🎥 Messi taken off with possible injury in MLS tennis-scorelineNo one can deny there was no shortage of entertainment in Inter Miami vs. Philadelphia Union this Sunday (24) in Matchday 15 of Major League Soccer.There were EIGHT GOALS in the first half alone of the clash played at Nu Stadium.The highest number ever scored in the opening half of an MLS match.And after the first half ended tied at 4-4, Messi’s team scored twice more.Securing a 6-4 win. Just like a set in a tennis match. But it wasn’t all celebration: Messi asked to be substituted and went straight to the locker room.Setting off alarm bells in Argentina ahead of the World Cup. CRAZY first half 🤯Milan Iloski was Philadelphia Union’s star man with a hat-trick before the break.He scored in the 3rd, 10th and 53rd minutes. Damiani got the other one (20').The Florida franchise, meanwhile, had two scorers: Berterame (13' and 41') and Luisito (29' and 44').Special mention to the Pistolero's first goal:Messi in the spotlight and another hat-trickUp to that point responsible for two assists, the No. 10 left plenty of people worried when he asked to come off. After taking a free-kick in the 67th minute, he stayed on the pitch for five more minutes before leaving with pain in the back of his thigh. He didn’t even stay on the bench. He went straight to the locker room. There are 23 days left until Argentina’s World Cup debut — the tournament will begin on the 18th.Inter Miami are expected to issue an update on the star’s condition soon.The two teams did not repeat the first-half insanity, as only two goals were scored after the break.Suárez completed his hat-trick in the 81st minute. And De Paul put the finishing touch on the scoreline in the 93rd minute.See all the goals below:Inter Miami moved onto 31 points in the Eastern Conference.Which is led by Nashville (33) with a game in hand.Philadelphia Union, meanwhile, remain on seven. And bottom of the same conference.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

The college football offseason has begun to revolve around a polarizing subject: expanding the College Football Playoff. Few people agree on what that expansion should look like. Most either support a minimal increase or a major overhaul, with a 24-team format emerging as the most-discussed option.Many people support expansion, especially NCAA conference commissioners. Fans remain divided, and coaches still seem unsure about how far the playoff should expand. Despite strong backing in some circles, however, the proposal continues to face significant opposition.MORE: SEC football fans remind why college football is king of southern sportsRecent reports indicated that ESPN does not support a full 24-team expansion. Instead, the network reportedly prefers a 14- or 16-team format, particularly because it currently owns the rights through a 14-team field. Now, another influential figure has spoken out against the idea. Former coach Urban Meyer, who coached the College Football Playoff’s first national champion, believes a 24-team format goes too far.Former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer broadcasts on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff prior to the NCAA football game between the Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025.Pump the brakesMeyer was asked whether a 24-team playoff would be excessive or appropriate. He had previously opposed a 12-team playoff as well. This time, his answer was straightforward: 24 teams is too many.“I think 24 is too much,” Meyer said on his “The Script” appearance. He continued, “I was wrong about 12. I thought 12 was a little bit too much. Miami gets in there, they would have never gotten in, and they should have won the national title.”MORE: Rece Davis roasts latest 24-team College Football Playoff expansion planMany fans worry that expanding the field too much would allow undeserving teams into the postseason and reduce the importance of being a true top-10 program. Meyer agreed with that concern.Sep 13, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Former Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer on the sideline during the first half of a game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Oregon Ducks at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images“You start dipping down, like you said, the teams that have very mediocre years [they] should not be in the playoffs, so I think 24 is too much,” Meyer said about a potential 24-team playoff.A 24-team format would have included programs such as Notre Dame, USC, and Texas this past season, but it also would have opened the door for teams like Iowa and Georgia Tech. While expansion would broaden the competition field, critics argue it would also dilute the importance of the regular season.So, is Meyer right about a 24-team expansion? Has the playoff reached the point where bigger is no longer better? If any opinion carries weight in this debate, Meyer’s certainly deserves consideration.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Reid Detmers was nearly perfect for eight innings while striking out a career-high 14, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Texas Rangers 2-1 Sunday night on Justin Foscue's ninth-inning throwing error for their first series sweep this season.Detmers retired 24 of 25 batters, allowing a home run to Jake Burger on a changeup leading off the second. He induced 23 misses among 51 swings and his strikeouts tied Seattle's Emerson Hancock on May 2 against Kansas City for the most in the major leagues this season.Mike Trout tied the score with a broken-bat RBI single off MacKenzie Gore in the third.After Sam Bachman (1-0) struck out Burger to strand the bases loaded in the ninth, Jorge Soler singled against Gavin Collyer (1-1) with one out in the bottom half. Jo Adell was hit by a pitch, Donovan Walton pinch ran for Soler and Oswald Peraza flared a potential double-play, one-hopper over the mound.Foscue fielded the ball near second and juggled the ball as pulled it out of his glove for a throw while stepping on the base. His throw to first bounced away from Burger, and Walton scored standing up.Los Angeles' sweep followed a 1-9 skid.Up next:Rangers: RHP Kumar Rocker (2-4, 3.60 ERA) will oppose Astros RHP Tatsuya Imai (1-3, 8.31) at Houston on Monday night.Angels" RHP Jack Kochanowicz (2-3, 4.55 ERA) will face Tigers RHP Keider Montero (2-3, 3.83) at Detroit Tuesday night.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The offense for the Minnesota Vikings in 2025 was less than ideal, to say the least. This all stemmed from a severely poor quarterback room, but things could be on the rise in 2026 with Kyler Murray in the fold. Be that as it may, last season, wide receiver Jalen Nailor found success, as he tied with Josh Oliver for the most receiving touchdowns on the team with four. He would depart for Las Vegas in free agency, but one ESPN writer does not love the move. Bill Barnwell went over the best and worst moves for all of the AFC teams in a recent article, and he tabbed the Nailor move as not enough to elevate a lacking receiver room from one year ago."That never really happened. The one significant addition Vegas did make was signing former Vikings third wideout Nailor, whose three-year, $35 million deal has $18 million guaranteed at signing. Nailor has a role in the right offense as a second or third wideout who can do some dirty work and catch the occasional pass, but it would be a major surprise if he suddenly emerged as a legitimate second option in the offense behind Bowers."Nailor is likely to see the most work of his career in his debut season with the Raiders. Meanwhile, the Vikings replaced him with Jauan Jennings in a move that should help negate the underrated loss that was Jalen Nailor this offseason. This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Jalen Nailor not enough in the eyes of ESPN for Fernando Mendoza

New report casts major doubt on De'Aaron Fox's future with San Antonio Spurs originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.A new report from Sam Amick of The Athletic has cast some serious doubt on star guard De'Aaron Fox's future with the San Antonio Spurs. Fox still has three years remaining on the enormous, four-year deal he signed with the Spurs last summer, but across the league there are questions regarding his long-term fit with the franchise given the emergence of rookie guard Dylan Harper and the continued development of third-year guard Stephon Castle. Those two appear to be the backcourt of the future for San Antonio, which might make the Spurs want to move off of Fox's contract, as opposed to keep him around as an extremely expensive backup. From Amick: Here [Fox] is in his first postseason with the Spurs, having forced his way to San Antonio last season as part of his Sacramento Kings exit plan, and there’s already league-wide chatter about how his time here might be cut short.The assertion, shared by rival executives and media folks alike, is that rookie guard Dylan Harper (the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft) is simply too good to come off the bench for long and will eventually need to start alongside second-year guard Stephon Castle (the No. 4 pick in 2024). And because of the cost considerations — Fox signed a four-year, $229 million deal in August — that sort of development would force tough conversations about whether Fox could remain part of the future if he was coming off the bench.This story will be updated. More NBA news: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander brushes off 'flopper' chants from Spurs fansJason Kidd breaks silence following departure from Dallas MavericksTrail Blazers pending unrestricted free agent expresses desire to remain in PortlandLakers' LeBron James provides update on looming retirement decision

HOOVER, AL - MAY 22: Outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. #6 of the Texas Longhorns watches play with teammates from the dugout during the SEC Baseball Tournament Quarterfinals game between Texas Longhorns and Arkansas Razorbacks on May 22, 2026, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.(Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images After a second straight 40-win season, the Texas Longhorns will return from losing their opening game in the SEC Tournament by hosting an Austin Regional for the 39th time in program history as one of 16 hosts in this year’s championship.Play begins on Friday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field following the 8-1 loss by Texas to Arkansas in Hoover on Friday, the second opening-game loss in the conference tournament under head coach Jim Schlossnagle.The extent to which that defeat impacts the overall seeding for the Longhorns will become apparent at 11 a.m. Monday on ESPN2 with the announcement of the field of 64. D1 Baseball projects Texas as the No. 6 seed with Miami, Louisiana, and UC San Diego in the Austin Regional against the Longhorns.

Enhanced Games swimmers will also be allowed to wear the types of 'supersuits' that led to many world records falling around the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but were subsequently prohibited (ETIENNE LAURENT)Juiced-up athletes narrowly failed to "beat" world records in early contests at the first-ever Enhanced Games on Sunday in Las Vegas, despite using performance-enhancing drugs that have sparked health concerns.The vast majority of the 42 sprinters, swimmers and weightlifters taking part in the divisive event are on combinations of testosterone, peptides, anabolic steroids and other substances banned by events like the Olympics.The Games have been denounced as dangerous by athletics governing bodies, who have said they will not recognize any records set at the event.But participants, lured by prize money of up to $1 million for surpassing world records, and $250,000 for event wins, include Olympic medallist swimmers James Magnussen, Cody Miller and Ben Proud.In the men's 100m freestyle swim, Greece's Kristian Gkolomeev clocked 46.60secs, just fractionally off Pan Zhanle's world best of 46.40."It was very close to the world record. I really wanted to do it, but it's OK," said Gkolomeev."I felt at the end I died a little bit, but I didn't really train for the 100 this year, definitely I will take that," added Gkolomeev, who will also race in the 50m freestyle later Sunday.Britain's Emily Barclays won the women's 100m freestyle in 24.09, around half-a-second slower than the world record.- 'Good shot' -Co-founder Max Martin has predicted "quite a few" world records will be unofficially "beaten." But the first half of the event did not bear that out.Weightlifter Beatriz Piron, who reportedly surpassed a world record in training, attempted to get the Games off with a bang with the same feat by lifting 100kg in the women's snatch -- but narrowly failed.On the men's side, Canada's Boady Santavy and US lifter Wesley Kitts attempted record snatch lifts of 183kg and 197kg respectively, but fell short -- despite organizers bending the rules to give each a fourth attempt."I hit a lot of PRs in training. Not 197 yet... Man, if I had about four more week (in training) I'd say I'd have had a good shot at it," said Kitts.The day's first swimming event was won by an athlete who chose not to dope. Hunter Armstrong won the men's 50m backstroke in 24.21sec, defeating two rivals on performance-enhancing drugs.US swimmer Miller rolled back the years to win the 50m men's breaststroke, telling the crowd he was delighted to shave "seven-tenths (of a second) off my personal best at 34" -- though his time of 26.55 did not threaten Adam Peaty's 25.95 world record. Enhanced Games swimmers are also wearing the types of "supersuits" that led to many official records falling around the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but were subsequently prohibited.Former 100m sprint champion Fred Kerley -- one of the few athletes competing without drugs at the event -- set the pace in the men's heats with 9.93secs, followed by "enhanced" athlete Emmanuel Matadi on 9.95.- 'Consequences' -The Enhanced Games are taking place at a purpose-built $50 million arena in a Las Vegas casino parking lot, a structure to be dismantled hours after the final race.In a marriage of sports, biohacking, politics and entertainment, billionaire Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr are among the event's investors, while rock band The Killers will play a closing set. Health experts warn that several of the substances could risk "life-shortening and fatal consequences," including heart, liver and kidney issues, as so little is known about their long-term effects.But Enhanced Games officials say all medications are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, and no expense had been spared on hiring top medical experts.Chief medical officer Guido Pieles described the risk of the medications as "clearly there" but "really manageable."His team has published the percentage of athletes taking each substance, with Martin vowing that "transparency is core to our DNA."Yet athletes said that they are not able to disclose the specific combinations each has taken.Parent company Enhanced sells many of the substances being taken by its athletes to the public.amz/js

Luis de la Fuente labels Spain as favourites for 2026 World CupIn a few weeks’ time, the eagerly-anticipated 2026 World Cup will get underway in the United States, Mexico and Canada. A number of nations have already named their 26-man squads for the tournament, and this week, they will be joined in doing so by Spain.In the next 48 hours, it will be known who is representing La Roja at the upcoming World Cup, during which they will hope to achieve their second world title after the one they won in South Africa in 2010. Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal will be one of those called upon, although he won’t be able to face Cape Verde in the tournament opener.Ahead of naming his squad this week, Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente spoke on a recent podcast (via Diario AS) about his side’s chances in North America, as he backed the claim that they’re one of the favourites.“We have to be cautious, despite being favourites. We have to go with our feet on the ground. I don’t shy away, we are favourites, but we’re equally as favourites as England or France.”De la Fuente: No club players, only national team playersThe Spain head coach was also keen to stress that long gone are the days that the Spain squad is divided into club cliques, as he sees his squad united as a national core.“There are no club players here, there are national team players. It’s a different mentality. We have to abstract ourselves from everything and always try to bring the best.”It’ll be very interesting to see who is named in de la Fuente’s squad for the 2026 World Cup. He’s already all-but confirmed that Gavi will be included after his strong recent form for Barcelona, but there are dilemmas that still need to be resolved before the announcement is made this week.

