England’s wicketkeeper-batter on the innings that changed his career, the influence of Kevin Pietersen and a huge year of Test cricket ahead
“When the pressure’s on,” Jamie Smith says intently on an otherwise languid morning at the Oval, “it definitely gives you more of a focus. You can’t get away from the fact that, when the game is on the line, you want to be the one that takes it on and wins it. Look at some of the best players that have played the game – and the impact they’ve had in situations where they’ve been needed the most.
“Look at Stokesy [Ben Stokes, his England captain] and some of the innings he’s played where he’s rescued the side from defeat or led them to victory. They’re the things that get remembered. So it would be nice to be the sort of player that can do similar.”
The Warriors had their star point guard’s back and pulled out a Game 1 victory in Minnesota but have failed to win another game without their best player as they face elimination in Game 5 down 3-1. Curry already has been ruled out of Wednesday’s contest and will be re-evaluated Saturday, one day before a potential Game 6 at Chase Center.
But Stephen A. Smith and the rest of the “First Take” crew think it’s already too late for Curry, who they believe won’t win another championship with the Warriors.
“It’s not because of Steph at all. Steph is still playing like an all-world player when he’s on the court,” Smith said Wednesday morning. “The brother’s spectacular. I think the second we really, really knew in our hearts that this was it was when they didn’t get Kevin Durant to come back. Remember, they were interested in acquiring Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant made it clear he didn’t want to go back. And because he didn’t want to go back, Jimmy Butler was the consolation prize.
“We’re looking at Jimmy Butler, we know what he can do. Jimmy Butler has no problem being Robin. But can you be Batman anymore? The answer is likely no. And then you look at Draymond Green. Draymond Green was my Defensive Player of the Year. Draymond Green is getting outplayed by Julius Randle in this series. So what choice do you have but to concede that this is it for the Golden State Warriors?”
Co-analysts Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and three-time NBA champion Udonis Haslem agreed with Smith, acknowledging the end is near for Curry and the Warriors.
Smith added that while Golden State traded for Butler, which helped save its season, the core of Butler, 35, Green, 35 and Curry, 37, won’t be enough to overpower the growing youth in the West with teams such as the Timberwolves, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs.
We are witnessing that firsthand in the series between the Timberwolves and Warriors, although Curry has been a non-factor due to his injury.
“There’s too much resistance in the Western Conference for Golden State to overcome,” Smith said. “I think we’ve seen the last of Steph Curry as a champion in Golden State.”
While Curry still might have plenty in the tank, he knows his NBA clock is ticking. The sharpshooter revealed in March that a fifth ring is the “only thing” he’s still playing for. While the ESPN analysts’ words might leave a sour taste in Dub Nation’s mouth, Curry’s always been one to prove the doubters and naysayers wrong.
And one thing’s for certain: he won’t go out without a fight.
Steph Curry is inching closer toward a potential return in the NBA playoffs.
But will he have a chance to?
After Golden State ruled its superstar guard out for Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at Target Center, the team provided an official update on the status of Curry’s strained left hamstring.
“Curry, who has missed the last three games due to a strained hamstring, has been re-evaluated,” the team statement reads. “The re-evaluation indicated that Curry is making good progress in his recovery. He has been cleared to participate in light on-court workouts, including shooting drills. He will be re-evaluated again on Saturday.”
If the Warriors, who trail the Timberwolves three games to one in the series, were to win Game 5 on Wednesday, they would force a Game 6 on Sunday at Chase Center, which could allow Curry to return as Golden State looks to complete its unlikely series comeback.
Curry suffered the hamstring injury in the second quarter of the Warriors’ Game 1 win on May 6 after scoring 13 points in 12 minutes. Golden State has lost three consecutive games and now faces elimination Wednesday in Minnesota.
Steph Curry is inching closer toward a potential return in the NBA playoffs.
But will he have a chance to?
After Golden State ruled its superstar guard out for Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at Target Center, the team provided an official update on the status of Curry’s strained left hamstring.
“Curry, who has missed the last three games due to a strained hamstring, has been re-evaluated,” the team statement reads. “The re-evaluation indicated that Curry is making good progress in his recovery. He has been cleared to participate in light on-court workouts, including shooting drills. He will be re-evaluated again on Saturday.”
If the Warriors were to win Game 5 on Wednesday, they would force a Game 6 on Saturday at Chase Center, which could allow Curry to return as Golden State looks to erase a three-games-to-one series deficit.
The Argentine superstar has been top-class, but a lack of structure behind him has been his team’s undoing. Sound familiar?
