Category: Sports News

Worldwide Sports News

Posted on

Knicks unable to overcome poor first half in 120-105 loss to Spurs

The Knicks had a first half to forget, and could not complete an improbable comeback as they fell to the short-handed Spurs, 120-105, on Wednesday night in San Antonio.

New York was down by as much as 28 points but could not get any closer than eight points in the second half as they fell to 43-25 on the season.

The Spurs were losers of 20 of their last 29 games entering Wednesday, and were without Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox.

Here are the takeaways...

-Towns scored the Knicks' first nine points, making his first four shots as New York exploited the lack of rim protection with Wembanyama out for the season. However, the Knicks could not stop the Spurs from scoring. San Antonio made five of their first seven shots to take a 13-9 lead.

San Antonio kept pushing the pace and went out to a 16-1 run, which included 14 straight missed field goals when head coach Tom Thibodeau called a timeout. The Knicks could not buy a bucket and went big, bringing in Mitchell Robinson who contributed right away with two tip-ins. But overall, the first quarter was a nightmare for the Knicks who shot just 28 percent (8-29) to the Spurs' 44 percent.

Towns scored 13 points while Robinson (4), OG Anunoby (1) and Mikal Bridges (2) accounted for the other Knicks' points. Josh Hart didn't even attempt a shot. Veterans Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul each scored 10 points in the opening frame.

-The Knicks came out in the second quarter much better, cutting their deficit to just four points, but the Spurs used screens and dribble penetration to get any shot they wanted. This was coupled with the Knicks, once again, shooting poorly, especially from three.

With about six minutes remaining, the Knicks were down 22 and to make things worse, Towns appeared to injure his left thumb on a shot. After a timeout, Towns went to the back but was on the bench when the game restarted. The Spurs would increase their lead to 67-43 at halftime, ending one of the worst first halves of the season for the Knicks.

In the first half, New York shot 31 percent (16-51) including 4-for-21 from three. Miles McBride and Bridges were the only starters not named Towns to make a field goal in the first two quarters, and those two only made one field goal each. Hart was left scoreless after missing his only three shots attempted.

On the defensive end, the Spurs shot 51 percent from the field, 8-for-21 from three, in the first half.

-Whatever Thibodeau said to his team at halftime, must have lit a fire under the Knicks as their defensive intensity was better. New York's defense caused turnovers and bad shots to help them go on a 22-3 run to cut the Spurs' lead to 73-65 with 6:25 remaining in the third.

The Spurs would find their offense, capitalizing on Knicks turnovers and getting to the free-throw line to go out to a 10-0 run. The Knicks pushed back to go into the fourth quarter down 83-72.

-The Knicks eventually cut their deficit to eight points thanks to the lineup that included Towns and Robinson. But the combination of Sandro Mamukelashvili off the bench and putting Robinson on the foul line -- which slowed the Knicks offense and forced Thibodeau to bench his center -- helped San Antonio push back and they never looked back.

Mamukelashvili had a career night. He had a game-high 34 points off the bench, including 7-for-7 from three in 19:27 on the floor. The Seton Hall product also had nine rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Towns had a team-high 32 points while the other starters could not get 15 on this night. Anunoby (14), Hart (2), Bridges (14) and McBride (11) just could not match Towns' production. Robinson posted 13 points and came down with 11 rebounds in 17 minutes on the floor.

The difference in this game was the rebounds. Without a true center, the Spurs outrebounded the Knicks 52-44.

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks are right back at it on Thursday as they travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets. Tip is set for 7 p.m.

Posted on

Johnson scores 20 as George Mason defeats Samford 86-69 in NIT

K.D. Johnson scored 20 points off of the bench, Zach Anderson had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and George Mason beat Samford 86-69 on Wednesday night in the NIT. Johnson added five assists and four steals for the Patriots (27-8). Darius Maddox shot 5 for 13, including 5 for 12 from beyond the arc to finish with 17 points.

