Digital Sports Desk

Online Destination for the Best in Boston Sports

NBA

Nuggets Tough on the Road

by

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.

YouTube player

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.

“Traed” Young

by

ATLANTA – (Wire Service Report) – The Atlanta Hawks traded four-time All-Star point guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards, multiple outlets reported Wednesday night. The return package from Washington included veteran guard CJ McCollum and forward Corey Kispert.

Embed from Getty Images

Young, 27, has spent his entire career in Atlanta since he was acquired via from Dallas immediately after the Mavericks selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2020-21 season, but they followed with first-round exits the following two seasons and have been eliminated in the play-in the last two seasons.

Young, the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (4,837) and 3-pointers made (1,295), has averaged 25.2 points, 9.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and one steal per contest over 493 games (all starts) with the Hawks.

However, he’s played just 10 of the team’s 39 games this season, missing an extended stretch with a sprained MCL and sitting out currently due to a right quad contusion.

The Hawks (18-21) were 2-8 in the 10 games Young played this season and are currently positioned for the play-in for the third straight year as the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference.

McCollum, 34, is in his first season with the Wizards after spending much of his career in Portland (2013-22) and the last three-plus seasons in New Orleans (2022-25).

The 2015-16 Most Improved Player, McCollum is averaging 18.8 points (his fewest since 2014-15) and 3.6 assists over 35 games this season.

Kispert, 26, was selected 15th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by Washington. He’s averaged 10.9 points and shot 38.3% from outside the arc in 311 games (105 starts) spanning five seasons with the Wizards.

He’s averaging 9.2 points and shooting 39.5% from 3-point range this season.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 4

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – There are some really tough jobs in the sports industry. They are often thankless and low paying in comparison to what someone would make in a similar position “in the real world.” So many of the jobs in sports require extra long hours, working every weekend and holiday and being away from family on important dates (graduations, weddings, birthdays) and many of the holidays.

That is the price you pay for a challenging job in sports, hearing the “roar of the crowd,” and you usually know the job description and travel requirements before you sign up.

To be successful on the job, you need a tremendous support system behind the job and that is the family – a very understanding family to say the least.

Looking at tough jobs, there’s Charlie Baker of the NCAA.

Baker is the former Governor of Massachusetts and current president of the NCAA. He served two terms in the Commonwealth and signed up with the NCAA in March, 2023. He has an impossible job – the kind that has zero chance of being 100% successful as he serves far too many constituents in the world of collegiate athletics.

Simply put, Baker has too many mouths to feed. He also has four Power 4 obstacle courses to navigate (remember when it was Power 5 – a la the Pac 10-12)? Yes, the commissioners of the Power 4 football conferences, along with the newly created hierarchy of the College Football Playoffs, undermines the power of the NCAA. And, it’s getting worse by the day, by the season – across more sports than just football.

Local Boston sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy had a chance to sit down with the former Guv’nah and asked about the thankless job Baker endures: “There’s a lot about it that’s frustrating,” Baker said to Shaughnessy over lunch last week. “But I spent most of my career in healthcare and government, and those can be frustrating environments, as well. OK?“

Shaughnessy also sought insight from Peter Roby, a lifelong sports administrator as A.D. at Northeastern and Dartmouth who spent a five-year stint on the NCAA committee for men’s basketball and Roby did not disappoint: “No one talks about education or personal development at the highest levels. It’s about transfer portal, NIL revenue sharing, and the need for congressional intervention. Schools continue to complain about rising costs and the need for more revenue, yet they are paying out multimillion-dollar buyouts for fired coaches and hiring coaches at $12 million per year.

“The way things are trending, the NCAA will not exist in its current form in the next few years. It will only manage sports championships. All the legal settlements have resulted in billions of dollars being paid out over the next 10 years, and that money is coming from the NCAA and member schools. This has resulted in (fewer) programs being offered to students, coaches, and administrators by the NCAA, while rendering the NCAA powerless to pass overarching legislation or enforce current rules for fear of more litigation. All of this comes as a result of the failure of (University) presidential leadership and overreach by boards of trustees,” said Roby.

As the NCAA has morphed into a championship event organizing company – and a good one at that – the rest of the US collegiate sports industry turns its lonely eyes to yesteryear, seeking some common sense rules and general leadership. But, with the landscape and mega-dollars going the way they’re going (straight up – 📈), Baker has no chance to succeed as the head of a true national governing body for college sports.

Caught directly in the crosshairs is Division I collegiate basketball. They’re playing at the mercy of the big brother and major money-maker of football and the power has been slip-sliding away. Only the commissioners of the Power 4, the BIG EAST and West Coast Conferences stand a chance at carving out some reasonable existence in this big, bad world of footy-driven administration.

What does that leave to the (formerly) powerful National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)?

It leaves them to do what they do best – Complain but do nothing.

The complainer-in-chief is Coach John Calapiri, the head coach of Arkansas (after see-saw stints as head coach at UMass, Memphis, Kentucky and a pro try-out with the (then) New Jersey, now Brooklyn Nets franchise.

