Denza N9 PHEV Flash Charge Edition to officially launch on May 18.

The post New Denza N9 PHEV with Flash Charging and 420 km CLTC EV range to officially launch on May 18 appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.

BYD's ride-hailing brand Linghui launches e9 sedan with Flash Charging.

The post BYD’s Linghui e9 with Falsh Charging officially launches, starting from 22,200 USD appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.

Read full article: https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/sabah-emerges-as-southeast-asias-trade-and-tourism-powerhouse-strategic-moves-by-the-sabah-trade-and-tourism-office-drive-economic-growth-and-sustainability/

Sabah Emerges as Southeast Asia’s Trade and Tourism Powerhouse: Strategic Moves by the Sabah Trade and Tourism Office Drive Economic...

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Original Source: Travel And Tour World
Unauthorized copying or republishing is prohibited.

Read full article: https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/philippine-aviation-sector-surges-ahead-as-southeast-asias-fastest-growing-hub-with-unprecedented-growth-in-passenger-numbers-infrastructure-solidifying-its-position-as-a-top-global-travel/

Philippine Aviation Sector Surges Ahead as Southeast Asia’s Fastest-Growing Hub, With Unprecedented Growth in Passenger Numbers, Infrastructure, Solidifying Its Position...

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Spirit of Tasmania’s New Ships Set to Transform Bass Strait Travel, Enhancing Tourism Experience and Passenger Comfort for Years to...

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India’s Western Railway Revolutionizes Logistics with Historic Spice Rail Journey from Mahesana to Assam Driving Trade Growth, Sustainability, and Expanding...

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Coinbase chief policy officer Faryar Shirzad said the date is a “big step forward” and is essential for supporting innovation in the US.

On May 6, Samsung officially started the One UI 8.5 update rollout. The company confirmed the One UI 8.5 release through a press release, but a treasure of details is hidden inside announcements posted across regions.

The rollout kicked off in South Korea on May 6, with a major wave of additional markets, including Europe, Hong Kong, India, Latin America, North America, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan, following on May 11.

Samsung’s One UI 8.5 announcements across regions

Samsung’s Global Newsroom is the primary source for official announcements. US residents have their own Newsroom, which functions better than the Global channel. Meanwhile, there are plenty of regional Newsroom channels.

One UI 8.5 announcements were posted across several regions. The Global, US, and Korean press releases have fewer details than the regional ones. It was discovered during our intense research, and we broke it down for our readers.

Global/USA

The Global announcement is the most conservative, listing only the recent flagship devices with no regional specifics. Minimum guaranteed devices across all regions are Galaxy S25/S24 series, Z Fold6/Flip6, Z Fold7/Flip7, Tab S10/S11.

Europe/Germany

Germany gets the most devices

It adds the Galaxy S23 series, S23 FE, Z Fold 5/Flip 5, Tab S9, and the entire Galaxy A lineup (3 generations), reflecting a broader support commitment in the European market.

In Germany, Samsung’s A-series phones are the Galaxy A15, Galaxy A16, Galaxy A17, Galaxy A25, Galaxy A26, Galaxy A34, Galaxy A35, Galaxy A36, Galaxy A54, Galaxy A55, and Galaxy A56.

Middle East/UAE

UAE is the most specific on timing

It’s one of the regions that explicitly commits to a May 11 rollout date for a named list of global regions. Well, the same date surfaced for the rollout of the same day Samsung posted the initial release announcement.

As with any large-scale rollout, Samsung notes that specific features, availability, and timing may vary by model and market. That said, some devices may receive the update slightly later than others, even within the same region.

The post We compared Samsung’s One UI 8.5 announcements across regions appeared first on Sammy Fans.

Back in April the first details about the upcoming Honor Magic9 Pro Max got outed, and today a new source out of China brings us even more details about this phone. The device is said to sport a 6.8" to 6.89" LTPO OLED screen with "1.5K" resolution and 2.5D curved glass, a 200MP main camera using a 1/1.28" type sensor, a 200MP periscope telephoto camera, an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, 3D face unlocking, high-power wireless charging, and a great level of water resistance. Honor Magic8 Pro The device will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 SoC, but it's still unclear if it...

Spurs vs. Timberwolves live score, updates, highlights from 2026 NBA playoffs Game 3 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Minnesota Timberwolves return home Friday night looking to bounce back after a historic loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 to even up the Western Conference semifinal series.

San Antonio stomped out Minnesota for the best postseason win since 1983. The 133-95 victory on Thursday was backed by an outstanding offensive effort led by Stephon Castle, who scored 21 points. Minnesota struggled to find rhythm offensively even with Anthony Edwards back from injury.

The Timberwolves finished 31-21 against Western Conference opponents during the regular season and have leaned heavily on Edwards throughout the playoffs. He is averaging 28.8 points and 3.7 assists this season, while Jaden McDaniels has provided an added scoring punch lately, averaging 15.1 points over Minnesota’s last 10 games.

San Antonio entered with momentum and averaged 119.8 points per game during the regular season. One key component to the Spurs success has been points in the paint from Victor Wembanyama.

De’Aaron Fox has added steady production for the Spurs, averaging 18.6 points per game, while Julian Champagnie has emerged as a perimeter threat with 2.2 made 3-pointers per game over the last 10 contests. However, the Spurs haven't won a game in Minnesota since October 24, 2022 with seven straight losses. 

NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live scores | Full schedule | Updated bracket

Spurs vs. Timberwolves live updates, highlights from NBA playoffs Game 3

Midway through the first quarter and the only Timberwolves scoring has come from a lone Anthony Edwards free throw. The Spurs are up 11-1. 

1st Quarter-8:48:  Devin Vassell makes a 17-foot jumper. 

1st Quarter-10:54: Victor Wembanyama scores on a 1-foot dunk. 

1st Quarter-11:44: Devin Vassell missed an inside shot short, but Wembanyama rebounded and dunked it in one fluid motion. 

straight out the gate 😤

📺 @NBAonPrimepic.twitter.com/s5iTtYUXJc

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 9, 2026

According to TimberwolvesPR, Anthony Edwards will start tonight for Minnesota. 

Donte DiVencenzo is out due to his achilles injury. However, he is getting some reps as a sideline photographer during shootaround. 

AVAILABLE. 🐜 pic.twitter.com/CIclrow7Sz

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 9, 2026

in familiar territory pic.twitter.com/y0CBx1mNqm

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 8, 2026

Whatever Gregg Popovich told Wemby and the Spurs before Game 2 clearly worked 😤🔥

Lou Williams is not surprised Coach Pop popped in San Antonio’s film session 🎞️

Unlike guests in film sessions Lou was a part of, everyone definitely listened to what Pop had to say 😂💯 pic.twitter.com/aMFoi3otlg

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 8, 2026

Both Anthony Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu out on the floor after what sounded like a lively Timberwolves shootaround this morning pic.twitter.com/QhsmdkJoOJ

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 8, 2026

Anthony Edwards playoff results by year:

2021 — Missed playoffs
2022 — Lost in 1st Round (Grizzlies, 4-2)
2023 — Lost in 1st Round (Nuggets, 4-1)
2024 — Reached Western Conference Finals (Lost to Mavericks, 4-1)
2025 — Reached Western Conference Finals (Lost to Thunder, 4-1)… pic.twitter.com/TPH3LE27sb

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 8, 2026

How to Watch Western Conference Semifinals Game 3: San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Friday, May 8

Tip-off: 9:30 p.m. ET

TV: Amazon Prime Video

More NBA Playoff news:

• San Antonio has best NBA Playoff win since 1983
• Nuggets legend slams 'frugal billionaire' owner Stan Kroenke, doesn't expect offseason moves
• Everyone is saying the same thing about how the refs treated Lakers in Game 2
• Tyran Stokes is all over social media after tough adjustment before future NBA journey

Two UFC hopefuls are getting a second shot at Dana White's Contender Series.

Heavyweights Mario Piazzon and Guilherme Uriel will collide on the Aug. 25 episode at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Piazzon (10-1) is a training partner of former UFC heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida. He competed on DWCS in 2023 and won via disqualification. The performance drew criticism from some, including UFC CEO Dana White. Since then, Piazzon has gone 3-1 with two TKOs.

Uriel (7-2) competed on DWCS in 2025 when he was knocked out by Josh Hokit. Since that loss, Uriel has only fought once but it was an emphatic 96-second knockout of Leonardo Fraga at LFA 229 in March.

The two fighters combine for 14 career finishes in 17 wins.

No other fights have been announced for the Aug. 25 episode at this time.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Two UFC hopefuls get second chance on Dana White's Contender Series

The Houston Rockets have had players donning a total of 52 different jersey numbers (and have one not part of any numerical series for Houston assistant coach and general manager Carroll Dawson) since their founding at the start of the 1967-68 season, worn by just under 500 players in the course of Rockets history.

To honor all of the players who wore those numbers over the decades, Rockets Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who wore them since the founding of the team all those years ago right up to the present day.

With seven of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Rockets of all time to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover.

And for today's article, we will continue with the second of 11 who wore the No. 14, guard alum Mike Newlin. After ending his college career at Utah, Newlin was picked up with the 24th overall selection of the 1971 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets.

The Portland, Oregon native would play the first eight seasons of his pro career with Houston before he was dealt to the New Jersey Nets in 1979.

During his time suiting up for the Rockets, Newlin wore only jersey No. 14 and put up 14.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets jersey history No. 14 - Mike Newlin (1971-79)

Khamzat Chimaev officially weighed in at 185 pounds early Friday (May 8, 2026) for his weekend clash with Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey, but some are crying foul play.

UFC’s return to New Jersey this Saturday night on Paramount+ from inside Prudential Center is a big one. Leading the way will be a long-awaited grudge match between Chimaev and Strickland, who are former training partners turned bitter rivals. A co-main event title fight between UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van and top contender Tatsuro Taira adds even more anticipation for this weekend’s event, as well as a deep undercard.

All of that said, it was important that both Chimaev and Strickland made weight on Friday to make their marquee matchup official. Strickland passed with flying colors, but Khamzat was the last fighter from the card to step on the scale. Reports suggested the UFC middleweight champion had to cut a whopping 46 pounds for his first official title defense so fight fans were nervous to see how things played out.

Despite looking to be on death’s door, Chimaev hit 185 pounds and successfully hit weight for UFC 328’s grudge match. That was according to the New Jersey State Athletic Commission, who watching watch the scale as Chimaev weighed in. Most wouldn’t have known there was anything fishy going on, but one UFC fighter did.

UFC veteran Bryce Mitchell took to social media to chime in on Chimaev’s early morning weigh in. “Thug Nasty” is confident that Chimaev never actually made weight and that those in power want Strickland to lose so badly that they covered up Khamzat’s weight miss. Check it out below and let us know if you agree with Mitchell!

“That dude didn’t make that weight,” said Mitchell. “There’s no convincing me bro… it’s all bullsh-t.”

“Khamzat gets special treatment… he didn’t make that weight and I think Sean’s champ already,” Mitchell continued. “They don’t want him to win because they can’t control what he says and he loves America.”

For more UFC 328 fight card news and coverage click HERE.

Canadiens push top line problem aside to bounce back vs. Sabres originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Montreal Canadiens still haven't gotten production from their top-line players.

But on this night, the rest of the roster proved it was up to the task in seizing a massive bounceback win in Buffalo over the Sabres by a 5-1 score on Friday night.

The Eastern Conference semifinals are now knotted at a game apiece as the next two contests will be played in Montreal.

The Canadiens did get a late goal from a top-line player when Nick Suzuki scored an empty-netter, but before that, it was the unsung players doing the goal scoring.

Alex Newhook scored twice. He had been the hero in Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and on this night, he notched his first career multi-goal playoff game.

The first goal opened the scoring, and the second made it 3-0 early in the second period.

MORE: Sabres' anthem singer has a message for the haters

In between, the defenseman Mike Matheson slotted an impressive shot between multiple defenders and over Alex Lyon's right shoulder for the first goal of this postseason for the defenseman.

Montreal allowed Buffalo to pull one back late in the second with Zach Benson, but the Habs seized momentum right back early in the third.

Alexandre Carrier pressured Tage Thompson into a turnover that sent Carrier in alone on goalie Alex Lyon. Carrier didn't miss.

That made it 4-1, and Buffalo couldn't mount enough pressure to get back in the game before Suzuki's empty-netter really wrapped it up.

In Game 1, when the Canadiens lost 4-2, they had scored with their top guns on the power play but only scored at even strength down the lineup with Kirby Dach.

This time around, the likes of Newhook, Matheson and Carrier were the ones who saved Montreal.

The Habs won't make a deeper playoff run without more from Suzuki, Cole Caufield (who crushed the crossbar on a shot) and Juraj Slafkovsky.

But good teams also need their lesser players to step up occasionally to win hockey games. That's what these guys did for the Canadiens on Friday night in Buffalo.

More NHL news:

• Maple Leafs winning lottery doesn't mean what you think for Auston Matthews
• How good is Gavin McKenna?
• Canucks may have gotten 2004-level historically unlucky
• Flames' trade offer for Nathan MacKinnon is informative for Maple Leafs
• How Zach Benson is Buffalo's perfect 'rat'

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is an avid baseball fan, and it should come as no surprise that he was spotted attending a game at Kauffman Stadium during the 2026 NFL offseason.

On May 8, Mahomes could be seen attending the Kansas City Royals' thrilling matchup against the Detroit Tigers, which was still hotly contested in the later innings at the time of writing.

Spotted taking in the game with Mahomes was the legendary signal-caller's son, Bronze Mahomes.

Take a look at this picture of Mahomes at Kauffman Stadium, which was posted to Twitter by Major League Baseball's official account during Friday's game:

Patrick Mahomes pulled up to the Royals game tonight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/MD3fhIVtSN

— MLB (@MLB) May 9, 2026

While Kansas City faced a 3-1 deficit against Detroit as the game entered the bottom of the eighth, the Royals rallied to even the score before the final frame, and may still be able to pull out a win in front of the three-time Super Bowl champion.

This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Patrick Mahomes was at Kauffman Stadium for Royals' thriller vs Tigers

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski threw 10 pitches of at least 103 mph Friday and produced the highest velocity any starter has reached since Statcast tracking began in 2008.

Misiorowski topped out at 103.6 mph and had three pitches reach that level while throwing six shutout innings against the New York Yankees.

Starters had combined for three pitches of at least 103 mph since tracking started in 2008, including one by Misiorowski in his previous outing.

Before Friday, the fastest pitch thrown by a starter since 2008 was a 103.2 mph offering from Jordan Hicks on July 12, 2022. Misiorowski threw seven pitches that were at least that fast in the first two innings.

All 10 of the pitches he threw in the first inning went at least 102.4 mph.

Misiorowski struck out a season-high 11 and allowed two hits and two walks, leaving with a 5-0 lead. He ended his night with consecutive strikeouts of Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger.

Forty-one of the 95 pitches Misiorowski threw went 100 mph or higher, raising his season total to 193 in eight starts.

Misiorowski had thrown 43 pitches of at least 100 mph in his prior start while working 5 1/3 shutout innings in a 6-1 victory over Washington. Misiorowski had not allowed a hit when he left that game due to a right hamstring cramp.

The most pitches of at least 100 mph by an individual in a game is 47 from Cincinnati's Hunter Greene on Sept. 17, 2022.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Adam Scott will make his 100th major start, and 99th in a row, at next week's PGA Championship, hungry to show he has more than longevity to offer.

The 45-year-old Australian, who missed the cut in his major debut at the 2000 British Open, placed 47th at the 2001 British Open and has not missed a major since.

"My head's still really in, like I should be able to compete and win these things, so maybe I don't see it as much of an accomplishment," Scott said of his streak and 100th overall major.

"I'll give myself a pat on the back, but I would love to still win."

World number 43 Scott, whose only major triumph came at the 2013 Masters, needs to be inside the top 60 in world rankings after the major showdown at Aronimink to qualify for the US Open and reach 100 consecutive majors -- a streak beaten only by the record run of 146 by Jack Nicklaus from the 1962 Masters through the 1998 US Open.

"I don't know what to make of it. I mean, part of me doesn't want to be the guy yet who just has all these other things that aren't based around winning events," Scott said. "I would rather win some stuff and let's celebrate winning the US Open than just playing in it.

"I think there's some luck in it, but I think I've had generally great advice around me from a physical and training standpoint that has kept me healthy and pretty much injury free. I don't really have niggles and things that are concerning, certainly not to the point of can I play this week or not."

Scott had his first bogey-free weekend since 2007 last week in a fourth-place finish at Doral, matching his season-best result from Riviera in February.

"To win a major I'm going to need to put four days together, not just a weekend coming from behind," Scott said. "I feel like my game is there. I'm doing all the things I think I need to do to be in that kind of condition.

"(I want to) keep this confidence going and hopefully arrive at the US PGA full of confidence. And four good days and you just never know."

Scott's most recent of 14 PGA Tour victories came at Riviera in 2020 while his first professional victory came at the European Tour's 2001 Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa.

- 'Thanks, Tiger' -

A quarter-century later, Scott credits 15-time major winner Tiger Woods for pushing him to dream big.

"I think the main thing is really that I probably dreamed loftier goals than was maybe possible when I was a kid. Thanks, Tiger," Scott said.

"I feel like I'm really not that content and I would hate to finish my career not content. I feel like I've put in a lot of good stuff, but I feel like there's something big left within me still. So it's worth pushing."

Scott's mother also gets some of the credit.

"My mum taught me everything in moderation. I don't know if that's good for the highest level sport but it is for longevity. Maybe some of that philosophy has kept me going," he said.

"I work hard. I love it though. I love being in the gym. I love being on the golf course. It doesn't feel like hard work even though I'm putting some hours in."

Scott hopes that means his best is yet to come.

"I think it is, truly," he said. "I know that sounds crazy. But overall, I mean, on a good putting day I think my golf game tee to green and short game is better than ever.

"It feels like my game sits at a high level. I just need to open up the ceiling a little bit somehow and go there."

js/bb

Let’s do a little dive into what I think was the most important frame of the entire ballgame.

Top of the third inning, things could have gone off the rails and fast. Nick Fortes leads off with an infield single—advancing to second on a balk by Connelly Early. Taylor Walls loops a single to left field on a pitch that leaks a little back towards the middle of the plate with some cut, and Yandy Diaz gets hit on a back foot curve to load the bases.

This could have been absolute chaos.

Early said no way. Ryan Vilade, sit back down on a nice strikeout to settle things down a hair. Junior Caminero then saved Boston’s skin. First pitch, bounding bouncer to Caleb Durbin: 5-4-3 double play. The Rays frankly didn’t threaten any other time in this ballgame.

Not only did this cool off Connelly Early, it completely changed his tempo. He dialed in and got six more strikeouts after that—eight total—and ate his way through seven frames.

You don’t need a ton of offense when your starter dominates like he did. Better rebound start for him and a nice Friday night win for the Red Sox.

Studs

Connelly Early (7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K)

Nuff said above. This was an absolutely stellar start for Early.

Ceddanne Rafaela (2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R)

What a needed homer for Rafaela and a good game for the center fielder overall.

Wilyer Abreu (1-f0r-2, 1 RBI, 1 R, 2 BB)

Wilyer’s deadlock breaking solo shot is the longest home run of his career at 427 feet. Working two walks showcases how big a threat Abreu is at the dish.

Aroldis Chapman (1.0 IP, 2 K)

…how is he still this good? Did he drink the Tom Brady defy father time juice?

Duds

Masataka Yoshida (0-for-4)

Just an eh day but it happens! I’m starting to find a warm spot for Masa again.

Trevor Story (0-for-3, 3 Ks)

The hat trick of strikeouts drops Story’s season batting average to .199, and that’s a big yikes for this lineup.

Play of the Game

You don’t win if you don’t score!

Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler and Masters repeat winner Rory McIlroy are oddsmakers favorites for the 108th PGA Championship, which tees off Thursday at Aronimink.

Scheffler, who won the 2022 and 2024 Masters and last year's British Open and PGA Championship, took a week off before trying for a first major title defense after a hot start to the season.

The 29-year-old American won his first start of the year at the American Express tournament in the California desert and added a third place at Phoenix and fourth at Pebble Beach.

He has been runner-up in each of his past three starts -- at the Masters and Heritage tournaments in April and last week at Doral.

"Sometimes you're able to build some positive momentum, and at times in my career I've been able to really feed off of that," Scheffler said. "When you feel like you're in a good spot with your game and you're seeing the right shots, sometimes it doesn't feel that difficult."

Scheffler took confidence, and some ideas about what he needs to improve to win a fifth major.

"A lot of positives," Scheffler said. "Some stuff I can clean up, but overall definitely some positives from the last few weeks."

Scheffler could complete a career Grand Slam at next month's US Open at Shinnecock, which concludes on his 30th birthday.

"I would love to be able to win the US Open," Scheffler said. "I've had some success at that tournament before and I think it suits my style of game. I'm excited to go to Shinnecock this year and hopefully get it done."

McIlroy completed a career Grand Slam and snapped a 10-year major win drought by winning last year's Masters and last month become only the fourth player to win back-to-back titles at Augusta National, boosting his motivation for this year's majors.

"This year I think winning was validation for all the work that I've put in over the last few years to get myself back to this place where I'm winning majors," McIlroy said.

Not since Jordan Spieth took the Masters and US Open in 2015, when the majors were on a different rotation, has a player won back-to-back majors, a feat McIlroy managed in 2014 and could achieve again this week.

"I'm excited for the road ahead. I'm excited for Aronimink next week, Shinnecock, Birkdale," six-time major winner McIlroy said.

"If anything I'm more motivated after what happened at Augusta this year than I've ever been."

Third-ranked Cameron Young, who won his first PGA title last August, has been in the top three in four of his past five starts -- including wins at The Players Championship in March and at Doral.

"It sets me up well," Young said. "I've been playing great and the goal is just to put myself in a position to win as much as I can.

"The biggest thing right now is just to continue to put myself in position where those things can happen."

Fourth-ranked Matt Fitzpatrick of England was second at The Players Championship then won the Valspar and Heritage titles and the PGA pairs event in New Orleans with brother Alex.

"I feel like I'm playing very well right now," Fitzpatrick said. "Definitely high confidence. The ball is going where I intend it to go. But I know there's things I can still improve in certain areas. So that's exciting, given the results I've achieved so far."

- 'Severe' greens -

England's fifth-ranked Justin Rose, with top-10 finishes in four of the past six PGAs, hopes to recover after leading late but settling for third at the Masters.

"That's just like a little hollow empty feeling for a few days. But then kicked back into gear, got my motivation back," Rose said.

Aronimink promises a tough test with putting at a premium for the world's top golfers.

"It's a severe set of greens. I think there's more undulation at Aronimink and that's really the defense of the golf course," Australia's Adam Scott said.

"Get your driver and your wedge game ready and if you have a good putting week, you're going to do well."

js/bb

With the first pitch of his start against the New York Yankees on Friday, Milwaukee Brewers phenom Jacob Misiorowski reared back and threw a 102.4 mph fastball for a called strike.

It was the slowest pitch he’d throw that inning.

MLB’s hardest-throwing pitcher lived up to his reputation on Friday and then some, firing 36 pitches measured by Statcast at 100 mph or faster. Ten of them came in the first inning, when he blew away the top of the Yankees order.

Per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, the previous fastest pitch ever record by a starting pitcher was Jordan Hicks with a 103.2 mph fastball on July 12, 2022 (with data going back to 2008). Misiorowski threw seven pitches harder than that on Friday.

The results matched the velocity, as he struck out 11 Yankees in 6 scoreless innings while allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks. That’s a strikeout for every letter in his last name.

For those curious, the overall fastest pitch ever tracked by MLB is 105.8 mph from Aroldis Chapman (Sept. 24, 2010).

The most cruel moment came in the second inning. Friday marked the MLB debut of Yankees prospect Spencer Jones, who has many fans excited about a power-speed combination that saw him post 11 homers and 7 stolen bases at Triple-A before his call-up.

Here is what Misiorowski did to him in his first big-league plate appearance: 103.6 mph up and in for a called strike, 102.3 mph up and in for a swinging strike, 103.6 mph up and in fouled off, 89 mph curveball in the zone for a foul-tip strikeout.

It’s like the Yankees outsourced his rookie hazing.

To Jones’ credit, he did better next time, drawing a walk in the fifth inning.

Misiorowski was already well-known as a flamethrower — Friday just represented his peak (so far) when it comes to velocity. His actual results have been up and down through about a full year in MLB, but he’s been absolutely terrifying for most of 2026. He leads all qualified MLB starters with a 39.5% strikeout rate through Friday, plus a 2.43 ERA and 0.95 WHIP.

The Freddie Freeman gauntlet weekend begins. Some lineup shuffling against tough lefty Chris Sale.

Friday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Braves
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 7:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Do the Boston Celtics have the tools they need to reshape the roster into a contender this offseason? Or will building Boston back up into a bona fide title threat take longer than a single offseason? Which players do we think the Celtics plan to hang onto over the offseason? Who might be headed to a new team?

