Will Smith left his manager hanging on Friday night.
The Los Angeles Dodgers demolished the Toronto Blue Jays 12-2 at Rogers Centre on Friday. Smith went 4-for-5 with 3 runs, 3 RBIs and a home run. It was his second straight 4-hit game.
But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had some bad timing when he tried to congratulate his catcher. Roberts put up his hand in the 9th to give Smith a high-five, but the manager was left hanging.
Despite having such a big game for the Dodgers, Smith may have been a little disappointed with himself to have only hit a sacrifice fly against position-player Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who was pitching to close out the blowout. The result was a slightly embarrassing moment for Roberts.
The Dodgers won their 5th game in a row and held a 17-11 record following Friday’s victory, so Roberts shouldn’t have too much to feel badly about.
Feb 6, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers looks on during the third quarter of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Doc Rivers shared a concerning quote regarding Damian Lillard’s injury.
Lillard aggravated an Achilles’ tendon injury at the end of regulation during his Milwaukee Bucks’ 121-118 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. That came after Lillard had already appeared to hurt his knee earlier in the game.
Lillard played in the overtime but didn’t even attempt a shot for his Bucks.
After the defeat, Milwaukee head coach Rivers said that Lillard was “really struggling” and just a decoy in OT.
“Honestly, Dame was really struggling. In the overtime, he literally said, ‘I’ll be the decoy. I just can’t go as far as explosion.’ So I thought Dame just being out there was huge for us,” Rivers said after the game.
Doc Rivers, on Damian Lillard: "I think it's his Achilles again, so we'll see."
Rivers: "Honestly, Dame was really struggling. In the overtime, he literally said, 'I'll be the decoy. I just can't go as far as explosion.' So I thought Dame just being out there was huge for us."
Though Rivers didn’t exactly give the most encouraging news regarding Lillard, the Bucks guard says he plans to play in Game 4 on Sunday with his team trailing 2-1 in the series.
Damian Lillard, when asked if he thinks he will have enough time to get right and play on Sunday: pic.twitter.com/N1YhCtktsh
Lillard shot just 6/20 in the game, though he made all 12 of his free throws to finish with 28 points.
The Bucks have already been playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo in this series. If Lillard is nursing an injury too moving forward, Milwaukee will be in a bad spot.
Rudy Gobert managed to Eurostep past both the Phoenix Suns and the NBA rulebook on Friday night.
The Minnesota Timberwolves center Gobert was able to get away with a comical travel during the first quarter of Game 3 against the Suns. Gobert deflected a pass from Kevin Durant and then began galloping the other way for a layup. While Gobert managed to convert the basket, he seemed to take an extra step (or five) as he did so.
Even by the most liberal interpretation of a gather step, Gobert had to have taken at least three steps after picking up his dribble there. Perhaps the referees were in awe of a seven-footer running a successful (albeit very awkward) fast-break and just let him have his moment.
Gobert has been earning his keep in the series otherwise though. The Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner managed 16.0 points and 12.5 rebounds per night through the first two games against the Suns. Still, that bumbling fast-break won’t do much to sway the many NBA peers who think that Gobert is overrated.
Russell Westbrook and P.J. Washington were ejected from Game 3 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday after a scuffle.
Westbrook was defending Luka Doncic midway through the fourth quarter with his Clippers losing 91-75. Westbrook spun Doncic around, and Luka was not happy about it. Westbrook then shoved Doncic, so Washington defended his Mavericks teammate and shoved Westbrook back. Westbrook then threw a punch toward Washington.
Frustration boils over in Dallas as Russell Westbrook and PJ Washington are ejected.
Dallas (-4.5) is in position to take a 2-1 series lead with a win tonight.
Westbrook was called for technical fouls for both his push on Doncic and punch attempt at Washington. Washington was also called for a technical foul and ejected.
The Mavericks were awarded a free throw, which they made, and got the ball as well.
Dallas went on to win the game 101-90 to take a 2-1 series lead.
Westbrook went 0/7 shooting and had a steal and two blocks in 19 minutes during the loss. Washington scored 10 points in 34 minutes before being tossed.
May 6, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell (1) moves the ball up court against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in game three of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
D’Angelo Russell is likely to become a free agent after this season, according to one reporter.
Russell signed a 2-year, $36 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers last summer. He is making $17.3 million this season and has an $18.7 million option for next season.
On Friday’s episode of his “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” show, Windhorst and his co-hosts were talking about the Lakers. Around the 40-minute mark, Windhorst said “it’s likely” that Russell will opt out of his contract.
Russell has until June 29 to decide whether he will exercise his $18.7 million option for next season. Windhorst says that LeBron James will also likely opt out and seek a raise from the team.
The timing of Russell’s extension deadline makes it so that Windhorst believes it will be difficult for the team to trade him.