Typing a transcript of Coach Cal’s December 29 beef would not do it justice, so here it is to watch and listen ‘til your heart’s delight:

Isn’t that fabulous? Calipari turned a Fayetteville, Arkansas post-game press availability into a cry for help at the U.S. Capitol or Arkansas State House. While some called it a tirade or rant, I’d label it as pleading for help, for leadership in athletics and guidance to police the college coaches from themselves.

You really have to agree with Coach Cal or UConn Coach Danny Hurley who suggested college basketball “could really use a commissioner.” A commissioner for college basketball (one job) would need to hire a No. 2a and 2b to oversee the men’s and women’s divisions, while also needing a top-notch labor lawyer. Properly done, college basketball could then former a Labor Relations Board who could hammer-out a common sense, reasonable Collective Bargaining Agreement which would even the playing field and account for USA citizens and international students. (Note: Calipari kept singling out European players, but there’s talent coming from every corner of the globe and most have never heard of an NCAA handbook.

“It’s such an incredible sport,” said Hurley. ““We’ve got the greatest sport(ing) event that this country has on a yearly basis that catches the imagination of the whole country, casuals, non-sports fans. Everyone’s got a bracket. You’ve got this incredible product that’s marketed horribly outside of March. It’s an incredible sport. We need a commissioner.

“A (Roger) Goodell or a David Stern. Somebody that’s gonna make decisions and start making moves that are in the best interest of college basketball, not just having coaches and players do what’s in the best interest of them,” said the outspoken Hurley.

Upon further review, it must be said that the college football and “Olympic sports” side would be much tougher to resolve than the problems of basketball and it’s not realistic to name a “Commissioner” for every sport, all reporting into Baker and it’s quite evident, in football, no one is going to give up power and that includes the highly paid commissioners of the Power 4, Notre Dame (as a whole), the TV industry (with existing or future contracts in hand), school presidents and athletic directors and a growing breed of player agents. All have their piece of the pie and aren’t planning to give up a slice.

Plus: what’s good for college football or basketball won’t work for baseball or softball and rules for all of the sports above (football, baseball, basketball, and softball) might not be good for college soccer or tennis or lacrosse or swimming or volleyball and so on. And, what’s great for the Big 12 might not work in the Atlantic 10.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few went so far as to suggest Congress weigh-in on the issue, saying, “Our lack of leadership has really shown,” Few said last Sunday after his team beat Pepperdine University 96-56. “Now it’s probably time to get some help from Congress, but they’re more screwed up than the NCAA.”

As it relates to Baylor’s signing of James Nnaji, the NCAA issued a prepared statement to college basketball site “Field of 68″,” declaring: “Schools are recruiting and seeking eligibility for more individuals with more international, semi-pro and professional experience than ever before and while the NCAA members have updated many rules following the House injunction, more rules must likely be updated to reflect the choices member schools are making. At the same time, NCAA eligibility rules have been invalidated by judges across the country, wreaking havoc on the system and leading to fewer opportunities for high school students, which is why the Association is asking Congress to intervene in these challenges.”

Congress considered one small slice of the debate earlier this year, as the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsement (SCORE) Act fractured the Republican side of the aisle and garnered opposition from Democrats. Earlier this month, House leadership canceled a vote on the SCORE Act, which would have regulated compensation student-athletes receive from NIL deals.

Earlier, the College Athletics Reform Act (CARA) was introduced by Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-Mass-5th), and the bill attempted to protect athletes’ rights and create a sustainable system for college sports. It included provisions to establish federal standards for NIL rights and enhance opportunities for women’s and Olympic sports. It went nowhere.

So much for Congressional relief.

What’s the solution?

Here’s WWYI’s take for a road map to sanity:

  1. Take Hurley’s recommendation and hire a Commissioner for NCAA Basketball.
  2. That job should go to Joel Litvin, former President of Basketball for the NBA.
  3. Allow Litvin to hire any combination of labor lawyers, advisors and “basketball people” to become his Labor Relations Board (include Jim Tooley/Sean Ford of USA Basketball, Tommy Amaker, head coach at Harvard, retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Stu Jackson, Commissioner of the West Coast Conference. An advisor named Russ Granik would chair the meetings and head up the Labor board for both men and women.
  4. Prompt the basketball players (both men and women) to hire labor lawyers.
  5. Negotiate a fair Collective Bargaining Agreement to govern the sport(s).
  6. Prompt the NABC to form a labor division.
  7. Negotiate a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the coaches.
  8. Name Dan Gavitt as the head of NCAA men’s basketball championships, a job he’s done quite well with since 2012.
  9. Continue with Amanda Braun, director of athletics at Milwaukee, to chair the women’s committee for championships.
  10. In addition to her role as Commissioner of the BIG EAST, ask Val Ackerman to chair the Labor Relations Board for women’s basketball.