What moves are available to the Celtics in terms of team building, and which do we think they might use? After Boston's early postseason exit to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens made it clear that changes are coming – the only question is what ones.

The hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" took some time to talk with Third Apron founder and cap expert Yossi Gozlan to try to get an idea about what might be coming. Check it out below!

Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:

Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp

iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47

YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3

This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Do the Celtics have the tools to reshape the roster into a contender this offseason?

NC State defeated Texas, 4-2, on Friday night to advance to the Elite Eight. This is the Pack’s first Elite Eight appearance since 2023.

NC State entered the tournament as the No. 8 national seed, and Texas was No. 9. With the win, NC State heads to the next round to face top-seeded Georgia in Athens.

The entire Elite Eight / Final Four / Championship will be played in Athens next week. Congrats, ladies!

NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart had 31 points and 10 rebounds to help the shorthanded New York Liberty open their season with a 106-75 rout of the Connecticut Sun on Friday night.

Marine Johannes added 17 points for New York, which was missing star guard Sabrina Ionescu, who is out with a left foot injury she suffered last Sunday in a preseason game against the Sun. Rebecca Allen has a left leg injury and Satou Sabally has a cyst. Both free agent additions missed the opener as well.

New York still ran away from Connecticut early, going up 36-13 after the first quarter. Stewart had 10 points in the opening period, making all four of her shots. Julia Vanloo, who the Liberty signed as a hardship player a night before the game since they were down to seven available players, had seven points in the first quarter.

Vanloo finished with 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.

The Liberty played a touching tribute video after the first quarter for former player Kennedy Burke, who is now with the Sun. She received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd as tears streamed down her face.

Connecticut never got back in the game after the initial onslaught. It was 66-37 at the half — the Liberty’s highest-scoring first half in three years.

Diamond Miller scored 16 points to lead Connecticut and Brittney Griner added 13 in her Sun debut.

The Liberty were celebrating the league’s 30th anniversary as one of its original franchises. New York used a retro court design from the franchise’s time at Madison Square Garden. The Liberty also brought out beloved former mascot Maddie, to the delight of the crowd. Liberty Ring of Honor member Kym Hampton sang the national anthem.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Nick Kurtz hit a two-run triple in the fifth inning, and the Athletics edged the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 on Friday night.

Kyle Bradish (1-5) struck out 10 in seven innings for the Orioles, but infield defense cost them again during a three-run fifth for the A's. Pete Alonso and Adley Rutschman homered for two Baltimore runs.

Jacob Lopez (3-2) allowed two runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings. The Orioles are 0-9 in games against left-handed starters this year.

Jack Perkins allowed an RBI single to Samuel Basallo in the bottom of the ninth that brought Baltimore within a run. Hogan Harris then came on and walked Leody Taveras to move the tying run to second, but he struck out Jeremiah Jackson for the final out and his second save of the season.

Baltimore led 1-0 in the fifth when the Athletics put men on first and second with nobody out. Apparently expecting a bunt, the Orioles had a rotation play on, which meant shortstop Gunnar Henderson was out of position for what could have been a double-play grounder by Zack Gelof. Instead, the ball went through for an RBI single.

Then Jeff McNeil hit a grounder right at Henderson that could have been a double play. But he didn't field it cleanly and the Orioles managed only one out on the play. Kurtz followed with his triple that put the A's up 3-1.

Baltimore lost at Miami on Thursday night on a throwing error by third baseman Coby Mayo.

Kurtz had two hits Friday and has now reached base in 32 straight games.

Baltimore reliever Trey Gibson, who was called up before the game when the Orioles put right-hander Cade Povich (left elbow inflammation) on the injured list, allowed an RBI single by Jacob Wilson in the eighth.

Baltimore scratched infielder Blaze Alexander before the game with right calf tightness.

The Orioles have dropped six of their last eight.

Up next

Aaron Civale (3-1) starts for the A's against Baltimore's Shane Baz (1-3) on Saturday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

NEW YORK — The Connecticut Sun hoped this season would be different from its dismal record in 2025, but the team’s performance in its 2026 opener against the New York Liberty felt painfully familiar.

The Sun never had a chance after an 8-0 run by New York forced Sun coach Rachid Meziane to burn a timeout barely two minutes into the game, and the brief reset did nothing to slow the Liberty’s momentum fueled by the electric energy of a packed crowd at Barclays Center. Connecticut was down 20 points before the end of the first quarter, and New York never looked back in its 106-75 blowout win.

UConn legend Breanna Stewart defended her home court in dominant fashion, leading the Liberty with 31 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in the blowout victory. French guard Marine Johannes was equally unstoppable, knocking down five 3-pointers to finish with 17 points on top of five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Forward Diamond Miller was one of the few bright spots for the Sun, leading the team with 16 points, shooting 6-for-16 from the field. Superstar center Brittney Griner struggled to get going against the Liberty’s loaded frontcourt, finishing with 13 points and six rebounds in her Connecticut debut.

The Sun’s inexperience was at the root of its disastrous first-quarter showing, its young players visibly out of sorts against a New York roster loaded with perennial All-Stars and WNBA champions. Connecticut gave up 10 points off of five turnovers in the opening quarter, and they were a step behind the Liberty at every turn getting outscored 12-0 on fast-break opportunities.

Meziane threw his trio of rookies into the deep end against New York, running a lineup with all three players on the court for extended stretches in the first quarter. Guards Charlisse Leger-Walker and Gianna Kneepkens both experienced their ‘Welcome to the league’ moments before halftime.

Leger-Walker’s came in the first quarter when she went up for a layup that never had a chance of making it to the rim before 6-foot-6 former MVP Jonquel Jones blocked it from behind. Kneepkens struggled with the Liberty’s pace on the defensive end and wound up seated on the court after a crossover move by All-Star Betnijah Laney-Hamilton.

Kneepkens had a resilient response on the offensive end, bringing down an offensive rebound and getting the ball out to point guard Hailey Van Lith, who fed it back to her in the corner for her first official points as a WNBA player on a 3-pointer. It was the first outside shot the Sun made in the game after beginning 0-for-5.

Van Lith, picked up by the Sun barely 48 hours ago after getting waived during training camp by the Chicago Sky, had a solid showing in her first appearance. The second-year guard was the first player to hit multiple field goals when she knocked down a 3-pointer in the second quarter, and she ended with nine points shooting 4-for-7 plus four assists and a steal.

The Sun managed to keep pace with New York in the second quarter, only getting outscored by six points after trailing by 23 at the end of the first. But a brutal shooting performance kept them from making a dent in the Liberty lead, especially as they struggled to get stops on the defensive end. Connecticut hit just 38% from the field in the first half to New York’s 56%, and it was 2-for-9 from beyond the arc.

The Sun came into the third quarter with a burst of energy sparked by back-to-back buckets from Miller. Connecticut was leading New York 13-4 through the first four minutes of the quarter, but Stewart killed the momentum with a vicious block from behind as Miller went up for a fast-break layup off of a steal. Johannes then drilled a transition 3-pointer that got the home crowd fired up, though the Sun still managed to outscore the Liberty 23-21 in the third.

Meziane once again went to rookie-heavy lineups for most of the fourth with most of New York’s starters off the court. Kneepkens finished with seven points and five boards to lead the team’s first-year players.

Former UConn standout Aubrey Griffin also made her WNBA debut hours after signing a hardship contract with the Liberty on Friday morning. The Ossining, N.Y., native played five minutes and scored her first points as a professional on a driving layup in the final 30 seconds of the game.

A.J. Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci declared Friday while waiting for Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis qualifying to begin, “I love racing in the rain. It’s the purest form of driving, in my opinion. When you’re one with the car, you can go pretty quick.”

And Pato O’Ward’s demeanor turned 180 degrees after a dismal practice, from dejection to delight, when a lingering rainstorm brought chaos to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Maybe the universe is giving us an opportunity to go out there and execute,” the Arrow McLaren headliner said. “It’s been a very strange weekend, in terms of what we’ve got in performance. We’ll be ready. Yeah, man, whatever they decide to throw at us, we’ll try to make the best of it.”

Neither got their wish, as the persistent downpour, which pooled on the racing surface, forced officials to postpone qualifying to 10:45 ET Saturday morning, with the 85-lap NTT IndyCar Series Sonsio Grand Prix sticking to its scheduled 4:57 p.m. start (and will air on FOX, FOX One, and IndyCar Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

The revised schedule includes the USF 2000 Race 2 from 8-8:40 a.m. ET; USF Pro 2000 Race 1 from 8:55-9:45 a.m.; USF 2000 Race 3 from 12:30-1:10 p.m.; and USF Pro 2000 Race 2 from 1:20-2:05 p.m. The 30-lap second INDY NXT by Firestone race of the series’ doubleheader is reset for a 2:38 p.m. start.

Live coverage of qualifying starts at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS2, FOX One and IndyCar Radio. Coverage will move to FS1 at 11:30 a.m. The warmup session scheduled for 11:40 a.m. Saturday for the Sonsio Grand Prix was canceled.

Four-time series champion Alex Palou, in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, will be seeking his fourth consecutive victory in the NTT IndyCar Series’ sixth event on the 2026 calendar. He led both Friday practice sessions in dry conditions.

Enzo Fittipaldi Wins Indy NXT

Fittipaldi and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway just pair well.

And on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course Friday in the Indy NXT by Firestone event, Enzo Fittipaldi carved a piece of his own history into Indianapolis racing lore.

In the No. 67 HMD Motorsports entry, the 24-year-old dogged 2025 winner Lochie Hughes as intensely as the rain rolled in and continued to beat down. Finally he slipped past the Andretti Global racer on Turn 9 of Lap 25 with five and a half minutes remaining in the timed race. Then Fittipaldi benefitted with a caution for Lap 28 for Bryce Aron’s stopped No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing entry in Turn 6—with less than two minutes to go.

In the pouring rain and under caution, Fittipaldi crossed the iconic yard of bricks that has meant so much to his grandfather, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1989 and 1993, and to his cousin Christian Fittipaldi, a former IndyCar driver who combined with Joao Barbosa in 2014 to score a victory in the Brickyard Grand Prix sports-car race on this same winding course.

“My family has a very successful history here in Indianapolis and the Indy 500. This legendary track, to get my first race win here in Indy NXT is very special. I’m just so happy and so stoked,” Enzo Fittipldi said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do this without my whole team supporting me. They did a great job. Honestly, that was probably one of the best drives of my career.

“I just can’t thank my team enough. We had a tricky qualifying. We knew we had the pace. Just so happy with the race today. We were flying there in the dry and in the wet. We started P10 and won the race. I didn’t expect this but knew the win was coming,” he said after becoming the fourth first-time winner in five races this season (along with points leader Nikita Johnson, Max Taylor, and Alessandro de Tullio).

His pivotal pass on Hughes, who led the opening 12 laps before the rainstorm arrived, was one of a race-record 284 on-track overtakes.

Fittipaldi improved from fourth place in the standings to second, 23 points behind Johnson, of Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR, who finished in third-place.

The field was red-flagged to allow teams to switch to wet Firestone Firehawk tires and make adjustments. This IndyCar development series does not include scheduled pit stops.

NEW YORK — That’s how you start off the WNBA’s 30th season.

The Liberty, one of the league’s original franchises, kicked off the 2026 campaign with a 106-75 win over the Connecticut Sun at Barclays Center on Friday night.

The blowout victory officially began the Chris DeMarco era in Brooklyn — and it showcased everything you could ask for.

The game started with a stellar first quarter in which the home team scored 36 points, which marked the franchise’s highest-scoring first quarter since 2023, per the team.

The highly-touted new offense was on full display — albeit against a rebuilding Sun team — with guards running pick-and-rolls that led to paint touches and open looks around the perimeter.

And Betnijah Laney-Hamilton welcomed Sun rookie Gianna Kneepkens to the WNBA with a crossover that floored the first-round pick. Laney-Hamilton, of course, drained the jumper with Kneepkens picking herself up off the hardwood.

Breanna Stewart led all scores with 31 points while recording 10 rebounds, two assists and three blocks. She became the second-fastest player (293 games) to reach 6,000 points after the performance.

Each Liberty starter — except Pauline Astier — scored in double figures Friday.

The performance was so dominant that Julie Vanloo, who inked a hardship contract and arrived in New York shortly after midnight, was on triple-double watch by halftime, hours after meeting her new teammates.

She later finished with 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.

The game was essentially over after two periods with the Liberty up, 66-37.

The lone bright spots for Connecticut were jumbotron tributes for two ex-Liberty members: Kennedy Burke and head athletic trainer Terri Acosta. Burke logged four points, three rebounds and three assists in her Barclays Center return.

With the additions of Vanloo and New York native Aubrey Griffin, DeMarco had only nine players available.

He deployed a starting lineup of Astier, Marine Johannes, Jonquel Jones, Stewart and Laney-Hamilton. The combination dominated on both sides of the floor. They met not much resistance on offense with the French duo on ballhandling duties.

Johannes and Astier combined for 22 points and seven assists on the night.

The Liberty players let off the gas pedal a bit after winning the first half 66-37. They got the slight edge in the last two periods,40-38.

But, it was all cosmetic at that point.

DeMarco and his team look to go 2-0 when they face the Washington Mystics on the road Sunday.

Tim Bontemps: Final: Knicks 108, Sixers 94 A dominant performance from Jalen Brunson, who had 38 points and 9 assists, leads New York to a comfortable victory – and a commanding 3-0 lead, one win away from a second straight conference finals. Game 4 is back here Sunday afternoon.

x.com

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Jalen Brunson leads Knicks to commanding 3-0 lead on Sixers

Maxime Aubin: Asked by @RealTomPetrini if the Spurs’ youth is an asset in these playoffs after all, Mitch Johnson gave a Wemby-esque answer: “Experience used in its best form is very valuable — so is youth and athleticism. But if you flip those, and people don’t use experience to its full potential, then it becomes kind of a hollow world that may not deliver the return people expect from it”.

x.com

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “Experience used in its best form is very valuable — …

Tom Orsborn: Chris Finch on Spurs swarming Edwards so well in Game 2: "Our spacing around those traps was awful. Our decision-making coming out of it wasn't very good either. So we didn't help him, but I thought he was largely trying to make the right play out of that situation."

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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "Our spacing around those traps was awful. Our …

Arizona Sports: "I never punch down. Draymond's a good player, we're not on the same level." Charles Barkley had his shot to clap back when Draymond Green poked fun at Barkley's final NBA years in Houston but chose not to. Watch the full interview on @Bickley_Marotta : https://youtu.be/Fk2LATlb01Y

x.com

"I never punch down. Draymond's a good player, we're not on the same level."

Charles Barkley had his shot to clap back when Draymond Green poked fun at Barkley's final NBA years in Houston but chose not to.

Watch the full interview on @Bickley_Marotta: https://t.co/Hpa9Dc5nabpic.twitter.com/Aei2VSp5yh

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) May 8, 2026

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "I never punch down. Draymond's a good player, we're …

Nick DePaula: VJ Edgecombe debuts the “Tie Dye” Adidas AE 2s

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VJ Edgecombe debuts the “Tie Dye” Adidas AE 2s pic.twitter.com/DmKfF6U0q6

— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) May 9, 2026

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: VJ Edgecombe debuts the “Tie Dye” Adidas AE 2s

The Atlanta Braves are about the face the biggest test of the season as they taking on the might Los Angeles Dodgers in a road game after losing their first series of the season and getting an off day.

Chris Sale will be taking the mound. Can we talk about how crazy it is that he gave up six earned runs in 4.0 innings in a game, yet still has a pristine ERA of 2.14? He has had one poor outing and every single other one he has been one of the best pitchers on planet Earth. He will be facing Emmet Sheehan, who is not exactly performing like he did last season. Sheehan currently has an ERA of 5.23 ERA. His expected ERA (xERA) of 4.31 is better than his on-field ERA, but it does give the Braves offense some hope. It also should be noted that the Braves are second in all of MLB in balls hit 95.0 MPH or higher and hard-hit rate is Sheehan’s biggest weakness.

Let’s keep up with the game together in the comments.

Get your caffeine ready as the game starts at 10:10 EDT

Lineup

Preview

BOSTON (AP) — Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela hit solo home runs in back-to-back innings, Connelly Early struck out eight and the Boston Red Sox snapped the Tampa Bay Rays seven-game winning streak with a 2-0 victory on Friday night.

Boston had only four hits, but Tampa Bay didn’t have a base runner after the sixth inning and was shut out for the first time this season.

After tying his shortest outing of the season last week at Houston when he exited after four innings, Early (3-2) allowed four hits and walked one n seven innings, throwing a career-high 96 pitches.

Aroldis Chapman struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth and remained perfect in eight save chances.

Nick Fortes had two oits.

Rays starter Jesse Scholtens (3-2) was pulled after 4 2/3 innings, having allowed only the two home runs, while walking four and striking out four.

Boston was hitless until the third inning with Abreu connected on Scholtens’ 86 mph slider and drove it into the right field seats above the Rays’ bullpen for his sixth homer this season.

An inning later, Rafaela jumped on Scholtens’ first pitch slider and hit a 379-foot line drive that ricocheted off the seats atop the Green Monster for his third home run this season.

Boston had been homerless in its previous two games.

Red Sox greats Carl Yastrzemski, Wade Boggs, Carlton Fisk, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz and Jim Rice were on hand to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the club’s first home game, a 12-4 victory on May 8, 1901.

Up next

Tampa Bay RHP Nick Martinez (3-1, 1.71 ERA) and Red Sox LHP Payton Tolle (1-1, 2.04) start Saturday in the third game of the four-game series.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The Sixers got Joel Embiid back in the lineup and watched as their team fell short anyway, losing 108-94 to New York to fall to 0-3 in their second-round series. Philadelphia’s season is on the line on Sunday, when they’ll have to score a Mother’s Day win to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Knicks.

Here’s what I saw.

It starts on the boards…

Philadelphia’s round one matchup against Boston allowed the Sixers to put Joel Embiid on the floor with very little downside. For one, he looked better physically than he does right now, and the Celtics were a lot worse at trying to pick on him in drop coverage. Unfortunately, the Knicks have had a much different approach and have done a far better job of punishing his lack of mobility on the glass, and many of Philly’s problems in Game 3 flowed out of there.

Anyone who watched the 2024 Sixers-Knicks series has seen this play out before, and even with some different faces on both sides of the matchup, the story remains the same. New York already had four offensive rebounds after the first quarter, helping to keep the game close, and things only got worse in the second quarter, as the Knicks fans in attendance unleashed a barrage of cheers watching their guys work the Sixers on the glass. A great Philadelphia start was washed away

Early on, a good chunk of the rebounding problem came down to a lack of mobility for Embiid, which the Knicks were ready to test early and often. Credit to Mike Brown and the Knicks for their ruthlessness — Philadelphia’s initial defensive plan was to use Embiid as a roamer off of Josh Hart in the corner, and it didn’t take long for the Knicks to either bring Hart up on screens for Brunson or use him in other actions to move Embiid around. When he wasn’t directly involved in the possession on defense, Embiid also didn’t navigate traffic all that well. He wasn’t hitting bodies on their way to the basket, allowing plenty of free runs at the hoop to bail the Knicks out of some poor early offense.

Although the Knicks’ assault on the boards got going thanks to the big man, it certainly wasn’t all his fault. New York felt emboldened by their start and began attacking the Sixers in waves in the second quarter, wiping out good defensive possessions for Philly by going over, around, or even through Sixers players to rip second chances away and extend possessions. Philadelphia’s help principles always loom large in their worst rebounding moments, and they often can’t figure out whether to attack the ball or box out a man, so even when guys like Kelly Oubre and Quentin Grimes have their hearts in the right place, they end up operating on two different wavelengths and undermining each other’s efforts.

Not good enough, not deep enough

Compared to Embiid, there are fewer excuses for Tyrese Maxey’s own sleepy start on Friday night, which came on the heels of a brutal finish in Game 2 in a series that appears to be headed nowhere fast for No. 0. His carelessness with the ball has been downright shocking, with Maxey throwing away possessions under very little pressure after a season of elite ball security. Although he was hyper-efficient to start this game, 4/5 from the field at the half, he didn’t get to the free-throw line once and struggled to get free to impact the game as a scorer, failing to even attempt a three in the first 24 minutes. His injured right hand is bothering him, and it is helping to derail Philadelphia’s offense.

When Maxey and Embiid were on the floor together in the first half, the Sixers tried to run a fair amount of DHOs with the intent to hit Maxey on cuts toward the basket. But they were unable to connect on more than a couple because Maxey wasn’t able to break free from whoever was chasing him. Mikal Bridges has been the main man on Maxey for a lot of this series, and he has done a tremendous job of making him work when he has had Maxey in single coverage. If only the Sixers hadn’t traded him away all those years ago…

To the credit of their main duo, Maxey and Embiid found some solutions in the second half. New York switched how they were defending ball screens against two-man actions involving Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, often vacating the middle to play up on the guard and force the ball out of his hands, apparently convinced Embiid could not hurt them. With Maxey hitting the pocket pass, Embiid was able to start rolling a little bit on offense, catching the ball deeper and bulldozing through the Knicks for tough buckets and important free throws. When he pulled down his own miss and scored over Mitchell Robinson late in the third, it inspired one of the loudest roars of the night from the home fans, with Philadelphia sensing that perhaps this game could be stolen back. We should be long past the point where anyone should question Embiid’s toughness or desire to play. However good he was or was not, I can certainly sympathize with the big man trying once again to gut it out for his guys. But they need a healthier, more complete version of him to have any reasonable chance in this series, and he looks nowhere close.

On top of that, we are far too deep in the season to excuse a lack of shot attempts for Maxey as a problem created by everyone else. If the Knicks are going to double him and flood the zone, the Sixers need to use him as an off-ball weapon. If half-court offense is a struggle, have him pull some deep jumpers on the break early in the clock, if only to make the Knicks think about it. His volume from deep has been nowhere close to his regular-season numbers, and their offense is not good enough or sophisticated enough to survive if that remains the case.

Onto the other member of their big three — one of the only silver linings of a first half that completely spiraled out of control is that Paul George was cooking early. He was tied for the team lead in points with 15 after two quarters, putting on another shotmaking clinic without OG Anunoby to bother him in the mid-post. George has hit some shots during this brief playoff run that are frankly hard to believe, twirling fadeaways from the corners with a hand in his face that defy belief if you’ve watched most wings who have played for this franchise over the last quarter of a century, if not longer. But he completely faded from view as the game wore on. George was held scoreless for the entire second half, and the bulk of his responsibility as the game wore on was on the defensive end.

I think there are a couple of different ways to look at this series. The reality is that the Sixers have just gotten absolutely nothing from most of the rotation, while the Knicks are bringing the likes of Landry Shamet off the bench and immediately getting buckets. New York is a better and deeper team, and that’s after they lost OG Anunoby to a hamstring injury. Look down the bench, and who can you count on for Philly? Quentin Grimes has been a total disaster on offense, seemingly making the wrong choice between jumpshots and drives every time he has a chance to do either. I don’t really blame Andre Drummond for failing to succeed against either KAT or Mitchell Robinson, both of whom are better than he is, but when he isn’t contributing as a rebounder, he doesn’t have much of a purpose out there. Even Dominick Barlow, who had a strong Game 2 in small-ball minutes at the five, did little to impact the game during his limited minutes on Friday night.

Philadelphia didn’t get their first bench points until the fourth quarter, which is a crazy thing to have happen even for a thin team. Whatever you think of Jared McCain, who is doing just fine playing a bench scoring role for the defending champions, the real crime of Philadelphia’s deadline was trading away potential help and bringing nothing back that could help them right now. It’s an approach that is incoherent with doubling down on Joel Embiid with an extension and signing Paul George as your third option. If you’re not willing to push chips in to win now, what was the point of assembling a top-heavy team of stars in the first place?

But the other side of it is that their stars have gotten straight up outplayed by New York’s best players in this series. Jalen Brunson has been streets ahead of Tyrese Maxey, bringing back memories of his hellacious close to the 2024 series. Even while battling constant foul trouble, Towns has at least played Embiid to a standstill. And after Anunoby exited for at least a game, Mikal Bridges managed to meet the moment and score 20+ in Game 3, surpassing what George had to offer in his third option role for Philadelphia. Sure, you can point to missed shots from role players as help swarms toward the middle of the floor, but it’s hard to pin the way this series has gone on someone like VJ Edgecombe, who is chasing Brunson for 94 feet and trying to give them a chance on the other end.

They’re getting beaten as a team by a better team. That’s the story through three games. That is much tougher to swallow than the previous Knicks series, where at least they could point to officiating shenanigans as the cause of their plight.

Other notes

— To no one’s surprise, there were a ton of Knicks fans in the building for Game 3 despite any efforts to prevent them from buying tickets. But the bigger story was how late-arriving the crowd was across the board, with hordes of seats empty all around the building on both levels. I assume this is due to a combination of traffic and parking issues, but it was regular-season full for at least the first 8 minutes of the game.

