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Joel Embiid’s status is in doubt, but Celtics not overlooking 76ers as series begins

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:17:39 GMT

On paper, the Celtics got a break to open their second-round matchup against the 76ers. Joel Embiid is doubtful for Monday night’s Game 1, and the MVP frontrunner’s status for the rest of the series is in question.But if there’s anything the Celtics should have learned from their first-round victory over the Hawks – which went at least one game longer than it should have – it’s that they can’t take any opponent for granted.The C’s seem to be taking this opponent seriously even without its star, who suffered a knee injury in the first round against Brooklyn.“We respect them with or without Joel,” Malcolm Brogdon said. “They’re a really good team, so we’re gonna come out and play good basketball. …“They’re a really good team without him as well on both sides of the ball. Without him, defensively, I think everybody guards a little bit better. They don’t have a 7-1 guy at the rim. Offensively I think the ball moves more and everybody is more aggressive and more confident.”The 76ers went...

Sale spins gem as Red Sox beat Guardians 7-1 on rainy afternoon

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:17:39 GMT

It may not have been another walk-off officially, but in the moment it sure felt like it.A day after sending them home happy with his second walk-off winner of the season, Alex Verdugo came through again with what turned out to be the game-winning two-run single in the bottom of the fifth. That broke a scoreless tie, and with the game now official and a steady rain already falling it gave the Red Sox the breathing room they needed if the game was eventually called due to weather.That call didn’t wind up coming, but despite the soggy conditions the Red Sox still made sure the lead held up in the 7-1 win.Though Verdugo delivered the big hit, Chris Sale was the one who really won Boston the game. The big lefty shook off last Monday’s lackluster outing in Baltimore and was much sharper, allowing just one run over a season-high 6.1 innings with three hits, no walks and five strikeouts.Along the way Sale pitched his way out of two jams, first working around a Rafael Devers err...

Orioles bullpen does heavy lifting in 5-3 win over Tigers; Baltimore wins sixth straight series

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:17:39 GMT

Yennier Cano’s trademark stare ended the eighth inning. It also brought an end to the Detroit Tigers’ final scoring chance Sunday.A day after the Orioles’ pitching staff covered two games, their bullpen delivered 4 1/3 scoreless innings in a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers, with Cano recording the final four outs to earn his second save with closer Félix Bautista unavailable.The Orioles (19-9) have won six straight series. They scored single runs each inning from the second through fifth, getting an RBI single from Ryan O’Hearn, back-to-back doubles from Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle, a home run from Adam Frazier, and a sacrifice fly from Austin Hays. But after four scoreless innings, right-hander Kyle Bradish nearly gave all those runs back in the fifth.Jake Rogers’ two-run home run ended the shutout, but Bradish responded with consecutive outs. However, Javier Báez doubled home Riley Greene, who singled, before Bradish hit Spencer...

Red Sox notebook: Chang says he ‘cried a little’ after ill-timed injury setback

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:17:39 GMT

Yu Chang was well on his way to establishing himself as an indispensable piece for the Red Sox. He’d brought stability to Boston’s injury-wracked shortstop position and was even beginning to heat up at the plate, ripping three home runs with eight RBI over his prior eight games.Then with one swing of the bat, all that momentum came to a crashing halt.Chang suffered a left hamate fracture while swinging during Monday’s 5-4 loss at Baltimore, which is expected to keep him sidelined for six weeks. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Chang acknowledged that the hand injury was a major setback and the timing was particularly painful.“I felt frustrated, I cried a little bit after I got hurt, why do I hurt now when I’m starting to get into a rhythm and getting better?” Chang said Sunday via translator Patrick Chu. “I feel sad but I need to go through it and keep moving forward.”The injury occurred right as Chang was finding himself at home, a lu...

Nestor Cortes, Yankees bats struggle in 15-2 blowout loss to Rangers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:17:39 GMT

ARLINGTON — A first-inning grand slam surrendered by Nestor Cortes on Sunday set the tone for an ugly afternoon by the Yankees, who dropped their third consecutive game to the Texas Rangers — this time in blowout fashion.The bases-loaded blast by Josh Jung was one of three home runs given up by Cortes in the 15-2 loss in Arlington, and one of four slugged by the Rangers overall.It was the first time in 18 starts that Cortes allowed more than three earned runs in a game.The Rangers blew the game open in the bottom of the fifth inning with back-to-back home runs by Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis Garcia against Cortes. Texas continued racking up runs after Cortes came out, with Jonah Heim hitting the Rangers’ third home run of the frame against Albert Abreu.Jung also drew a bases loaded walk during a six-run sixth inning, giving him five RBI for the game. The next batter, Heim, then added a two-run double.The Yankees scored just eight runs during the four-game series at Gl...

