Jokic finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to help Serbia claim its first medal since winning silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Serbia bounced back after nearly upsetting the four-time defending gold medalist U.S. in the semifinals.

Vasilije Micic added 19 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 16. Jokic joined Sasha Belov of the former Soviet Union, the United States’ LeBron James (twice) and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic as the only players with Olympic triple-doubles.

The game was a rematch of last year’s FIBA World Cup final, which was won by Germany. Serbia led throughout in this one, building as much as a 19-point lead in the third quarter .

Franz Wagner had 19 points to lead Germany. Mortiz Wagner added 16.

The World Cup win was part a 12-game win streak in major international competition for the Germans, who won their first four games in Paris to reach the semifinals. But they lost their final two, also falling to host France on Thursday.

Germany made a push late in the fourth quarter, whittling Serbia’s lead to 82-74 on a layup by Wagner. Serbia responded with an 11-4 run to push it back above double digits.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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He looked up and saw a throng of reporters awaiting in the area reserved for media members, armed with questions about how Serbia and the NBA star keep surviving in the face of elimination.

But Jokic didn’t have much to say.

“Niko, one question?” a reporter asked.

“No, thank you,” he said quietly as he strolled past, offering a fist bump to another nearby reporter.

It wasn’t a surprise or a slight. Jokic has yet to answer any questions from the media during the Paris Olympics.

Jokic prefers to do his talking on the court in France.

“He’s great. But he doesn’t like to talk to media — you know that,” teammate Bogdan Bogdanovic said of the Denver Nuggets star. “In the NBA, if he doesn’t talk to media, he’ll get fined. But here, there are no fines. Here, it’s voluntary. He says, ‘I don’t need to.’ No offense to you guys.”

It hasn’t stopped the three-time NBA MVP from leading Serbia to a semifinal matchup with the four-time defending gold medal-winning U.S. team. They square off Thursday.

Serbia is aiming to be on the Olympic podium for the first time since the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, where it won silver. That was the first Olympics for the then 21-year-old Jokic, who was coming off his rookie NBA season.

In the eight years since, he’s risen to one of that league’s preeminent stars, adding an NBA championship (2023) to his resume.

But he’s yet to reach the pinnacle of the Olympics.

The Americans eased past Jokic and company during their matchup in the group stage of the tournament, posting a 110-84 victory in the opening game for both teams. The x-factor in the rematch could be Jokic, who had 20 points, five rebounds and eight assists in that loss.

During the 30:45 minutes he was on the court against the U.S in that game, the teams both scored 81 points. In the 9:15 he was on the bench, Serbia was outscored 29-3.

Jokic also is coming off a strong effort during Serbia’s 95-90 overtime win over Australia, in which his team erased a 24-point deficit in a game that saw Jokic post 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. That outing came after Serbia was tested during its final group stage game, overcoming a five-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat an upstart South Sudan team ranked 33rd in the world.

“He stays focused for all minutes on the court,” Serbia guard Vasilije Micic said. “If he can do that, we all can do that.”

Bogdanovic said Jokic has been their catalyst.

“He makes the game easier,” Bogdanovic said. “Nothing is easy, of course, but he makes it easier. It’s fun to play with him.”

___

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum put his hands behind his head, with TD Garden fans standing on their feet cheering around him, and took it all in.

Walking to the bench, he wrapped both arms around Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.

The journey was complete.

The Boston Celtics again stand alone among NBA champions.

Tatum had 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, and the Celtics topped the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 on Monday night to win the franchise’s 18th championship, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in league history.

Boston earned its latest title on the 16th anniversary of hoisting its last Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2008. It marks the 13th championship won this century by one of the city’s Big 4 professional sports franchises.

“It means the world,” Tatum said on stage after the team received the trophy from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “It’s been a long time. And damn I’m grateful.”

Jaylen Brown added 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and was voted the NBA Finals MVP.

“I share this with my brothers and my partner in crime Jayson Tatum,” Brown said after the 107th career playoff game he and Tatum have played together — the most for any duo before winning a title.

Jrue Holiday finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Center Kristaps Porzingis also provided an emotional lift, returning from a two-game absence because of a dislocated tendon in his left ankle to chip in five points in 17 minutes.

They helped the Celtics cap a postseason that saw them go 16-3 and finish with an 80-21 overall record. That .792 winning percentage ranks second in team history behind only the Celtics’ 1985-86 championship team that finished 82-18 (.820).