Jayden DeLaura threw three touchdowns and ran for another as the Vegas Knight Hawks rallied to beat the Arizona Rattlers 48-44 and win the inaugural IFL Cup championship at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey.Vegas took control of the game by scoring 21 points in the third quarter. Josh Thomas and Deshon Stoudemire each rushed for touchdowns for Vegas.Arizona led 29-17 at the half. Ron Brown Jr. rushed for two touchdowns for Arizona. Rattlers quarterback Drew Powell threw one touchdown pass and had a pair of interceptions. The Orlando Pirates won the IFL Cup consolation game, beating the New Mexico Chupacabras 41-11.

Celtics forward and five-time NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown was named to the 2025-26 All-NBA Second Team, the second time in Brown’s career.✅ Career highs in points & assists per game✅ Most FGM in the NBA✅ January POTM & 3x POTWJB shifted that energy like never before ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/bf1mRoVGi2— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 25, 2026Brown led the league in field goals with 736 this season, becoming the first Celtic to ever achieve this distinction. He also ranked third in the NBA in points with 2,038.The 29-year-old averaged career highs of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.0 steals over 71 games, all as a starter. Brown is one of two players this season and the third Celtic ever to average at least 28.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. Additionally, Brown also became the eighth Celtic in franchise history to score 2,000 points in a season.Boston fell to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs on May 2nd.This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

Last season was an off year for Luka Doncic, relatively speaking. He was traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in early February, and at the time, he was still recovering from a calf strain he had sustained on Christmas Day.While he averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists a game, he wasn't selected to any of the All-NBA teams for the first time since he was a rookie. This season, however, was a different story. He put up 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.6 steals a game, and he won his second scoring title while finishing fourth in the voting for the MVP award.On Sunday, the All-NBA teams for the 2025-26 campaign were announced, and Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic and Cade Cunningham made the All-NBA First Team.A global media panel of 100 voters selected the 2025-26 Kia All-NBA Team.The complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/7NbX05bwr2— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 24, 2026LeBron James, on the other hand, didn't make any of the All-NBA teams because he played in only 60 regular-season games, which made him ineligible for any votes. Players must appear in at least 65 regular-season games to be eligible for postseason individual honors.This was the sixth time Doncic was named to the All-NBA First Team in his eight seasons in the league. Unfortunately, his year was cut short by the Grade 2 hamstring strain he sustained on April 2, but other than that, he undoubtedly had a sensational season. He was named the Western Conference Player of the Month twice and was the main driving force behind the Lakers' hot streak late in the year when they won 16 of 18 games.Lakers fans are hoping that Doncic not only has a similar season next year, but that he leads the team to a very deep playoff run and eventually the NBA championship.This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Luka Doncic was named to All-NBA First Team

A surfing competition in New Zealand was temporarily halted after a water photographer was bitten by a marine animal, organizers said on Monday.The incident happened during the men's semi-finals at the New Zealand Pro in Raglan on the west coast of the North Island. Brazilian surfers Italo Ferreira and Yago Dora were taken out of the water on jet skis after the competition was stopped."At this stage we're not certain it was a shark or a sea lion," Renato Hickel, the World Surf League's (WSL) vice president of tours and competition, said shortly after the incident on Monday morning.Hickel said a doctor at the scene believed the photographer may have been bitten by a sea lion rather than a shark."Nevertheless, very scary," he added.Hickel later said in an update that the photographer was in hospital in stable condition and "in great spirits," adding that the competition would resume after organizers consulted the surfers and other stakeholders.In a message quoted during the WSL broadcast, photographer Ed Sloane said he was "doing okay" and receiving medical attention after suffering bites to his left foot.

The NFL Draft grading process can be a fickle thing to navigate. While we are quick to hand out grades shortly after the draft, without the player ever having a chance to get on the field yet, we often do not look back on our grades and see how they aged. However, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports did just that, entering the time machine, going back to 2023, and reviewing the grades handed out.For the Minnesota Vikings, Prisco originally graded the 2023 draft class a C-, and during his look back, he remained with his original grade. "They had six picks and two are still on the roster, with both being projected starters. One is first-round receiver Jordan Addison, who has proven to be a good player. The other is fourth-round safety Jay Ward, who is expected to take over for Harrison Smith this season. The rest of the draft produced little. My favorite pick was Addison, who I said would be the best receiver in his class. He is not that, but he's been a really productive player for them. I didn't like the pick of corner Mekhi Blackmon in the second round, but he tore and ACL after a promising start to his career and is now in Indianapolis. This was not one of my favorite drafts then, and it isn't now."Needless to say, the Addison pick has aged well, despite the multiple driving issues that have popped up over time. The rest of the class continued to be an indictment of the recent draft history of this team, and the grade reflected that appropriately. Now, the Vikings will continue to search for their next general manager who can hopefully get that draft record back on track. This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Jordan Addison not enough to save the Vikings 2023 NFL Draft grade

Inter Miami's Argentine forward Lionel Messi leaves the field after suffering an injury scare in his team's win over Philadelphia, less than three weeks before the start of the World Cup (CHANDAN KHANNA)Lionel Messi was at the center of an injury scare just weeks before the start of the World Cup on Sunday after abruptly exiting Inter Miami's Major League Soccer clash against the Philadelphia Union.Argentina superstar Messi was substituted in the 73rd minute at a rain-soaked Nu Stadium in Miami after clutching the back of his left leg and requesting to come off.The 38-year-old icon appeared to be walking normally as he headed straight down the tunnel after exiting the game, which Miami went on to win 6-4. Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos said after the game it was too early to determine if Messi was injured, and suggested the Argentine's substitution was precautionary due to the pitch conditions."As far as I know, we don't have a (medical) report on that yet, but we will have one shortly," Hoyos said after the game when asked for details of Messi's condition."He was genuinely suffering from fatigue in that regard -- it is indeed fatigue."He was tired; the pitch was heavy and when in doubt, the standard approach is always to ensure you don't take any risks."Messi's Inter Miami team-mate Mateo Silvetti was unable to shed any light on his compatriot's condition."I'm just as in the dark as everyone else," Silvetti said. "At that moment, we were all focused on the match. I didn't know if it was an injury or if he was simply tired. "We're hoping it turns out to be nothing serious. Given his mindset and everything else, we're going to wish him the very best."Messi has carefully managed his workload since joining Inter Miami in 2023, with team staff regularly excusing him from games during particularly congested fixture periods.He has spent multiple stints on the sidelines in the past few years due to problems with his hamstring, which caused him to miss parts of Miami's pre-season campaign earlier this year.Any significant injury to the eight-time Ballon D'Or winner, though, would deal a huge blow to Argentina's hopes of defending their World Cup crown in the United States, Canada and Mexico.The tournament kicks off in Mexico City on June 11, with Argentina due to play their opening game against Algeria in Kansas City five days later.Inter Miami's game on Sunday was the last before MLS takes a break ahead of the World Cup.Messi has not formally confirmed he plans to play in the World Cup, but is widely expected to return for what will be a record-equalling sixth appearance at the finals.Argentina's squad is due to be named next week, and the South American giants will head to the United States shortly afterwards for pre-World Cup friendlies against Honduras in Texas on June 6, followed by a game against Iceland on June 9.str-rcw/js

The Coca-Cola 600NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is under a weather delay for rain after 366 laps on May 24.Daniel Suarez is the race leader. The scheduled race distance is 400 laps. The race would be made official since it is past halfway.After a weekend filled with weather delays, canceled qualifying sessions and shortened races, the first half of the Coca-Cola 600 was complete without any weather concern on the radar.But a storm formed to the south and west of the track, which is located northeast of uptown Charlotte.Kyle Larson won the first stage of the race, while Denny Hamlin won the second stage. Christopher Bell won the third stage.The race began with an emotional tribute in the memory of Kyle Busch, with Busch's family in attendance at the track.This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Charlotte race weather delay update, rain

The Coca-Cola 600NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is under a weather delay for rain after 366 laps on May 24.Daniel Suarez is the race leader. The scheduled race distance is 400 laps. The race would be made official since it is past halfway.After a weekend filled with weather delays, canceled qualifying sessions and shortened races, the first half of the Coca-Cola 600 was complete without any weather concern on the radar.But a storm formed to the south and west of the track, which is located northeast of uptown Charlotte.Kyle Larson won the first stage of the race, while Denny Hamlin won the second stage. Christopher Bell won the third stage.The race began with an emotional tribute in the memory of Kyle Busch, with Busch's family in attendance at the track.This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Charlotte race weather delay update, rain

WATERTOWN — After last week's rainout, the 2026 racing season here continued with the 11th Casino Speedway Memorial on Sunday, May 24, 2026.Six drivers won feature races during the program, including Gen X late model driver Bodie Croninger of Watertown.Other feature winners were brothers Landyn Randt (Midwest modifieds) and Levi Randt (street stocks) of Siren, WI; Chad Becker of Aberdeen (late models), Tyler Peterson of Hickson, ND (modifieds) and Dylan Tirrel of White (hornets).It was the first feature win of the season for each of Sunday's feature winners.Sunday's heat winners included Jason Marko of Watertown and Jodie Michaelsohn of Aberdeen, street stocks; Todd Stark of Watertown and Scott Hansen of Garden City, Midwest modifieds; Blake Swenson and Trevor Walsh of Watertown, Gen X late models; Peterson, modifieds; Thomas Weisgram of Northville and Chad Williamson of Watertown, late models; and Tyler Hovitek of Watertown and Tirrel, hornets.A total of 82 cars were on hand for the program, including 17 Gen X late models, 15 hornets, 14 street stocks, 14 Midwest modifieds, 14 late models and eight modifieds.Racing is set to resume on Sunday, May 31 with another weekly program scheduled for 5 p.m. It will feature all six regular classes along with Scott's Gen X late models.Highlights from other area tracks from May 22-24 include:Dakota State Fair SpeedwayHURON — Area drivers Trevor Nelson of Warner and Chad Becker of Aberdeen each won feature races during the racing program on Saturday, May 23.Nelson won his second super stocks feature of the season at DSFS. Becker won his first late model feature.Other feature winners were Levi Randt of Siren, WI (street stocks) and Jake Wranek of Sioux Falls (Midwest modifieds).Area drivers who won heat races included Dave Brooker of Tulare, street stocks; Scott Hansen of Garden City, Midwest modifieds; Nelson, super stocks; and Aberdeen drivers Josh Skorczewski and Mike Stearns, late models.Another weekly program is scheduled for Saturday, May 30 at 7 p.m.Brown County SpeedwayABDERDEEN — The racing program scheduled for Friday, May 22 was rained out.Another weekly program is scheduled for Friday, May 29 at 7 p.m.Fiesta City SpeedwayMONTEVIDEO, MN — The racing program scheduled for Friday, May 22 was rained out.A doubleheader, featuring the Wissota Late Model Challenge Series, is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, June 5-6 at 7 p.m. each night.I-94 SpeedwayFERGUS FALLS, MN — The racing program scheduled for Friday, May 22 was rained out.Another weekly program is scheduled for Friday, May 29 at 7 p.m.2026 AREA STOCK CAR RACING PREVIEW: 2026 stock car racing season opened last week at some area tracksMadison SpeedwayMADISON, MN — The 2026 season at Madison Speedway was scheduled to open on Memorial Day (Monday, May 25).Another weekly program is scheduled for Saturday, May 30 at 6 p.m.Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.comThis article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Weekend stock car racing roundup

Who was the Murfreesboro area TSSAA girls athlete of the week for May 18-23?You can vote below.Nominees are Blackman's Olivia Clark, Eagleville's Ellie Nguyen, PCA's Abby Olsen, Riverdale's Riley Williams, Rockvale's Toju Williams, Siegel's Destiny McCoy and Stewarts Creek's Lexi Pope.The poll will close at 2 p.m. on May 28.Editor's Note: We reserve the right to disqualify a candidate or declare a vote "no contest" if tampering such as bots or offering to pay for voting is evident. Please respect the integrity of the vote the way these athletes respect the integrity of the game.