Executing the items from the Top Ten list will take some serious doing and it would be followed by months and months of very hard work and lengthy negotiations, but it will set a firm, new path to actual sanity for the sport of college basketball. It would set clear-cut rules for basketball operations, the signing of players and payment structure. It would address incoming players, both transfers and first-year (domestic and international). It would institute a maximum team salary cap for schools to operate and abide by, and that could be done conference-by-conference with different salary levels for Div. II and III. It’s not a cookie cutter approach.

Once negotiated, Litvin would oversee the entire legal, basketball and business operation of the NCAA division for basketball on an on-going basis with the staff of his choosing to govern both men’s and women’s basketball

The Patriots parted with Bill Belichick, giving Jerod Mayo a one-year audition as head coach before firing him and hiring Mike Vrabel in January 2025 (file)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Two pro teams faced two tough decisions. The New England Patriots fired their coach, popular former player Jerod Mayo, after only one season when he finished with a 4-13 record. The firing came about a year ago. Mayo was the hand-picked successor to the great Bill Belichick and New England Patriots team owner Bob Kraft has a few years to consider his choices as the Belichick era of Patriots football limped to a close after 24 seasons, six Super Bowl titles, nine AFC championships and 17 AFC East titles, including 11 consecutive division crowns.

Last January, Kraft pulled the trigger on Mayo’s firing and the hiring of Mike Vrabel on January 12, 2025 – possibly Kraft’s best move since writing his name on contracts addressed to Belichick and retired quarterback Tom Brady, a.k.a. – The Franchise. Vrabel had played linebacker for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008 and was an integral member of three of the six Super Bowl championship teams. After retiring as a player, he served as Tennessee Titans coach from 2018 to 2023, posting a 54-45 regular-season record and 2-3 mark in the NFL Playoffs, including a trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2019.

It was a tough decision to pull the rug out from under Mayo after only one year at the helm, but hiring Vrabel was the right decision at the key time and Vrabel proved Kraft right by leading the Patriots to a surprising AFC East Division title in 2025-26, and there might be more to come.

Down in New York, there was a tough coaching decision but it was at the opposite end of the spectrum of winning. The New York Knicks had eliminated the defending champion Boston Celtics in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals and NY advanced to the Conference Finals where they lost to the youthful Indiana Pacers, 4-2.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau completed his fifth season with the Knicks, improving each and every year since 2021-22 to a 50+ win season and New York’s best finish since losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the 1999 NBA Finals.

Knicks front office guru Leon Rose decided to make a change and dismissed Thibs and hired Mike Brown who has New York atop the NBA’s Atlantic Division whiel guiding them to an NBA Cup title in December.

Again, a very difficult decision, but the right one. A gutsy call by Rose.

Brown is playing a more open offensive style while utilizing more players in his rotation. The defense stressed by Thibodeau has not been forgotten by the same core crew to upend the Celtics last spring, but undoubtedly, the Knicks will have fresh legs and ample offense to take on all opponents come April.

Two difficult coaching decisions with two outcomes – both the best for each team.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: The injury bug keeps biting the NBA. Aside from all-stars like Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton being out indefinitely, Dallas’ Anthony Davis being in & out of the lineup all season, the league took a major hit with the fact Denver’s incredible Nikola Jokić is out for some three-to-four weeks with a hyper-extended knee injury. The injury came days after Jokić posted a 56-16-15 line in a Nuggets victory over

A non-comprehensive list of players currently OUT or questionable because of injury include (Player, Team):

  • Trae Young, Atlanta
  • Jayson Tatum, Boston
  • Miles Bridges, Charlotte
  • Josh Giddey, Chicago
  • Coby White, Chicago
  • Larry Nance, Jr., Cleveland
  • Max Strus, Cleveland
  • Anthony Davis, Dallas
  • Dereck Lively, Dallas
  • Kyrie Irving, Dallas
  • Dante Exum, Dallas
  • Aaron Gordon, Denver
  • Nikola Jokić, Denver
  • Christian Braun, Denver
  • Seth Curry, Golden State
  • Fred Van Fleet, Houston
  • Obi Toppin, Indiana
  • Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana
  • Ivica Zubac, LA Clippers
  • Bradley Beal, LA Clippers
  • Rui Hachimura, LA Lakers
  • Austin Reaves, LA Lakers
  • Zach Edney, Memphis
  • Scottie Pippen Jr., Memphis
  • Ty Jerome, Memphis
  • John Konchar, Memphis
  • Tyler Herro, Miami
  • Taurean Prince, Milwaukee
  • Terrence Shannon Jr., Minnesota
  • Dejounte Murray, New Orleans
  • Mitchell Robinson, New York
  • Josh Hart, New York
  • Landry Shamet, New York
  • Jaylin Williams, OKC
  • Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC
  • Nikola Topic, OKC
  • Jalen Suggs, Orlando
  • Franz Wagner, Orlando
  • Kelly Oubre Jr., Philadelphia
  • Grayson Allen, Phoenix
  • Jalen Green, Phoenix
  • Jerami Grant, Portland
  • Scoot Henderson, Portland
  • Jrue Holiday, Portland
  • Damian Lillard, Portland
  • Zach LaVine, Scaramento
  • Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento
  • Devin Vassil, San Antonio
  • Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio
  • Jacob Poeltl, Toronto
  • Ace Bailey, Utah
  • Walter Kessler, Utah
  • Georges Niang, Utah
  • Cam Whitmore, Washington

That’s a major league list of injuries, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made note at his NBA Cup media availability that the number of injuries this season are down from a year ago.

