OKLAHOMA CITY — Tyrese Haliburton said he understood the risks of playing through a calf strain to be on the court for Games 6 and 7 of the NBA Finals.
"I have to understand the risks, ask the right questions," Haliburton said before Game 6. "I'm a competitor; I want to play. I'm going to do everything in my power to play. That's just what it is."
In the first quarter of Game 7, Haliburton planted to drive past an Alex Caruso closeout and his leg gave way and he fell to the ground in obvious pain.
Instantly he was surrounded by a circle of teammates, and the usually deafening Paycom Arena got quiet. Haliburton had to be helped back to the locker room, a towel draped over his head. For everyone in the building, it was hard to see.
There is no official announcement, but this has all the earmarks of a ruptured Achilles (something that can happen playing through a calf injury). It was eerily reminiscent of Kevin Durant going to the ground in the 2019 Finals when he tried to return too early from a calf injury and ended up tearing his Achilles.
The game was tied 16-16 when Haliburton was injured.
But there was someone not fazed by the rowdy cheers and excitement of 18,000-plus fans.
That someone was Isaiah Hartenstein’s baby son.
As the Thunder celebrated being crowned the latest NBA champions, fans noticed how Hartenstein’s son was knocked out asleep on his father’s chest on the podium. Even teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also named Finals MVP, helped prop up his head to avoid being further slumped.
Isaiah Hartenstein's kid is the star of the NBA Finals trophy celebration. Unshakable resolve to sleep. pic.twitter.com/k4cbmywgqp
ESPN reporter Lisa Salters talked to Hartenstein on the podium and asked him about his son.
“I don’t know why he’s asleep right now, but I guess it’s not loud enough,” Hartenstein said before giving fans an order. “I’m going to need y’all to get louder real quick.”
"I guess it's not loud enough…"
Isaiah Hartenstein's son was sleeping through the raucous trophy celebration 😂 pic.twitter.com/XtEmb4E9T9
He becomes the fourth player in NBA history to win MVP, Finals MVP, a scoring title and play for a champion in the same season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it once, Michael Jordan then did it four times, and Shaquille O’Neal was the last entrant into that fraternity — until now.
“A lot of hard work, a lot of hours in the gym,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “This isn’t just a win for me. This is a win for my family. This is a win for my friends. This is a win for everybody that was in my corner growing up. This is a win for the fans, the best fans in the world.”
The title caps a season where the Thunder won 84 games, tied for the third most by any team in any season in NBA history. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the season with 64 games of at least 30 points. The only other players to score 30 points that many times in a season: Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Bob McAdoo, James Harden, Jordan and Abdul-Jabbar.
It is amazing company. With due respect to those legends, Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t care. The Thunder are NBA champions. That’s more than enough for him.
“Focusing on just being the best version of myself for this basketball team, for whatever it takes, for however many games it is, however many possessions is needed, however many moments,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Ultimately, I’m just trying to stay in the moment. I think that’s what’s gotten me here. That’s what has helped me achieve the MVP award, achieve all the things I’ve achieved. It’s helped this team win basketball games.”
This was not a sneak attack up the ladder of superstardom. Gilgeous-Alexander has been climbing those rungs for years.
He’s one of only two players — Giannis Antetokounmpo is the other — to average at least 30 points per game in each of the last three seasons. He led Canada to a bronze medal (over the United States, no less) at the World Cup in 2023, been an All-Star and first-team All-NBA pick for three years running, played in his first Olympics last year, and just finished a season where he posted career bests in points and assists per game.
He scored 3,172 points this season, including playoffs, the ninth-most by any player in NBA history.
Oh, and he’s a champion now.
“He’s getting better every year in just about everything,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I think he’s really improved as a playmaker. … And then he’s an unbelievable scorer, and incredibly efficient. We lean into that. He leans into that. He’s learned when teams load up on him and they overcommit, to get off it early, and I think that’s reflected in the way we’ve played offense throughout the course of the season.”
Opponents have no choice but to marvel at how Gilgeous-Alexander does what he does. He’s not a high-flying artist like Jordan, not an unstoppable force of power like LeBron James, not a 3-point dazzler like Stephen Curry. He looks like he’s playing at his own pace much of time, largely because defenses have few ways to slow him down or speed him up.
“Shai, he’s so good,” Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton — who suffered a serious lower leg injury that knocked him out of Game 7 in the first quarter — said during the series. “He’s so slippery in between those gaps. He splits screens, like, I don’t know how he’s doing that. … He’s a really tough cover.”
