When Mark Cuban sold the Dallas Mavericks, he said he got out in part because the NBA used to be a tech business (his strength) and was becoming a real estate business.
To that end, the Mavericks announced plans this week to build a new arena and surrounding entertainment district in the Valley View area of Dallas, about 12 miles north of their current arena (but within the Dallas city limits).
The goal is to have the team move in for the 2031-32 season, when the team's lease at the American Airlines Center is up.
"We have the opportunity to create a vibrant mixed-use destination anchored by a state-of-the-art arena, along with restaurants, entertainment options, public green spaces and family-friendly experiences," the team said in a statement announcing the deal. "Done thoughtfully and with community engagement, a project of this scale will serve as a meaningful economic catalyst for Dallas and its residents."
This should end the speculation that the new owners, the Adelson and Dumont families — which also run the Sands Casino empire — planned to move the team to Las Vegas. The Mavericks hired Rick Welts and made him CEO to oversee this arena project — he had overseen the Warriors' construction of the Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Mavericks are moving from near downtown Dallas to the former Valley View Mall site in North Dallas, where they have more than 100 acres to build out their entertainment district. That said, they are staying within Dallas, something the organization said was a priority.
"We believe in Dallas, and our priority has been clear from the beginning: keeping the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas," the Mavericks' statement said.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer congratulates star player Kawhi Leonard after a game against the Detroit Pistons at the Intuit Dome in December 2025. (Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images)
The sentencing of Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg to 14 years in federal prison on Monday brings the NBA a step closer to concluding its nine-month investigation into the Clippers allegedly circumventing the salary cap.
Sanberg pleaded guilty in October to federal charges of conspiring to bilk investors out of $248 million for portraying the now-defunct Aspiration as a “socially-conscious and sustainable banking services and investment products” firm.
The NBA has declined to comment on the status of the probe centered on $60 million invested in Aspiration by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and the $28-million contract Clippers star Kawhi Leonard signed with Aspiration for endorsement and marketing work that he never delivered.
Players are allowed to have separate endorsement and other business deals, but at issue is whether the Clippers participated in arranging the side deal beyond simply introducing Aspiration executives to Leonard. Doing so would be a violation of Article 13 of the NBA collective bargaining agreement, punishable by a $4.5-million fine, the loss of a first-round draft pick and the voiding of Leonard’s contract.
The NBA Draft takes place June 23-24 and the Clippers have three picks, including the fifth overall selection. The league is not expected to release its findings until after the NBA Finals, which begin Wednesday between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
Clippers officials haven’t commented on the investigation. But Leonard, who has one year left on a three-year, $149.5 million contract that will pay him $50.3 million next season, told The Athletic after the Clippers’ season-ending game April 15 that “I think we’re going to be in the clear. I’m not stressing.”
Otherwise, among the few public comments about the investigation were letters submitted to federal court judge Stephen V. Wilson ahead of Sanberg’s sentencing by Ballmer and the law firm conducting the probe on behalf of the NBA.
The letter from Dave Anders of Wachtell Lipton stated that Sanberg provided documentation and information helpful to the NBA investigation during two in-person interviews.
“In all our dealings with Mr. Sanberg, both directly and through his counsel, he provided information that was consistent with our review of contemporaneous documents and other evidence,” Anders wrote. “Mr. Sanberg’s cooperation substantially assisted our investigation, including our ability to develop a more complete understanding of key events.”
Ballmer countered by asking Wilson for a stiff sentence in a five-page Victim Impact Statement posted on social media by his lawyer, David N. Kelley.
“Sanberg continues to exploit his fraud of Mr. Ballmer for his benefit, providing information to the NBA in return for a sentencing letter that the league submitted on his behalf,” Kelley wrote. “The reliability of Sanberg’s information is suspect given that he has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges, and the government has made its own determination that he is not credible.”
Before handing down the sentence, Wilson made it clear that Sanberg’s credibility was questionable.
“He portrays himself as a do-gooder who was in business to help the world, but he did personally gain from his fraud,” Wilson said, later adding, “I would put the grade of his fraud at the zenith.”
Ballmer, a former longtime CEO of Microsoft who has owned the Clippers since 2014, accused Sanberg of targeting him for his well-known interest in environmental sustainability and exaggerating their relationship to convince others to invest in the fraudulent company. He said he met Sanberg only once.
Ballmer invested $50 million in Aspiration in September 2021. A month later, the Clippers announced a $300 million sponsorship deal with the company. Ballmer nearly granted Aspiration naming rights to the team’s new $2 billion venue as well, but instead chose financial services firm Intuit. Ballmer made an additional $10 million investment in Aspiration on March 9, 2023.
Ballmer was added in November as a defendant in a civil lawsuit against Sanberg and several others associated with Aspiration. Ballmer and the other defendants are accused by 11 investors in Aspiration of fraud and aiding and abetting fraud, with the plaintiffs seeking at least $50 million in damages.
Kelly contended that Ballmer was added as a defendant because of his “visibility and resources,” and portrayed the Clippers owner as a victim, saying “Mr. Ballmer’s losses are not measured solely, or even primarily, on a balance sheet. They are measured in the reputational damage that will take years to remediate, and in the chilling effect on future endeavors intended to do good.”
The lone public comment about the investigation from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver came during All-Star Weekend in February at the Intuit Dome when he described the issue as “enormously complex.”
