Boston, MA
Celtics player grades vs. Miami Heat
When Miami started the game on a 7-0 run, I thought it was going to be one of those games where Boston was going to have to grind to find a way to win. Coming off of a back-to-back, a dogfight is the last game these players needed. Then the Celtics went on a 14-2 run to establish control and outscored Miami 60-45 in the first half with 10 threes, and 15 assists on 21 field goals.
My ratings which are based on my expectations will range from A-F with C being considered an “average” game for that individual player. There’s no +/-, just the letter.
Jaylen Brown: A
Season stats: 24.7 ppg, 6.3 reb, 4.3 ast, 1.1 stl, 0.4 blk
Tonight: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks
Jaylen was aggressive from tip-off. Although his shot didn’t fall right away, he made it a point of emphasis to get to the paint and get to the free throw line.
It’s one thing to get to the free throw line, it’s another to make them. Brown this season and in the past has had his issues at the charity stripe, but on Monday he drained 9 of his 10 free throws.
Brown had 16 first-half points to pace Boston and finished the second half strong with another 13 points. He had a big three early in the third quarter to snap Miami’s 7-0 start which put the Heat back in their place.
Derrick White: A
Season stats: 18.3 ppg, 4.7 reb, 4.4 ast, 0.8 stl, 1.1 blk
Tonight: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks
With Jrue Holiday out, White was the primary ball handler. White did a great job of moving the ball registering three assists in the first six minutes of the game and seven first-half dimes.
White has been Mr. Consistent all season because you know what you’re going to get from him on a night-in, night-out basis. On a night without Porzingis, Holiday, and Horford, he was going to have to step up his playmaking ability and he did that while maintaining his defensive intensity.
In the fourth quarter, Derrick just destroyed any hope of Miami coming back with back-to-back threes. I hope his pockets are always filled with threes.
Jayson Tatum: C
Season stats: 28.9 ppg, 8.5 reb, 5.7 ast, 1.4 stl, 0.6 blk,
Tonight: 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steals, 0 blocks.
I was close to giving Jayson a D for his performance but with his shot not falling, he was able to find a way to make an impact by crashing the glass. Finishing the game with a double-double with 11 rebounds and 18 points.
During the game, Tatum struggled from three and instead of trying to attack the paint, he continued to shoot threes which didn’t help. Also, six turnovers are way too much for your superstar. But I still think he played well on defense to justify an average game.
Jordan Walsh: C
Season stats: 1.5 pg, 0.9 reb, 0.2 ast, 0.3 stl, 0.4 blk
Tonight: 0 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks
The second-year player out of Arkansas got his second career start. Walsh struggled at times to keep his defender in front of him and didn’t give Boston much on the offensive end. Still great experience and more reps under the belt and his athleticism will always help him find minutes on the floor but wasn’t that great of a night for Walsh.
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Luke Kornet: A
Season stats: 4.1 ppg, 4.1 reb, 1.5 ast, 0.5 stl, 0.9 blk
Tonight: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 steals, 6 blocks
Luke started the game strong, scoring the team’s first four points with a dunk and a post move against Bam Adebayo. Then Kornet went into DPOY type of energy finishing the game with six blocks. His sixth block led to a Jayson Tatum three which brought the fans out of their seats. Overall, it was a great game for Luke who needed to play well with Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis out.
Payton Pritchard: A
Season stats: 16 ppg, 3 reb, 2.9 ast, 1.1 stl, 0.1 blk
Tonight: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
I’m starting to run out of words to praise Pritchard. Checked into the game and scored 10 quick points on 4-of-5 shooting, he’s established himself as a certified bucket in the league. He became the first Celtics player to score 20+ points in four straight games off the bench since Isaiah Thomas in 2015.
Of course, he secured another buzzer beater to add to his resume to close the third quarter getting into his bag before hitting a lefty layup.