Gilgeous-Alexander is the face of basketball in Oklahoma City, is rapidly becoming one of the faces of the NBA — his jersey is now one of the highest-selling — and it’s no secret that he is the icon for fans in Canada now. It used to be Steve Nash, the first Canadian to win NBA MVP.
Now, Nash has help.
“You can only imagine and get excited about all the kids around the world, but in particular Canadians that will be affected so positively, whether they’re basketball players or not, by the way he carries himself, by the way he executes and commits to his profession,” Nash said. “It’s remarkable and he’s an amazing example for everybody out there, not just kids.”
There’s no question Nash had some impact on Gilgeous-Alexander’s rise in the game. Another great who did: Kobe Bryant.
There are parallels: similar body types, even similar ways they answer questions. Bryant famously said “job’s not finished” when asked about his Lakers getting within two wins of a title one year; Gilgeous-Alexander had a similar moment after the Thunder got to three wins in this series, saying “we haven’t done anything.”
They have now.
“He is probably my favorite player of all time,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of Bryant. “Never got the chance to meet him. With me, with kids all across the world, his influence has gone through the roof. He’ll be remembered forever because of the competitor and the basketball player he was. Yeah, I’m hopefully somewhere close to that as a basketball player one day.”
He’s not there yet.
But Gilgeous-Alexander got one day closer Sunday, when he reached basketball’s mountaintop for the first time.
“It means everything,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We rose to the moment. And here we are.”
English golfer three-putts on 18th while Bradley birdies it
American Ryder Cup captain wins by one shot
The US Ryder Cup captain, Keegan Bradley, birdied the final hole of the Travelers Championship and soared past England’s Tommy Fleetwood to win the tournament in a stunning finale in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Bradley shot a two-under-par 68 for a four-round total of 15 under to win by one stroke over Fleetwood (72) and Russell Henley (69).
Max Muncy tosses his bat after hitting a three-run home run in the Dodgers' 13-7 win over the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. (Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
Upstaging Shohei Ohtani, especially on a day he pitches, is no easy feat.
But at Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon, teammate Max Muncy did it twice — hitting two home runs and matching a career high with seven RBIs to lift the Dodgers to a 13-7 defeat of the Washington Nationals, and make Ohtani more of the sideshow in his second pitching start of the season.
Despite two strikeouts over a scoreless first inning from Ohtani to begin the day, Dodger Stadium had sat in relative silence for the next five innings.
Ben Casparius, who replaced the still workload-restricted Ohtani on the mound in the second, gave up a three-run home run in the third, when a flyball deflected off Hyeseong Kim’s glove at the wall before hitting a fan reaching over the barrier.
Michael Soroka, the former All-Star turned inconsistent journeyman, held the Dodgers hitless into the fifth, racking up a career-high 10 strikeouts while protecting the 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, however, an opportunity for the Dodgers finally arose.
Dalton Rushing led off with a slicing ground-rule double down the left-field line. Ohtani drew a walk with the help of two favorable ball-strike calls. Badly slumping Freddie Freeman was bailed out of an 0-and-2 count on a wild slurve from Soroka that hit his foot.
And suddenly, the Nationals had to go to the bullpen, summoning left-hander Jose A. Ferrer to face Muncy with the bases loaded.
After just three pitches to Muncy, Ferrer called out the grounds crew to rake the mound and smooth out his landing area on the downslope.
But at the plate, it gave Muncy time to think about his at-bat against Ferrer the night before, mentally lock in on what to expect, and catch his breath in the biggest moment of the game.
“When he’s ready, he’s ready,” Muncy said he told himself. “And let’s get a swing off.”
Muncy did on each of the next two pitches, fouling off one center-cut sinker before lining the next deep to left for a script-flipping, deficit-erasing, go-ahead grand slam.
“I saw the guy last night, so had a good idea of what he was throwing in there and how to approach it,” Muncy said. “I was trying to keep the ball off the ground, get something in the air, get at least one run in. Just trying to do a job. And I got a good swing off and got the ball in a good spot.”
Ohtani started the day as the main attraction.
Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani delivers in the first inning against the Nationals on Sunday. (Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
The two-way star drew a crowd as he came onto the field for pregame warm-ups and got loose in the left-field bullpen — prompting fans even up in the upper reserve-level deck to lean over railings and get a look at his dual-role talents.
And once the game began, Ohtani climbed atop the mound and showed progress from his season debut as a pitcher six days before.
"I thought he was considerably better today,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The stuff, the life of the fastball, the command of his pitches — much better.”
