1.0 assists in 10.6 minutes per game. Prior to going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, Harper Jr. spent four seasons at Rutgers (2018-22) where he posted averages of 12.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 121 career games (109 starts). He earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors his senior season after averaging a team-high 15.7 points per game and shooting a career-high 39.8 percent (68-171 3FG) from 3-point range. Harper Jr. is the son of former NBA first-round pick Ron Harper, and his younger brother, Dylan, currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs.

Celtics Open Camp; No Tatum in ’25-26

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Celtics star Jayson Tatum said he’s not feeling any pressure to push his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

“No pressure from (Celtics president of basketball operations) Brad (Stevens), (coach) Joe (Mazzulla), the team or the organization,” Tatum said Monday at the Celtics’ media day. “The most important thing is that I’m 100 percent.”

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Tatum suffered the injury in May in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Boston lost the series to the New York Knicks.

While Tatum downplayed any urgency he or the team may feel to get him back on the court, he did discuss his difficult recovery process.

“I think the toughest part was at the beginning and kind of being in disbelief. For me, I had to accept it,” he said. “I started to see a turning point, but then you’re on crutches, and you’re on a scooter, you’re in a boot. And then you can drop one crutch and then you can drop both crutches … That made me feel a little bit more normal.”

Tatum is expected to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season. The Celtics were overhauled in the offseason amid lower expectations without their superstar. Veteran starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were traded without much in the way of established NBA talent added.

“We have a lot of guys that are unproven,” Stevens said. “They’re younger and maybe not quite as experienced and maybe not quite as full of NBA wisdom.”

The Celtics are just 15 months removed from winning the 2023-24 championship. They’ll rely heavily on the leadership of players from that title team like Payton Pritchard, Derrick White and perennial All-Star Jaylen Brown.

“We have a chance for other guys to step up,” Brown said. “Empowering other guys, trusting your teammates more and trying to accelerate guys’ learning curve and play some good basketball. I think that’s what people want to see.”

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – 9/7/25

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Celtics PR Man Jeff Twiss (left) with the NBA’s Brian McIntyre – the only two living Bunn Award winners from the Communications, Public Relations and Media Services industry (Photo by Tom Carelli).

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

UNCASVILLE (Connecticut) – The old Boston Garden was an interesting and historic place. Not only did it house the legendary NBA champion Boston Celtics but it also was the home of Bobby Orr and the great Boston Bruins. The building was old, the parquet beat up, the ice surface too small, the locker rooms cramped. In every corner of the arena, there were crazy characters to be uncovered and covered, tradition to be respected and there was always a surprise awaiting.

Sometimes, the surprise was a 98-degree, hazy, hot and humid summer night to play an NBA Finals game where 14,890 ticket holds and another thousand or more guests and mysterious navigators of hidden access to standing room situated throughout the building. Other nights, the Garden would fall down to a power failure during a Stanley Cup Final game.

During the change-overs from ice hockey to basketball or vice versa, innocent public relations staffers or media types risked being run down by the evil Boston Garden Bull Gang who took pride in inflicting pain, especially to the ankles or other parts of the lower body, as they rolled racks of chairs or sections of parquet floor. Every corner, every level, and pretty much every section, aisle or seat had historical significance.

Then, there were the people. From legendary coach, team general manager and Celtics patriarch – the late Red Auerbach – to the ushers and security guards to the tickets takers and the front office workers. One of those Celtics front office executives was in the building every single night. In fact, Celtics Media/PR Services guru Jeff Twiss missed only 11 games in 45 years of service to his organization.

This weekend, Twiss was honored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with the most prestigious honor outside of Enshrinement as a player, coach, ref or contributor. Twiss accepted the John Bunn Award on Friday night and gave a perfect and inspiring speech to the basketball community and Celtics family.

“To my Celtics family for the last 44 years, what an amazing ride,” said Twiss. “As a 25-year-old intern in May of 1981, I watched the Celtics arrive in Boston after beating the Houston Rockets for the championship, they gingerly got off the plane after celebrating their victory. I assumed this is what the NBA is all about. Part of it is celebrations but I learned the meaning of teamwork on and off the court and as Red Auerbach said and we continue to believe today, the Celtics are not just a team, we are a family.

“I’m a kid from Vermont who grew up fascinated with how the Boston Celtics played, how they were coached and how they were so successful every year,” he said. “I’m living my dream working for this great organization. I’m so very fortunate to go to work every day and enjoy what I do.

