By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) – The Boston Celtics got pep talks from a past champion as well as their current superstar. Then, they put a charge in a series that was slipping from their reach.
Al Horford had 18 points and eight rebounds, Isaiah Thomas scored 16 points, and the top-seeded Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls 104-87 on Friday night after dropping the first two games of their opening-round series at home.
The Celtics pulled away after a 20-point lead shrunk to one early in the third quarter and put themselves in position to tie the series just as it was getting away from them. Game 4 is Sunday in Chicago.
They got a recorded message from Kevin Garnett before the game. Thomas, still grieving the death of his sister, had a few things to say, too.
"To me personally, it was everything," Jae Crowder said. "It was just a little motivation speech. (Garnett) said we looked like a team that wasn't having fun. We looked like a team that (wasn't) soaking in the moment. We just needed to play for one another, and play for the moment which is at hand being in the playoffs and have fun with it. He basically said put a little more KG into it."
Dwyane Wade scored 18 for Chicago. Jimmy Butler had 14 points on 7-of-21 shooting, and the offense simply didn't click the way it had been, with Rajon Rondo out indefinitely with a broken right thumb. Chicago shot about 39 percent and committed 18 turnovers.
"We're not going to put this all on missing Rondo because he might not show up," Wade said. "It sounds like he's going to be out for a while. We need to come out as a team and figure out how to be better."
Thomas rejoined the team after spending time with his family in Tacoma, Washington. He scored eight points in the third quarter, helping the Celtics regain control, and finished with nine assists in the game.
Crowder added 16 points. Avery Bradley scored 15 and hit four of Boston's 17 3-pointers.
"We weren't coming here hoping to get a win," Bradley said. "We knew we were coming here to win both games."
TIP-INS
Celtics: Coach Brad Stevens shook up the lineup looking for more shooting and athleticism. Gerald Green started over Amir Johnson and had eight points in 21 minutes. Johnson played six minutes. ... Boston hit 17 of 37 3s.
Bulls: The Bulls were 6 of 21 on 3-pointers. ... Chicago is 121-50 all-time in home playoff games. ... The Bulls own a 170-136 edge on the glass in the series after outrebounding Boston 52-37.
HANGING ON
The Celtics' lead was down to 44-43 early in the third when Thomas hit Horford for an alley-oop dunk and nailed back-to-back 3-pointers. Boston maintained a comfortable edge after that.
The Celtics led by 18 after hitting 7 of 11 3-pointers in the first quarter and were up 37-17 early in the second before the Bulls jumped back into it.
They had the crowd rocking in the closing minute of the half. Nikola Mirotic nailed a 3, cutting it to 44-41, and pointed toward the sky. Wade then blocked Bradley's 3, causing a shot-clock violation with 4.7 seconds left, before Butler missed a desperation 3 for Chicago as time expired.
"It's hard to maintain a lead in this league," Stevens said. "But also, to come into the locker room when they cut it to three and you know you've got to then step up and do it again - I thought that our guys really stayed the course."
NO RONDO
Rondo, who was injured in Game 2, will probably be re-evaluated in a week to 10 days. The Bulls said he won't need surgery.
He watched from the sideline and got in on the action to some extent late in the first quarter. Crowder jawed at the Bulls' bench after hitting a jumper and Rondo extended his leg as he walked by.
"When you tear an ACL, your leg gets stiff every once in a while," Rondo said. "I was stretching my leg out. I always do that throughout the game, I guess he was so deep in our bench, it looked like what may have happened, happened."