Tennessee (33-17, 12-13 SEC) defeated No. 4 Texas (36-11, 15-9 SEC), 5-1, Friday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Tennessee led, 1-0, after the first inning as Trent Grindlinger hit a RBI single, scoring Blake Grimmer.

The Vols would extend their advantage to, 3-0, in the second inning after Manny Marin doubled. The Longhorns committed an error on the play, allowing Levi Clark to score. Marin later scored on a wild pitch.

Tennessee added two runs in the seventh inning after Grimmer hit a two-run single.

Grimmer went 2-for-4. He recorded two RBIs and scored one run, while Grindlinger went 1-for-4 and recorded one RBI.

Texas scored in the eighth inning on a solo home run by Aiden Robbins off Tennessee reliever Brandon Arvidson.

Tegan Kuhns (4-4) started for the Vols. He pitched seven innings and allowed four hits and one walk. Kuhns recorded 15 strikeouts, while totaling 113 pitches, including 82 strikes.

Arvidson pitched two innings. He allowed one run and three hits. Arvidson totaled 41 pitches, including 30 strikes.

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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Vols win series opener against Texas baseball

NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart had 31 points and 10 rebounds to help the short-handed New York Liberty open their season with a 106-75 rout of the Connecticut Sun on Friday night.

Marine Johannes added 17 points for New York, which was missing star guard Sabrina Ionescu, who is out with a left foot injury she suffered last Sunday in a preseason game against the Sun. Rebecca Allen has a left leg injury and Satou Sabally has a cyst. Both free-agent additions missed the opener as well.

New York still ran away from Connecticut early, going up 36-13 after the first quarter. Stewart had 10 points in the opening period, making all four of her shots. Julie Vanloo, who the Liberty signed as a hardship player a night before the game since they were down to seven available players, had seven points in the first quarter.

Vanloo finished with 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.

The Liberty played a touching tribute video after the first quarter for former player Kennedy Burke, who is now with the Sun. She received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd as tears streamed down her face.

Connecticut never got back in the game after the initial onslaught. It was 66-37 at the half — the Liberty’s highest-scoring first half in three years.

Diamond Miller scored 16 points to lead Connecticut and Brittney Griner added 13 in her Sun debut.

The Liberty were celebrating the league's 30th anniversary as one of its original franchises. New York used a retro court design from the franchise's time at Madison Square Garden. The Liberty also brought out beloved former mascot Maddie, to the delight of the crowd. Liberty Ring of Honor member Kym Hampton sang the national anthem.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

The Knicks took the 76ers' best shot early and turned a tight game into another comfortable victory in their 108-94 win over the Sixers in Game 3 on Friday night.

Here are the takeaways...

- The Sixers got off to a fast start, as Karl-Anthony Towns tipped the opening tip toward his own basket, where Kelly Oubre was waiting and he made an easy layup and turned it into a 9-0 run. The Knicks had a hard time getting decent looks on offense, and their defensive intensity was lacking, but New York would fight back, causing turnovers and turning them into baskets. However, back-to-back alley-oops from Tyrese Maxey to VJ Edgecombe forced coach Mike Brown to call his first timeout with Philly up 15-8.

The Sixers were noticeably more intense on both ends of the floor, and that helped them end the first with a 31-27 lead. It could have gotten away from the Knicks, but four offensive rebounds helped them cut into the deficit. Both teams shot around 50 percent, but the story of the first frame was the refs. Both teams were not happy with the foul and no-calls. The Knicks were called for six fouls in the first (Towns picking up two) while the Sixers had four. Joel Embiid, who missed Game 2, was back for this one and while he only scored four points, his presence was felt on the glass and spacing the floor.

Paul George was on fire in the opening frame, scoring 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting (3-for-4 from three). He torched the Knicks for 11 points in the first quarter of Game 2. 

- Despite having two fouls, Towns was on the floor to start the second, along with Josh Hart, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado. This lineup gave the Knicks their first lead of the night on the back of Shamet's scoring and better defense from the team. However, after Alvarado's three put the Knicks up for the first time, Towns and Embiid stumbled to the floor and the Philly big man was called for the foul. Sixers coach Nick Nurse challenged and it was overturned to give Towns his third foul with eight minutes to go in the half. 

With Towns on the bench with foul trouble, the Knicks picked up their big man by going on a run themselves, thanks to their patented defense-to-offense approach. They finally started getting to the line -- didn't have a free-throw attempt in the first -- and Mikal Bridges was especially huge, scoring six points and guarding his tail off -- he kept George scoreless in the second once Bridges took on that assignment. With 3:37 to go, the Knicks flipped their 12-point deficit to a 12-point lead. 

The final few minutes saw the teams go basket for basket with Oubre making a corner three as time expired. The Knicks entered halftime up 60-52. Bridges and Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 15 points apiece. However, the Knicks outrebounded Philly, 25-16, and the New York bench outscored the Sixers' 16-0. 

- The Knicks continued to outwork the Sixers, especially on the boards. But the Knicks missed five straight shots, allowing the Sixers to cut the deficit to just five points. Towns also picked up his fourth foul with six minutes remaining in the third. With Towns on the bench, the Sixers pushed the pace and were seemingly more energetic, as they gradually cut the Knicks' lead to three with three minutes to go. Philly resorted to the hack-a-Mitch strategy, but the Knicks big man made 3-of-4. In the final two minutes, the Sixers couldn't buy a basket as the Knicks got out to a 7-0 run to end the frame, capped by Shamet's three. New York took an 85-76 lead into the final frame. 

- The fourth quarter lineup was the same as the one that started the second. But unlike that quarter, the combination couldn't get going offensively, forcing Brunson and the other starters back in. And that's when the Knicks started to pull away, building a 16-point lead -- the largest of the night to this point -- with 3:46 to go. The defense and ball movement were just too much for Philly and the Sixers offense was disjointed. Nurse waved the white flag with a couple of minutes to go with the Knicks taking a commanding 3-0 lead.

- Brunson had a game-high 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting. He now has the most 30-plus playoff games in Knicks history. Bridges had 23 points on 8 of 14 shooting.

Oubre had a team-high 22 points for Philly with Embiid going for 18 and Maxey just 17. Philadelphia shot 43 percent.

- With OG Anunoby out with a hamstring strain, Miles McBride was inserted into the starting lineup. The guard scored just three points on 1 of 6 shooting and was a minus-4 on the floor.

Game MVP: Mikal Bridges

Bridges complemented Brunson on the offensive end, and his defense on George and Maxey was superb.

Highlights

Mikal Bridges from the corner! pic.twitter.com/Y7AtbIIfEu

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 8, 2026

Big minutes from Landry Shamet to end the first ♨️ pic.twitter.com/Qi7uTdMlA7

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 8, 2026

Jordan Clarkson hits the floater over Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/Ra1Sx6X4s3

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 8, 2026

MITCHELL ROBINSON POSTERIZES JOEL EMBIID! pic.twitter.com/79t3zw16ya

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 8, 2026

What's next

The Knicks and 76ers face off for Game 4 on Sunday in Philadelphia. Tip is set for 3:30 p.m.

The New York Knicks took an insurmountable 3-0 series lead in their NBA playoff matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, winning 108-94.

Jalen Brunson scored 33 points and dished out nine assists. Mikal Bridges added 23 points with Josh Hart notching 12 to give the “Nova Knicks” 68 combined points in Philadelphia. The Knicks’ bench also outscored the Sixers’ reserves 28-11, led by 15 from Landry Shamet.

New York played without OG Anunoby, who was sidelined with a right hamstring strain sustained in Game 3.

Despite pleas from Joel Embiid and the best efforts of the 76ers’ ticket office, plenty of Knicks fans — including celebrity supporters Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, Timothee Chalamet, Ben Stiller and Fat Joe — populated Xfinity Mobile Arena and provided loud support for the road team. Once again, the Sixers’ home court sounded like Madison Square Garden East.

Embiid returned to the Sixers’ lineup after missing Wednesday’s Game 2 loss. He tussled early on with Karl-Anthony Towns in the post, though the Knicks center pulled Embiid toward the perimeter to create lanes to the basket and offensive-rebound opportunities. Sixers coach Nick Nurse adjusted by putting Dominick Barlow on Towns, allowing Embiid to roam near the basket for rim protection and rebounding.

But Towns still grappled with Embiid while playing defense and the two fell to the floor at least two times while fighting for position. That got Towns into foul trouble, putting him on the bench with three personal fouls as eight minutes remained before halftime.

Knicks took control in second quarter

The 8:20 mark of the second quarter is also when the Knicks took their first lead of the game on a 3-pointer from Jose Alvarado putting them ahead, 38-35. That was part of an 11-3 run that included a ferocious poster dunk by Mitchell Robinson over Embiid on a lob from Brunson. Eventually, the Knicks outscored the Sixers 26-7 to take a 54-42 lead.

Paul George got off to a scorching start, shooting 6-for-9 in the first quarter and hitting 3-of-4 3-pointers for 15 points. Yet he went scoreless in the second quarter as the Knicks surged ahead. And he showed zero defensive effort after his bad pass was picked off by Bridges for a fast-break layup.

George went scoreless in the second half, missing his last nine shots. Kelly Oubre Jr. led the 76ers with 22 points and eight rebounds, followed by 18 points, six boards and five assists from Embiid. Tyrese Maxey finished with 17 points.

The Knicks got a surprising spark off the bench late in the first quarter and midway through the second with nine points from Shamet, who hit four of his first five shots. That led to New York’s bench outscoring Philadelphia’s 16-0 in the second quarter.

Kelly Oubre Jr. hit a Kawhi Leonard-like 3-pointer from the wing as time expired to cut the Knicks’ halftime lead to 60-52. But despite the score, New York seized control on the court and in the crowd, not letting go on either front.

Philadelphia cut the Knicks’ lead to 78-76 with 2:28 in the third quarter, helped in part by frequently fouling Robinson and hoping he would miss free throws. However, the reserve center somewhat negated that strategy by swishing four of his eight attempts. New York built its lead back up to six points at the free-throw line before Shamet knocked down a 3 to give the Knicks a nine-point advantage heading into the final 12 minutes.

Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday with tip-off at 3:30 p.m. ET. An NBA team has never recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, going 0-159. Only four teams have even forced a Game 7, and they also lost the series.

Well, it wasn’t exactly the offensive explosion we’ve been waiting for but they got the win. Dylan Cease was phenomenal, taking the Angels lineup apart for seven innings without ever really getting into trouble. They needed to stop the losing streak, and they did enough tonight to do that.

Dylan Cease was exceptional tonight. He made it through three innings before allowing a base runner, picking up five K’s and three soft pop outs his first time through the order. Zach Neto lined a single to lead off the fourth, and Mike Trout crushed a grounder up the third base line that could have been a problem had Kazuma Okamoto not made a great grab to turn it into a double play ball. He gave up a single each in the fifth and sixth, but neither scored and he also racked up his sixth through eighth punch outs.

He got the first two batters in the seventh, but Jo Adell lofted a fly ball over Daulton Varsho’s head in centre that bounced over the fence for a ground rule double to give the Angels their first runner in scoring position of the night. Cease responded with his tenth strikeout. That would be the end of his night. He went seven shutout innings, scattering five hits. Importantly for him, he didn’t walk a batter and took only 97 pitches to get as deep as he did. This is the kind of outing the Jays hoped to see a dozen of a year when they paid him.

The offence was happy to wait out a wild Angels pitching staff, but when they did swing they didn’t generate a lot of hits. Reid Detmers battled his command all night, but it took the Jays offence a while to capitalize. Vladimir Guerrero jr. and Kazuma Okamoto worked back to back two out walks in the first but were stranded. In the second, Davis Schneider also walked and then stole second. He moved to third on a ground out but again was left on. Finally, in the third, they brought a couple home. George Springer lead off with a ground ball single up the middle. One batter later, Vlad won a challenge to earn his second walk of the evening. Okamoto singled up the middle himself to bring Springer around to score. Following a Varsho walk, Ernie Clement hit a sac fly that was just deep enough to get Vlad home, putting the Jays up 2-0.

Detmers’ pitch count was getting out of hand at that point. He returned to face the first four batters in the bottom of the fourth, getting two outs but walking Brandon Valenzuela and allowing Springer to reach on catcher’s interference. At that point, Kurt Suzuki called for Jose Fermin to face Vlad. Vlad hit one on a line but not that hard and right to Neto at short to end the inning. Fermin returned and struck out the first two Jays in the bottom of five. Clement hit a deep fly ball to the track in centre, but Trout was there to make the catch.

Brent Suter got two strikeouts in a clean sixth. In the seventh, after Kirby Yates got the first out pinch hitter Yohendrick Pinango lined a single into left field. A Yates balk advanced him to second. Vlad hit a one hopper that looked like it passed a few inches outside the third base bag, but it was called fair and Vlad was thrown out at third without running. Okamoto lined out to prevent them from adding the insurance run.

That looked like it might cost them in the top of the eighth. Jeff Hoffman gave up a lead off double to Vaughn Grissom, who advanced on a ground out. Hoffman pulled it together to get a pop out and a Trout K to escape.

Old friend Alek Manoah got the eighth for the Angels. In his first MLB appearance in almost two years, he got two pop ups and a strikeout to hold the margin at two.

Louis Varland picked up the save without much drama in the ninth.

Jays of the Day: Cease (0.40), Okamoto (0.10),

Less So: Nobody!

It’s a 3:07pm ET start tomorrow. Jack Kochanowicz (2-1, 3.05) will take the mount for the angels. For the Jays, Trey Yesavage (1-1, 0.96) will make his third start of the season.

That’s how you start off the WNBA’s 30th season.

The Liberty, one of the league’s original franchises, kicked off the 2026 campaign with a 106-75 win over the Connecticut Sun at Barclays Center on Friday night.

The blowout victory officially began the Chris DeMarco era in Brooklyn — and it showcased everything you could ask for.

The game started with a historic first quarter in which the home team scored 36 points, which marked the franchise’s highest-scoring first quarter since 2023, per the team.

The highly-touted new offense was on full display — albeit against a rebuilding Sun team — with guards running pick-and-rolls that led to paint touches and open looks around the perimeter.

And Betnijah Laney-Hamilton welcomed Sun rookie Gianna Kneepkens to the WNBA with a crossover that floored the first-round pick. Laney-Hamilton, of course, drained the jumper with Kneepkens picking herself up off the hardwood.

Breanna Stewart led all scores with 31 points while recording 10 rebounds, two assists and three blocks. She became the second-fastest player (293 games) to reach 6,000 points after the performance.

Each Liberty starter — except Pauline Astier — scored in double figures Friday.

The performance was so dominant that Julie Vanloo, who inked a hardship contract and arrived in New York shortly after midnight, was on triple-double watch by halftime hours after meeting her new teammates.

She later finished with 12 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.

The game was over after two periods with the Liberty up, 66-37.

The lone bright spots for Connecticut were jumbotron tributes for two ex-Liberty members: Kennedy Burke and head athletic trainer Terri Acosta. Burked logged four points, three rebounds and three assists in her Barclays Center return.

With the additions of Vanloo and New York native Aubrey Griffin, DeMarco had only nine players available.

He deployed a starting lineup of Astier, Marine Johannes, Jonquel Jones, Stewart and Laney-Hamilton. The combination dominated on both sides of the floor. They met not much resistance on offense with the French duo on ballhandling duties.

Johannes and Astier combined for 22 points and  seven assists on the night.

The Liberty players let off the gas pedal a bit after winning the first half 66-37. They got the slight edge in the last two periods,40-38.

But, it was all cosmetic at that point.

DeMarco and his team look to go 2-0 when they face the Washington Mystics on the road Sunday.

CHICAGO — Tony Medlin first mentioned it to new Chicago Bears center Logan Jones.

Medlin, the team’s director of equipment, is one of the first people who players meet in the locker room when the team acquires them. Medlin has been with the Bears since 1987 and he has been the head equipment manager since 1997.

When they started talking about jersey numbers, Medlin mentioned No. 54 as a potential option for Jones, the team’s second-round draft pick last month.

“I came in and Tony, the equipment guy, he was kind of joking about it with me and whatnot,” Jones said. “He’s been here such a long time. He’s like, ‘I think it would be really cool.’ ”

That number, of course, belonged to Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher from 2000-12. Nobody has worn No. 54 for the Bears since Urlacher retired after the 2012 season.

Jones is about to change that. The 57th selection in the draft, Jones is excited to carry on Urlacher’s legacy.

“To be able to do that, and to be able to honor his number and who he is — when you think of the Chicago Bears, that’s kind of who you think of,” Jones said. “To see that number out in practice and stuff, it just lets everybody think, ‘Oh, that’s Brian Urlacher’s number.’ ”

Urlacher’s No. 54 jersey remains one of the most popular jerseys in the stands for home games at Soldier Field. The five-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker became a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2018, but his jersey number is not retired.

The Bears already have a league-record 14 numbers retired. The franchise hasn’t retired a number since Mike Ditka’s No. 89 during a halftime ceremony in 2013.

At the time, team Chairman George McCaskey said the Bears intended for Ditka’s number to be the team’s final jersey retirement.

With 14 numbers prohibited for current players, the Bears already struggle to find enough numbers when training camp begins with a 90-man roster. A few players each year have to share a number during camp. It’s less of a problem during the regular season, but 14 retired numbers still limits the options quite a bit.

So Urlacher’s 54 remains available, although nobody has worn it since his final season. The Bears did communicate with Urlacher before offering No. 54 as an option for Jones. Urlacher was on board with the rookie center using his old number. Jones and Urlacher have not met, but Jones said he hopes to meet him one day.

“It’s kind of supporting his memory and letting everybody see the legacy he left,” Jones said Friday during rookie minicamp. “So to be able to wear that number is really cool, and hopefully I get the chance to meet him one day too.”

Jones will be certain to see plenty of No. 54 jerseys in the stands when he plays his first game at Soldier Field later this year.

The Bears hope Jones can be a fixture of their offensive line for years to come. The franchise has been trying to find a consistent presence at the center position since longtime center Olin Kreutz last played for the team in 2010.

The Bears thought they had an answer when they signed veteran free agent Drew Dalman last year. But Dalman, a Pro Bowl selection in 2025, elected to step away from football and retire with two years remaining on his contract.

Thus, the Bears found themselves looking for a new center yet again. In a two-pronged approach, the team traded for veteran Garrett Bradbury in March and drafted Jones a month later.

The plan is for Bradbury to begin as the starter, but the expectation is that the job eventually will belong to Jones. It’s just a matter of when. The center position has a lot of responsibilities in coach Ben Johnson’s offense, and learning all of the protections will be a challenge for a rookie center.

On top of that, he’ll need to build a rapport with quarterback Caleb Williams, to whom he will be snapping the football.

“Time will tell,” Johnson said when asked when Jones will be ready. “The ball is in his court as far as I’m concerned. He understands that, just like with everyone else, we’re looking to create competition and consistency day after day and building trust, not only with Caleb and the other quarterbacks, but within that offensive line room and then obviously with the coaching staff. It’s just a matter of time to build trust.”

Added Jones: “It’s very challenging. You’ve got to go out and earn everything.”

If all goes to plan, Jones will be snapping to Williams for many years — and Jones will be doing it in the iconic No. 54 jersey.

The Los Angeles Lakers are now in trouble in their Western Conference semifinal series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They lost the first two games, and they have a number of issues to clean up on both ends of the floor as the series moves to Crypto.com Arena for Game 3 on Saturday.

They were without forward Jarred Vanderbilt during their 125-107 Game 2 loss on Thursday after he dislocated a finger in Game 1. The good news is that after he was listed as doubtful for Game 2, he is mentioned as questionable in the injury report for Game 3. Luka Doncic remains out with his hamstring strain.

Lakers injury report for Game 3: pic.twitter.com/a6AjTKkZPT

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 9, 2026

For Oklahoma City, forward Jalen Williams (hamstring strain) and big man Thomas Sorber (torn ACL) remain out of action.

Los Angeles could use Vanderbilt's defensive energy and versatility, as well as his willingness and ability to pound the boards. The team gave up 17 second-chance points and allowed the Thunder to shoot 55.6% from the field in Game 2, and that, along with L.A.'s continuing turnover problems (21 in Game 2), must change right away.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers release injury report for Game 3 versus Thunder

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers needed a win in the worst way on Friday as their Round 2 series with the New York Knicks shifted to the Xfinity Mobile Arena for Game 3. The Sixers were faced with the possibility of being down 0-3--a deficit no team in NBA history has ever rallied from to win a series--and needed to get on the board after a tough two games in New York.

The Sixers built an early 12-point advantage as the Philadelphia crowd got into it early, but the Knicks stayed calm and they rallied to take a 12-point lead of their own in the first half. New York then controlled the game the rest of the way and earned a 108-94 win in Game 3 to push the Sixers to the brink of elimination. Jalen Brunson had 33 points, nine assists, and five rebounds and Mikal Bridges added 23 for the Knicks.

The Sixers were led by Kelly Oubre Jr. with 22 points and eight rebounds, Joel Embiid had 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and Tyrese Maxey had 17 points and seven assists. Paul George had 15 points and five rebounds while VJ Edgecombe added 11 and seven rebounds.

Here are the player grades following the loss:

Tyrese Maxey: B-plus

Once again, the Knicks had no answer for Maxey when he decided to put his head down and attack the basket. There is so much that he can do just by using his speed and quickness while being able to finish at the basket over tough defense. He was in a groove on that end of the floor, but the Knicks did everything they could to take the ball out of his hands and force others to beat them. It allowed Maxey to come up with some assists, but he was efficient with his offense when he did look for his own offense. He could have hunted his shot a bit more, but the Knicks deserve credit for forcing him to give the ball up.

VJ Edgecombe: B-minus

When Edgecombe was able to get out in transition, it was a big advantage for him. He is so fast and is able to outrun opponents, which allowed him to get two highlight alley-oop slams for some offense early. He was also tough on the defensive end as he made life tougher for Brunson than in the previous two games to begin this series. He was helpful on the glass and made plays with his passing in this one as he found ways to be impactful.

Paul George: C

The 9-time All-Star continues to shoot the ball well. The Knicks sent a lot of attention toward George and he was still knocking down shots at a high rate. He was drilling step back 3s in the early going as he found a rhythm early to get the scoreboard moving for Philadelphia. After the fast start, it was a struggle for sure, but he was helpful on the defensive end as he set the tone a lot for the Sixers on that end of the floor.

Kelly Oubre Jr.: B-plus

Off the opening tip, Oubre got himself an easy layup and then got to the line for some early offense. However, there were some struggles after that. He missed an opportunity in the paint with Brunson on him and then had his shot rejected by Mitchell Robinson at the rim before challenging Robinson again on a miss. To his credit, he battled on the defensive end and continued to get to the foul line to contribute on offense. The free throws then seemed to get him going as he found a real rhythm on the offensive end. He was moving well without the ball and was able to knock down some much-needed 3s. The Knicks clearly were trying to make Oubre beat them and he made some big shots for Philadelphia.

Joel Embiid: B-minus

It was a tough start for Embiid in this one on the offensive end. He missed some bunnies that he normally makes, but he was able to make up for it by making plays with his passing and getting his teammates involved to get the offense into rhythm. He also played some lockdown defense on Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns at the start. As the game wore on, he just looked like he wasn’t moving well as the Knicks found success at the basket with him in the game. He was terrific as a passer, and had some moments both on offense and defense, but overall, not the greatest game for the big fella.

Quentin Grimes: C

It was a tough start for Grimes as he missed two opportunities—including, an open 3—and he had some defensive miscues. He gave a lot of energy, but the Sixers needed more offense from him in this one. He provided it in the fourth when he hit two huge triples to give Philadelphia its first bench points of the night.

Dominick Barlow: C-minus

After some positive signs in Game 2, the Sixers turned to Barlow early. He gave Philadelphia some energy, but he picked up two quick fouls in four minutes. He got himself a dunk in transition in the second half to help the Sixers get back into this one.

Andre Drummond: C

The initial stint for Drummond was solid. He provided a physical presence in the paint against Towns and Robinson, which was a big help, and was in the right spots defensively. As far as his offense goes, he airballed a corner 3-pointer opportunity as the Knicks made their run. He didn’t play in the second half despite being a plus-3 in his four minutes.

Adem Bona: F

The Sixers turned to Bona and those minutes were tough. The Knicks outscored Philadelphia by eight points in those two minutes and the Sixers had to take him out to insert Embiid back in the game.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Player grades: Sixers fall short to Knicks in Game 3, face elimination

It’s the start of a three-game series between the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hopefully it goes better than the last few series have gone.

For the Giants, lefty Robbie Ray will make his eighth start of the year. The two-time All-Star is 2-4 on the season, with a 2.95 ERA, a 4.47 FIP, and 40 strikeouts to 14 walks in 39.2 innings. He gave up three runs in 6.1 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays his last time out.