“To those who found something in me and worthy of this distinguished award, thank you,” he said. “I will continue to do my very best to continue to fulfill what this award stands for. Mystique, pride, and tradition are words that are associated with the Boston Celtics. Red Auerbach, the person who hired me, said I wanted a certain type of player and worker for the Celtics, this is a true winner.”

The Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, named after the Hall’s first executive director, it recognizes those whose behind-the-scenes contributions had shaped basketball’s legacy.

In Twiss, the Bunn Award is perfectly illustrated. Honesty, integrity, reliability and dedication are the tent polls of every Hall of Famer. Of course, his longevity in doing an impossible job for what might be an impossible amount of time served, nights worked, road trips travelled and personnel trained and mentored.

On a personal level, your columnist started at the NBA in 1981, the same year Jeff Twiss was hired full-time at the Celtics. Our friendship began on the parquet but blossomed over the many years to the point where he and a handful of colleagues, like Celtics’ former CFO Joe Dilorenzo, marketing maven Tod Rosensweig, ticket directors extraordinaire x 2 in Stephen Riley and Duane “DJ” Johnson, and former GM Jan Volk welcomed a young league office guy into the family and adopted him when he moved to Massachusetts. I am forever grateful for the honor to simply stand next to them all, never mind call them all dear friends. In fact, it ws quite an honor to stand on the parquet, next to Jeff, when the Celtics were raising yet another banner.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Last week, you were promised a deeper dive into the NFL season. As this Sunday begins, there are two games in the books (Philly over Dallas, 24-20) and the (LA Chargers over KC Chiefs, 27-21). There’s a lot of football to be played until NBC Sports broadcasts the Super Bowl on February 8, 2026.

Here’s one look at how the upcoming season might go:

AFC East – Buffalo Bills

NFC East – Philadelphia Eagles

(Those are the easy picks)

AFC North – Baltimore Ravens

NFC North – Detroit Lions

AFC South – Houston Texans

NFL South – Tough to predict in September, but look for the Tampa Bay Bucs to rise

AFC West – KC Chiefs will battle the Denver Broncos and LA Chargers.

NFC West – San Francisco 49ers

AFC Champion: Buffalo Bills

NFC Champion: Philadelphia Eagles

Super Bowl Champion: Buffalo Bills

IT’s JUST A FANTASY: Once every football season, readers are bored to tears reading about my fantasy football squad. The SWFL is a difficult league to compete. It’s only eight teams, so everyone is stacked. The rules include the requirement to play two quarterbacks but roster only three. Receivers are rewarded with a 1/2 point for every reception. And, a great rule is to allow the teams to simply park their Team Defense/Special Team unit and Place Kicker on bye weeks, instead of needing to make a cut to make room for another Defense or Kicker for one week.

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, for 2025 – here’s TL’s Lovetrons who owned the second pick in the draft:

Overall Pick, Player:

2. Josh Allen (QB Buffalo)

15. De’von Achane (RB Miami)

18. Kyren Williams (RB/LAR) – Strategy was to go 2 RBs, since WR position is deeper

31. AJ Brown (WR/Philly)

34. Jackson Smith-Njigba WR/Seattle) – a No. 1 level wide-out

47. Brock Purdy (QB/SF) – Nix was taken one pick ahead… bummer

50. James Conner (RB/AZ) – best avail RB

63. Xavier Worthy WR/KC – was shocked he was still there

66. Caleb Williams (QB/Chi) – best avail… Other top QBs were off board

79. Devonte Smith (WR/Philly) – backed up AJ in case

82. Kaleb Johnson – (RB/Pitt) – RB position was thin, a nice gamble

95. Khalil Shakir – (WR/Buff) – surprised he was available

98. Jacobi Meyers – (WR/LV) – will probably sit on bench except for a bye week

111. Can Skattebo – (RB/NYG) – total wild card pick

114. Broncos D – (Was best scoring D last season) – Balt went down pick before

127. Jake Bates – (K/Det) – top rated on many draft boards; Indoor FG not terrible

130. Trey Benson – (RB/AZ- the hand-cuff to Conner, in case of injury

Earlier this week, AJ Brown (WR) of Philadelphia was limited to one catch and a 0.5 output. The next night, KC’s Xavier Worthy (WR) went down to a shoulder injury early in the game. The Lovetrons are already struggling.

The team nickname, Lovetrons, is in honor of the late Darryl Dawkins of the Sixers, one of the all-time great players and characters of the game of basketball – not American Football.

DRYDEN: Some bad news came across the sports wires over the weekend. Former NHL and Montreal Canadiens goalkeeper Ken Dryden passed away after battling cancer for quite a while. He was 78.