Russell was acquired by the Lakers last year in a trade with the Timberwolves. He averaged 18.0 points and 6.3 assists per game during the regular season, while making 41.5 percent of his three-point attempts. However, his 6/20 shooting performance in Game 1 against the Nuggets and goose-egg in a Game 3 loss hasn’t sat well with Lakers fans.
At this point, the fans probably wouldn’t be sad if he left.
Feb 1, 2024; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh speaks at an introductory press conference at YouTube Theater at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jim Harbaugh delivered a great quote on Friday about the Los Angeles Chargers’ first-round draft pick.
The Chargers selected left tackle Joe Alt with the No. 5 overall pick. They didn’t go for a more flashy player, or someone who plays what is considered a skill position on offense, as so many other teams did.
But to Harbaugh, the Chargers got a player as sexy as anyone else.
“I know the question is gonna come up about weapons….We look at offensive lineman as weapons,” Harbaugh said regarding the team’s selection of Alt.
That’s a great quote, and it went over well among Chargers fans.
Harbaugh’s trademark as a football coach is building physical teams — ones that have strong offensive and defensive lines. The Chargers also have a top quarterback in Justin Herbert and now will have a quality lineman to protect him, which makes plenty of sense.
Plus, when the second round hit, the Chargers used the No. 34 overall pick to draft wide receiver Ladd McConkey. They knew there would be opportunities to draft receivers, so it made sense for them to use their first-round pick on Alt, who was an All-American at Notre Dame.
May 28, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) in action during game three between the Clippers and the Mavericks in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Luka Doncic suffered a knee injury during Game 3 of his Dallas Mavericks’ Western Conference first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Doncic’s Mavericks were trailing 16-14 to the Clippers late in the first quarter. The Mavs had the ball but Doncic had it stripped as Russell Westbrook appeared to make contact with him.
Doncic was grabbing his knee afterwards and did not get back on defense. The Mavs star hobbled off the court afterwards and then headed to the locker room.
Luka Doncic checked out and went to the locker room. He was bothered by something lower body related. pic.twitter.com/Jl79s2ox2M
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Cooper DeJean with the No. 40 overall pick in Day 2 of the NFL Draft on Friday. Fans made the same joke about the selection.
DeJean was an All-American cornerback at Iowa last season. He also happens to be a white defensive back, which is something that is rare in football. However, the Eagles now have two white defensive backs between DeJean and Reed Blankenship. That led to jokes about the team’s secondary.
Philly’s defense was 30th of 32 teams last season in terms of points allowed. So it’s no surprise that they went defense early in the second round and are trying to improve their secondary.
The real surprise is that the Eagles drafted a defensive player who wasn’t from Georgia.
Mar 1, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell (0) warms up before the start of the third quarter during a game against the Dallas Mavericks at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham is not planning to repeat his D’Angelo Russell tactic from last year’s playoffs.
Ham said Friday he will use the same starting lineup for Game 4 of their Western Conference first round series, even after Russell’s 0-for-7 dud in Game 3. Ham benched Russell for Game 4 last year with the Lakers facing elimination against Denver, but will not make the same move this time.
“You want to give your players a chance to make good for themselves,” Ham said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “There were questions about that after Game 1 and you saw what we did in Game 2. He got back in the gym, as he’s always done, and worked on his stuff. And he provided a great source of income in Game 2. Although we came up short, he was one of the reasons we were able to be in the game.”
Russell scored 23 points and made seven threes in Game 2, and Ham clearly hopes his guard can stage a repeat performance with the Lakers facing elimination in Game 4. The guard’s confidence did not appear to be dented before Game 3, but that confidence did not lead to a performance.
The Nuggets have haunted Russell for a while, even dating back to last year. His Game 1 showing was also brutal and led to a lot of mockery on social media. If he cannot deliver in Game 4, it will only get worse for him.
Dec 12, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; A detailed view of a New York Giants helmet at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Giants were reportedly serious about trying to move up for a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft.
The Giants offered their No. 6 pick and their 2025 first-round selection to the New England Patriots in an effort to move up to No. 3, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB. The Minnesota Vikings also made a huge offer for the Patriots’ pick that involved both the No. 11 and No. 23 pick, as well as a 2025 first round selection.
Despite these offers, the Patriots were never particularly tempted to move the pick. Breer added that the Patriots’ decision to hold firm was only bolstered by the fact that Brian Daboll and Kevin O’Connell, two coaches known for their offensive acumen, were the ones trying to trade up.
The Giants quite obviously wanted Drake Maye, as they had the chance to take JJ McCarthy at No. 6 and chose not to. That aligns with some pre-draft reporting that suggested the Giants were interested enough in Maye to try to move up to get him.
The Patriots’ former head coach may have some doubts about Maye, but those currently running the team clearly feel differently. They have to if they were turning down huge trade offers in order to select him.
