The release of the NFL’s 2024 schedule seems imminent based on recent history. And while we do know all of next season’s matchups – including the typically nasty division rivalry pairings – it’s currently unclear when they’ll land on the calendar.

Yet, regardless of where they’re slotted, there are quite a few (temporary, at minimum) grudge-style matches – whether they’re between teams with an axe to grind or a player facing a former club – that will be unique to this year’s docket.

Here are 15 that should be highly anticipated and almost certain to wind up in an exclusive broadcast window or, at least, a late-afternoon Sunday placement:

1. Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers, Harbowl II

It’s been nearly a dozen years since Ravens HC John Harbaugh (barely) defeated hyper-competitive brother Jim in Super Bowl 47 – aka the ‘Harbowl.’ In the interim, Jim Harbaugh left the 49ers to (eventually) forge a controversial (occasionally) but ultimately legendary run at the University of Michigan, capped by last season’s national championship. Meanwhile, John has kept Baltimore among the AFC’s elite but hasn’t returned to the Super Bowl since vanquishing his younger bro. Probably premature to suggest the Bolts are ready to contend in 2024 under their new boss, but they’ll doubtless carry extra motivation in this game given GM Joe Hortiz, OC Greg Roman, DC Jesse Minter and RBs Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins are among the Ravens alumni who have gone west.

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2. Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers

Well, a grudge match for Niners HC Kyle Shanahan anyway? He’s 0-4 against counterpart Andy Reid’s Chiefs, three of those losses by double-digit margins, and two most memorably occurring in Super Bowls 54 and 58 – including last season’s overtime heartbreaker. The last time these clubs tangled at Levi’s Stadium two years ago, K.C. QB Patrick Mahomes passed for 423 yards and three TDs in a 44-23 decision that was nip and tuck until getting out of hand in the fourth quarter.

3-4. 2023 championship game rematches

While hosting their first AFC title game in January, the Ravens came up short against the eventual champion Chiefs. Beating them at Arrowhead this year won’t make Baltimore’s players whole … though it might be a little sweeter if they get their shot in Week 1. Meanwhile, the Lions are returning to the scene of the 2023 NFC championship game crime – meaning Levi’s Stadium, where Detroit coughed up a 17-point second-half lead to the Niners.

5. Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans, can you Diggs it?

The trade of Pro Bowl WR Stefon Diggs from Buffalo to Houston was the most notable of the offseason. Certainly would have been more interesting if Diggs, who typically seemed to be trailing a degree of undefined smoke in Western New York, was slated to return to Orchard Park and face Bills Mafia. But no matter where it’s staged, nothing wrong with an added layer of intrigue to a potential AFC title-round preview.

6. Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys

Could ‘America’s Team’ be Texas’ second best in 2024? Definitely possible, even if the Cowboys have won the Lone Star battle in four of its previous five iterations. But this could be quite an opportunity for Houston and QB C.J. Stroud to make their case, particularly given the likelihood this will be decided in front of a national television audience. Sidebar: It should also mark the first head-to-head meeting between Diggs and his brother, Cowboys Pro Bowl CB Trevon Diggs, whose torn ACL prevented them from lining up in Buffalo last December.

7. Las Vegas Raiders at New Orleans Saints, Carr collision

Though the regime that unceremoniously kicked the Silver and Black’s all-time leading passer to the curb at the end of the 2022 season has largely been swept out, you know this one’s going to have significant meaning for Saints QB Derek Carr. In 2021, he pledged, ‘I am a Raider for my entire life’ and said he’d quit playing football rather than play for another NFL franchise. Funny how quickly things can change in this league.

8. Denver Broncos at New York Jets, Hackett Bowl II

You might (or might not) recall the NYJ beat the Broncos 31-21 in Denver last season, getting a small measure of revenge for ex-Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett, currently New York’s offensive coordinator. You might (or might not) recall that Jets QB Aaron Rodgers clapped back at current Denver HC Sean Payton after he panned the tenure of his predecessor, Hackett, in an exclusive to USA TODAY Sports in 2023. ‘I thought it was way out of line, inappropriate, and I think (Payton) needs to keep my coach’s name out of his mouth,’ Rodgers said during a training camp interview with NFL Network last year. Injured Rodgers obviously missed last season’s date with Denver, so should be interesting to see how much he’s still holding on to that bile.

