BOSTON -- Power forward Kristaps Porzingis said he didn't blame coach Rick Carlisle for benching him for crunch time of the Dallas Mavericks' 116-106 loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday.

Porzingis scored only four points on 1-of-11 shooting in 20 minutes in the loss. He sat out the final nine minutes, four seconds after picking up his fifth foul, a decision Carlisle attributed to Porzingis' "tough night."

"There's nights like this," Carlisle said. "We're just going to flush it and move forward."

This outing was the low point of what Porzingis has acknowledged has been a frustrating start to his Mavs tenure. He has struggled to find a rhythm in the offense after missing 20 months while recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee suffered in his final game for the New York Knicks, who traded the 2018 All-Star to the Mavs last season.

Although Porzingis didn't want to watch from the bench as the Celtics pulled away in the final minutes, he couldn't argue that he merited clutch minutes on Monday.

"Of course I want to be out there, but can't blame him," Porzingis said. "I wasn't having a great game. I'm all-in for whatever's best for the team. If the coach thinks he'd rather have me out and have someone else in that's having a better game, let's do it if we can win a basketball game. That's the most important thing, but going forward, I want to make sure I'm out there."

Porzingis, whom the Mavs signed to a five-year, $158 million maximum contract in July, is averaging 18.3 points on 40.1% shooting from the floor in nine games for the Mavs. There have been glimpses of the 7-foot-3 Latvian's immense potential, such as his 32-point performance against the Portland Trail Blazers and his 28-point performance against the Knicks, but he has been held to 10 or fewer points in three of his past six games. Porzingis admits that he has a tendency to press when he isn't as involved in the offense as he'd like.

"Sometimes I'm not going to get the ball as much as I'd like to, and that leads to me maybe forcing some things and so on," Porzingis said. "It's a work in progress. I know Coach is trying to do the best job he can to get me the ball in the offense and utilize my skills, and I also got to do a better job of making sure I'm effective in those situations."

Porzingis has especially struggled in post-up situations, which usually come when he's defended by smaller players after switches. According to NBA.com stats, Porzingis was averaging only 0.64 points per possession on post-ups entering Monday, which put him in the 12th percentile in the league. Before being benched, Porzingis missed a pair of turnaround jumpers while defended by Boston guard Marcus Smart, who drew an offensive foul on another post-up on Porzingis' final play of the night.

"They did a good job switching and getting underneath me," Porzingis said. "I had no legs on my shot. It was just flat. I rushed into a couple of them. I have to take my time when I get those switches. Get down low, get good position, and just turn around and shoot over guys."

The Mavs anticipated that Porzingis would need time to work his way back into form after such a long layoff. They're taking a patient approach with a player the franchise is banking on being a long-term foundation piece.

"This happens to great players. They have bad nights," said Mavs star Luka Doncic, who had 34 points and nine assists in the loss. "I think the next game he's going to have at least 30 points. He keeps working. He just came back from injury. These things are normal. We all believe in him."

Porzingis, who makes his highly anticipated return to Madison Square Garden on Thursday, has accepted that it will be a challenging progress to regain his groove while adapting to a new system and teammates.

"It's not going to happen overnight," he said. "We're 6-4 with me playing below the level that I'm used to. Once I find my game and be effective out there, we can be doing much more damage."

DETROIT -- Blake Griffin scored 19 points and added seven rebounds and six assists in his season debut for the Detroit Pistons, who lost 120-144 to the Timberwolves on Monday night.

Griffin, who had been rehabilitating a sore knee and hamstring since preseason, played 24 minutes in his return to action. The 30-year-old had a left knee procedure after last season.

Andrew Wiggins scored 33 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 25 for Minnesota, which snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Pistons.

Minnesota shot 8-of-10 from 3-point range in the first quarter and led 41-26, and the Pistons never cut too far into the deficit until the fourth. A 3-pointer by Detroit's Tony Snell made it 109-104, but Towns drew a double-team at the other end and passed to an open Wiggins, whose 3-pointer restored the lead to eight.

Minnesota led by 19 in the third before the Pistons ran off eight points in a row. Towns ended that quarter with a driving dunk that put the Timberwolves ahead 92-81.

Minnesota was without point guard Jeff Teague (illness).

Luke Kennard led Detroit with 25 points, and Snell scored 16. Andre Drummond had 11 points and 12 rebounds, but he went just 4-of-12 from the field.

SHARPSHOOTING

Each team had a reserve shooting well. Minnesota's Jake Layman made four 3-pointers and scored 16 points. Detroit's Langston Galloway made four 3s of his own and finished with 18 points.

TIP-INS

Timberwolves: Minnesota was also without G Shabazz Napier (right hamstring strain).

Pistons: G Reggie Jackson (lumbar stress reaction) did not play for Detroit.

UP NEXT

Timberwolves: Host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

Pistons: Visit the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry says he expects to play at some point this season after breaking his left hand in an Oct. 30 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Curry, who had surgery on Nov. 1 in Los Angeles, was in good spirits as he spoke to the media for the first time since the injury prior to Monday's game against the Utah Jazz.