Mazzulla, in his second season, at age 35 also became the youngest coach since Bill Russell in 1969 to lead a team to a championship.

“You have very few chances in life to be great,” Mazzulla said.

Luka Doncic finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas, which failed to extend the series after avoiding a sweep with a 38-point win in Game 4. The Mavericks had been 3-0 in Game 5s this postseason, with Doncic scoring at least 31 points in each of them.

Kyrie Irving finished with just 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting and has lost 13 of the last 14 meetings against the Celtics team he left in the summer of 2019 to join the Brooklyn Nets.

NBA teams are now 0-157 in postseason series after falling into a 3-0 deficit.

Boston never trailed and led by as many as 26, feeding off the energy of the Garden crowd.

Dallas was within 16-15 early before the Celtics closed the first quarter on a 12-3 run that included eight combined points by Tatum and Brown.

The Celtics did it again in the second quarter when the Mavericks trimmed what had been a 15-point deficit to nine. Boston ended the period with a 19-7 spurt that was capped by a a half-court buzzer beater by Payton Pritchard – his second such shot of the series – to give Boston a 67-46 halftime lead.

Over the last two minutes of the first and second quarters, the Celtics outscored the Mavericks 22-4.

The Celtics never looked back.

Russell’s widow, Jeannine Russell, and his daughter Karen Russell were in TD Garden to salute the newest generation of Celtics champions.

They watched current Celtics stars Tatum and Brown earn their first rings. It was the trade that sent 2008 champions Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn in 2013 that netted Boston the draft picks it eventually used to select Brown and Tatum third overall in back-to-back drafts in 2016 and 2017.

The All-Stars came into their own this season, leading a Celtics team that was built around taking and making a high number of 3-pointers, and a defense that rated as the league’s best during the regular season.

The duo made it to at least the Eastern Conference finals as teammates four previous times.

They finally reached the finish line in their fifth deep playoff run together.

After both struggling at times offensively in the series, Tatum and Brown hit a groove in Game 5, combining for 31 points and 11 assists in the first half.

It helped bring out all the attributes that made Boston the NBA’s most formidable team this postseason – spreading teams out, sharing the ball, and causing havoc on defense.

And it put a championship bow on a dizzying stretch for the Celtics, that saw them lose in the finals to the Golden State Warriors in 2022 and then fail to return last season after a Game 7 home loss to the Miami Heat in the conference finals.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Story, a two-time All-Star with the Colorado Rockies, was placed on the 10-day injured list after dislocating his left shoulder Friday at the Los Angeles Angels. His projected recovery time is six months.

“Difficult to speculate beyond that,” Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow said before Tuesday’s home opener against Baltimore. “But you can kind of do the math there.”

Pivetta was placed on the 15-day IL, a move retroactive to Saturday.

Story’s injury occurred when hit the ground hard while making a backhand stop on Mike Trout’s single in the fourth inning. Story writhed in pain on the outfield grass after landing with most of his body weight on his shoulder.

The 31-year-old Story, in the third season of a $140 million, six-year contract, was hitting .226 with four RBIs in eight games. He is a .265 hitter with 177 home runs and 534 RBIs over nine major league seasons but has a .227 average and .681 OPS in two-plus seasons with the Red Sox. He was limited to 94 games in 2022 by a bruised right hand sustained when hit by a pitch from Tampa’s Corey Kluber and bruised left heel, and to 43 games last year, when he has surgery in January to repair a torn UCL and didn’t make his season debut until Aug. 8.

“Very significant,” Breslow said of Story’s loss. “Not going to hide from what he’s meant to this team defensively and had full confidence offensively that he was going to contribute as well with what he was able to do in spring training. I think fortunately he’s emerged as a leader of this team and there’s still going to be a way for him to positively impact it.

“Unfortunately it just doesn’t seem like it’s going to be on the field right now.”

While Story is out, manager Alex Cora said, the plan is to platoon players at shortstop and second base.

“I think right now we’re committed to giving the internal options a chance,” Breslow said. “We’ll give this some run. … It makes sense to let this play out a bit and we’ll continue to evaluate.”

Pivetta (1-1, 0.82 ERA) has made two starts this season, allowing one run and eight hits over 11 innings with 13 strikeouts. He last pitched April 3 at Oakland. and Breslow said Pivetta came to the training staff after having issues recovering between starts.

He was scheduled to start Wednesday. The Red Sox recalled left-hander Brennan Bernardino from Triple-A Worcester to take Pivetta’s place on the roster.