8a. Denver Broncos at New Orleans Saints, Payton comes dome

Let’s acknowledge this without overhyping it. But it will be Payton’s first game at the Superdome since he ‘retired’ as coach of the Saints more than two years ago. Hard to believe that the greatest coach in New Orleans history will receive anything other than a warm welcome … even if neither the Saints nor Broncos have yet to benefit much since he switched sidelines after being ‘traded’ last year.

9. Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions, Stafford Bowl III

Yes, LA QB Matthew Stafford has now returned to Motown – the Rams unexpectedly encountering the team he led for a dozen seasons in January and losing a 24-23 wild-card round thriller to the Lions. Maybe this season, Stafford – he beat Detroit in Hollywood in 2021 – can enjoy a more laid-back visit to Ford Field in the rubber game given his service to the Lions, possession of his own Super Bowl ring and likelihood his team will again be the underdog against the reigning NFC North champs, who seem closer than ever to their first-ever Lombardi Trophy.

10. Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants, Saquon’s return

Pro Bowl RB Saquon Barkley not only bolted Big Blue after six turbulent years, he took the short trip down Interstate-95 to join the Giants’ most bitter rivals. His return to MetLife Stadium should be one of the more highly anticipated ones this fall, especially since Barkley averaged nearly 100 yards and a TD in his nine regular-season games against Philly.

11. Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers, Aaron’s return (the other one)

Sorry, TV networks, but the Pack’s second-half surge in 2023 precluded a 2024 visit from Rodgers. However free agency precipitated perhaps the next-best thing after a March whirlwind of roughly 24 hours when Green Bay signed RB Josh Jacobs, then cut ties with Aaron Jones, a beloved mainstay for seven seasons, before he turned around and joined the NFC North rival Vikings for the 2024 campaign. Wouldn’t be a surprise to see more than a few sombreros and wraparound shades at Lambeau Field – Jones likely to sport his signature garb in purple and gold, too – whenever he comes back.

12. Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings, Captain Kirk’s return?

A month ago, this projected as one of the season’s better homecoming subplots – QB Kirk Cousins, after a half-dozen years as the Vikes’ starter, heading back to U.S. Bank Stadium with his Falcons in tow. It will likely still play out that way, though Atlanta’s shocking decision to draft QB Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall could drastically alter the look of his new team at any point – a reality Minnesota is already embracing as veteran QB Sam Darnold and first-rounder J.J. McCarthy vie to replace Cousins themselves.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos, Russ’ return?

No guarantee that Russell Wilson will still be in Pittsburgh’s QB1 ‘pole position,’ to use HC Mike Tomlin’s metaphor, whenever these teams meet. But whether he or Justin Fields is behind center, you know Wilson will have this matchup circled given his abortive stint in the Rocky Mountains, which may ultimately represent lasting damage to his legacy – especially after he was benched and brusquely cast aside by Payton in March.

14. Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys, Quinn comes back

The NFC East could be extra spicy in 2024. These once bitter enemies have a chance to revive a fairly dormant rivalry after former Dallas DC Dan Quinn took the head job in D.C. … then proceeded to poach a good chunk of the Cowboys’ roster – DE Dorance Armstrong, C Tyler Biadasz, DE Dante Fowler Jr., CB Noah Igbinoghene and DC Joe Whitt Jr. following him east from North Texas. The currently cap-strapped division champions still don’t seem to have recovered from the defections.

14a. Washington Commanders at Arizona Cardinals, Kliff comes back

Quinn’s new offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury, gets to go home, too – well, not to that sweet desert bachelor pad he had – and face a Cards organization that fired him in 2023 … less than a year after signing him to a contract extension through the 2027 campaign.

15. Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders, Caleb vs. Jayden

The top two picks of the 2024 draft, Bears QB Caleb Williams and Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, respectively, never met on a college field. But they will almost certainly gear up this season, neither likely to wait to enter the starting lineup … nor wait long to stake an early claim as the best rookie passer to enter the league this year. And remember, though Stroud was the infinitely superior player in 2023, he lost his one vs. two matchup with the Carolina Panthers’ Bryce Young, the No. 1 selection a year ago.

15a. Caleb Williams vs. the NFL’s next-gen QBs

Daniels is far from the only fellow up-and-comer Williams will see as a rookie. He’s set to meet fellow No. 1 picks Young, Kyler Murray (2019), and Trevor Lawrence (2021); see Daniels and potentially other 2024 Round 1 QBs Drake Maye and McCarthy; play 2023 first-round QBs Stroud and Anthony Richardson; and, finally, tangle with blossoming Packers star Jordan Love, who might have a major hand in shaping Williams’ legacy in the Windy City for good and/or bad.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis.