"I definitely expect to be ready to play," Curry said. "I don't know when. At some point in early spring. Just a matter of the rehab process. I've never obviously broken anything and dealt with a hand injury like this...[But] I'm excited about the potential that the rest of the season isn't lost "

Curry, who wore a large brace around his hand while sitting at the podium, is expected to be out at least three months as he recovers. He said he will need another procedure on his hand in a few weeks as part of the recovery process.

"As part of the rehab I have to get a second procedure done at the beginning of December probably and remove some of the pins that they put in there," he said. "So the swelling's going to be something that's of the utmost priority early in the rehab process to give me a chance to come back and get my range of motion back pretty quickly. So travel is not in the cards right now but hopefully when the new year hits I'll be able to be on the road and progress quickly in terms of things that I can do on the court, in the weight room, all that type of stuff and obviously be around the team as much as I can."

The Warriors, meanwhile, are 2-8 heading into Monday's games as Curry is one of many injuries and departures that have recently decimated their championship core. Curry is hoping he can offer words of advice and encouragement for his younger teammates who are trying to pick up the slack. He admitted that he is struggling with being away from the group.

"My ankle surgery was way back in the day, it was over the summer, so it was a little easier to kind of cope," he said. "Obviously there's action every day -- watching games on TV every day is no fun. Obviously I enjoy spending time with my family but when you're out there missing games it's always tough. I'm not good at just sitting down and resting so I got to figure that out."

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is hoping to keep his star guard engaged as much as possible over the next few months.

"You know Steph, he's very practical," Kerr said. "He doesn't get too high or too low. More than anything, I know he's bored. he wants to be a part of things. Wants to be out on the court. he's just gotta be patient. Get healthy. Once he's healthy and ready to roll, he'll be out there."

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Tampa Bay Rays general manager Erik Neander has been voted Major League Baseball's Executive of the Year.

Tampa Bay was 96-66, the second-most wins in team history, despite a big league-low payroll of $66 million. The Rays beat Oakland in the American League wild-card game, then lost to Houston in a five-game AL Division Series.

Neander's moves included acquiring outfielder Austin Meadows and pitcher Tyler Glasnow at the 2018 trade deadline from Pittsburgh for pitcher Chris Archer, and signing free agent pitcher Charlie Morton ahead of the 2019 season.

The 36-year-old Neander became the Rays' general manager in November 2016 and one year later replaced Matt Silverman as the team's top baseball official.

New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman was second in voting announced Monday night on the first day of the annual GM meetings. Oakland Athletics executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane and Minnesota Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey tied for third.

Each team has one vote for the award, which began in 2018 and was won by Beane in its initial year.

Aces Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg will be the most sought after pitching free agents this offseason, and the New York Yankees will be among the interested teams, general manager Brian Cashman said Monday.

"Of course, we're going to talk to Strasburg. We'll talk to Cole. We'll talk to the higher-end guys, clearly, and have conversations, and we'll also talk about some surprise guys, I'm sure," Cashman told reporters at MLB's annual general manager meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona.

"Obviously, [both are] great, talented players that have earned so many accolades along the way -- and for good reason. They are some of the premier pitchers the game has seen at this time, so it's a good time to be them."

Cole, 29, just finished his second season with the Houston Astros, going 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA. He led the majors with 326 strikeouts and set an Astros record by winning his last 16 regular-season decisions.

Strasburg, 31, went 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA for the Washington Nationals and was named the World Series MVP. His 18 wins were a career best, and he led the National League with 209 innings pitched.

The Yankees were sixth in the American League in 2019 with a 4.31 ERA. They spent most of the season juggling their rotation with injuries to No. 1 starter Luis Severino and back-of-the-rotation left-hander Jordan Montgomery. Both are expected to be healthy next spring and join a rotation that could include Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, Domingo German and J.A. Happ.

"Starting pitching is always something that we want to try to continue to look at and shore up. With that said, we still have internal personnel that we're excited to get back in the fold as we move forward," Cashman said.

He added: "In the end, players like a Strasburg, players like a Gerrit Cole, they're going to make informed decisions that are in their best interest and in the best interest of their families and stuff like that. It's not as simple as going after it and pulling it down, it's a lot more than just that."

DRUMRIGHT, Okla. – The National Open Wheel 600 Series is excited to announce that Lucas Oil will return as the primary marketing partner for the series next year.

Hi-Plains Building Division will be the series’ new presenting sponsor for 2020.

“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Lucas Oil, which has supported the NOW600 Series since the start of the 2018 season,” NOW600 Series Founder Terry Mattox said. “Additionally, Hi-Plains Building Division is coming on board in a big way and we’re excited about the new partnership.”

Hi-Plains Building Division will also be the primary partner for all six regions – the NOW600 Hi-Plains Building Division Ark-La-Tex Region, the NOW600 Hi-Plains Building Division Desert Region, the NOW600 Hi-Plains Building Division Kansas Region, the NOW600 Hi-Plains Building Mile High Region, the NOW600 Hi-Plains Building Division Mountain West Region and the NOW600 Hi-Plains Building Division North Texas Region – as well as NOW600 Hi-Plains Building Division weekly racing.