“You have a company in bankruptcy, you have thousands of documents, multiple witnesses that needed to be interviewed,” Silver said.
The investigation was triggered by reports from podcaster Pablo Torre that Leonard’s sponsorship deal with Aspiration was to circumvent the salary cap. Torre and the staff of “Pablo Torre Finds Out” won a Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting for their efforts.
The Arizona Diamondbacks (32-27) stole the series opener versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (38-22), 4-1.
Arizona's win snapped a three-game losing streak and a five-game losing streak against the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks hammered three home runs in the win over Los Angeles and allowed one run on five hits. Arizona had one home run in the last four games. Over the last five contests, the Diamondbacks are hitting .182 (29th) as a team.
Los Angeles is now 1-2 in the last three games, but 7-2 in the previous nine following Monday's loss. The Dodgers are hitting .263 (11th) with 10 home runs (T-3rd) over the past five games with a 2.45 ERA (T-4th). The Dodgers are 12-9 in the 21 games following a loss this season.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
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Game details & how to watch Dodgers at Diamondbacks
Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Time: 9:40 PM EST
Site: Chase Field
City: Phoenix, AZ
Network/Streaming: ESPN / MLB TV
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Odds for the Dodgers at the Diamondbacks
The latest odds as of Tuesday:
Moneyline: Los Angeles Dodgers (-120), Arizona Diamondbacks (-101)
The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani is hitting .289 with 61 hits and 106 total bases over 211 at-bats
The Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker is hitting .238 with 50 hits and 45 strikeouts over 210 at-bats
The Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll is hitting .286 with 59 hits and 110 total bases over 206 at-bats
The Diamondbacks’ Geraldo Perdomo is hitting .221 with 43 hits and 30 strikeouts over 195 at-bats
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Dodgers at Diamondbacks
The Dodgers are 32-28 ATS
The Diamondbacks are 36-23 ATS, ranking third-best
The Dodgers are 35-25 to the Under, ranking first-best
The Diamondbacks are 28-28-3 to the Over
The Dodgers are 17-12 ATS as the road team, ranking fourth-best
The Diamondbacks are 17-10 ATS as the home team, ranking fifth-best
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday's game between the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Dodgers on the Moneyline.
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Texas’ Aiden Robbins (43) celebrates with teammates after hitting his second home run of the game against Vanderbilt during the fourth inning of a NCAA baseball game at Hawkins Field on Friday, April 24, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. | MARK ZALESKI / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
It was quite a bloodletting for seeded teams in the tournament this weekend. Seven of the sixteen seeded were wiped away in the first weekend, including the top two seeds in UCLA and Georgia Tech. There were some great performances in the tournament though. It’s possible some of these players that we’re tracking were able to move up the board.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) June 1, 2026
Well, that’s some opposite field power. Per Baseball America, he’s not a player that puts the ball in the air a lot and has a “hit-over-power” profile. He appears to have made an exception today. If he keeps trending in this direction, he might not stay in the middle of the first round very long. Aiden continues play next weekend versus Oregon.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 31, 2026
Justin Lebron looks like a solid five-tool guy. Here he is showing off the power, pulling a ball on the outside corner into the scoreboard area. He displayed some speed as well with two stolen bases. He plays solid defense as shortstop as well. The only knock is his contact skills, but it’s a smal knock. Justin will play against St. John’s this weekend.
Oklahoma took out the number two seed in the tournament with two wins over Georgia Tech. Brendan Brock helped lead the way with two home runs and 8/15 overall at the plate. He can play catcher and center field, which might make him an unique one in this year’s draft. Brendan will be at Kansas this weekend.
Daniel Jackson crushes his 29th homer of the year — his second in as many NCAA Regional games 💪
Here’s another catcher with pop. Daniel Jackson had two home runs and a double and went 5/10 overall. The power is there with above average speed. The defense is a bit of a question mark despite his good arm. Daniel will play Mississippi State this weekend.
UIC took a quick 2-0 lead, but then Alex Hernandez hit this ball 407 feet to tie it. He's batting 6th and will likely hear his name called in the top five rounds.
Georgia Tech will likely have at least 7(!) hitters from their lineup drafted in July.pic.twitter.com/dGUXetL5zg
Alex Hernandez went ham over the weekend in a losing effort for Georgia Tech. He grabbed 4 home runs and 3 other hits. There is a lot of swing-and-miss in his profile, but hoo boy the power is there. He has some work to do with zone recognition, but it’s nothing that a summer in High A ball wouldn’t cure. Georgia Tech’s season is over, but that just allows some of their players more prep time for the draft.
Another day, another Drew Burress bomb. 113 mph off the bat, that’s career home run No. 60 for the Georgia Tech star.
— The Prospect Porch (@prospect_porch) June 1, 2026
Speaking of Georgia Tech players getting ready for the draft, I present Drew Burress. If you can call 4/16 and 2 home runs as a quiet weekend, it’s because there were some ridiculous lines put up this week. Burress is listed at number 4 to 10 depending on what publication you are reading. A lot of mock draft have him going to the Braves. The hit, power, and speed tools are there, and most observers think he can stick in center field. 60 home runs in a college career for a 5-9 180 guy seems like a ton.