Ohtani's scoreless inning included strikeouts of Luis Garcia Jr. on a sweeper and Nathaniel Lowe on a cutter, representing his first strikeouts since returning from Tommy John surgery. He worked around a dropped infield pop-up from Mookie Betts in an otherwise efficient 18-pitch, 12-strike outing. He hit 99 mph with his fastball while mixing in a healthy dose of sweepers, cutters and splitters to complement it.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hits a home run in the eighth inning Sunday against the Nationals. (Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)
"Overall, I was able to relax much better compared to my last outing," said Ohtani, who noted that the plan for Sunday’s start was to once again be limited to only one inning.
"I think that it's just more of just trying to get the foundation, the building blocks as he's taking at-bats,” Roberts added. “Getting an inning here, an inning there, and then just gradually progress.”
Ohtani also quieted recent questions about whether his return to pitching was affecting his bat.
After entering the day two-for-19 in five games since resuming two-way duties, Ohtani helped the Dodgers (48-31) pull away late. In the seventh, he laced a bases-loaded, three-run triple past the first base bag, turning a narrow one-run lead into a comfortable four-score cushion over the Nationals (32-46). In the eighth, he added more insurance, belting a two-run homer to left-center field for his National League-leading 26th long ball.
“When he's going to the big part of the field, I think he's really, really good,” Roberts said. “So today was good. And hopefully it quiets the noise a little bit with the days that he pitches."
Not to be outdone, however, Muncy raised the ante himself in the latter innings, following Ohtani’s seventh-inning triple with a three-run home run to right three batters later.
“You look at the last 30 days, I think he's been our best hitter,” Roberts said. “We never wavered in our confidence, and we've shown that, and he's proven us all right."
Indeed, Sunday continued a stunning mid-season turnaround for Muncy — giving him a .305 average with 10 home runs and 38 RBIs over his last 39 games; compared to a .177 average, one home run and seven RBIs in his first 35 contests.
It moved him into third place among National League third basemen this season with an .815 OPS — making a player who once seemed bound for trade rumors this summer unexpectedly on the fringes of the All-Star conversation.
And, it somehow managed to top the all-around production Ohtani displayed in his two-way encore, lifting the Dodgers to a weekend series win and 7-3 record overall on this 10-game homestand.
“It’s definitely a snowball effect,” Muncy said. “Confidence is high right now.”
The NBA championship is headed to Oklahoma City for the first time ever.
In Game 7 of the NBA Finals Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder emerged victorious at home with a 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took home the Finals MVP honors in the same season he won his first league MVP.
The excitement was palpable, given it was the first Game 7 in a final series since 2016 when the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame the Golden State Warriors.
But the good vibes were sucked out of the air at Paycom Center and behind TV screens at the five-minute mark of the first quarter.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who entered the game with a calf strain suffered earlier in the series, went down with an Achilles injury and was later ruled out. He was visibly in tears and overcome with emotion after a blazing-hot start. His season ended with a lead on the biggest stage in basketball.
Without their franchise cornerstone, the Pacers needed to do the improbable. Indiana looked shaken after Haliburton left the court, but remained composed and actually went into overtime with a 48-47 advantage.
But the Thunder turned it around in the third quarter, showing much more determination and less nervy hands than the opening half. They opened to a nine-point lead before T.J. McConnell, Haliburton’s backup, singlehandedly took matters into his own hands.
McConnell’s run didn’t last long enough, however, as Oklahoma City then pushed to a double-digit cushion and led by 13 going into the fourth. The 33-year-old guard was responsible for his team’s last 12 points, with Pascal Siakam questionably on the bench.
The lead ballooned in favor of Oklahoma City in the early stages of the fourth to as much as 22. Indiana, which had a miraculous run of stunning comebacks victories in its journey to this stage, did not have one last complete turnaround in the tank despite trimming the gap.
Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 29 points. He struggled on 8 of 27 shooting, but went 11 of 12 from the foul line. Jalen Williams, who had a major 40-burger earlier in the series, added 20 points on 7 of 20 shooting.
Chet Holmgren turned in a smoother performance, going 6 of 8 from the floor for 18 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace each chipped in 10 points off the bench.
Indiana was led by Bennedict Mathurin’s 24 bench points and 13 rebounds, while McConnell had 16. The starters didn’t have the momentum, as Siakam finished with just 16 points on 5 of 13 shooting in 37 minutes. Andrew Nembhard was the only other player in double figures with 15 points on 4 of 10 shooting.