“All I can deal with is the data itself, and the data we have so far this season is we have the lowest number of injuries in the last three years,” said Silver to a pointed question on league-wide injuries.

“I’ll stop there and say, regardless where the level of injuries stands versus prior years, of course the soft tissue injuries concern us. All injuries concern us, for that matter. The most frustrating issue right now, and the one that we have seemingly the least control over, is keeping star players on the floor.

“I think we have made progress. We’ve made adjustments in scheduling. We’ve made adjustments in the sharing of information among teams. We’ve made adjustments in the care of players. But there are no silver bullets here.

“I think we have to be true to the data. So when people say because of the Cup the season was denser leading up to now — it wasn’t, full stop.

“The level of density up until this point in the season is roughly what it’s been for the last decade. It’s just factually not true that, as a result of Cup scheduling, the first part of the season created a denser schedule.

“We are seeing an increase in pace of play. You could measure that in different ways. But measured by speed in which players are bringing the ball to half court — yes, that’s up. That may be causing some additional injuries. But what do you do about that? That’s something we’re looking at.

“Also part of your question, we’re very focused with our team doctors on the data we’re seeing and the evidence in terms of the wear and tear on players’ bodies when they get to the league. I think, as you said, we’re seeing young players now specialize at 10 years old and up as opposed to a generation before them that — I’m looking at James Jones — the top athletes played a different sport in every season and they developed their musculature in a different way.

“We think that’s preventative when you have a balanced system. Now it’s not even just that athletes aren’t switching from — young athletes aren’t switching from season to season, they’re literally playing year-round.

“Even modern NBA players, they finish the season, they take a day off and they’re right back in the gym. It may be that over time that with better data, this may be another area where AI can ingest enormous amounts of data and video and look at patterns, might be able to solve some of these problems.

“So the answer is it’s frustrating. It’s frustrating for our teams. It’s frustrating for our fans. But I do think we have to be true to what the evidence is as opposed to saying there’s a narrative out there that injuries are up or injuries are up because of scheduling. They’re not.

“But, we continue to slice and dice the data in every way we can, plus we look at qualitative information. People who have been around this game for a long time, what are they seeing? Are players training differently? Are there better techniques out there to keep players healthier? By the way, this is not a problem unique to the NBA. It’s tremendously frustrating in all sports to see star players in particular go down, but of course any player.

“We’re very focused on it. There’s no amount of money we’re not willing to invest in it to make those investments to see if there’s better resources out there. I would say also, Andre Iguodala and the Players Association have been tremendously cooperative, as well. We all have a common interest in keeping players on the floor.

MAKE NOTE: with Nikola Jokić of Denver and Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio injured and their February playing futures unknown, the International team at the NBA All-Star Game might take a major hit to its potential “Starting 5.” Initially looking like a lock to win the NBA’s new All-Star Classic, now, it’s a toss-up once again. The Internationals still have the advantage (think: Shai).

HOW MANY DAYS? Here’s a look-see at the number of days between January 4th and …

33 – Days Until Opening Ceremonies of the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics

37 – Days Until Pitchers & Catchers Report for MLB Spring Training

49 – Days Until the Gold Medal Game for Men’s Ice Hockey at the Olympics

61 – Days Until the annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (Seaport)

70 – Days until NCAA Selection Sunday

81 – Days Until MLB Opening Day

89 – Days Until Red Sox Home Opener (vs. SD Padres)

106 – Days Until the Boston Marathon (Patriots’ Day)

Celtics Too Good for Bulls

by

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.

YouTube player

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

by

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.

YouTube player

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

NBA Christmas in LA

by

LOS ANGELES – (Wire Service Preview) – Two teams looking for a return to form meet when the Los Angeles Lakers face the visiting Houston Rockets in a Christmas Day matchup Thursday. Both teams still are in the top half of the Western Conference standings, but their recent play has been underwhelming at times. Houston has lost four of its last five games, while Los Angeles has dropped three of its last five.

YouTube player

Los Angeles lost consecutive games for the first time with Tuesday’s 132-108 road defeat to the Phoenix Suns. Lakers star Luka Doncic left early from a loss Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers with a lower leg contusion and did not play against the Suns on Tuesday.

ESPN reported Wednesday that Doncic will play against the Rockets.

LeBron James had 23 points at Phoenix to lead Los Angeles, while Austin Reaves returned after missing three games with a left calf strain and scored 17.

Lakers coach JJ Redick questioned his team’s defensive effort after allowing Phoenix to shoot 58.8% from the field. The Suns scored 45 points in the third quarter and took a 112-86 lead into the final period.