Hunter Dietz delivers a career-high 14-strikeout performance for @RazorbackBSB, allowing 4 runs over 6 1/3 frames.
The 6-foot-6 southpaw with four above-average pitches checks in at No. 15 on the Top 200 Draft Prospects list. pic.twitter.com/KvpEfCCczA
Want to see a late first round pitching prospect? Hunter Dietz punched out 14 Jayhawks in a loss to Kansas. Dietz is a big lefty at 6-6 230. He sits 95 on the fastball and touches 98. He features a pretty good slider/cutter and a curveball. He’s a guy with a lot of bullets left, as he dealt with a stress fracture early in his college career. I’m not saying he’s not going to the Braves. He’s too big to say that to him. We can say his college season has ended.
Gavin Grahovac gets the Aggies on the board with a solo shot 💣
He has some of the best raw power + contact quality in the 2026 draft class.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 31, 2026
Gavin Grahovac had three home runs, three walks, and a single in a regional loss over the weekend. There were some questions about his contact skills, but he seems to have dealt with those. He has overcome shoulder surgery in 2025 to hit 47 home runs in his college career. The observers love his physicality, but it’s unclear if he will play corner outfield in the pros. Texas A&M’s season is over.
AJ Gracia has 5 hits and 5 RBIs on the day with the season on the line for the Virginia Cavaliers.
— The Prospect Porch (@prospect_porch) May 30, 2026
AJ Gracia displayed all of his skills over the weekend, reaching base 10 times. He was spraying the ball around the park and had this super catch to rob Jacksonville State of a home run. AJ put up a .354/.489/.632 line with 24 home runs for Virginia. Baseball America likes him in the 10-15 range. Virginia’s season is over.
I didn’t watch college baseball at all, but I did get to see some late Sunday and Monday. There are more 95+ MPH pitchers in college than I realized. These hitters are using he aluminum bats, but their contact skills are no joke. Their defense collectively looks to be a work in progress, but these guys will play two or three seasons in the minor leagues anyway. There appears to be a ton of hitting talent in the draft, and the Braves could even grab a catcher or center fielder.
BRONX, NY - APRIL 17: Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro looks at the scoreboard before the MLB professional baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York, NY. (Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Royals have lost 16 of 20 games, and are now just a half game from having the worst record in baseball in early June. The season has been a huge disappointment for a team that largely returned a roster coming off back-to-back winning seasons and was expecting to contend for a post-season spot.
When teams fail to live up to expectations in such dramatic fashion, fans and media begin to call for people to be fired. Royals manager Matt Quatraro was hired in 2023, and the next season he was praised for one of the biggest improvements in recent baseball history, winning 30 more games and reaching the playoffs. The team took a step back in 2025, but still finished with a winning record.
But now, as the team stumbles to a 23-37 start, the calls for a change in the dugout grow louder. Quatraro signed a three-year contract extension in January, which would seem to make a change unlikely. J.J. Picollo has expressed confidence in his skipper, telling reporters last week that the data doesn’t suggest a change would matter.
“You can go back and look at all the historical research on changing coaching staffs. There’s not a lot of strong data on changing coaching staffs mid-season leading to what you need to do. It appeases the fanbase because you’ve made a change, but we have to be logical in our thinking.”
Does firing a manager make a difference in team performance? Studies suggest a manager only has a net impact of a few wins or losses per year. Some moves backfire and blow the game, but other moves help win games and counteract those moves. Ultimately, a win/loss record is dependent largely on the level of talent.
But baseball is a results-oriented business, and a manager’s job is to win games. Aside from in-game tactical decisions, there is the question on how effective a manager is at getting the most out of his roster, or even getting it to overachieve. Leadership does matter, and if players are underperforming their expected talent level, questions will be pointed at the manager for what he is doing or not doing to get a better performance out of his players. Sometimes, a leadership style gets stale, a clubhouse vibe turns sour, and a clubhouse shake-up is needed.
Dan Syzmborski at Fangraphs took a look at this earlier this year after the Red Sox and Phillies each dismissed their respective skippers back in April. The Phillies have taken off since Don Mattingly took over for Rob Thomson, and are now over .500. The Red Sox have played near .500 baseball under Chad Tracy, a slight improvement over how they played under Alex Cora, but not enough to get them out of the cellar.
Syzmborski examined 40 managerial firings since the start of the 2004 season and found:
On a fundamental level, the teams did play better ball after firing their manager. The teams had a .414 winning percentage when their managers were fired, and the replacements accumulated a .467 winning percentage the rest of the way. Thirty two of the 40 teams saw their record improve.
So teams do generally improve in the win/loss column. But how much of this is the manager’s doing, and how much of this is underperforming teams simply regressing toward the mean? The Phillies and Red Sox were projected to be talented teams that could contend for postseason spots. Did they improve because the new manager made a difference? Or was it the team reverting to their true talent level? Or perhaps even a “dead cat bounce” where no team can play that poorly for that long?
Syzmborski compared how the team projected to do based on “rest of the season projections” at the time of the managerial change, and compared them to how the manager actually fared. The result was that “across 3,061 games managed, the new managers won 1.5 fewer games than expected…..a statistically insignificant difference.” The Red Sox were on pace to lose 102 games when Cora was fired – the team may be playing better under Tracy mostly because the roster talent level isn’t that bad. Don Mattingly has fared well for the Phillies, but it also helps that he took over when the Giants, Marlins, and Rockies were on the schedule.