Inter Miami are used to having a target on their back by now, but no opponent has hit them harder than Minnesota United did on Saturday in a 4-1 rout. As if inflicting Lionel Messi’s heaviest-ever defeat in Major League Soccer wasn’t enough, the Loons took the opportunity to rub it in on social media, labelling South Florida’s Galacticos a “Pink Phony Club” – a jibe that irked David Beckham.
Beckham’s frustration, along with everyone else’s at Inter Miami, has built over a number of weeks. The Herons are experiencing an early-season reckoning. Their Concacaf Champions Cup challenge was ended by a rampant Vancouver Whitecaps who ran up a 5-1 aggregate scoreline to make the final despite Inter Miami making the competition a big priority.
Jackson, appearing on Wednesday’s edition of Fan Duel TV’s “Run It Back,” was asked if he’s received advice from a player on another team. He listed Butler as one of the three players he’s sought words of wisdom from, but the delivery left a lasting impression on his head — literally.
“When we played the Warriors, excuse my language, but he smacked the s–t out of my head after the game,” Jackson said. “He was like, ‘What’s up, young fella?’ And smacked me and told me a couple things.”
"Jimmy Butler smacked the s*** out my head after the game. He was like, 'What's up young fella?'" 😂
Butler’s Warriors and Jackson’s Grizzlies met in the first NBA play-in game between the Western Conference’s No. 7 and No. 8 seeds. Golden State outlasted Memphis 121-116 behind Butler’s 38 points.
Jackson received a DNP-CD (Did Not Play, Coach’s Decision) in the Grizzlies’ loss.
Memphis drafted Jackson in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft. As a rookie, Jackson turned heads while appearing in 48 games (18 starts) and averaging 14.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 25.7 minutes.
After returning in late January from a foot injury that required surgery in Year 2, Jackson experienced a bit of a sophomore slump through 29 games. He averaged 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 15.8 minutes.
In addition to Butler, Jackson revealed Khris Middleton and Brandon Ingram as the other players who have given him helpful advice as he navigates his young NBA career.
“I always ask these guys what was it for them that got them over that hump,” Jackson said. “Because everyone has years where it’s kind of a slump year, whether it’s at this next level or college or high school. Just finding a way to get over that hump. All of them just told me the same thing. It’s about how many reps you get up.”
The 20-year-old certainly appreciates the advice from Butler, a 14-year pro, and it’ll be an interaction he likely won’t ever forget.
It is the first time since 2005 against Boston that the Pacers have won three road games in a play-off series [Getty Images]
The Indiana Pacers reached the NBA's Eastern Conference finals for the second year running by beating top seeds the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five.
Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points and added eight assists as Indiana triumphed 114-105 to win the best-of-seven semi-final series 4-1.
"The winning team writes the script," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said.
"This was one of the best teams in the league. I'm sorry their season had to end like this. They had the perfect season, and we came along and were hot at the right time."
The Celtics claimed a clean sweep against the Pacers in last year's Eastern finals.
Cleveland, who topped the Eastern Conference, thrashed Miami 4-0 to book their place in the semi-finals.
However, they could not cope with the tempo of the Pacers and Donovan Mitchell, who led the Cavaliers with 35 points, said they had "let the city down".
"We just didn't get the job done. Nothing else needs to be said," added Mitchell.
"We let the city down. We let each other down. I believe in this team. That's what just sucks. We're a good team, but ultimately for three [home] games, we don't seem it."
Thunder on brink of Western Conference final
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets to move 3-2 ahead in their Western Conference semi-final series.
Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic grabbed 44 points and 15 rebounds, but he could not stop Oklahoma City from running out 112-105 winners in game five.
"This is a really disappointing loss," Denver interim coach David Adelman said.
"The guys in there should be disappointed. It's a heavy loss and we have to bounce back quickly to win game six and give ourselves a chance to come back. Have a game like this, but finish it."
Jalen Williams' three-pointer opened up a 106-103 lead with 1:18 remaining before Gilgeous-Alexander's three with 48 seconds to go extended the Thunder's advantage to six.
"What the great players do is they rise in the face of those challenges and adversities," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of Gilgeous-Alexander.
"Despite the fact that the pressure was mounting and it got hotter in there, he got cooler and just kind of settled into it, made the right plays, let the game tell him what to do."
The Thunder can clinch the series on Friday (01:30 BST) in Denver.