“There are shortcuts you can take, or you can do the hard thing and you can make the second effort,” Redick said. “Or you can sprint back or you can’t. It’s just a choice. And there’s a million choices in a game, and you’re very likely not gonna make every choice correctly. But can you make the vast majority of ’em correctly? It gives you a chance to win.”

Los Angeles received a spark from center Deandre Ayton, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds following a two-game absence. However, Ayton’s presence wasn’t enough to keep his former team from scoring 62 points in the paint.

“We just lack physicality a little bit, effort,” Lakers forward Jake LaRavia said. “I don’t know how many points they got off second-chance (21), but they were getting a lot of extra possessions. We just gotta be better. That’s all it is. Regroup and get ready for the next game.”

James enters the contest as the NBA’s career-leader in Christmas games played (19) and points scored on the holiday (507). Houston star Kevin Durant is fourth all-time in points scored on Christmas with 342.

Houston is wrapping up a six-game road trip after allowing the Clippers to shoot 54% (20 for 37) from 3-point range in Tuesday’s loss.

Durant scored 22 points to lead the Rockets, while Alperen Sengun had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Both players rested for the entire fourth quarter.

Houston’s last three losses have come to teams at the bottom of the Western Conference standings in the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings and the Clippers, but Durant isn’t overreacting to his team’s slump.

“When you’ve got expectations on you as a team and you’ve got the microscope on you as a team, every loss can feel bigger than what it is,” Durant said. “Every win can feel like you damn near won a championship. But that’s just the amount of pressure that comes with the expectations of us being a good team.

“These losses are gonna make us better. They’re gonna help us grow character, help us continue to figure out what we need to do to be effective as a group. So through the midst of it all, just keep grinding and keep figuring it out.”

–Field Level Media

Celtics Ice Indiana Pacers

by

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.

YouTube player

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

Adam Silver: State of the NBA

by

Embed from Getty Images

LAS VEGAS – (Wire Service Report) – A decision on possible NBA expansion is due next year, and Las Vegas and Seattle are at the head of the line should the league open the door to new franchises, commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged on Tuesday at a media gathering prior to the NBA Cup final.

“It’s not a secret we’re looking at this market in Las Vegas,” Silver said. “We are looking at Seattle. We’ve looked at other markets, as well. I’d say I want to be sensitive there about this notion that we’re somehow teasing these markets, because I know we’ve been talking about it for a while.

“We’re in the process of working with our (existing) teams and gauging the level of interest and having a better understanding of what the economics would be on the ground for those particular teams and what a pro forma would look like for them. And then sometime in 2026, we’ll make a determination.”

The NBA last expanded in 2004 with the arrival of the Charlotte Bobcats as the 30th team. Charlotte previously had a team, the Hornets, that relocated to New Orleans. Seattle hopes to follow a similar pattern, as it lost the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2008.

Las Vegas has never been home to an NBA franchise, but it has close ties to the league as the site of a summer league and as the host of the NBA Cup semifinals and final the past few years.

“I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities,” Silver said. “Obviously, we had a team in Seattle that had great success. We have a WNBA team here in Las Vegas in the Aces. We’ve been playing the summer league here for 20 years. We’re playing our Cup games here, so we’re very familiar with this market.”

“I don’t have any doubt that Las Vegas, despite all of the other major league teams that are here now, the other entertainment properties, that this city could support an NBA team.”

Silver addressed other league topics:

–The NBA commissioner said he is closely monitoring the collective-bargaining talks between the WNBA and its players union.

“As I’ve said before, we, the NBA, WNBA collective, acknowledged that our players deserve to be paid significantly more than they have so far based on the increased success of the league, and it’s just a question now of finding a meeting of the minds in terms of what is a fair deal,” he said. “It’s going to require compromise on both sides. I remain optimistic we’ll get something done.”

–The Miami Heat might be granted salary-cap relief related to the absence of Terry Rozier. The guard is on leave after he was charged with alerting gamblers he would leave a game early, allowing them to cash in on prop bets regarding his statistics. Rozier pleaded not guilty in federal court last week.

“We’re going to try to work something through, work this out with them, but there’s no obvious solution here,” Silver said. “I would just say that there’s no doubt at the moment they have a player that can’t perform services for them. … Obviously, he hasn’t been convicted of anything yet either — but this is an unfortunate circumstance. Sometimes there’s these unique events and maybe sometimes they require a unique solution.”

–Silver disputed assertions that the NBA Cup is overloading the players.

“All I can deal with is the data itself, and the data we have so far this season is we have the lowest number of injuries in the last three years,” Silver said.

–Field Level Media

.

TL’s Sunday Notes | December 14

by

YouTube player

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

PROVIDENCE – The date was October 12, 1989 and the assignment was to be a one-man, one day advance team for the NBA as the Orlando Magic were to play their first game ever the following day. NBA Commissioner David Stern was in route to attend the game and, as always, Stern was willing and very able to do as many interviews as possible, TV one-on-ones, small group gatherings with the local assembled print media in the pressroom – you name it, he’d do it.

