NBA – National Basketball Association Playoffs – 2024 NBA Finals (best of 7)
Last Night
Boston Celtics 107, Dallas Mavericks 89 (BOS leads 1-0)
Celtics 107, Mavericks 88 – Celtics rout Mavericks 107-89 in Game 1 behind Brown, returning Porzingis
Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, Kristaps Porzingis added 20 in his first game in more than a month and the Boston Celtics powered past the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Derrick White finished with 15 points for Boston, which led by 29 points in the first half and connected on 16 3-pointers in a powerful start to its quest for an 18th NBA title. Porzingis, who had been sidelined since April 29 with a strained right calf, came off the bench and provided an immediate spark, adding six rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes. Six Celtics finished in double figures. Game 2 is not until Sunday
NBA –Adam Silver says finalizing the new media rights deals is ‘complex’ process
Getting the NBA’s next round of media rights deals completed is an extremely complex proposition, Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday, especially because nobody can say with any certainty what the viewing landscape will look like in the future. Silver, speaking in his annual pre-NBA Finals news conference, did not offer any hints on when the next series of deals will be completed, other than saying “in the relative near term.” The current deals with ABC-ESPN and Turner Sports expire after next season and the NBA has been talking with NBC, ESPN and Amazon, among other networks and platforms, about what comes next.
MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Cincinnati Reds 8, Chicago Cubs 4
Boston Red Sox 14, Chicago White Sox 2
Tigers were off
Reds 8, Cubs 4 – Elly De La Cruz slams a 3-run homer on the anniversary of his MLB debut, Reds beat Cubs 8-4
Elly De La Cruz hit a three-run homer on the anniversary of his major league debut and the Cincinnati Reds won a season-high fifth straight game, 8-4 over the Chicago Cubs. TJ Friedl, Jonathan India and Will Benson also drove in runs as the Reds followed a three-game sweep in Colorado with a win over the NL Central rival Cubs in the first of a four-game series. Hunter Greene (4-2) struck out eight while allowing four runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Three Reds relievers combined to keep the Cubs hitless the rest of the way, with closer Alexis Diaz issuing a walk before striking out three straight batters to end it.
Red Sox 14, White Sox 2 – Duran, Valdez homer as Red Sox hand White Sox 14th straight loss, 14-2
Jarren Duran and Enmanuel Valdez homered, Tanner Houck pitched seven solid innings and the Boston Red Sox handed the White Sox their franchise-record 14th straight loss, pounding Chicago 14-2. The White Sox surpassed a mark set by the 1924 team while extending baseball’s longest slide this season. They are a major league-worst 15-48. Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela each had four of Boston’s season-high 24 hits. Duran got the rout started with his third career leadoff homer. Valdez added a three-run drive against White Sox starter Jake Woodford (0-2) in the fourth and Boston scored four in the inning to go up 7-0. Pinch hitter Jamie Westbrook hit his first major league homer in the seventh, and the Red Sox rolled to another easy win after beating Atlanta 9-0 on Wednesday.
Tonight
Milwaukee (TBD) at Detroit (Olson 1-6), 6:40 p.m. News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:15
Chicago Cubs (Steele 0-2) at Cincinnati (Lodolo 5-2), 7:10 p.m.
Boston (Criswell 3-2) at Chicago White Sox (Crochet 5-5), 8:10 p.m.
NCAAMBB – MSU adds ex-Michigan assistant Saddi Washington to Tom Izzo’s staff
Michigan State has added former Michigan assistant and Lansing native Saddi Washington to Tom Izzo’s coaching staff. The move was announced Thursday, two months after Mark Montgomery left the Spartans to lead Detroit Mercy. Izzo also promoted Jon Borovich and Austin Thornton to assistant coaching roles to join Thomas Kelley and named Doug Wojcik associate head coach. Washington was an assistant coach for the Wolverines for eight seasons, a run that ended when Dusty May was hired to replace Juwan Howard.
NHL – National Hockey League – 2024 Stanely Cup Finals (best of 7)
Saturday
Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers, 8:00 p.m. (Game 1)
NHL – Connor McDavid, hockey’s best player, finally gets a chance to win a Stanley Cup
For the first time in his nine-year NHL career, Connor McDavid is playing for the biggest prize in hockey with the chance to lift the Stanley Cup for the first time. He and the Edmonton Oilers are facing the Florida Panthers in the final starting Saturday. It’s a chance for hockey’s biggest star to finally win a championship. The spotlight is on the face of the sport to get the job done as an underdog against an opponent at this stage for a second consecutive season and is seeking the first title in franchise history.
WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
Chicago Sky 79, Washington Mystics 71
Sky 79, Mystics 71 – Chennedy Carter and rookie Angel Reese lead the Sky past the Mystics, who fall to 0-10
Chennedy Carter scored a season-high 25 points off the bench, rookie Angel Reese had 16 points, 11 rebounds and five steals, and the Chicago Sky beat the winless Washington Mystics 79-71. Chicago handed Washington its 10th straight loss, tied for the fourth longest losing streak to start a season in WNBA history. The Mystics scored just 27 points in the second half and finished with 24 turnovers. Rookie Aaliyah Edwards set season highs with 23 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks for Washington.
Tonight
Indiana Fever at Washington Mystics, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Atlanta Dream at Chicago Sky, 5:00 p.m.
WNBA – Clark, Fever hope 4-day break can help recharge season after early struggles
Caitlin Clark finally got the break she needed this week. After playing 39 college games, enduring training camp and two preseason games followed by a stretch of 11 WNBA games in 20 days, the two-time national player of the year finally had four days off. It’s about time. Clark has spent months doing media rounds, fending off the critics and cheap shots. Some of it is to be expected of a high-profile rookie — in any league. But in this league, where Clark has quickly emerged as the key figure, it’s also has created lots of frustration for the former Iowa star.
NCAASB – Oklahoma wins record fourth straight NCAA softball title, beating Texas 8-4
Oklahoma slugged its way to a record fourth straight NCAA softball title, getting a go-ahead, bases-clearing double from Cydney Sanders and beating Texas 8-4 for a two-game sweep of the Women’s College World Series championship. The Sooners won their eighth title overall, all under coach Patty Gasso, and moved into a tie with Arizona for the second-most national championships behind UCLA’s 12. Second-seeded Oklahoma scored eight runs in each of the two games and pounded 21 hits total against a top-seeded Texas team that came in having thrown three consecutive one-hit shutouts in the World Series.
Tennis – Iga Swiatek defeats Coco Gauff and will face Jasmine Paolini in the final
Iga Swiatek has eliminated Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4 in the French Open semifinals and will face Jasmine Paolini for the championship. The top-ranked Swiatek stretched her winning streak at Roland Garros to 20 matches with Thursday’s victory as she tries to become the first woman with three consecutive titles in Paris since Justine Henin from 2005 to 2007. Paolini reached her first Grand Slam final with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against unseeded 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva. Swiatek improved to 11-1 against Gauff overall and has defeated her at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament three years in a row. That includes in the 2022 final and last year’s quarterfinals. in Saturday’s title match. Swiatek is 4-0 in major finals so far.
Golf – Hadwin leads at Memorial as Scheffler and Schauffele start strong again
Adam Hadwin shot 66 and is leading the Memorial by one shot over Scottie Scheffler. The timing couldn’t be better. The 60-man field in the Olympics will be determined in two weeks after the U.S. Open. Hadwin has dropped from No. 44 in the world to No. 59 since late March. And now he’s in the third spot for Canada. For this year’s major champions Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, it was more of the same. Scheffler was slowed by mud on his golf ball that led to his lone bogey in a round of 67. Schauffele scrambled his way to a bogey-free 68.
Cricket – United States shocks Pakistan at T20 World Cup in a Super Over tiebreaker
The United States has beaten cricket heavyweight Pakistan in a Super Over tiebreaker at the Twenty20 World Cup in one of the sport’s biggest upsets. The U.S. team is co-hosting the tournament and has now won back-to-back games. Aaron Jones, who smashed 94 runs off 40 deliveries in the opening win over Canada, once again starred for the Americans when he helped stretch the game into a so-called Super Over with another vital knock of 36 not out off 26. Jones hit a six and then a single before Nitish Kumar’s boundary off the last ball in regulation tied the scores at 159. That set up the dramatic tiebreaker.
NFL – Class-action lawsuit against NFL by ‘Sunday Ticket’ subscribers gets underway
A class-action lawsuit filed by “Sunday Ticket” subscribers claiming the NFL broke antitrust laws began in federal court Thursday with opening statements. The lawsuit was filed in 2015 and has withstood numerous challenges, including a dismissal that was overturned. The suit alleges the NFL broke antitrust laws when it allowed DirecTV to exclusively sell the “Sunday Ticket” package of out-of-market Sunday afternoon games airing on CBS and Fox at an inflated price and restricted competition. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a longtime member of the league’s broadcast committee, are expected to testify in the case, which could last up to three weeks.
