Sports
Celtics seek better defensive effort vs. reeling Raptors
Nov 16, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives to the basket against against the Toronto Raptors during the first half at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images The Toronto Raptors will attempt to end a 10-game losing streak when they visit the Boston Celtics on Tuesday afternoon.
Among Eastern Conference teams only Washington has a worse record than Toronto, which is 1-14 in road games this season. The Raptors committed a season-high 31 turnovers in Sunday’s 136-107 loss to Atlanta.
“I just feel like our effort has to be better,” Toronto’s Scottie Barnes said. “It’s on us. No matter if we’re tired, we have to push through that. This is the NBA, so there’s no excuse there.
“We just have to be better defensively, guard the ball better, help each other more. Rebound. Do those things and just get back to winning. This isn’t fun losing games by 30. This isn’t who we are, and we can’t just keep allowing it to happen. At some point we have to stand up and we have to put up a fight.”
The good news is the Raptors are getting closer to full strength. Center Jakob Poeltl returned to action Sunday after missing four games with a strained groin, and forward Bruce Brown made his season debut following arthroscopic surgery last summer.
Rookie guards Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter also returned after missing time with injuries, but Immanuel Quickley is still working his way back from an elbow injury and hasn’t played since early November.
Toronto will be seeking its first victory since it beat Indiana 122-111 at home on Dec. 3.
The Celtics have their own issues. Boston’s 123-114 loss to Indiana on Sunday dropped the team’s record to 1-3 in its last four home games. The Celtics have lost four of their last six games overall.
“We’ve got to get back to emphasizing the defensive side of the ball,” Jaylen Brown said. “It’s kind of slipped over the last few games, our intensity. Teams are pressuring us and being physical with us. We’ve got to do the same stuff back to them. We did some good stuff in spots, but just not enough.
“We’ve had some great moments this season and maybe some comfort has slipped in. Offensively, we’re fine. I just think defensively we’ve got to find ways to get more stops and be more consistent protecting the basket, helping each other, communicating. We just didn’t emphasize that enough. Defense is something that you’ve got to have effort. We haven’t had as much intensity and effort that we need. That’s pretty much it.”
Boston has played its last three games without Jrue Holiday (shoulder) and its last two without Kristaps Porzingis (ankle).
“Winning in the NBA is hard,” Jayson Tatum said. “We gotta understand that. We know that. Everybody is confident in our abilities and who we can be as a team. We just gotta do it. Hasn’t been the best stretch for us. That’s OK. Nobody’s panicking or anything like that. We just gotta be better.”
Tuesday’s game will be the second meeting between the Celtics and Raptors this season. Tatum connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to give the Celtics a 126-123 victory in Boston on Nov. 16.
Tatum had 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in the win. Poeltl led Toronto with 35 points and 12 rebounds. He was 16 of 19 from the field.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Youth is served again as Red Bulls slip past Revolution
Feb 28, 2026; Harrison, New Jersey, USA; Red Bull New York forward Julian Hall (16) leaps to avoid New England Revolution defender Ilay Feingold (12) during the second half at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images Teenage breakout star Julian Hall scored his third goal in two matches, and that was enough for the New York Red Bulls to blank the New England Revolution 1-0 on Saturday in Harrison, N.J.
Hall, 17, is responsible for all three of New York’s goals this season after opening with a brace in last week’s 2-1 win at Orlando City.
His 53rd-minute header on Saturday gave the Red Bulls (2-0-0, 6 points) a deserved lead after they controlled play in the first half.
Ethan Horvath made two saves for New York, which finished with 62.5% of the possession. The Red Bulls won consecutive league matches for the first time since August and remained perfect under new head coach Michael Bradley.
Matt Turner did all he could in the second straight loss for the Revolution (0-2-0, 0 points), recording three saves and 19 clearances.
Horvath, playing his first season in MLS after a transfer from Cardiff City, did not have to make a stop until the 34th minute, when he parried Griffin Yow’s left-footed shot out of bounds.
New York broke the deadlock on a set piece.
The Red Bulls took a short corner and then crossed the ball to Adri Mehmeti. The 16-year-old headed it into the goal area, where Hall applied a header of his own and bounced the shot past Turner.
New England’s best chance of the second half came on the break in the 68th minute.
Ilay Feingold led the pack down the right sideline and the Red Bulls sprinted to get back. Feingold tapped his centering pass to Yow, who had a good angle to shoot past an out-of-position Horvath. But Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty knocked the shot over the net with a leaping header, and New York handled the resulting corner kick with ease.