Knicks fans beware: Reggie Miller will be back in Madison Square Garden for an NBA playoff game between New York and the Indiana Pacers.

The current TNT Sports commentator will be on the call for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals matchup between the Knicks and Pacers on Wednesday, and it may bring up painful memories for the home crowd seeing someone that tormented them in playoffs before come back. Miller knows it, and he offered a hilarious warning for Knicks fans when he was on ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ on Monday.

‘Just know, the Boogeyman is coming back to town to call the game,’ Miller said. ‘I am coming.’

Reggie Miller history with Knicks

In Miller’s 18-seasons with Indiana, he faced the Knicks in the playoffs six times. While both teams split the series 3-3 during that time, Miller was the villain to Knicks fans, and the Basketball Hall of Famer embraced it.

The most memorable moments in the feud came in 1994 and 1995 NBA playoffs. In Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, Miller put on a dazzling display with 39 points, 25 of which were scored in the fourth quarter. But during that performance, Miller traded words with director and Knicks superfan Spike Lee. Miller did his infamous ‘choke’ gesture at Lee during the win in what is one of the most iconic photos in NBA history. The Knicks would win the series in seven games.

In Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals in New York on May 7, 1995, the Knicks were up 105-99 with 18 seconds left, but Miller pulled off an incredible feat of scoring eight points over the final nine seconds to win the game.

What does Reggie Miller expect back in Madison Square Garden?

Miller said on Monday it’s never been a big deal whenever he calls games in New York during the regular season, but he expects it to be somewhat hostile this time around.

‘I’m sure I’ll hear the chants, I’m sure I’ll hear all those naughty words,’ he said. ‘I’m good with that, but I’m there to do a job, to call a game.

‘I will be surprised during the game if I don’t hear, ‘Reggie sucks,” Miller added. ‘Actually, I’ll be a little hurt if I don’t hear, ‘Reggie sucks.’ I kind of want that.’

Miller also acknowledged the feud he had with Lee during his playing days. He said the two have put their rivalry behind them, but they’ll ‘forever be linked’ because of their memorable jabs.

The Knicks are up 1-0 in the series after they won Game 1 on Monday.

The winner of a Southern California marathon was disqualified after race organizers said he took water from his father during his run.

Esteban Prado was the winner of the Orange County Marathon on Sunday after he finished the 26.2-mile course in 2 hours, 24 minutes and 54 seconds. But it wasn’t long afterward that he learned he was disqualified from the race. Prado was disqualified because his father, who was on a bike during the marathon, gave him water during the race and he drank from the bottle, according to organizers.

Race organizers cited the USA Track and Field rulebook as the reason to disqualify Prado. According to the rulebook, runners are only allowed to drink water from official hydration stations or if it’s carried or attached to the runner from the start of the race. The rule says no competitor is ‘allowed, without the permission of the referee or judges, to receive assistance or refreshment from anyone during the progress of competition.’

‘We were forced to disqualify a participant after it was confirmed they received unauthorized assistance from an individual on a bicycle, in violation of USA Track and Field rules and our race regulations,’ race director Gary Kutscher said in a statement. ‘We take these rules seriously to ensure fairness and the integrity of our event for all competitors.’

Violation of the specific rule has happened before, according to the Los Angeles Times. In 2009, the initial winner of the O.C. Marathon was disqualified after he received hydration from a friend on a bike and was determined the bike took part in illegal pacing.

Disqualified OC Marathon winner speaks out

Prado spoke to KABC about his disqualification. He said another competitor saw him get handed a bottle and consume water, but the only person that could have seen it happen was the person in second place behind him. He also said the official hydration stations were not well managed.

‘Whenever I got to the stations, the volunteers were like scrambling because I’m the only runner in sight, so they could barely see me at certain turns,’ Prado told the outlet.

With Prado disqualified, the official winner of the marathon is Jason Yang at 2 hours, 25 minutes and 11 seconds. Prado said this was his second marathon and he didn’t know the rules, but he believes his is still the true winner.

‘You get no money or anything. If he wanted that congratulations for that first place, if he really felt like he needed it, it’s just for him at the end of the day,’ Prado said. ‘I really got nothing out of it. I know I won.’

Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley expressed remorse for an incident that occurred late during the Indiana Pacers’ series-clinching victory in the first round of the NBA playoffs in which Beverley twice chucked a basketball at a group of fans behind Milwaukee’s bench.