The Yankees tied the game in the ninth but could not come through in extras, falling to the Mariners, 2-1, in 11 innings on Tuesday night in Seattle.
The Yankees are now 1-3 in extra-inning games this season and dropped their first game started by Max Fried -- they entered a perfect 8-0.
Here are the takeaways...
-The Yankees' lineup could not do much against starter Bryan Woo or the Mariners' bullpen. They had just five hits and were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position and left six men on base entering the ninth. But against closer Andres Munoz, Paul Goldschmidt reached on a HBP and stole second (his third of the season). Austin Wells grounded out but moved the pinch-running Pablo Reyes to third. Anthony Volpe tapped a slider with a check swing toward first baseman Dylan Moore, who was playing in. Moore threw home but it was wide, allowing Reyes to score and Volpe to go to second base on the fielder's choice and error.
Without getting a hit, the Yankees tied the game. It was Munoz's first earned run allowed this season. Jasson Dominguez struck out looking on a pitch below the strike zone. The mild-mannered Dominguez had some words for homeplate umpire Mark Wegner. Aaron Boone came out to protect his player and give Wegner a few words of his own, but when the ump ejected the Yankees skipper, Boone let him have it. Wegner's strikezone was very inconsistent and hitter-friendly for both sides. Oswald Peraza ended the inning by grounding out.
-After failing to score a run in the 10th and 11th, even with the ghost runner, the Mariners made the Yankees pay. Tim Hill was asked to keep the score tied but back-to-back singles from Ben Williamson and J.P. Crawford pushed the winning run across.
-Fried came into Tuesday's start with a 6-0 record and an MLB-low 1.05 ERA, and that continued in the first inning after it took just five pitches to get through the opening frame, but the Mariners hitters made him work. They battled and got into high-pitch at-bats and finally broke through in the fourth thanks to a Julio Rordriguez single and Cal Raleigh's booming double off the center field wall to score the game's first run.
YES Network analyst Jeff Nelson commented that he keeps seeing Fried blowing on his hands, and that could be an indication that he just doesn't have the command of his pitches like he usually does. And it showed as Fried had to grind through this one thanks to the Mariners fouling off 23 of his pitches.
Fried exited the game after five innings (91 pitches/57 strikes), allowing one run on four hits, two walks and striking out five. It's the second-shortest outing of his season and ended a streak of six consecutive quality starts.
-On the other side, Woo dominated. After a two-out double to Cody Bellinger in the first inning, Woo went through the Yankees' lineup in order the next four innings. He retired 15 in a row at one point before Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge hit two-out singles in the sixth, but Woo wrapped up the inning by getting Bellinger to fly out.
The Yankees had their chances despite Woo's performance. Wells' one-out double in the seventh forced Seattle to pull Woo out of the game. Volpe walked and both runners had a successful double steal, but left-hander Gabe Speier struck outDominguez and Peraza to end the threat.
New York mustered just five hits and was 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position while leaving 11 men on base.
-With Oswaldo Cabrera's fractured ankle, Peraza started at third base and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He did make some great defensive plays at the hot corner. Jorbit Vivas started at second and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout. He was lifted for pinch-hitter Ben Rice in the later innings, and the newly-recalled DJ LeMahieu played second in the ninth inning. LeMahieu actually got an at-bat in the 10th, striking out.
Bellinger's first-inning double extended his hitting streak to nine games. It was his only hit of the night.
-The Yankees' bullpen did its job to give the offense a chance to tie or take the lead. Fernando Cruz struck out the side in a perfect sixth inning -- a nice bounceback from allowing three runs in 0.2 innings this past Saturday. Mark Leiter Jr., Luke Weaver and Devin Williams struck out a combined five batters in three perfect innings.
Game MVP: J.P. Crawford
Crawford's single ended the game, stopped the Mariners' four-game losing streak and prevented Seattle from losing their second straight series.
Highlights
DYLAN MOORE THROWS IT AWAY AND THE GAME IS TIED IN THE 9TH!
Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, left, celebrates a third-inning two-run homer with teammate Lawrence Butler. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Manager Dave Roberts continued to give Michael Conforto his chances at the plate.
The former Giant was pegged to do what he’s done his entire career: hit with power. Instead, he’s struck out 41 times and hits a whopping .153, comfortably bottom of the barrel in the Dodgers lineup.
For Chris Taylor, starts are few and far between. The Dodgers have now played 42 games. Taylor has only played in 26 and started in six.