Defense wins championships, and the key difference boiled down to the turnover differential. The Thunder had eight turnovers and conceded 10 points off them. Indiana coughed up the rock 23 points, allowing 32 Thunder points to come to fruition.
It’s a whopping tilt, especially given the 3-point numbers that have become ever so important in the modern game. The Thunder went 11 of 40 for a 27.5% rate, while Indiana shot 11 of 28 from deep for a 39.3% clip. Should Indiana have let it fly more in a do-or-die scenario?
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, 40, also won his first league title, exhibiting a steady five-year climb from being at the bottom of the Western Conference to the top of the NBA summit.
Both teams entered the series seeking their first ever NBA championships. Oklahoma City started the season with contending aspirations given its upward trajectory the last few years, with the last Finals appearance coming in 2012 — a loss to LeBron James and the Miami Heat with a core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
The Thunder do have a championship under their name from 1979, but that was when they were the Seattle Supersonics.
For Indiana, it also has just one other Finals appearance in its current history. That came in 2000 when the Pacers fell to a Los Angeles Lakers side anchored by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Indiana’s core featured Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, Chris Mullin and Mark Jackson.
Pacers fans and the entire organization and will now forever ponder the “What if?” of Haliburton staying healthy after how the game began.
The NBA championship is headed to Oklahoma City for the first time ever.
In Game 7 of the NBA Finals Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder emerged victorious at home with a 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took home the Finals MVP honors in the same season he won his first league MVP.
The excitement was palpable, given it was the first Game 7 in a final series since 2016 when the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame the Golden State Warriors.
But the good vibes were sucked out of the air at Paycom Center and behind TV screens at the five-minute mark of the first quarter.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who entered the game with a calf strain suffered earlier in the series, went down with an Achilles injury and was later ruled out. He was visibly in tears and overcome with emotion after a blazing-hot start. His season ended with a lead on the biggest stage in basketball.
Without their franchise cornerstone, the Pacers needed to do the improbable. Indiana looked shaken after Haliburton left the court, but remained composed and actually went into overtime with a 48-47 advantage.
But the Thunder turned it around in the third quarter, showing much more determination and less nervy hands than the opening half. They opened to a nine-point lead before T.J. McConnell, Haliburton’s backup, singlehandedly took matters into his own hands.
McConnell’s run didn’t last long enough, however, as Oklahoma City then pushed to a double-digit cushion and led by 13 going into the fourth. The 33-year-old guard was responsible for his team’s last 12 points, with Pascal Siakam questionably on the bench.
The lead ballooned in favor of Oklahoma City in the early stages of the fourth to as much as 22. Indiana, which had a miraculous run of stunning comebacks victories in its journey to this stage, did not have one last complete turnaround in the tank despite trimming the gap.
Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 29 points. He struggled on 8 of 27 shooting, but went 11 of 12 from the foul line. Jalen Williams, who had a major 40-burger earlier in the series, added 20 points on 7 of 20 shooting.
Chet Holmgren turned in a smoother performance, going 6 of 8 from the floor for 18 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace each chipped in 10 points off the bench.
Indiana was led by Bennedict Mathurin’s 24 bench points and 13 rebounds, while McConnell had 16. The starters didn’t have the momentum, as Siakam finished with just 16 points on 5 of 13 shooting in 37 minutes. Andrew Nembhard was the only other player in double figures with 15 points on 4 of 10 shooting.
Defense wins championships, and the key difference boiled down to the turnover differential. The Thunder had eight turnovers and conceded 10 points off them. Indiana coughed up the rock 23 points, allowing 32 Thunder points to come to fruition.
It’s a whopping tilt, especially given the 3-point numbers that have become ever so important in the modern game. The Thunder went 11 of 40 for a 27.5% rate, while Indiana shot 11 of 28 from deep for a 39.3% clip. Should Indiana have let it fly more in a do-or-die scenario?
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, 40, also won his first league title, exhibiting a steady five-year climb from being at the bottom of the Western Conference to the top of the NBA summit.
Both teams entered the series seeking their first ever NBA championships. Oklahoma City started the season with contending aspirations given its upward trajectory the last few years, with the last Finals appearance coming in 2012 — a loss to LeBron James and the Miami Heat with a core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
The Thunder do have a championship under their name from 1979, but that was when they were the Seattle Supersonics.
For Indiana, it also has just one other Finals appearance in its current history. That came in 2000 when the Pacers fell to a Los Angeles Lakers side anchored by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Indiana’s core featured Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, Chris Mullin and Mark Jackson.