Breslow said he’s confident remaining players can maintain early season success.

“It’s tough. We’re balancing excitement, obviously, with the way that we’ve played for the last 10 days, the development of the pitching staff with losing some key contributors to those wins,” he said. “And we’re potentially talking about two very different timelines here. Nonetheless, guys in the clubhouse feel and behave in a way that is very connected with each other. … Everyone is very familiar with the road that Trevor has taken for the past two years in regards to being out on the field. So I think more than anything we just feel for him.”

___

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The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been officially announced. The trade was first reported by ESPN.

Dozier and Bol came to Boston in January from Denver as part of a three-team trade that also involved San Antonio. Neither has seen action for the Celtics. Dozier is out for the season following surgery for a torn ligament in his left knee. Bol is recovering from right foot surgery.

Boston entered the day about $3 million over the salary cap as the league’s trade deadline loomed. It was in danger of being hit with the “repeater tax” for being over the cap threshold in three out of four seasons. The 2021-22 salaries of Dozier ($1.9 million) and Bol ($2.1 million) will keep Boston from incurring that luxury tax penalty.

The Celtics (31-25) have won a season-high six straight games and are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

After winning Game 3 of their best-of-five AL Division Series on Sunday with Christian Vázquez’s two-run homer in the 13th, Boston took Game 4 for its first set of back-to-back walk-off postseason wins since 2004 ALCS Games 4 and 5, both courtesy of David Ortiz against the Yankees.

Rafael Devers had a three-run home run off rookie Shane McClanahan to ignite a five-run third inning that put Boston in front 5-0. Tampa Bay battled back and tied it in the eighth.

The wild-card Red Sox will await the winner of the other ALDS matchup between the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox. Houston leads 2-1 going into Game 4 in Chicago on Tuesday, a makeup of Monday’s rainout.

“Since day one, you guys believed in this group,” manager Alex Cora told his players before setting off a bubbly clubhouse celebration.

He said their belief is what got them to this point.

“We always said we had a good baseball team that had some holes, and we still have some holes, but at the end, for how bad it looked sometimes, we’re still here. We’re still in the dance,” Cora said.

Boston improved to 15-3 in potential clinching postseason games and have won each of their last eight. It brings an abrupt end to the season for the Rays, who’d been eyeing back-to-back trips to the World Series after winning 100 games during the regular season and rolling to the AL East title.

“There’s no doubt there’s disappointment,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “We had high aspirations to get deep into this thing. We ran into a Red Sox team that they just beat us — no other way around it. They got the big hits.”

The Red Sox are the second team to clinch a postseason series with consecutive walk-off wins. The other was the Minnesota Twins in the 1991 World Series, according to STATS.

Vázquez led off the ninth with a single through the hole to left field and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Christian Arroyo. Travis Shaw then hit a bouncing ground ball to third that went for an infield single when Yandy Díaz bounced his difficult throw to first baseman Ji-Man Choi. Vázquez got to third and Santana entered to run for him.

“Old school baseball right there,” Cora said. “Fundamental baseball, and we won the ALDS playing good fundamental baseball.”

Hernandez, who was 9 for 20 in the series, scored Santana with a fly ball to left.

“All I got to do is bring in the run from third,” Hernandez said. “And having Danny at third instead of Vazqy eased my mind a little bit.”

Rays postseason star Randy Arozarena ripped a tying single with no outs in the eighth inning of Ryan Brasier and advanced to second on the throw. Garrett Whitlock relieved and got through the eighth without further damage, then pitched a scoreless ninth for the victory.

“Once AC said you’ve got to keep going, that’s all I was focused on,” Whitlock said.

Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez allowed two runs and three hits with six strikeouts over five innings, plus one batter. It was redemption after he lasted just 1 2/3 innings and gave up two runs in Boston’s 5-1 loss in Game 1.

Devers finished with three hits. Wander Franco had a two-run homer for the Rays.

With the game knotted at 5 in the eighth, Alex Verdugo grounded to shortstop Franco, who threw the ball into wildly in the Red Sox dugout, allowing Verdugo to advance to second. With one out, Hunter Renfroe flied to center and Verdugo tried to tag, but he was thrown out at third by Kevin Kiermaier.

The Red Sox led 5-0 after three innings but Tampa pulled within 5-3 on Austin Meadows’ RBI single in the fifth and Franco’s two-run homer in the sixth off Tanner Houck.

Boston’s Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless seventh and handed it off to Braiser.

