Sports Buzz: Triumphs and Trials of Stars

Catch the latest sports developments! Kristaps Porzingis returns to lead the Celtics, Swiatek aims for a fourth Roland Garros title, and BJ Thompson remains in stable condition. The Pirates' fastballs dazzle, Red Sox extend White Sox's losing streak, and Carlos Alcaraz reaches the French Open final. Plus, updates on the Blue Jays and Women's tennis.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Kristaps Porzingis' return sparks Celtics in Finals opener

BOSTON -- Kristaps Porzingis wasn't going to let a 37-day layoff slow him down during the biggest game of his NBA career. Playing in the NBA Finals for the first time, the Celtics big man returned from a 10-game absence to record 20 points off the bench and Boston snuffed a second-half rally to beat the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 on Thursday night in Game 1.

Tennis-Swiatek favourite to tighten grip at Roland Garros with fourth title

Few things have been as certain as a Rafa Nadal triumph at the French Open over the last two decades but Iga Swiatek has emerged as a sure shot among women and is eyeing a fourth title in five years when she meets Jasmine Paolini in Saturday's final. Barring a blip in a blockbuster second-round clash against Naomi Osaka where she saved a match point to go through, Swiatek has crushed opponents with her all-court game and 12th seed Paolini will need something special to deny her.

Agent for Chiefs' BJ Thompson says doctors optimistic

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end BJ Thompson remains in stable condition at a local hospital after having a seizure and going into cardiac arrest on Thursday, multiple outlets reported. Chris Turnage, Thompson's agent, told ESPN that the 25-year-old Thompson remained unconscious but doctors are optimistic about his recovery.

Pirates fastballs dazzle on day of 100-mph heaters

That noise coming out of Pittsburgh following the Pirates' 10-6 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday is the remnants of blazing fastballs cutting through the night air along the Allegheny River. Pirates pitchers Paul Skenes and Aroldis Chapman headlined an impressive day all around baseball when 63 pitches over 100 mph were thrown all across the league. According to MLB research, it was the fourth most 100-mph fastballs thrown in a single day.

MLB roundup: Red Sox send White Sox to record 14th straight loss

Ceddanne Rafaela had four hits and drove in four runs Thursday as the visiting Boston Red Sox handed the Chicago White Sox their 14th consecutive defeat, 14-2. The 14 straight losses represent a White Sox franchise record within a single season.

Tennis-Alcaraz downs Sinner to reach French Open final

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a woeful start to beat an inconsistent Jannik Sinner 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3 and qualify for his maiden French Open final after a see-saw encounter on Friday. The third seed was a shadow of his brilliant self in the opening set before making the most of his Italian opponent's premature cramps to level before the bizarre match went into a decider.

Olympics-World Athletics' prize money for Olympic champions is discriminatory, EOC says

The decision by World Athletics to offer prize money to gold medallists at next month's Paris Olympics is discriminatory and goes against Olympic values, European Olympic Committees president Spyros Capralos said on Friday. World Athletics (WA) and the International Boxing Association (IBA) have announced payments for their own medallists, with WA offering $50,000 in prize money to its 48 Olympic champions in Paris.

Blue Jays set sights on .500 mark in visit to A's

The Toronto Blue Jays take their pursuit of the .500 mark on the road as they open a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Friday night. The Blue Jays packed a two-game winning streak when they embarked on a trip that will also see them visit the Milwaukee Brewers for three games to start of next week. At 30-32, they'd need to sweep the A's to leave the city above .500.

Caitlin Clark, Fever return to court to face winless Mystics

Rookie Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever have completed a much-needed four-day break, and it remains to be seen whether the Fever are refreshed when they visit the Washington Mystics on Friday night in a Commissioner's Cup battle between the two worst teams in the WNBA. Indiana (2-9) certainly will be much more rested than Washington (0-10), which fell 79-71 at home to the Chicago Sky on Thursday night. The start is the worst in Mystics' history.

Tennis-WTA calls for women to get fair share of French Open prime time slots

The WTA has called for a balanced match schedule at the French Open that gives women's players their fair share of prime time billing after the Grand Slam featured men's matches in all 11 evening session slots this year. In France, Amazon's Prime Video has exclusive broadcasting rights for the major's evening sessions, which run from the first round to the quarter-finals, and only one women's match was chosen to be the evening showpiece in both 2022 and 2023.