Pacers fans and the entire organization and will now forever ponder the “What if?” of Haliburton staying healthy after how the game began.
Despite a 2-for-5 night, including a ninth-inning home run, against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, Francisco Alvarez just hasn't had the consistency -- both offensively and defensively -- that the Mets were hoping for from the young catcher this season.
After news broke on Sunday afternoon that Alvarez was sent down to Triple-A, manager Carlos Mendoza explained the team's reasoning behind their difficult decision.
"The consistency," the skipper said. "There were stretches where we felt, I felt like a couple of games where okay that’s what it’s supposed to look like. But then he’ll go a couple of games where he’s late with the fastball and then he chases, so just looking for consistency here."
Mendoza went on to say that having Alvarez not play every day while splitting time with Luis Torrens this season wasn't helping the 23-year-old's development.
"When you’re playing, even though we gave him a chance, if you’re playing 3-4 games a week compared to having an opportunity to play six (games a week), that’s how you’re gonna get better," Mendoza said. "In reality, Luis is continuing to earn playing time so we’re getting to a point where like 50/50 and that’s what’s best for Alvy? Probably not at this time, so that’s why."
Obviously the decision to demote a player that was regarded as a top prospect, has shown he's capable of playing in the majors and has so much potential at still such a young age wasn't easy and came after "extensive conversations."
At the end of the day, New York believes the decision will benefit Alvarez and the Mets in the long run and they fully expect the catcher to return at some point after working on what he needs to work on.
"We decided it was best for him to go down in Triple-A, play everyday, work on whether it’s the offense, defense, just in general," Mendoza said. "There’s a lot of potential there and when he’s playing up to his potential he’s got a chance to be a pretty special player. And we’re gonna need him. We expect him to be back, but right now we feel like it’s best for him to go down there and get reps."
Not only has Alvarez's offense been a disappointment this season as he's slashing .236/.319/.333 with just six extra-base hits, his defense has taken a step backwards as well, especially in regards to blocking pitches -- a passed ball in Saturday night's game led to a run.
To his credit, Alvarez took the news well but couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"Very professional -- he listened, very respectful," Mendoza said. "Obviously frustrated because when you’re in the big leagues and you get sent back down you don’t wanna hear that... it’s part of the process, part of the business."
Some of Alvarez's struggles, particularly offensively, can surely be attributed to his hamate bone fracture (his second hand injury in two years) he suffered in camp which caused him to miss most of spring training and a chunk of the regular season.
Not only can an injury like that take a toll on a player, especially a catcher, but in Alvarez's case the missed time didn't allow him the appropriate time to work on the offseason adjustments he made with his swing -- adjustments that Mendoza called "legit." Instead, he'd been trying to do it on the fly in the majors which isn't easy for any player, let alone a 23-year-old.
"You’re going through a major adjustment, you’re gonna need (at-bats) and that’s what spring training is for," Mendoza said. "And the goal when he reported was like ‘hey, we’re gonna try and get you as many at-bats as possible before we break camp’ and then unfortunately he went down. So, not trying to make excuses for the kid, but it’s something that we also talk about."
Lee finishes with 72-hole four-under 284 total in Texas
She becomes just third Australian to win three different majors
Cementing her greatness, Australian golf superstar Minjee Lee claimed a historic third career major with a steely victory at the big-money Women’s PGA Championship in Texas.
Lee had her four-shot overnight lead slashed in half early in the final round before hanging on, then surging gamely for a three-shot triumph in more extremely trying conditions at PGA Frisco’s windswept Fields Ranch East course.
On the day that two teams who were patient and calculating in building their cores to the level where they would face off in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the Houston Rockets went all-in on accelerating their timeline.
After weeks of negotiations, Phoenix has agreed to trade Durant to Houston, giving it the needed scorer in its half-court offense that was clearly lacking in their first-round exit at the hands of the Warriors. The Suns got back a couple of quality players and a first-round pick — not near what they traded away to get Durant, but not a bad haul in return, considering the market.
Who won and who lost in all this? Let's break it down, starting with the details of the trade itself (which can't officially be completed until July 6 because of Jalen Green's extension):
Houston receives: Kevin Durant Phoenix receives: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, five second-round picks
Winner: Kevin Durant
How much Durant was planning an exit from Phoenix before the Suns started dangling him at the trade deadline (and almost trading him to the Warriors) is up for debate, but after that there was no question what was going to happen this summer.