That doesn’t necessarily mean a managerial firing is the wrong move. Teams do not operate in a vacuum of projections and probability. When a club is careening toward a disappointing season, ownership and the front office are often compelled to show that someone is being held accountable. A managerial change can signal that the organization recognizes the failure and is unwilling to accept it, even if the move itself is unlikely to produce a dramatic turnaround. The problem is that accountability and improvement are not always the same thing. Royals history offers several examples of that distinction.
Here are some of the recent mid-season managerial firings in Royals history.
1991 John Wathan fired, Bob Schaefer named interim manager, Hal McRae hired
The Royals went on a free agent splurge in 1990, signing Mark and Storm Davis (no relation), only to see those moves backfire. The team lost 86 games, at the time tying for the third-worst season in club history, and the low-key approach of manager John Wathan drew scrutiny. The next year, the team got off to a 15-22 (.405) start when new GM Herk Robinson fired Wathan in May, replacing him with Expos hitting coach and former Royals star Hal McRae. McRae wanted a much more aggressive style on the bases, – their stolen bases per game went from 0.54 under Wathan to 0.79 under McRae. He may have light a fire under the team, as they went 66-58 (.532) under him and finished with a winning record.
1997 Bob Boone fired, Tony Muser hired
The Royals wanted a youth movement after the work stoppage in 1995, and they brought in the academically-minded Bob Boone to oversee the effort. His first season was near .500, but the team lost 86 games his second year, and once again had a losing record of 36-46 (.439) going into the 1997 All-Star break. The Royals canned Boone and replaced him with Cubs hitting coach Tony Muser, but the team fared much worse, going just 31-48 (.392) down the stretch.
2002 Tony Muser fired, John Mizerock named interim manager, Tony Peña hired
Muser had a dour attitude, seemed to dig at one of his best hitters (Mike Sweeney), and was criticized for overusing his few good pitchers. He had four full losing seasons – at the time, some of the worst in club history – and yet the team seemed to stick with him. They finally fired him in 2002, after an 8-15 (.347) start, replacing him with bullpen coach John Mizerock on an interim basis. They lost their first six games with Mizerock in the dugout, but after they swept Cleveland, some fans wanted Mizerock to get the job on a full-time basis. Instead, they hired Astros bench coach Tony Peña, at the time a hot managerial prospect who had success in the minors and had been a widely respected player. The team did not play much better, going 49-77 (.389), and suffering two eight-game losing streaks and a 7-19 September.
2005 Tony Peña resigns, Bob Schaefer named interim manager, Buddy Bell hired
After a surprising run in 2003, Peña’s Royals fell back to earth with a thud in 2004. In 2005, he resigned in May with the team 8-25 (.242), the worst record in baseball. At the time, it seemed as if the stress of having the worst team in baseball had caused the resignation, but later reports indicated Peña may have been distracted by his involvement in a contentious divorce case in which he was alleged to have had an affair with the wife. After going 5-12 with interim manager Bob Schafer (.294), the team hired former Tigers and Rockies manager Buddy Bell who was Cleveland’s bench coach. The Royals went just 43-69 (.384) with Bell, a preview of the losing to come under his helm.
2010 Trey Hillman fired, Ned Yost hired
The Royals made an unconventional hire in Trey Hillman, who had become a candidate based on his experience managing in Japan. He won 75 games his first season, and the team got off to a good start in 2009 (18-11!) only to see the bottom drop out in a 97-loss season. The Royals brought in former Brewers manager Ned Yost as a special adviser in the front office, and the writing seemed to be on the wall for Hillman. His team got off to a 12-23 (.343) start, and a week after Dayton Moore said the team was not planning any moves, Hillman was let go. The Royals played much better under Yost until a September swoon, but they still finished with a 55-72 (.433) record on his watch.
With a .301/.416/.634 slash line through his first 60 games of the season, it’s not a question of whether Yordan Alvarez will be selected to his fourth American League All-Star team. The question is whether he’ll be traveling to Philadelphia alone.
It’s been 12 years since the Astros were limited to a single All-Star, and only once during that span have they had fewer than three representatives. So who could join Alvarez at next month’s Midsummer Classic?
Spencer Arrighetti
Arrighetti has been historically good since beginning the season in Sugar Land. His 1.34 ERA is the eighth-best mark in Astros history through a pitcher’s first eight starts of a season, and it would lead the majors if he had enough innings to qualify.
The Astros are 7-1 in Arrighetti’s starts, and he’s completed at least five innings in every outing while allowing two or fewer earned runs each time.
Arrighetti’s 3.97 FIP indicates he’s been a little fortunate, and his strikeout rate is below league average while his walk rate is above it. However, he’s been elite at limiting hard contact and has surrendered just two home runs.
The biggest strike against Arrighetti’s All-Star candidacy is his lack of innings, the result of making three or four fewer starts than the other pitchers competing for a spot. He won’t be able to make up all of that ground over the next month, but he’ll have a chance to narrow the gap. If he pitches anywhere close to the level he has through his first eight starts, he’ll likely join Alvarez in Philadelphia.
