Mar 10, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
It’s safe to say Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard did not want to go to Coachella this year.
On Sunday, Lillard carried the Bucks to a Game 1 win over the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis. in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
After the game, Lillard was asked about returning to the playoff stage after a two-year hiatus. Lillard revealed he had gone to Coachella, the annual outdoor music festival held in April.
“Last 2 years not being in the playoffs, it sucked. Early vacations. Last year, I went to Coachella. I ain’t ever been able to go to Coachella playing in the playoffs every year. It was like, man, I was over that,” Lillard.
Lillard certainly played like a man who was happy to be back in the postseason. The 33-year-old poured in 35 points all in the first half of the 109-94 affair.
Lillard’s scoring barrage had Bucks fans buzzing on social media.
Lillard’s former team, the Portland Trail Blazers, had finished among the league’s worst over the previous two seasons. They finished among the West’s bottom three in both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns.
From 2014 to 2021, Lillard was a constant fixture come playoff time. He averaged 25.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists across 61 playoff appearances over that span.
Jun 19, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen of The Netherlands stands during the national anthems after winning the Montreal Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
Max Verstappen accomplished a career first on Sunday in Shanghai when he won the Chinese Grand Prix. Sunday’s win was part of a big weekend for Verstappen — one that indicated Red Bull has returned to its dominant form.
Not only did Verstappen win his first Chinese Grand Prix, but he also won the sprint race on Saturday. Additionally, although safety cars and tire strategy were not ideal for Sergio Perez, Perez was still able to battle back to and make it onto the podium for a P3 finish. Perez’s third-place finish ended a 5-week streak this season where the same constructor had finished 1-2.
Despite Red Bull’s success at the Shanghai International circuit, the same could not be said for its sister team VCARB as both Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo were forced to retire due to damages sustained to their car by Kevin Magnussen and Lance Stroll respectively.
In what has been established battle for second place behind Red Bull, Ferrari seemed to have much more pace this weekend than McLaren. However, Lando Norris was able to establish good race pace and tire management and finish second, although pre-race he had predicted to his race engineers that he would be around 35 seconds behind Ferrari at the end of the race.
Ferrari ultimately lacked the pace they had shown in qualifying, resulting in Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing 4th and 5th.
Lastly, Lewis Hamilton, who was able to secure a second-place finish in the sprint due to advantage of wet weather during sprint qualifying, ended up qualifying 18th for the grand prix and finishing 9th, just inside the points. With the glaring lack of pace, Mercedes will have a lot of work to do catch up and compete with Aston Martin, Ferrari, and McLaren.
Mar 3, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) in action against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Caitlin Clark shattered record after record during her captivating run in women’s college basketball. Clark’s jersey sales are doing the same thing.
Clark jerseys have flown off the shelves at a blistering rate. Within a day of being selected by the Indiana Fever first overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft last week, Clark’s Fever jersey became the top-earning jersey ever for a draft pick.
But Clark’s jersey sales aren’t just destroying records among her female peers. According to NY Daily News’ Dick Weiss, Clark sold more jerseys in a single day than the entire Dallas Cowboys roster last NFL season.
The Cowboys are the NFL’s most famous franchise by a wide margin. They had two players rank in the top five among all jerseys sold last season. Cowboys star Micah Parsons had the NFL’s top-selling jersey, besting Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
For Clark to outsell every single Cowboys player — including the NFL-leading Parsons — in a single day proves just how big her star has gotten within the sports zeitgeist.
The Iowa alum already had one superstar musician rocking a Clark jersey during his recent concert.
Clark’s marketability has proven to be undeniable at this point and why Nike was willing to pay her a massive sum to secure her as an endorser.
Tyler Reddick on Sunday gave his boss Michael Jordan a moment to remember with a 23XI Racing win at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. The Chicago Bulls icon returned the favor with Reddick’s young son.
Reddick emerged through the wreckage during the final lap of the Geico 500 to notch his sixth NASCAR Cup Series win.
Jordan, who co-owns 23XI Racing with NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, was beyond ecstatic about his team’s victory. It was the first team win Jordan was able to witness in person (video here).