But Braiser promptly gave up back-to-back doubles to Mike Zunino and Kiermaier that made it 5-4. That was followed by a single by Arozarena to tie it up.

Braiser exited in favor of Whitlock. He was able to work out of the jam, getting Franco to fly out, followed by groundouts by Brandon Lowe and Nelson Cruz.

After being solid on the mound throughout 2021 and in a Game 1 win, Tampa Bay’s pitching struggled over the last three games, with the Red Sox outscoring the Rays 26-15.

Right-hander Collin McHugh served as the opener Monday and pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit before handing the ball off to Game 1 starter Shane McClanahan.

The rookie was pitching on three days’ rest and coming off a strong performance in the series opener in which he picked up the victory after pitching five scoreless innings.

Boston had his number this time around.

McClanahan quickly gave up a single Vázquez and walked Kyle Schwarber. He seemed on his way to getting out of trouble after he got Hernández to fly out for the second out of the inning.

But Devers jumped all over a first-pitch fastball and launched a line drive into the first row of the center field bleachers for a home run.

Xander Bogaerts came up next and singled. That was followed by Verdugo’s double off the Green Monster that scored Bogaerts. J.D. Martinez kept it going with a single off the Monster that brought Verdugo in to make it 5-0.

“Down 5-0 nothing in the third inning, that was pretty devastating,” Cash said. “We claw back in it and we came up short tonight”

McClanahan was pulled after that in favor of J.T. Chargois.

Following a double by Renfroe, Chargois finally got the Rays got out of inning, striking out Vázquez.

McClanahan’s line for the night: five hits, five runs, a walk and home run.

Trainer’s room

Red Sox: Manager Alex Cora said reliever Hansel Robles, who gave up a solo home run to Franco and game-tying double in Game 3, remained under the weather ahead of Monday’s game.

Good company

According to STATS, Rodriguez is the second pitcher to last less than two innings in a postseason start, then pitching five or more innings with three or fewer hits in his next start that same postseason. The other was Don Larsen, who lasted 1 2/3 in Game 2 of the 1956 World Series before his Game 5 perfect game.

Long at-bat

Meadows made Rodriguez work for the first out of the third inning. The at-bat lasted 17 pitches and included 10 straight foul balls before Rodriguez struck him out with a slider.

The 17-pitch battle is the longest by pitches in a postseason plate appearance since at least 1988, when pitch count data started being tracked.

Up next

Boston will hit the road for the ALCS opener Friday night.

The moves comes after Gilmore and the Patriots couldn’t come to terms on a new contract.

Carolina has been looking to upgrade its cornerback position after losing first-round pick Jaycee Horn to a broken foot, which could keep him out for the remainder of the season. Last week Carolina traded for cornerback C.J. Henderson, the No. 9 pick in last year’s NFL draft, from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Gilmore was raised in Rock Hill, South Carolina, about 26 miles from Carolina’s current headquarters. The Panthers will be moving their headquarters to Rock Hill within the next two years.

The four-time Pro Bowl cornerback confirmed his departure from New England earlier Wednesday in an Instagram post, saying the moments he shared with his teammates on and off the field over the past four seasons — including winning the Super Bowl following the 2018 season — “will never be forgotten.”

“It is with mixed emotions that I announce my goodbye to this great fan base,” Gilmore wrote. “We enjoyed so much success together and you have been an incredible inspiration for my individual achievements.”

Gilmore began the season on the physically unable to perform list as he worked his way back from a quadriceps injury late last season that required offseason surgery. He is eligible to begin practicing again after Week 6.

The Patriots and Gilmore had been trying to work out a restructured deal since this summer. The 31-year-old sat out both the voluntary and mandatory portions of New England’s offseason program in May and June as he looked to get additional compensation entering the final season of the five-year, $65 million deal he signed in 2017.

He was scheduled to make a $7 million base salary this season. He also received a $500,000 roster bonus, but even with that, his 2021 compensation would have ranked him 25th among NFL cornerbacks.

That didn’t sit well with Gilmore, who has been a standout in New England’s secondary since arriving as a free agent from Buffalo in 2017. He has 11 interceptions in his four seasons with the Patriots.

Gilmore tied a career low with one interception last season. He appeared in just 11 games after missing time due to a COVID-19 diagnosis and the quad injury.

He told ESPN this summer that he only wanted fair value and that he was feeling good following surgery.

“I just want what I’m worth, however that plays out,” Gilmore told ESPN. “Every player should be paid what they’re worth. That’s just how it is.”