UP NEXT
Game 4 is Sunday in Chicago.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
IL Lottery
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) _ These Illinois lotteries were drawn Wednesday:
LuckyDay Lotto Midday
04-15-18-25-39
(four, fifteen, eighteen, twenty-five, thirty-nine)
Pick Three-Midday
2-2-8, Fireball: 5
(two, two, eight; Fireball: five)
Pick Three-Evening
6-9-9, Fireball: 6
(six, nine, nine; Fireball: six)
Pick Four-Midday
6-5-9-7, Fireball: 2
(six, five, nine, seven; Fireball: two)
Pick Four-Evening
2-3-6-2, Fireball:
(two, three, six, two; Fireball: zero)
Lucky Day Lotto
07-25-35-36-42
(seven, twenty-five, thirty-five, thirty-six, forty-two)
Estimated jackpot: $650,000
Mega Millions
Estimated jackpot: $45 million
Powerball
01-19-37-40-52, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 3
(one, nineteen, thirty-seven, forty, fifty-two; Powerball: fifteen; Power Play: three)
Estimated jackpot: $80 million
LuckyDay Lotto Midday
04-15-18-25-39
(four, fifteen, eighteen, twenty-five, thirty-nine)
Pick Three-Midday
2-2-8, Fireball: 5
(two, two, eight; Fireball: five)
Pick Three-Evening
6-9-9, Fireball: 6
(six, nine, nine; Fireball: six)
Pick Four-Midday
6-5-9-7, Fireball: 2
(six, five, nine, seven; Fireball: two)
Pick Four-Evening
2-3-6-2, Fireball:
(two, three, six, two; Fireball: zero)
Lucky Day Lotto
07-25-35-36-42
(seven, twenty-five, thirty-five, thirty-six, forty-two)
Estimated jackpot: $650,000
Mega Millions
Estimated jackpot: $45 million
Powerball
01-19-37-40-52, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 3
(one, nineteen, thirty-seven, forty, fifty-two; Powerball: fifteen; Power Play: three)
Estimated jackpot: $80 million
Saturday, April 15, 2017
White Sox beat Twins 2-1
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Dylan Covey allowed one run while pitching into the sixth inning of his big league debut and Matt Davidson hit a solo home run in the seventh, lifting the White Sox to the road win.
Covey walked three and struck out one in 5 1-3 innings. Davidson’s third homer of the year reached the upper deck in right field off Ryan Pressly (0-1), and David Robertson picked up his second save.
Dan Jennings (1-0) pitched one inning of scoreless relief.
The start of the game was held up 36 minutes by rain. Steady showers fell again in the second and third innings, but the teams were able to keep playing through it.
Friday, April 7, 2017
Molina: "Dumb" to ask about substance on chest protector
By STEVE OVERBEY
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and most everyone else at Busch Stadium laughed at the bizarre sight - a ball somehow stuck to his chest protector , in plain view of everybody except him.
But the St. Louis star didn't think it was so funny when asked if a foreign substance helped the thing cling.
"Did I put anything on my chest protector to stick?" Molina said. "That's a dumb question."
Whatever happened, it sure made for strange situation at Busch Stadium. And it was the key play that sent the Chicago Cubs past St. Louis 6-4 Thursday.
The Cardinals led 4-2 in the seventh inning when things turned kooky.
Pinch hitter Matt Szczur led off by striking out on a pitch from Brett Cecil that skipped in the dirt. The ball bounced into Molina's protector and smack, it stayed there.
"I don't know if they've come out with Velcro on the protectors or it's just a fuzzy baseball," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "It was definitely Velcro-ed to his chest."
As Molina frantically looked for the ball, Szczur headed toward first base.
"I just took off running," Szczur said. "My first base coach told me it was stuck to his stomach. I thought, `What?'"
By the time Molina looked down and discovered the ball, it was too late, Szczur was safe. The Gold Glove catcher could only smile and fans in sellout crowd roared - really, who'd ever seen such a thing?
"I haven't seen that one before," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "I have no idea what happened there."
Catchers sometimes put pine tar somewhere on their uniforms, often around the shin guards, to help give them a better grip.
Molina was certain about one thing.
"That play changed everything," he said. "If we get that first out, everything changes."
Once Szczur reached on what was scored as a wild pitch, the Cardinals lost their grip on this game.
After a walk, Kyle Schwarber hit a go-ahead, three-run homer. The Cubs added another run later in the inning against Cecil (0-1).
Schwarber, who injured his knee in an outfield collision in the third game last year and missed the rest of the regular season, enjoyed the big hit.
"We celebrated, I made it past the third game this year," Schwarber said. "I turned the horseshoe around. I turned it up so I could make it through."
The World Series champions won two in a row after losing to the Cards on opening night.
John Lackey (1-0) threw six solid innings against his former team and new Cubs closer Wade Davis got his second save.
Addison Russell drove in a pair of runs on groundouts for Chicago.
St. Louis starter Lance Lynn went 5 1-3 innings in his first appearance since Oct. 2, 2015. The right-hander, who'd been out since having Tommy John surgery, gave up two runs and five hits.
SLUMP
NL MVP Kris Bryant went 0 for 4 and struck out twice. He also walked and scored a run. The Cubs slugger is 0 for 13 this season.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: LHP Brian Duensing remains on the 10-day disabled list with back spasms. He is eligible to come off on Sunday.