‘Unfortunate situation that should’ve never happened,’ Beverley said in a video published Tuesday that teased an episode of ‘The Pat Bev Podcast’ that will publish Wednesday. ‘What I did was bad, and that should have never happened. I have to be better and I will be better. That should have never happened, regardless of what was said, simple as that.’

With 2:32 left in the fourth quarter Thursday, Beverley threw a basketball into the stands, and the ball hit a fan in the head. Beverley asked for the ball back and then threw it with greater force back at another fan.

Beverley sat down and exchanged words with another fan. Security intervened as Bucks players, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, turned around to see what was happening.

Beverley did not divulge exactly what was said, but referenced multiple ‘crazy’ comments that ‘crossed the line,’ and said he confronted at least two fans who apologized for their alleged comments.

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‘Let’s just say it was more than ‘Cancun on three,’ ‘ Beverley said, referencing a popular troll often used against teams whose seasons have ended. ‘I’ve been called a lot of stuff in this league. I haven’t been called that one. Still inexcusable. It doesn’t matter what was said. …

‘I’m not going to take away from the fans that were great. It was some people that took it a little bit too far. I’m here to set the record straight that I was absolutely wrong. I need to be better and I will.’

Beverley said he declined to take action after a security guard apparently approached him to ask if he wanted to get a fan kicked out of the game for comments the fan allegedly made.

Based on the video published Tuesday, however, it is unclear if Beverley will also address a different incident, a postgame interaction with an ESPN field producer, in which he asked her to leave an interview scrum because she didn’t subscribe to his podcast. The field producer, identified later as Malinda Adams, posted on social media and said Beverley and the Bucks organization called her to apologize.

Beverley, 35, just finished his 12th season in the NBA. Known as one of the fiercest defenders in the league, he averaged 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 73 appearances.

The WNBA will begin charter travel for all 12 of its teams this season “as soon as we logistically can get planes in places,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told sports editors at a league meeting Tuesday afternoon, confirming a report on X by USA TODAY sports columnist Christine Brennan.

This very significant change in the way the world’s best women’s basketball players will travel to games will end the league’s long-standing policy of mandated regular-season commercial flights for its players. 

“We intend to fund a full-time charter for this season,” Engelbert said. ‘We’re going to as soon as we can get it up and running. Maybe it’s a couple weeks, maybe it’s a month … We are really excited for the prospects here.”

The WNBA’s decision comes as the league is seeing unprecedented growth, ticket sales and interest as the most recognizable rookie class in WNBA history, led by Caitlin Clark — arguably the best-known athlete in the nation — begins regular-season play May 14. 

It also comes as Clark and the rest of the WNBA rookies had to take their first commercial flights as professional athletes for preseason games last weekend and be exposed to members of the public walking near them, approaching them and taking photos and videos of them, including in unsecured airport areas. All teams are traveling with security personnel this season. 

‘It was all right,’ Angel Reese said of flying commercial to Minneapolis for last Friday’s game against the Minnesota Lynx.

‘We have a great security team. Chicago has done a great job being able to put in place some great guys and they’ve been amazing for us,’ Reese said before the Sky’s preseason game against the New York Liberty on Tuesday night.

In June 2023, Phoenix star Brittney Griner, who spent nearly 10 months in Russian custody in 2022, was harassed in the Dallas airport by a right-wing YouTube personality who yelled at her and tussled with Phoenix Mercury security in an airport concourse. The WNBA allowed Griner to fly private charters the rest of the season.

This season, the league was already planning to allow teams to charter when playing back-to-back games as well as during the playoffs but otherwise fly commercially. The league hasn’t allowed charter flights over the years because it said that would create a competitive advantage for teams that wanted to pay for them over those that did not. 

Flying commercial has been a part of the WNBA’s current collective bargaining agreement with its players, which was signed in 2020. Ironically, many WNBA newcomers flew on charters throughout their college careers.

WNBA player reaction

During a call with reporters on Tuesday, New York Liberty stars Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart weighed in on what charter travel would mean to players.

‘As we continue to add more games into the season and change the way the Commissioner’s Cup is being played this year, it just adds a little bit more travel into our schedules and stuff,’ Jones said. ‘If we can try to find some kinds of help with our recovery and, you know, just being able to get rest so that we can put our best product out there on the court.’

Stewart agreed with Jones.

‘It’s exactly that, obviously. Understanding (it’s) player health and wellness but also player safety, and making sure that we can get from point A to point B and have the focus be our jobs and our team,’ Stewart said.

Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, who had been an outspoken proponent of adding charter flights after spending eight years as an assistant with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, said the immediate reaction from everyone is ‘great!’

‘This is something that the league has been pushing for for a long time for its players,’ Hammon said. ‘I look at it as we can put a better product out there.’

On Tuesday, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie announced that Kelly will be suspended a minimum of nine games in the upcoming 2024 season after a third-party investigation found Kelly ‘unequivocally violated’ the league’s gender-based violence policy. The CFL opened an investigation into Kelly in March shortly after a former Argonaut coach claimed in a lawsuite they were wrongfully terminated after being harassed by Kelly.

Kelly, the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player last season, will also have to undergo counseling sessions with a gender-based violence expert and confidential assessments by an independent expert before he’s reinstated.

CHAD KELLY: Jim Kelly’s nephew, becomes highest-paid player in CFL with Toronto Argonauts

‘Mr. Kelly’s suspension is the direct result of his behavior,’ Ambrosie said in a statement on Tuesday. ‘The addition of mandatory counseling focuses on his need for self-reflection and understanding of his actions. He must take full advantage of this opportunity for personal betterment in order to return to the CFL.’

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According to the wrongful dismissal lawsuit, obtained by The Canadian Press, a female strength-and-conditioning coach accused Kelly of directing ‘unwanted romantic advances’ toward her, which escalated to ‘instances of threatening language.’ The former employee said her contract with the team wasn’t renewed shortly after informing team executives of Kelly’s behavior.

‘Players are the ambassadors of our great game,” Ambrosie added in a statement on Tuesday. “They are expected to be leaders in the locker room and role models in the community. It was important that we performed our due diligence to properly review this matter from all points of view. That in-depth investigation found that Mr. Kelly unequivocally violated the CFL’s Gender-based Violence Policy.’

The 2024 CFL regular season kicks off June 6 and features an 18-game regular season, meaning Kelly will miss at least half the season, in addition to the entire preseason while suspended.

Kelly, who played collegiately at Clemson (2012-2013), East Mississippi Community College (2014) and Ole Miss (2015-2016), was selected by the Denver Broncos with the final pick of the 2017 NFL draft to become that year’s Mr. Irrelevant. After a brief stint with the Indianapolis Colts, Kelly signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts in February 2022 and helped the team win the Grey Cup that season. Kelly signed a three-year, $1.865 million deal in August 2023 to become the highest-paid player in the league.  

Miles Wood scored the overtime winning goal to give the visiting Colorado Avalanche a 4-3 comeback victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of a Western Conference semifinal series on Tuesday.

Cale Makar scored once in a three-point game, while Valeri Nichushkin and Nathan MacKinnon both collected one goal and one assist for the Avalanche, who erased a three-goal, first-period deficit to win their fifth consecutive game in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Colorado goaltender Alexandar Georgiev made 19 saves, and Mikko Rantanen registered two assists.

Jamie Benn notched one goal and one assist while Ryan Suter and Wyatt Johnston also tallied for the Stars. Goaltender Jake Oettinger stopped 22 shots.

The Stars started quickly in overtime only to be held at bay until Wood was sprung for a partial breakaway. He tucked home a backhand deke for his third goal of the playoffs and first career overtime tally at 11:03 of the extra period.

Colorado stunned the Stars and their faithful with an impressive comeback despite trailing by three goals after 17 minutes.

The Avalanche found their legs following the first intermission and roared back. Nichushkin cued up the comeback with his league-leading eighth goal of the playoffs, a rebound marker on a power play at 5:31 of the second period.

Nichushkin has scored a goal in all six of Colorado’s playoff games this season. He is only the third player in NHL history to start the playoffs with goals in six or more consecutive games, joining Pat LaFontaine (seven games in 1992) and Martin Havlat (six games in 2006).

Makar added Colorado’s second man-advantage marker at 9:08 of the middle frame by ripping a top-shelf point shot for his third of the playoffs.

MacKinnon tied the clash 39 seconds into the third period, cashing in a loose puck when Makar’s long shot was blocked before it reached the net.

Dallas kicked off its three-goal lead with Suter’s first goal of the playoffs at 7:26 of the opening frame, a long point shot that found the spot through a maze of players screening the goalie.

Johnston’s fifth of the playoffs at 10:55 made it 2-0. Off a faceoff win, Johnston ripped a quick shot from the left circle.