Christian Walker
What a difference a year makes for the 35-year-old first baseman, whom the Astros appeared ready to salary dump over the offseason. Walker finished May with 16 homers, 43 RBIs, and an .835 OPS after ending last May with seven homers, 25 RBIs, and a .630 OPS.
Walker leads the Astros in RBIs and trails only Alvarez in home runs, slugging percentage, and OPS while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base. This is the production the Astros thought they were getting when they signed Walker to a three-year, $60 million contract after the 2024 season.
The biggest hurdle standing between Walker and his first All-Star bid is that first base in the American League is stacked.
Ben Rice, Nick Kurtz, Munetaka Murakami, Willson Contreras, and Jonathan Aranda are AL first basemen with higher OPS marks than Walker. Murakami is currently on the injured list with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, which could create a slight opening, but an All-Star selection still feels unlikely unless Walker goes on a tear in June.
A new lead as emerged in the Nashville Predators' general manager search as the Colorado Avalanche have given GM Chris MacFarland permission to speak to the Predators.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on Tuesday that MacFarland met face-to-face with Predators owner Bill Haslam and the goal is for the Predators to close the deal quickly.
Rumors about MacFarland's interest in Nashville have swirled for weeks, some suggesting that he is being interviewed for the President of Hockey Operations position and not the GM job.
He joined the Avalanche organization back in 2015 as an assistant general manager after serving in the same role with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2007 to 2015. From 2013 to 2015 he also served as the general manager of the Springfield Falcons, Columbus's AHL affiliate.
MacFarland took over the general manager role in July 2022, following the Avalanche's Stanley Cup championship and Joe Sakic's move to become President of Hockey Operations.
Since taking over the role, Colorado has placed in the top three in the Central Division for the last four seasons, winning the division twice. This season, Colorado posted a 55-16-11 record to win their second President's Trophy in the six seasons.
It was stunned by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals, getting swept.
The Avalanche have put together a talent squad that's included the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brock Nelson, Martin Necas, and former Predators Nick Blankenburg and Scott Wedgewood.
In February, GM Barry Trotz announced that he'd be retiring as soon as a replacement had been found, with the search commencing immediately.
Trotz has remained the GM through the rest of the 2025-26 season and nearing the start of the NHL Draft at the end of this month.
The Nashville Predators own the 10th overall pick in the upcoming draft, which will be held in Buffalo on June 26.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 01: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers gets ready in the batters box against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field on June 01, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In those 18 games, Ohtani is hitting .415/.506/.723 with 11 extra-base hits. That includes a ringing double to left center field that bounced off the warning track on Monday night.
This wasn’t necessarily a near home run — Baseball Savant says the 102.8-mph drive hit 375 feet with a 22-degree launch angle would have been a home run only in Wrigley Field among the 30 MLB parks — but it was a sign that Ohtani is locked in at the plate. Orel Hershiser commented on it on the SportsNet LA broadcast, and manager Dave Roberts likes to say Ohtani is at his best when he’s using all parts of the field.
Ohtani has 10 home runs through the Dodgers’ first 60 games, which puts him on pace for 27 home runs this year. It’s hard to be disappointed in a hitter with a 153 wRC+ — even before considering that player is alsoone of the best pitchers in baseball — but Ohtani’s first two seasons with the Dodgers broke the scale for proper calibration. That’s what happens when you set a franchise home run record in each of your first two seasons, hitting 54 home runs in 2024 and 55 in 2025.
Ohtani hit six home runs in March/April, and four in May. Those are his two lowest home run months with the Dodgers, with April tied with July 2024 as his previous home run nadir in Los Angeles. In every other month with the Dodgers, Ohtani hit between seven and 15 home runs.
In his career, June is Ohtani’s best power month, with 62 home runs and a .723 slugging percentage in 163 career games during the month.
Ohtani career splits
March/April: 43 HR (one per 18.3 PA), .559 SLG
May: 53 HR (one per 16.1 PA), .546 SLG
June: 62 HR (one per 11.3 PA), .723 SLG
July: 46 HR (one per 15.6 PA), .543 SLG
August: 47 HR (one per 18.2 PA), .537 SLG
September: 39 HR (one per 17.4 PA), .582 SLG
Whether you think Ohtani has another June to remember brings us to today’s question: How many home runs with Shohei Ohtani hit this June? He hit 12 home runs in June 2024, and seven in June 2025, for reference.
Brendon McCullum backs quick bowler to bring ‘noise’
Gus Atkinson could play if conditions less hot at Lord’s
England have announced a slimmed-down squad of 12 for the first match of the summer, against New Zealand at Lord’s starting on Thursday, postponing until the last minute a decision over whether to reward the “full noise” approach of Hampshire’s Sonny Baker with a Test debut.
The approach mirrors that at the first Ashes Test last November, when England announced a 12-man squad that featured both Mark Wood and Shoaib Bashir before opting in the end for Wood’s extra pace. On this occasion Bashir will play, having been preferred to Rehan Ahmed as the team’s frontline spinner, while Jacob Bethell is fit after a finger injury and also able to bowl if required.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 01: Frederik Andersen #31 of the Carolina Hurricanes speaks to the media during Media Day ahead of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center on June 01, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
And so it begins….
Game day has finally arrived and the Las Vegas Golden Knights are in town to take on the Carolina Hurricanes for game one of the Stanley Cup Final.
