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Former NBA player Patrick Beverley arrested in Texas on felony assault charges

Patrick Beverley, a former NBA player who spent a dozen years in the league, was arrested Friday in Fort Bend County, Texas, on felony assault charges, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's office confirmed to NBC Sports.

Deputies were dispatched to a residence in Rosharon (a suburb of Houston) at 3:50 a.m., according to the sheriff's office. Upon arrival, "Deputies learned that a situation transpired between family members leading to a family violence incident. The suspect, later identified as Patrick Beverley, was subsequently arrested and charged with assault, family violence/household member." The investigation is ongoing, according to the sheriff's office.

Beverley has been released on $40,000 bail according to multiple reports, put these statements out on social media, the second one including a statement from Beverley's attorney.

Beverley, a Chicago native, played 12 seasons in the NBA and was named to three All-Defensive Teams. The 6'2" guard averaged 8.3 points a game for his career, which included playing for Houston, LA Clippers, Minnesota, the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago, Philadelphia and Milwaukee.

Beverley had already been in the news this week after he and Klay Thompson had a little online beef. Beverley and another former NBA player, Jason Williams, made lewd comments about Thompson's girlfriend, rapper Megan Thee Stallion, during an episode of Barstool Sports’ “Hoopin’ N Hollerin’” podcast, suggesting she is impacting his play on the court. Thompson shot back at Beverley on Instagram, saying, "How would y'all feel if I referred to your wives in such a way? … Do better fellas. Very disappointing."

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The New York Islanders Have a Stanley Cup Calibre Duo In Schaefer & Barzal

Throughout recent years, think about the Stanley Cup Champions and the elite teams in hockey. Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk have Aaron Ekblad. Nathan MacKinnon has Cale Makar. Nikita Kucherov has Victor Hedman. 

Right here in the Metro, Sidney Crosby's had Kris Letang for 21 years. Alexander Ovechkin's had John Carlson for 17 years.

All of these teams are or were perennially in the conversation of the best teams in hockey. One thing they had right was a true superstar defenseman, a guy who can play 25 minutes a night and every time he's on the ice, he can scare the opponents with the plays he can make.

For the first time since a guy named Denis Potvin skated with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier, the New York Islanders have a true superstar on the blue line. 

Matthew Schaefer continues to build his legacy night in and night out. On Friday in Utah, Schaefer scored his first-career overtime goal, becoming the youngest player ever to do so. He broke the record that Crosby set 21 years ago. Schaefer's anchored them to four straight victories, all on the road.

Mathew Barzal teed him up, as the duo whirled all around the ice, skating circles around the Utah Mammoth. 

The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) on XThe Elmonters (@TheElmonters) on XThis guy. In OT 🚨#Isles

That the goal came 24 hours after Schaefer set up Barzal for a late game equalizer against the Vegas Golden Knights just shows the rapport the duo have made.

The Elmonters (@TheElmonters) on XThe Elmonters (@TheElmonters) on X#Isles score a 6-on-5 goal! Drouin, Schaefer setup Barzal🚨

The goals are almost a mirror of each other at the end. A crisp, smooth pass right into the wheelhouse of the shooter for a one-timer. 

That chemistry and skill are the stuff that wins Stanley Cups. They're unmistakable, foundational pieces for the Islanders. It's hard to believe, but Barzal's been here for 10 years now.

Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) on XStefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) on XWhen I talked to #lsles Barzal about Schaefer, he said, "It’s been a long time... I’ve watched MacKinnon & Makar, Pettersson & Hughes—those kinds of guys—so it’s nice to have a guy like that here [...] We’re going to have some nice plays, me & him." https://t.co/gLqJy7JV1d

In that time, he's played with some great offensive defenseman, from Nick Leddy to Noah Dobson, but they're a far cry from what Schaefer brings.

Barzal's at his unmistakable best when he's surrounded by guys who can skate with him. It's why Jonathan Drouin's been such a boon for the Islanders, his speed and skill combining well with Barzal, funneling pucks into dangerous areas constantly.

Drouin's fit well whether he's with Barzal or if he's been with Bo Horvat and Emil Heineman, another dynamic duo that's exploded for the Islanders.

No, this Islanders' team isn't perfect. But for the first time in a long time, they have a truly franchise-altering talent, one whose positive energy and high skill plays have littered the team's highlight reel, just 18 games into the season.

Between him and Barzal, along with Horvat and stellar play from Ilya Sorokin, the Islanders have the bones of what eventually wins a Stanley Cup, or as many of those franchises mentioned at the beginning, multiple championships. 

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Sinner extends indoor dominance with win over De Minaur to reach ATP World Tour final

  • Sinner wins 7-5, 6-2 to reach final for third year in row

  • Defending champion chasing his sixth ATP title of season

Jannik Sinner continued his total dominance of the indoor season as he held off an admirable early challenge from Alex de Minaur before bulldozing his path into the ATP Finals for a third consecutive year with a supreme 7-5, 6-2 victory, extending his winning record against the Australian to 13-0.