Benn made it a 3-0 game with his second tally of the playoffs. While on a power play, Jason Robertson’s point shot ricocheted off the Dallas captain and into the cage at 16:56.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET on TNT) in Dallas.

Jaylen Brown scored 32 points while leading the Boston Celtics to a 120-95 victory over the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Derrick White made 7 of 12 3-point attempts and added 25 points for the Celtics, who had a 55-38 edge in rebounding. Jayson Tatum contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds but had a poor shooting night. Tatum went 7 of 19 from the field, including 0-for-5 from 3-point territory.

Boston’s Payton Pritchard logged 16 points, Jrue Holiday had 14 points and Luke Kornet grabbed 10 rebounds.

‘It starts with defense,’ Brown said. ‘We wanted to set the tone on defense and kept them under 100, but we feel like we have an answer for everything (on offense). We just play the game the right way. We see what they want to take away and we play after that.’

Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 33 points. Mitchell also had six rebounds and five assists.

‘It’s one game at the end of the day,’ Mitchell said. ‘Jaylen Brown is an All-NBA player. He makes 300 million dollars for a reason. It’s not the first time he’s scored 30 on somebody.

‘They’re a high-powered team. We’ll look at the film and be better on Thursday. It sucks that we lost, but it’s good to see where we can improve.’

The Cavaliers received 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds from Evan Mobley. Darius Garland finished with 14 points, and Isaac Okoro had 11.

Jarrett Allen, Cleveland’s starting center, missed his fourth straight game due to a rib injury. Allen averaged 17.0 points, 13.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 31.8 minutes per game during the first four games of Cleveland’s first-round series against the Orlando Magic.

‘Player safety,’ Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. ‘We’re not going to put him out there if he can’t protect himself. That’s where he’s been at to this point.’

As expected, the Celtics didn’t have center Kristaps Porzingis, who is rehabbing a strained right calf that could cause him to miss the entire series. The Celtics improved to 23-4 in games where they have not had Porzingis this season.

Boston led 40-34 after one quarter and 59-49 at halftime. The Celtics led by 13 points three times in the second quarter.

White scored 14 points in the third, when the Celtics were up by as many as 16. Pritchard made a 3-pointer that just beat the buzzer at the end of the quarter to give Boston a 92-77 advantage. Mitchell kept Cleveland close by putting up 16 points in the third.

The Cavaliers trailed by 26 with just under four minutes to play in the game.

For the fourth time in his career, Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert stands alone among the NBA’s defensive elite. And, now, he joins an exclusive list.

Gobert edged out San Antonio Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama and Miami Heat center-forward Bam Adebayo Tuesday night to win the 2023-24 Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, awarded to the NBA’s defensive player of the year. This marks the fourth time Gobert, 31, has won the award, putting him in a three-way tie for most all-time; he joins Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame big men Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo.

The award was announced Tuesday night during the TNT pregame broadcast ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers-Boston Celtics conference semifinal playoff game.

Gobert has continued to anchor the defense for Minnesota, which improved this season to 56-26 and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. With his 7-foot-1 frame, length and lateral quickness, Gobert is a dominant rim protector who routinely forces offensive players to adjust their shots inside the paint.

In 76 games this season, Gobert averaged 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, while adding 14 points per game. The Timberwolves led the NBA this season in defensive rating (108.4) and ranked second in opponent points in the paint, allowing just 46.1 per game.

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After dispatching the Suns in a four-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs, the Timberwolves have stunned the defending-champion Nuggets by taking a 2-0 lead in their conference semifinal series. Gobert missed Monday night’s game in Denver over the birth of his child but is expected to return Friday for Game 3.

Wembanyama, 20, was trying to become the first rookie in NBA history to win the league’s defensive player of the year award, though his future prospects are bright. Despite playing just 29.7 minutes per game this season, he led the league in blocks, with 254. The next closest player, Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren, recorded 64 fewer.

In fact, when factoring steals and blocks, Wembanyama (342) was again unmatched. By comparison, the next closest player in steals and blocks combined was Los Angeles Lakers forward-center Anthony Davis (269), while Gobert ranked seventh with 214.

Adebayo, 26, is a versatile defender who can guard all five positions on the floor, though he was not as statistically proficient as Gobert and Wembanyama.

Gobert finished with 433 total points in the voting for the award, while Wembanyama (245), Adebayo (91), Davis (83), the New Orleans Pelicans’ Herbert Jones and Boston Celtics’ Jrue Holiday also received votes. Gobert received 72 of a possible 99 first-place votes. Wembanyama received 19 first-place votes.