After an expansive “Media Day” yesterday, there are tons of interviews and articles to go through. I won’t even try to list them all but you can check with your normal sources.
There is one narrative I would like to discuss here though. “The Hurricanes had an easier path to the Final than Las Vegas did”.
First of all, when you have the best regular season record in the East, you should have an easier path. You have done it the old fashioned way, “you’ve earned it!“ But let’s take a look at each team’s opponents.
Carolina beat the Ottawa Senators, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Montreal Canadiens.
The Sens finished with 99 points, the Flyers 98, and the Habs with 106 for a total of 303 regular season points earned.
Vegas defeated Utah, 92 points, Anaheim, 92 points, and the Avs 121 points, (though the Avs were without the 100% use of some of their best players). The total of these regular season points is 305 points.
There does not seem to be much difference in these totals, so that narrative should be put aside.
Bottom line, things will be settled on the ice.
The Hurricanes are on one of their best runs ever. Not only are they 12-1 in the playoffs, they had a 7-1-1 record at the end of the season giving them a 19-2-1 record in their last 22 games.
The Canes have not changed their lines throughout the postseason, (except for a few midgame tweaks). Most recently, they once again skated:
Jarvis – Aho- Svechnikov
Hall – Stankoven – Blake
Martinook – Staal- Ehlers
Carrier – Jankowski – Robinson
Miller – Walker
Slavin – Chatfield
Nikishin – Gostisbehere
Andersen
The knock that many experts put on the Hurricanes is that they do not have a true “superstar”. They have several good players though!
The Knights are not lacking for superstars.
Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel are bonafide with Mark Stone not far behind. They also have some dangerous complimentary players such as Ivan Barbeshev, Pavel Dorofeyev, and William Karlsson.
According to the Daily Faceoff, their lines should look like the following:
There are some tough matchups here, no arguing about that. It will be an interesting series.
A lot will come down to Carolina goalie, Frederik Andersen.
The Hurricanes have announced that they will have watch parties outside the arena for those unable to get tickets as well as watch parties inside the arena for away games.
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‘CANES TO HOST STANLEY CUP FINAL WATCH PARTIES
Tickets to attend road game watch parties at Lenovo Center are $10
RALEIGH, NC – Brian Fork, Chief Executive Officer of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team will host Hurricanes Watch Parties at Lenovo Center for Games 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 during the Stanley Cup Final.
For home games, the team will set up screens on the South Plaza of Lenovo Center for fans who don’t have tickets to the game. The Watch Party for Game 1 will feature a pregame concert from Brothers Osborne at 5:30 p.m. Food and beverage options will be available for purchase on-site and restrooms will be present. Outside food and beverages, chairs, weapons and illegal substances are not permitted. No ticket is required for the Hurricanes Watch party, but fans wishing to park on-site must pay to do so at this link. In addition to the Lenovo Center event, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance and the City of Raleigh are hosting Official Carolina Hurricanes Watch Parties at Moore Square.
Hurricanes Watch Parties for away games will allow fans to watch Games 3, 4 and 6 on the videoboard inside Lenovo Center. Selected discounted concession items will be available for purchase. Tickets to the away game Hurricanes Watch Parties are $10, with all proceeds benefiting the Carolina Hurricanes Foundation. Tickets can be purchased by the general public starting at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and Season Ticket Members are eligible for a presale at 1:00 p.m. Parking for Hurricanes Watch Parties will be free for away games. The Game 3 watch party is presented by Moxie Pest Control.
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Game Time: 8 P.M.
Television: ABC; SN, CBC, TVAS
Radio: 99.9 The Fan with Mike Maniscalco and Tripp Tracy
Game odds according to FanDuel: Canes -154, Knights +128
It will be a quiet opening night at the NHL Draft for the Detroit Red Wings, sitting without a first-round selection after shipping that pick to San Jose as part of the trade deadline deal that brought offensive defenseman Justin Faulk to Detroit.
The 18-year-old defender spent the 2025-26 season with his hometown Calgary Hitmen of the WHL and put together an impressive campaign, posting seven goals and 44 assists for 51 points with a plus-five rating across 67 games.
Scouts consistently point to his skating as his defining attribute, calling him one of the best movers in the entire draft class. At six feet two and 181 pounds, he already carries a frame that projects well at the next level.
Next season, Macbeath will take his game to the NCAA with a commitment to the University of Denver, one of the premier programs in all of college hockey. Denver has won three national championships over the last five years, and the program recruits with the same scrutiny an NHL team applies to its draft board.
The selection speaks for itself as a testament to how highly regarded Macbeath is across the hockey world, and Denver gives him the ideal stage to sharpen his game before making the jump to the professional ranks. His draft rankings reflect that same range of opinion, sitting as high as 29th overall on TSN's Craig Button's board and as low as 65th on Elite Prospects.
The number that matters most for Detroit, though, is the consolidated Elite Prospects ranking of 46th, which lands almost exactly on their pick at 47th overall. Should Macbeath slip even slightly on draft night, the Red Wings could be perfectly positioned to add him.
Macbeath would enter a pipeline that already includes Axel Sandin-Pellikka, a player with a similarly skilled and mobile profile and would also give him an opportunity to learn from NHL offensive defenseman in Justin Faulk directly, who has shown what top end production from the blueline looks like over his 16 NHL seasons.