NFL –Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams is encouraged by his early progress minicamp
Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams emerged from his first exposure to veteran NFL players at organized team activities and minicamp with a greater appreciation for what he’s up against. The Bears’ three-day mandatory minicamp concluded Thursday. Williams discovered that he has plenty to learn, and the defense he’ll face every day in training camp will be a formidable one. During each of the first two days of camp, Williams made a late throw over the middle and was intercepted. Coach Matt Eberflus says he plans to have Williams continue to work against the first-string defense.
NFL – Colts rest QB Anthony Richardson with soreness in throwing shoulder
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson played it safe on the final day of minicamp, resting his sore right shoulder. The second-year player had season-ending surgery on the shoulder last fall and participated in workouts Tuesday and Wednesday before trainers opted to rest Richardson. He wasn’t completely shut down. Richardson threw a few light, left-handed passes during position drills at the start of practice. But backups Joe Flacco and Sam Ehlinger and rookie free agent Kedon Slovis did the heavy lifting. Afterward, Richardson said he felt fine and coach Shane Steichen said Richardson would have played Sunday if it was a game week.
Olympics – Olympic organizers unveil a display of Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower
The Paris Olympics organizers have unveiled a display of the five Olympic rings mounted on the Eiffel Tower as the French capital marks 50 days until the start of the Summer Games. The structure of rings, made of recycled French steel, will be displayed on the south side of the 135-year-old landmark in central Paris, overlooking the Seine River. The hugely popular tower in central Paris has seen soaring visitor numbers in the leadup to the Games in the French capital.
MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Great Lakes 8, Cedar Rapids 3
Dayton 4, Lansing 0
West Michigan 5, South Bend 3
Tonight
Cedar Rapids Kernels at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.
West Michigan Whitecaps at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.
MHSAA – Michigan High School Athletic Association
Yesterday
Baseball – Regional Semifinals
Division 1 at Grand Ledge
Okemos 9, Battle Creek Lakeview 6
Division 3 at Parchment
Jonesville 3, Kalamazoo Christian 1
Girls Soccer – Regional Finals
Division 1 at Hudsonville
Grand Haven 1, Portage Central 0
Today
Girls Soccer – Regional Finals
Division 4 at Portage Northern
Grandville Calvin Christian vs. Kalamazoo Christian, 6;30 p.m.
Saturday
Girls Soccer – Regional Finals
Division 2 at Gull Lake
Lakeshore vs. Holland Christian, 12:00 p.m.
Baseball – Regional Final/Quarterfinals
Division 2 at Kalamazoo College
Gull Lake vs. Ionia, 10:00 a.m.
Niles vs. Grand Rapids Christian, 12:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal – 3:00 p.m.
Division 3 at Adrian College
Ottawa Lake Whiteford vs. Ann Arbor Greenhills, 10:00 a.m.
Watervliet vs. Jonesville, 12:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal – 3:00 p.m.
Division 4 at Cornerstone University (GR)
Adrian Lenawee Christian vs. Vermontville Maple Valley, 10:00 a.m.
Kalamazoo Hackett vs. Centreville, 12:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal – 3:00 p.m.
Softball – Regional Semis/Finals
Division 1 at Kalamazoo Central
Kalamazoo Central vs. Hartland, 10:00 a.m.
Battle Creek Lakeview vs. Lansing Waverly, 12:00 p.m.
Regional Final – 2:00 p.m.
Division 2 at Edwardsburg
St. Joseph vs. Marshall, 10:00 a.m.
Vicksburg vs. Edwardsburg, 12:00 p.m.
Regional Final – 2:00 p.m.
Division 3 at Coloma
Kalamazoo Christian vs. Ravenna, 10:00 a.m.
Coloma vs. Grandville Calvin Christian, 12:00 p.m.
Regional Final – 2:00 p.m.
Division 3 at Constantine
Buchanan vs. Hanover-Horton, 10:00 p.m.
Homer vs. Bronson, 12:00 p.m.
Regional Final – 2:00 p.m.
Division 4 at Mendon
Decatur vs. Burr Oak, 11:00 a.m.
Mendon vs. Martin, 1:00 p.m.
Regional Final – 3:00 p.m.
