Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has evidently fought through a lot of pain in his team’s Western Conference semifinal series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Monday, he sounded tired of talking about it.
The Mavericks let a Game 4 win slip away in a 100-96 loss to the Thunder at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The Mavs led by as many as 14 points and led for the majority of the contest. But a late collapse and some missed free throws during crunch time — one coming from Doncic — allowed the Thunder to tie the series 2-2.
Doncic, who has battled through both knee and ankle injuries in the series, was asked about his physical state after the Game 4 clash. The Slovenian gave what seemed to be a sarcastic response.
“Luka, you played really hard on the defensive end today, err, tonight. How are you feeling, just physically, right now?” asked the reporter.
The question drew an annoyed smirk from Doncic and a one-word answer.
Sep 14, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Chicago Cubs batting helmet sits on the dugout rail before the Cubs play the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Cubs shored up their pitching staff with a move on Monday.
The Cubs traded for Seattle Mariners right-handed reliever Tyson Miller in exchange for infielder Jake Slaughter, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Trade news: The Chicago Cubs are acquiring right-handed reliever Tyson Miller from the Seattle Mariners for infielder Jake Slaughter, sources tell ESPN.
Miller was recently DFA’d and will join the Cubs in the big leagues. He has been good: 3.09 ERA, 12-to-1 K-to-BB in 11.2 IP.
Miller made nine appearances for the Mariners this season before being designated for assignment. The 28-year-old had a solid 3.09 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 11.2 innings pitched.
The Cubs’ starting rotation has been exceptional through 42 games with a collective 3.15 ERA, which ranks third in the majors.
However, Cubs pitching as a whole has only been slightly above average this season. The team ranked 12th with a collective 3.78 ERA entering Monday’s contests. Their bullpen has weighed down the pitching staff. Through 42 games, Cubs relievers recorded a bloated ERA of 4.61 — 24th in the majors.
Adding Miller won’t solve all of the team’s problems. But it’s a clear indication that the Cubs are looking to shore up their weaknesses amidst a strong 24-18 start to the 2024 season.
Some baseball fans could go their entire lives without ever catching a foul ball. One Seattle Mariners fan inexplicably did it twice in a matter of seconds.
The magic happened Monday during the Mariners’ first at-bat against the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Wash.
Mariners third baseman Josh Rojas fouled off Royals starter Brady Singer’s second pitch of the game toward the left field foul pole. A Mariners fan made an awesome basket catch to snag the foul ball.
The catch being immortalized on live TV was already worth the price of the admission for the fan. But in a miraculous turn of events, the exact same sequence of events played out on the very next pitch.
This Mariners fan caught TWO straight foul balls 🤯
There may have been a glitch in the baseball matrix during Rojas’ at-bat.
The same fan catching a foul ball in the same spot on two consecutive pitches has to be one of the most improbable feats ever seen in MLB history.
A batter would first have to foul off back-to-back pitches, which isn’t very common on its own. Both foul balls also have to be catchable. And the most statistically unlikely part is the ball landing in the exact same spot in the Mariners’ 48,000-capacity stadium.
Nikola Topic, one of the prized prospects in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft class, went down with a concerning injury during Game 1 of the AdmiralBet ABA League Finals.
Topic appeared to have suffered a non-contact injury on Monday that took the air out of Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade, Serbia.
The Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet guard made a routine drive and flung a pass to the corner once he got near the rim. The 18-year-old Serbian crumpled to the floor along the baseline and stayed down for several minutes.
Topic had to be carried off the playing court by two security personnel. He exited the contest with two points and one assist in seven minutes of action.
Serbian Point Guard Nikola Topic', a consensus Top 5 draft pick and possible option for the Spurs at #4, suffered a non-contact knee injury in game 1 of the ABA League finals. Topic, 18 missed four months earlier this season with an injury to the same knee. video courtesy… pic.twitter.com/cWQVn2wKjD
Topic had suffered an injury to the same knee in January that kept him sidelined for nearly three months.
Topic was at least able to return to the team’s bench to cheer on his squad after his trip to the locker room.
Crvena Zvezda held on without Topic for an 85-82 win over Partizan Mozzart Bet to take a 1-0 series lead in the best-of-5 championship round.
The 6’6″ guard was considered a consensus top-5 pick in June’s NBA draft before his latest injury. Concerns surrounding Topic’s knee could potentially affect his draft stock.
Sep 24, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; A view of a Buffalo Bills player’s helmet on the sidelines against the Washington Commanders at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Bills are reportedly eyeing one player from last season’s Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bills let go of their top two wide receivers from last season, Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. The pair were first and second on the Bills, respectively, in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Filling the 15-touchdown void left by the two departing veterans was arguably Buffalo’s top offseason priority.
Valdes-Scantling spent his last two seasons with the Chiefs. The 29-year-old had his worst statistical season in 2023. He caught just 21 passes for 315 yards and 1 touchdown — all career worsts for the veteran wideout.
Jan 13, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) warms up before the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
There were always going to be a ton of questions surrounding Bronny James’ looming jump to the NBA. One of his NBA draft combine measurements just added another one to the list.
On Monday, James was among the participants at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine held at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill.
The prospect showcase allowed James to show off his outstanding vertical leap. The 19-year-old sharpshooter also performed well when put through various shooting drills. Both likely helped his next-level projection as a 3-and-D player.
Bronny James records a 40.50 inch max vertical at the NBA Draft Combine.
Bronny just went a full minute and 15 seconds without missing in movement shooting drill, which is also a test for conditioning, shooting when tired. Impressive stuff here pic.twitter.com/SD6p95cK07
James was able to impress in areas that he could control. But there was a lot of buzz about something the youngster had no control over — his official height.