Adding another offensively gifted blueliner of Macbeath's caliber at 47th overall would go a long way toward making that trade feel even more worthwhile in the long run.
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RALEIGH, N.C. — Speaking on the eve of the Stanley Cup Final, goaltender Carter Hart said he has learned and grown a lot since signing with the Vegas Golden Knights after he and four other players were reinstated by the NHL following their acquittals in the Hockey Canada sexual assault case.
Hart is in the spotlight now in large part because he is the only one of the five players to sign a contract in the league. He addressed the situation after joining the Golden Knights in October but has spoken only about hockey since.
He was asked on Cup Final media day about comments he made in the fall and how he has learned and grown since then.
“I’ve been able to meet a lot of good people in the community,” Hart said. “I think the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation has done a really good job of making it easy for me to integrate into the community and meet a lot of cool people. Just really fortunate to be here in Vegas. It’s a great culture of people. Like I said, I’ve met a lot of cool people and just very fortunate to be here in Las Vegas and with this group.”
Hart’s session was ended after his answer. General manager Kelly McCrimmon, who chose to sign Hart to a two-year, $4 million contract, was asked about the thought process and took issue with the notion that the 27-year-old goalie came with baggage.
“We went through a lengthy process of due diligence with Carter,” McCrimmon said. “Carter is a really good person. He’s ingrained himself in our community. He’s a player that I’ve known a long time, long prior to him becoming an NHL player. Playing very well. Obviously a big part of how our team is at this point that we’re at today, and he’s fit in seamlessly with his teammates.”
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes opened the NHL playoffs with a shutout and just kept smothering opponents, swarming in absolute refusal to yield time or space to puck handlers.
The Vegas Golden Knights simply got better with each round until locking up the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in a shocking sweep of a team that romped through the regular season.
Now they turn their lockdown sights on each other for the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup.
“It’s the Stanley Cup Final, it’s going to be a defense-first game,” Vegas defenseman Dylan Coghlan said. “If you don’t have that mentality, then it’s not going to go in your favor.”
The best-of-seven series, which opens at Carolina, pairs an Eastern Conference champion that finished second in the regular season behind Colorado against a Western Conference champion that elevated its game the longer the playoffs wore on.
Sure, offense captures fan imagination with plays like Vegas’ Mitch Marner scoring on a between-the-legs breakaway goal against Anaheim or the net-finding heat coming off Carolina’s Logan Stankoven-centered second line featuring Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake line since the playoffs started in April.
But these are teams that take just as much joy in grinding opposing offenses into the ice, whether its pressuring relentlessly to win puck battles along the boards or selling out in a desperate attempt to block shots. Goaltenders Frederik Andersen of Carolina and Carter Hart of Vegas have been steady in net, helped by the supreme efforts going on in front of them.
Vegas has allowed just 10 goals in its last six games as it chases a second championship in four seasons. The Hurricanes have given up two or fewer goals in 12 of 13 playoff games, back in the final for the first time since winning it in 2006.
“I think we’re just kind of all on the same page right now,” Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker said. “It’s a team effort to be so solid defensively. We’re definitely aggressive, but it’s full five-man effort.”
The Golden Knights took off after the late-season firing of Bruce Cassidy to hire John Tortorella as coach, but there also were March trade moves to add forwards Cole Smith and Nic Dowd to bolster the fourth line by getting bigger and stronger while also helping the penalty kill. They battled through six-game series against both Utah and Anaheim before taking on the Avs, led by high-end skill in Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas.
The Avalanche led the NHL by averaging 3.63 goals per game in the regular season. But the Golden Knights gave up nothing easy and never let the high-flying Avs find a sweet-skating groove. The Avs managed just seven goals in four games.
“I just think as a five-man unit, when you’re playing MacKinnon and Necas, some really high-skilled players, it can’t be 1-on-1 situations, it’s not one guy to get it done,” Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore said. “It’s making sure guys are back, making sure you’re playing the right way.”
The Hurricanes are 12-1 in the playoffs, sweeping both Ottawa and Philadelphia while allowing just five goals in each of those two rounds. Then came a 6-2 loss to Montreal in Game 1 of the East final, a result that in hindsight turned out to be a blip for a team coming off the longest between-rounds playoff break in more than a century.
That performance left coach Rod Brind’Amour befuddled with Carolina’s aggressive-forechecking style repeatedly surrendering clean breakouts and multiple breakaways with the Canadiens skating unchecked through the neutral zone. Brind’Amour didn’t have the team practice the next day, opting instead to go over the film of all those breakdowns.
Carolina responded by allowing five goals in the four consecutive wins that followed — the last two coming by a 10-1 combined score.
“It was just understanding where our lapses were and obviously video doesn’t lie,” Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin said. “Sometimes you can really nitpick stuff on video, but it was pretty obvious what our lapses were in that game. So really it was just making sure we were staying above the puck, making sure that we were forechecking the right way.
“Everyone has their own job to do while they’re out there, but we work as a five-man unit, so making sure you’re doing your job. And that’s what I think you saw moving forward.”
When it came to the Buffalo Sabres, Pronman predicted that the Atlantic Division club would select right winger Casey Mutryn with the 25th overall pick of the draft.