On the other side is right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski, a 27-year old in his fourth season. In seven games (six starts), Mlodzinski is 2-2 with a 4.76 ERA, a 2.49 FIP, and 40 strikeouts to 13 walks in 34 innings. After starting the season strong, he’s allowed five runs in each of his last three games.

Enjoy the game, everyone! Go Giants!

Lineups

Giants

1. Jung Hoo Lee — RF
2. Luis Arráez — 2B
3. Casey Schmitt — DH
4. Rafael Devers — 1B
5. Matt Chapman — 3B
6. Willy Adames — SS
7. Heliot Ramos — LF
8. Drew Gilbert — CF
9. Jesús Rodríguez — C

LHP. Robbie Ray

Pirates

1. Jared Triolo — 3B
2. Nick Gonzales — 2B
3. Bryan Reynolds — LF
4. Marcell Ozuna — DH
5. Oneil Cruz — CF
6. Konnor Griffin — SS
7. Joey Bart — C
8. Nick Yorke — 1B
9. Billy Cook — RF

RHP. Carmen Mlodzinski

Game #38

Who: San Francisco Giants (14-23) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (21-17)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 7:15 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area and KNTV

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

A local youth baseball organization is asking for help after they say someone broke into their concession stand.

The West Mayfield Youth Baseball league said someone broke into the concession stand between 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday afternoon.

Organizers said the door was heavily damaged and will need to be replaced.

The cash box was stolen from the inside.

“This unfortunate situation will cost our nonprofit organization both time and money - resources that our volunteers work incredibly hard to raise for the kids in our community,” the organization said.

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to reach out.

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Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has a knack for speaking his mind, whether warranted or not.

Barkley on Friday continued his back-and-forth with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, which initially began during Green's May 6 appearance on "Inside the NBA" on ESPN.

Barkley had expressed his opinion on the Warriors, saying their dynasty run is over and that Green and Stephen Curry should consider leaving if their career goals are to win more NBA championships.

"It’s over for the Warriors,” Barkley said on May 6. “No disrespect. It is for every old team. You have your run, you get old … it just passed you by. Y’all had one of the greatest runs ever.”

Green's response: "I think the goal is to not look like you in the Houston Rockets uniform. That is ultimately the goal."

Barkley was later backed by the guys he's been on the show with for three decades. Later in the show, they discussed how James Harden had more turnovers than field goals against the Detroit Pistons.

Green defended Harden, only for it to be a setup as producers had a stat that blew even Green's mind. Green has had 43 playoff games where he's finished with more turnovers than field goals made, tied with Kendrick Perkins for the most since 2003.

The "feud" continued on Friday, with Barkley going on a spree of radio interviews. Here's what he had to say in response to Green, doubling down on his stance:

Charles Barkley responds to Draymond Green jab

Barkley stood on what he said about the Warriors and Green. He went on a couple radio shows on Friday, May 8 to reiterate his stance.

During an appearance on the "Bickley & Marotta Morning Show" on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, he praised Green but said the two of them aren't on the same level.

"Hey man, I never punch down," Barkley said. "Draymond's a good player. We're not on the same level. I can hear, but I don't have to respond every time somebody says something about me. Draymond's a really good player, he's had a hell of a career, but we're not on the same level."

Barkley also went on "The Dan Patrick Show," where he continued to elaborate about Green's attempts to take personal shots at the Hall of Famer.

"He took a shot at me but I don’t get offended because ― I’ve said things about guys, they took personal shots at me,” Barkley said. “You know, it’s so funny, last time you had me on the show, I told you I regretted those Rocket years, especially the last two where I sucked as a player. But I wasn’t turning down no free money, I had two years left on my contract."

Turning the attention back to the Warriors, Barkley lamented how their run seems over, as he did to Green.

"He made it personal," Barkley said. "The Warriors haven’t been relevant for three or four years. They been in the play-in. When you’re in the play-in, you’re not in the playoffs."

He continued: "The play-in is something they just made up to add more games to put on a different network. The Warriors have been in the play-in I think four straight years. So they (have) been irrelevant. And I know he don’t want to say it. ... It's over for Golden State, they had a great run. He took a personal shot at me, but I'm not sensitive. But it's been over in Golden State. If Golden State was relevant, he wouldn’t be in the studio with me."

Charles Barkley's Houston Rockets stats

Here's the thing that many don't realize. Barkley was traded to Houston at 33 and played there for four seasons, from 1996 to 2000, retiring at 36. In those four seasons, he averaged 16.5 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals in 152 games.

Barkley was named to the All-Star Game in 1997, but didn't play due to injury. Barkley joined a team with Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon; playing with those Hall of Famers, he averaged under 20 points per game for the first time since his rookie season in 1984-85. He averaged 19.2 points that season.

The 1996-97 campaign marked Barkley's last real chance at winning a championship, as the Rockets lost to the Utah Jazz in the 1997 Western Conference finals in six games. Barkley averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds in the series.

Injuries would derail the tail end of Barkley's career, ending with a ruptured his left quadriceps tendon during the 1999-2000 season.

Unless Green was referring to career-ending injuries, maybe looking like Houston Barkley isn't so bad, after all.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charles Barkley responds to Draymond Green with joke about Warriors

Kidd founded AMA Arenacross in 1985

It was only just yesterday that we learned of the passing of flat track star Mert Lawwill, and we once again saddened to hear about another loss, as 1981 AMA Grand National Champion and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame member Mike Kidd has also passed away. He was 72.

Kidd began racing professionally in 1972, and was one of the top stars of the decade before taking the championship in 1981, riding for the Lawwill/Roberts team. After retiring from racing in 1983, Kidd opened Boyd Raceway in Texas, and founded the AMA Arenacross series.

Kidd was inducted to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998 in recognition of his accomplishments as a racer, event promoter, and advocate.

Begin Press Releases:

AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Mike Kidd Passes Away

Photo by AMA Archives.

The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame mourns the passing of Hall of Famer Mike Kidd, and extends its sincere condolences to his family and friends. He was 72.

The 1981 AMA Grand National Champion, Kidd's racing career was defined by his perseverance in the face of much adversity. Beyond his chops as a racer, Kidd was a top promoter of AMA races in the 1980s and 1990s, and founded the AMA Arenacross Series in 1985.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1953, Kidd's love for racing started on four wheels, not two, where he saw great success, winning a national title in his age category. By the time he was 13, Kidd found his true calling on a motorcycle, competing in local dirt track and motocross races.

In 1972, Kidd turned pro, falling just short of a debut victory at the Houston Astrodome - registering a second-place finish behind fellow rookie and future AMA Hall of Famer Kenny Roberts.

In 1974, Kidd joined Triumph's factory racing team and earned his first AMA Grand National victory at the Columbus, Ohio, Half-Mile.

Seven years later, and after enduring much misfortune out of his control, Kidd reached the pinnacle of his craft, winning the 1981 AMA Grand National Championship. He did so in dramatic fashion, entering the final race of the season at the Ascot Half-Mile in Gardena, Calif., in a tie with fellow AMA Hall of Famer Gary Scott. Kidd finished second in the tiebreaking race, but since Scott registered only a fourth-place finish, Kidd took the championship by a mere five points.

Kidd retired from racing in 1983, tallying a total of 12 AMA Grand National wins alongside his iconic 1981 title.

Kidd's impact on the motorcycling community did not end there, however. In the 1980s and 1990s, Kidd became one of the leading promoters of AMA races in the country, going on to create the AMA Arenacross Series in 1985.

For his efforts as a racer and promoter, Kidd was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Zach Dezenzo and Yordan Alvarez hit two-run homers, Mike Burrows allowed three hits in seven innings, and the Houston Astros beat Cincinnati 10-0 on Friday night, extending the Reds losing streak to eight games.

Zach Cole and Christian Vázquez also went deep for the Astros, who have won four of six.

Burrows (2-4) struck out six and walked one in his best start of the season. He and two relievers limited the Reds to five hits. It was the Astros' third shutout this season while the Reds were blanked for the fourth time.

Cincinnati's Nick Lodolo gave up four runs on five hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings in his season debut. Lodolo suffered a blister at the end of spring training, and that issue kept him out until Friday night. Struggling to spin his breaking ball the way that he has in the past, Lodolo only struck out two batters.

Brice Matthews hit his first career triple in the second inning and Dezenzo drove him in with his first home run of this season.

Alvarez made it 4-0 with his homer in the sixth that came off the bat at 115.9 mph. Alvarez and the Athletics' Nick Kurtz only players with two home runs of 115 mph and higher this season.

Reds reliever Tony Santillan allowed four runs in the ninth inning — including homers to Cole and Vázquez on consecutive pitches.

The Reds have been outscored 60-23 during their slide.

Up next

Houston will go with RHP Spencer Arrighetti (4-0, 1.96 ERA) while Cincinnati sends RHP Chase Burns (3-1, 2.20 ERA) to the mound in the middle game of the series.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

PEORIA, Ill. (WCIA) – Eastern Illinois softball cruised to a postseason win on Friday, punching a spot in the tournament finals.

The Panthers beat SIUE 8-0 on Friday, boosted by a five-run third innings.

Abbi Hatton drove in half of the Panthers’ runs.

EIU will play for a second-straight OVC Tournament title on Saturday, set to take on the winner of Friday night’s Lindenwood vs SIUE game.

The Panthers need just one win on Saturday to secure the tournament crown, while their opponent would need to beat them twice in order to hoist the conference tournament trophy.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.

Jim Rome Torches Patriots Org. For Mike Vrabel Scandal That 'Isn't Going Away' originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Jim Rome is a 61-year-old radio legend known for his fiery rants. On Thursday, he set his sights on Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots. 

Rome went scorched earth on Kraft for the team's handling of the Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini scandal that he, and many others, believe has been entirely ignored by the Patriots. 

"The problem for [Robert] Kraft is that it’s not going away," Rome said. "And there’s nothing he can do to make it go away. In fact, it’s not even dying down, and it’s already been a month. Exactly a month, in fact, since Vrabel issued one of the most ill-fated denials of all time.

"Not only did the public disagree that the photos didn’t deserve any further response, they are refusing to move on from this entire topic. Forget not deserving any further response."

I do believe that Kraft and Vrabel were expecting this story to blow over by now, but I don't see why the two parties making statements about the allegations would speed up that process. Selling photos and information about the alleged affair has turned into a full-blown economy. 

"It’s like a 2026 gold rush, and everybody’s out here mining for their nugget, trying to strike it rich," Rome said. "And as long as more and more gold is discovered... it just makes you wonder when it no longer becomes viable for this guy to lead that football team."

Vrabel and Russini have the tabloids out here PANNING FOR SMUT like it's GOLD. pic.twitter.com/YnphVohlZw

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) May 7, 2026

I really don't see the argument that, aside from the moral reproach, this incident should disqualify the veteran coach from leading a team. As long as he has the locker room -- which he does -- his ability to coach has not been hindered. 

Eventually, the mines will run dry, and this story will finally stop getting worse. And, whether Rome or Patriots fans like it, the story will go away. 

More NFL: 32 Rookies Report To Patriots Mini-Camp

The Montreal Canadiens were in Buffalo on Friday night, hoping to even the series with the Sabres before returning to Quebec.

It was one of the Habs’ best games of the playoffs, a dominant effort that resulted in a well-deserved 5-1 win.

The Sabres did land more hits than the Canadiens, but that was simply a matter of the home team chasing the play for the majority of the game.

In every metric that mattered, the Canadiens were the better team.

Let’s dive into the highlights!

He’s The B’y

The Habs needed a strong start, a rarity when examining their season, to avoid having to chase yet another deficit against a suffocating opponent.

Newfoundlander Alex Newhook obliged, scoring his second goal of the playoffs less than two minutes into the first period, with assists awarded to Kaiden Guhle and Lane Hutson. The latter, in particular, enjoyed an absolutely fantastic outing on Friday night.

QUICK GOAL!

Alex Newhook tips the Guhle pass to make it 1-0 #GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/Kju6PiXdEC

— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 8, 2026

Another One

The Canadiens did not rest on their laurels, doubling their lead just a few moments later when Mike Matheson’s excellent point shot found the back of the net.

All things considered, it was easily Montreal’s best period of the playoffs. They were dominant at 5v5, as evidenced by their 7-0 advantage in high-danger scoring chances.

It may even have been Montreal’s best period of the season.

MAKE IT 2-0!

Mike Matheson with a perfect shot from the point to extend the #GoHabsGo lead! pic.twitter.com/tataTgmqIw

— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 8, 2026

Enlist You Newfoundlanders And Come Follow Me!

Newhook was not satisfied with his lone goal.

He would go on to score his third goal of the playoffs early in the second period, via a great pass by veteran Jake Evans.

Seeing as Montreal’s first line has struggled to produce anything remotely similar to the offence they provided in the regular season, it must be said that Montreal’s depth players have done a great job helping the Habs overcome a very difficult situation.

We also have to give full marks to Noah Dobson on this play, as he absorbed a massive hit to start the rush.

I'se the B'y!

Alex Newhook makes it 3-0 #GoHabsGo with his second goal of the game. pic.twitter.com/3OMQpD1Nmz

— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 9, 2026

Dolly Dagger

The Sabres did end Dobes’ shutout bid, which led to Zach Benson chirping the Canadiens netminder in what can only be described as a desperate attempt to throw him off his game.

But Dobes lives for that type of stuff.

Benson merely adopted the grease.

Dobes was born in it.

Moulded by it.

He lives to chirp, and chirps to live.

Shockingly, or not, the chirping attempt by Benson did not lead to much, other than an uptick in effort from the Habs, not to mention a great goal by defenceman Alexandre Carrier to put his team ahead 4-1.

(Editor’s Note: The tweet embedded below mentions “Logan Thompson” erroneously. It was, in fact, Sabres forward Tage Thompson.)

Alex Carrier makes it 4-1 #GoHabsGo after Logan Thompson falls.

All Canadiens in this one. pic.twitter.com/b31wIilax1

— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 9, 2026

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Sunday, facing the Sabres at the Bell Centre for Game 3. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.

Related Headlines

• Laval Rocket Season On The Line Versus Toronto Marlies
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NFL wide receiver Jauan Jennings is no longer a San Francisco 49er. In fact, he already has a new team. On Tuesday, Jennings agreed to a one-year, $13 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

The move improves the Vikings, who really only have two proven wide receivers on their roster. It doesn't hurt the Niners much after their free agent and draft acquisitions.

The 49ers added three impact receivers this offseason. The team signed Mike Evans and Christian Kirk before drafting Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling. While returning Niners receiver Ricky Pearsall will have a say in the position battle, the three players could come in and fill the top three receiver spots right away.

Where the loss of Jennings could hurt the team is the hope that they might get a compensatory draft pick for the player that they lost. According to David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone, San Francisco will not be given a compensatory draft pick. Here's what Bonilla had to say about the news.

"The San Francisco 49ers will not receive a compensatory pick for wide receiver Jauan Jennings after his reported one-year deal worth up to $13 million with the Minnesota Vikings. The reason is simple: Jennings signed after the 2026 NFL Draft, making him ineligible to factor into the NFL's compensatory pick formula.

NFL compensatory picks are extra draft selections awarded to teams that lose more—or more valuable—free agents than they sign during the offseason. The NFL's formula takes several factors into account, including a player's salary, playing time, and postseason accolades.

However, only unrestricted free agents who sign with new teams before the NFL Draft are included in the compensatory pick calculations. Because Jennings remained unsigned until after the draft concluded, his departure will not factor into the 49ers' future compensatory selections."

Jennings is replaceable. In fact, over the last three seasons combined he's been less productive than Vikings receiver Jordan Addison despite Addison catching passes from J.J. McCarthy last season. Albeit Minnesota needed a receiver bad enough to make the move to add Jennings for up to $13 million this year.

The clear takeaway is the Niners can move on from the former San Francisco receiver. The Jennings news is over for now for the 49ers. They have the receiver to move on from his production. Now, the Niners will have the next opportunity to make a move in free agency.

ImageGen2 is an AI image tool built around GPT Image 2 for creators, marketers, and ecommerce teams. It helps you create product photos, edit images with reference inputs, and generate multiple variations in one run.

ImageGen2 is designed for fast visual iteration. You can start from a prompt or an existing image, adjust quality and output format, and create assets for ads, social posts, product pages, and brand visuals.

View startup

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Rising Bitcoin ETF outflows and liquidations signal short-term caution, but a weak DXY and the eventual appointment of a new Fed chair could resume the rally.

iQOO started teasing the upcoming 15T yesterday, and today the prolific leaker who goes by Digital Chat Station on Weibo has revealed its full specs. The phone allegedly comes with a 6.83-inch QHD+ flat OLED screen, a dual rear camera system (200MP + 50MP), a 16MP selfie camera, and support for 100W wired charging. iQOO 15T official image It's powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 SoC, and will have a battery of at least 8,000 mAh. The 15T will apparently be offered in five RAM/storage combos: 12/256GB, 12/512GB, 16/256GB, 16/512GB, and 16GB/1TB. There will be three colorways, and...

Robert Lewandowski’s future at Barcelona remains uncertain, as his contract expires in June. There are plenty of clubs interested in a player of his caliber, even at 37 years old. While there had been reports that a move to MLS had cooled, Chicago Fire sporting director Gregg Broughton confirmed in an interview with TalkSport that he is still interested in him.

Broughton said: “Lewandowski is a player that MLS is interested in. It’s important to remember that in MLS, players belong to the league, not directly to the clubs. We have shown our interest in trying to bring a player of that caliber to Chicago. Robert is still a Barcelona player, and it wouldn’t be right to talk too much about a player who is under contract with another club.”

Lewandowski has shown that he can still be important in the biggest matches. Injuries have limited him a bit recently, but they have not been a recurring problem throughout his career. What could ultimately decide his departure from Barcelona is whether he agrees to lower his salary, something the club is expected to ask him to do.

Juventus and Milan are also interested

Lewandowski’s suitors could come from several places, with MLS facing strong competition from Saudi Arabia if the forward wants more money. However, those are not the only possible options.

If the Polish striker decides he still wants to continue at the highest competitive level after leaving his current club, Italy is the main country showing interest, with several big clubs already talking to his agent.

Those clubs are Juventus and Milan, both of which could offer a much lower salary than other markets. Barcelona representative Deco is set to meet with the player’s agent, Pini Zahavi, according to Sport. Until Lewandowski decides whether or not to stay, interested clubs will have to wait.

Lewandowski’s numbers

Lewandowski is finishing the season with his weakest numbers since his first year at Borussia Dortmund, when he scored nine goals, well below his usual standard. Barcelona have only used him in 42 matches this season and he has scored 18 goals.

Kylian Mbappe’s second season at Real Madrid has turned into far more than a soccer story on the pitch. Jose Mourinho’s name is suddenly back at the center of discussions around the club, while Alvaro Arbeloa’s future appears increasingly uncertain as tensions continue to rise behind the scenes at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The atmosphere around the Spanish giant has reportedly become chaotic in recent weeks. From dressing-room disputes to disagreements involving senior stars, Real Madrid is now facing one of its most turbulent periods in years as the club searches for answers before next season begins.

The situation escalated dramatically following reports of a physical altercation between Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni during training. According to multiple reports from Diario AS, COPE, and OndaCero, Valverde was later taken to hospital after suffering a head injury during the incident.

The conflict reportedly exposed deeper fractures inside the dressing room. Several players are said to have stopped speaking to Alvaro Arbeloa, while the squad has allegedly split into different groups following a difficult campaign without major trophies.

Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso earlier in the season after Zinedine Zidane declined a return, has come under increasing pressure. Fabrizio Romano reported that the former defender has “less than 10% chances to stay” at the end of the season, with the club already preparing for change.

Arbeloa blamed as Mbappe becomes part of the growing controversy

The former Real Madrid defender initially arrived with hopes of calming the squad and rebuilding harmony. Instead, reports claim the board has become frustrated with his handling of the dressing room, particularly after the Valverde-Tchouameni incident.

“Arbeloa didn’t intervene at all during yesterday’s fight — Real Madrid board are aware of that,” El Mundo stated. That detail reportedly angered figures inside the club hierarchy, who now view the manager as unable to control the situation.

According to Diario AS, at least six players have effectively fallen out with Arbeloa. Dani Carvajal, Dani Ceballos, Raul Asencio, and Alvaro Carreras were all mentioned in reports surrounding internal disagreements with the coach.

Mbappe’s arrival in the summer of 2024 was initially viewed as the beginning of a new golden era. Instead, several reports now claim that his signing unintentionally accelerated tensions inside the squad. There are also claims that the Frenchman frustrated teammates after travelling to Italy during a difficult stretch of the season rather than remaining closer to the squad.

Mourinho talks intensify behind the scenes as Madrid’s key decision emerges

As the crisis deepened, Mourinho’s name quickly re-emerged as a serious candidate for the job. Reports from The Athletic and Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Real Madrid has already opened discussions with the Portuguese manager’s representatives.

The final decision on Mourinho’s return now rests with Florentino Perez, who is personally driving the process behind the scenes. Fabrizio Romano revealed on X (formerly Twitter): “Operation Mourinho has started at Real Madrid.” He also noted that “it depends on Madrid. Up to Florentino Perez: he will decide if Mourinho returns or not.”

The implication is clear: the structure of the club is weighing a decisive shift in leadership direction. The Portuguese boss reportedly remains open to returning to the Bernabeu despite currently managing Benfica. His contract supposedly includes a release clause worth around $3.5 million, a figure Real Madrid could easily activate if Perez chooses to move forward in a bid to reset control.

Christian Pulisic has found himself under a brighter spotlight than ever before as the 2026 World Cup approaches on home soil for the USMNT. The Milan forward remains one of the biggest faces in American soccer, but questions surrounding his recent form have followed him into the final stretch of the season.

Pulisic entered 2026 in excellent form after a brilliant first half of the campaign with Milan. Before the turn of the year, he had already scored 10 goals across competitions and was widely considered one of the club’s most consistent attacking players.

However, the months that followed brought a rare drought for the American star. Pulisic has failed to score for either Milan or the United States throughout 2026 so far, leading to growing criticism from supporters and pundits alike. According to ESPN, it is the longest goal drought of his club career.

The attention around his form became even louder because of the timing. The United States is preparing to co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, with Pulisic expected to carry the national team as its leading figure.

The pressure surrounding Pulisic grew even more after he appeared on the cover of TIME magazine. The feature described him as “already the most influential American men’s soccer player in the country’s 250-year history.”

Pulisic finally reveals his response to critics

While many questioned how he planned to escape the slump, Pulisic delivered a blunt answer that quickly went viral. The Milan star’s plan to silence critics is simple: score goals again. “I plan on scoring goals. Such bad questions. I’m not concerned about it, man,” Pulisic told TIME when asked about his drought.

The American also explained why criticism frustrates him more during periods away from matches. “That time was difficult for me, because normally I can shut people up with my play. That’s what I’ve done my whole career,” he admitted. “I’m in my offseason, so people are just talking about me, and I can’t just go freaking score and shut them up.”

Those comments reflected a player who still believes fully in his ability despite the outside noise. Pulisic has built much of his career on responding during difficult moments, whether at Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, or now Milan.

The World Cup dream still drives him

Throughout the interviews, one theme continued to emerge: Pulisic’s belief in the USMNT’s potential at the World Cup. Even after recent defeats in friendlies and growing criticism around the squad, he refuses to lower expectations.

“That’s just not how I work,” Pulisic said when asked about making promises for the tournament. “But I can sit in my bed at night and picture holding up the World Cup trophy. I did that as a kid. I’m not going to stop. You have to believe. Why not?”

His longtime teammate Weston McKennie also backed him strongly during the difficult stretch. “I don’t think any of us are worried whether he’s going to be firing on all cylinders,” McKennie said. “It may not be clicking for him right now. But I have no doubt it will be at the World Cup.”

The Detroit Tigers finally received encouraging news regarding ace Tarik Skubal.

After days of uncertainty surrounding his elbow injury, manager A.J. Hinch revealed Friday that Skubal’s surgery went well and that early reports have been overwhelmingly positive as the left-hander begins the recovery process.

Tarik Skubal Surgery Successfully Completed

According to the Tigers, Skubal underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles to remove a loose body, specifically a bone chip, from his left elbow.

The procedure was performed by renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

“I know there’s a lot of attention around Tarik and the procedure,” Hinch said Friday via the Detroit Free Press. “All reports are positive and optimistic.”

That alone represents a major relief for Detroit after fears initially surfaced during Skubal’s last outing against Atlanta.

Tigers Refusing to Rush Return Timeline

Naturally, the next question everyone wants answered is simple: When will Tarik Skubal return?

Right now, the Tigers are intentionally avoiding putting any official timetable on the reigning two-time American League Cy Young winner.

“Everyone is going to want to talk about a timeline,” Hinch said. “Everyone is racing to a lot of people that are throwing out timelines. The reality is, the most important step for him is the one that’s right in front of him.”

That cautious approach makes sense.

Detroit understands the importance of getting this process right, especially with Skubal expected to become a free agent following the 2026 season.