Neemias Queta: C
Season stats: 6.4 ppg, 5.2 reb, 0.8 ast, 0.2 stl, 0.9 blk
Tonight: 4 points, 7 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 2 blocks
Struggled with foul trouble early but did a great job attacking the boards. Was expecting a bigger night from him offensively with KP and Horford out, but didn’t have much to offer. Still a solid game from the Portuguese man.
Xavier Tillman Sr.: D
Season stats: 1.4 ppg, 2.2 reb, 0.5 ast, 0.2 stl, 0.2 blk
Tonight: 0 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks
The X-man didn’t make as much of an impact as others. Played hard on defense but stood out. I still believe he’ll make an impact later in the season/postseason but for today’s performance think he was a bit below average.
Drew Peterson: B
Season stats: 2 ppg, 1.2 reb, 0.2 ast, 0.5 stl 0.5 blk
Tonight: 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 0 blocks
After a solid performance against the Cavs, Peterson did his job tonight. Was very active on both ends of the floor. Peterson showed his range with a corner three in the fourth quarter but used his 6’9 height to snag seven rebounds.
I liked his stare down at Miami’s bench after burying a three in front of them.
Baylor Scheierman: C
Season stats: 1 ppg, 1.5 reb, 0.2 ast, 0 stl 0 blk
Tonight: 0 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 0 blocks
The rookie played solid on-ball defense when guarding Jaime Jaquez Jr. Had a beautiful assist to Jaylen Brown for a corner three when he found himself stuck in the paint. Other than that, didn’t do too much to stick out, but like Walsh, these minutes are valuable to his development.
JD Davison & Jaden Springer: N/A
Not enough time for either to make an impact, but Springer did have a nice steal late in the quarter.
Boston, MA
Practice Report: Bruins Have Last Skate in Boston Before Leaving for Buffalo | Boston Bruins
“It is a division team, we’ve played them enough to know kind of what they’re about. They’ve had a great season. They’re a high rush team, a lot of speed and a lot of skill. It is going to be a fun matchup,” Lindholm said. “It is a fun challenge for us, coming in a little bit as an underdog and prove people wrong.”
Lindholm has also been quarterbacking the second power-play unit, which is primed to feature James Hagens. The 19-year-old forward signed his entry-level contract on April 8 and played in the final two games of the regular season. The B’s, however, did not get on the man advantage in either game, so Sturm has yet to see Hagens on the power play outside of practice. The coach thinks it is one of Hagens’ best assets, though.
“He doesn’t have to play or make special plays. He has some really good players on that unit. As long as he’s going to play fast and keep it simple – I think that is something that might be different from college and NHL,” Sturm said. “I think it will be fine because Buffalo, they will come, they pressure hard. So you don’t want to be surprised. You want to be quick, you want to be fast. That’s something that has to be in his mind.”
Hagens has been skating on the third line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov, and that stayed the same in Saturday’s practice. The three youngsters will all be playing in their first NHL postseason.
“Every night you have to give it your all. You have to give everything you possibly have. This is playoff hockey – you want to win every single game like always. Nothing changes, but there are a lot higher stakes,” Hagens said. “This is something you dream of. Something you grow up watching and praying that you could be in the moment one day and be playing in. Now that it’s reality, it’s something that is really surreal.”
After having a whirlwind start to his pro career, it has been helpful for Hagens to get full practices in with the group.
“It’s been great to be able to be out there, practice with these guys. Not only to learn the systems but to be able to talk to teammates, get feedback from coaches,” Hagens said. “Just the repetition, being able to do reps, try to learn day by day.”
The energy is palpable for Boston, but the team knows the work has just begun.
“Everyone is equal in this room. We’re a tight-knit group here, we’re all good buddies…Just go out there and play with that joy that we have in the locker room,” Lindholm said. “It is a really serious time of year, but I think within this room here, just go out there and enjoy, too. Play for each other – I think that’s how you win this time of year.”