Sinner continues to perform at an astounding level that has allowed him to rapidly rise the list of all-time great’s. In a season that included a three-month doping ban between February and May, Sinner will attempt to win his sixth ATP title of the year in his 10th final. The 24-year-old has won 30 consecutive indoor hard court matches and 14 matches in a row after his recent triumphs at the Vienna Open and Paris Masters. He has also won 18 consecutive sets at the ATP Finals.

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New Orleans Pelicans fire Willie Green as coach after 2-10 start, James Borrego named interim coach

In an interview on Friday, Pelicans owner/governor Gayle Benson was asked about the job security of coach Willie Green and said, "I hired Joe Dumars to assess our basketball operation. And that's what he is doing. He is assessing Willie and all the players." Well, Dumars watched the Pelicans fall to 2-10 on the season Friday night, losing to the Lakers, and decided it was time to move on.

The Pelicans have fired Green as head coach after four-plus seasons, the team announced. New Orleans assistant head coach James Borrego — the former Charlotte coach — will take over as the interim head coach.

"After careful evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to make a change at head coach," Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars said in a statement. "I have the utmost respect for Willie Green, and I'm sincerely appreciative of his contributions to the Pelicans organization and the New Orleans community. We wish him and his family all the best in the future."

"As I have stated, Joe Dumars is in charge of basketball operations decisions, and as one of the best basketball minds in the business, I trust him to make the right decisions for our franchise," Benson said. "I have tremendous admiration and respect for Willie Green, and I truly appreciate all he has done for our organization over the last few years. This is a tough business and these are difficult decisions. My expectation is to be a winning team that competes for championships, and I remain steadfast in our commitment to building a championship-caliber organization for our players, partners, and above all, our fans."

Green had been on the hot seat after a slow start to this season and rumors had been swirling around the team, the move was not unexpected.

In his four-plus seasons at the helm, Green amassed a 150-190 record, leading the Pelicans to the playoffs twice (both times they fell in the first round). Green had to deal with a roster built around Zion Williamson, who was constantly in and out of the lineup due to injuries — he is currently out, recovering from a strained hamstring for the fourth consecutive season — but that had other talent that never seemed to be maximized.

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Mets prospects Chris Suero, Nick Morabito top performers in Arizona Fall League

The Mets had seven prospects participate in the Arizona Fall League this year. 

That group helped the Scottsdale Scorpions, who were managed by former Mets catcher Rene Rivera, finish with an 18-10 record which was good enough for first place in the AFL.

The Scorpions were, however, eliminated in the first round of the playoffs on Thursday night.

While they didn't take home the championship, there were plenty of positives to take from the exhibition meetings. 

Two of the biggest Mets standouts were Nick Morabito and Chris Suero.

Both youngsters were able to continue their strong showings from the minor league season, and they performed well enough to land a spot in the Fall League All-Star game. 

Suero once again showcased his dynamic two-way game, going eight-for-eight on stolen base attempts and finishing tied for second in the league with five homers. 

He also hit an impressive .283 and had a .353 OBP to help him finish with a .920 OPS. 

The versatile 21-year-old Bronx-native saw playing time at all three of his positions (C, 1B, LF) during the 15 Fall League games he appeared in.

Morabito also put together a strong showing in what is a big offseason for him. 

The former second-round pick is Rule 5 eligible for the first time, so the Mets will have to decide soon if they want to leave him exposed or add him to the 40 Man roster.

Morabito certainly used this as a strong showcase for New York, or the other 29 organizations. 

He reached base at a terrific clip of .450 and continued showing off his game-changing speed on the bases, racking up the third-most stolen bases in the AFL (16 in 19 attempts). 

Morabito also hit an impressive .362 with a .914 OPS, two doubles, a triple, and a homer. 

It’ll be interesting to see what David Stearns and the Mets decide to do with the outfielder ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. 

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Islanders rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer makes more NHL history with first OT winner

Matthew Schaefer is pretty good, eh?

The Islanders rookie sensation scratched his name into the NHL record books once again on Friday night, helping push the team past the Utah Mammoth for their third consecutive OT win. 

Schaefer’s one-timer found the back of the net off a feed from Mathew Barzal just over two minutes into the extra session, completing the comeback and securing the big second point. 

“It was awesome,” Schaefer said. “Some great hockey-sense from Barry to find me, it’s pretty easy when I can just try to put it on net there and it went in -- definitely a hard fought game and another good win for us.”

The 18-year-old passed Penguins star and future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby as the youngster player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in the regular season. 

He now leads all defensemen with seven goals and is tied for fourth in points (15). 

“He’s a great player, really just unbelievable,” backup goalie David Rittich said. “18 years old and playing that way with that much confidence out there, I think it tells you everything you need to know about him.”

While Schaefer came through in the end, he did give the Islanders a scare midway through.

The youngster imped to the bench after taking an open-ice hit from Utah’s Kevin Stenlund during the second period, then was hobbled after blocking a shot in the third. 

He met with trainers, but was able to return each time without missing a shift.

“I’m still feeling it,” Schaefer said. “It’s something that stings and then you’ve just got to suck it up -- definitely not leaving the game. We have an off day Saturday, going to be icing my legs to get ready for the next game.”