Brooks Koepka withdrew from the Charles Schwab Challenge on Sunday.Koepka, 36 and a nine-time PGA Tour winner, returned to the Tour earlier this season from LIV Golf. He has made 10 starts and seven cuts this season. He has recorded five top 25s and one top 10, a T-9 at the Cognizant Classic.Koepka, who had played four of the last five weeks, finished T-14 at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Sunday. He is committed to play in the RBC Canadian Open in two weeks and is exempt into the U.S. Open, which he won in 2018, the last time his national championship was played at Shinnecock Golf Club, the site of the 126th Open.News of his WD had to be a big disappointment for the alternates. Had Koepka remained in the 132-man field, the size would have been expanded to 135. Koepka had played at Colonial Country Club just twice before — finished second in 2018 and T-32 in 2020. The Charles Schwab Challenge field already was hurting from Jordan Spieth skipping for the first time in his career and no Scottie Scheffler either. Denny McCarthy and David Ford also withdrew on Sunday. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Brooks Koepka withdraws from Charles Schwab Challenge

With the conclusion of the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, a huge day of Memorial Day weekend racing is in the books.It began with a Felix Rosenqvist win in the Indianapolis 500, continued with Kimi Antonelli claiming Formula One's Canadian Grand Prix and ended with Daniel Suarez earning a rain-shortened win in NASCAR's longest race of the season.Suarez led 17 laps. He was in front of runner-up Christopher Bell and third-place finisher Denny Hamlin when the race was called with 27 laps remaining.Throughout May 24, tributes continued to pour in for NASCAR legend Kyle Busch, who died suddenly at age 41 on May 21. The Coke 600 was the first Cup Series race since his passing. Driving Busch's old car, which Richard Childress Racing changed from No. 8 to 33 this weekend and beyond, Austin Hill placed 27th.Here is the finishing order.NASCAR standings: Results of Cup Series race at CharlotteFull finishing order will be posted momentarily.Daniel Suarez, No. 7Christopher Bell, No. 20Denny Hamlin, No. 11Tyler Reddick, No. 45Kyle Larson, No. 5Ty Gibbs, No. 54Ryan Blaney, No. 12Joey Logano, No. 22William Byron, No. 24Zane Smith, No. 38This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR race today: Results, winner, finishing order at Charlotte

San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama wanted the ball for the final couple seconds of the first half. He got it, 65 feet from the basket.He had three Oklahoma City defenders in front of him. He took three dribbles. He got three points.And he made it look easy, too.A swished 3-pointer from the midcourt stripe to close the first half brought maybe the loudest roars of his night, but it was hardly the only moment in which Wembanyama was unstoppable in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday.He got most of the fourth quarter off and still finished with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots as the Spurs beat the Thunder 103-82 to tie the West title series at two games apiece.“The truth is that we had never been in this kind of situation before,” Wembanyama said. “It was our first deficit in a playoff series and we just responded. It was nothing amazing. It wasn't magic. We just did what we needed to do.”In other words, he wasn't surprised. A 62-win team in the regular season — and a team that has now beaten Oklahoma City six times in nine opportunities this season — shouldn't be surprised by anything anymore.Game 5 is Tuesday in Oklahoma City.It was Wembanyama who pointed the finger of blame at himself following San Antonio's loss in Game 3, saying that the Spurs were “going to see what we're made of” in Game 4 and that he had to do more to get teammates involved.He delivered on every level.“I saw a lot and I'm not surprised," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I think our competitive response all year has been pretty good — and he's been at the forefront of that more often than not. I think tonight, not speaking for him, he felt an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways.”Wembanyama had 11 points in the first quarter, 11 more on 10 shot attempts in the second quarter and capped all that with the beat-the-clock 3-pointer going into halftime.And on the other end, he might have been even better.The unanimous Defensive Player of the Year — who was announced on Sunday night as a first-team All-NBA selection for the first time — led an effort that held Oklahoma City to a season-low in points and a season-high-tying 20 turnovers.The Thunder had at least 108 points in every game in these playoffs entering Sunday. “We've played 12 playoff games. When you play 12 playoff games, they're not all going to be masterpieces,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “As much as you want to win, there's nights where you just don't have it for whatever reason.”On Sunday, that reason might have been Wembanyama. The Thunder were outscored by 33 points when he was on the floor. They shot 18 of 41 inside the paint, with Wembanyama a big reason for that, so more things got forced outside — where they shot 12 of 50.He was asked how the Spurs bottled up the Thunder so well.“I'm not going to get into details, but in general, being more disciplined and just trusting the game plan even more,” Wembanyama said.There's a flight to Oklahoma City on Monday for a game on Tuesday, and the winner there will be one game away from the NBA Finals. It's clear that Wembanyama knows that even after a big win, the job only gets tougher now.“The series is far from over,” Wembanyama said. “We've got six more wins before we can rest.”___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Timothy Tillman scored in the 86th minute, his first goal in more than two years, Thomas Hasal had five saves, and Los Angeles FC beat the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Sunday night in the final MLS match before the 2026 World Cup break. LAFC (7-5-3) snapped a three-game losing streak and a four-game winless stretch. LAFC has won six straight and is 9-0-1 at home against the Sounders in the regular season. Seattle has two wins at BMO Stadium in the MLS Cup playoffs, most recently a 2-1 victory in extra time to advance to the 2024 Western Conference final. Tyler Boyd played a cross from the right side to the back post, where Tillman put away a sliding half-volley to give LAFC a 1-0 lead. Hasal, who had his first shutout since 2022 for Vancouver, made his second consecutive start (his third this season) in the place the injured Hugo Lloris, who is out (leg) indefinitely. Lloris leads MLS with eight shutouts, including an MLS-record six straight to open the season. Andrew Thomas had two saves for the Sounders (7-3-3). Seattle has allowed 11 goals this season, tied with Nashville — the points leader in all of MLS with 33 — for the fewest in the league.The Sounders are 3-2-2 and have conceded just four goals on the road this season. Seattle's Danny Musovski subbed on for Paul Rothrock in the 69th minute and hit the crossbar with a shot from the center of the area in the 76th. The Sounders lost 2-0 at home against the LA Galaxy on May 16 to snap a nine-game unbeaten streak dating to a 2-1 loss at Real Salt Lake on Feb. 28. The loss to the Galaxy also snapped Seattle's 22-game home unbeaten streak across all competitions. ___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

LAS VEGAS , NV - MAY 24: Josh Manson (42) of the Colorado Avalanche defends Tomas Hertl (48) of the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period of Game 3 of the NHL Western Conference Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, May 24, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)Denver Post via Getty ImagesLAS VEGAS — Tomas Hertl weaved his way toward the slot and scored the winner at 8:21 of the third period to rally the Golden Knights from a three-goal deficit Sunday night and defeat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 and move to within one game of their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in nine years.The Golden Knights go for what would be a stunning sweep over the President’s Trophy winners on Tuesday night. Chicago in 2013 was the last team to win the President’s Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season.Colorado will try to become just the fifth team to win a series after falling behind 3-0. Los Angeles in 2014 was the most recent team to accomplish that in eliminating San Jose in their first-round series.Vegas, which trailed 3-0 after the first period, was 0-19 in the playoffs when behind that many goals. The Avalanche were 74-1 when holding such a lead.Colorado has other concerns because front-line center Nathan MacKinnon might not be fully healthy going forward. MacKinnon, who has 15 points this postseason and led the league in the regular season with 53 goals, took a puck to his right knee in the second period and played through the injury.That comes just as the Avalanche got back star defenseman Cale Makar, who missed the first two games this series because of an upper-body injury.Hertl, Mark Stone and William Karlsson each had a goal and assist. Keegan Kolesar and Brett Howden scored the other Golden Knights goals, and Mitch Marner and Kaedan Korczak each tallied two assists. Carter Hart made 32 saves.Stone’s goal came on his first appearance since suffering a lower-body injury in Game 3 of the second-round series against Anaheim. Kolesar, who had gone 37 playoff games without a goal, picked up his first point of the postseason.Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Jack Drury scored for the Avalanche, and Devon Toews had two assists. Scott Wedgewood stopped 18 shots.The Avalanche dominated the first period by taking a 3-0 lead, but the Golden Knights thought they had cut the deficit to 2-1 when Pavel Dorofeyev appeared to score a power-play goal with 7:26 left. Officials immediately waved it off and the decision was upheld on video review.Colorado then made the Golden Knights pay when Drury found himself alone on a breakaway, deking Vegas goalie Hart to score the short-handed goal with 6:45 left for the three-goal lead.But the Golden Knights didn’t let the two-goal swing trouble them too much, with Stone’s power-play goal 19 seconds into the second period sparking a three-goal answer to tie the game heading into the final period of regulation.Then Hertl broke the deadlock — and now the Golden Knights just need to win one of four games.There was a moment of silence before the game for two-time NASCAR champion driver and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch. He died Thursday at 41 after severe pneumonia developed into sepsis, according to a statement from Busch’s family.

The Minnesota Vikings entered the offseason knowing they needed answers to several urgent problems. According to CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan, whether they found them or not will largely determine how the 2026 season unfolds. Sullivan handed Minnesota a "C" grade for its offseason work, a middle-of-the-pack evaluation that reflects both the intriguing upside and undeniable risk surrounding one of the NFL's more fascinating roster transformations.Everything begins with Kyler Murray who could propel the Vikings into the an NFC playoff spot. Minnesota made its biggest splash by bringing in the former Pro Bowl quarterback, creating one of the league's more compelling quarterback situations entering training camp. The Vikings are betting heavily on head coach Kevin O'Connell's ability to maximize the talent of Murray, J.J. McCarthy, and Carson Wentz, while raising the offensive ceiling for a team that finished 9-8 in 2025.The talent has never been questioned. Over the past several seasons, Murray has battled injuries that have prevented him from consistently reaching the elite level many expected when he entered the NFL, and his 2025 season ended with Arizona shutting the former Heisman Trophy winner down for financial reasons. CBS Sports highlighted that reality directly, noting Minnesota's offseason success could ultimately rest on whether Murray stays healthy and delivers steady quarterback play.The upside is obvious.Murray's mobility could give O'Connell an entirely different dimension offensively. Pairing him with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison creates a scenario where the Vikings could quickly become one of the NFC's more dangerous offenses if everything clicks. The floor, however, remains concerning, as Minnesota also made difficult decisions defensively.The Vikings moved on from Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave while trading edge rusher Jonathan Greenard to Philadelphia, in moves designed in part around financial flexibility and long-term roster planning. Those departures leave significant production to replace.That reality places even more pressure on first-round defensive tackle Caleb Banks.The talented Florida product brings high-end upside and physical tools Minnesota badly needed along the defensive front, but durability concerns followed him into the draft process. If Banks develops quickly, Minnesota's defensive transition becomes far easier to manage. If injuries linger, concerns about the Vikings' defensive ceiling could grow quickly. Minnesota also added wide receiver Jauan Jennings, linebacker Jake Golday, cornerback James Pierre, and defensive tackle Domonique Orange in an effort to strengthen depth throughout the roster.This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Vikings earn a C grade from CBS Sports off-season analysis

Las Vegas — The Vegas Golden Knights are one win away from going back to the Stanley Cup Final after rallying from three goals down to defeat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 in Game 3 of the Western Conference final at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.Center Tomas Hertl broke the tie at 8:21 of the third after the Knights trailed 3-0 at the end of the first period.Captain Mark Stone scored a power-play goal and had the primary assist on Hertl’s goal in his return after missing five games with a lower-body injury.Center William Karlsson and winger Keegan Kolesar also scored in the second period, and Mitch Marner had two assists.Goaltender Carter Hart finished with 29 saves, as the Knights lead the best-of-seven series 3-0 over the top team in the league during the regular season.Game 4 is at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, when the Knights will try to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in their nine-year history.Colorado was 74-1 all-time in the playoffs when leading by three goals entering Sunday. The Knights were 0-19. The Avalanche were 52-0 when leading by multiple goals at any point this season.Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here.This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Golden Knights rally to beat Avalanche; 1 win from Stanley Cup Final