Cardinals: OF Stephen Piscotty did not start, but came into the game as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning. Piscotty was hit in the head by a throw from INF Javier Baez while sliding into the plate in a 2-1 loss on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Cubs: LHP Brett Anderson will face Milwaukee RHP Jimmy Nelson in the first of a three-game set in Milwaukee on Friday. Anderson will be making his Cubs debut after eight seasons with Oakland (2009-2013), Colorado (2014) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2015-16)
Cardinals: RHP Mike Leake will face Cincinnati LHP Amir Garrett when St. Louis concludes its season-opening homestand with the first of a three games on Friday. Leake has won 10 or more games in four of the last six seasons.
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and most everyone else at Busch Stadium laughed at the bizarre sight - a ball somehow stuck to his chest protector , in plain view of everybody except him.
But the St. Louis star didn't think it was so funny when asked if a foreign substance helped the thing cling.
"Did I put anything on my chest protector to stick?" Molina said. "That's a dumb question."
Whatever happened, it sure made for strange situation at Busch Stadium. And it was the key play that sent the Chicago Cubs past St. Louis 6-4 Thursday.
The Cardinals led 4-2 in the seventh inning when things turned kooky.
Pinch hitter Matt Szczur led off by striking out on a pitch from Brett Cecil that skipped in the dirt. The ball bounced into Molina's protector and smack, it stayed there.
"I don't know if they've come out with Velcro on the protectors or it's just a fuzzy baseball," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "It was definitely Velcro-ed to his chest."
As Molina frantically looked for the ball, Szczur headed toward first base.
"I just took off running," Szczur said. "My first base coach told me it was stuck to his stomach. I thought, `What?'"
By the time Molina looked down and discovered the ball, it was too late, Szczur was safe. The Gold Glove catcher could only smile and fans in sellout crowd roared - really, who'd ever seen such a thing?
"I haven't seen that one before," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "I have no idea what happened there."
Catchers sometimes put pine tar somewhere on their uniforms, often around the shin guards, to help give them a better grip.
Molina was certain about one thing.
"That play changed everything," he said. "If we get that first out, everything changes."
Once Szczur reached on what was scored as a wild pitch, the Cardinals lost their grip on this game.
After a walk, Kyle Schwarber hit a go-ahead, three-run homer. The Cubs added another run later in the inning against Cecil (0-1).
Schwarber, who injured his knee in an outfield collision in the third game last year and missed the rest of the regular season, enjoyed the big hit.
"We celebrated, I made it past the third game this year," Schwarber said. "I turned the horseshoe around. I turned it up so I could make it through."
The World Series champions won two in a row after losing to the Cards on opening night.
John Lackey (1-0) threw six solid innings against his former team and new Cubs closer Wade Davis got his second save.
Addison Russell drove in a pair of runs on groundouts for Chicago.
St. Louis starter Lance Lynn went 5 1-3 innings in his first appearance since Oct. 2, 2015. The right-hander, who'd been out since having Tommy John surgery, gave up two runs and five hits.
SLUMP
NL MVP Kris Bryant went 0 for 4 and struck out twice. He also walked and scored a run. The Cubs slugger is 0 for 13 this season.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: LHP Brian Duensing remains on the 10-day disabled list with back spasms. He is eligible to come off on Sunday.
Cardinals: OF Stephen Piscotty did not start, but came into the game as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning. Piscotty was hit in the head by a throw from INF Javier Baez while sliding into the plate in a 2-1 loss on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Cubs: LHP Brett Anderson will face Milwaukee RHP Jimmy Nelson in the first of a three-game set in Milwaukee on Friday. Anderson will be making his Cubs debut after eight seasons with Oakland (2009-2013), Colorado (2014) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2015-16)
Cardinals: RHP Mike Leake will face Cincinnati LHP Amir Garrett when St. Louis concludes its season-opening homestand with the first of a three games on Friday. Leake has won 10 or more games in four of the last six seasons.
