Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone on Monday was livid over a couple of non-calls during Game 2 of his team’s Western Conference semifinals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
An Anthony Edwards layup put the Timberwolves up 22-17 with 3:21 to play in the first quarter at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo.
Malone called a timeout following Edwards’ made basket. Once play was stopped, the Nuggets coach immediately confronted referee Marc Davis and started shouting right at the veteran official’s face.
Malone was so furious that TNT announcer Reggie Miller thought that Malone was about to get ejected. But the Nuggets coach surprisingly didn’t even receive a technical foul for losing his temper.
Malone was presumably mad due to a non-call during Minnesota’s previous possession when Karl-Anthony Towns bulldozed Nuggets guard Jamal Murray on a post-up.
The defending champion Nuggets lost homecourt advantage in the series after losing Game 1 to the Timberwolves. The visitors wore down Nuggets star Nikola Jokic with their size, which even prompted a humorous quip from the 2-time MVP.
Malone have have been feeling the heat given how the Timberwolves had controlled the quarter up to that point. Minnesota ended the first 12 minutes with a 28-20 lead despite Rudy Gobert missing the game. The Timberwolves won 106-80 to take a 2-0 series lead.
Aug 14, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The Toronto Blue Jays logo during batting practice against the Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
The Toronto Blue Jays have pulled off a notable reunion.
Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet reported on Monday that the Blue Jays are bringing back veteran right-hander Aaron Sanchez. They are signing Sanchez to a minor-league deal, Campbell adds.
The 31-year-old Sanchez began his MLB career with the Blue Jays in 2014 and was with them for six seasons. He was an All-Star during the 2016 campaign, going 15-2 and also leading the AL with a 3.00 ERA that year.
Sanchez got dealt to the Houston Astros at the 2019 trade deadline though and had struggled in recent years, in large part thanks to shoulder and bicep injuries. He pitched in the minor leagues last season, going 4-5 with a 5.54 ERA over 22 total appearances in Triple-A.
As for the Blue Jays, they need some answers right now as they are currently sitting in the basement of the highly competitive AL East at 16-19. The team recently got called out by their own manager, and now they are turning to an old friend in Sanchez as a possible emergency fallback option at pitcher.
Jan 30, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) talks to fans before a game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Ben Simmons finally suited up (albeit still not in an NBA game).
The Brooklyn Nets forward Simmons made a prominent appearance on Monday at the star-studded annual Met Gala in New York. Simmons was rocking a very unique coat with a half-black, half-checkered look (almost as if it had been drawn by hand incompletely). He was also carrying with him a suitcase featuring an image of a clock on the front, going along with the Met Gala’s “Garden of Time” theme this year.
Take a look.
The Met Gala appearance by Simmons, who has barely appeared on the basketball court over the last three seasons, led to some very funny reactions on social media. Here were a few of the best memes that he sparked.
Simmons is clearly living the dream right now. He made nearly $38 million this season to appear in just 15 games for the Nets and is still owed nearly $40.3 million for next season as well. Meanwhile, as the NBA playoffs are going on, Simmons is cosplaying at celebrity red-carpet spectacles for fun.
In fairness to Simmons, we have seen numerous active sports stars attend the Met Gala over the years, including one of the very best players in the NBA right now. But Simmons had to have known that the memes would ensue from his own high-profile appearance at the Met this year.
Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin on Monday may have confused the second round of the NBA playoffs with the slam dunk contest.
The Pacers led the Knicks 82-77 with under a minute left in the third quarter of their Game 1 matchup at Madison Square Garden in New York City, N.Y.
Toppin recovered a loose ball and dribbled right past Knicks wing Josh Hart in transition. With nobody in front of him, Toppin stunningly decided to go between his legs on the fastbreak dunk.
Here’s another angle of Toppin unleashing an Eastbay dunk against his former team.
The showtime play probably drew a momentary wince out of Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. Adding a layer of risk onto an uncontested transition opportunity would usually draw an immediate benching given the circumstances. But Toppin did complete the play and managed to fire up his team in the process. Carlisle kept Toppin in the game even after the quarter break.
Toppin is a former slam dunk champion who was probably the most sure-handed dunker in the building during Monday’s contest.
The Pacers big man might have also had an extra dose of adrenaline flowing through his veins given that he was playing against his former team. The Knicks had traded Toppin to the Pacers in the offseason after a reported falling-out with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.
The St. Louis Cardinals got an unlikely assist from an umpire during their Monday matchup against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo.
Cardinals second baseman Jose Fermin was the first batter up in the bottom of the 1st inning to face Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea. Fermin bounced an 86-mph changeup past the third base bag.
As Mets third baseman Brett Baty tried to make a play, he crashed hard into third base umpire Doug Eddings.
Both men appeared to get up from the collision unscathed. The umpires ruled the play a base hit for Fermin.
Given Fermin’s speed, Baty probably wouldn’t have gotten the out anyway. But the umpire interference did rob the Mets infielder of the opportunity to at least make a throw.
The Cardinals on Monday may have been the beneficiaries of some karmic justice. St. Louis was recently burned by a brutal strike call to end a game following one of the most ill-timed rain delays ever.
Nov 9, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) dribbles the ball against the Phoenix Suns during the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
A reporter provided an update Monday regarding the status of Rudy Gobert ahead of Game 2 of his Minnesota Timberwolves’ Western Conference semifinal series against the Denver Nuggets.
Gobert was not present for the Timberwolves’ shootaround on Monday, several hours before the scheduled tipoff for Game 2. The Timberwolves center’s girlfriend had given birth to their son, which resulted in Gobert being listed as questionable for Game 2.
Dane Moore, who covers the Timberwolves, said there was optimism that Gobert would be able to play in the game. He noted that the later tip-off time for the game improves Gobert’s chances of making it in time for the game.
The Timberwolves won Game 1 of the series on Saturday in Denver, which may have given them some breathing room. The Timberwolves have gone 5-0 in the postseason thus far and likely want to keep their momentum going.
Having the 3-time Defensive Player of the Year in the lineup would greatly improve the team’s chances of winning Game 2.
Dec 16, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dribbles the ball up the court against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Pat Riley had a pointed message for Jimmy Butler on Monday, and Butler responded through his agent with his own thoughts.
Riley implied that the Heat would expect Butler to play more frequently if the forward requests a max contract, as the Heat president said the team would only want to commit those kind of resources to a player who is “available every single night.” Riley’s comments come after a season in which Butler played 60 games, and he has not played in more than 65 games in the regular season since 2016-17, his last year with the Chicago Bulls.
In response, Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, noted that the Heat had been less successful than hoped last season, and that everything should be examined in order to advance Butler’s sole goal of winning a championship.
“Coming out of this season, a year in which the team didn’t either have the same success in the year previous and in Miami’s case didn’t return to and win the Finals, everything has to be examined and it will be,” Lee said, via Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “And the necessary changes will be put in place not because anyone else said so, or to prove anything to anyone externally but simply because that’s the way Jimmy has built his entire career. He has one goal left and that’s to win a championship. Period.”
Even as Butler wants that two-year max extension, there seem to be some tensions between him and the Heat. There had been some reports of friction between the two parties, and Riley also sounded quite displeased with some recent comments Butler made.
Riley’s statement that Butler needs to be available if he wants a new contract is certainly a pointed one. That is especially true since Butler battled injuries and missed the entire postseason this year as a result of one.
Sep 26, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; A detailed view of the Las Vegas Raiders shield logo at midfield at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Las Vegas Raiders are getting some significant offensive line help.
The Raiders have agreed to terms with offensive lineman Andrus Peat, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The former Pro Bowl lineman had previously been with the New Orleans Saints, and there had been some thought that he would be back there in 2024.
Peat made three consecutive Pro Bowls with the Saints between 2018 and 2020. He remained a starter up through 2023, and has 102 career starts to his name.
The Raiders still lack a long-term answer at the quarterback position, but they are certainly determined to keep whoever plays from getting knocked down too much. That will ultimately either be Gardner Minshew or Aidan O’Connell, barring a surprise move before training camp.
Mar 29, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) warms up before a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Pat Riley did not hold when talking about Tyler Herro at his end-of-the-season press conference on Monday.
The Miami Heat executive was asked about Herro and bluntly stated that the young guard has been fragile.
“He’s been fragile, a little bit,” Riley said of Herro. “Broke his hand last year in the playoffs. He had some injuries earlier in his career.”
Riley also said Herro might have to make some alterations to his nutrition program in order to keep more calories on as the season unfolds.
Despite his bluntness over Herro’s health issues, Riley was complimentary about the guard.
“There isn’t anybody who works harder at his game,” Riley said of Herro.
Herro topped out at 42 games played in the regular season this year as he dealt with ankle, foot and knee injuries. He has never played more than 67 games in the regular season over his five seasons in the NBA. Herro only played in one game during the 2023 postseason after suffering a broken hand, which Riley referenced.
When he has been healthy enough to play, Herro has proven to be an excellent scorer. The 24-year-old averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this season.
Jan 9, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Detailed view of a Georgia Bulldogs helmet during the CFP national championship game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
A highly-rated quarterback recruit has turned down the likes of Georgia and Michigan in order to play for a rather surprising alternative.
Bo Polston, considered a four-star recruit from the class of 2026 by Rivals, announced Monday that he has committed to Toledo. He spurned a number of Power 5 schools in doing so.
Kyle Rowland of the Toledo Blade pointed out that Polston also visited Notre Dame last season. Washington, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Cal, and Indiana are among the other schools that had extended offers to him.
This may simply be one of the knock-on effects of the transfer portal’s changes to college football. There is nothing stopping Polston from starting his career at a school like Toledo, where he is likely to get immediate playing time. If he impresses, he could then attract interest from Power 5 schools, and would be able to transfer without any restriction. There is also a long way to go before signing day, and this is only a verbal commitment.
Georgia has seen plenty of five-star quarterbacks leave for greener pastures in recent years. Perhaps Polston did not want to risk landing in that category.