The Revs missed another chance during second-half stoppage time when Carles Gil blasted a pass from the near post clear out of bounds, missing an open teammate at the far post.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Chicago Fire score twice in stoppage time, blank CF Montreal
Feb 28, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Fire forward Jonathan Bamba (19) reacts after swirling a goal against the CF Montreal during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images The host Chicago Fire scored twice in stoppage time during the second half to secure a 3-0 win against CF Montreal on Saturday.
Jonathan Bamba, Hugo Cuypers and Robin Lod scored for the Fire (1-1-0, 3 points), who earned their first victory of the season in their home opener.
Montreal (0-2-0, 0 points) was shut out for the second straight match to open the 2026 season and has been outscored 8-0.
The two sides struggled to generate much through the first 12 minutes, though the hosts held a decided edge in possession with 70% of the touches.
Bamba gave Chicago a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. Maren Haile-Selassie on the right flank inside the box drew keeper Thomas Gillier toward him and sent a cross for Bamba at the back post, where the forward easily scored into the open net.
Montreal nearly gave up another opportunity 10 seconds into the second half when Haile-Selassie was just outside the right edge of the goal area but the midfielder couldn’t get all of his shot for a quality chance.
After playing a man short in their 5-0 defeat to San Diego a week ago, Montreal had the advantage of playing a man up from the 56th minute on. After video review, Fire defender Jonathan Dean was shown a red card for denying Hennadii Synchuk of a goal-scoring opportunity when he tugged the midfielder’s jersey outside the box.
Montreal continued to struggle to generate offense despite its man advantage, and the match slipped away from the visitors in second-half stoppage time.
Cuypers was awarded a penalty after Gillier came off his line to deny the Belgian a chance, tripping him in the process. Cuypers beat Gillier to the right as the goalkeeper dove to the left to make it 2-0 in the fourth minute of extra time.
Lod increased it to 3-0 when he buried a rebound from the left side in the 10th minute of stoppage time.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Layne Riggs holds on to claim first NASCAR Trucks street race
Feb 12, 2026; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Truck Series driver Layne Riggs (34) during practice for the Fresh from Florida 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In a thrilling run to the checkered flag, Layne Riggs bobbed, weaved and saved just enough fuel to keep a pair of hard-charging fellow Ford drivers in Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes behind him to win the OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 on Saturday afternoon.
Riggs’ No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford crossed the line .879 of a second ahead of Majeski for his first victory of the year and sixth of his career as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series held its inaugural race on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg.
Starting 28th in the 36-car field, Riggs turned in remarkable work moving forward from the drop of the green flag. He finished seventh in the opening 20-lap stage and won the second stage 20 laps later. Riggs said the fuel light was flickering with about eight laps to go and that he was almost certain he wasn’t going to have enough to finish.
“Just didn’t know how long it was going to last,” Riggs said.
It lasted long enough to take the win and allow for victory donuts around the crowded course as he celebrated the first road course victory of his career, leading a race-best 41 of the 80 laps.
“It was a lot of fun racing here at St. Pete, I think everybody heard street course and thought they weren’t going to be able to pass and there wouldn’t be great side-by-side racing, but this was one of the race-iest tracks we’ve ever gone to, at least in the truck series in my time,” Riggs said with a smile. “It was a lot of fun.
“I call myself a road racer now,” he added, noting it was only the fifth road course race of his life. “It’s amazing to race so many well-known guys, going past some and knowing these guys are road-course ringers and we were faster today.”
Sunny skies and a scenic 1.8-mile 14-turn course along the downtown St. Pete waterfront provided a great scene for the series’ first street course event — and the trucks did not disappoint the large and enthusiastic crowd.
At one point late in the race, Riggs, 23, held a two minute-plus advantage on the field, but lapped traffic in the final 10 laps allowed Majeski and Rhodes to close in. With a lap to go, it looked like Majeski had put his No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford in position to make a final challenge on Riggs, but he overshot Turn 13 for the second time on the day.
Majeski recovered enough to hold on to second, but left the track feeling he’d lost an opportunity.
The 2024 series champion also climbed out of his Ford truck encouraged by the venue.
“It was probably the most fun I’ve had in a race car in a long time,” Majeski said. “A lot of fun. It’s a racey race track with three good passing zones and rewards discipline.
“Just finding that balance between being aggressive and making mistakes and staying disciplined,” Majeski said of his day, which included two laps out front and that runner-up finish after starting 22nd.
“Just made a little mistake into (Turn) 13, got a little wheel-hop and had to chase it and battle my way back. Hope everyone enjoyed the show. We passed a lot of trucks today.”
Rhodes, who led 23 laps early, similarly could not mount a challenge in the closing laps as he, too, had to save fuel.