The 2020 season, which is the eighth for the national series, is scheduled to begin next February.

The season banquet for the 2019 campaign is scheduled for Dec. 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Tulsa, Okla., beginning at 6 p.m.

NEW YORK -- Ben Olan, a sports writer and editor at The Associated Press for more than 50 years who was honored by the NHL Hall of Fame, has died. He was 96.

Known for being nattily dressed during his days when AP headquarters was located at 50 Rockefeller Plaza, Olan passed away early Monday morning at a nursing home in Queens, said his grandson, Trevor Hickey.

Olan started at the AP in 1952, ran the hockey coverage for over a decade and later wrote about baseball, college and pro basketball, and boxing. He then became a special projects editor and retired in 2003.

In 1987, the NHL Hall of Fame presented him with the Elmer Ferguson Award, which honors members of the newspaper profession. He also was a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Olan edited The Associated Press Sports Almanac in the late 1970s and several books, including Big-Time Baseball, Baseball's Unforgettable Games, and Pro Football's 100 Greatest Players with famed coach George Allen.

Olan was an editor at Hockey Illustrated Magazine, Pro Football Today, Boxing Today and many other publications.

Raheem Sterling has been ruled out of England's next Euro 2020 qualifier as a result of a "disturbance" at the team's training centre, the FA has announced.

"We can confirm Raheem Sterling will not be considered for England's EURO 2020 qualifier against Montenegro as a result of a disturbance in a private team area at St. George's Park today. He will remain with the squad," the FA said in a statement on Monday.

- Euro 2020: Who will reach the finals?
- Euro 2020 qualifying: All you need to know

England boss Gareth Southgate said that emotions were still running high in the England camp after Liverpool's crucial 3-1 Premier League win over Manchester City on Sunday, but that his team would cope in the absence of City forward Sterling.

"We have taken the decision to not consider Raheem for the match against Montenegro on Thursday," he said.

"One of the great challenges and strengths for us is that we've been able to separate club rivalries from the national team. Unfortunately the emotions of yesterday's game were still raw.

"My feeling is that the right thing for the team is the action we have taken. Now that the decision has been made with the agreement of the entire squad, it's important that we support the players and focus on Thursday night."

Southgate has called up four Liverpool players for England's latest round of qualifiers -- Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain -- while Sterling and John Stones have been included from Man City.

Sterling has become a key player for England in the past year after being criticised for his displays at the 2018 World Cup.

Last season he was named Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers' Association after scoring 25 goals in all competitions as City won a domestic treble of the Premier League title and the two Cup competitions.

For England, Sterling has scored 12 goals in 55 games but has been a regular under Southgate and scored twice in the recent 6-0 win away to Bulgaria.

England, who top Group A with 15 points from six matches, will host Montenegro at Wembley on Thursday, Nov. 14, before travelling to Kosovo three days later.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

FRISCO, Texas -- Defensive lineman Michael Bennett said his trade to the Dallas Cowboys did not include a conversation with owner and general manager Jerry Jones regarding standing for the national anthem before the acquisition became official.

Bennett has stood on the sideline for his first two games with the Cowboys after staying in the locker room during the anthem when he was with the New England Patriots.

"I feel like it's not my job to tell to make somebody else believe what I'm already doing," Bennett said. "Like if they don't believe it, what can I tell them?"

Bennett told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he is standing for the anthem because his teammates asked him to. In 2018 with the Philadelphia Eagles, Bennett also remained in the locker room, but he has made exceptions in the past. In 2017, he stood on the sideline during Veterans Day weekend and the NFL's Salute to Service while he was with the Seattle Seahawks because his protest against racial inequality and injustice was not related to any disrespect to the military.

As for his on-field acclimation to the Cowboys, Bennett said, "It's been pretty much a good journey, coming here from New England. A lot of great players and just trying to figure out how to get in there."

Bennett had a sack in his first game with Dallas, against the New York Giants. He had two quarterback hurries in 45 snaps in Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings. His transition from the Patriots has been made smoother because of his familiarity with the scheme, having played for Seattle while passing game coordinator Kris Richard was with the Seahawks.

"I just came from the place with the most defenses in the league, so any other defense is pretty much easier to learn," Bennett said.

The Cowboys reworked Bennett's contract after the trade, lowering his base salary and transferring money into incentives, while also deleting the final year of his deal, which could allow him to be an unrestricted free agent after this season. He turns 34 on Wednesday.

"I don't know, it could be my last year in the NFL," Bennett said. "I've been thinking about what's the best thing for my family, what's the best thing health-wise in the future, so I just take it one game at a time now, one year a time. If an opportunity is a great opportunity. ... But right now, it's just enjoying this game, enjoying these seven games and playing football. Just enjoying myself, trying to be a kid out there again. I'm the old man right now, but at the same time, I'm trying to stay as young as I can."