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Jalen Brunson, Knicks again rally past Celtics for 3-1 edge
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Jalen Brunson scored 26 of his 39 points in the second half and the New York Knicks became the first home team to win in the series by dispatching the Boston Celtics 121-113 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal matchup.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points and 11 rebounds and Mikal Bridges also second 23 for the Knicks, who recovered from a 14-point third-quarter deficit. OG Anunoby made some key plays late while contributing 20 points.

Brunson also had 12 assists for third-seeded New York.

Boston star Jayson Tatum sustained a possible serious right ankle injury late in the contest. Tatum had 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. He knocked down seven 3-pointers for the second-seeded Celtics, who squandered 20-point leads while dropping the series' first two games.

"I got back there, talked to the medical staff and they told me it's a lower body injury for Jayson Tatum and we'll get an MRI in the morning," Celtics coach Joe Mazzula said.

Derrick White made six 3-pointers and scored 23 points and Jaylen Brown added 20 points and seven rebounds for Boston. Payton Pritchard added 12 points off the bench.

The Knicks can clinch the best-of-seven series with a win in Game 5 at Boston on Wednesday night.

Anunoby drilled a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 5:52 left in the fourth quarter to start a decisive 14-2 spurt.

A jumper in the lane by Bridges made it 111-104, and Anunoby added a steal and dunk to increase the gap to 113-104 with 3:03 left. Tatum was injured on the latter play and grabbed for his ankle and signaled for a timeout with 2:58 to go.

Tatum was helped off the floor with his right foot kept in the air and was later seen being pushed to the locker room while sitting in a rolling chair.

Brunson nailed a trey to cap the run and all but seal it at 116-104 with 2:25 remaining.

New York connected on 54.3 percent of its shots and was 12 of 34 (35.3 percent) from behind the arc.

Boston made 18 of 48 3-point attempts (37.5 percent) and is 38 of 88 (43.2 percent) over the past two contests after being a dreadful 25 of 100 in its opening two setbacks. Overall, the Celtics made 48.1 percent of their shots in Game 4.

Boston led 72-58 after White's 3-pointer with 9:06 remaining in the third quarter before the Knicks went on a 30-13 burst over the rest of the period.

A 3-pointer by Anunoby with 32.1 seconds left gave New York an 86-85 edge, the hosts' first lead since the opening quarter. Josh Hart added a layup with 3.5 seconds left before Bridges opened the fourth quarter with a short jumper to give the Knicks a 90-85 lead.

Tatum drilled a 3-pointer to knot the score at 96 with 8:22 remaining. Tatum knocked down another trey 65 seconds later to give Boston a one-point advantage, and he later converted a three-point play to tie it at 102 with 6:12 to go.

Tatum (20 first-half points) and White (17) each made four 3-pointers as Boston led 62-51 at the break. Brunson led the Knicks with 13 points in the half.

This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission.

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Celtics' Derrick White Reveals Gregg Popovich Conversation After Spurs Trade
NBA

Celtics' Derrick White Reveals Gregg Popovich Conversation After Spurs Trade

SAN ANTONIO — Derrick White shares a unique bond with Gregg Popovich. Beyond playing for him for five seasons, the now-Boston Celtics star was among the few players who didn't have much self-confidence. Ever the realist, Popovich snapped him out of it. "I don't think he believed he belonged in the NBA," the coach said. "(I did) the same thing anybody else would've done ... making him believe that you really believe what you're saying to him, and showing him a lot of love." It wasn't long before White began to prove himself. By his third season, the point guard was averaging double figures on offense and keeping the ball safe. He became an impact player for the San Antonio Spurs, still struggling to contend in the Western Conference, and improved with repetition. "In development he was outstanding," Popovich said. "He had size at (his) position ... the immediate thing you could see was that he had a nose for the game." Then White was traded. Popovich kept it real then, too. "We wouldn't f*** you," he told White. "We sent you to Boston." White was traded to the Celtics in a deal that netted the Spurs Josh Richardson — later flipped for Devonte' Graham, Harrison Ingram and three additional second-round picks; Romeo Langford; a 2022 first-round pick, which became Blake Wesley; and a 2028 first-round pick swap. "I was shocked," White said. "It was a world of emotions." Beyond the unused draft picks, only Ingram remains in San Antonio, assuming he accepts his tendered qualifying offer to return on a two-way deal next season. Meanwhile, White has become an impact player in Boston, especially during its 2024 championship run. Hindsight is 20/20. And while San Antonio may regret moving White in the long run, the point guard certainly doesn't regret any time spent with Popovich. He was the one who showed him he belonged. "He just kept pushing me," White said, "and he knew he saw something in me that I didn't see in myself ... I used to be in the mail room, he'd walk in and say: 'You belong' and walk out."