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe Coca-Cola 600 capped off a long and exciting day of racing for Memorial Day Weekend, following up the Indianapolis 500. While rain had some impact on Sunday’s race at Charlotte, there’s still plenty to take away from what went down on the track.Let’s dive into our winners and losers from the NASCAR race today at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Ordinarily, we would be very critical of how NASCAR handled the length of cautions and the rain, but tonight we’re going to try to focus more on the positives with Daniel Suarez winning one for his mentor.Winner: The Strength of the Busch FamilyUSA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectThe Coca-Cola 600 is the biggest points race of the season. That makes what happened to Austin Cindric even more costly. Midway through Stage 1, the No. 2 car got loose and started to spin out going into the corner. After the backend of the car hit the wall, Cindric came back down the track, where Connor Zilisch couldn’t avoid him. The front of the No. 2 was effectively torn off, ending his day. Cindric finished with one point, falling from 15th in The Chase to 18th.Related: 5 Ways NASCAR Can Honor Kyle BuschLoser: Austin CindricIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe Coca-Cola 600 is the biggest points race of the season. That makes what happened to Austin Cindric even more costly. Midway through Stage 1, the No. 2 car got loose and started to spin out going into the turn. After the backend of the car hit the wall, Cindric came back down the track, where Connor Zilisch couldn’t avoid him. The front of the No. 2 was effectively torn off, ending his day. Cindric finished with 1 point, falling from 15th in The Chase to 18th.Winner: Shane van GisbergenIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectDid Shane van Gisbergen benefit from qualifying being rained out and the starting grid being determined by the metric score? Absolutely. However, two things can be true at once. SVG continues to show remarkable improvement racing on ovals, and what stood out in the NASCAR race today is the road-course master maintaining a top-10 running position, even picking up stage points tonight. The wins on road courses matter, but it’s performances like this that could be the difference-maker in SVG making The Chase.Loser: Chase ElliottIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectOne mistake can be costly in any race, but it’s even more painful in the Coca-Cola 600. With 10 laps to go in Stage 1, Chase Elliott found himself in the top 15 with a shot at working his way up to get stage points. Unfortunately, the No. 9 car got loose and slammed into the outside wall before spinning down the track and hitting the inside barrier. A DNF on any Sunday is bad, but this one particularly stings for Elliott since he only scored a single point in the NASCAR race today.Winner: Christopher BellIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectChristopher Bell didn’t record the most points in the NASCAR race today, but he did something almost equally impressive. The No. 20 team had two pit-road penalties in the first two stages, first for a tire rolling into another pit box and then for Briscoe parking outside his box. He overcame both of those to win Stage 3, even after being 9 seconds behind the leader at one point. Coming off a pretty rough stretch, Bell and the No. 20 team deserve endless credit for making this a great day in Charlotte.Loser: Ross ChastainIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectIt might now be time to worry about whether Ross Chastain will make The Chase. He already put himself in a bad spot in the NASCAR race tonight by not getting any stage points, so he needed a top-30 finish to salvage things. Unfortunately for Chastain, when he moved up to the top groove right in front of John Hunter Nemechek, JHN drove right into him. The No. 1 car then got into the wall before spinning out and slamming into the inside barrier, suffering race-ending damage. One year removed from winning the Coca-Cola 600, Chastain finished 35th and scored just two points.Winner: Daniel SuarezIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectOn an evening that started with NASCAR honoring Kyle Busch, it was only fitting that one of the drivers he mentored won the Coca-Cola 600. Strategy and the rain might be the biggest reasons why Daniel Suarez won the NASCAR race today, but it’s a victory all the same. This has been an extremely emotionally heavy few days for the racing world, with those closest to Busch being hit the hardest. For Suarez to win tonight, a crown-jewel race just days after his mentor passed away, how can you not be romantic about NASCAR?Related HeadlinesNASCAR Results Tonight: Coca-Cola 600 Winner, Cup Series Stage Results at Charlotte5 Ways NASCAR Can Honor Kyle Busch’s Unforgettable LegacyKyle Busch’s Final Text to NASCAR CEO on Proposed Rule Change

After announcing the main event for ONE Fight Night 44 on Prime Video, ONE Championship has added four thrilling contests to the growing lineup, bringing another wave of world-class Muay Thai and kickboxing action to an already stacked card.The event airs live in U.S. primetime on Friday, June 26, from the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. View this post on InstagramThe new additions feature a bantamweight Muay Thai clash between Ferrari Fairtex and Japan’s Shinji Suzuki, a featherweight Muay Thai debut for English star Charlie Guest against French-Malian knockout artist Bampara Kouyate, a bantamweight Muay Thai showdown between Nakrob Fairtex and Jacob Smith, and a flyweight kickboxing contest between Azerbaijani phenom Akif Guluzada and Colombia’s Johan Estupinan.Ferrari has experienced every high and low the ONE Championship journey has to offer. The 28-year-old Fairtex Training Center product carries a 136-34 career Muay Thai record and five promotional victories into this contest, including a stretch where he strung together four consecutive wins and looked destined for the upper echelons of the division. His momentum shifted after that, but the Thai veteran arrives at ONE Fight Night 44 with the experience and motivation to reestablish himself. Standing in his way is Japan’s Suzuki, a 40-year-old veteran out of Fujimakick Muay Thai Gym with 33 professional striking wins who has shown resilience throughout his promotional appearances. He will try to bring the resourcefulness of a seasoned campaigner to Lumpinee Stadium on June 26.View this post on InstagramThe featherweight Muay Thai division welcomes a highly credentialed newcomer when Guest makes his debut on the global stage against the dangerous Kouyate. The 30-year-old Englishman from Tiger Muay Thai and Impact MMA arrives with an impressive striking pedigree, holding the ISKA crown along with WBC European and British Kickboxing titles. He steps straight into one of the tougher debut matchups on the card.Kouyate is a 31-year-old French-Malian striker from Team Mehdi Zatout with a 36-3 career record and two knockout victories over “Smokin” Jo Nattawut and Luke “The Chef” Lessei. The model and hard-hitting martial artist is coming off a tough loss and will look to make a statement against an opponent making his first appearance under the ONE banner.View this post on InstagramFew comeback stories on the June 26 card carry more intrigue than Smith’s return to the ring. The 33-year-old Englishman owns 16 career wins and pushed some of the division’s best fighters to the absolute limit.Those performances cemented his reputation as one of the toughest and most durable fighters despite falling short. Now, Smith makes his long-awaited return against Thailand’s Nakrob.The 27-year-old Fairtex Training Center product carries a 69-25 career record and a 10-5 promotional ledger built on some outstanding performances in the ONE Friday Fights event series, though recent results have not gone his way. Both men arrive at June 26 hungry to reverse their fortunes.View this post on InstagramPlus, a flyweight kickboxing contest that pits one of the division’s most exciting stars against a Colombian fighter looking to rediscover his best form. Guluzada is a 20-year-old Azerbaijani sensation from Team Mehdi Zatout and Team Chingiz Allazov with a 20-3 career record and a perfect promotional slate. All five of his ONE victories have come against tough opponents.This is only his second promotional kickboxing outing, and the young gun continues to build his resume against quality competition. View this post on InstagramEstupinan is a 23-year-old Colombian from JCFernandez and Team CSK who won five consecutive bouts since his ONE debut before back-to-back losses last year disrupted his momentum. He makes his first kickboxing appearance under the ONE banner and aims to return to winning ways against one of the division’s brightest young talents.View this post on InstagramSource

RCB record in IPL playoffs: Royal Challengers Bengaluru's full IPL playoff history originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.KEY TAKEAWAYS:RCB have reached four IPL finals and finally won the title in 2025.They have appeared in the Eliminator five times, losing four of those games.In 2026, RCB secured a top-two spot, giving them a double chance at glory.RCB's full IPL playoff history listedRoyal Challengers Bengaluru have given their fans some of the most thrilling nights in IPL history, and some of their most gutting mornings after.In IPL 2026, under Rajat Patidar's captaincy and powered by yet another extraordinary season from Virat Kohli, RCB finished top of the standings, despite a heavy 55-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad late in the campaign.They head into the playoffs with a double chance. But before the 2026 story is written, here is everything that came before it. RCB have qualified for the IPL playoffs 11 times in 19 seasons2009 Under Anil Kumble in a tournament held in South Africa, RCB made it all the way to the final against Deccan Chargers in Johannesburg. Kumble himself took four wickets to restrict the opposition to 143 for 6. But RCB's batting could not get over the line, falling agonisingly short by just six runs.2010 RCB reached the last four but were beaten heavily by Mumbai Indians, going down by 35 runs. They did claim third place by defeating Deccan Chargers, which secured their spot in the Champions League T20.2011 With Chris Gayle in the form of his life and Daniel Vettori leading the side, RCB recovered from a Qualifier 1 defeat to CSK by beating Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2. The final at Chepauk was a different story. Gayle fell for a duck, and CSK won comfortably by 58 runs chasing 205.2015 In Kohli's first full season as captain, RCB hammered Rajasthan Royals by 71 runs in the Eliminator. But a tight, low-scoring Qualifier 2 against CSK ended in a three-wicket defeat, and the campaign was over. 2016 The season that defined Kohli's IPL legacy and broke millions of hearts simultaneously. He piled up 973 runs across the tournament, a record that still stands, and dragged RCB to a home final at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.Kohli and Gayle launched the chase with a 114-run stand in barely 10 overs. Then the middle order buckled. SRH's 208 was too much, and RCB fell eight runs short. 2020Held in the UAE, RCB scraped into the playoffs on net run rate. They faced SRH again in the Eliminator and lost a low-scoring contest by six wickets. 2021 Finishing third in the league phase, RCB entered the Eliminator against Kolkata Knight Riders with confidence. They managed just 138 for 7 and lost by four wickets in the final over, bringing Kohli's captaincy chapter to a close without a title.2022 Under Faf du Plessis, RCB finally broke their Eliminator losing streak. Patidar's stunning unbeaten 112 off 54 balls helped them beat Lucknow Super Giants by 14 runs. But in Qualifier 2, Rajasthan Royals dismantled them by seven wickets.2024RCB lost seven of their first eight matches and looked finished. Then they won six in a row, including a famous win over CSK that effectively saved their season to sneak into fourth place. The Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals was one step too far, ending in a four-wicket defeat.2025After 17 years of heartbreak, RCB did it. In Qualifier 1 at Mullanpur, they demolished Punjab Kings, bundling them out for just 101 in 14.1 overs. Suyash Sharma took 3 for 17, and Josh Hazlewood claimed 3 for 21 on his return, before Phil Salt blasted 56 off 27 balls to seal an eight-wicket win with 60 balls to spare.The final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, in front of 91,419 fans, was a far closer affair. RCB posted 190 for 9, with Kohli contributing a measured 43 off 35 balls before Arshdeep Singh dragged Punjab back into the contest with 3 for 40.Chasing 191, Punjab mounted a serious challenge through Shashank Singh's blistering, unbeaten 61 off 30 balls. But Krunal Pandya held his nerve brilliantly, returning 2 for 17 in four overs under enormous pressure to win the Player of the Match award as Punjab fell six runs short on 184 for 7.2026In IPL 2026, RCB have earned a Qualifier 1 berth as table toppers, giving them two attempts to reach the final. History and the current squad's form suggest they will not be easy to stop.RCB overall IPL playoff recordTeamSpanMatWonLostTiedNRWin %RCB2009–2025177100041.18%Latest stages RCB has reached in IPL playoffsYearStage ReachedOpponent in Final StageResult2009FinalDeccan ChargersLost by 6 runs2010Semi-FinalMumbai IndiansLost by 35 runs2011FinalChennai Super KingsLost by 58 runs2015Qualifier 2Chennai Super KingsLost by 3 wickets2016FinalSunrisers HyderabadLost by 8 runs2020EliminatorSunrisers HyderabadLost by 6 wickets2021EliminatorKolkata Knight RidersLost by 4 wickets2022Qualifier 2Rajasthan RoyalsLost by 7 wickets2024EliminatorRajasthan RoyalsLost by 4 wickets2025Final (WON)Punjab KingsWon by 6 runs 🏆2026Qualifier 1 (upcoming)TBDTBDTo keep up to date with all the latest cricket news and share your opinion on the biggest topics visit our Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter) pages.