Thursday, April 6, 2017
IL Lottery
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) _ These Illinois lotteries were drawn Wednesday:
LuckyDay Lotto Midday
09-32-40-43-45
(nine, thirty-two, forty, forty-three, forty-five)
Pick Three-Midday
3-2-3, Fireball: 5
(three, two, three; Fireball: five)
Pick Three-Evening
0-8-5, Fireball: 3
(zero, eight, five; Fireball: three)
Pick Four-Midday
8-2-6-7, Fireball: 7
(eight, two, six, seven; Fireball: seven)
Pick Four-Evening
3-8-4-5, Fireball: 2
(three, eight, four, five; Fireball: two)
Lucky Day Lotto
07-26-41-42-45
(seven, twenty-six, forty-one, forty-two, forty-five)
Estimated jackpot: $100,000
Mega Millions
Estimated jackpot: $20 million
Powerball
08-20-46-53-54, Powerball: 13, Power Play: 2
(eight, twenty, forty-six, fifty-three, fifty-four; Powerball: thirteen; Power Play: two)
Estimated jackpot: $40 million
LuckyDay Lotto Midday
09-32-40-43-45
(nine, thirty-two, forty, forty-three, forty-five)
Pick Three-Midday
3-2-3, Fireball: 5
(three, two, three; Fireball: five)
Pick Three-Evening
0-8-5, Fireball: 3
(zero, eight, five; Fireball: three)
Pick Four-Midday
8-2-6-7, Fireball: 7
(eight, two, six, seven; Fireball: seven)
Pick Four-Evening
3-8-4-5, Fireball: 2
(three, eight, four, five; Fireball: two)
Lucky Day Lotto
07-26-41-42-45
(seven, twenty-six, forty-one, forty-two, forty-five)
Estimated jackpot: $100,000
Mega Millions
Estimated jackpot: $20 million
Powerball
08-20-46-53-54, Powerball: 13, Power Play: 2
(eight, twenty, forty-six, fifty-three, fifty-four; Powerball: thirteen; Power Play: two)
Estimated jackpot: $40 million
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Tigers-White Sox opener in Chicago postponed because of rain
CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago White Sox paraded onto the field in convertible Mustangs with the tops down for the pregame introductions prior to their season opener against the Detroit Tigers on Monday.
There was plenty of pomp and circumstance. There was also too much rain and - because of that - no game.
The White Sox postponed the opener against Detroit because of the downpour, delaying the start of a new era on Chicago's South Side.
The game rescheduled for Tuesday, with the Tigers' Justin Verlander and White Sox's Jose Quintana getting their starts pushed back a day.
"I think everybody was looking forward to starting the season, but obviously there are some things out of our control, and this happens to be one of them," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said.
It had been raining all afternoon. With the field drenched and no break in the forecast, the game was called off 101 minutes after the scheduled start.
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus didn't seem too concerned earlier in the day about the possibility of a postponement.
"No contingencies to work out," he said. "If we get rained out, we'll play tomorrow. At some point, we're going to play."
A bigger concern for him: Getting the Tigers back to the postseason.
They missed out for the second straight season after winning four straight AL Central championships. They finished eight games behind Cleveland in the division and just missed the wild card with 86 wins last year.
The White Sox, meanwhile, started rebuilding after a 78-84 finish and their fourth straight losing season.
Gone are ace Chris Sale and outfielder Adam Eaton, both traded as management stocked up on young players. Those weren't the only changes.
There's a new manager, with Renteria replacing Robin Ventura. The ballpark has a new name, too - Guaranteed Rate Field instead of U.S. Cellular Field.
Change is definitely happening, and it's not hard to see why. After all, the White Sox have just one playoff appearance since the 2005 championship season.
While the record probably won't be great, there is at least some intrigue surrounding the team. That's because things are at least different.
Promising players such as second baseman Yoan Moncada, along with hard-throwing pitchers Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez are in the pipeline thanks to the big trades.
Quintana could be the next star player to be traded. Veterans such as third baseman Todd Frazier and closer David Robertson could also be moved.
"Fundamentally, all of us in the front office started off as fans so we have that same default mindset about wanting things to be done quickly, but wanting them also to be done right," general manager Rick Hahn said.
"The trick is, is that we're at least privy to where conversations have been on certain players and can sleep well at night knowing that there really hasn't been anything presented to us that's been turned down that we look back in retrospect and could possibly kick ourselves for turning down. These aren't exact formulas, there's no clear-cut, this is the proper value, but we really haven't been presented with anything in recent months that's even been close to feeling like this is something we should do."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: RF J.D. Martinez (sprained right foot) is expected to begin rehabilitation this week.
White Sox: Hahn said LHP Carlos Rodon (bursitis in his left biceps) has been throwing and will likely begin working from a mound in a week. He will also go on a rehab assignment before returning from the 10-day disabled list. "We're going to take our time on this one," Hahn said.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)