Rehab Process Begins in Lakeland

For now, Skubal’s immediate focus shifts toward rehabilitation.

The 29-year-old will recover in Lakeland, Florida, home of the Tigers’ spring training complex, where the organization will closely monitor his progress before determining when he can resume throwing.

“He will not resume throwing in the next few days,” Hinch said. “I don’t know when that day is going to be, but that next step of rehab is the one that we’re going to focus on – not some random date in the future that simply would be a guess at this point.”

The Tigers clearly want to avoid unnecessary speculation.

No Structural Damage Provides Huge Relief

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Friday’s update involved what doctors did not find.

According to Hinch, there was no additional structural damage discovered in Skubal’s elbow beyond the loose body that was removed during surgery.

“That sets him on the road to rehab, which is next,” Hinch said. “I don’t know what that means.”

Even with the uncertainty surrounding the timeline, the absence of major structural damage dramatically changes the tone surrounding Skubal’s outlook.

Tigers Still Trying to Stay Afloat

While Skubal begins his recovery, the Tigers continue trying to navigate a season suddenly filled with pitching chaos.

Detroit is already dealing with injuries to Justin Verlander, Casey Mize, Troy Melton, and others, while Framber Valdez is currently serving a suspension. That reality has forced A.J. Hinch and the coaching staff into constant rotation adjustments.

Still, Friday’s update gave the organization something it desperately needed.

A reason for optimism.

How Tempo's Kia Nurse is related to Oilers' Darnell Nurse, PWHL's Sarah Nurse originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Nurse family is loaded with athleticism.

Kia Nurse plays in the WNBA for the newly formed Toronto Tempo. Darnell Nurse plays for the Edmonton Oilers. Sarah Nurse is a standout for Vancouver in the PWHL.

And yep, they're all related.

Is Kia Nurse related to Darnell Nurse?

Yep, these two are siblings.

Darnell is the older brother to his younger sister Kia.

They're originally from Hamilton, Ontario.

They also had an older sister, Tamika Nurse, who played at Oregon and Bowling Green in women's college basketball.

MORE: This season is different for Veronica Burton

Is Kia Nurse related to Sarah Nurse?

Yep, but these two are just cousins.

Sarah is the cousin of both Kia and Darnell.

Sarah plays for the Canadian national team as well as for the Vancouver Goldeneyes in the PWHL.

She's older than both Darnell and Kia -- born exactly one month before Darnell.

MORE: Watch out for Dominique Malonga in her second WNBA season

Munetaka Murakami knows how to make a first impression.

In the first inning of the Chicago White Sox’s game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, Murakami crushed an opposite-field homer off starting pitcher Emerson Hancock. It’s his 15th homer of the season, tying Aaron Judge for the MLB lead.

The Statcast numbers: 106.2 mph off the bad, 380 feet traveled.

Friday was the series opener between the White Sox and Mariners, which is relevant because MLB notes that Murakami has now homered in eight straight series openers. That’s a new MLB record, breaking a mark previously held by Eddie Murray in 1987.

Granted, it’s a very specific record, but it’s not as though Murakami lucked into it. The streak goes back to April 14 against the Tampa Bay Rays, a stretch of time in which he was hitting .288/.400/.675 entering Friday.

Murakami’s homer continues one of the most surprising MLB performances of the young season. The slugger famously had to settle for a two-year, $34 million deal with the White Sox after years of hype as the next great Japanese slugger, mostly due to concerns about how an already high swing-and-miss rate would play after the transition from Japan to MLB.

The answer has so far been a ton of strikeouts — Murakami led the American League with 55 entering Friday — but more than enough power and plate discipline to make him an effective hitter. It remains to be seen if he will keep it for an entire season (or MLB career), but it’s certainly been fun to watch.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, for the first time all season, are seeing their rotation shake-up with the return of lefty Blake Snell.

Snell, who has missed the start of the season with shoulder discomfort, will be pitching for the first time all year on Saturday, May 9th.

Snell has been diligently working his way back from his shoulder problem, with a handful of rehabilitation appearances.

He has made two starts in Single-A with the Ontario Tower Buzzers and one outing for the Oklahoma City Comets in Triple-A.

The return of Snell on Saturday means Roki Sasaki will not pitch against the Braves, according to manager Dave Roberts, with Snell taking his place in the order.

Emmet Sheehan will be pitching on Friday, Snell takes the mound for his bobblehead night on Saturday, and then on Sunday, Justin Wrobleski takes the rubber.

Finally, on Monday, for the Dodgers’ series opener against the San Francisco Giants, Sasaki is set to take the mound.

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Tyler Glasnow’s status remains unknown

After Sasaki, Yamamoto will likely pitch on Tuesday, and Ohtani will take over on Wednesday; however, all eyes will be on Thursday, when Glasnow is penciled in to start again if he is healthy.

Glasnow left his last outing after the first inning due to back spasms, and while his latest examination did not reveal any damage, the Dodgers are having Paul Gervase, a minor league pitcher on the 40-man roster, float around if the team needs him.

The Dodgers are taking a wait-and-see approach with Glasnow, letting him feel himself out through the injury to determine his status for Thursday.

After his outing, Glasnow did not seem overly concerned with the injury.

“It kind of just gives out,” he said. “I’ve gotten it since high school. Being tall, I guess. I get it a couple times a year.

“Just a warm-up pitch and it gave out. I tried to throw another one and it just was like too hard to bend over. But it’s not too serious. I’ve had this a few times. Just one of those things where it’s thrown out. Once it feels better, it feels better. It shouldn’t be too long.”

If Glasnow does go on the injured list, the team’s next rotation shake-up will only be delayed, as eventually, one of Sheehan, Wrobleski, and Sasaki will need to make way.

What looked like the biggest strength of the Detroit Tigers entering the 2026 season has quickly become the organization’s biggest question mark.

With Tarik Skubal, Justin Verlander, and Casey Mize all on the injured list, plus Framber Valdez serving a suspension, Detroit is suddenly scrambling just to cover innings. That uncertainty continued Friday when manager A.J. Hinch refused to officially confirm whether Ty Madden will actually start Saturday against the Kansas City Royals.

Tigers Still Undecided on Ty Madden

Ty Madden appeared as Detroit’s probable starter for Saturday’s game, but Hinch made it clear nothing is finalized yet.

“I don’t know,” Hinch said Friday via the Detroit Free Press when asked whether Madden would get the start.

That answer perfectly captures where the Tigers currently stand.

Detroit is operating almost entirely day-to-day with its pitching staff, adjusting based on workload, bullpen availability, and who survives each game healthy.

Ty Madden Earned Another Opportunity

Even if Hinch remains noncommittal, Madden certainly made a strong case for more innings.

The right-hander was recalled earlier this week after Tarik Skubal underwent elbow surgery, and he immediately impressed in Monday’s loss to the Boston Red Sox. Madden threw five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts while serving as Detroit’s bulk reliever.

Now, the Tigers are considering stretching him into a more traditional starting role.

Whether that actually happens may depend on what unfolds Friday night.

A.J. Hinch Admits Tigers Are Mixing and Matching

At this point, even Hinch sounds like a manager trying to survive one game at a time.

“I’ll let Q [Royals manager Matt Quatraro] know tonight after the game,” Hinch said, “depending on who we use and how we go into tomorrow. I’ll trade him out for Sunday’s starter.”

That uncertainty extends beyond Saturday.

Detroit still has not fully mapped out how it plans to navigate the rest of the weekend series, especially with Valdez unavailable while serving his five-game suspension.

Tigers Forced Into Bullpen Chaos

The Tigers rotation situation has deteriorated rapidly over the past two weeks.

What started as a deep and reliable group has been reduced to constant improvisation. Jack Flaherty is now the only healthy member remaining from Detroit’s original Opening Day rotation.

Even Hinch acknowledged how chaotic things have become.

“It’ll be guys who are here, and we’ll mix and match like a traditional bullpen game, whatever that means,” Hinch said. “We’ll handle the volume based on the next two days in who is available to us, but the group that’s down there is the group that’s going to get us through that day.”

Detroit Just Trying to Stay Afloat

The reality is simple.

The Tigers are no longer worrying about perfect matchups or ideal pitching schedules. Right now, the focus is surviving games and finding enough innings to stay competitive until reinforcements eventually return.

Ty Madden may start Saturday.

Or maybe he won’t.

At the moment, even the Tigers seem unsure.

Knicks vs. 76ers final score, results: New York is one win away from a sweep originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Jalen Brunson had 33 points and Mikal Bridges added 23 as the New York Knicks cruised to a 108-94 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal on Friday. The duo were part of four Knicks in double figures, including 15 points from Landry Shamet off the bench.

Philadelphia had all five starters in double figures, but couldn't overcome New York's offensive surges in the game. The 76ers right before halftime before the Knicks came storming back. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 22 points to lead his team.

This puts Philly on their heels for a possible sweep on Sunday at home.

NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live scores | Full schedule | Updated bracket

Knicks vs. 76ers live updates, highlights from NBA playoffs Game 3

Knicks 108, 76ers 94 Final

Team Stats

4th Quarter- 1:59: 76ers are on the verge of going down 3-0 in the series. Knicks up 107-91 

4th Quarter- 3:35: Do-or-Die time for the 76ers down by 16 points late

4th Quarter- 4:20:  Tyrese Maxey hits a 3-pointer with Knicks responding 105-89 lead

4th Quarter- 4:48: Knicks starting to pull away with 101-86 lead. Also, the defense of Karl-Anthony Towns has been solid. 

4th Quarter- 5:54: Knicks open up 99-86 lead over 76ers

End of 3rd Quarter: Knicks 85, 76ers 76.

New York ends the quarter on a 7-0 run. 

3rd Quarter- 2:28: 76ers cut Knicks lead to two. 78-76

3rd Quarter- 3:16: 76ers hanging around down 77-72. This could get interesting going into fourth. 

3rd Quarter- 4:35: Knicks up 76-70. 

3rd Quarter- 6:15: Both teams going back and forth with 76ers cutting Knicks lead to five. 70-65

3rd Quarter- 9:29: Knicks up 69-57

Halftime: Knicks 60, 76ers 52

2nd Quarter- 3:37: TV timeout. Knicks are settling in with 54-42 lead. 

2nd Quarter- 4:09: Knicks establish double-digit lead. 52-42 

2nd Quarter - 7:20: Knicks up 40-35

2nd Quarter- 8:19: Knicks surge for 38-35 lead

End of 1st Quarter: 76ers 31, Knicks 27

1st Quarter- 54.9 seconds: Knicks cut the 76ers lead in half before the of the quarter. 29-25

1st Quarter- 3:03: 76ers increase lead 27-18

1st Quarter- 3:54: Both teams trading buckets with 76ers up 25-18

1st Quarter- 5:47: 76ers double up with 20-10 lead

1st Quarter- 7:25: 76ers jump out to a 15-8 early lead

Tip-off from Philly

Joel Embiid is considered questionable for the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals vs. the New York Knicks. https://t.co/DiDWGu31JQ

— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) May 8, 2026

On this date in 1970, the New York Knicks won their first NBA title in franchise history in the legendary “Willis Reed Game.”

After missing Game 6 with a leg injury, league MVP Willis Reed hobbled onto the floor for Game 7 and scored the Knicks’ first four points, igniting… pic.twitter.com/2vsC6rUsa3

— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) May 8, 2026

"Playoff Pee...that's P E E" Skip Bayless' nickname for Paul George pic.twitter.com/w2jcykXEfK

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 8, 2026

Karl-Anthony Towns has been a force for the New York Knicks this postseason, averaging 19 PPG, 11 RPG and 6 APG through 8 playoff games.

Towns has thrived on difficult looks, shooting 27-of-46 (59%) on contested shots this postseason, the best field goal percentage on contested… pic.twitter.com/PEvd6uA3vT

— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) May 8, 2026

The New York Knicks head to the City of Brotherly Love to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night, looking to take full control of their Eastern Conference second-round playoff series.

New York owns a 2-0 lead after a 108-102 victory on Wednesday behind 26 points from Jalen Brunson. The Knicks now have a chance to push the 76ers to the brink of elimination, and one step closer to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks finished 53-29 during the regular season and have continued to lean on a balanced scoring attack during the postseason.

On the other hand, Philadelphia, which went 45-37 and earned the No. 7 seed, will try to protect home court and avoid falling into a 3-0 hole. Tyrese Maxey scored 26 points in Game 2 and continues to lead the offense with averages of 28.3 points, 6.6 assists and 1.9 steals this season. Paul George has also provided a spark from the perimeter, averaging 3.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

If the 76ers hope to beat the Knicks, they would likely do it without Joel Embiid, who’s questionable with a knee injury. However, recent history doesn’t look good for Philadelphia, who is 5-5 over the last ten games.

How to Watch Game 3 Eastern Conference Semifinals: New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Friday, May 8

Tip-off: 7 p.m. ET

TV: Amazon Prime Video

More NBA Playoff news:

• San Antonio has best NBA Playoff win since 1983
• Nuggets legend slams 'frugal billionaire' owner Stan Kroenke, doesn't expect offseason moves
• Everyone is saying the same thing about how the refs treated Lakers in Game 2
• Tyran Stokes is all over social media after tough adjustment before future NBA journey

PHILADELPHIA — OG Anunoby’s injury return timeline took a concerning left turn ahead of tipoff on Friday.

The Knicks listed Anunoby, who sustained a right hamstring strain in the waning minutes of their Game 2 victory over the 76ers on Wednesday, as questionable for Game 3 before head coach Mike Brown ruled him out ahead of tipoff on Friday.

Brown said Anunoby is day-to-day. When asked, however, whether or not Anunoby can run, Brown deferred to Knicks PR, which responded: “Next question.”

Anunoby limped off the Madison Square Garden floors with a few minutes left in the Knicks’ 108-102 Game 2 victory over the Sixers on Wednesday. The Knicks subsequently ruled him questionable to play in Game 3 with a hamstring strain before Brown ruled him out 90 minutes ahead of tipoff on Friday.

Brown started backup guard Miles McBride in place of the injured Anunoby for Game 3.

“Obviously [Miles] being able to pick up [full-court], it helps because obviously gives whoever he’s guarding a different look than, if they’re [being guarded by] myself,” said Josh Hart. “I’m 31, with some miles. I’m not picking up full [court]. So that gives a different look. Turning someone a couple of times at that point, trying to chew a little bit of the shot clock. So it all helps.”

Anunoby averaged 21.5 points on 61% shooting from the field and 51% shooting from 3-point range in the Knicks’ first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks. He scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field in Game 1 against the Sixers and had 24 points, five rebounds, four blocks and a steal prior to his injury in Game 2.

Ahead of tipoff, Brown said nothing changes with Anunoby out of the rotation.

“No matter who’s in or out — Mitch [Robinson] was out for us last game — we just have to go out, try to do our job, whatever our job is,” Brown said. “Nobody has to do anything extraordinary. And so defensively and offensively, it’s the same with OG being out. You know, it’s going to be a collective effort for everybody to step up. And, you know, you always talk about next man up, and that’s what it is during this time of year or the regular season.”

That, however, could merely be lip service talking around the inevitable reality that is Anunoby’s importance to the Knicks’ success on both ends of the floor. The Knicks are 110-54 in games Anunoby has played since the Dec. 30, 2023 trade that sent R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a second-round pick to the Toronto Raptors and boast just a 27-24 record in regular-season games he’s missed. In the playoffs, the Knicks are 22-13 with Anunoby on the floor and 1-3 without him.

“Obviously things change a little bit,” said Hart. “He’s a great defensive player. So it just means guys that are playing are going to have to step up, cover for each other.”

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse was Anunoby’s former head coach during their shared time with the Toronto Raptors. After raving about Anunoby ahead of Game 2, he repeated a similar sentiment at the Xfinity Mobile Arena before Game 3.

“First of all, OG’s been unbelievable. He’s been amazing both in the Atlanta series and in this series. He has been as good as I’ve ever seen him. He just keeps getting better and better, it’s a testament to him to continue to just keep playing,” said Nurse. “He guards every position. His shooting’s been great, now he’s even, his cutting game is great.

“I guess I’ve gotta see what happens, which way they go [with Anunoby out]. They could go both ends of the spectrum. They could go big, really big. Or they could even go really small. So I just gotta see what happens and how it impacts it if he doesn’t play. But let’s hope he’s out there, I’m a big fan of OG’s.”

Anunoby averaged 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals on 48% shooting from the field and 38.6% shooting from 3-point range under Brown this season with the Knicks.

Marseille have excluded Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (36) from the squad set to travel to face Le Havre AC on Sunday evening following an incident at the club’s La Commanderie training centre, according to a report from L’Équipe.

The 36-year-old striker was reportedly at the centre of a disturbance on Thursday night after several Marseille players, frustrated by repeated nights spent confined at the training ground, caused disruption inside the club’s sporting residence. Aubameyang is said to have led a group of around ten players through various rooms in what sources described as an attempt to “create some atmosphere”.

However, the situation escalated when an extinguisher was allegedly used to spray Bob Tahri — a member of Marseille’s sporting administration tasked with enforcing the squad’s curfew — along with his bed and personal belongings. Tahri reportedly reacted angrily to the incident and informed senior club officials.

Marseille’s interim president Alban Juster and incoming president Stéphane Richard met with the squad on Friday to establish the facts before deciding to sanction Aubameyang. The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward has since apologised both to Tahri and to the club hierarchy.GFFN | George Boxall

Mexico is ready to make history. On June 11, Mexico City Stadium will be the epicenter of global football with the opening of the 2026 World Cup. To celebrate the country becoming the first to host three World Cups, FIFA has confirmed a star-studded musical lineup led by two pillars of national music: Los Ángeles Azules and Maná.

An international all-star lineup

Football’s governing body announced in a statement that the ceremony before the match between Mexico and South Africa will feature a constellation of artists. In addition to cumbia from Iztapalapa and rock from Guadalajara, the stage will welcome stars such as Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, J Balvin, Danny Ocean, Lila Downs, and Tyla. This blend of rhythms aims to deliver an unforgettable show that fuses Mexican tradition with global modernity.

The beginning of a historic tournament

The choice of artists is no coincidence. Los Ángeles Azules have already collaborated with FIFA by releasing the song "Por ella" alongside Belinda, while Maná, with more than 40 million records sold, was founded in 1986, the year of the last World Cup on Mexican soil.

With massive choreographies and top-level production, the opening ceremony will mark the start of a tournament in which Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey will share the spotlight.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

WEST CALDWELL, N.J. (AP) — Jeeno Thitikul took advantage on a friendly change in the weather Friday and closed with four birdies over her last seven holes to build a three-shot lead in the Mizuho Americas Open.

Jennifer Kupcho shot 69 in the morning, finishing with a 15-foot par save on the par-4 18th that was playing more than one shot over par for the early starters. The greens were firm and the rough was thick, putting a premium on par.

Thitikul experienced that when she didn't make a birdie until her eighth hole, the par-5 17th. But then Mountain Ridge got just enough rain to take some of the fire out of the course, and the wind seemed to leave town with the light rain.

“Luckily we don't have much wind on the back nine after the rain came, and then the wind just like shut down,” Thitikul said. “Then we just lucky. If we got the breeze (like on) the front nine, I don't think my number is going to be that low, for sure.”

She was at 8-under 136 going into the weekend with a chance to win for the first time this year, and the first time since losing her No. 1 ranking to Nelly Korda, who is not playing this week.

Conditions were so tough late in the morning that Lydia Ko had an easy time accepting her 75 that ultimately put her six shots out of the lead.

“Probably one of the rare occasions where you shoot 75 and you’re not like stressing out too much about it,” Ko said. “The greens are pretty undulating and you leave yourself in some positions above the hole and you don’t even know if you can hold it on the green at that point.”

Andrea Lee, who opened with a 66 for the first-round lead, had five bogeys in a six-hole stretch on the front nine. She didn't make a birdie until the 16th hole and shot 79.

Kupcho got out of position on the 17th late in her round and made bogey on a par 5. The pin on the 18th was tucked over a bunker, making the approach difficult. She went into the sand, splashed out to 15 feet and rammed in the par putt. Kupcho has a serious demeanor when she plays, and she could not help but to break out into a big smile.

She also questioned some of the tough pin positions on knobs of undulating greens. And she had reason to think her 5-under 139 would hold up. It looked like it would, at least until some rain and the absence of wind late in the afternoon.

“Like 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, all of those pin placements were on the sides of a hill,” Kupcho said. “For the wind and the speed we’re playing the greens, I don’t know that they’re going to be playable this afternoon, to be quite honest.

“It’s a really hard golf course,” she said. “All of those greens on the back nine are also just more undulated, so there is nowhere to put the pins. It’s just a really hard greens and that’s what it is.”

Brooke Matthews had a 72 and was four shots behind, while Celine Boutier of France shot 68 and was five back at 3-under 141.

The cut was made to 50 and ties for this tournament, which features 24 top players from the American Junior Golf Association competing in a Stableford competition.

Among those missing the weekend were Charley Hull, Brooke Henderson and Sei Young Kim.

Also missing was tournament host Michelle Wie West, though that wasn't a big surprise. This is her first competition in three years as she gets ready for her final U.S. Women's Open next month. She followed an 82 with an 80, making birdie on her last hole.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Why Rob Gronkowski is at the Sabres playoff game against the Canadiens originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Is that Rob Gronkowski? 

Indeed it is. Gronk is at Game 2 of the NHL's Eastern Conference semifinals between the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens. He's repping the Sabres at the KeyBank Center.

And yes, Gronk starred in the NFL for Buffalo's division rival New England Patriots before also shining for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Rob Gronkowski at the Sabres game #LetsGoBuffalo#GoHabsGopic.twitter.com/J6CHpcP6T6

— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) May 8, 2026

But it also makes perfect sense that he's in the house for this one.

MORE: Sabres' anthem singer has a message for the haters

Why is Gronk at the Sabres game?

Rob Gronkowski is rooting for Buffalo at this hockey game because he's a local.

He was born in Amherst in Western New York, and he attended Williamsville North High School in the Buffalo area.

His family was a fixture in the local sports scene as all the Gronkowski brothers grew up.

So it makes sense that Gronk would be a Sabres fan.

MORE: Sabres 'blend in well with this city' in Game 1 win over Canadiens

Rob Gronkowski stats vs. Bills

Gronk being local doesn't mean he took it easy on the Bills, though.

He had a 14-2 career record against Buffalo.

In 16 games essentially amounting to a full season, he had 74 catches for 1,132 yards and 12 TDs against the Bills.

More NHL news:

• Maple Leafs winning lottery doesn't mean what you think for Auston Matthews
• How good is Gavin McKenna?
• Canucks may have gotten 2004-level historically unlucky
• Flames' trade offer for Nathan MacKinnon is informative for Maple Leafs
• How Zach Benson is Buffalo's perfect 'rat'

Presidential committees on college sports have distributed a draft of “ideas” to reform the landscape, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger. The committees include conference commissioners, athletics directors and White House representatives.

According to the draft, which is “for discussion purposes only,” recommends the creation of a task force overseen by Congress to address issues facing college athletics. The goal would be to create more financial stability while enhancing revenue and controlling cost.

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Those efforts include a crackdown on salary cap circumvention through collectives and a ban on “re-direction” of athletics department dollars through multi-media rights (MMR) and apparel contracts. The committees also recommended a Group of 6 playoff while also putting a salary cap on both coaches and administrators.

As part of the draft, the committees stressed the need for some type of antitrust exemption. That has come up in the NCAA’s quest for federal legislation to help settle the college athletics space, specifically with regard to the SCORE Act. Yahoo! Sportsreported Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are aiming to bring it to the floor for a vote the week of May 18.

In Phase 2 of the task force’s list of objectives, according to the draft, the committees recommended pooling of media rights while noting current deals are in place through the next five to seven years. The task force would also consider how conferences are currently built while also looking at “better monetization of key assets in the ecosystem.”

What a ‘permanent governing body’ would look like

Additionally, the task force would work to establish a new “permanent governing body,” including its role and structure. Per the draft, the task force itself could also become the permanent entity.

“This process shall include an assessment and evaluation of the effectiveness of the NCAA, the CFP and the CSC, as well as review of alternative governance structures (e.g., modeled after professional sports leagues) and the possible need for additional legislation to vest additional powers and authorities with the Permanent Governing Body,” the draft reads.

When it comes to permanent governance, the draft recommends a 15-member board make up the permanent entity. It would include representation for student-athletes, power conference commissioners and Notre Dame, two representatives from other conferences, a representative from both Division II and Division III, and independent representation.

There would also be the potential for subcommittees focusing on issues such as revenue and expense management. The entity would also help put into place reforms for both governance and structure, including long-term media strategy.

More on the presidential committees

The presidential committees on college sports came about after a roundtable at the White House in February, hosted by President Donald Trump. Leaders in the space were in attendance, including every power conference commissioner and Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua, along with notable names such as Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and NCAA president Charlie Baker.

Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell, New York Yankees president Cody Campbell and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have taken on leading roles in the committees. Each group was assigned a key issue facing college athletics.