Daniel Suarez won the Charlotte NASCAR race on May 24. The race was shortened by weather with 27 laps to go. It was Suarez's third career victory and first with Spire Motorsports. He led for 17 laps.Christopher Bell, who led 44 laps, was second, Denny Hamlin, who led 75 laps, was third, Tyler Reddick was fourth, and Kyle Larson was fifth in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.It is the longest race in the NASCAR Cup season.CHASE ELLIOTT CRASHES AT CHARLOTTE: Chase Elliott crashes out early in NASCAR Charlotte raceNASCAR Charlotte race resultsResults are not officialDaniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletChristopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaDenny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaTyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing ToyotaKyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletTy Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaRyan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske FordJoey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske FordWilliam Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletZane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports FordResults will be updatedThis article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Charlotte race results: Daniel Suarez is winner Sunday

Countries are learning that the finer things in life sometimes have a serendipitous side benefit.

As China’s economy slows, consumers are increasingly turning to domestic luxury products, challenging the dominance of long-established European brands.

Leo XIV is to issue his thoughts about artificial intelligence in the modern world, using a centuries-old form of papal communication called an encyclical, the first since he became pope.

A few starts ago, Cincinnati Reds newbie ace Chase Burns so impressed teammates with another dominating win that the usual superlatives about his power and poise weren’t enough.“He’s just fearless out there,” outfielder JJ Bleday said.Then we found out just how fearless in last week’s start against the Phillies, when a 109-mph line drive off the bat of Bryce Harper just missed hitting the Reds pitcher in the — uh, in the place where, it turns out, he doesn’t wear a cup.“I asked him, ‘Please tell me you have a cup on,’ “ manager Terry Francona said. “He said, no. I was like, ‘Chase, I don't even watch a game on TV without wearing a cup.’ “If the All-Star-caliber pitching wasn’t enough to keep Burns atop the Enquirer’s All-Star Candidate Power Rankings this week, then the fearlessness has to be, right?No matter how nuts.Check out who moved up to 3 and 4 in this week’s power rankings:1. RHP Chase Burns (last week: 1)The closest thing to a savior for the beat-to-hell pitching staff, Burns not only is making a case for an All-Star bid in his first full season in the majors, but is among the league’s top two or three pitchers in the early NL Cy Young conversation.The Reds have never had a Cy Young winner in a full season (Trevor Bauer won it during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).Burns (6-1, 1.83 ERA) ranked third in the league in bWAR (2.9), second in ERA, fourth in WHIP (0.949), and he’s allowed one or fewer runs in has last four straight starts – including a nine-strikeout, no-walk, six-inning start to beat the scorching-hot Phillies last week2. SS Elly De La Cruz (2)The X-Men-worthy spectacles haven’t seemed as frequent as in some recent years – Saturday’s rangy start of a highlight-reel double play and the bat flip on his home run in the win over the Cardinals notwithstanding.But the two-time All-Star has never looked this productively consistent on both sides of the ball – and both sides of the plate – in his career as he marches toward a third All-Star selection in as many full seasons in the big leagues.He’s in the top 8 in the league in runs (37), RBIs (35), home runs (12), extra-base hits (25), total bases (110) and hasn’t missed a game since 2024 on the way to hitting .288 with a .529 slugging percentage and .884 OPS.3. 1B/3B/2B Sal Stewart (4)The rookie showed significant signs of offensive life after talking a week or so ago about his post-April slump, vowing to return to form.Since then, he’s homered twice, had a four-hit game (among three multi-hit games), a three-walk game and raised his OPS almost 60 points to .840 (entering Sunday).He’s tied for the team lead with 12 home runs and leads the team with 10 steals (in 11 tries) — both totals tied for seventh in the National League. He’s also in the top 10 in walks and RBIs.4. 1B/LF/2B/RF Spencer Steer (5)Steer moves up a spot on this weeks list after continuing an All-Star-level stride since April 17 that has earned him cleanup responsibilities in the lineup.In his last 32 games through Saturday’s doubleheader split against the Cardinals, he’s .316 with a .395 on-base percentage and .878 OPS, pushing his season average to .271 with seven homers and .786 OPS.All while playing maybe the most important, if sometimes overlooked, role of manning five different positions as necessary to facilitate the manager’s efforts to play hot hands and squeeze daily matchup advantages out of an underperforming lineup.5. OF JJ Bleday (3)Despite cooling off past week or so, Bleday remains one of the Reds’ best hitters since his April 26 season debut.He took a .953 OPS into Sunday’s series finale against the Cardinals with about a month left to make his case for a first career selection.The former No. 4 overall draft pick hit .271 with six home runs, 20 runs batted in, 15 walks, a .376 on-base percentage and .576 slugging percentage in those first 24 games with the Reds since opening the season at Triple-A.This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Check out the 'fearless' top of Reds All-Star Candidate Power Rankings

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Rodolfo Rotondi scored a stoppage-time goal as Cruz Azul rallied to beat Pumas 2-1 on Sunday and be crowned champions of Mexico’s Clausura tournament.Paraguayan midfielder Robert Morales scored with a shot from outside the box in the 30th minute to put the home team ahead, but an own goal in the 53rd tied the match. Argentine midfielder Rotondi scored the clincher in stopin 93rd.La Maquina won its first championship since the Clausura 2021 tournament and now has 10 titles, a total only surpassed by Club America with 16, and by Chivas and Toluca with 12.Cruz Azul, one of the most popular teams in Mexico, won the title under interim coach Joel Huiqui, who took over in the penultimate round of the regular tournament after Nicolas Larcamon was fired.Huiqui became the first Mexican coach to be crowned in Liga MX since Ignacio Ambriz, who was champion with León in the Apertura 2020.Pumas, coached by Efrain Juarez, was aiming for its eight championship and its first since the Clausura 2011 tournament.Pumas finished the match with nine players due to the expulsions of Uriel Antuna in the 90th minute and Angel Rico in the 97th minute.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

Bronny James continues to be something of a polarizing figure, not necessarily because of anything he has done, but because of his circumstances. There are still a considerable number of people who feel his father, LeBron James, pushed him into the NBA after one year at the University of Southern California and that he doesn't deserve to have a spot on an NBA roster.Late this season, after Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves got injured, the younger James got meaningful playing time and had some decent games where he contributed in non-garbage time minutes. After the Los Angeles Lakers got swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs, he was asked by a reporter what he learned about himself.“That I can play at a higher level,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to prove over the past couple years and I was able to do that this year more than I was last year. It was a good year for me and I felt good about it.”In the Lakers' last six regular-season games, the 21-year-old averaged 7.2 points and 1.8 assists in 17.2 minutes a game while shooting 47.2% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range, and he reached double figures in scoring three times during that span. In particular, his 3-point shooting was arguably the most positive aspect of his game throughout the season, as he shot 38.6% from that distance.Next season should be a big one for the younger James, as it could determine how much of a future in the NBA he will have on his own merits, especially since it could be the final year in the league for his father.This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Bronny James feels he proved he 'can play at a higher level' this year

CLEVELAND -- You might remember back in October, when one quote from Karl-Anthony Towns set off a loud alarm for the fan base.Towns was asked about his role in Mike Brown’s offense.“Honestly, I don’t know,” Towns said a couple days before the regular season. “I just don’t know. But we figuring it out. It’s just different. It’s different. So we’re still figuring it out.”It wasn’t just the words Towns used. It was the way he delivered them. You didn’t need to be a body language expert to see that Towns wasn’t in love with his role in the new offense.Fast-forward to Saturday night in Cleveland. About 90 minutes after the Knicks beat the Cavs to take a 3-0 series lead, Towns was asked to assess the job Brown has done this season.Towns’ answer told you a lot about the connection between these Knicks players and their head coach and how it’s grown over the past seven months.“With Mike, he had to learn us and adjust to us,” Towns said after the Knicks’ Game 3 win over Cleveland. “On the flip side, we had to do the same as well. Now, we are at a point where we are both working seamlessly. We understand each other’s language. He is getting the best from us and we are getting the best from him.“I think that speaks to a season, especially a first season with a new coach and a new system and a new philosophy. It’s a testament to the players to do an amazing job coming together and showing that unity that made us special last year. But the coaching staff being receptive to the players and adjusting with us and finding the way to get the most out of us.”It's always difficult to assess how well a coach is doing. We don’t get to see 90 percent of the work that they do behind the scenes. But what we have seen over the past month has been remarkable.From the offensive adjustments to the big nights from role players, Brown has pushed nearly all of the right buttons during the Knicks’ 10-game win streak.“He was put in a tough situation with a lot of expectations but he’s handled that unbelievably,” Josh Hart said. “He’s coaching us in his way, his style. He’s taking input from everybody. His ability to lead us to adapt to things has been great. That’s just the kind of person he is. He’s a high-character, and a great person first and foremost.”Throughout the current streak, Brown has reminded his group to maintain their edge.“It’s human nature to kind of get comfortable sometimes,” Landry Shamet said late Saturday night. “So he’s always checking us on that. Reminding us of fighting that off. It’s a lot of intangible stuff like that that I think he’s spectacular at. Keeping us in the right headspace. Obviously Xs and Os, the gameplan. He communicates with everyone. Just a great coach.”Brown, as you know, was saddled with incredibly high expectations this season.The Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 seasons last year under former coach Tom Thibodeau. Leon Rose, James Dolan and the Knicks concluded that the Knicks couldn’t take the next step under Thibodeau.After a lengthy coaching search, they landed on Brown. Every game this season, in some way, was a referendum on that decision.Now, with Brown and the Knicks one win away from their first NBA Finals trip in 27 years, the decision is validated. Not fully validated. But it certainly seems to be working out the way Rose and company had hoped when they made the change.Would the Knicks have reached this point in the season -- up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals -- under Thibodeau? Who knows? They’re here under Brown. They’ll have a chance to clinch a trip to the NBA Finals on Monday night.LEANING ON THE BENCHOne of Brown’s edicts coming into the season? Establish a reliable bench. He’s checked that box this postseason, getting contributions from Shamet, Jordan Clarkson and Jose Alvarado alongside maintstays Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson.Here's Brown on his philosophy with bench players:“I’ve been fortunate, blessed, lucky to be a part of some good coaching staffs and be with some great coaches. Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, they were guys that went deep into their bench. And they both always used to say, it’s not about now; it’s about the postseason. It’s not about now; it’s about the postseason. And you keep guys engaged by doing that, and you do develop not just a bench but the team, as well, because guys get used to playing with other guys, just in case something goes down.“And so, again, it’s something I stole from them. Very few things I came up with on my own. I’ve seen it work in the past, and that’s kind of what I thought I wanted to do here. Tried to do it in Sacramento, too. So again, you’ve kind of been through it. You learn.“You develop a philosophy from what you learn from and you believe in it, you try to stick with it as best you can, and that’s what we try to do here. Our guys, they’re doing a nice job getting rest, taking care of their bodies and their minds and trying to play as hard as they can. Every second they’re out on the floor, we have to keep doing that.”Shamet, who is 6-for-7 from beyond the arc against Cleveland, has been in and out of Brown’s rotation at different points in the season. Shamet offered interesting insight into the makeup of the Knick locker room on Saturday night.“Everybody wants to see each other do well genuinely,” Shamet said. “I mean that. If you guys write that in your report, it's not some locker room banter or BS. It’s like spiritual with this group. You know, we’ve got a lot of guys who are more than capable of being in certain situations, and we cheer each other on. Next man up. It's a beautiful thing, and it's what we have, and this locker room. So it's special.”INTENSE FOCUSBrown was asked about the Knicks’ identity on Saturday night.“They’re so resilient,” Brown said. “We hit adversity during the regular season, which was fantastic. I embraced it. I wanted it to happen. We hit it numerous times. And our guys were tested then, and they stayed connected. And to see the ups and down, especially early in these playoffs against Atlanta and to see them stay connected while trying to sacrifice and believe, it’s fantastic. You don’t know if there’s gonna be carryover with those things in the postseason until you go through it, and going through it with these guys, these coaches and seeing it gives you hope for a lot of things, because the group has been fantastic.”Both Brown and the players have cited a higher level of focus since their Game 3 loss in Atlanta.“They’ve been fantastic trying to pay attention to all the details that we’ve been throwing at them. And we’ve thrown a lot of adjustments offensively and defensively at them throughout the course of these playoffs,” Brown said on Saturday. “And to still see them locked in and try to be focused on the details at hand, again, that just speaks volumes of my coaching staff and the way that they’re presenting and changing and all that stuff. But more so about these players and their want to go try to get a ring.”

BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 10: Kennet Eichhorn of Hertha BSC controls the ball during the 2. Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and SpVgg Greuther Fürth at Olympiastadion on May 10, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images) | Getty Images Bayern making major push for Eichhorn (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)It is no secret that Bayern Munich is a massive fan of Hertha Berlin midfielder Kennet Eichhorn.Heck, board member for sport Max Eberl made it very clear that the club is interested in the player. Now, though, the Bavarians could be getting very serious about the pursuit. The biggest problem will be the competition from other Bundesliga clubs, who can offer a more clear pathway to playing time, plus a potentially massive offer from Manchester City: ✅ It is TRUE: Bayern are pulling out all the stops to try and sign Kennet Eichhorn. I heard that he was a big topic during Monday’s meeting last week between the supervisory board and Max Eberl when they made their plans for the summer. They want to go for him, and they want to pay for him (the release clause is just €12m [£10.3m]). The problem remains that there are many clubs that are also behind this player, like Manchester City, who want to sign the 16-year-old before sending him out on loan to Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern Munich are also aware of the fact that there are other Bundesliga clubs that would be able to offer a lot of playing time to the midfielder. Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, among them. This is a problem for Bayern. That said, they do also have a strong argument on their side – they can point to Lennart Karl’s development. He’s only 18 years of age and has enjoyed plenty of minutes in the 2025/26 season under Vincent Kompany. So this offers some hope for Bayern Munich and gets a foot in the door for the Eichhorn transfer.The reality is that Eichhorn can just look over at Bayern Munich and see that Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlović, and Tom Bischof are expected to eat up the majority of playing time in Bavaria next season. That could be a deterrent, but Vincent Kompany could have some ideas about how to balance the workload a little better.It has been a while since there was a German midfielder this well regarded. Will Bayern Munich miss its chance to get Eichhorn?Bastoni’s potential move to Barca in jeopardy (Gazzetta dello Sport via ESPN)As expected, it will prob to be difficult for Alessandro Bastoni to leave Inter Milan in favor of FC Barcelona: Alessandro Bastoni’s potential €70 million move to Barcelona is appearing less likely, with the Inter Milan defender’s desire to leave reduced after the club’s recent Serie A title triumph and the Blaugrana’s concern over the finances of any deal. Ibrahimović drawing big interest from five EPL clubs (TEAMtalk)Bayern Munich youngster Arijon Ibrahimović had a productive loan stint at Heidenheim this season and has reportedly attracted the interest of Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Fulham, and Crystal PalaceA host of Premier League clubs, including Aston Villa, are closely monitoring Bayern Munich youngster Arijon Ibrahimovic ahead of a possible summer move, with TEAMtalk understanding that the highly-rated midfielder has emerged as one of the Bundesliga’s most intriguing young talents.Sources have confirmed to us that Aston Villa, Brighton, Brentford, Fulham and Crystal Palace have all carried out extensive scouting work on the 20-year-old following his impressive loan spell with Heidenheim this season.Despite Heidenheim ultimately suffering relegation from the Bundesliga, Ibrahimovic’s individual performances attracted widespread praise across Germany and significantly enhanced his growing reputation among English recruitment departments.Ibrahimović proved this season that he is a capable Bundesliga starter and without a future in Bavaria, he might have to think about a jump to England.United eyeing two midfielders (ESPN)Manchester United is reportedly taking a close look at Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali and Atalanta’s Éderson:Manchester United are preparing a double midfield swoop for Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali and Atalanta’s Éderson, according to Sky Sports Italy. United are reportedly optimistic of landing both players in the summer after being linked with several midfielders in recent months. Tonali, 26, has been regularly linked with an £80 million exit from St. James’ Park after an underwhelming campaign for the Magpies, while Atalanta are ready to let Ederson go for around £50 million, though there could be competition from Atletico Madrid.Bayern not totally out on Diomande (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)For weeks, it has been assumed that Bayern Munich is no longer pursuing RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande because of the exorbitant price associated with him. Sport Bild journalist Christian Falk says that might not be the case, though: ✅ It is TRUE: Bayern Munich will try and bring Yan Diomande to Bavaria in 2027 – if they have the chance! These aren’t concrete plans at the moment, given that they’re pushing for Anthony Gordon at the moment. But if he’s still on the market in 2027 in the Bundesliga (if this happens, he’ll sign a new contract with RB Leipzig with a release clause included, which Bayern can trigger), it raises an opportunity. I also talked with other clubs in the Premier League and everyone thinks that Diomande is the next big thing. Whether it happens this summer – that remains the big question! The boss at Leipzig, Oliver Mintzlaff, has already insisted he won’t sell Diomande this summer. If he were to instead sign a new contract, then this could be a big chance for Bayern to go again for him. One thing his clear: he’s the absolute dream signing for Bayern Munich, as they expect he’s going to become really, really good. If he’s on the German market, it’s always easier for Bayern to sign him. That would become a different case if he were to sign for a Premier League club.Diomande could fetch nine-figures, which seems like it could be too much for the Bavarians, especially when a free-spender like Liverpool is said to be a leading contender to get him. A contract extension with RB Leipzig also cannot be totally ruled out at this point as well. LFC scoping Dumfries? (ESPN)Liverpool could be another club interested in Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries: Liverpool remain interested in Inter Milan right back Denzel Dumfries, having looked at the Netherlands international back in January, reports Italian transfer journalist Nicolo Schira. The 30-year-old has a €25 million release clause in his Inter contract, which will be in action between July 1 and July 31. Dumfries has been key for Inter in recent seasons, helping them to last season’s Champions League final, followed by lifting Serie A this year.If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor… Join the conversation!Sign up for a user account and get:Comment on articles, community postsRec comments, community postsNew, improved notifications system!Fewer adsCreate community posts

Daniel Suarez — winner: "This one really means a lot. I've been saying for years, this is my favorite race of the year. I get to have my family here every year. This is one of the only times they get to come. It's been a very tough week. This one is for Kyle, Samantha, Brexton, Lennix and all his family. This is very special. Every win is special. But definitely this one as a special flavor because of Kyle. This one is for him. If it wasn't for Kyle, I wasn't going to be an Xfinity champion. I wasn't going to have my shot in the Cup Series. To be able to win this race for him is unbelievable. The team did an amazing job. They put us in contention, and we executed well. The car was fast. We knew all weekend the car had plenty of speed."Christopher Bell — second: “It is the opposite of what happened to me when I won. I honestly think they made the right call. It is really late, but it is a bummer. It is 2026 for us. I knew after the first restart that he couldn’t get clear. I knew that we would have to stay beside him and I couldn’t. (Suarez) cleared me and once he cleared me, I knew it was going to be a really tough pass with it being a short run. He was going to block like hell, and he did a good job blocking and won the race. (Kyle Larson) did a good job pushing him. He stole one today from the Toyotas. The Toyotas brought the heat. Really proud of Joe Gibbs Racing, and Toyota and Toyota Racing Development. It was a good showing for us, so I’m happy with that. It just wasn’t meant to be today.”Denny Hamlin — third: “Every time it got called, we were on the bottom about to make a move on (Daniel Suarez). Me and (Christopher Bell) were fighting really hard. We knew whoever could get clear could make a move on the 7. I don’t know. It could rain till 2 am. We have no idea. Just unfortunate for us. We had a really fast Camry all day. We got really good restarts when I really needed them there at the end. Just didn’t pan out. I couldn’t quite clear (Bell).”Tyler Reddick — fifth: “Yeah, on one hand, certainly. It is a 600-mile race. It’s tough, it is grueling, and you want to finish it out in the end. Twice I’ve been in this spot where I felt like we had a car that I think could have won the race, a couple of years ago, it was just past halfway, and it started on pit road. This year, it was much more of a clean race, but man, I just didn’t have a couple of good restarts at the end. Just gutted. I want to win this race so bad for this team. One of the biggest races we have on our schedule. I really want to win it. Yes, it is a good points day, but there are a couple of the schedule that it is not about the points – winning Crown Jewels. Just gutted we didn’t see the race end. On the other hand, thoughts and prayers are with the Busch family and what they are going through. I hope this weekend and the racing and the support they saw from everyone in the racing community helps them move forward. One hand there is that, but on the more important hand, I hope this weekend helps them and their path forward.”Ty Gibbs — sixth: “First off, I just want to say my condolences to Samantha (Busch), Brexton (Busch) and Lennix (Busch). I want them to know that we are there for them. It was unfortunate. We were in first, and it’s the worst time to be in first. Everyone is going to do the opposite of what you do on the strategy. I think if we would have pitted, everyone would have stayed out. Just unfortunate how it worked out, but we were really fast today. Would have loved to win that race, I thought we were really capable of doing it. Got the lead in the end, but just an unfortunate end. I want to say thank you to my team. It was a fun day. A lot of fun laps of racing. Everyone was on edge, and we had a great crowd.”Ryan Blaney — seventh: “I think we finished a couple spots better than where we were running and the pace, but, overall, it was a scrappy day and night for sure. Running seventh and eighth with our cars is not a bad day.”Joey Logano — eighth: “Honestly, I think we’ve been an eighth to 12th-15th place car and that’s kind of where we ran today. That’s just where we are at the moment, but we just finally finished one, so thank goodness we finished one and then getting those stages. At least we got a finish. That’s better than where we’ve been, so we’ll take it.”Zane Smith — 10th: “It felt great and gives us some good momentum, certainly. It’s just a bummer on a few of those restarts. I wish different things played out. You’re gonna always wish that you could have some of those back, but I certainly felt like all day we had a top five car, just honestly from the back to the front and back to the front. We need to do the little things right and a little bit better, but I’m really proud of the whole 38 team. It’s really cool to have a solid run. I just proud of the effort. This place is really hard to keep up with the track and the changes it goes through, so when I was really good in the first stage leading laps I was almost kind of worried like, ‘Oh, man. What are we gonna be like in the night?’ But my car really never changed a whole lot, which says a lot about our group. I’m just proud of that. I wish we were able to win that, but, with that said, I’m just proud of the day we had.”Brad Keselowski — 15th: “I thought we were gonna end up with a seventh or eighth-place day maybe, and the last yellows and the rain cycles all kind of cycled us back to 14th or 15th, so it was unfortunate. We really worked hard on this car through the race. We weren’t where we wanted to be at the start and we got to where we were reasonable there in the middle and that was good. Really hot. We just kept working on it and reset it. By the time we reset it, I was smoking pretty good but that’s how it goes.”Ryan Preece — 33rd: “I don’t know (what happened). I was going down the backstretch and the next thing I know I’m heading towards the infield. I know it wasn’t my teammate, so it’s unfortunate. I felt like we were gonna have a top 10, potentially a top five day and, I don’t know. I mean, I stepped on it last week, so somebody else did. I can’t get too mad, I guess. We’ve got a big week ahead of us.”Austin Cindric — 38th: “It’s a lot louder out here than it is in the race car. I’m pretty sure I just got loose and then I got clocked, so it’s a shame not to even finish stage one in the Coke 600. I feel bad for my team and everybody else.”WILL BE UPDATED

The Oklahoma City Thunder had nothing go right in their 103-82 Game 4 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. The 2026 Western Conference Finals is now tied up at 2-2 apiece.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander couldn't put his stamp on with 19 points and seven assists. Chet Holmgren had a forgettable 10 points and nine rebounds. Isaiah Hartenstein had 12 points and seven rebounds. They've missed two of their three best ball-handlers.Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama looked like an NBA superstar with 33 points and eight rebounds. De'Aaron Fox had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Stephon Castle finished with 13 points and six assists.Let's look at some of the best photos from the Thunder's 21-point Game 4 loss to the Spurs:This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Photos: Best images from Thunder's 103-82 Game 4 loss to Spurs