The 6-time NBA champion was all smiles in victory lane as he shared a priceless moment with Reddick’s young son Beau.
Reddick was running fifth on the last lap leading into the track’s final turn. Redick’s No. 45 Camry stayed on the high side as then-race leaders Michael McDowell and Brad Keselowski jockeyed for position.
McDowell’s No. 34 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports stonewalled his RFK Racing challenger as the front group neared the finish line. The two Ford Mustang Dark Horse cars made contact and slowed down, which left a lane open for Reddick to zip through and win.
Reddick was in perfect position to take advantage of the chaos behind him as “The Big One” shook up the field.
Reddick’s victory — his first this season — was the sixth for 23XI Racing since the team debuted at the 2021 Daytona 500. The 28-year-old was 0.208 seconds ahead of Kaselowski, who finished in second. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Noah Gragson ended up third, while McDowell fell to 31st.
H/T USA Today
May 16, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) controls the ball in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers during game one of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
One former Los Angeles Lakers great recently gave Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic the ultimate compliment.
Jokic played like a true MVP in Game 1 of his Western Conference first-round playoff series to lead the Nuggets to a 114-103 win over the Lakers at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. Jokic tallied 32 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 7 assists on 15/23 shooting during Saturday’s win.
After the game, Hall-of-Famer James Worthy appeared on the Spectrum SportsNet postgame show. Worthy compared Jokic to two players that Lakers fans have probably heard of.
“To me, [Jokic] is Magic Johnson and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] on the floor at the same time,” said Worthy. “He’s a guard. He makes great decisions. Hell of a passer. And then when he wants to be Kareem, he goes down and dominates. He’s a special player that does a lot of things.”
Worthy is one of the few people on earth who have the standing to make such a lofty comparison. The North Carolina alum played seven years alongside both Magic and Kareem. Worthy also won three championships as the third star behind the two all-time greats.
Jokic on Sunday was named as one of the three finalists for the 2023-24 NBA MVP award. Jokic, who’s widely considered the favorite to win the award, could potentially have three MVP trophies at season’s end.
Jokic would join just eight players — including Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar — who have won at least three NBA MVP awards.
Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard was scorching hot in more ways than one during his team’s Game 1 matchup Sunday against the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Lillard got heated with Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard midway through the third quarter at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis.
Nembhard and Lillard got tangled up just as the Bucks called timeout while leading 75-56. The Bucks star took exception to the Pacers defender getting too close and gave Nembhard a light shove. The two exchanged words and had to be separated.
Perhaps Nembhard was trying to get under the 7-time All-Star’s skin after Lillard had a legendary first half against Indiana’s defense. It was worth a shot given that nothing the Pacers were doing defensively had worked so far.
Lillard erupted for 35 points in the first half on 11/19 shooting from the field to go along with 6 three-pointers. The Bucks guard basically had a full game’s worth of buckets in the opening two quarters.
Lillard nearly outscored the Pacers by himself in the first quarter, when he scored 19 points to Indiana’s 21.
Fans on social media went absolutely nuts reacting to Lillard’s playoff heroics.
Lillard came in knowing he had to carry a heavier burden than normal given Giannis Antetokounmpo’s injury status.
The 33-year-old would likely need similar performances to ensure wins for Milwaukee. But given Lillard’s recent sobering comments about his situation with the Bucks, Dame Time sounds more than up for the challenge.
It was no Giannis Antetokounmpo, no problem for Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
The Bucks star Lillard went full Human Torch during the first half of his team’s series opener against the Indiana Pacers. Lillard detonated for 19 points in the first quarter on three triples. He then added another 16 points on three more triples in the second quarter to finish with a smoldering 35 at the half.
Though no other Bucks player entered halftime with more than eight points scored, Lillard’s carry job was more than enough as Milwaukee took a 69-42 lead into the break (leading by as many as 30 at one point).
The superhuman first half by Lillard had the Internet losing its collective mind. Here is a sampling of the public’s reaction.
That was exactly what the Bucks envisioned when they swung the blockbuster trade for Lillard in the summer. While Lillard’s regular season was very up-and-down for a number of reasons, he is a cold-blooded playoff perfomer who always seems to show up when the lights are the brightest.
