BOSTON (AP) — Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic had surgery to stabilize his broken right ring finger on Saturday and won't be reevaluated for at least three weeks.
Vucevic was injured in the first quarter of Friday night's game against Dallas when Mavericks forward Khris Middleton swiped at the ball. He left the game, which Boston won 120-100 in Jayson Tatum's return from an Achilles tendon injury, and did not return.
The Celtics said on Saturday that Vucevic will be reevaluated in 3-4 weeks.
Vucevic was acquired from the Chicago Bulls last month at the trade deadline to give the Celtics depth at big man. The 35-year-old Montenegrin averaged 10.4 points and 21.7 minutes in 12 games with Boston.
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Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic grabs a finger after an apparent injury during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Friday, March 6, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Rory McIlroy withdrew from the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday when he felt muscle spasms in his back that were not going away.
The spasms were not thought be to serious enough to keep him out of The Players Championship next week where McIlroy is the defending champion. He was headed to his home in south Florida.
“While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small twinge in my back. As I started hitting balls on the range before the round, it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back,” McIlroy said in a statement to the PGA Tour.
“Unfortunately, I’m not able to continue and have to withdraw,” he said. "I was excited to compete this weekend. I wish the Arnold Palmer Invitational a great finish and look forward to being back next year.”
It was his first significant issue with his back since the Tour Championship in 2023, which he played with discomfort and tied for fourth in the FedEx Cup finale. He played twice more in Ireland and England before going 4-1 to lead Europe to another Ryder Cup victory.
McIlroy is approaching a big stretch in golf that culminates with the first major of the year at the Masters on April 9-12, with McIlroy as the defending champion. He won last year to become only the sixth player with the career Grand Slam.
McIlroy withdrew about 30 minutes before his tee time. He was warming up on the range when he realized the spasm were not going away in the warm weather at Bay Hill.
It was only the third time McIlroy has been forced to withdraw from a tournament. He left the Nedbank Golf Challenge in 2009 with a flu virus and food poisoning, and he withdrew from the Honda Classic in the middle of the second round in 2013, first citing a sore wisdom tooth and a week later apologizing by saying his head was not in the right place.
Bay Hill was his fifth tournament of the year — two in Dubai, and a pair of signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera. McIlroy played Augusta National just over a week ago for the first time since he won the Masters. Earlier this week, he teamed with his father to win the Seminole Pro-Member in south Florida.
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Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the first fairway during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill golf tournament Friday, March 6, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, walks on the third green during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill golf tournament Friday, March 6, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