Posted on

Pete Alonso smacks first spring training home run in Mets' 8-2 win over Astros

In an Opening Day preview, the Mets beat the Houston Astros, 8-2, with timely hitting and excellent pitching on Wednesday night.

Here are the takeaways...

-With the start of the regular season drawing near, manager Carlos Mendoza, in an away game, didn't hold any punches with his lineup that featured starters and likely starters and could potentially be New York's Game 1 lineup when these two teams meet in Houston next Thursday.

-Among the likely starters, with Jeff McNeil starting the season on the IL, is Brett Baty who batted eighth and played second base. The 25-year-old has been stellar with the bat this spring and continued to impress Wednesday night with a 2-for-3 performance, including a triple and a double, and added an RBI and run scored. He is now up to .333 with his batting average to go along with a 1.010 OPS.

In the field, Baty made all three plays his way, including a diving stop to his right on a sharply hit ball by Yordan Alvarez before firing from one knee to get the out at first. The former third baseman has looked shaky at times at second base, but he looked the part on Wednesday as he gets more comfortable with his super-utility role, which certainly makes him more valuable to the team.

-David Peterson made his fourth appearance and third start this spring and the lefty picked up right where he left off, going five scoreless innings. He now has a 0.57 ERA (0.89 WHIP) in 15.2 innings after having the best season of his career in 2024 (10-3, 2.90 ERA in 21 starts).

The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder allowed just two hits, walked three and struck out four on 75 pitches (42 strikes). Aside from Clay Holmes, Peterson has had the most impressive camp and figures to be a big weapon for New York again in 2025.

-Edwin Diaz entered the game in the sixth inning after Peterson and managed to get through the inning unscathed despite allowing two hits. Ryne Stanek looked great in his inning of work, striking out two, but it was A.J. Minter who had a rough outing. Making his third appearance of the spring, the left-hander allowed two runs on two hits, including a home run, and walked one. He also struck out two. They were the first runs allowed by Minter this spring.

Reed Garrett finished things off in the ninth and struck out the side.

-Scuffling a bit at the plate, Pete Alonso hit his first spring training home run this season in the sixth inning off former Met Miguel Castro who had just entered the game. The three-run bomb to left field got out in a hurry and broke the game open, making it 7-0. Alonso finished 1-for-4 with a walk.

Before that, the Mets' offense had scored four times thanks to shoddy play by Houston's defense. The first run came on a wild pitch in the third inning before a second run came around to score on Juan Soto's sacrifice fly, which was also an error by Jose Altuve in left field as the experiment of the former second baseman in the outfield continues to leave much to be desired.

New York scored another run in the fifth inning after Brandon Nimmo took advantage of a two-out error by third baseman Isaac Paredes, hitting an RBI double to score Mark Vientos.

-The Mets banged out 12 hits with Baty, Nimmo and Tyrone Taylor each getting two hits apiece.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets face the Washington Nationals on the road on Thursday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

Posted on

Carlos Carrasco stellar again, Yankees' bats silent in loss to Braves

Carlos Carrasco strengthened his case to make the Opening Day roster but the Yankees' bats were silent as they fell to the Braves, 4-0, in split-squad action.

Here are the takeaways...

-Carrasco put the finishing touches on what was a fantastic spring in Yankees camp. The non-roster invitee shut out the Braves for five innings, allowing just one walk while striking out three batters. He threw 54 pitches (33 strikes) and made it look easy against a Braves lineup that had most of their regulars.

Across 16 innings pitched, Carrasco has pitched to a 1.69 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. The veteran right-hander has an opt-out on Saturday if he doesn't make the roster, but the Yankees, with their injuries, may not have a choice but to bring him on.

-After Carrasco left the game, the Yankees bullpen struggled especially Fernando Cruz. Cruz, who the Yankees obtained from the Reds in the Jose Trevino deal this offseason, started the sixth inning with a throwing error before allowing a two-run shot to Austin Riley. After a four-pitch walk to Matt Olson, and a mound visit, Cruz spiked a wild pitch before getting Bryan De La Cruz to strike out. But that would be it for Cruz who allowed two runs (one earned) across 0.1 innings (22 pitches/10 strikes).