There is also probably a revenge factor in play here for Lillard against the Pacers. You may recall several months ago when an Indiana star mocked Lillard by doing Lillard’s signature celebration.
Mar 16, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd coaches against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jason Kidd must really not like coaching in Game 1s.
Kidd’s Dallas Mavericks suffered an embarrassing loss in Sunday’s first-round series opener against the LA Clippers. They came out lifeless in the first two quarters, entering halftime down 56-30. While Dallas closed the gap a bit in the second half, they still never got the game back into single digits and wound up losing 109-97.
After the loss, a wild statistic about Kidd’s tenure as Mavs head coach went viral. The defeat dropped the team to 0-4 in Game 1s during the Kidd era.
The other three losses all came during the 2022 postseason, so the good news is that the Mavs actually came back to win the series two of those times. But they will have to do better than simply relying on history to overcome the Clippers this year.
Dallas’ lack of a pulse offensively outside of the star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving played a major role in Sunday’s loss, especially their abhorrent second quarter where the Mavs made just two total field goals and scored eight points overall. But Kidd did not do himself any favors either by failing to manage his timeouts properly when the Clippers were pulling away and by relying on big minutes from reserves like Maxi Kleber and Tim Hardaway Jr. (neither of whom appear to be particularly playable in this series).
Sunday will ultimately go down as a major missed opportunity for the Mavs since the Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard, who seems likely to return at some point this series. Kidd will have to make the right adjustments from here and avoid falling back to his old bad habits that Mavs fans are used to.
Michael Jordan is not necessarily known for his public displays of emotion, but that certainly was not the case Sunday after one of his drivers scored a win at the Geico 500.
Jordan was in attendance for Sunday’s race at Talladega and got to see one of his drivers, Tyler Reddick, win the race. While it is not 23XI Racing’s first win, or even Reddick’s first for the team, it was the first one Jordan has actually been in attendance to see.
Make no mistake: Jordan was very much invested, and he went nuts when Reddick got the win.
Jordan even showed up in victory lane, where he celebrated with Reddick’s young son, not to mention the driver himself. He even gave a live interview to FOX, where he jokingly took a shot at co-owner Denny Hamlin.
“Denny (Hamlin) keeps saying I was bad luck when I come to the track, and today we proved him wrong. Actually, he did a good job by wrecking so we could get up front,” Jordan said. “I’m very happy to be here to see it. Everybody tells me when we win, we have a good celebration, but this is the first time I’ve been here.
“This, to me, is like an NBA playoff game. I am so ecstatic, obviously for the fans who support the sport itself. We’ve been working hard trying to get ourselves up to where we can compete against all the top guys in this sport, but we’ve done a heck of a job just to be where we are. For us to win a big race like this, it means so much to me. … I am all in. I love it. It replaces a lot of the competitiveness that I had in basketball, but this is even worse, because I have no control, so I live vicariously through the drivers and crew chiefs and everybody.”
Jordan and Hamlin formed 23XI Racing in 2020, and the team debuted in the next year’s Daytona 500. Sunday’s win at Talladega marked the team’s sixth since its founding.
We have seen how Jordan reacts when things are not going well for his team. Now we know what he looks like when they win, and there is no doubt he is totally invested in how they perform.
One game into the playoffs, Washington Capitals enforcer Tom Wilson is already being accused of dirty play.
The Capitals lost 4-1 to the New York Rangers in Sunday’s Game 1, but Wilson was very much in the middle of the action. Two incidents gained particular attention on social media, the first coming late in the second period when Wilson threw a big hit on New York’s Mika Zibanejad, even though the puck appeared to be heading well away from them.
Wilson was also accused of slashing Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin in the lower back. Video was not clear, however, and it looked like Wilson’s stick may have hit the crossbar instead.
Regardless, the Rangers will be well aware of Wilson’s habits. Remember, three years ago, the Rangers were so furious at a perceived indiscretion by Wilson going unpunished that they called for the NHL’s head of player safety to be fired in a public statement. They probably will not go this far here, but they will make sure the league office knows what Wilson is up to in this series.