The San Francisco 49ers took defensive end Romello Height in the third round (No. 70 overall) in the 2026 NFL draft after a college career that was split between four schools - Auburn, USC, Georgia Tech and Texas Tech.In 50 collegiate games over six seasons, Height recorded 111 tackles (27 for a loss), 16.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception.49ers vice president of player personnel Tariq Ahmed shared that the team identified Height as someone who plays as if his hair were on fire.“He does not stop,” Ahmad said (via "The Athletic"). “It is incredible watching him strain. It was one of the many things that I absolutely loved about his tape.”Throughout the pre-draft process, Height impressed at the combine and even left a positive impact on his teammates, including two other defensive linemen who went earlier than he did in this year's draft.“I thought the combine interview was awesome,” he said. “I fell in love with him at the combine. He’s serious. I mean, you could feel how much passion he has. He comes on a 30 visit, and it’s the same thing. He just loves football... “We talked to teammates of his — he was the guy they’d want to bring with them. He was a guy they believed in. It’s exciting that everything Texas Tech told us about his passion, we’ve seen out here the last few weeks.”While the 49ers are bringing Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams back from torn ACLs, Height may have to play an important role early in his rookie season, and if he impresses his coaches, he could find himself staying in the rotation once Bosa and Williams are healthy.More 49ers: Analyst identifies underrated trade destinations for Brandon AiyukThis article originally appeared on Niners Wire: High-ranking 49ers exec says he 'fell in love' with rookie pre-draft

A few starts ago, Cincinnati Reds newbie ace Chase Burns so impressed teammates with another dominating win that the usual superlatives about his power and poise weren’t enough.“He’s just fearless out there,” outfielder JJ Bleday said.Then we found out just how fearless in last week’s start against the Phillies, when a 109-mph line drive off the bat of Bryce Harper just missed hitting the Reds pitcher in the — uh, in the place where, it turns out, he doesn’t wear a cup.“I asked him, ‘Please tell me you have a cup on,’ “ manager Terry Francona said. “He said, no. I was like, ‘Chase, I don't even watch a game on TV without wearing a cup.’ “If the All-Star-caliber pitching wasn’t enough to keep Burns atop the Enquirer’s All-Star Candidate Power Rankings this week, then the fearlessness has to be, right?No matter how nuts.Check out who moved up to 3 and 4 in this week’s power rankings:1. RHP Chase Burns (last week: 1)The closest thing to a savior for the beat-to-hell pitching staff, Burns not only is making a case for an All-Star bid in his first full season in the majors, but is among the league’s top two or three pitchers in the early NL Cy Young conversation.The Reds have never had a Cy Young winner in a full season (Trevor Bauer won it during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season).Burns (6-1, 1.83 ERA) ranked third in the league in bWAR (2.9), second in ERA, fourth in WHIP (0.949), and he’s allowed one or fewer runs in has last four straight starts – including a nine-strikeout, no-walk, six-inning start to beat the scorching-hot Phillies last week2. SS Elly De La Cruz (2)The X-Men-worthy spectacles haven’t seemed as frequent as in some recent years – Saturday’s rangy start of a highlight-reel double play and the bat flip on his home run in the win over the Cardinals notwithstanding.But the two-time All-Star has never looked this productively consistent on both sides of the ball – and both sides of the plate – in his career as he marches toward a third All-Star selection in as many full seasons in the big leagues.He’s in the top 8 in the league in runs (37), RBIs (35), home runs (12), extra-base hits (25), total bases (110) and hasn’t missed a game since 2024 on the way to hitting .288 with a .529 slugging percentage and .884 OPS.3. 1B/3B/2B Sal Stewart (4)The rookie showed significant signs of offensive life after talking a week or so ago about his post-April slump, vowing to return to form.Since then, he’s homered twice, had a four-hit game (among three multi-hit games), a three-walk game and raised his OPS almost 60 points to .840 (entering Sunday).He’s tied for the team lead with 12 home runs and leads the team with 10 steals (in 11 tries) — both totals tied for seventh in the National League. He’s also in the top 10 in walks and RBIs.4. 1B/LF/2B/RF Spencer Steer (5)Steer moves up a spot on this weeks list after continuing an All-Star-level stride since April 17 that has earned him cleanup responsibilities in the lineup.In his last 32 games through Saturday’s doubleheader split against the Cardinals, he’s .316 with a .395 on-base percentage and .878 OPS, pushing his season average to .271 with seven homers and .786 OPS.All while playing maybe the most important, if sometimes overlooked, role of manning five different positions as necessary to facilitate the manager’s efforts to play hot hands and squeeze daily matchup advantages out of an underperforming lineup.5. OF JJ Bleday (3)Despite cooling off past week or so, Bleday remains one of the Reds’ best hitters since his April 26 season debut.He took a .953 OPS into Sunday’s series finale against the Cardinals with about a month left to make his case for a first career selection.The former No. 4 overall draft pick hit .271 with six home runs, 20 runs batted in, 15 walks, a .376 on-base percentage and .576 slugging percentage in those first 24 games with the Reds since opening the season at Triple-A.This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Check out the 'fearless' top of Reds All-Star Candidate Power Rankings

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectIt was a rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night, but four stages of racing still delivered the biggest points race of the year. With that comes some movement in the NASCAR standings today, but Tyler Reddick remains the leader by a wide margin after Charlotte.Here are the NASCAR Cup Series points leaders right now NASCAR Standings After Coca-Cola 600PositionDriverPointsBehind1Tyler Reddick620—2Denny Hamlin498-1223Ryan Blaney446-1744Ty Gibbs425-1955Chase Elliott423-1976Kyle Larson386-2347Chris Buescher385-2358Christopher Bell361-2599Carson Hocevar356-26410Daniel Suarez350-27011Brad Keselowski343-27712William Byron337-28313Bubba Wallace328-29214Shane van Gisbergen316-30415Chase Briscoe304-31616Ryan Preece303-31717Austin Cindric288-33218Joey Logano274-34619AJ Allmendinger254-36620Michael McDowell248-37221Zane Smith244-37622Erik Jones244-37623Ross Chastain238-38224Austin Dillon225-39525Todd Gilliland223-39726Ricky Stenhouse Jr222-39827Kyle BuschR.I.PRowdy28Riley Herbst202-41829John H. Nemechek200-42030Noah Gragson181-43931Josh Berry168-45232Ty Dillon152-46833Alex Bowman147-47334Connor Zilisch146-47435Cole Custer134-48636Cody Ware102-518Official 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Standings after Coca-Cola 600NASCAR The Chase BattleIMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectHere is where The Chase cutline stands in the Cup Series after 13 races.PositionDriverPoints Behind 16th17Austin Cindric-15 Behind Ryan Preece18Joey Logano-29 Behind Ryan Preece19AJ Allmendinger-49 Behind Ryan Preece20Michael McDowell-55 Behind Ryan Preece21Zane Smith-59 Behind Ryan Preece22Erik Jones-59 Behind Ryan Preece23Ross Chastain-65 Behind Ryan Preece24Austin Dillon-78 Behind Ryan Preece25Todd Gilliland-80 Behind Ryan PreeceRelated HeadlinesCoca-Cola 600: Winners, Losers from NASCAR Race Today at CharlotteNASCAR Results Tonight: Coca-Cola 600 Winner, Cup Series Stage Results at Charlotte5 Ways NASCAR Can Honor Kyle Busch’s Unforgettable Legacy

Water is sprayed on a damaged tank at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, Calif., on Sunday, May 24, 2026, after the tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)2026-05-25T04:13:04Z A damaged chemical tank in Southern California cracked over the weekend but the interior temperature rose as authorities worked to reduce the risks of a powerful explosion that has led to the evacuation of some 50,000 residents.The tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors, leaving local and state officials scrambling to evade a worst possible scenario at a company site in Garden Grove, a city of roughly 170,000 about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles. No injuries have been reported.Firefighters have repeatedly sprayed the tank with water in an attempt to cool the chemicals. The tank’s interior reached 100 degrees (37.7 Celsius) Sunday, an increase of 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 Celsius) since Saturday, according to Democratic state Sen. Tom Umberg.Fire officials over the weekend discovered the tank had cracked, lowering the potential for a devastating blast, and it did not appear any of the highly volatile chemicals had leaked, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Wayhowe Huang said. “There’s still the danger of a possible explosion,” he said. Officials working to prevent a disasterGov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday and said he asked President Donald Trump to issue an emergency declaration to bolster federal support for local and state officials.The tank at GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft, holds 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate used to make plastic parts.Monitoring tests found air pollution around the evacuation zone was within normal limits and specialized equipment is being used to ensure gas is not released, state and federal environmental officials said Saturday. The first goal of firefighters is to cool off the chemical inside the tank to prevent a leak or explosion. Read More Drones were monitoring temperatures at 10-minute intervals to watch for any spikes. Containment barriers have been set up to prevent the chemical from getting into storm drains or reaching creeks or the nearby ocean in the event of a spill, Orange County Fire Authority division chief Craig Covey said on social media. As the interior temperature rises, methyl methacrylate converts from a liquid to a gas and increases the pressure, according to Purdue University engineering professor Andrew Whelton, who said the crack could mean product or pressure is being released, reducing the chance of explosion.“Think of a soda can. If you leave it in a hot car it can explode,” Whelton said. “But if you put a hole in the can, the product is released and the can itself doesn’t explode.” Firefighters are unlikely to consider making a hole in the tank, fearing a spark that might ignite the volatile and flammable gas. An explosion that could spread the chemical over a broad area and send shrapnel flying would be the worst-case scenario, he said. Dealing with displacement and health concernsAerial photos taken by The Associated Press showed streets in the area were empty Sunday, while several evacuation shelters were open. At a high school in neighboring La Palma, people slept in cars or on mats and sleeping bags on the asphalt.Garden Grove is next to Anaheim, home to Disneyland’s two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders. Park officials said they were monitoring the situation.Exposure to methyl methacrylate can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological problems and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to fact sheets about the chemical.Whelton said if an explosion occurs, it will be crucial to conduct detailed air monitoring specifically for methyl methacrylate and not just generic tests for volatile organic compounds as officials did after a 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which released more than 115,000 gallons (435,000 liters) of vinyl chloride after officials blew open five tank cars and burned the chemical.Orange County health officials said the chemical is easy to smell and people may notice it over a large area without being harmed. Residents taking legal actionSome Garden Grove residents filed a class-action federal lawsuit Saturday against GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, which operates the facility where the tank is located. Lawyers for the residents argued that regardless of what happens, property values in the surrounding community are sure to be impacted.GKN Aerospace did not comment on the lawsuit but has apologized to residents and businesses forced to evacuate. It said Sunday it was “working around the clock to mitigate the risk of a leak.” GKN Aerospace agreed in 2025 to pay state regulators more than $900,000 to settle violations involving recordkeeping, permitting issues and nitrogen oxide emissions, according to a report on the South Coast Air Quality Management District website.___AP journalist Ethan Swope in Garden Grove, California, contributed to this report. PHILIP MARCELO Marcelo is a general assignment reporter in the NYC bureau. He previously wrote for AP Fact Check and before that was based in Boston, where he focused on race and immigration. twitter mailto

KELOWNA, British Columbia (AP) — Liam Lefebvre scored his second goal of the game at 5:28 of overtime to give the Chicoutimi Sagueneens a 3-2 victory over the host Kelowna Rockets on Sunday night in the Memorial Cup.In the three-on-three tiebreaker, Lefebvre took a pass from Nathan Lecompte in the left circle and fired a one-timer past goalie Josh Banini. The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League champion Sagueneens rebounded a night after an opening 5-3 loss to the Western Hockey League champion Everett Silvertips.Anton Linde also scored for Chicoutimi. Lucas Beckman stopped 27 shots.Tij Iginla and Mazden Leslie scored for Kelowna, and Banini made 26 saves. The 19-year-old Iginla, the son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, was drafted sixth overall by Utah in 2024. On Friday night, Kelowna fell 5-0 to the Ontario Hockey League champion Kitchener Rangers to open the four-team tournament.After Linde gave Chicoutimi a 2-1 lead on a tip with 5:59 left in the third, Leslie tied it with 4:10 remaining. A long rebound came to Leslie on the right side of the goal and he was able to chip it in.Lefebvre opened the scoring for Chicoutimi on a breakaway with 5:22 left in the first period, flipping a backhander into the top netting. Iginla tied it at 6:29 of the second with a shot from the left circle. On Monday night, Everett will face Kitchener. The Silvertips are trying to become the fourth U.S. franchise to win the event, following Portland in 1983 and 1998, Spokane in 1991 and 2008 and Saginaw in 2024.In the final round-robin games, Kitchener will play Chicoutimi on Tuesday night, and Kelowna will face Everett on Wednesday night.___AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