“That’s all we had in the tank for our F150 here, literally I was running out of gas those last two laps,” said Rhodes, who has a pair of top-five finishes through the season’s opening three races.
“Really proud of Ford Racing for bringing us a fast truck. Our truck’s in one piece and a lot of these trucks aren’t. Very excited, though. Brand-new truck and a good showing for it.”
Former IndyCar stars — Dario Franchitti and James Hinchcliffe and current IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series full-timer Colin Braun — added an extra element of intrigue to the field. Braun, who started 16th in Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 RAM Truck, finished ninth to pace that esteemed trio.
Hinchcliffe, the former Indy 500 polesitter and multi-race winner, finished 10th in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. Franchitti, the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, was officially scored 27th as his No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota pitted late in the race and lost a lap.
Fords swept the top four positions, with Riggs’ teammate Chandler Smith finishing fourth after leading seven laps. TRICON Garage’s Kaden Honeycutt rounded out the top five in a Toyota.
Neice Motorsports teammates Landen Lewis and Andres Perez De Lara were sixth and seventh with McAnally-Hilgemann’s Daniel Hemric, Braun and Hinchcliffe completing the top 10.
“I think the overall headliner is that a Bahamian, North Carolina, boy won on a road course against some of the best in the world,” a grinning Riggs said. “It’s a testament to everyone at Front Row Motorsports and a shoutout to (sports car driver) Joey Hand, who did a lot of work with me.”
“It is an amazing place to come and I don’t know why we couldn’t come back next year … I couldn’t believe how packed the grandstands were and I thought it was one of the best road course races the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series has ever seen,” Riggs said of running the doubleheader weekend along with the IndyCar Series, which races Sunday. “Thank you to all the fans for coming out.”
Smith now leads the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship standings by 34 points over former two-time series champion Rhodes.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race — OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 at St. Petersburg
Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida
Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026
1. (28) Layne Riggs, Ford, 80.
2. (22) Ty Majeski, Ford, 80.
3. (4) Ben Rhodes, Ford, 80.
4. (5) Chandler Smith, Ford, 80.
5. (19) Kaden Honeycutt, Toyota, 80.
6. (8) Landen Lewis, Chevrolet, 80.
7. (14) Andres Perez De Lara, Chevrolet, 80.
8. (34) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 80.
9. (16) Colin Braun, RAM, 80.
10. (3) James Hinchcliffe, Chevrolet, 80.
11. (35) Ben Maier, Chevrolet, 80.
12. (11) Justin Haley, RAM, 80.
13. (1) Connor Mosack, Chevrolet, 80.
14. (30) Cole Butcher #, Ford, 80.
15. (31) Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, 80.
16. (18) Tyler Reif, Chevrolet, 80.
17. (12) Daniel Dye, RAM, 80.
18. (9) Jake Garcia, Ford, 80.
19. (20) Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 80.
20. (29) Tanner Gray, Toyota, 80.
21. (26) Carter Fartuch, Ford, 80.
22. (25) Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 80.
23. (10) Adam Andretti, Toyota, 80.
24. (15) Brenden Queen #, RAM, 80.
25. (2) Giovanni Ruggiero, Toyota, 79.
26. (17) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 79.
27. (6) Dario Franchitti, Toyota, 79.
28. (21) Mini Tyrrell #, RAM, 77.
29. (24) Jackson Lee, Ford, 75.
30. (23) Frankie Muniz, Ford, 74.
31. (13) Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 70.
32. (36) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 63.
33. (33) Dawson Sutton, Chevrolet, Accident, 62.
34. (27) Nathan Nicholson, Chevrolet, Accident, 55.
35. (32) Derek White, Ford, Fuel Pump, 52.
36. (7) Wesley Slimp, Toyota, Power Steering, 15.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 58.756 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 27 Mins, 3 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.879 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 6 for 17 laps.
Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C. Mosack 1-6;B. Rhodes 7-21;C. Mosack 22;B. Rhodes 23-30;C. Smith 31-37;L. Riggs 38-54;T. Majeski 55;L. Riggs 56-60;T. Majeski 61;L. Riggs 62-80.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Layne Riggs 3 times for 41 laps; Ben Rhodes 2 times for 23 laps; Chandler Smith 1 time for 7 laps; Connor Mosack 2 times for 7 laps; Ty Majeski 2 times for 2 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 99,7,45,38,17,1,34,18,11,44
Stage #2 Top Ten: 34,38,45,88,99,17,18,1,9,44
–NASCAR Wire Service
Youth is served again as Red Bulls slip past Revolution
Chicago Fire score twice in stoppage time, blank CF Montreal