Hao-Yu Lee called up by Detroit Tigers after Zach McKinstry hits IL
Tigers call up infield prospect Hao-Yu Lee as Zach McKinstry hits 10-day IL; Lee starts at Fenway, strong vs. lefties.
Boston — Can’t lose at home. Can’t win on the road.
The Tigers are establishing a very unhealthy pattern early this season. Coming off six straight wins at Comerica Park, they rode an eight-game road losing streak into Fenway Park Friday night.
Make it nine straight road losses.
Scoreless through regulation, the Boston Red Sox scratched across a run in the bottom of the 10th inning to take the opener of a four-game series, 1-0.
“We don’t look at it like that,” said catcher Dillon Dingler of the home-road contrast. “We played a tough game tonight. Just not a ton of hitting. I left three guys out there myself.”
Dingler nearly ended the game-winning threat before it started. With speedy Jarren Duran at second as the free runner, reliever Will Vest threw a pitch in the dirt. Duran got a good break off second but Dingler pounced on the ball and threw a seed to third base.
It would have been a bang-bang play, but third baseman Hao-Yu Lee, in his big-league debut, was unable to catch the throw.
“I don’t know how that play would’ve gone,” manager AJ Hinch said.
Vest struck out Ceddanne Rafaela, then with one out, Hinch brought Javier Báez in from center field, using a five-infielder, two-outfielder alignment against Red Sox lefty-swinging pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida.
“Our backs were against the wall,” he said. “We were hoping he hits it at somebody. He ended up chopping it over the infield.”
Yoshida’s high-bouncer went over the infielders’ heads and ended the game, leaving the Tigers to rue their two missed chances late in the game.
BOX SCORE: Red Sox 1, Tigers 0 (10)
The Tigers put runners at second and third against Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the top of the ninth. Jahmai Jones ripped a double into the left-field corner, sending rookie Kevin McGonigle (safe on a fielder’s choice) to third.
But Champman punched out Dingler with back-to-back heaters — 100 mph and 101 mph.
They stranded the free runner in the top of the 10th against right-handed reliever Garrett Whitlock, too. With Dingler at third and one out, Wenceel Perez struck out and Spencer Torkelson grounded out to short.
Hinch had left-handed hitters Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith available on the bench.
“Obviously we were looking for contact (from Perez),” he said. “Generally, Whitlock is going to keep the ball down. (Perez) just chased at the end.”
But, as Hinch said, there was a lot more going on than just the 10th inning.
“I mean, a zero-zero game at Fenway in the 10th inning?” Hinch said. “That’s a game that’s very rare around here.”
Credit starting pitchers Casey Mize and Red Sox lefty Ranger Suarez for that. They put on a show, impressively trading outs in their own unique style.
The Tigers got two singles off Suarez in the first inning and then nothing over the next seven.
Mize, with a four-seam fastball that was hitting 96 mph that greatly enhanced the effectiveness of his splitter and slider, allowed three hits through 6.2 innings.
“Casey was incredible,” Hinch said. “I told him afterward, that was the best combination of stuff, execution and the way his body was moving. He was excellent. Unfortunately, so was their guy.”
Said Dingler: “Robin (Lund, assistant pitching coach) said Casey’s slider strike percentage was 93 percent. He was dominating that outer rail with all three of his pitches. It was fun to catch. He made my job easier.”
The third hit, a two-out infield single in the seventh, ended Mize’s night. But he was brilliant. He struck out seven with one walk. He got 14 whiffs on 42 swings and 16 called strikes.
“We had a good game plan,” said Mize, who dominated a lot of the same Red Sox hitters last September at Fenway. “I was able to execute at a pretty high clip tonight. I felt like I was moving well and the ball was coming out well. When you execute, more times than not you are going to have nights like this.”
Suarez, meanwhile, was mixing changeups, curveballs and cutters off his 91-mph sinker and getting the Tigers’ hitters to beat the ball in the ground. Nine ground ball outs and nothing but weak contact.