One of the presidential committees, along with the White House, have also spoken in support of a 24-team College Football Playoff. Earlier this week, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) voted to support an expanded CFP with the “maximum number of participants.”

S. ABINGTON TWP. — One player made a stunningly impressive debut, and another achieved a long-awaited goal.

Abington Heights freshman Prayush Mallaiah and Wyoming Seminary senior Billy Hall completed dominant runs through their respective tournaments to claim gold medals and punch tickets to the PIAA Championships in Hershey.

In a matchup of teammates, Mallaiah defeated Abington Heights junior William Arp, 6-1, 6-0, to remain undefeated and win the District 2 Class 3A title Friday afternoon at Birchwood Racquet Club.

“I feel like I got out there and was really consistent,” Mallaiah said. “I was really aggressive with my shots with the forehand. I was really happy about that. For me, outside of the court we are teammates, but on the court we have to be opponents, and that’s how you have to play it.”

A runner-up last season and a semifinalist in 2024 and 2023, Hall powered his way through the Class 2A field to win the District 2 title, beating Holy Cross’ Alex Harrison, 6-0, 6-1.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Hall said. “Obviously, I have been trying to win this for a couple of years, and I think all the support that I have had from the coaches and everyone has been a huge boost to help me to be able to break through.”

Both players led their respective teams to District 2 titles just last week.

In his first varsity season, Mallaiah came in with a high level of respect for his advanced game. Ranked No. 6 for his freshman class in Pennsylvania and No. 46 in the Middle Atlantic poll by tennisrecruiting.net, he stormed through the Lackawanna League, displaying his repertoire of skill, strategy and surprising power from his diminutive stature.

He outmatched his first two opponents Friday, then defeated West Scranton’s Matthew D’Augostine, 6-0, 6-0, in the semifinals, before ending Arp’s undefeated season in the final.

“It was my first time, but I have played in a lot of tournaments, so I was getting used to playing with the nervousness,” Mallaiah said.

After his triumph, Mallaiah celebrated with his brother, Praneel Mallaiah, the winner of three District 2 Class 3A Singles Championships and last year’s winner.

“It is nice to see him develop as a player since Day 1,” Praneel said after watching from the observation deck. “Every day when we practiced together, I knew that he was one of the most competitive people I have ever seen.

“I am just happy to see him continue the legacy that we have as a family. He brings everything to the table, and he had no holes in his game today.”

Arp, the runner-up last year and a semifinalist as a freshman, started his afternoon with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Wyoming Valley West’s Gadgidas Reisinger, 6-1, 6-0. He lost only two games in his three victories in the tournament.

“I was really happy, but it is always tough having to play your teammate,” Arp said. “He is somebody who you are rooting for all season long. He played amazingly today. Obviously, his skill set was amazing, but his focus was incredible.

“I think that I played great in this match, but Prayush is just amazing. In the semifinal, I played well in that match, too.”

Like Mallaiah, Hall played with poise and confidence. His snapping forehand and explosive service game were too much for his opponents throughout the tournament.

He had two wins in straight sets Thursday, dropping only two games. Hall defeated Holy Cross’ No. 2 singles player Ray Zhang, 6-3, 6-2, before earning the gold with his victory over Harrison.

It was a rematch of the No. 1 singles clash during the District 2 team tournament. Hall led that match, 6-0, 4-1, before being halted once the team title was secured.

“I was serving pretty well, and also, how I was able to come into the net more and shorten the points was able to work,” Hall said. “I always prefer playing someone the second time as opposed to the first. I can see a plan.”

Harrison, whose only loss this season before the tournament came against Mallaiah, earned his shot at Hall by beating Wyoming Seminary’s No. 2 player, Dhruv Sudhaker, 6-4, 6-4. It was part of Harrison’s three straight-set wins in the two days.

“Overall, I played well for the most part,” Harrison said. “I am proud of myself for being able to reach the finals this season.”

District 2 Singles ChampionshipsClass 3A

Semifinals

1-Prayush Mallaiah (Abington Heights) over 5-Matthew D’Augostine (West Scranton), 6-0, 6-0. 2-William Arp (Abington Heights) over 3-Gadgidas Reisinger (Wyoming Valley West), 6-1, 6-0.

Final

1-Mallaiah (Abington Heights) over 2-Arp, 6-1, 6-0.

Class 2A

Semifinals

1-Billy Hall (Wyoming Seminary) over 4-Ray Zhang (Holy Cross), 6-3, 6-2. 2-Alex Harrison (Holy Cross) over 6-Dhruv Sudhaker (Wyoming Seminary), 6-4, 6-4.

Final

1-Hall (Wyoming Seminary) over 2-Harrison (Holy Cross), 6-0, 6-1.

Michigan State football has extended an offer to a linebacker with interest from multiple big-time programs.

Tyson Washington of Springfield, Va. has picked up an offer from the Spartans. He posted on his social media X account on Thursday to announce the notable offer from Michigan State.

Washington is listed as a three-star prospect, with a recruiting rating of 87 in 247Sports' system. He is ranked as the No. 62 linebacker and No. 18 player from Virginia in 247Sports' rankings for the 2027 class.

Michigan State joins a long list of schools to extend an offer to Washington. According to 247Sports, he holds offer from nearly 20 schools, including the likes of Syracuse, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Clemson, Maryland, NC State, West Virginia, East Carolina, Marshall, USF, Costal Carolina, James Madison, UConn and Delaware State.

According to 247Sports, Washington has official visits lined up with Penn State, Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Wake Forest. Michigan State will need to find a way to navigate their way into getting an official visit to make up ground on those four power four schools that have the current advantage in Washington's recruitment.

#AGTG after an great conversation with @Bullough40 I am blessed to have Earned a offer to Michigan State!! @MSU_Football@coachtjay2002@OvertonDarryl@CoachOvertonJ@TAscensionpic.twitter.com/4orJCm1sUj

— Tyson Washington (@TWashington_7) May 7, 2026

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.

This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: MSU football offers 3-star LB Tyson Washington of Springfield, Va.

May 8—A year ago, Valley baseball went 7-11 and missed the WPIAL playoffs.

That was last year.

This year, the Vikings (14-5) bounced back to have one of the most accomplished regular seasons in Class 4A.

Now, the Section 3 co-champion with Indiana (8-2) is ready to begin what it hopes is a deep postseason run.

Valley will have to wait until May 18 to begin that journey. The WPIAL baseball playoff committee Friday awarded the Vikings the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye. They await the winner of Monday's matchup between No. 7 West Mifflin and No. 10 Ambridge

"I don't think you can measure the excitement level of the guys right now," said coach Jaron Minford, who saw his Vikings hand Class 3A No. 4 Freeport its first loss of the season by a 4-2 score Thursday afternoon.

"They are through the roof with so much energy to get the playoffs started. After last year when they didn't make it, they had something to prove. They set out to prove they belonged, and it is basically the same team as last year, so you can see the hard work they put in to get better paid off. They had goals in mind, and the playoffs were one of them. They are excited to be there, but now the work begins to achieve more of their goals. It won't be easy, as there are so many great teams wanting the same thing as we do. But the guys will be ready."

Indiana (15-4) and Elizabeth Forward (14-5) are the top two seeds in the Class 4A bracket.

Knoch (12-8) is the No. 8 seed and will face No. 9 Blackhawk (11-7) at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Pullman Park in Butler. The Knights, the third-place place team in Section 3 behind Indiana and Valley, will attempt to get back in the win column after a challenging slate of games against Pine-Richland, Montour and Ellwood City to close out the regular season.

There again is depth in the Class 5A field with several teams hoping to make a run.

Plum is squarely in the mix after a 17-3 regular season and a tie for second in Section 1 with Latrobe at 9-3.

The Mustangs are the No. 5 seed and will play close to home at 4 p.m. Tuesday. They will face No. 12 Upper St. Clair (9-8) at Gateway.

"To be honest, seeding doesn't really matter," Plum coach Carl Vollmer said. "We learned that last year. We were the No. 2 seed and lost (1-0) to (No. 15) Mars. It really comes down to who has good starting pitching. It's a matter of who is good that day, who executes and who makes the fewest mistakes.

"I feel we had another really good season. (Class) 5A is extremely difficult. There are many teams who could win this. It is tough to say if any one team is a heavy favorite."

Despite a sweep at the hands of Section 3 runner-up West Allegheny earlier this week, Fox Chapel (12-8) locked up fourth in the standings and will enter the Class 5A playoffs as the No. 15 seed. It takes on Section 1 champ Penn-Trafford (15-5) at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Plum.

In Class 3A, the four section champions are the top four seeds. Avonworth, Seton-LaSalle and Ellwood City are seeded No. 1 through No. 3.

Freeport, the Section 3 champion, is the No. 4 seed and will open the playoffs at 4 p.m. Tuesday close to home against No. 13 Quaker Valley (9-10) at Deer Lakes.

"We set a goal to be in the top four for the playoffs, and we are able to check off that box," Yellowjackets coach Ed Carr said. "Our previous goals were a section title and a spot in the playoffs. Every team, when you get into the playoffs, is good. Whether you have the perfect path is irrelevant. You have to win the games at hand and beat the best if you want to win it all."

Freeport and QV have some familiarity having scrimmaged each other in March.

The Yellowjackets averaged nine runs a game in the regular season and were undefeated through 17 games before their loss to Valley.

"I felt it was a necessary game for us to play. We saw their No. 1," Carr said. "It was just a really good baseball game. It was a coin-flip game right to the very end, and we had some good chances."

Burrell, third in Section 3 behind Freeport and Mt. Pleasant, is the 11th seed and will face No. 6 Mohawk (13-5) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Pullman Park in Butler.

Some of the Bucs' players know all about making a run as a double-digit seed. Burrell, the No. 14 seed in 2024, advanced to the semifinals and earned a spot in the PIAA playoffs.

Riverview came from the No. 6 seed last year to claim a spot in the PIAA Class 2A playoffs.

The Raiders hope for a similar run over the next few weeks to get past the semifinals and into the title game. They will get that chance starting as the No. 4 seed with a first-round matchup against No. 13 Frazier (9-9) at 6:30 p.m. Monday at West Mifflin.

The Raiders tied OLSH for second in Section 3 at 9-3 behind South Side. The teams split their section-finale series earlier this week.

Apollo-Ridge (11-8), fourth in Section 3, two games behind Riverview and OLSH, owns the No. 7 seed and will face No. 10 Shenango (11-8) at 7 p.m. Monday at Seneca Valley. The Vikings split a series with South Side in late March.

Leechburg (9-7) was yet another A-K Valley team to play winning baseball in the regular season, and the Blue Devils, runners-up to Western Beaver in Section 2-A, will enter the Class A playoffs as the No. 5 seed.

Leechburg, which lost a pair of close games to Burrell and Apollo-Ridge to cap the regular season, will face No. 12 Bishop Canevin (6-10) in the first round at 4 p.m. Monday at West Mifflin.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Where to watch Liverpool vs. Chelsea live stream, TV channel, start time for Premier League match originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Liverpool can secure Champions League football for next season with a win against Chelsea on Saturday as they welcome a struggling Blues side to Anfield.

Fourth in the Premier League table with 58 points - six clear of Bournemouth and seven above Brentford - the Reds will be assured of Champions League football if they beat Chelsea and the Cherries drop points at Fulham.

They take on a Chelsea side who are currently ninth in the table on a run of six consecutive league defeats.

The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match, kickoff times and the weekly schedule.

Liverpool vs. Chelsea live stream, TV channel

Here's how to watch this Premier League match in the U.S.:

TV channel: N/A
Live stream: Peacock

This match exclusively available to stream in English on Peacock.

Peacock features live coverage of NFL Sunday Night Football, the NBA, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Premier League soccer, Big Ten football and basketball, Notre Dame football, Big East and Big 12 basketball, PGA Tour golf, the Tour de France and more.

What time does Liverpool vs. Chelsea kick off?

This Premier League clash takes place at Anfield in Liverpool, England and kicks off on Saturday, May 9 at 12:30 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across the United States:

Premier League fixture schedule this week

All times Eastern.

Saturday, May 9

• Liverpool vs. Chelsea (7:30 a.m.)
• Brighton and Hove Albion vs. Wolves (10 a.m.)
• Fulham vs. Bournemouth (10 a.m.)
• Sunderland vs. Manchester United (10 a.m.)
• Manchester City vs. Brentford (12:30 p.m.)

Sunday, May 10

• Burnley vs. Aston Villa (9 a.m.)
• Crystal Palace vs. Everton (9 a.m.)
• Nottingham Forest vs. Newcastle United (9 a.m.)
• West Ham vs. Arsenal (10:30 a.m.)

Monday, May 11

• Tottenham vs. Leeds United (3 p.m.)

Wednesday, May 13

• Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace (3 p.m.)

Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland are set to solve one of the most heated rivalries in MMA history.

On Saturday, the UFC returns to Newark for UFC 328, headlined by a middleweight title fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland, and also featuring a flyweight title tilt between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira. It’s a main event filled with bad blood, and a co-main event showcasing the future of the flyweight division, but who will leave Newark with gold on Saturday?

Ahead of UFC 328, MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew and Alexander K. Lee preview Saturday’s main event matchup between Chimaev and Strickland and debate how this ranks among the nastiest rivalries in UFC history. Additionally, Jed and AK break down the electric co-main event matchup and discuss what it means for the division, dive into the rest of the undercard, answer fan questions, and more.

Catch the UFC 328 preview show video above. An audio-only version of the show can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

Packers could fill biggest remaining roster need with 3-time Pro Bowler originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Green Bay Packers addressed the edge rusher position at the start of Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft with the selection of Dani Dennis-Sutton.

Dennis-Sutton joins an edge rusher group led by Lukas Van Ness and, obviously, Micah Parsons when he returns from a torn ACL suffered in December last year. 2025 fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell is also still in the fold at the position.

Though Van Ness, Dennis-Sutton, and Sorrell could be solid contributors to the Packers' pass-rush in 2026 and take some pressure off Parsons, Green Bay has yet to effectively replace Rashan Gary, whom they traded to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason.

As a result, ESPN's Aaron Schatz still believes edge rusher is the most pressing need on the team's roster after the draft.

"What happens to the Packers' defense if Micah Parsons, who suffered a torn ACL in December, is not ready for Week 1? The other starting edge rusher is slated to be Lukas Van Ness, who had just 1.5 sacks in nine games last season. The top backups are fourth-round rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton and Barryn Sorrell, who had 1.5 sacks while playing 16% of the Packers' defensive snaps as a rookie last season. This is a team that really needs to explore the remaining free agents in the veteran edge rusher market," Schatz said.

Green Bay still has $18 million in cap space, and using some of that money on an experienced pass rusher to pair with Parsons would be a logical move by general manager Brian Gutekunst. Banking on Van Ness, who has been incredibly disappointing so far in his career, and two raw talents in Dennis-Sutton and Sorrell aren't great gambles for a Packers team that has Super Bowl aspirations in 2026.

That said, Green Bay's edge rusher solution could come in the form of a former No. 1 overall pick who has yet to find a new home in free agency after spending the 2025 season with the Cowboys.

Packers should sign Jadeveon Clowney to address biggest remaining need

Clowney quietly had a productive 2025 in a rotational role in Dallas. The three-time Pro Bowler tallied 8.5 sacks and 40 quarterback pressures in 227 pass-rushing snaps, and played nearly all of his snaps outside the tackle as a traditional edge rusher.

Pairing Parsons with a battle-tested veteran like Clowney would give the Packers' pass rush a spark, and with the 33-year-old being more suited in a complementary role, his presence would still open the door for Van Ness, Dennis-Sutton, and Sorrell to earn playing time.

Clowney would also be a fantastic fit in Jonathan Gannon's defense. Though Gannon's base scheme is a 3-4 defense, the new Packers defensive coordinator will also mix in other schemes, such as a 4-3. That bodes well for Clowney, who stated in an April interview that he has the ability to play in every defensive scheme.

"I have played in every scheme,” Clowney said in an interview with Click2Houston. "Ain’t no scheme I can’t play in, 3-4 to 4-3 to whatever damn scheme that you had. I think I’ve proved that I can play in them all and not just play in them, but also dominate in the schemes and do my job at a high level. I just came off a great season, looking forward to doing it again and continuing to prove to people and show the balance."

Overall, the Packers won't be able to elevate into one of the upper-echelon teams in the NFC if the pass rush is lackluster once again. Signing Clowney wouldn't be a blockbuster move, but the South Carolina product would bolster the edge rusher room and provide more sack production in 2026.

Just over a month remains until the next World Cup, and we’re entering alarming territory when it comes to injuries. And speaking of players who will miss the World Cup, here is the list of the 5 South Americans who won’t be there.

Rodrygo, one of the biggest absences

Brazil have been one of the hardest-hit national teams ahead of the World Cup, and one of the major absences is the Real Madrid forward.

On March 2, he suffered a meniscus tear, and it is now 100% confirmed that he will not be at the World Cup.

Joaquín Panichelli moved Scaloni

Another major absence will be the Racing Strasbourg forward, who suffered a torn cruciate ligament.

The player has already undergone surgery, and Scaloni, with tears in his eyes, ruled him out.

A sudden absence for Colombia

The most recent injury happened on May 4, when the Colombian had to be stretchered off while playing for Club América of Mexico.

The medical report confirmed an injury to the medial collateral ligament in his right knee and, according to Colombian media, he has already been ruled out of the World Cup.

A significant absence for Ancelotti

Another tough blow for Brazil has been the loss of the Real Madrid center-back, who was expected to partner Marquinhos in central defense.

However, he suffered a recurrence of his biceps femoris injury and will be out for 5 months.

A tough absence for Bielsa

The Palmeiras full-back suffered torn ligaments in his right ankle in the recent friendly between England and Uruguay.

His recovery is expected to take between 4 and 6 months, so Bielsa has already definitively ruled him out.

Those who are still doubtful...

Among those who are doubtful, there are 4 standout stars. Estevao has a serious muscle injury, and it is known that he will not be available for the group stage, but Ancelotti has not ruled him out yet.

De Arrascaeta suffered a fractured collarbone on April 30, and his presence is in doubt, as is that of Cuti Romero, who suffered a sprain to the collateral ligament in his right knee and is still recovering from it.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

A decade and a half ago, San Juan was one of the powers in 2A softball, winning three state championships over a stretch of six years.

Since then, however, the program dipped and has only been a mild threat in state tournaments — until now.

San Juan posted a 24-2 record during the regular season this spring, earning the No. 1 seed in the 2A state tournament. In the past two days, the Broncos have backed up that seed with three straight playoff wins, including a 5-3 win over Grand in the 2A semifinals on Friday afternoon to advance to Saturday’s 2A state championship.

San Juan will face No. 4 Enterprise at 1:30 p.m. at BYU, needing just one victory to capture its first state championship since 2013.

“San Juan was a dynasty for quite a while under Craig Swanson and Monte Lee and J.J. Squire and those guys. Then they moved to 3A and had some coaching changes, and kind of in disrepair for a while and taken us a bit to get back,” said Broncos coach Mike Bowers, who’s in his fifth year as head coach.

With a berth in the 2A title game on the line, San Juan jumped out fast against Grand, scoring four runs in the first inning, and extending the lead to 5-1 after two.

Grand chipped away, cutting the lead to 5-2 in the third inning and then 5-3 in the fifth against San Juan pitcher Ella Stearns, who exited after the fifth as she finished with five strikeouts.

Khatira Keith, a state champion wrestler for the Broncos earlier this school year, came on in relief over the last two innings and held Grand scoreless, including getting a pop out for the final out of the sixth inning with two runners in scoring position.

Even though Bowers said his team made some mistakes in the win, his players’ response after those hiccups was one of the keys to the win.

“The thing we’ve been pressuring the girls to do all year long is reset. Just reset, get onto the next play. Or do your job on offense, or do your job on defense. Just something bigger than yourself. That’s what we worked on. They did that well today,” said Bowers.

Madden Perkins, Kheirra Keith and Colee Crofts all drove in runs to lead the way offensively for San Juan.

While the Broncos only needed one win to advance to Saturday’s championship day, Enterprise had to grind out three wins to get there.

The Wolves rallied past Duchesne 13-2 in the morning, then rallied past South Sevier in the afternoon 12-9 before cruising past Grand 13-2 in the evening to advance to their fifth state championship game in the past six years.

Getting your first NFL jersey number has to be a special experience. It’s officially official — you’ve made it to the pros.

But getting assigned No. 42 as a wide receiver? Maybe not quite as cool.

That’s what happened to Steelers rookie return specialist and receiver Kaden Wetjen as Pittsburgh unveiled the uniform numbers of its 2026 rookie class on Friday.

While most of the players received standard numbers for their position — second-round receiver Germie Bernard will be No. 17, first-round tackle Max Iheanachor will be No. 71 — the fourth-rounder from Iowa received No. 42.

That’s a number typically associated with linebackers, safeties, and fullbacks, and the internet definitely noticed.

Wetjen seems well aware himself, and reassured fans later in the day that he won’t be wearing the number for too long.

“Don’t worry folks, we will have a new number for the szn Fs,” he captioned an Instagram story on his official account.

Currently, the Steelers offseason roster is at near-capacity with 89 players. More numbers will open up after cutdowns ahead of the regular season. Wetjen’s college No. 21 is currently assigned to running back Travis Homer.

Rookie minicamps are typically designed to introduce draft picks and undrafted free agents to NFL life, but now and then, they also become an opportunity for veterans searching for another chance. That’s exactly where former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush currently finds himself.

According to announcements from both the Minnesota Vikings and Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, Rush has been invited to participate in the Vikings’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. While the setting may seem unusual for a veteran with regular-season starting experience, the move makes plenty of sense for both sides.

Minnesota needs extra arms for practice reps, especially after failing to draft or sign a rookie quarterback following the 2026 NFL Draft. Rush, meanwhile, gets another opportunity to remind teams he can still provide value as an experienced backup.

Cooper Rush brings experience to Vikings minicamp as he seeks his new opportunity

Despite bouncing around in recent years, Rush is far from an unknown commodity. The 32-year-old has appeared in 42 regular-season games during his NFL career while making 16 starts. He compiled a decent and respectable 9-7 record along the way.

Most of that experience came during his lengthy stint with the Dallas Cowboys, where he spent seven seasons serving as one of the league’s more dependable reserve quarterbacks. Rush later joined the Ravens, though his stay in Baltimore proved short-lived.

The organization eventually released him after elevating Tyler Huntley into the primary backup role behind Lamar Jackson. Now, the veteran quarterback finds himself attempting to extend his NFL career yet again.

The Vikings are keeping their options open. They already have four quarterbacks on the roster, so this minicamp invite does not necessarily signal an imminent signing. Still, teams often use these workouts to evaluate veteran depth, leadership presence, and potential emergency options for later in the offseason.

The Vikings also invited veteran wide receiver Trenton Irwin and offensive lineman Brandon Walton to participate, further illustrating that rookie minicamp sometimes serves broader purposes than simply evaluating first-year players.

For Rush, however, this weekend carries extra significance. Opportunities can become increasingly difficult to find as quarterbacks move deeper into their thirties, particularly backups without long-term starting resumes. Still, experienced veterans who understand protections, timing, and how to stabilize a locker room can often linger around the league longer than expected. We'll see if such is true for Rush.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Former Ravens QB Cooper Rush to participate in Vikings minicamp tryout

Former Philadelphia Eagles first-round draft pick Jalen Reagor is apparently still searching for another NFL opportunity.

According to reports, the Cleveland Browns recently brought Reagor in for a tryout as the former first-round selection attempts to continue what has become a winding professional football journey. At one point, Reagor was viewed as a foundational piece for the Eagles' offense.

Former Eagles first round pick, Jalen Reagor (83) in camp as a tryout player pic.twitter.com/Zls5TDkmwi

— Fred Greetham (@FredGreetham9) May 8, 2026

Taylen Green to Jalen Reagor #Brownspic.twitter.com/55QPqvD67Z

— Dan Labbe (@dan_labbe) May 8, 2026

Philadelphia selected him with the 21st overall pick during the 2020 NFL Draft, hoping his explosiveness, speed, and return ability would add another dynamic layer to the offense. Instead, his tenure in Philadelphia quickly became one of the more heavily scrutinized draft decisions in recent franchise history.

Fair or unfair, much of that criticism stemmed from who came after him. The Eagles famously drafted Reagor one selection ahead of Justin Jefferson, a reality that followed him throughout his time in Philadelphia and intensified scrutiny surrounding every drop, missed opportunity, and inconsistent performance.

Jalen Reagor’s NFL journey takes yet another turn

Since leaving Philadelphia, Reagor has struggled to establish a long-term footing anywhere. He spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Chargers while attempting to revive his career as both a receiver and return specialist. While flashes of athleticism still appear occasionally, consistency has remained elusive.

That said, NFL teams continue giving him opportunities for a reason.