Heat, Butler (now ailing) make another playoff statement, push past Knicks 108-101 in series opener

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:17:39 GMT

The opponent changed, the magic continues.The team that required two chances just to survive the play-in round, entering the NBA playoffs as the No. 8 seed at the bottom of the Eastern Conference bracket, is now three victories from consecutive appearances in the conference finals.No, nothing as dramatic as pushing past the No. 1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, as they did in five games in the first round, but the Miami Heat made another statement Sunday.This time it was overcoming a 12-point deficit to take a 1-0 lead over the New York Knicks in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals with a 108-101 victory at Madison Square Garden.“We’re a back-against-the-wall type of team,” forward Caleb Martin said.With Jimmy Butler again in playoff mode, the Heat made it a second consecutive series of stealing homecourt advantage, having done it two weeks earlier at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum.But the celebration also was muted, with Butler turning his right ankle with 5:5...

Ex-enforcer for Latin Kings gets 12 years in jail

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:17:39 GMT

A former enforcer for the Latin Kings gang, who authorities say was involved in violent attacks and shootings targeting rivals, has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison, federal prosecutors said.Orlando Santiago-Torres, 27, an enforcer for the New Bedford chapter of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, was responsible for planning violence, instilling discipline and organizing security at apartments from which the gang distributed drugs, prosecutors said in a statement.“As a leader of the New Bedford Chapter of the Latin Kings, Santiago-Torres engaged in at least three shootings, two brutal gang beatings, and dealt drugs, destroying any sense of safety on this city’s streets,” Joseph Bonavolonta, head of the FBI’s Boston office said in a statement Friday.The Latin Kings are a violent nationwide gang that distributes drugs to generate revenue and engages in violence to further its influence and to protect its turf, prosecutors said...

6 people shot at Lawrence house party, one killed in Massachusetts’ first mass shooting of the year

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:17:39 GMT

A person died following a shooting at a Lawrence house party early Sunday morning when six people were struck by gunfire, according to police who are investigating the first mass shooting of the year in Massachusetts.The Lawrence Police Department responded at about 3 a.m. to a disturbance call at 5 Royal Street, Apt. 3, where they found the shooting victims.All six people were taken to Lawrence General Hospital, where one of the victims was pronounced dead.Two of the other victims were flown by medical helicopter to Boston hospitals for additional treatment.“Based on the initial investigation, the shootings are not believed to be a random act of violence,” the Essex County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. No arrests in the shooting had been made as of Sunday afternoon.The name of the person who died is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | 9 teenagers injured in shooting at prom aft...

Oceanside businesses impacted, frustrated by extended closures of SR-78

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:17:39 GMT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- Emergency repairs on State Route 78 remain ongoing, however, some businesses in the area are already over it, saying that the closure to the heavily trafficked highway is hurting their bottom line.The construction to the stretch of road from College Boulevard to El Camino Real began in mid-March, after several metal culverts that ran under the highway collapsed amid the series of storms that battered the region. Officials respond to San Clemente landslide that forced evacuations, halted rail service With the ongoing closures, motorists were detoured at the SR-78 El Camino Real exit and directed to other side streets before making their way back onto the highway.While the emergency repairs were necessary for long-term durability, businesses in the area said they took a hit, given delays that have prolonged the timeline for completion."We’re typically pretty busy here -- we usually have a lot of steady traffic that comes in and out of the store," Amy Everett sai...

Tim Scott sets May 22 announcement for 2024 presidential bid

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:17:39 GMT

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is nearly ready to reveal his decision on entering the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, saying Sunday that he would make an announcement on May 22.Scott didn’t definitively say that he’ll be announcing his official campaign, but he told those gathered at a downtown Charleston school during a town hall that he would be coming out with his decision at an event in about three weeks. Scott, 57, has been inching ever closer to formally entering the GOP nomination race, where he would join other announced candidates, including former President Donald Trump, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and “anti-woke” biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Another of those is Nikki Haley, the former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina governor who appointed Scott in 2012 to the Senate, where he is the sole Black Republican. Haley hasn’t commented on Scott’s potential entry into the race, while...