Yankees’ planned fire sale after Aaron Judge injury epitomizes roster weakness
MLB

Yankees’ planned fire sale after Aaron Judge injury epitomizes roster weakness

Would the New York Yankees still be a heavyweight contender without Aaron Judge? Most fans would doubt it. What comes as a shock is that Yankees general manager, Brian Cashman, appears to agree. According to MLB insider Andy Martino of SNY, Cashman had explored the option of selling ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline (6 p.m. EST) if Judge’s flexor strain had turned out to be something worse. Martino wrote this: “[On Saturday], we relayed that the Yankees were floating some of their free-agent-to-be relievers in preliminary trade talks. We have since learned through league sources that last week the Yanks brought up Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt in talks with at least one other club.” It would be strange to see a team with a record well above .500 shop core hitters at the deadline. Both Bellinger and Goldschmidt — hitting .281/.333/.507 with 19 home runs and .283/.341/.419 with eight home runs respectively entering Tuesday — have been valuable producers for the Yankees this year. Goldschmidt signed a one-year deal with the Bronx Bombers over the offseason while Bellinger was acquired via trade with the Cubs. He is signed through 2026 but has a player option at the end of the year. Either player would bring a nice haul back to the Yankees. Of course, the reigning AL MVP’s injury doesn’t seem to be a season-altering, ‘abandon ship’ type of event. Optimistically, Judge should be back soon. But this does serve to illustrate how the team’s success is dependent on one player. Beyond Judge, the Yankees’ batting order doesn’t feature a star-caliber player, or at least a player the lineup can be built around. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, New York lacks enough solid hitters to be considered a worthy contender without Judge. The Yankees’ three bottom-of-the-order hitters — Austin Wells (.214), Anthony Volpe (.213) and newest acquisition Ryan McMahon (.223) — all own batting averages below .230 entering Tuesday. And this doesn’t include J.C. Escarra (.205), Oswald Peraza (.152) or even Ben Rice (.229). If Judge was lost for the season, selling wouldn’t have been a bad idea. He is insoluble glue holding the battered Yankees’ roster together, especially with Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt gone for the year. No one on the trade market could replace him, but with Judge coming back, the Yankees might have enough firepower to at least limp to the finish line.

Ex-Packers Star May be About to Lose his Starting Job
NFL

Ex-Packers Star May be About to Lose his Starting Job

Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones was a virtual nonfactor against the Packers last season, but Green Bay may be seeing a little less of the veteran back in the pair of meetings against their NFC North rivals this season. In two games against the Packers, Jones rushed for 140 yards but failed to reach the end zone in either game, as the Vikings swept the season series against Green Bay. However, there’s a chance Jones may already have been supplanted in Minnesota’s backfield. Ex-Packers RB Aaron Jones Splitting Reps with Jordan Mason Early in Vikings training camp, Jones might be losing his grip on Minnesota’s No. 1 running back role. Multiple reports say Jones is splitting carries with Vikings newcomer Jordan Mason, who Minnesota acquired in an offseason trade with the San Francisco 49ers. “The news is noteworthy but not particularly surprising,” Ryan Smith points out for Pro Football Focus. “Given that the team traded for Mason in March and then signed him to a two-year, $7 million fully guaranteed deal that could reach up to $12 million. Seifert believes that Mason and former Pro Bowler Aaron Jones will have a near 50-50 split in terms of playing time this season. “Last year, both Jones (76.5 PFF rushing grade) and Mason (76.1) ranked among the top 20 running backs in the league in PFF rushing grade. Jones has shown the ability to be a more dangerous threat through the air, as evidenced by his 70.6 PFF receiving grade last year and nearly 2,500 career receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.” Jones, in his first season with the Vikings, rushed for a career-high 1,138 yards and five touchdowns. If Minnesota takes a backfield by committee approach, it could bring out the best in both backs, after Jones was the Vikings’ lead-dog in 2024 and Mason wound up emerging as an explosive option in San Francisco after Christian McCaffrey’s season-ending injuries.

JJ Wetherholt To Cardinals? Insider Gives Latest On Phenom
MLB

JJ Wetherholt To Cardinals? Insider Gives Latest On Phenom

The St. Louis Cardinals have one of the most exciting prospects in baseball right now in infielder JJ Wetherholt. This kid is the real deal. He has had a meteoric rise through the Cardinals' farm system over the last year. Right now, he's with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds one step away from the big leagues. In 11 games, he has slashed .333/.391/.762 with four homers, five RBIs, four doubles, and a triple. So, what does the future look like for him in St. Louis? The Athletic's Katie Woo joined "The Lou Sports Talk" and talked about his role moving forward and also noted it's not likely he debuts this season. "He's a true shortstop," Woo said. "So if we're just based off his talent, I would say shortstop. Obviously, the Cardinals have Masyn Winn there so JJ Wetherholt is going to hop around the diamond. He's going to play second base, third base, and shortstop for Memphis. To me, when you have an infielder with a pedigree as JJ, him not having an established position to work on every day doesn't matter because one of the things that makes him so exciting is his versatility. Think of a Brendan Donovan with a higher defensive ceiling. That's how they're viewing JJ Wetherholt. And guys that can play shortstop can play anywhere. So, where he's playing at Triple-A is not really a super big concern to me. This is not like a Jordan Walker situation where it was clear he should move to the outfield, you know, months before they actually did. It's a little early to say where JJ comes in on the major league roster or if we'll see him at all. We probably won't this season but he will certainly be in play for the Opening Day roster come 2026.

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