What Durant wanted was to control the process. He wanted to get to a team that would offer him a two-year contract extension north of $100 million, and where he could contend.
Check and check.
Durant fills a specific need for the Rockets as a half-court scorer (more below on that), and the Rockets are expected to pony up and pay the man.
Just a reminder that in the NBA, the biggest stars almost always get what they want.
Winner: Houston Rockets
Houston knew what it needed to contend now.
The Rockets were the 52-win No. 2 seed in the West last season, a team built on a quality young, athletic core playing pressure defense — just like the two teams playing in the Finals — but they lacked scoring punch in the half court (Houston was 22nd in the league in half court offense). During the regular season they covered this up with defense, transition opportunities, and offensive rebounds from Steven Adams (who just got his contract extended). However, in the playoffs against an experienced and talented Warriors team, the Rockets were forced to play in the half court and couldn't score enough to win.
Kevin Durant improves the Rockets' half-court offense immensely. The man may be 37 next season, but he is still a walking bucket who averaged 26.6 points a game last season and shot 43% from beyond the arc.
Having to trade away Brooks dings the Rockets' defense a little, and now more falls on the shoulders of Amen Thompson defensively. Still, it should not be a dramatic drop-off. Additionally, the fact that the Rockets held onto young players with potential, such as Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore, is a win.
However, there is risk here for the Rockets, particularly in the long term. The two teams playing in Game 7 of the NBA Finals chose to be patient with their depth, letting it grow and coalesce, rather than making the kind of trade that would rapidly accelerate their timeline (trades for Pascal Siakam or Alex Caruso were about filling in gaps, not bringing in a superstar). Houston went the opposite direction — was this at the urging of owner Tilman Fertitta? — and if Durant is healthy and meshes, then this move looks brilliant. If injuries, age or other issues lead to a bumpy road, then Houston has pushed all in and not won the hand.
There are some hard financial decisions ahead for this team after they extend Durant, especially once Thompson's second contract kicks in for the 2027-28 season. However, those are problems the Rockets can worry about later. Right now, they can focus on winning a ring.
Loser: Game 7 of the NBA Finals
One of Adam Silver's missions has been to refocus the NBA on the court, rather than on the transaction wire. The reason is obvious: The league knows how to monetize games, it makes nothing from a social media debate about a trade.
The Durant trade was the biggest sports news of the day and dominated the discussion of what should be a thrilling Game 7, focusing the sports world on Durant and his fit in Phoenix.
There will still be plenty of talk about the game, but I guarantee you this: The story you are reading now will draw far more eyeballs than the stories later tonight out of Game 7, regardless of what happens.
What can the NBA do about this? Nothing, really. The league could put a moratorium on moves before the Finals end, but teams will already be talking anyway (this trade can't be finalized until July 6 and we're talking about it). The league could try to space out the time between the Finals and the NBA draft, but that would mean either going deeper into the summer for teams (pushing back events like Summer League) or reducing the number of regular-season games, which is a dead-on-arrival discussion right now.
Just don't think the league is happy about the timing of this trade.
Winner (relatively): Phoenix Suns
Listening to Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia speak, there was legitimate concern that the Suns might try to trade Durant for other win-now players rather than taking a step back, retooling the roster, and thinking longer term. This trade was a longer-term move, acquiring a young player in Green and the No. 10 pick, as well as all those future second-round picks.
This was not the haul the Suns had to give up to get Durant (Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and four first-round picks), but considering KD's current market, this was as good as they were going to do. This is a win for the Suns, but more of a solid double in the gap than a home run.
There is still a lot of roster work to do in Phoenix: Booker, Beal, Green, Brooks, and Grayson Allen are all 2/3 wings, now a crowded position in Phoenix. There are more trades and roster tweaks to come. But this deal was about as good as they were going to do.
Loser: Miami Heat
Miami isn't much of a loser here. Today, they stand exactly where they did yesterday, still at a crossroads with a roster that is neither good enough to contend nor bad enough to tank.
The fact that they are still standing at that crossroads is why they slip slightly into the loser category — but if I were standing in Pat Riley's Italian loafers, I would have made the same call. The reported sticking point in talks was the inclusion of promising young center Kel'el Ware — the Rockets wanted him, the Heat would not give him up. While it's easy to question not giving up a rookie who played 22 minutes a night for Kevin "freakin" Durant, the reality is that's trading a promising 21-year-old for a 37-year-old with an injury history is bad business. Miami rightfully thought that wasn't worth the risk.
Still, without Durant, the question remains in Miami: What's the plan?