Reagor still possesses traits organizations covet. He remains explosive in space, offers versatility on special teams, and has enough raw speed to stress defenses vertically. For teams looking to add competition at the bottom of the roster, taking a low-risk look at a former first-round talent often makes sense.

For Cleveland, the tryout represents little risk and possible upside. The Browns continue searching for offensive playmakers and wide receiver depth, particularly players capable of contributing in multiple phases.

Reagor’s return ability alone could make him intriguing enough to warrant a closer look during camp competition. Whether anything ultimately develops from the tryout remains unclear.

Still, the fact that Reagor continues receiving opportunities speaks to both the league’s belief in his athletic talent and the difficult reality of first-round expectations. Sometimes careers don’t unfold the way anyone initially imagined, but as long as teams keep making calls, the opportunity for redemption remains alive.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Former Eagles first-round pick lands tryout with the Browns

Why Satou Sabally isn't playing tonight for Liberty with injury news originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Liberty sure didn't look shorthanded in a dominant quarter to start the season.

But not only are they missing Sabrina Ionescu due to injury. They're also without new addition Satou Sabally.

The multi-dimensional Sabally is coming to town for her seventh WNBA season.

She spent her first five years with the Dallas Wings, then 2025 with the Phoenix Mercury.

Last season, Sabally averaged 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Now, the high-powered Liberty have her, but she's not playing yet.

MORE: This season is different for Veronica Burton

Why isn't Satou Sabally playing tonight?

Sabally is out due to a "cyst," according to Madeline Kenney of the New York Post.

She's been called day-to-day by the Liberty.

It's not yet clear if Sabally will travel on the road trip ahead, according to Kenney.

It certainly doesn't sound like a comfortable injury, and it seems like one of those that won't be too much of a sure thing until Sabally actually returns to the practice court.

Before then, the Liberty will just keep getting it done with the rest of their high-powered roster.

MORE: Watch out for Dominique Malonga in her second WNBA season

The Baltimore Ravens entered the offseason desperate to upgrade their pass rush. We all know how that worked out, don't we? For a brief moment, it appeared they might land one of the NFL’s premier defensive stars in Maxx Crosby, but what's that saying? Not everything turns out how most think it should. That blockbuster pursuit ultimately collapsed. Baltimore pivoted quickly, however, signing veteran edge rusher Trey Hendrickson instead and giving new head coach Jesse Minter the disruptive presence this defense badly needed off the edge.

At the time, the move was viewed as both aggressive and necessary after the Ravens struggled to consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks last season. Apparently, though, Baltimore wasn't the only team trying to secure Hendrickson’s services.

The Buccaneers pushed hard for Trey Hendrickson

During a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht openly discussed how close his organization came to stealing Hendrickson away before he ultimately signed with the Ravens.

"We were in on Trey Hendrickson a little bit..

Maybe it worked in our favor now getting Rueben Bain" ~ @jasonrlicht#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/YXWnNRmvwO

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 5, 2026

“Hendrickson being signed by the Ravens, we were in on that a little bit. (We) felt a little bit dejected at first, but now, maybe it worked in our favor. That statement alone speaks volumes.

Licht is obviously referencing his Buccaneers eventually landing Rueben Bain. Baltimore went on to draft Zion Young during the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, so maybe everything worked out for the best. Everyone got their pass rusher.

Hendrickson was one of the most coveted pass rushers available this offseason, and it’s easy to understand why. Since joining the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021, he has consistently terrorized quarterbacks while producing double-digit sack totals in nearly every season. Even in campaigns where the numbers dipped slightly, his impact remained obvious.

The Ravens found what they were looking for

For Ravens fans, the story only reinforces how significant Hendrickson's signing may become. After the failed Crosby pursuit generated criticism and outside skepticism, Baltimore could easily have entered the season still searching for answers, on the edge. Instead, they secured one of football's most productive pass rushers and added him to a defense now being reshaped by Jesse Minter.

Perhaps the most fascinating part of Hendrickson's decision is that he willingly chose to remain in the AFC North to play for a Bengals rival after spending the previous five seasons with Cincinnati. Most veterans eventually welcome the opportunity to escape familiar divisional battles. Hendrickson embraced them again. There are legitimate questions surrounding age, as he turns 32 later this year. Baltimore, however, is clearly betting that his motor, technique, and relentless approach will age well. If that gamble pays off, the Ravens may eventually look back at this offseason and realize they didn't just recover from missing on Maxx Crosby. They may have landed the perfect alternative before another contender could pull him away.

Licht later softened the disappointment by pointing toward Tampa Bay's excitement surrounding rookie pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr., but the initial reaction revealed just how seriously the Buccaneers pursued Hendrickson before Baltimore closed the deal. In the end, Tampa Bay's disappointment may serve as Baltimore's reassurance. The Ravens didn't just win a bidding war for Trey Hendrickson. They may have secured the final piece needed to restore the edge and physical identity that has long defined Ravens football.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Jason Licht admits the Bucs wanted Trey Hendrickson badly

PHOENIX — Even with the Phoenix Suns eliminated from the playoffs, Devin Booker remains part of the NBA postseason conversation — and part of the debate surrounding officiating and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

During the series against the reigning champions, Booker expressed rare frustration over how the games were being called, especially when discussing Thunder guard Alex Caruso influencing a technical foul against him in Game 2. The comments drew mixed reactions from NBA fans, with some agreeing with the All-Star while others dismissed the remarks as frustration from a star player on a losing team.

But as Oklahoma City takes a 2-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Lakers, some of those conversations have resurfaced.

Apr 27, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) defends against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) in the first half during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

NBA fans online have pointed to similarities between the Suns-Thunder series and the Lakers’ current struggles, including physical defense, free-throw disparities and inconsistent foul calls. The renewed discussion has led many to revisit Booker’s earlier comments, with some now saying the Suns guard “deserves an apology” for being heavily criticized.

Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; NBA referee James Williams talks to Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) in the second half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Booker’s frustration became a flashpoint during Phoenix’s elimination, but now, with the Lakers facing the same problems — that led to a meeting with officials on the court at the end of Game 2 — public sentiment has shifted. Phoenix being at the center of another series, especially one the club has no play in, reflects the level of frustration the overall fanbase is feeling with officials and the league — not just feelings in the Valley.

Clips comparing possessions from the Phoenix-Oklahoma City series showcased questionable calls or “no calls” that have fueled arguments that the Suns may have identified issues others are only now beginning to acknowledge.

Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) drives between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) and center Chet Holmgren (7) in the first half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Still, the discussion surrounding officiating has become impossible to ignore. Booker’s comments, once pushed aside by fans, are now being viewed in a different light.

*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, and exclusive content. SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*

Wendy Lopez is a reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow her on her X account, @wlopezde

The Arizona Cardinals opened rookie minicamp on Friday with 16 players. They had their seven draft picks, seven undrafted rookie free agents they signed and also two players who were on the roster last season.

They announced the uniforms for their seven draft picks. The undrafted rookies also got their uniforms.

Here are their numbers.

Cardinals UDFA uniform numbers

• CB Elijah Culp: No. 26
• TE Jameson Geers: No. 46
• OL Ka'ena De Cambra: No. 62
• OLB Cameron Robertson: No. 49
• WR Harrison Wallace III: No. 30
• DL Damonic Williams: No. 96
• S Wydett Williams Jr.: No. 31

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals UDFA uniform numbers released

May 8—MITCHELL — Tyson Johnson knows his way around the wrestling mat.

His career at Dakota Wesleyan University features many highlights, including a 2024 NAIA National Championship qualification, a 2024 GPAC All-Conference Honorable Mention, and a true-second place finish at the GPAC Championships. Competing primarily at 157 and 149 pounds, Johnson is known for his comeback ability and major decision wins in duals.

He enjoys the competition of the sport, and it has rewarded him in many ways over the years. But among the lessons wrestling has taught him is an unexpected one — the idea that his competitive outlet could be a path to a teaching career.

"A lot of it had to do with my coaches in high school, the impact that they made on me growing up into high school, making me a better person and knowing that those relationships are there and how powerful they are," Johnson told the Mitchell Republic. "And I wanted to be that for somebody else."

Johnson will soon have his chance to be that inspiration as he prepares to graduate this Sunday, May 10 at the Corn Palace, the last step on his way to becoming a teacher in his hometown of Pierre.

Johnson, who graduated in 2021 from T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre, grew up used to the rural South Dakota environment and its outdoor activity trappings. It was a close-knit community in every sense of the word, he said, with teachers, coaches and students all sharing a friendly familiarity.

As a wrestler, he gravitated toward a mentor, Dusty Paulsen, a volunteer with the program who had wrestled for Dakota Wesleyan University in his college days. He was curious if Johnson had ever thought about taking his wrestling to the college level.

"He kind of took me under my wing my freshman year that summer and we trained all throughout high school. He asked me if I'd ever want to wrestle in college. And he knew the coach (at DWU) and I told him that I'd probably be interested in doing it," Johnson said.

A college program like Dakota Wesleyan could help take his performance on the mat up a step, but it could also open the door to a future career. With his passion for wrestling, finding a coaching position made a lot of sense. That led him to selecting education as a major, a choice that would take him back to the classroom as a teacher with a chance at picking up some coaching work at the same time.

Dakota Wesleyan and its program fit the bill for what he needed in a college education.

"Between all my other options, it's pretty much either go to (South Dakota State University) and be a number or come wrestle at DWU and have those relationships with your professors," Johnson said.

He chose Mitchell and that connection with his professors, and he soon found himself on campus as a freshman. With coaching one of his end goals, he entered the education department at Dakota Wesleyan, beginning his studies while simultaneously competing for the school in wrestling.

It was a lot of work, but it was fulfilling. He responded well to the small class sizes at Dakota Wesleyan, noting they weren't that much bigger than his classes in high school in Pierre. That allowed him to capture one-on-one time with his instructors while also being able to concentrate on his technique with his coaches on the wrestling mat.

His interest in education became even stronger during his sophomore year, when he began working with Mindy Childs, an education professor at the school. It was then that his future in education began to come into deeper focus.

"She is very structured and has everything set forward, so ...you know exactly what you're getting every single day," Johnson said. "I probably wasn't the best student before that. But then I kind of had to lock in a little bit and really grew as a student."

It was around this time that he took Child's foundations of special education class, and something clicked. He had a close friend growing up that had suffered a traumatic brain injury in his youth, and he had been friendly with another student with special needs at his high school. He said he previously hadn't thought much about the kind of work that goes on in a special education classroom, but he was starting to see.

The class made him realize that special education could be a way to make the same impact on others that his teachers and coaches had been for him.

"I've got a lot of experience with this. Maybe this is for me," Johnson said.

He decided it was. He switched his major specifically to special education during his sophomore year. It was a bit of a late change — it would require him to take a fifth year — but the inspiration had struck. He ended up redshirting in wrestling during what would have been his senior year, allowing him to wrestle for a fifth year while pursuing his degree.

It all worked out in the end. After five years of academic studies and athletic practices, he is ready to complete graduation and head out for his first full-time professional teaching job.

He did his student teaching in the Mitchell School District, making stops at Mitchell High School, Mitchell Middle School and Longfellow Elementary. He also served on the district's substitute list as part of his studies. All of it contributed to his readiness to take up a position at the front of the classroom.

As graduation approached, he secured a teaching position in Miller and was ready to take his talents to that district. But again, a chance conversation with some of his former high school coaches alerted him to a position opening up in the Pierre district.

With family and old friends already there, and with his girlfriend, a Mitchell Technical College student who is set to work in Pierre as well, the chance to work in his old hometown seemed too good to pass up. There was even the possibility of joining the wrestling coaching staff in some capacity.

"Pierre is kind of a town that you don't really ever leave. Most graduates come back. It feels like home," Johnson said.

As Johnson gets ready to return to Pierre following Sunday's graduation, he has thought back on the lessons learned in Mitchell, particularly at Dakota Wesleyan. He looks back fondly at his time wrestling as a Tiger, and said his focus and dedication to the sport has revealed truths he never fully expected.

He learned to not become too involved in winning or losing during competitions. Self-improvement, discipline and performing the best you can under challenging circumstances are just as important as having your hand raised at the end of a match, he said.

His coaches brought him around to that way of thinking, he said.

"Definitely a very important lesson that I've taken is just kind of helping change the mindset that wrestling is this scary thing. It's a lot of pressure. But there's more to life than (just winning or losing in) wrestling. I didn't do it the best. (I've been) wrestling for 20-something years of my life, and it's kind of just always been that way. It's kind of a new thing that wrestling can be fun," Johnson said. "So (I would like) to be able to enact that in a youth program, a middle school program, and hopefully eventually the high school. I think it's probably one of the best lessons you could learn as a wrestler."

And he doesn't mince words when talking about the positive experience and thoughtful guidance he has received on the academic side. He feels Dakota Wesleyan wasn't just the best choice for him, it was the only choice.

"I couldn't say enough good things about it. They know you as a person, not just as a number or whatever else you want to call it. If I would have gone somewhere else, I probably would have honestly dropped out," Johnson said.

He's taking the supportive nature and the in-depth lessons of his coaches and professors at Dakota Wesleyan, pocketing them and preparing to draw on them in his new role as a special education teacher in Pierre. It's a nervous but exciting time for Johnson, but he's looking forward to sharing the lessons he's learned and passing them on to the next generation.

"In the grand scheme of things, school isn't to teach you how much you know about science or how much you know about math. It's to teach you to think critically. It's about seeing a problem in front of you and trying to figure out how to solve that problem," Johnson said. "You're going to see a lot of that in life."

Dakota Wesleyan University's graduation ceremony will take place Sunday, May 10 at the Corn Palace. The event is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. The event will also be livestreamed by DWU at

www.dwu.edu/live.

The Kansas City Chiefs never waste a spot on their offseason roster, and with training camp just a few months away, the team is taking a close look at every player it currently has under contract.

Among the most promising rookies that Kansas City acquired after the 2026 NFL Draft was former Wyoming Cowboys tight end John Michael Gyllenborg — a local prospect who attended Rockhurst High School and turned heads with his productive tenure in Laramie.

In four seasons with the Cowboys, Gyllenborg racked up more than 1,000 receiving yards on 80 total receptions and caught seven touchdown passes.

The Chiefs highlighted Gyllenborg as a prospect to watch in a video that was posted to the team's official Twitter account on May 8:

Learn more about recent UDFA signee John Michael Gyllenborg, a tight end from the KC area. pic.twitter.com/JBxlZOc9Q5

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) May 8, 2026

While it remains to be seen if Gyllenborg will become the heir to Travis Kelce's throne as Kansas City's starting tight end, the Chiefs' coaching staff is sure to be enthused by the athletic pass-catcher's upside.

This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs rumors: Local UDFA TE could be KC's next superstar pass-catcher

May 8—SIOUX CITY, Iowa. — Dakota Wesleyan University's Allison Meyerink earned Great Plains Athletic Conference women's golf player of the year honors for the second time is as many seasons, the league office announced on Friday.

As the conference player of the year, Meyerink, ranked 80th nationally, also headlines the all-GPAC first team. Meyerink, a sophomore and Mitchell native, gained the same recognition in 2025 as a true freshman. The all-conference team is voted on by the GPAC coaches at the conclusion of the season and considers the entire season of results.

This season, Meyerink collected six event victories as an individual, headlined by her second consecutive GPAC tournament title, for which she was named captain of the all-tournament team. She was picked for the conference golfer of the week award four times.

Meyerink will compete in the 2026 NAIA women's golf national championships starting on Tuesday, May 19, in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Sara Sudenga, a junior for the Tigers, also grabbed a place on the all-GPAC first team, marking her third overall all-conference honor. The Sioux Falls native's season included a second-place finish at the DWU Spring Invitational, and she finished ranked in the top-250 nationally.

Dakotah Larson, a sophomore from Hartford, was picked as an all-conference honorable mention for DWU.

Morningside's Macy Button was selected as the newcomer of the year, and Mustang coach Nick Wanderscheid was named coach of the year.

A pair of DWU men's golfers — senior Peyton Bettcher and sophomore Dakota Munger — landed on the all-Great Plains Athletic Conference second team, the league office announced Wednesday.

Bettcher capped his season with a third-place individual finish at the GPAC championship meet, earning all-tournament honors last month, as well. Munger's spring was highlighted by a second-place finish at the DWU Spring Invitational hosted at Lakeview Golf Course.

Ben Wilber, a freshman product of Hanson High School, was tabbed as an honorable mention all-conference pick for the Tigers.

Hastings' Henry Kosmicki was named the GPAC men's golf player of the year, while the Broncos' coaching duo of Gabe Escalera and Skyler Good were picked as the coaches of the year. Max Nielsen, also of Hastings, earned the captain spot on the all-tournament team as the individual medalist.

Morningside's Dylan Welford was selected for the newcomer of the year award.

May 8—SALEM, S.D. — McCook Central/Montrose is on the rise in the Class B softball standings.

It's been a steady climb for the Fighting Cougars, who are now in their third year as a program and own the best win percentage of any Class B squad with an 11-2 start to the season.

MCM's progress was tested Thursday with a road game at Hanson, another top team in Class B. Though the Fighting Cougars fell behind 10-5 entering the sixth inning, a massive rally catapulted them to a 17-10 victory.

It was the first time in the program's brief history that MCM beat Hanson, having lost each of the first two seasons by a combined score of 27-8. The result also vaulted MCM into the No. 2 slot in the Class B seed-point standings, behind only perennial power Castlewood.

"This is an amazing win for us, and it gives us a lot of confidence going forward," said senior infielder Ashtyn DeKnikker. "This whole season so far has been very rewarding."

"Winning that game was huge for us, especially coming from behind," added coach Nick Morrison. "We're moving up (the standings), and that's a good thing. We've been trying to make the leap, so hopefully we can take this and go forward. It's a confidence builder, 100%."

MCM didn't field a team in 2022-23, the first year the South Dakota High School Activities Association offered softball under its purview. A year behind many of their peer programs to start, the Fighting Cougars went 6-9 during their first season in 2023-24, then improved to 13-10 last year.

Clearly making another huge stride, their only setbacks so far this season came by one run each, first against Baltic in the season opener and more recently against a Sioux Valley squad that is 13-3 and No. 4 in Class A.

"Coming from where we started two years ago to now is crazy," said senior pitcher/outfielder Zaidee Huls. "It just feels great."

Key to the program's rapid growth has been a high degree of roster continuity. MCM had four seniors during its first season as a program, but last year the Fighting Cougars didn't have a single one. All but one player from the 2025 varsity roster is back in the fold for 2026, including six upperclassmen. Those circumstances have created a strong bond between the Fighting Cougars, one that they feel shows up on game days.

"We're always having fun, but then when it's time to get ready and play, we're serious about it," Huls said. "We just need to keep with what we're doing right now, staying consistent and always being there for each other, even when we're down."

Leaning on their experience, the Fighting Cougars are solid in all phases. Offensively, they score 12.6 runs per game, the second-most in Class B. On Thursday against the Beavers, MCM racked up 16 hits during its 17-run outburst. Meanwhile, MCM limits opponents to a class-low 3.4 runs per game. Six times this season, the Fighting Cougars have allowed two or fewer runs.

"We just want to go out and play, have some fun and focus on helping each other out," Morrison said.

MCM's primary aim is to qualify for the Class B state tournament for the first time. Last season, they were the No. 12 seed and fell 4-1 to Florence/Henry in the SoDak 16. In line for a top seed this time around, the Fighting Cougars feel this team is the one poised to make that breakthrough.

"Our No. 1 goal is to go to state, and winning games one at a time is all it's about," DeKnikker said. "We know we can do it because of games like (Hanson). We know how to pick each other up and stay confident when we get down and face those tough situations."

Draymond Green likes to take verbal shots at others, often those who don’t give as good as they get.

That has not been the case with Charles Barkley.

The tough-talking Green filled in for Shaquille O’Neal on Wednesday night on Inside the NBA. Before Game 2 between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks, the show discussed Green’s NBA future, with Barkley chiming in to bluntly state the Golden State Warriors’ run as a title contender is over.

“It’s over for the Warriors,” Barkley said. “No disrespect. It is for every old team. You have your run, you get old … it just passed you by. Y’all had one of the greatest runs ever.”

Green took that personally and zinged the Hall of Famer.

“I think the goal is just to not look like you in the Houston Rockets uniform,” Green said, referring to the end of Barkley’s career. “Is ultimately the goal for us.”

Things were awkward between the two, as well as Green and the rest of the studio, for the remainder of the evening.

Barkley made the media rounds on Friday morning, joining Dan Bickley and Vince Marotta on their Arizona Sports 98.7 morning show, brushing off the joke and saying he has no problem comparing his career to Green’s.

“I never punch down. Draymond’s a good player. We’re not on the same level,” Barkley said. “I can hear it, but I don’t have to respond every time somebody says something about me. Draymond’s a really good player; he’s had a hell of a career, but we’re not on the same level.”

Later, he joined The Dan Patrick Show, where he reiterated that he doesn’t take it personally, though he made sure to zing Green and the Warriors a bit more to drive his point home.

“If Golden State was relevant, he wouldn’t be in the studio with me!”

– Charles Barkley on Draymond Green pic.twitter.com/ajyOjQQwEX

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 8, 2026

“He took a shot at me but I don’t get offended because—I’ve said things about guys, they took personal shots at me,” Barkley said. “You know it’s so funny, last time you had me on the show, I told you I regretted those Rocket years, especially the last two where I sucked as a player. But I wasn’t turning down no free money, I had two years left on my contract.

“… The Warriors haven’t been relevant for three or four years. They been in the play-in. When you’re in the play-in, you’re not in the playoffs. … The play-in is something they just made up to add more games to put on a different network. The Warriors have been in the play-in I think four straight years. So they been irrelevant. And I know he don’t want to say it. … If Golden State was relevant, he wouldn’t be in the studio with me!”

Game. Set. Match.

Green has built quite a reputation for himself, fair or not. And if he’s going to take shots at media members while preparing for a post-playing career in that field, that reputation might cost him.

The post Charles Barkley: ‘If Golden State was relevant, [Draymond Green] wouldn’t be in the studio with me’ appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Ilona Maher has a hot take on the condom shortage that took place at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Maher, who competed for Team USA in women's rugby sevens at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Olympics, took to Instagram May 7 to "dispel the rumors," telling viewers that she suspected "a lot" of the rubbers were used as keepsakes.

"These past Winter Olympics, there was a rumor that over 10,000 condoms were used," Maher said in the clip. "Now, some were probably used for that purpose, uh, but I'm here to tell you a lot of them were used as souvenirs."

Madagascar alpine skier Mialitiana Clerc offered a similar theory in February, telling USA TODAY Sports that she doesn’t believe they’re all just being used. 

"When I went to the Olympics, I went and grabbed a handful and now I have them forever," Maher said. "I was on my bedside table the other day, I found a condom from Tokyo. How cool is that?"

A week before the Games were set to conclude, event organizers confirmed that condoms were restocked in the Olympic Villages in Milano Cortina following a shortage.

USA TODAY's Women of the Year: Meet Olympian Ilona Maher

The International Olympic Committee later confirmed the supply was depleted "due to higher-than-anticipated demand” and condoms were to be "continuously replenished until the end of the Games to ensure continued availability."

"So that's really the reason, guys. OK. They were probably doing a little bit in there, but these are just around for us," Maher added.

How many condoms were given out?

According to previous USA TODAY reporting, initially, only 10,000 condoms were distributed to athletes.

"I think 10,000 (condoms) have been used. So, 2,800 athletes, you can go figure, as they say," IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said.

The figure pales in comparison to the 300,000 condoms provided for the 2024 Paris Olympics; however, there were thousands more athletes for the Summer Games.

It’s been a decades-long practice to distribute free condoms to athletes in the Olympic villages, drawing public interest at every Games since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ilona Maher explains how Olympians may have ran through 10K condoms

Cernum Biosciences is a peptide ecommerce brand focused on quality, transparency, and consistency. The company offers a growing selection of peptides including GHK-Cu, BPC-157, TB500, CJC & Ipamorelin blends, Retatrutide, NAD+, AOD, Semax, Selank, and MT2, with an emphasis on verified standards and a trustworthy customer experience.

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BlazeHive is an AI SEO agent that turns a single URL into a daily stream of search-optimized pages. It researches keywords, writes humanized content with custom diagrams, validates SEO, and publishes automatically to your CMS. Use it to rank on Google and get cited by AI answer engines while avoiding agency costs. It integrates with WordPress, Ghost, Strapi, Webflow, Framer, Contentful, and Storyblok, delivering enterprise-level output for a fraction of the price.

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PostMine turns social media discussions into a full content pack in seconds. With a Chrome extension, you can right-click any post on LinkedIn, Reddit, Facebook, and more to capture it. Then AI generates seven platform-ready pieces in your brand voice. You can schedule to a built-in content calendar, run bulk capture, and get AI reply suggestions. Use the included PostMine AI or plug in your own API key, and scale with team seats, white-label output, and priority support.

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Three companies reportedly pressed US senators for changes to a crypto bill, removing language that would require them to offer trading on tokens “not readily susceptible to manipulation.”