His NHL career was nicely honored by league Commissioner Gary B. Bettman:

From the moment Ken Dryden joined the Montreal Canadiens as a 23-year-old rookie in 1971, he made an immediate and lasting impact on the NHL, the Canadiens franchise and the goaltending position. After playing in only six regular season games during that first year, Ken proceeded to lead his team to a Stanley Cup while winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs’ most valuable player. It is almost incomprehensible to believe that he accomplished all of that the year prior to winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s best rookie in 1971-72.

“Ken’s early success was only a harbinger of what was to come. In eight years with the Canadiens, Ken would lead a team filled with future Hall of Famers to six Stanley Cup championships, quickly becoming a beloved figure in his adopted hometown of Montreal. He won five Vezina Trophies as the league’s top goaltender, including four consecutive awards from 1975-76 to 1978-79. Named as a member of the League’s Greatest 100, he was the NHL’s dominant goaltender during the 1970’s.

“His work in hockey extended to the Front Office of the Toronto Maple Leafs where he served as President of the organization. Ken was also a prolific author whose works chronicled the sport including the critically-acclaimed “The Game” and “Home Game: Hockey and Life in Canada.”

“Ken’s love for his country was evident both on and off the ice. He was a key member of the 1972 Canadian Summit Series team that thrilled the entire nation with an historic win over the Soviet Union. As a member of Parliament, Ken continued to serve Canada. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada.

“On a personal note, Ken was a fellow Cornellian (Cornell University alum) whose career ranks among the greatest runs in collegiate hockey. Ken compiled a 76-4-1 record over three years and famously led the Big Red to the 1967 NCAA Championship.

“On behalf of the National Hockey League, we mourn the passing of a legendary Canadian and extend our sincere condolences to his wife Lynda, family and many friends and fans all over the hockey world.”

TIDBITS AND NUGGETS: Since Halloween candy is already avAilable in the grocery stores, it’s not too early to pass along Blue Ribbon College Basketball bible’s Top 25 for the 2025-26 collegiate basketball season. Yes, I must point out, St. John’s is ranked a rather high No. 6.

1. Florida

2. Purdue

3. Houston

4. Duke

5. Connecticut

6. St. John’s

7. Tennessee

8. Kentucky

9. Michigan

10. Louisville

11. Alabama

12. UCLA

13. Auburn

14. Texas Tech

15. Arkansas

16. BYU

17. Iowa State

18. Kansas

19. Creighton

20. Illinois

21. Wisconsin

22. Arizona

23. Gonzaga

24. Texas

25. North Carolina

SOX UPDATE: The Red Sox have 21 games and 7 series remaining in the 2025 regular season. They’ll play 12 road games (six games, 9/5-10 and six games, 9/19-25) and nine home games (six games, 9/12-18 and three games, 9/26-28). Boston will play nine very important games against AL East clubs (three vs. NY Yankees, three at TB Rays, three at Toronto), six against the Athletics (3 home, 3 away), along with the current series at Arizona. The regular season will conclude with a three game finale vs. Detroit. Boston has nine games remaining against sub-.500 clubs (ARI-3, ATH-6) and 12 against teams with a record of .500 or better (DET-3, NYY-3, TB-3, TOR-3).

THIS JEST IN: According to courtside reports from the 2025 FIBA Euro Cup by the Associated Press, Finland’s Elias Valtonen scored eight points in the final two minutes to help his Finland national team stun Serbia and (All NBA center) Nikola Jokic, 92-86, Saturday in the round of 16 at the World Championship qualifier EuroBasket tournament. Jokic finished with a game-high 33 points, but it was Finland that came up with the big shots late to spring the biggest upset of the tournament so far. Serbia scored six unanswered points to take a 77-75 lead in the fourth quarter, but Valtonen’s 3-pointer with two minutes left put the Finns up 82-78. He then added a tip-in and another trey to help Finland pull away.

By the way, the United States held on to take the Bronze (90-85 over Canada) last week at the AmericaCup tournament. Brazil defeated Argentina in the Gold Medal game.

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: Go figure? USA President Donald Trump will watch the United States Open men’s tennis final from Rolex’s suite in Arthur Ashe Stadium, a person with knowledge of the details said but could not be identified as they were not authorized to divulge the President’s schedule and plans. It will mark Trump’s first appearance at the Grand Slam tournament in Flushing Meadows, Queens, NY since 2015 — before his first run for the White House. The irony will be the fact Trump will be a guest of the Swiss watchmaker just weeks after his administration imposed a 39% tariff on Swiss products.