“There’s a reason he signed a deal with these guys,” said Mize of Suarez’s five-year, $130 million deal with the Red Sox. “He’s a really good pitcher and it made it tough on our team and on myself, knowing I was going to have to match him zero for zero.”
McGonigle singled with one out in the first and Jones followed, belting a line drive off the Green Monster in right field. McGonigle breezed into third but center fielder Rafaela played the carom expertly and threw out Jones at second base.
“Once he settled in, he was in and around the zone just enough,” Hinch said. “The ball never moved the same way twice. He’s tough.”
The Tigers’ only runner after the first against Suarez was Dingler, who drew a two-out walk in the fourth.
Suarez set down 13 straight hitters after that through the eighth.
Dingler, besides calling a smart pitch-mix for Mize, helped out with two defensive plays befitting a Gold Glove catcher. He ended the second inning by pouncing on a topper in front of the plate to retire Rafaela. Dingler ran through Rafaela to get the ball, knocking him out of the base path.
He took Rafaela off the bases again in the fifth. This time, he threw him out at second trying to steal second base. The throw was perfect, an 87-mph dart that popped into the glove of shortstop McGonigle in 1.85 seconds.
“Ding is such an influence behind the plate,” Hinch said. “It starts with the game-calling. And he threw it well tonight. We know they’re going to be aggressive. They have a ton of athleticism and speed. And Ding is a big weapon for us to stop it.”
Friday was the big-league debut for Tigers’ infielder Hao-Yu Lee. He went hitless in three at-bats against Suarez, though he did drive a ball to track in right-center field the Rafaela ran down in the fifth.
Playing third base, he ended seventh inning fielding a ground ball behind the bag at third and throwing across the diamond to retire Rafaela and stranding a runner at second. First baseman Spencer Torkelson made an outstanding scoop on Lee’s low throw.
Lee’s throwing error in the bottom of the ninth extended the inning but caused no damage.
“It’s a big stage,” Hinch said. “I think he handled himself well.”
For Mize, it was his third start this season where he allowed one run or less. The Tigers are 1-2 in those three starts.
“Yeah, you know, I feel good,” he said. “I feel fine. But we’ve got to translate them into wins. That’s what I care about the most.”
Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com
@cmccosky
Dare we say this could be one of the deepest women’s pro fields we’ve seen assembled for the Boston Marathon? The 130th edition of the race from Hopkinton to Boylston Street gets underway on Monday, and a slew of the top racers in women’s road running currently will look to finish atop the podium at one of the toughest of the World Marathon Majors.
Defending champion and course record holder (2:17:22) Sharon Lokedi returns as one of the favorites to win yet another Boston Marathon title, and she enters coming off a notable 2025 marathon campaign that featured wins in both Boston and New York. Among some of her top challengers are fellow Kenyan Irine Cheptai, who took fourth in Boston last year, and Ethiopia’s Workenesh Edesa, who dipped under the 2:18 mark to win the 2025 Hamburg Marathon.
But perhaps the biggest storyline to follow on Patriots’ Day? The competition among the U.S. contingent. With American record holder Emily Sisson running the Boston Marathon for the first time in her career, as well as 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials winner Fiona O’Keeffe, Paris Olympian Dakota Popehn, 2025 Boston Marathon top U.S. finisher Jess McClain, and plenty of other notable names all toeing the line together, expect an entertaining battle to play out on race day.
Content hype editor Ashley Tysiac breaks down what you can expect from the women’s race on Monday. You can continue to stay in-the-know on all things Boston with our watch guide, and you can follow along with Runner’s World’s coverage of the 2026 Boston Marathon by exploring our full collection of stories. You can also dive into our preview of the men’s race here.
Ashley is Editor of Content Hype at Hearst’s Enthusiast & Wellness Group. She is a former collegiate runner at UNC Asheville where she studied mass communication. Ashley loves all things running; she has raced two marathons, plus has covered some of the sport’s top events in her career, including the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials and multiple World Marathon Majors.
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