James, who had been listed as 6’4″ in college, was measured at 6’1.5″ without shoes at the combine.
Bronny James, listed height of 6'4" on every roster he's ever played on, measured just a half inch over 6'1" at the NBA Scouting Combine.
6'1" guys who averaged 5 points a game in college usually don't get drafted. I sure do wonnnnder what's different in Bronny's case…
That two-and-a-half inch difference is pretty big, even considering the shoe/no shoes matter.
There aren’t many non-point guards who find success in the NBA at James’ height. His official measurement has him closer to lead guards Kyrie Irving (6’1.75″ without shoes) and Jalen Brunson (6’1″ without shoes) rather than wing defenders like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (6’4.5″ without shoes).
Last month, James announced his decision to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft after his lone year at USC. At the time, NBA teams reportedly saw the move as the teenager simply testing the waters before returning to school for at least another year.
Apr 6, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) against the Denver Nuggets in the first half at Footprint Center. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Firing head coach Frank Vogel might not have been enough for the Phoenix Suns to placate Kevin Durant.
Speaking Monday on “First Take,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said that the Durant situation in Phoenix is a “problem.” Smith also claimed that Durant went “more than a month” without talking to Vogel and added that Durant supposedly “lives in his own world” rather than building a bond with his Suns teammates.
Take a look at the video below.
.@stephenasmith says it's time to "disband" the Suns' big three 😳
"They're not a big three. They're a big three in money. They're a big three in name. But they ain't a big three in level of production." pic.twitter.com/90mqtmYzQJ
Smith’s comments are consistent with what we heard a few weeks ago about Durant. A report emerged suggesting that the former NBA MVP had been unhappy with his role in Vogel’s offense. Vogel was ultimately fired by the Suns after just one season in charge, and the team has since replaced him with Mike Budenholzer.
In any case though, Durant being dissatisfied with his team is a tale as old as time at this point. He has now left or otherwise forced his way off a total of three separate teams (Oklahoma City, Golden State, and Brooklyn). By far the most blatant example of Durant’s discontent came in Brooklyn when he demanded a trade and gave the Nets an ultimatum to fire both their head coach and their GM.
With Phoenix, Durant is still under contract through 2026 making roughly $51.1 million per year. But his role in the offense might not change much so long as Devin Booker and Bradley Beal remain the primary ball-handlers for the Suns. If not Durant however, it is possible that another member of that Big Three gets sent packing instead.
Aug 14, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Thaddeus Moss (81) runs with the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Thaddeus Moss is hanging them up just over a decade after his father did.
Thaddeus, son of Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss, announced in a post to X on Monday that he has made a major decision on his future. Thaddeus is retiring from football at the age of 25.
“It is always important to know when something has reached its end,” wrote Thaddeus in his post. “Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn’t matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over. Thank You #Retired.”
It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn't matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.
Playing at the tight end position, Thaddeus was a standout in college at LSU after transferring over from NC State. He caught 47 passes for 570 yards and four touchdowns during a 2019 season in which LSU won the national title. Two of those touchdowns came in the championship game against Clemson.
Thaddeus would go undrafted in 2020 but eventually received opportunities with the then-Washington Football Team and the Cincinnati Bengals. While he never appeared in an official NFL game, he did once spark controversy during a preseason contest. Thaddeus later played in the USFL as well, winning the 2023 USFL title with the Birmingham Stallions.
The last we heard of Thaddeus was when he briefly landed on a CFL team. He is moving onto a new chapter of his life however, independent of the sport that made his father Randy, now 47, so famous.
A college baseball player made the most embarrassing mistake of the season over the weekend.
Tarleton State lost 11-7 to Utah Valley in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday at Tarleton Baseball Complex in Stephenville, Texas. The Texans were down 8-6 in the sixth inning when Sergio Guerra knocked a pitch over the fence for what should have been his first home run of the season. Unfortunately, Guerra made one of the most embarrassing mistakes imaginable: he did not step on home plate.
Is there anything easier to do in all of sports, than touch the 4 bases after hitting a home run?
At the :40second mark, you can see a Tarleton State player say “he missed home plate” pic.twitter.com/A7fBeuZiJQ
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) May 12, 2024
Utah Valley was paying attention and appealed after Guerra went to the dugout. Guerra was called out on an appeal, so the score remained 8-6.
Guerra did the hard part: hitting the ball out of the stadium. Unfortunately he forgot the easy part: touching each base.
Jan 2, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) talks to a television reporter after the game between the Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mitchell set the franchise record for points with 71. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without their leader for their most important game of the season thus far.
Cleveland announced on Monday that All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell will miss Game 4 against the Boston Celtics because of a strain to his left calf. The news comes as the Cavs face a 2-1 series deficit ahead of a must-win game at home in Cleveland.
Caris Levert will enter the starting five for the Cavs in Mitchell’s absence.
Mitchell was listed as questionable on the team’s injury report throughout the day and missed the open portion of shootaround on Monday morning. But the news still comes as a shocker since Mitchell played a team-high 43 minutes in Game 3 and scored 33 points on seven three-pointers.
If the injury is serious enough that it is causing Mitchell to sit out of a must-win playoff game, it does not look too good for his availability in Game 5 on Wednesday in Boston either. The Cavaliers are already down Jarrett Allen (rib), and their season is clearly on life support against the NBA-best Celtics right now. Meanwhile, given the recent rumors that we have heard, it is very possible that Mitchell has already played his final game in a Cavs uniform.