Despite losing safety Patrick Chung to retirement, the Patriots did do some things to bolster their secondary this offseason. Defensive back J.C. Jackson, who led the team with nine interceptions last season, re-signed, and the team added veteran Jalen Mills. Jackson already has two interceptions this season.

An extended absence by Gilmore would have hampered his ability to build chemistry with a unit that also added several new pieces on the defensive line in free agency, including defensive tackle Davon Godchaux and edge rusher Matt Judon.

With Gilmore now gone, the Patriots will turn their full attention to fortifying a defense that ranks fourth in the NFL, allowing 185 passing yards per game.

Hightower reported from Massachusetts

He returned Sunday night and reminded his former team what they’re missing.

Brady rallied the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 19-17 victory over the Patriots on a rainy Sunday night, with Ryan Succop hitting the winning 48-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter.

Brady was 22 of 43 for 269 yards with no touchdowns, but engineered the fourth-quarter drive to beat his former team. Ronald Jones added an 8-yard scoring run for defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay (3-1).

“So many great guys that have been friends for a long time. What a great game,” Brady said. “They got a really good football team. They made us earn it.”

Brady broke Drew Brees’ NFL career passing yardage record and became the fourth quarterback with victories against all 32 NFL teams, joining Brees, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.

“In crunch time when we needed a field goal, he got us down the field,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians said. “He wasn’t going to make any mistakes that cost us the game.”

New England had a chance to win, but Nick Folk’s 56-yard field-goal try hit the left upright with with less than a minute to play. The Patriots are 1-3 for the first time since 2001. Bill Belichick is now 8-12 since Brady left New England.

“The Bucs won this game,” Arians said. “Everyone wanted to make this Brady vs Belichick. I don’t think Bill took a snap.”

Belichick said nothing Brady did surprised them.

“We went against Tom Brady every day, every day in practice defensively,” Belichick said. “So it’s not like we’ve ever seen Tom Brady before.”

Patriots rookie Mac Jones finished 31 of 40 for 275 yards and two touchdowns.

The Buccaneers were hurt by multiple mistakes on defense as well as spotty special teams play — marked by poor punts, a missed early field goal and costly penalties.

But Tampa was able to come up with timely plays to stay in the game, including Antoine Winfield Jr. forcing a fumble by J.J. Taylor that was recovered by Richard Sherman to thwart a promising drive early in the third quarter.

With Tampa Bay down 17-16, Brady and the Buccaneers took over on their own 25 and needed just seven plays drive to the Patriots 30. After Antonio Brown failed to hang onto a pass in the end zone Succop calmly connected on a 48-yarder with 2:02 left.

Leading 7-6, the Patriots punted and Matt Slater appeared to recover a fumble by Jaydon Mickens. But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Slater negated the play.

The Bucs took over and finished an eight-play, 52-yard drive with an 8-yard scoring run by Ronald Jones.

The Patriots responded on their next possession, using six straight completions by Jones to drive to the Bucs 1. Jones then found Jonnu Smith in back of the end zone for to put the Patriots back in front 14-13.

Tampa marched all the way to the Patriots 8 on their ensuing drive before being forced to settle for Ryan Succop’s third field goal of the game to make it 16-14.

New England took back over with 7:58 left in the game and quickly moved down the field, getting into the red zone on a trick play that ended with receiver Jakobi Meyers throwing a 30-yard pass to Nelson Agholor. The drive stalled there and the Patriots nudged back in front 17-16 on Nick Folk’s 27-yard field goal.

Brady was welcomed with cheers during the pregame before taking the field to a stream of boos on the Buccaneers’ first drive of the night.

Some cheers returned on their second offensive series of the night when he completed a 28-yard pass to Mike Evans to surpass Brees’s mark of 80,358 yards to become the NFL’s career passing leader in the regular season.

The pass helped set up a 29-yard field goal to put the Bucs in front 3-0.

Tampa Bay’s defense dialed up the pressure on Jones on the Patriots’ next drive. Linebacker Devin White got a free run at Jones up the middle, forcing him to hurry a pass that was tipped by Ross Cockrell and intercepted by Winfield.

The Patriots made the mistake moot, stopping the Buccaneers on third down just inside the red zone. The Buccaneers attempted another field goal, but this time Succop was wide right from 36 yards.

INJURIES

Buccaneers: Davis III was helped off the field in the second quarter with a quad injury and did not return. … Winfield went into the locker room in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion.