David was “an ace in the hole” for his “crack” PR staff and I was ready to run him through the gauntlet at Orlando’s brand-spanking new O-Rena. It was great.

With a bit of local intel from the Magic’s terrific PR staff (Alex Martins), a schedule was drawn up to catch as many of the local TV broadcasts as time would allow. The stations worked together – a bit – to slide live drop-ins and share in the wealth.

I don’t think Stuart Scott knew all of that as he was working at WRAL-TV in Raleigh at the time. But, he was soon to be on our radar.

Stern did his duty and the Orlando Magic won the game. A terrific start for the NBA expansion team – one of four that came into the league – alphabetically – in 1988 and 1989. Charlotte and Miami in 1988 and Minnesota and Orlando in 1989. We made the rounds for all four cities, a two-man NBA traveling band over many of the years as the NBA began to stretch its legs in terms of media coverage and worldwide popularity.

Just a few years later, it was Earvin “Magic” Johnson on center stage as the 1992 NBA All-Star Weekend was scheduled to be played in Orlando and for the second year, I was named to run point for our growing PR department by NBA PR guru Brian McIntyre, the guy with Bunn Award Hall of Fame skills. In an attempt to set a huge stage for Magic and the Magic organization, we all combined with the NBA events and attractions group to stage an incredible weekend.

Embed from Getty Images

There were countless planning trips down to Orlando – all with flights packed with kids, sometimes tots, all anxious and excited to visit Disney World. For those flights, the Bose (noise-cancelling) headphones and plenty of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd were packed to counter the crying and carrying on for little ones with altitude adjustment issues and painful ears. I felt for them, but there’s no child who can out-scream “Kashmir” or “When the Levee Breaks.”

The more trips, the more I noticed a WESH-TV 2’s sports reporter. Yes, Stuart Scott had moved to Orlando for a better gig on the WESH-TV news team, and he was good. He stood out amongst the relatively small media mass of Orlando, one where a guy named Christopher Russo had yet to go canine.

Leading up to the All-Star Weekend, I asked Stuart if he needed anything “special,” and more or less opened the door for any request. Earvin could only do the main podium interviews, and he was his usual amazing self, but I had the keys to Commissioner Stern’s busy schedule, and, aside from the obvious NBC Sports requests, in my eyes after observing Stuart over months of reports, the young reporter out of North Carolina had earned a little extra – call it, ‘treat him like family,’ love and an audience with Stern. That was a considerable “get” for a local broadcaster.

There’s no great punchline to this intro. Stuart Scott had earned the respect of all of the Magic players and their opponents, and his talent was noticeable to anyone who watched him work. He had yet to coin the phrase, “Cool as the other side of the pillow,” but that’s what he was – every single night. He was just a pleasure to work with and he generally appreciated the give-and-take. And, that’s the way we rolled for quite a long time. We worked at many an NBA game, and even in London where the Magic played the Atlanta Hawks at the very first NBA London Games (1993). Stuart and Shaquille O’Neal – the NBA Rookie of the Year in ‘92-93 – had developed quite a nice relationship. Shaq seemed to enjoy his time with Stuart, rather than think of it as work.

Stuart eventually became, “Stu,” to most of us, and he advanced his career by accepting a job with ESPN where he was among the opening night newscasters on ESPN2, the mothership’s attempt to be “cool.” It quickly became obvious, with Keith Olbermann on-set and on-air in a goofy leather jacket, and at that point in time, “Stu” was the only thing “cool” about ESPN2.

Scott was eventually promoted to the “A” team at ESPN and there he was hosting the main newscast at the NBA Finals. He had developed a rapport with so many of the rank and file NBA players, it was never difficult to coordinate an interview as the players liked him and enjoyed his rock solid style of conducting business. It was a joy to be a small part of as Stuart truly commanded the NBA airwaves. It seemed like Stuart Scott was growing up with the NBA, with pro basketball in Central Florida and, then, with a national following of sports fans.

To take a rather corny line from Forrest Gump, Stu and the NBA were like peas and carrots. Then – just like Forrest’s Jenny – the roof caved in and we heard the news of Stu’s battle vs. cancer.

It was a body-check in the gut, and it knocked the air right out of our bodies, minds and spirits. It wasn’t fair.

It never is.

Time moved along, just as it did for our other NBA Family insider – TNT’s Craig Sager – and both Stu and Sager courageously battled cancer and are now etched in our psyche with their mind-blowing, tremendous, courageous speeches at the ESPYs.

That brings us to the “Boo-yah,” A Portrait of Stuart Scott – a must watch documentary available on the ESPN app. In addition to extensive interviews with Stuart’s surviving family and his pillars – his daughters – there is quite a bit of entertaining original footage coming in the “never seen before” fashion.

Film producer Andre Gaines told The Hollywood Reporter he had “easily” 400 to 500 hours of footage to use for his ESPN 30 for 30 installment, much of which Scott shot himself … of himself.

That includes what became Gaines’ poetic documentary ending scene, first dug out of the archives by the documentary’s producer Ryan Lohuis. I will not spoil its impact.