When Greg Popovich speaks, people listen. The Spurs coaching legend spoke after San Antonio’s Game 3 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night. The Spurs listened. This is according to Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox, who had a story to tell NBC after San Antonio’s 103-82 Game 4 win Sunday night that tied the Western Conference finals at 2-2.The Spurs appeared listless after opening a 15-0 lead in Game 3 and allowed the Thunder to outscore them by 30 from there en route to a 123-108 Game 3 win. After the game, Fox said that Popovich entered the postgame locker room to have a word. Here’s Fox’s version of the story:T-Mac: "Has Pop come in that locker room and say he needs some nastiness outta y'all?"Fox: "We lost Game 3... but that was the first time he walked into the locker room and was like "Nah, that's BS.. that's not how we play basketball" and obviously he had some choice words for… pic.twitter.com/Qya65fkyuR— Bala (@BalaPattySZN) May 25, 2026“Pop’s been around like throughout the course of the season,” Fox said. “But that was the first time he walked into the locker room as was like, nah, that’s BS, that’s not how we play basketball. “Obviously he had some choice words for it. That was the first time all season he came into the locker room right after a game and told us how he felt.”Popovich spent 28-plus seasons as San Antonio’s head coaching, leading the Spurs to five NBA championships. He retired last season as the NBA’s all-time winningest head coach (1,390 wins). He’s on the NBA coaching Mt. Rushmore. A stroke ended his career earlier than he intended early in the 2024-25 season. But he was head coach Mitch Johnson’s mentor and remains active around the team in an official capacity as “El Jefe.”"I'm no longer coach. I'm El Jefe."Gregg Popovich 😂 pic.twitter.com/AxVxqKTqzX— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) May 5, 2025He’s there for Spurs players and coaches to offer advice, experience and wisdom — and, certainly, the occasional kick in the ass. The Spurs were in need of the latter after Friday’s Game 3 loss and, per Fox, Popovich was more than happy to provide it. They responded Sunday night with a dominant, wire-to-wire win over the reigning champion Thunder, and the Western Conference championship is up for grabs as a best-of-three series from here. He may no longer be San Antonio’s head coach, but he remains an asset and a gift as the Spurs seek their first NBA title of the post-Popovich era.

Patrick Dorgu reveals how training paid off vs Brighton Manchester United thrashed Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 at the Amex Stadium on Sunday in their last Premier League game of the season, signing off in some style.It was a fantastic day all around as Bruno Fernandes broke the Premier League assist record, while Amad returned to form after a difficult patch since the new year.And on his first start in 15 games, Patrick Dorgu shone brightly, heading in the visitors’ first goal of the game before grabbing an assist for Fernandes’ strike in the second half.The Dane is a completely changed player under Michael Carrick, with a switch to left wing doing wonders for his confidence.Patrick Dorgu delighted with his goalSpeaking to MUTV after the game, the former Lecce star expressed his delight at helping his team pick up three points to end the season on a high.“I’m really happy with my goal. We are all delighted with the three points and we can head off to vacation happy.”The Denmark international also revealed that the team had been practising the exact same corner routine that worked a treat against the Seagulls.During training, Bruno Fernandes was putting balls on a sixpence for Patrick Dorgu to attack and he was not quite as successful, but thankfully, everything panned out perfectly during the game.Training routine under Jonny Evans worked a treat“We worked on that in training yesterday. I knew he [Bruno Fernandes] was going to put the ball there. I was just working on getting past my marker.“Really happy to score. I did not do that in training yesterday so it was good to do it in the game. I’m really happy for Bruno to break the assist record.”As previously revealed by Fernandes, Jonny Evans has taken charge of set-piece training, and his work on the training ground is certainly paying off.The 21-year-old was also full of praise for the Portuguese superstar, describing him a role model and a great captain.Patrick Dorgu lavishes praise on Bruno Fernandes“He’s a great role model, good captain, good player, good off the pitch as well. It is really nice to have him on our team and you can see everyone enjoys playing with him.“He always tries to find his teammate before scoring himself, so it is great to play with him.”It is remarkable to think that in four months, Carrick has transformed this team and helped them qualify for the Champions League courtesy of their third-place Premier League finish.Patrick Dorgu acknowledged the head coach’s impact, while explaining how the squad have rallied together to get out of their rut under Ruben Amorim.Patrick Dorgu on Carrick’s impact“It was a tough start and then a change of coach. It was not easy but we stuck together as a group and it is easy to see the impact since Carrick took charge.“Everyone has been playing great and you can see out on the pitch every time as we keep getting the results fans want.”Hopefully, this trend can continue in the new season and Patrick Dorgu will have the chance to cement his place as the team’s new left winger during pre-season.Feature image Mike Hewitt via Getty Imagesonline pollsThe Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

Victor Wembanyama on the motivation they had before playing Game 4 against the Thunder originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.After Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, the San Antonio Spurs knew they needed to bounce back. They were blown out 123-108 in that game by the Oklahoma City Thunder. They needed to fight back, and the convincing Game 4 performance showed the Spurs were motivated.Victor Wembanyama once again led the way for the Spurs with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and three blocks. It was yet another well-rounded performance, but this time, it ended in a dominant and much-needed Spurs win.Victor Wembanyama and how the Spurs were motivated to win Game 4The 2026 WCF between San Antonio and OKC has been a blockbuster series. For the entire 2025-26 season, the NBA community has waited for this clash, and it has lived up to the hype.Games 1 and 2 were close chess matches, while Games 3 and 4 have been massive adjustments. It has been a fun series to watch, as all the players and coaches are locked in for a chance of making the NBA Finals.MORE: Physicality has played a role in the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and the ThunderThe Thunder remain the favorites, considering they are the defending champions. However, Wembanyama and the rest of the Spurs are motivated to keep going and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since their franchise won it in 2014.San Antonio continues to stand out, and they are readily motivated to prove everyone wrong. That was what happened ahead of Game 4, which was what led to the blowout win."We had never been in this kind of situation before. It was our first deficit in the playoff series, and we just responded. It was nothing amazing; it wasn't magic. We just did what we needed to do. And the series is far from over. We got 6 more wins before we can rest," Wembanyama said after Game 4 in his post-game presser.As the Spurs continue to improve with every game, they are a genuine threat to the Thunder. Wembanyama is getting better and better while the Thunder are still looking for ways to solve the Wemby puzzle, which makes this series even more compelling ahead of Game 5.More NBA news:Mark Daigneault knows OKC's approach for Game 4 was the main reason behind the lossThe full box score for the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and the ThunderThe meanings and history behind OKC Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein's tattoosHow Victor Wembanyama dazzled the NBA with his buzzer-beating half-court shotHow a unique group of nuns become the biggest Spurs fans in the WCF

The playoffs mark the knockout phase of an Indian Premier League (IPL) season, and it's no different with the 2026 edition coming to the business end.When all matches in the league phase have been played, the top four teams in the points table advance to the playoffs, where the champion team is determined.CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR BET WITH DAFABETInstead of the semi-final format used in conventional competitions, in IPL playoffs, a team that has finished first or second gets two chances to play in the final, whereas the teams placed third and fourth will have knock-out matches.In this article, The Sporting News explains what the Qualifiers and the Eliminator mean, along with the format and rules they are played in.Add The Sporting News as a preferred news sourceIPL playoffs format explainedThe four teams that have the highest position in the table after the league phase enter into the IPL playoffs. The teams’ ranking is done by their points while net run rate (NRR) comes in play if they are level on points.The playoffs structure consists of four matches:Qualifier 1EliminatorQualifier 2FinalMORE: Visit Cricket News for all the latest cricket coverage and opinionWhat is Qualifier 1 in IPL?Qualifiers 1 is played among those teams who stand at the top two positions in the league rankings. The winner of this game qualifies automatically to participate in the IPL final.Whereas the loser of this game doesn’t get eliminated, rather gets an opportunity to qualify to the IPL final by playing another Qualifier game. Hence, a top-two finish in league phase holds great significance for any team.MORE: Which teams are out of IPL 2026 playoffs contention?What is the Eliminator in IPL?The Eliminator takes place between the teams who finish the league stage in the third and fourth positions on the IPL points table.It is a straight elimination match:The winner goes on to play Qualifier 2.The loser is out of the competition.As compared to the first two-ranked teams, the teams losing the Eliminator match have no second chance to make the IPL final.What is Qualifier 2 in IPL?Qualifier 2 is the penultimate step before reaching the IPL final match. It features:Defeated team of Qualifier 1 matchWinning team of Eliminator matchThe winners of Qualifier 2 move on to the final match, while the defeated team is eliminated.MORE: Which IPL team has won most playoff matches?How does the IPL final work?The IPL final match features:Winner of Qualifier 1 matchWinner of Qualifier 2 matchThe victorious team wins the IPL championship title.MatchTeams involvedWhat happens?Qualifier 11st vs 2ndWinner goes to final, loser gets another chanceEliminator3rd vs 4thLoser eliminated, winner advancesQualifier 2Loser of Q1 vs Winner of EliminatorWinner reaches finalFinalWinner of Q1 vs Winner of Q2Winner becomes IPL championWhy does IPL use qualifiers and eliminators instead of semi-finals?This particular system favours those teams which perform well throughout the league match stage. Being placed second and first in the league match allows teams another chance of qualifying for the finals despite losing one match during the playoffs.The system was introduced in 2011 and is still being used in the IPL.DafabetBEST ODDS AND OFFERSCLICK TO BETRelated links:How to buy tickets for IPL playoffsLive cricket matches todayAll the latest cricket newsAll the IPL-related news

De'Aaron Fox reveals Gregg Popovich gave the Spurs a reality check after Game 3 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Gregg Popovich was the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs for 29 long seasons. During that tenure, he led them to five championships, firmly establishing himself as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.Since he had to retire, Pop has still been present in the Spurs organization as the team president. He still has a booming voice in the locker room, which was apparent after an embarrassing Game 3 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.De'Aaron Fox reveals how Gregg Popovich motivated the Spurs after Game 3It was clear when the Spurs started off hot in Game 4 that they were ready to beat the Thunder. They were already dominant at the start of Game 3, but they let their lead go, and then they eventually got blown out by 15 points.That was an unacceptable result, which was echoed by Popovich after Game 3. Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox revealed that the Spurs icon was present in the locker room, where he unloaded on his team.MORE: Devin Vassell reveals how the Spurs have matched the Thunder's physicality in the WCFThis was the reality check that the Spurs needed because having Popovich speak to them opened their eyes. That was clear because the Spurs were otherworldly during Game 4 of the WCF."We lost Game 3, and Pop's been around all season. That was the first time he walked into the locker room and was like 'Nah, that's BS. That's not how we play basketball.' He had some choice words for us," Fox revealed to Tracy McGrady on the NBC post-game show."That was the first time all season that he came into the locker room right after a game and told us how he felt."It was a much-needed boost that worked out for the Spurs. Popovich might not be coaching anymore with Mitch Johnson in charge, but he is still with the organization. as long as he is there, his fingerprints and impact will always be quite apparent.More NBA news:The OKC Thunder's approach in Game 4 was not the optimal one to get a big winVictor Wembanyama's buzzer-beater from half-court dazzles the NBAHow some nuns became the biggest Spurs fans in the Western Conference FinalsA pointed news report casts doubt on the Spurs' future with De'Aaron FoxWhy some people were shocked about Stephon Castle earning All-NBA votes

In sports, as is the case in life overall, all good things must come to an end. On Sunday, one of LeBron James' most impressive streaks having to do with longevity finally ended.He came into this season with 21 All-NBA selections, which is an NBA record, as well as 13 All-NBA First Team selections, which is also more than any other player in league history. The last time he wasn't chosen to be on any of the All-NBA squads was his rookie season during the 2003-04 campaign. Back then, a gallon of gasoline in the Los Angeles area was no more than roughly $2 and Shaquille O'Neal was still a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.On Sunday, the league announced its All-NBA teams for this season, and James was left off, ending his streak of 21 straight All-NBA selections.A global media panel of 100 voters selected the 2025-26 Kia All-NBA Team.The complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/7NbX05bwr2— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 24, 2026In the end, it wasn't necessarily a lack of production that resulted in James not making any of the All-NBA teams. He appeared in 60 regular-season games, mostly because he missed the first 14 games of the campaign due to sciatica, leaving him short of the 65-game minimum required to be eligible for postseason individual honors.He ended up averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists a game this season and 23.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists a game during the playoffs. He continues to defy age and mileage by continuing to play at a superstar level, and many, if not most, people expect him to play at least one more season, even if it isn't with the Lakers.This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: One of LeBron James' most impressive individual streaks has ended