Wednesday was not the best audition for Cruz who is looking to capture a spot in the bullpen. The hard-throwing right-hander has allowed at least one run in three of his last four appearances.

-Luke Weaver allowed a solo shot on the first pitch he threw in the eighth inning to Patrick Clohisy who jumped on the first-pitch cutter to put the Braves up 4-0.

Devin Williams dominated the ninth inning, getting the Braves in order, including two strikeouts on his patented Airbender changeup.

-Despite the stellar starting pitching, the Yankees bats just could not get to Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach. The young right-hander allowed just two hits, walking one while striking out 10 batters across six innings.

-Austin Wells led off again on Wednesday, finishing 1-for-3 with a strikeout. It's looking more and more likely Wells will be the Yankees leadoff hitter on Opening Day.

Aaron Judge's tough spring continued as the reigning AL MVP went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and is hitting a paltry .120. Oswaldo Cabrera (0-3) and Trent Grisham (0-2, BB) were the other notable hitters who went hitless in this one.

What's next

The Yankees hit the road to take on the Baltimore Orioles. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.

Will Warren will take the mound in what could be his final audition for a roster spot.

Posted on

Nick Kyrgios storms back at Miami Open for first tour-level win since 2022

  • World No 892 beats Mackenzie McDonald 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
  • ‘I never thought I would play tennis again,’ admits Australian

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios has recovered from a slow start to beat American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round of the Miami Open. Kyrgios dropped the opening set before storming home to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday.

The win was his first in a tour-level match since 2022 and sets up a second-round encounter with Russian Karen Khachanov. The Australian said he is glad to be back but will not be getting carried away.

Continue reading...
Posted on

Carter's career night pushes injury-riddled Kings past Cavs

Carter's career night pushes injury-riddled Kings past Cavs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

No Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, or Jake LaRavia, no problem. 

Well, at least that’s the case when Kings rookie guard Devin Carter erupts for a career night, fueling a short-handed Sacramento team to a pivotal 123-119 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center. 

Carter, one of seven Sacramento players to score in double digits, finished the night with a career-high 16 points, adding five rebounds, three assists, and three steals on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.

On a night in which the Kings trailed 20-7 nine minutes into the game against the top team in the East and without some of its major firepower, the stage was set for a new face to step up. 

“Next-man-up mentality: young guy Devin Carter came in and played huge tonight,” big man Trey Lyles told NBC Sports California’s Morgan Ragan and Deuce Mason on “Kings Postgame Live.”

“He could have been hanging his head not playing a lot, but he came out ready to play. [He] picked up full court and he ended the game for us, which is great for him. He was playing well and he stayed confident.” 

Fittingly, on the night Carter put together his NBA performance to date, he also delivered the best dunk of his young career. 

With the Kings and Cavaliers exchanging leads in the dying minutes of the game, interim coach Doug Christie left Carter, who turned 23 on Tuesday, to seal a vital victory. 

“Devin brings the physicality, the swagger, the confidence,” Christie said.  “I’ll just speak for myself that I expect out of my team. 

“There’s a calmness in the competition in him. My grandmother used to say, ‘Still waters run deep,’ and he brought it. Big time.” 

Forward Keegan Murray, who finished with 13 points, alluded to Carter’s growth throughout the season, praising the 23-year-old’s ability to “pick up” advice from Sacramento’s veterans.

“He’s been good,” Murray told reporters. “I think he’s had spurts this year. Like in Boston, he was pretty good. Honestly, he’s a rookie and goes through those ups and downs. 

“I went through them, too. He’s able to capitalize on his opportunities tonight when guys are down. Kudos to him, and I know he should have an impact on our team the rest of the way.” 

DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk combined for 49 points, with the Kings shooting an impressive 50 percent from the floor.

With just 14 games left in the regular season, the Kings’ record stands at 35-33, placing Christie and Co. at the No. 9 spot in the West. 

Injuries might have Sacramento short-handed, but, luckily, it had Carter on Wednesday night.

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast