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Celtics notebook: Kristaps Porzingis ‘better every day’ as rehab ramps up

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Celtics notebook: Kristaps Porzingis ‘better every day’ as rehab ramps up


Kristaps Porzingis began what the Celtics called the “next phase of his recovery” on Monday, joining Boston’s G League affiliate for a practice at the Auerbach Center.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla said the rehabbing big man suffered no setbacks during that session.

“I only watched a little of it, but he came out of it OK,” Mazzulla said before Tuesday’s NBA Cup matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. “So he’ll just continue to ramp it up and get better and better.”

Porzingis underwent offseason surgery to repair the rare leg injury he suffered during the NBA Finals. He has not played since, but he has been around the team and, by all accounts, is making steady progress.

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Mazzulla didn’t explain exactly what this “next phase” for Porzingis entails (“I have no idea. It’s a medical phase”) but said he’s been pleased with the work the 7-foot-2 center is putting in.

“All I know is he’s getting better every day, and he’s working really hard at coming back as fast as he can,” Mazzulla said. “And he’s in the next phase of the ramp-up.”

Porzingis was the only Celtics player unavailable for Tuesday’s game. Sixth man Payton Pritchard was listed as questionable Monday with a sprained left thumb but was upgraded to available before the game.

Tillman Maine man

Joining Porzingis for his brief G League rehab assignment was forward Xavier Tillman. Some players might balk at a request to practice with the farm club, but Mazzulla said Tillman, who has fallen out of Boston’s rotation of late, embraced the opportunity.

“He just wanted to play,” Mazzulla said. “It was an opportunity to play, and he’s obviously done a great job of just doing what we’ve asked him to do. So it’s a credit to him. We’ve got a lot of respect for him for making that decision. He’s got to keep getting better and better. He’s brought great character, a great work ethic to it.”

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Acquired from Memphis ahead of last season’s trade deadline, Tillman logged substantial minutes over Boston’s first four games but has hardly seen the floor over the past three weeks. Entering Tuesday, the 25-year-old had played just 19 total minutes over the last nine games – despite starting one of those – with four healthy DNPs during that span.

The bulk of Tillman’s minutes have gone to center Neemias Queta, who’s emerged as a steady frontcourt presence for Boston after splitting last season between the NBA and G League.

Queta hasn’t replicated Porzingis’ rim protection and isn’t a perimeter shooting threat, but he entered Tuesday ranked third among Celtics players in rebounds per game behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and first in rebounds and blocks per 36 minutes.

Cavs hurting

Mazzulla said the biggest difference between the current Cavaliers, who carried a perfect 15-0 record into Tuesday’s clash, and the Cleveland squad Boston dispatched in the Eastern Conference semifinals was that this one is “healthier.”

At the top of their roster, that’s certainly true. The Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell for two games of the teams’ playoff series and down Jarrett Allen for all five; both have been available and highly impactful this season.

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But Cleveland was missing several important role players in this rematch, with Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and Caris LeVert all sitting out due to injury. Okoro and Wade have made 15 combined starts this season, and LeVert is the top bench option for head coach Kenny Atkinson.

Atkinson, who didn’t shy away from the hype surrounding this matchup, said playing against the defending champion Celtics would give the Cavs valuable “feedback” about their own championship bona fides.

“Hopefully, we’ll see this team down the road,” he said. “(This is) an important game. On the other hand, I don’t want to blow this game out of proportion. It’s that balance, but it’s more anxious to see where we are. And we all know our schedule has not been the hardest. So we’re playing an elite team, the top team in the league. So I just can’t wait to get some feedback from the game.”

Mazzulla on Montgomery

The Celtics’ fellow TD Garden tenant underwent a coaching change Tuesday, with the reeling Bruins firing Jim Montgomery 20 games into his third season with the club.

Mazzulla, who’s spoken previously about how Boston’s head coaches support each other, called Montgomery’s dismissal an unfortunate reality of their business.

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“I talked to him a couple times,” Mazzulla said. “It’s tough. I talked to him a few times, and then watching the games. I didn’t really dive deep into his coaching philosophy or stuff like that. You hate to see a coach have to go through that, but we all get hired to get fired.”

Montgomery and Mazzulla found similar regular-season success in Boston, but each of the former’s first two seasons ended in an early playoff exit. The Bruins then nosedived this season, prompting management to cut bait after an 8-9-3 start.

Joe Sacco will replace Montgomery on an interim basis.

Off the rim

Big Boston sports week for Chris Sale. After attending Patriots-Rams at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, the former Red Sox ace was among the notable attendees at Celtics-Cavs. … Boston’s remaining schedule for NBA Cup group play: at Washington this Friday and at Chicago next Friday. Unless the Celtics make the knockout rounds and earn a home game in the quarterfinals, Tuesday was their final time playing on the bright-green TD Garden court.

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Boston, MA

Boston weather: Downpours, warmer weather to kick off the week

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Boston weather: Downpours, warmer weather to kick off the week


Boston will see several warmer days and bouts of rain in the coming week, according to National Weather Service forecasts.

“(Monday) we’ve got a warm front that’s going to cross the area,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Hayden Frank. “Temperatures will be back into the 60s (Monday), and the main thing is late (Monday), there may be a few showers from time to time during the day, but it’s mainly during the evening that we expect widespread showers, perhaps some thunder and brief downpours across the area.”

Throughout the week, the greater Boston area is expected to see varied temperatures throughout the and some possible precipitation.

The high Monday is expected to kick off with a high of 66 degrees, NWS forecasted, with a low of 43 degrees. Patchy fog is forecasted throughout the day, returning Wednesday night.

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The downpours Monday may lead to typical “ponding of water on streets, but no significant flooding or anything like that,” Frank said.

Tuesday morning the rain is expected to clear out, according to the weather service, leading to a drier period through Wednesday night.

“Temperatures may reach low 50s Tuesday, as some colder air moves in,” said Frank. “It will probably get down to freezing Tuesday night. And highs in the 40s Wednesday, with the continued dry weather.

“The next system comes in Wednesday night and Thursday, some showers,” Frank continued. “It doesn’t look like too significant or complete washout.”

Highs are expected to surge back into the high 60s Thursday and Friday, NWS forecasts. Thursday night will likely be warmer, with a low in the low 50s, and temperatures may drop back down into the 40s Friday night.

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The typical high for this time of year is around 49 degrees, Frank said, but the temperatures through the coming week are “not too extreme” and “pretty typical for late March, early April.”



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Boston Red Sox’ Superstar Sets Awful Record Through Team’s First Three Games

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Boston Red Sox’ Superstar Sets Awful Record Through Team’s First Three Games


The Boston Red Sox were beaten 4-3 on Saturday by the Texas Rangers, dropping to 1-2 on the young season.

In the loss, Rafael Devers continued his first week struggles. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and has yet to record a hit.

He’s also made some unenviable history, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Boston Red Sox DH Rafael Devers just set a major-league record by striking out 10 times in the first three games of the season.

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Still just 28 years old, there’s no reason to believe that Devers won’t figure this out, but it has been a tumultuous few weeks for him. First, the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, who has bumped Devers from third base to designated hitter. Furthermore, Devers dealt with a shoulder injury through a good portion of the spring and got a late start.

Now in his ninth season, Devers has been one of the most productive hitters in baseball over that stretch. He’s a .278 career hitter who has hit exactly 200 home runs. He has 639 RBIs.

He’s coming off a year in which he hit .272 with 28 homers and 83 RBIs. The Red Sox finished 81-81 last year but missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

However, the expectations are much higher this season after signing Walker Buehler and Bregman, as well as trading for Garrett Crochet.

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The Red Sox and Rangers will finish out their series on Sunday afternoon at 2:35 p.m. ET. Richard Fitts, one of the Red Sox’ Top 30 prospects, will pitch against Jacob deGrom, who is making his season debut for Texas.

CASHMAN MAKES HISTORY: Brian Cashman, the general manager of the Yankees since 1998, earned his 2,500th career win on Saturday. CLICK HERE:

ADLEY IS ROLLING: Nobody dominates Opening Day like Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles. CLICK HERE:

RED SOX UNIFORM LINEUP: The Red Sox have changed up their on-field look in a big way in 2025. CLICK HERE for the details.





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Boston Red Sox Reportedly in ‘Deep Talks’ with Top Prospect About Contract Extension

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Boston Red Sox Reportedly in ‘Deep Talks’ with Top Prospect About Contract Extension


The Boston Red Sox lost 4-3 to the Texas Rangers on Saturday, but all might not be lost for rookie and top prospect Kristian Campbell.

Campbell hit his first major league home run in the defeat, and now he’s reportedly working on a contract extension.

Per Chris Cotillo of MassLIVE:

On the night he hit his first major league home run, Kristian Campbell and the Red Sox are in deep talks on a contract extension, according to multiple sources.

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At this time, we don’t have any idea on the kind of numbers being exchanged, but considering Campbell is already under contract for six years, any deal would figure to buy out at least one or two of his possible free agent years.

Team’s will often try to lock up young players to pre-arbitration deals, but the success rate is hit or miss. The Atlanta Braves have had great success doing this, signing Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies to team friendly deals. Under new Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, the Red Sox have done this with Ceddanne Rafaela and Brayan Bello both.

Campbell is the No. 7 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. He hit .330 last year in the minor leagues, only appearing in 19 games at the Triple-A level before earning his major league call-up this year.

The Red Sox are 1-2 on the young season and will finish out the series with the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon at 2:35 p.m. ET. But will Campbell have a new deal before the time first pitch is thrown?

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ANOTHER REHAB START: Brayan Bello, on the shelf for the Boston Red Sox, will pitch for Triple-A Worcester. Here are the details. CLICK HERE:

FORMER ALL-STAR BACK TO SEATTLE: Drew Pomeranz, 36, didn’t make the Mariners out of spring training, but he’s back in the organization on a minor league deal. CLICK HERE:

WS CHAMP TO REHAB AT TRIPLE-A: Lance McCullers, who is a two-time World Series champ for the Astros, is working his way back. CLICK HERE:





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