NEW YORK — Baltimore Orioles backup catcher Maverick Handley left Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees after being knocked over in a collision at the plate with Jazz Chisholm Jr.
“He got hit pretty hard,” Orioles manager Tony Mansolino was quoted as saying by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. “We haven’t seen a collision like that at the plate, probably, since all the new rules came in. So we’re evaluating him right now, full body, every part of it. We’ll have more information tomorrow. ... We’re evaluating everything right now, so nothing official on concussion protocol. There’s obviously a chance that that happens. We’ll have more information tomorrow on him.”
With Baltimore ahead 2-0 in the second, Chisholm hit a two-out double off Dean Kremer and went home on DJ LeMahieu’s single to left.
Colton Cowser’s throw was up the third-base line. Handley moved to his left for the throw, arriving for the ball at the same time as Chisholm, who tried to veer to the inside to avoid contact.
Chisholm, whose left cleat had come off as he speeded down the line, caught Handley with his right arm, fell past the plate and had to come back to touch it.
Handley, a 27-year-old who debuted in April, got up slowly and was removed after a discussion with Masolino and head athletic trainer Scott Barringer. Baltimore replaced Handley with former Yankees player Gary Sánchez.
Baltimore already is without All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman, who strained his left oblique and is on the injured list for the first time in his major league career.
After San Francisco All-Star catcher Buster Posey sustained a season-ending leg injury in May 2011, Major League Baseball ahead of the 2014 season adopted a rule preventing catchers from blocking a runner’s direct path to the plate without the ball.
"He is -- he's throwing," Mendoza said when asked if Senga "is throwing or doing anything at the moment."
"That's a good thing that, even right after the injury, he was able to keep the arm moving. So, yeah, I think he's playing catch. I'll see him (Monday) and have more info there. But, yeah, I was told that he's throwing."
Meanwhile, Vientos -- on the 10-day injured list since June 3 due to a right hamstring strain -- batted second and started at third base Sunday in Syracuse's 6-4 win over the Miami Marlins' Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
"He was playing (Sunday) in Triple-A," Mendoza said of Vientos, whose fourth rehab game since last Tuesday saw him produce a 1-for-5 performance that featured a third-inning single. "We've got to make a decision where we'll give him a couple more games on the Triple-A level.
"So, I've got to check with (president of baseball operations) David (Stearns). I've got to get the report from him and some of the coaches down there in Triple-A and then we'll have a decision."
Syracuse has Monday off before a six-game series at the Nationals' Rochester Red Wings from Tuesday through Sunday.
"Well, I mean, with him, he's had a lot of at-bats here," Mendoza said of Vientos, who has a .230/.298/.380 slash line with six home runs and 21 RBI through 53 games this season with the Mets. "He went down ... what, two, three weeks (ago)? ... I don't know if you're comparing it with (catcher Francisco Alvarez's) case or not -- completely different cases here because (Vientos) had a full spring training, 200 plate appearances.
"But, again, we'll see if he needs more at-bats because of the timing. But I think the health is going to be the No. 1 question and, if he's physically ready to go, then the next phase or the next step will be, 'OK, how are you feeling?' Timing-wise and things like that."
CHICAGO — Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh hit his major league-leading 31st homer when he went deep in the first inning of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Cubs.
Raleigh hammered the first pitch of his at-bat against Colin Rea — a 93.8 mph fastball — for a two-run shot on a hot afternoon at Wrigley Field. The massive drive to center had an exit velocity of 105 mph.
It was Raleigh’s fourth homer of the weekend series and his fifth in his last five games. He snapped a tie for third for the most homers in franchise history before the All-Star break.
The switch-hitting Raleigh was the designated hitter for the Mariners for the series finale after he was behind the plate on Saturday.
Raleigh also walked in the third and singled and scored in the fifth.
The Phillies will play 84 more games this season but that doesn’t take any importance away from the result of Sunday night or this weekend.
Finally, they played well against the Mets, winning a series and reminding themselves that this isn’t as bad a matchup as the previous 11 — nine Phillies loss — indicated.
And beyond the symbolic meaning, beyond ending the weekend in first place thanks to two blowout wins, these head-to-head matchups could end up determining the NL East. The Phillies and Mets won’t play again until the final week of August. There aren’t many opportunities to make up direct ground and this was one both teams wanted to seize.
In Friday night’s series opener, the Phils’ offense came alive in the seventh inning to turn a tie game into an eight-run win. On Saturday, the Mets won a laugher. Sunday night’s finale had the look of a pitchers’ duel early but the Phillies broke through in the bottom of the fourth, batting around and scoring five times off lefty David Peterson in a 7-1 win.