Boston Bruins’ Winter Classic team sweater (Courtesy Boston Bruins)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Who needs another retro/alternate team uniform? Raise your hands. Anyone?

“Through multiple Winter Classics and of course our club’s 100th anniversary, we’ve done a lot of retro and vintage style jerseys, but Stadium Series presented an opportunity to do something really unique,” said Boston Bruins President Cam Neely. “We’re introducing a new team uniform that combines Bruins toughness and snarl with some really dialed up components and coloring. These sweaters are going to look great under the Sunday night lights.”

The Bruins’ Winter Classic jerseys feature a variety of new brand marks and design elements:

Sunshine Motif: In addition to the primary gold color, the jersey features debossed sun rays on the sleeves and on the hem loop label, which also features “BOS” – Boston’s airport code – a nod to the road warriors. (Who knew #1)?

Football-Inspired: The main “Boston” wordmark on the front of the jersey is akin to the New England Patriots styling, an intentional nod to the game being hosted in an NFL football stadium, and features a lock-up treatment with the Bruins’ crawling bear logo. The crawling bear – traditionally a secondary brand asset – is bigger and more prominent for the Stadium Series. (Who knew #2)?

Bear Claw Slash: One side shoulder features a new secondary mark, an iconic varsity B with a bear claw slash to signifying the grit and toughness that have been synonymous with Bruins hockey for more than 100 years. The slash graphic element appears throughout the uniform, including on the jersey, helmet, and pants. (Who knew #3)?

Love For New England: The inside neck collar features the abbreviations of the six New England states as a reminder that the Bruins are proud to represent their region no matter where they play. (Who Knew #4)?

That’s four “Who Knews,” a new Winter Classic record.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: The FIFA World Cup draw took place a couple of weeks ago and, as the ping-pong balls fell, it brought New England one of the highly anticipated matches with Norway vs. France. Norway’s team is an up and coming world competitor with striker Erling Haaland leading the Norwegian football team. Haaland is considered one of the top players in the world. He plays for Manchester City in the English Premier League and is celebrated for his exceptional goal-scoring ability to allow Norway to make their first major tournament appearance since 2000.

They’ll face France, considered to be one of the favorites to lift the coveted World Cup trophy, especially after their strong performance in the preceding tournaments. They exhibit a powerful blend of experienced players and exciting young talent, making them a formidable contender.

France won in 2018 and finished as a 2022 finalist. Les Bleus will be a serious contender yet again with its treasure trove of talent. Superstar forward Kylian Mbappe is entering his prime and Ousmane Dembele just won the Ballon d’Or. Other star options in attack are Desire Doue, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki.

Now, the bad news: An early inquiry into purchasing tickets for the big FRA vs NOR game resulted in some astronomical prices. A single ticket was listed at $2,158 (by tournament sponsor VISA) in a promotion which included a few bells and whistles (VIP stuff). A pair for the FRA vs NOR game? $6,700 bucks, and I’m not sure that includes parking fees at “Boston Stadium,” as they scrubbed Gillette right off the marquee.

Somehow, the tickets will sell. But, who can afford them?

THIS JEST IN: You might celebrate Christmas. Then there’s Festivus – the George Costanza/Seinfeld publicized “Festivus for the Rest of Us.” And, now for the Rock ‘n Rollers. there’s “Goosemas.”

Goose the Band (Google it, if you haven’t heard of them) plays back-to-back concerts on an annual basis and has tagged them as “Goosemas.” It’s a bit of a goof for a band that prides itself on not taking themselves too seriously but over the past for or five years has established themselves at the No. 1 Jam Band on the circuit.

While Jam Band sort of catches all aspects of the music, Goose is very hard to categorize. They were originally tagged as Indie Rock and they self-describe the band as “Indie Groove,” they’ve evolved into pure musical and theatrical mastery. The band hails from Wilton, Connecticut, and they formed in 2014. Theyve had some line-up changes over the years but solidified under the three original members in guitarist and vocalist superb, Rick Mitarotonda, while keyboardist and vocalist Peter Anspach keeps up the rapport with the growing fan base (sometimes referred to as “Creatures.” Bass player Trevor Weekz (often spelled Weeks and he went with a WEEKS New York Rangers jersey when at The Garden) holds down the sound nearly as well as The Who’s late bass man John Entwistle who is sometimes considered the all-time best. Like Entwisle, Weekz plants himself on stage and barely moves any part of his lower body while working magic with his hands and bass guitar, usually a Elrick Gold Series bolt-on 5-string or his Modulus Quantum 5-string; Godin A5 fretless 5-string; ’70s Fender Jazz Bass; or maybe an Elrick Master Series 35”- scale, single cutaway 5-string; or the patented and go-to Fender Tony Franklin Fretless Precision Bass after graduating from his first bass guitar – a used, Japanese-made Fender Jazz Bass with EMG pickups. Drummer Cotter Ellis plays a non-stop back beat making everyone wonder how he doesn’t simply tire out. Mitarotonda and Anspach handle most of the song-writing.