The super utilityman played a role in eight Dodgers postseasons, bursting onto the scene in the 2017 NL pennant-winning run. He became a fan favorite, his often monotone cadence differentiating himself from his teammates. But since signing his four-year, $60-million contract before the 2022 season, Taylor has been more of a non-factor than a factor at Dodger Stadium. He’s tallied just 1.7 WAR (according to Baseball Reference) since putting pen to paper.
On Tuesday, Conforto and Taylor were the bottom-of-the-order X-factors against southpaw Jeffrey Springs and the Athletics. Taylor and Conforto combined for four extra-base hits (of eight hits) after combining for eight entering the game. Conforto doubled three times, to exit velocities of 103.7 mph, 106.1 mph and 109.5 mph.
“I'm just impressed that he just kind of kept his head down,” Roberts said of Conforto. “Going through this thing that he was going through for the first five weeks of the season. I think he's really starting to get some confidence now."
Not that it mattered much during Tuesday's 11-1 loss to the Athletics at Dodger Stadium.
“I thought this was as far as collectively as forgettable as an outing, a compilation of offense, team offense, as we've seen in quite some time,” Roberts said.
Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman resembled much of what the bottom half has offered in 2025 — going 0-for-9 at the plate. Ohtani fouled out with a runner on second in the seventh. Betts grounded into a fielder’s choice and reached via an error on a should-have-been 6-3 putout. Freddie Freeman killed a third-inning rally by grounding into a 1-6-3 double play.
Combined with starting pitcher Landon Knack’s performance — failing to finish the fifth inning after giving up two, two-run home runs to Thousand Oaks high alumnus Jacob Wilson (career-high four RBIs) in his Dodger Stadium debut — the Dodgers (27-15) lost the first game of a nine-game home stand.
“Obviously want to go as far into the game as possible, kind of save the pen a little bit,” Knack said. “You try to focus on some of the positives, take some of those from it, and then kind of sit back and see what was I not doing well, what I need to get better at, and as we move forward, just try to attack that this week.”
The 27-year-old right-hander has yet to pitch into the sixth inning in major-league action this year. With Sasaki joining lefty Blake Snell and righty Tyler Glasnow on the injured list — both pitchers met with Dr. Neal ElAttrache to garner feedback on next steps in recovery — it’ll make Clayton Kershaw’s return Saturday even more relevant.
Kershaw will make his season debut Saturday against the Angels, manager Dave Roberts said. Kershaw tossed five minor-league rehab starts, reaching six innings once during a May 6 outing for the Arizona Complex League Dodgers in Arizona. When Kershaw debuts, it'll be his 18th season with the Dodgers, tying Bill Russell and Zack Wheat for the franchise record for seasons played with the team.
“It's a big shot in the arm,” Roberts said of Kershaw pregame, before Sasaki went on the injured list.
The Dodgers may now be seeking further “shots in the arm” in the weeks ahead — but will need run support as they look to even up the series Wednesday.
Sasaki’s injury diagnosis
Roberts said postgame that Sasaki’s been shut down for the foreseeable future as the team treats his right-shoulder impingement.
Sasaki did not say anything to the coaching staff about discomfort until his start in Arizona, Roberts said, although Sasaki admitted to having been pitching through the issue for a few weeks.
“I think that our goal is to get him healthy, get him strong,” Roberts said, adding that there is no timeline for Sasaki’s return. “Make sure his delivery is sound for him to pitch for us. Now with the information we've learned, he hasn't been as productive as he would've liked because he was compromised.”
Australia star suffers fractured jaw after on-field collision
Suaalii may miss rest of NSW Waratahs’ Super Rugby season
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is in a race against time to be fit to face the British & Irish Lions, with the Wallabies star set to miss the rest of the Super Rugby Pacific regular season with a fractured jaw.
Suaalii will undergo surgery on a “small undisplaced fracture” he sustained in an accidental collision with a NSW Waratahs teammate against the Queensland Reds on Friday night.
May 13, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket beside Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) during the second half of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 112-105 on Tuesday night to go up 3-2 in their Western Conference semifinal series.
Oklahoma City overcame a 44-point, 15-rebound night from Denver's Nikola Jokic. The Thunder can clinch the series on Thursday in Denver.
Gilgeous-Alexander made 12 of 23 field goals and had seven assists. He led six Thunder players in double figures.
Jokic made 17 of 25 shots. Denver's Jamal Murray scored 28 points, but he made just 10 of 27 shots. No other Denver player scored more than 13 points.
Oklahoma City ran out to a 12-2 lead, and it looked like it might turn out like the Thunder's blowout victory in Game 2. Denver made one of its first nine shots, and that was a putback by Jokic.