“You play for the lead, you play against a division rival, it makes it exciting,” Edmundo Sosa said. “We got the win, now we’re leading the division and need to keep working day by day so we can sustain that lead.”
Kyle Schwarber started the party with a 432-foot solo home run off the ivy wall past center field. Nick Castellanos doubled with one out and was singled in by Otto Kemp, who hit a ball hard off the glove of shortstop Francisco Lindor.
The biggest blow of the decisive fourth inning, though, was an opposite-field three-run shot by Sosa. It had to feel like a redemptive moment after he was picked off of second base with nobody out the prior inning and had been 3-for-39 (.077) in the calendar month leading up to Sunday. He went 3-for-4 in the win with a single, double and homer.
Sosa is 5-for-7 lifetime against Peterson and started at second base because of the lefty opponent. He could start twice more on Tuesday and Wednesday against Astros southpaws Framber Valdez and Colton Gordon.
“I had a feeling this morning,” Sosa said. “I woke up really optimistic and talked to my wife, we prayed together and I told her I felt optimistic about the day, that I felt I was going to have a great day.”
Manager Rob Thomson also went with Buddy Kennedy at first base and Kemp in left field on Sunday, the rookie’s first major-league start in the outfield. This could be the arrangement against lefties until Bryce Harper returns from a bout of wrist inflammation. Harper is expected to swing in the batting cage on Tuesday or Wednesday and if he responds well the next morning, could be right back in the lineup in Houston.
That’s the Phillies’ next stop. They emerge from the weekend 47-31 and a game ahead of the Mets, who they trailed by 5½ as recently as June 12.
Jesus Luzardo turned in his second-best start of the season with 6⅔ scoreless innings, walking off the mound to a standing ovation. The best offenses Luzardo has faced this season have been the Dodgers, Mets and Cubs twice. He’s allowed one earned run in 25⅔ innings in those four starts, proving he can dominate even the most powerful and patient lineups when he’s on.
“Ideally you have the same juice for every start but I’d be lying if I said starts like tonight you don’t bring a little extra,” he said. “You know what’s on the line.”
Luzardo did an excellent job against a tough top of the Mets order. Lindor, Starling Marte, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso were a combined 1-for-11. He put multiple men on base in only the fourth inning, which he ended with a groundball. Luzardo set down 10 in a row after Lindor’s leadoff single and retired nine of his final 10.
“Sunday Night Baseball is what you live for, two top teams tied for the division,” he said. “It’ll be fun going into the second half seeing them again. We put up a good fight, it was fun.”
The Phillies are off Monday after a stretch of 19 games in 20 days. Two of their final three weeks before the All-Star break will be spent on the road — Houston and Atlanta this week, San Francisco and San Diego to close out the first half.
The Phils will adjust their rotation slightly to move Zack Wheeler ahead of Cristopher Sanchez. They’ll start Ranger Suarez on Tuesday, Wheeler on Wednesday and Sanchez on Thursday, splitting up the lefties against an Astros lineup that is almost entirely right-handed.
On Sunday, the Philadelphia Flyers received an important update regarding top KHL free agent Maxim Shabanov and his journey to the NHL.
Shabanov, 24, has officially chosen Quartexx Hockey as his North American representation, which will now allow him to negotiate and sign with the Flyers or other NHL teams come July 1.
Notably, Quartexx serves as the representation for Flyers players such as Nick Deslauriers, Oliver Bonk, Elliot Desnoyers, Anthony Richard, Jacob Gaucher, and Ben Gleason, as well as former Flyers Victor Mete and Morgan Frost.
Quartexx also represents New York Islanders forward Maxim Tsyplakov; the Islanders are one of the teams interested in Shabanov according to their shared agent, Alex Chernykh.
For GM Danny Briere and the Flyers, the next step will be successfully pitching Shabanov and Quartexx on a role conducive to success at the NHL level.
"There is only one criterion. We just need to look at the team rosters and understand where he will really have his place, as it happened with other players. So that he comes there and plays in the NHL, so that he has time and a place in the roster," Chernykh said in a previous interview. "For us, the player’s place in the NHL plays a role. We are now thinking more about the player, not the club."
Note that, at his age, Shabanov is only permitted to sign a one-year, entry-level contract with the Flyers or other NHL teams.
His upcoming contract negation will center purely on his role and fit with the Flyers and not salary and term.
