Boston

Boston were 99-98 behind following two Neemias Queta free throws before Maxey scored eight unanswered points to give his side a 107-98 lead with 15 seconds left.

“We started off well and then in the second quarter we kind of relaxed a little,” said Embiid. “Same thing with the start of the fourth.

“But we stuck together, closed it out.”

He added: “It means a lot. You can’t win alone, you need a team to be able win and everybody doing their job.”

Embiid had returned for the last four games of the series after an emergency appendectomy had ruled him out since 6 April.

“What changed in the series is Joel Embiid came back, and they’re a completely different team,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.

Boston star Jayson Tatum missed the decider because of a left knee issue, with Jaylen Brown top scoring for them with 33 points.

“Loved the looks that we got, loved the process that we had, but hate the result,” said Mazzulla.

Everything we know about Alex Cora during his rudely interrupted tenure as manager of the Boston Red Sox lines up almost perfectly with everything we knew about him as a Dodgers player more than 20 years ago.

He communicates exceptionally well. He quietly makes a positive contribution. He handles failure admirably. Win or lose, he exhibits class.

Nothing has tested those traits more than what Cora, 50, endured over the last week. The man known throughout baseball as AC was fired by Boston on April 26, turned down an offer to manage the Philadelphia Phillies a day later, then while home in Puerto Rico saw that an ultimatum he made last season to general manager Craig Breslow was reported by the Boston Globe.

Cora somehow found time to pen an expression of gratitude to the Red Sox organization and fans.

“Thank you for treating me with respect and most importantly accept me as AC,” he wrote. “I’m grateful for this experience, it made me better….

“Thank you for the hard work, sleepless nights, professionalism and effort to help me lead this great organization.”

Communication and class until the end, no doubt. Yet the single blemish on his resume is eternally painful to Dodgers fans.

Alex Cora was fired as manager of the Boston Red Sox on April 26.

(Nick Wass/AP)

Cora was the Houston Astros bench coach in 2017 when the Dodgers were victimized by a sign-stealing scheme during the World Series, which the Astros won in seven games.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred released a report in January 2020 that detailed how in 2017 and 2018 the Astros illegally used electronic equipment to steal signs. Cora was central to the scheme, the report saying he “arranged for a video-room technician to install a monitor displaying the center-field camera feed immediately outside of the Astros dugout.”

By 2020, though, Cora was beloved in Boston for piloting the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series championship over the Dodgers in his first season as manager. Nevertheless he was fired a day after the report was released and suspended by MLB for the 2020 season.

Cora was rehired as Boston’s manager after serving his suspension, stating he would apologize for the rest of his life. And on the first day of spring training in 2023, he addressed his role in the scandal, apologizing to three new Red Sox players who were Dodgers in 2017: Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner and Kiké Hernandez.

Dodgers second baseman Alex Cora during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers in May 2004.

(Morry Gash / Associated Press)

The mea culpa was well-received by the trio and underscored Cora’s ability to smooth over even the most awkward situations.

“I’m going to be 100% honest with you — I just felt like I wanted to cry at that moment when he said that,” Jansen told a Boston radio station. “I felt like a weight came off.”

It’s now known that Cora backed his coaches when Breslow wanted to fire several of them last season. The Globe reported that Cora told the general manager that the Red Sox would have to fire him as well.

Breslow backed down then but not last week, firing five coaches along with Cora.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombroski responded swiftly, making Cora an offer even before firing manager Rob Thomson on Tuesday. The well-traveled Dombroski has led four franchises to a World Series — an MLB record — including one alongside Cora with the Red Sox in 2018, and the offer to jump to the Phillies was tempting.

But Cora put family first, telling Dombroski he wanted to take time with his fiancée, Angelica, and twin 8-year-old sons, Xander and Isander. After all, he is still under contract with the Red Sox through 2027, and is owed $14 million.

That’s about what he earned in 14 seasons as an infielder properly labeled as a good-field, no-hit, great clubhouse presence. Cora was the Dodgers’ primary shortstop in 2000 and 2001, then moved to second base through 2004.

The Dodgers’ center fielder from 2002 to the 2004 midseason was Dave Roberts, the current Dodgers manager who remains a close friend of Cora. The 2018 World Series was the first to feature two minority managers — a point of pride for the Puerto Rican-born Cora and Roberts, who is half-black and half-Japanese.

Cora won a World Series as a Red Sox reserve in 2007 and finished with a career batting average of .243 with a paltry 35 home runs in 3,825 plate appearances — the most memorable of which came May 12, 2004.

Cora capped an 18-pitch at-bat that included 14 foul balls with a home run against Chicago Cubs right-hander Matt Clement.

“What a moment! 9:23 on the scoreboard, if you want to write it down for history. What an at-bat!” Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully exclaimed. “That’s one of the finest at-bats I’ve ever seen, and to top it off with a home run, that is really shocking.”

Cora took a curtain call from the Dodger Stadium crowd and Scully said, “Yeah take a bow, Alex! You deserve it and then some!”

What Cora almost undoubtedly has earned now is another shot at managing. His 620-541 record is well above average. His reputation — sign-stealing scandal notwithstanding — is glowing.