Mutryn would certainly be an interesting prospect for the Sabres to add to their system. The Norwell, Massachusetts native has the potential to become an impactful power forward at the NHL level, so it would be understandable if Buffalo had him on their radar at this year's draft.
Mutryn appeared in 62 games this season with the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he posted 18 goals, 28 assists, 46 points, and 89 penalty minutes. With numbers like these, the 6-foot-3 winger has shown promise.
If the Sabres selected Mutryn, he would likely need a few years of development before making the jump to the NHL. While this is the case, he would still be a nice addition to the Sabres' prospect pool as they enter their Stanley Cup window.
It will be interesting to see if the Sabres end up taking Mutryn with their first-round pick, but the fit looks good on paper.
Jalen Brunson’s popularity among New Yorkers is soaring into Billy Joel and Spider-Man territory as he leads the New York Knicks into battle against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals tonight.
The hopes of Big Apple basketball fans rest with the explosive guard, and my Knicks vs. Spurs predictions for Game 1 call for Brunson to do damage from deep.
My NBA picks like him to knock down at least three triples on Wednesday, June 3.
Don't miss tip-off at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
UPDATE: Added a prediction for who will win tonight!
Knicks vs Spurs Game 1 prediction
Who will win Knicks vs Spurs Game 1?
Knicks: The Knicks saw the bad side of extended rest in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals and needed a historic comeback to avoid a loss. New York will be much more cautious of that layoff in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. I like the Knicks’ defensive rotation against Wembanyama and believe New York’s ability to hit from outside will expose the Spurs’ soft perimeter defense in a way the shorthanded Thunder couldn’t. Add in a possible letdown spot from San Antonio after Game 7 with OKC, and I like New York’s chances to steal the opener in Texas.
Knicks vs Spurs best bet: Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 made threes (+135)
Where an attacking SGA would avoid the arc like an ex-girlfriend, Brunson is a pull-up threat the second he crosses half.
With Victor Wembanyama lurking in the key, the Knicks need to stretch a Spurs defense that doesn’t have much length beyond Wemby. That means smaller defenders and cleaner looks for Brunson.
Projections lean toward a trio of triples from Brunson with an underdog game script giving Over 2.5 threes a shot in the arm at plus-money.
COVERS INTEL: San Antonio didn’t have a defender within at least four feet on 93% of OKC’s 3-point attempts in the WCF. Brunson laps up those looks and went a collective 10 for 24 from distance in three meetings with the Spurs this season.
Knicks vs Spurs Game 1 same-game parlay
“Rest vs. Rust” is on everyone’s mind but New York’s extended break has the Knicks at nearly 100% health (save for Mitchell Robinson’s pinkie). That means OG Anunoby is recovered from a hamstring injury and leads the charge in frustrating Victor Wembanyama. New York has better defensive options than the Spurs, which makes them a dangerous Three-and-D foe.
I like the Knicks to keep it closer than bookies expect.
Jalen Brunson’s 3-point attempts prop sits at 6.5 O/U for Game 1, but if San Antonio plays the perimeter as passive as it did versus the Thunder, Brunson will make the most of that space.
He’s had to deal with longer defenders closing out in the first three rounds, but San Antonio doesn’t have that same size in the backcourt. Brunson’s projections and game script, with New York playing from behind, all give life to three or more makes from long range.
Karl-Anthony Towns has thrived as a “point forward” for New York in the playoffs, doubling his assist output from the regular season to almost six dimes per game.
With Wembanyama defending Josh Hart, in order to stay close to the key, KAT will get picked up by much smaller forwards. That creates space for cuts and screens underneath and the taller Towns can pass over the top to those waiting hands.
He can also drive from the top of the key or post up smaller defenders, collapsing the Spurs defense and kicking out to open shooters.
His Game 1 models aren’t as bullish on his assists (3.5), but KAT has recorded five or more dimes in nine of his last 11 playoff games. This matchup with San Antonio allows him to exploit his size edge as a passer again, something he didn't have against the bigger Cavaliers.
Knicks vs Spurs SGP
Knicks +4.5
Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 threes
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 4.5 assists
Our "from downtown" SGP: City slicker
The Spurs may be ripe for a letdown spot after an emotional Game 7 win in the Western Conference Finals.
The Knicks have had 10 days to rest and scheme for slowing down San Antonio. If the regular season is any indicator — and it was for the Spurs vs. OKC — New York has gotten the better of their Finals foe in two of their three meetings.
Brunson anchors that opening victory by knocking down open threes, taking in a trio of rebounds, and swiping at least one steal from a San Antonio backcourt that’s been sloppy at times in the playoffs.
Knicks vs Spurs SGP
Knicks moneyline
Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 threes
Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 rebounds
Jalen Brunson Over 0.5 steals
Knicks vs Spurs odds for Game 1
Spread: Knicks +4.5 | Spurs -4.5
Moneyline: Knicks +155 | Spurs -185
Over/Under: Over 218.5 | Under 218.5
Knicks vs Spurs betting trend to know
The Knicks are 31-11 SU when Jalen Brunson makes three or more 3-pointers. Find more NBA betting trends for Spurs vs. Knicks.
How to watch Knicks vs Spurs Game 1
Location
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Date
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Tip-off
8:30 p.m. ET
TV
ABC
Knicks vs Spurs latest injuries
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COVERS INTEL: San Antonio didn’t have a defender within at