Patriots: DE Henry Anderson left the game in the second quarter with a chest injury and did not return. … RB Damien Harris was shaken up after a hit in the second quarter but was able to return. … DB Cody Davis left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury. … Jonathan Jones left the game late in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT

Buccaneers: Host Dolphins on Sunday.

Patriots: At Texans on Sunday.

Sports Illustrated reported that reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore tested positive for the virus on Wednesday and was added to the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. The Patriots did not give a reason for Wednesday’s cancellation and did not immediately respond when asked if it was related to a third positive test.

Starting quarterback Cam Newton missed New England’s loss at Kansas City on Monday night after a positive COVID-19 test and was added to the reserve list Saturday. Practice squad player Bill Murray joined him on the list Tuesday.

Newton’s positive test prompted the NFL to postpone the New England’s game with the Chiefs by a day.

Newton tweeted a picture of himself Wednesday morning wearing a mask, along with the caption: “WEAR YOUR MASK. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE.”

The Patriots are scheduled to host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

It turned out to be worse than expected.

A whirlwind week for New England that included Newton being sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19 and having its game pushed back a day, ended with several missteps on the field during a 26-10 loss to Kansas City on Monday.

The Patriots now trudge into a shorter week than expected facing lingering questions with Newton likely out again for Sunday’s matchup against Denver.

Making his first start as a Patriot after twice serving as Tom Brady’s backup, Brian Hoyer was pulled in favor of Jarrett Stidham late in the third quarter after two crucial mistakes that prevented New England from scoring. For the game, Hoyer was 15 of 24 for 130 yards with an interception and fumble.

Stidham initially flourished and had a touchdown pass to N’Keal Harry. But he had two turnovers — both interceptions — ending any hopes of a New England comeback. Still, as the week begins, Stidham looks to be firmly back in the competition to get the starting nod against the Broncos.

“I definitely think as a competitor you want to be suiting up and on the field every single game. I’ve just been controlling what I can control,” Stidham said. “Going further down the road here I’m just gonna continue to get better … and really focus on what I can do to help the team out in whatever fashion that may be.

“Things can happen in a weird way. Obviously, I want Cam to get better and have him back in the room as soon as possible.”

How fast Newton will be available will depend on whether he’s been exhibiting symptoms since his positive coronavirus test on Friday. But both scenarios will likely keep him out for at least one more game.

According to the NFL’s protocols for players who test positive, those showing symptoms can’t return until 10 days from when their symptoms first appeared and at least 72 hours have passed since their last symptoms occurred. That at a minimum would mean Newton couldn’t rejoin the team until Oct. 13.

If he is asymptomatic, there’s a chance he could return in as few as five days if he has two consecutive negative tests 24 hours apart.

In that instance Newton could be back with the team as early as Thursday. But that would leave only three days before the Patriots hosted the Broncos.

WHAT’S WORKING

Though the Chiefs found some traction in the second half, the Patriots’ defense was able to get some pressure on Patrick Mahomes in the first two quarters, limiting Kansas City to six points. Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley was particularly active, leading the team with six tackles. Chase Winovich also had four tackles and his second sack of the season.

WHAT NEEDS HELP

If the Patriots’ offense is going to look any better this week, it will start with taking care of the ball. New England’s four turnovers were its most since it had five in a 33-10 Week 13 loss to Pittsburgh in 2008.

STOCK UP

Running back Damien Harris has been waiting to play meaningful minutes for two seasons. He began the season on injured reserve with a hand issue, but made the most of his first action in 2020, rushing 17 times for 100 yards. It’s a positive sign with Sony Michel going on IR (quad) and as it looks for ways to move the ball if Newton remains sidelined.

STOCK DOWN

By contrast, after serving entirely in a backup capacity during his first two stints in New England, Hoyer’s first opportunity to be the Patriots’ starting quarterback is not one he’ll want to re-live. He overthrew receivers and his poor decision-making in the pocket twice cost his team valuable points.

INJURIES

The offensive line now suddenly has several issues to address. In addition to starting center David Andrews, who must be on IR for at least another week, starting right guard Shaq Mason sat out Monday’s loss with a calf injury. In addition, right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor left the game with a migraine.

KEY NUMBER

43.8 — The combined quarterback rating for Hoyer and Stidham against the Chiefs.

NEXT STEPS

The offense will be in the spotlight all week. Assuming Newton is out, the coaching staff will need to decide quickly on a starter and try to tailor a game plan that plays to their strengths better than it did against Kansas City.