Denver rallied and led by 11 in the second quarter, but Oklahoma City closed strong and trailed 56-54 at halftime. Jokic had 19 points and nine rebounds before the break.
Denver took control early in the third quarter. Murray scored 13 points in the period and Jokic added 12 to help the Nuggets take an 86-78 lead into the fourth.
Oklahoma City's Lu Dort, who scored three points in the first three quarters, hit three 3-pointers in a two-minute span to cut Denver's lead to 92-90 midway through the fourth.
Jokic hit a deep fadeaway 3-pointer to tie the game at 103 before Oklahoma City closed it out. Jalen Williams’ 3-pointer with 1:18 remaining gave the Thunder a 106-103 lead, and Gilgeous-Alexander’s three with 48 seconds to go pushed Oklahoma City's lead to six.
The two clubs that won all four AFL premierships between 2017 and 2020 squared off Sunday in a clash that didn’t look particularly enticing when the fixture was released last November. Heading into 2025, there were predictions of winless seasons and comparisons with the darkest days of Fitzroy. But the game between Richmond and West Coast boiled down to a last-gasp tackle. It was the kind of tackle that was supposedly given its last rites a fortnight ago, a tackle that saw a goal-bound but moribund fourth gamer ambushed like a cheetah on an impala. These things are a mix of technique, speed, luck and, most crucially, will. Tom Brown had all four in spades, and Richmond had another win.
Back in early March, if the Tigers’ coach, players and supporters had been offered three wins by Mother’s Day, they wouldn’t have hesitated in accepting. All they really wanted was to be as competitive as possible, to get some games into their draftees, and to steal four points here or there. They’ve achieved all of that already. Hell, they achieved that in their first game against Carlton. Throw in an unexpected victory over a not entirely beloved triple-premiership coach now at the Suns, and a hard-fought win over the Eagles, and the Tigers have much to be positive about.
The 1986 post-season will go down as another unforgettable
run in Calgary Flames history.
For starters, it was a whirlwind of a regular season for the
Flames, who went 23-12-6 after overcoming a then-franchise record eleven-game
losing streak from Dec. 14, 1985 to Jan. 7 1986.
Their efforts resulted in a second-place finish in the
Smythe Division, second only to provincial rivals, the titanic Oilers, led by Wayne
Gretzky who scored 215 points that season (remember this).
Gary Suter won the Calder Memorial Trophy as best rookie of
the season.
The Flames swept the Winnipeg in the first round and then
beat the Presidents' Trophy-winning Edmonton with the Hart Memorial Trophy
winner Gretzky (yes, that 200+ point scoring guy) in seven games.
Rookie of the year Suter had a team-high five assists. His seven
points were the second-highest in the series alongside teammates Hakan Loob,
Joe Mullen and Oilers’ Glenn Anderson, trailing only The Great One’s 13 points.
This was a big moment in league history as this team, that came
second to Edmonton in the Smythe Division by a mammoth 30 points, took down the
big and mighty Oilers, and stopped them from potentially pulling off a historical Stanley
Cup five-peat for the greatest player in hockey. Edmonton had won the Stanley Cup the two years before (1984, 1985), and would go on to win in the two years after (1987, 1988).
Sadly, this is the only flex
Flames fans can have over Oilers fans as Calgary has never beaten Edmonton in any
playoff series since.
The Flames then beat St. Louis in seven games to win the
franchise's first Clarence S. Campbell Bowl as Conference champions and advance
to the 1986 Stanley Cup Finals. Al MacInnis and Paul Reinhart led the series
with 10 and eight points respectively.
The Flames became the first team from Calgary to reach the Finals since the Calgary Tigers of the WCHL in 1924.
Unfortunately, after winning their first game, Calgary got
topped by the Prince of Wales Conference champions Montreal Canadiens in four consecutive
games to lose the series 4-1.
While the Flames did not claim Lord Stanley’s Cup that
season, they produced a memorable season that resonates with Flames fans, and
be remembered for years as the squad that denied immortality status for Gretzky.
The only team in NHL history that has won the Stanley Cup five years in a row are the 1956-60 Montreal Canadiens.
Fortunately, Calgary would have to wait only three more
years to finally reach the mountain top in 1989.
Nine of the Flames’ players from the 1986 Finals would go on to lift the cup.
These finals were also against the Canadiens that consisted
a lot of the 1986 Finals' roster, so a bit of payback was rightfully due.