The Phillies hired former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly on an interim basis and likely will circle back to Cora after the season. If not, other teams are expected to come calling.

Boston World Cup host committee says fans will be allowed to tailgate for all seven matches at the Gillette Stadium.

In a reversal of an earlier decision, FIFA will allow tailgating at World Cup games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the Boston World Cup host committee announced.

The committee said on Monday that the shift conforms with local policies that allow tailgating “like any other event hosted at the stadium as there are no venue restrictions or local public safety restrictions in place that would prohibit it”.

FIFA originally stated that tailgating would ⁠⁠not be allowed at any of the 104 matches, of which the United States is hosting 78, causing an uproar among football fans in the country.

The US is cohosting the 2026 tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

The Gillette Stadium – rebranded as the Boston Stadium during the World Cup to comply with FIFA’s policy prohibiting corporate-sponsored names for tournament venues – will host five group-stage matches, one round-of-32 match and a quarterfinal match at the home of the National Football League’s (NFL) New England Patriots.

Patriots games, New England Revolution ‌‌games and concerts allow tailgating at the stadium.

Space will be severely reduced from what is normally available. There are about 20,000 parking spots available for Patriots games, but only about 5,000 will be available for public use during the World Cup.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has set train prices at $80 for a round trip from Boston to Foxborough for tournament games, four times what it charges for NFL and MLS games. There is also an express bus option that will depart from various Boston-area locations, which will cost $95 for a round trip.

New York City announced on Monday that a fan fest for each of the city’s five boroughs will be ‌‌held in conjunction with World Cup matches at the MetLife Stadium – to be known as New York New Jersey Stadium – in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

What is tailgating in the US?

In the context of US sports, tailgating is a pre-game social event that sees fans of a team park their cars outside the stadium hosting the game. The supporters then gather around these parked cars to socialise by drinking, eating, and often cooking on site while they soak in the match-day atmosphere despite not being inside the venue.

It can often begin several hours before the start of the action inside the stadium. The culture is most common during NFL matches and is especially popular among fans of US football.

Which other US stadiums are hosting the World Cup?

The USA will open their World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 12 at the SoFi Stadium, to be renamed the Los Angeles Stadium, in Inglewood, California.

The MetLife Stadium will host the final on July 19.

The other World Cup stadiums in the US are:

• Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field)
• Dallas (AT&T Stadium)
• Seattle (Lumen Field)
• Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium)
• Miami (Hard Rock Stadium)
• Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
• Houston (NRG Stadium)
• San Francisco Bay Area (Levi’s Stadium)

Kenyan runner John Korir has won the Boston Marathon for the second year in a row — and this time he did it in record-setting fashion.

Korir crossed the finish line Monday morning with a time of 2 hours, 1 minute, 52 seconds, shattering the previous course record of of 2:03:02 set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011. It’s the fifth fastest marathon of all time.

Mutai was actually bumped down to fourth on the all-time list as all of the top three finishers from the 2026 men’s race beat his previous record time. Tanzania’s Alphonce Felix Simbu came in second (2:02:47) and Kenya’s Benson Kipruto was third (2:02:50).

Korir pulled away from the pack as the group was approaching the Heartbreak Hill area between miles 20 and 21. After the race, he told reporters that he had no idea he had set a new course record until after he crossed the finish line.

“I knew I would defend my title, but I didn’t know I could run my fastest,” Korir said. “So for me, it was just go and defend my title, but the time came, so I’m happy.”

Korir receives $150,000 for winning the race and another $50,000 for setting a new course record.

Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi celebrates after winning the women’s division of the Boston Marathon on April 20.

(Charles Krupa / Associated Press)

Fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi also was a repeat winner in the women’s race. Her time of 2:18:51 is the second-fastest in race history, behind her 2025 time of 2:17:22. She was followed across the finish line by three countrywomen. Loice Chemnung stayed close to Lokedi before fading late to finish in second place (2:19:35). Mary Ngugi-Cooper was third (2:20:07) and Mercy Chelangat fourth (2:20:30).

“It feels great,” Lokedi said of defending her title. “I ‘m really happy with it. I feel like this course challenges you so much, and with the help of people and all the cheers of the course, it makes it special, so I’m really grateful.”

Like Korir, Lokedi receives $150,000 for winning the race.

New course records for U.S. runners also were set, as Zouhair Talbi finished the men’s race in 2:03:45 and Jess McClain finished the women’s race in 2:20:49. Both runners placed fifth in their respective races.

“I knew it was going to be tailwind, which is an advantage for us to run a fast time,” Talbi told reporters after the race,” but the pace is determined by the leaders, and at this point you just want to follow the pace. A lot of athletes were pushing the pace early on, and … I was like, ‘Yeah, today’s going to be a fast time.’”

Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair division with a time of 1:16:06. It’s his fourth straight Boston Marathon victory and ninth time overall, bringing him within one victory of tying South African great Ernst van Dyk for most wheelchair division wins in race history.

Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper won the women’s wheelchair division in 1:30:51, two years after winning the race for the first time. She and Hug each receive $50,000 for winning their races.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.