Goosemas 2025 at Providence (Photo by T. Peter Lyons)

While Goose has now played sellout shows at Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks in Colorado and Madison Square Garden in New York amongst all the other great venues, this veteran Goose fan (tipped off years ago by my Phish-loving neighbor) sees a band constantly evolving, constantly creating, constantly improving and finding a new niche that attracts fans of all genres and all ages.

Mitarotonda’s guitar playing has mesmerized all of his fans, while his voice remains so rock solid. It’s hard not to go too far with comparisons, so I won’t, but Mitarotonda has the whole package of guitar chops, the solid voice and exquisite song writing skills. He stands center stage and commands his audience in a smooth, natural way – simply being his cool self – nothing more, nothing less. Mitarotonda is the superstar of this band and he was born to be a musical legend.

Goosemas 2025 (night one) was incredible, almost indescribable, but I’ll try. Tagged as “Barnaby Glimpse’s Show Upon Time: A Phantom Menagerie” which was fictionally staged in the year 1734, the theatrics conjured up the craziest nights of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras mixed with a real menagerie of dancing creatures, hundreds of balloons and inflatable objects, all bouncing around a Providence venue (Amica Mutual Pavillion … the AMP) that must have a new high for an electric/power bill today. All the theatrics were backed by incredible guitar, bass and drum-driven “grooves” that made the buildings’ floor look like it was a giant waterbed moving up and down with two or three thousand fans packed together for one giant dance-off in one giant dance hall. Goose was fabulous.

During the early stages of Friday night’s show, Goose debuted Pink Floyd’s “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” as a first-time cover, featuring Ellis on lead vocals and adding Stuart Bogie on woodwinds during their first set. Bogie’s sax playing was a wonderful addition to the band.

The show closed as Ellis subtly exited the stage, soon to be followed by Weekz which allowed Mitarotonda and Anspach a finely lit stage to deliver their debut cover version of Neil Young’s “Sugar Mountain.”

Anspach exited, leaving only a lone vocalist and guitarist in Mitarotonda who upon hitting the last note, slowly walked over to the Ghostlight on stage and turned it off.

What a finish.

Stunning.

EDITOR’S NOTE: At approximately 4:13pm on Saturday, there was a mass shooting on the campus of Brown University in Providence, where this column originated from on Friday. Police and authorities are reporting two fatalities and multiple people (at least eight) injured and in critical condition.

In hindsight, and looking back about 24 hours, the joy of life during a peaceful weekend and attending an entertaining rock show turns to helpless feelings of sympathy for the families of the victims, some possibly not even notified as of this writing from nearby Boston on Saturday evening.

Brown is such a wonderful school and the City of Providence a gem amongst East Coast small towns. May God Bless the victims of this senseless crime with hope police, FBI and first responders quickly apprehend the perpetrator of this crime.

Spurs Beat OKC in NBA Cup

by

LAS VEGAS – (Staff and wire Service Report  – San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama delivered 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter in his return from a calf injury and the Spurs earned a spot in the NBA Cup West final with a 111-109 upset of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night. The Spurs will play the New York Knicks in Tuesday night’s NBA Cup final. The Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 132-120 earlier Saturday in the other semifinal.

YouTube player

Devin Vassell scored 23 points and De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle added 22 apiece as San Antonio handed the Thunder just their second loss in 26 games this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points for the Thunder, who had their franchise-record 16-game winning streak halted. Oklahoma City had not lost since Nov. 5 at Portland.

Wembanyama returned after a 12-game absence and was limited to 20 minutes. He collected nine rebounds and San Antonio outscored the Thunder by 21 when Wembanyama was on the floor. Jalen Williams had 17 points, seven rebounds and four steals and Chet Holmgren added 17 points for Oklahoma City. Alex Caruso had 11 points, eight rebounds and three steals off the bench and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Thunder pulled within 106-105 on a dunk by Gilgeous-Alexander with 14.9 seconds left. Castle made two free throws with 9.8 seconds remaining to give San Antonio a three-point lead. After the Thunder again pulled within one, Vassell made two free throws with 3.3 seconds left to give the Spurs a 111-108 lead.

Williams was fouled and made the first free throw with 1.5 seconds left. He missed the second on purpose but Caruso’s follow sailed behind the basket.

The Spurs made 41.1% of their field-goal attempts, including 13 of 42 from behind the arc, while winning for the 18th time in 25 games this season. Oklahoma City shot 41.3% from the field and was just 9 of 37 from 3-point range.

The Spurs took their first lead at 57-56 on a basket by Fox with 8:45 left in the third quarter. That was part of a 10-0 run that ended with Vassell’s trey to put San Antonio up six with 7:58 remaining. Fox made two free throws with 0.1 seconds to go as San Antonio took a 78-77 lead into the final stanza.

The Spurs were up five in the fourth quarter before the Thunder used a 11-3 push to take a 93-90 edge on Caruso’s basket with 6:47 remaining. At the outset, Oklahoma City jumped out to a 14-4 lead and ended up with a 31-20 advantage after the opening period.

–Field Level Media