DJI unveiled the Osmo Pocket 4 last month, but for some reason the company didn't also launch the much-rumored Pro version at the same time. The Osmo Pocket 4P (DJI really hates the word "Pro" these days) is still coming, however. And it will be launching internationally very soon. That's obvious from the fact that DJI has now published a teaser video for the Osmo Pocket 4P on its global YouTube channel. Not only does this show us the device from a few angles, it also confirms its much-rumored key selling point: the addition of a second camera. And that one is, as you may have...

The connection between these players keeps growing, as they are among the most talented to emerge in years. Lionel Messi has always praised the Barcelona star whenever he gets the chance, and this time he chose Lamine Yamal as the player who looks the most like him during an Adidas event.

Messi said: “There’s a new generation of players that’s very good and has many years ahead, but if I have to choose one for his age, for what he has done so far and for the future he could have, it’s Yamal. There’s no doubt, he’s the best.”

Even if these two have not faced each other on the field since the cancellation of the Finalissima, the respect between them is clear as Messi has consistently supported Barcelona’s young heir.

Messi compared to Yamal

Longevity may be a major advantage for Messi, since he is still making a difference 20 years after his debut. But the comparison goes the other way when you look at the start of their careers, where Yamal has been far more productive early on.

Yamal turns 19 in July, but he will not play another match for Barcelona before then, so his current club record stands at 151 appearances and 49 goals. He was also last year’s Ballon d’Or runner-up.

Messi was expected to be great from a young age, but he did not become a regular first-team player until the 2006-07 season, after his 19th birthday. At the same age Yamal is now, Messi had played 34 matches and scored nine goals.

More differences with their respective countries

The gap in club appearances is significant, but it is even larger at international level. Yamal was called up to Spain’s senior team at 16 years and 50 days, and even in a very strong national side he became decisive in their 2024 European Championship title run. Messi was part of Argentina’s 2006 World Cup squad as a substitute, and had played six matches at age 19.

Final preparations are being made for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will begin in just over a month, and more details about the tournament plans are gradually emerging. Since this will be the first edition of the competition hosted by three countries — Mexico, Canada, and the United States — it will feature several unique elements compared to previous tournaments.

“FIFA are planning to hold opening ceremonies at each of the first games of the World Cup featuring host nations this summer, as well as special ceremonies to mark America’s 250th anniversary at games in Houston and Philadelphia on July 4,” journalist Adam Crafton reported Friday in The Athletic.

The first match of the World Cup will take place on Thursday, June 11, at Estadio Azteca, where Mexico and South Africa will open Group A. “This will feature performances from the multi-Grammy-award winning Mexican rock band Mana, as well as popstar Alejandro Fernandez and singer Belinda,” the report states. Los Angeles Azules and Tyla are also reportedly expected to participate.

One day later, Group B action will begin at BMO Field in Toronto, where Canada will face Bosnia and Herzegovina. The hosts are also expected to have their own pregame show. According to The Athletic, Canadian singers Michael Buble, Alanis Morissette, and Alessia Cara are among the stars set to perform at the event.

The United States to host multiple special events

Like Mexico and Canada, the United States will also have its own opening ceremony when the USMNT make their World Cup debut against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, June 12.

“Katy Perry is lined up as the headliner. Other American talent signed up by FIFA includes the rapper Future, as well as Bangladeshi-American Sanjoy, who is a Los Angeles-based DJ,” Adam Crafton reported. In addition, South Korean girl group Blackpink and Paraguayan artist Marilina Bogado have also reportedly been hired by FIFA.

But that will not be the only special occasion for the United States. During the World Cup, the country will also celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Because of that, the matches played on July 4 will include special celebrations, although few details have been revealed so far.

The teams participating in those two matches have not yet been determined, since both games belong to the Round of 16. The first will take place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and could feature France and Germany if both teams finish first in their groups and then advance through the Round of 32, although there is also a chance the USMNT could be involved. The other match will be held at NRG Stadium in Houston, with Mexico, Canada, Brazil, and the Netherlands among the potential participants.

After a career-best win against Junto Nakatani, is already being linked to a host of names, but he has been warned that he will be ‘slain’ on home turf if he accepts a clash with one rumoured dance partner. Inoue landed the cleaner work in a unanimous decision triumph against ‘The Big Bang’ earlier this […]

The post Naoya Inoue warned he will be ‘slain’ in Japan by US pound for pound star: “We 100% want the fight” appeared first on Boxing News.

TFF Tahkim Kurulu, PFDK tarafından Fenerbahçeli kaleci Ederson'a verilen 3 maç men cezasını onadı.

Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu (TFF) Tahkim Kurulu, Profesyonel Futbol Disiplin Kurulu (PFDK) tarafından Fenerbahçeli kaleci Ederson'a verilen 3 maç men cezasını onadı.

Federasyondan yapılan açıklamaya göre Ederson'a ihraç sonrası müsabaka hakemine yönelik hakareti nedeniyle verilen çift sarı kart görmesi sebebiyle yer almaması gereken müsabaka dışındaki 3 maçlık cezanın yanı sıra çeşitli nedenlerden verilen toplam 480 bin lira para cezası da onandı.

Ayrıca kurul, Galatasaray'a farklı sebeplerden verilen toplam 700 bin lira para cezasının onanmasına karar verdi.

Trendyol 1. Lig'de ise Manisa FK'li futbolcu Yasin Güreler'e rakip takım futbolcusuna yönelik ciddi faulü nedeniyle verilen 2 maç men cezası onandı.

Kurul, Özbeyli Bandırmaspor Teknik Direktörü Mustafa Gürsel'e ihraç öncesi ve ihraç sonrası müsabaka hakemlerine yönelik hakaretleri sebebiyle verilen 3 resmi müsabakada soyunma odasına ve yedek kulübesine giriş yasağı ve 40 bin lira para cezasını onadı.

Amed Sportif Faaliyetler'e çeşitli ihlallerden dolayı verilen toplam 266 bin lira para cezası onanırken kulübe stada usulsüz seyirci alınması nedeniyle verilen 310 bin lira para cezasının 150 bin liraya düşürülmesine hükmedildi.

Okan Buruk'un yardımcıları 5. şampiyonluk ve Şampiyonlar Ligi'nde başarı için oyun kurabilen, ceza sahası dışından gol tehdidi olan, frikikleri iğne deliğinden geçirecek 10 numara alınmasının zorunluluk olduğu yönünde bir rapor hazırladı. Galatasaray için adeta Florian Wirtz, Brahim Díaz, Georginio Rutter ve Mohammed Kudus'dan oluşan "İmkansız Aşklar" listesi hazırladı.

Okan Buruk'un yardımcıları 2025-26 sezonun verilerini inceledi, Galatasaray'ın 5. şampiyonluk ve Şampiyonlar Liginde başarı yolunda en büyük eksiğini belirledi. Hem oyun kurabilen hem de ceza sahası dışından ciddi gol tehdidi olan, özellikle 9'da 0 çekilen sezonda frikikleri iğne deliğinden geçirecek bir 10 numara alınması yönünde rapor çıktı.

- Florian Wirtz (Liverpool): Oyun zekası "dahilik" seviyesinde. Raporda belirtilen "bitiricilik yüzdesi yüksek" kriteri için biçilmiş kaftan. Kaleciyle karşı karşıya pozisyonlarda bir forvet kadar sakin. Cepheden ortalarda ve savunma arkası paslarda %30'luk isabet oranını tek başına yukarı çeker.

- Brahim Díaz (Real Madrid): Dar alan becerisi çok yüksek. Antalyaspor veya Samsunspor gibi ceza sahasına gömülen takımları, adam eksilterek ve seri şutlarıyla dağıtabilecek bir profil. Hem 10 numarada hem de kanat forvet gibi 9.5 rolünde Osimhen'e en yakın oyuncu olur.

- Georginio Rutter (Brighton): Tam bir 9.5 numara ve fiziksel canavar. Osimhen ile çift forvetli sistemde veya forvet arkasında oynadığında, hızı ve gücüyle rakip stoperleri yıpratır. Sadece bir golcü değil, aynı zamanda ligin en çok "büyük şans" yaratan oyuncularından biri haline dönüşebilir.

- Mohammed Kudus (Tottenham): Patlayıcı gücü ve skorerliğinin yanı sıra kaleyi gördüğü anda çıkardığı sert şutlarla tanınır. Orta sahadan topu alıp rakipleri ipe dizerek ceza sahasına girmesi, "maçın sıkıştığı anlarda" aranan bireysel çözüm olur.

Bu listedeki "fırsat transferi" kategorisine en yakın isim Rutter. Real Madrid'in geniş kadrosunda süre bulmakta zorlandığı anlarda Brahim Diaz, Galatasaray'ın kendisine sunacağı projeye evet diyebilir. Kudus transferinde Galatasaray'ın araya girmesi için 50-60 milyon Euro bandında bir bonservis gerekebilir. Wirtz'in Türkiye'ye gelme ihtimali şu aşamada "hayal"in bile ötesinde. Ancak sarı-kırmızılı yönetim en iyisi için kafayı kırmış durunda.

Səudiyyə Ərəbistanı Kral Kubokunun finalında “Əl-Xolud” və “Əl-Hilal” komandaları üz-üzə gəlib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, oyun “Əl-Hilal”ın 2:1 hesablı qələbəsi ilə başa çatıb.

Matçın dördüncü dəqiqəsində Ramiro Enrike hesabı açaraq “Əl-Xolud”u irəli çıxarıb. 42-ci dəqiqədə Nasser Əl-Dovsari oyuna tarazlıq gətirib. İlk hissəyə əlavə olunan 2-ci dəqiqədə isə Teo Hernandez “Əl-Hilal”ın qələbə qolunu vurub.

İspaniya La Liqasının 35-ci turunda “Levante” “Osasuna”nı qəbul edib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, oyun meydan sahiblərinin 3:2 hesablı qələbəsi ilə başa çatıb.

Matçın 3-cü dəqiqəsində Ceremi Tolyan avtoqol müəllifi olub. 11-ci dəqiqədə Ante Budimir “Osasuna”nın ikinci qolunu vurub. 35-ci dəqiqədə Viktor Qarsiya hesab arasındakı fərqi azaldıb. 37-ci dəqiqədə Qarsiya həm özünün, həm də komandasının ikinci qolunu vurub. 90-cı dəqiqədə Etta Eyonq “Levante”nin qələbə qoluna imza atıb.

Bu qələbə ilə xallarını 36-ya çatdıran “Levante” turnir cədvəlinin 18-ci pilləsində qərarlaşlb. Aktivində 42 xalı olan “Osasuna” isə 10-cu sırada yer alıb.

İtaliya A Seriyasının XXXVI turu çərçivəsində “Torino” “Sassuolo”nu qəbul edib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, oyun meydan sahiblərinin 2-1 hesablı qələbəsi ilə başa çatıb.

Qolsuz bərabərliklə yekunlaşan ilk hissənin ardından ikinci 45 dəqiqədə qapılara 3 qol vurulub. Əvvəlcə qonaqlar 52-ci dəqiqədə Kristian Torstvedtin qolu ilə hesabda önə çıxıb. 66-cı dəqiqədə Covanni Simeone hesaba tarazlıq gətirib. 71-ci dəqiqədə fərqlənən Markus Pederse Turin təmsilçisinin qələbə qolunun müəllifi olub.

Bu qalibiyyətdən sonra xallarını 44-ə çatdıran “Torino” turnir cədvəlində 12-ci pilləyə yüksəlib. Aktivində 49 xalı olan “Sassuolo” isə 10-cu yerdə qərarlaşıb.

Fransa Liqa 1-in 33-cü turu çərçivəsində “Lans” “Nant”ı qəbul edib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, oyun meydan sahiblərinin minimal hesablı qələbəsi ilə başa çatıb (1:0).

“Lans”ın yeganə qolunu 79-cu dəqiqədə yarımmüdafiəçi Mezian Soareş vurub.

Hazırda 32 oyundan sonra “Lans” 67 xalla ikinci pillədə yer alıb. 1 oyun az keçirən PSJ isə 70 xalla turnir cədvəlinə başçılıq edir. Aktivində 23 xalı olan “Nant” 17-ci yerdə qərarlaşıb.

Almaniya Bundesliqasının XXXIII turu çərçivəsində “Borussiya Dortmund” “Ayntraxt Frankfurt”u qəbul edib.

Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, oyun meydan sahiblərinin 3:2 hesablı qələbəsi ilə başa çatıb.

Matçda hesabı qonaqlar açıb. Can Uzun 2-ci dəqiqədə komandasını önə çıxarıb. İlk hissənin sonlarında Seru Girassi hesaba tarazlıq gətirib. 45+1-ci dəqiqədə fərqlənən Niko Şlotterbek “Borussiya”ya üstünlük qazandırıb. 72-ci dəqiqədə Samuele İnasio hesab arasındakı fərqi iki topa yüksəldib. 87-ci dəqiqədə Conatan Burkard hesab “Ayntraxt”ın ikinci qolunu vurub və yekun hesabı müəyyənləşdirib.

Bu qələbə ilə “Borussiya” xallarının sayını 70-ə çatdırıb və mövsümün bitməsinə iki tur qalmış ən yaxın izləyicisi olan “Leypsiq”i 8 xal qabaqlayaraq gümüş medalı təmin edib. 

DENVER (AP) — The president and governor of the Denver Nuggets said Friday his faith in coach David Adelman remains strong despite the team's first-round flop in the playoffs but he indicated a roster overhaul could happen just as much as the team running it back largely intact.

“I have full faith in Coach Adelman,” Josh Kroenke said at a news conference at Ball Arena. “And I think he coached a hell of a season, all things considered.”

The Nuggets finished third in the Western Conference at 54-38, behind Oklahoma City and San Antonio. They took a 12-game winning streak into the playoffs but were bounced in six games by the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, who showed more toughness and tenacity.

The Nuggets were without Aaron Gordon (calf) for most of that series and Peyton Watson (hamstring) for all six games, continuing a season-long trend in which all their starters and most of their key reserves missed long stretches with injuries.

Counting the playoffs, Nuggets players missed 245 combined games last season.

While lamenting the injury epidemic, Kroenke said he liked the makeup of the team heading into the season and suggested he might just run it back with most of the same players in 2026-27.

But he also indicated that he'd consider trading anyone on the roster other than superstar Nikola Jokic as he tries to capitalize on the three-time MVP's remaining tenure in Denver.

Fellow All-Star Jamal Murray would draw the most interest and assets in return.

Jokic is eligible this summer to sign a four-year maximum contract extension projected to be worth up to $290 million, and he has indicated he aims to sign the deal.

The Nuggets went 10-6 during a stretch early in the season when Jokic was out, and Kroenke was asked if that helped solidify Adelman's job security.

“I think that that’s a real testament to what D.A. and the group did when Nikola went down,” Kroenke said. “I think that’s when D.A. and his staff really shined, some of the creative looks that they were doing with our lineups.”

A year ago, Adelman replaced Michael Malone late in the season and led the Nuggets to a first-round win over the Los Angeles Clippers before losing to Oklahoma City in seven games in Round 2. Afterward, the Nuggets hired Ben Tenzer as executive vice president of basketball operations and Jonathan Wallace as executive vice president of player personnel, basically splitting the job of former GM Calvin Booth, who was fired along with Malone.

Tenzer and Wallace dealt Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn for Cam Johnson and added much-needed depth, notably with the additions of Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr.

Kroenke complimented his lieutenants “for pressing a lot of the right buttons last summer,” and suggested that if the team had stayed healthy, “this could be a 60- to 65-win team.”

“But we never got a chance to fully show it. And that’s why I say everything has to be on the table, including running it back. Because I really do believe in the group of people that were assembled in there this year,” Kroenke said.

A big factor is finances. The Nuggets will face significant financial pressure heading into next season as their starting lineup as it stands tops $184 million in salary, including extensions for Christian Braun and Gordon that kick in next season.

Braun had an injury-filled season and didn't live up to his big extension he signed last offseason, but that deal complicates Denver's hopes of re-signing Peyton Watson, who could command $20 million or more annually.

“Peyton had a great year,” Tenzer said. "He obviously grew a lot. I said it at the beginning of the season, we hope Peyton’s a Nugget for a very long time, he’s been great for us.”

The Nuggets also hope Gordon can get healthy. He's been hurt each of the last two years in the playoffs, and that in turn affects the game of All-Stars Jokic and Murray.

“We have to all look in the mirror and say, ‘A.G., how can we help you?’" Kroenke said. "Because when he’s healthy, we all look better, you know, from myself on down to our training staff and so, you know, A.G., is a wonderful person like I said. We’re gonna have to have some challenging conversations about how we can all get better.”

___

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

The Chicago Bears welcomed their new rookies -- including their seven-player draft class, 13 undrafted rookie signings and a handful of tryout players -- to Halas Hall for rookie minicamp this weekend.

The Bears kicked things off by signing four of their rookie draft picks on Friday -- wide receiver Zavion Thomas, cornerback Malik Muhammad, linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg, as well as 13 undrafted rookies.

With the media in attendance at the first day of rookie minicamp, there were some notable highlights and takeaways from the on-field action. Here are some quick takeaways following Friday's practice:

Dillon Thieneman's leadership on display

All eyes were on Bears first-round safety Dillon Thieneman, who has the most potential to make an immediate impact in his rookie season. Outside of his on-field performance, where Clay Harbor noted his "impressive" change of direction, it was Thieneman's leadership that left a mark on one media member.

"What I was most impressed by was his acumen, his leadership," said Herb Howard. "He was first in line in every single drill throughout the individual periods and during the team periods. He was communicating. He was where he was supposed to be. There was one particular space where they made a mistake with miscommunication. I asked him about that during his press conference and he said, 'Listen, we miscommunicated. The mistake was on me. we ran it back and got it corrected.' That's all you want to see from these kids right now. They're going to make mistakes. You don't want to see them make the very same mistake twice."

Zavion Thomas' speed is already showing up

The Bears added some serious speed with third-round wide receiver Zavion Thomas, who ran a 4.2 40-yard dash and presents as a downfield threat for Ben Johnson's offense. That speed showed up on Day 1 of rookie minicamp, where multiple media members noted his speedy impression.

"Thomas looks explosive, speed def shows up," wrote Clay Harbor. "Surprised at how natural he catches the ball with his hands."

While it's a practice in shorts, Thomas' speed is as advertised, and it was especially prevalent in kick return drills.

"He absolutely looked the part," said Herb Howard. "You could see the 4.2 speed when he decided to hit the gas pedal and accelerate. You can see a different gear from him than everybody else out there on the field. What I noticed from him during the kick return drills is they were simulating kick returns. He is a natural catcher of the football out of the air in terms of kicks. You could see him catch the ball seamlessly and get right into his first step."

Malik Muhammad putting in the work with Al Harris

After he was drafted by the Bears, fourth-round cornerback Malik Muhammad expressed his desire to work with defensive backs coach Al Harris, given his reputation. Well, he didn't have to wait long to work with him, especially as Harris really put him to the test on Day 1, shifting him from the outside to the slot and coaching him hard.

"(Thomas) was a guy who was out there early and often even as the team periods kind of shift and they went to second team," said Herb Howard. "He would go from outside corner to inside corner at nickel and DB coach Al Harris was all over him every single play, every minute detail. He wanted him to get it right, to do it again. Almost every single play you saw coach Harris talking to number 24, praising him, correcting him, making sure he knew exactly what he was supposed to do. To me, that is a good sign for a young player that your coach is all over you, making sure that you are harping on the details, knowing exactly where you're supposed to be and what you are supposed to be doing. If that if that continues, it's probably going to be a long spring and summer for Malik Muhammad, but he's going to be so much better off forward."

As for how Muhammad looked in early action, Howard praised him for his play in space, as well as his versatility.

"He looked pretty good out there in space," Howard said. "He was able to transition seamlessly from outside to inside. He should be a pretty good depth piece and maybe even contend for some playing time as a rookie."

Clay Harbor noted that Muhammad had some "nice reps" where his "quickness shows up."

Sam Roush is massive

While it's difficult to evaluate third-round tight end Sam Roush at this point, especially considering he's going to serve as a key blocker once the pads go on, that doesn't mean he didn't leave an impression with his size and speed.

"Sam Roush is a LARGE human but still can move," wrote Clay Harbor. "Really impressive quicks for a big man."

Added Mark Carman: "Sam Roush has an NFL body."

Scotty Miller had the play of the day

While this is rookie minicamp, it was a veteran tryout player who had the play of the day during Friday's practice. According to the media, wide receiver Scotty Miller made a nice catch on a deep ball from Western Kentucky quarterback Maverick McIvor on the very last play of the day.

"The very last play of 7-on-7 drills featured a one-on-one play with Miller and a defensive back," wrote Chris Kwiecinski. "Western Kentucky Rookie tryout quarterback Maverick McIvor gave Miller a deep ball to the right sideline, and Miller tracked the ball down for a low catch.

"It was a veteran play. Miller was able to beat the defender while also tracking the deep ball in the air. He finished the play by locating a catch window and dropped low to get the football. It’s a tough play to make."

It certainly sounds like Miller is making a strong case to stick around beyond rookie minicamp.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears rookie minicamp: Takeaways from Day 1

• Series leader Alex Palou wants a clarification on penalties.
• A couple drivers say they haven’t read the new rules, but Graham Rahal has and isn’t a fan.
• Pato O’Ward says drivers should know and obey the rules.

IndyCar Officiating, the new oversight group established during the offseason to keep racers and teams honest after a couple of glaring cheating scandals, suddenly has moved to the front burner for NTT IndyCar Series drivers who at the beginning of the year claimed not to know much about it. The independent governors worked with series executives to revise and expand rules regarding Push-to-Pass usage.

Simply put, Push-to-Pass is an in-car software-generated system that gives drivers an extra 60 horsepower for a short burst by pressing a button. It’s designed to help drivers pass another car or defend at strategically critical moments during a race.

After 12 cars used Push-to-Pass at Long Beach on the Lap 62 restart, with only one gaining position but not penalized because of a software failure, IndyCar and IndyCar Officiating collaborated to solve the problem. So, starting with this weekend’s Sonsio Grand Prix of Indianapolis on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and for all subsequent road and street circuit races, Push-to-Pass “will be available and allowed for use at all times once the car passes the alternate start-finish line following the start and once the green flag has been displayed.”

In effect, it places the burden for compliance with the drivers. In a prepared statement, IndyCar Officiating said it “believes the rule update better serves the point of the rule while also simplifying the interpretation for all competitors.”

If those four officials were in the room at Thursday’s driver press conference, they got a jolting surprise. Nothing was simple about the drivers’ interpretations of the new Push-To-Pass regulations.

Here’s how some of the conversation went:

ALEX PALOU: So at the start, if IndyCar ‘f----’ up again, and I press the button –
MODERATOR: No, it is not on until –
PALOU: He said, if I push it and it works because someone else does a mistake, it’s my fault? Yes?
REPORTER: That’s how I read the rule.
PALOU: I didn’t read the rule. Sorry.
KYLE KIRKWOOD: Did anyone read the rule? I’m sorry.

DAVID MALUKAS: Are we talking about the new rule?
PATO O’WARD: I was reading it earlier, and I didn’t read it that way.
PALOU: He’s saying it’s inactive. It’s not active at the start. We’re all on the same page. He’s saying if we press it and it works because someone else does a mistake, we get penalized.
O’WARD: That makes sense because you’re not supposed to be able to use it until the finish.
PALOU: Again, for the second time?
KIRKWOOD: We should probably move the drivers meeting up to now.
PALOU: I am very surprised that only half of the grid used it, very surprised.
KIRKWOOD: You guys must have an indicator because all your cars used it.
PALOU: Not Scott [Dixon].
KIRKWOOD: He must not have seen it in Indy.

PALOU: I pressed it three times, and I’m surprised I didn’t press it more. It’s only three straight. I don’t know. I’m very surprised, as well, that they pinpointed every single car that used it when it was not our fault. It was IndyCar’s fault.
KIRKWOOD: Let’s set the record straight. Everybody would have used it if they’d known it was active. Every driver would have. I wish I’d known it was on. I would have used it.
O’WARD: I got told and didn’t use it.
KIRKWOOD: You didn’t use it? No or yes?
O’WARD: I didn’t use it.
KIRKWOOD: Why? You were told it was on.
O’WARD: You know the rule, man.
KIRKWOOD: What’s the rule?

O’WARD: That’s the problem why they changed the rule.
PALOU: The rule said it won’t be active. It doesn’t say penalty. It’s a big difference.
O’WARD: It’s not explicit the drivers cannot use it if the software allows.
PALOU: Someone in IndyCar ‘f-----’ up and it’s my fault. They’re going to say, ‘Oh, we’re very sorry, we’re going to change the rule now.’
KIRKWOOD: I get it. I get it.
PALOU: The confusion here is very different to what happened two years ago, where somebody else changed the code. We’re talking about someone not pressing a button or pressing a button, and it’s not on us to know if it’s active or not. I press it.