Sports
With or without Stephen Curry, Warriors proving dangerous with Wizards up next
Nov 2, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) works out prior to the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images
The Golden State Warriors expect Stephen Curry back in the lineup when they take their road winning streak up against old pal Jordan Poole and the Washington Wizards in the nation’s capital on Monday night.
Curry injured his left ankle on Oct. 27 in a home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and has missed the Warriors’ last three games, all of which they’ve won.
The 10-time All-Star and 2024 Olympic gold medalist has accompanied the team on its five-game trip, which began with a 127-121 overtime win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. The win improved Golden State’s road record to 3-0.
Curry was re-examined Friday, given the go-ahead to work out with the team, and, according to the Warriors, has shown steady progress leading into Monday’s game. He will nonetheless be listed as questionable pending how he feels in the warm-up.
In the meantime, fellow veteran Draymond Green believes the Warriors have rallied around the impression they’re a pushover without Curry.
“If I’m honest, we’re all sick and tired of hearing that,” Green said after the win over Houston. “Steph is Steph, and we all know that. But, for some reason, when Steph’s out, everybody acts like we can’t play. We’re all so sick of it. And there’s been added motivation to win these three.
“If you think that hasn’t been mentioned, you’re out of your mind. We’re all NBA players; we’re All-Stars, first-round picks, you name it. And for some reason, every time Steph goes out, everybody acts like, ‘Oh man, the world has collapsed.’ Now, we want him out there, just like everybody else does. But we’re still capable of performing.”
Reserves played a key role in the win at Houston. Buddy Hield led the way with a team-high 27 points, while Jonathan Kuminga (23 game points) and Kyle Anderson carried the offensive load in an 8-2 overtime run.
The Warriors have swept the last two season series from the Wizards, including a 123-112 win at Washington last February in which Kuminga had 21 points and Curry 18.
Traded to the Wizards last offseason, Poole struggled in his first two games against the Warriors. He totaled 37 points in the losses but shot just 12-for-38, including 5-for-20 on 3-pointers. He also mixed in seven turnovers.
Now in his second season with Washington, the 25-year-old is off to a high-scoring start and leads the team with 22.2 points per game. He has topped 20 points in four of five games, including each of the last three. He had 21 points when the Wizards went to Mexico City on Saturday and lost 118-98 to the Miami Heat.
Wizards coach Brian Keefe notes Poole is making an effort to improve in areas in which he was criticized while with Golden State.
“His activity on defense has been great,” Keefe observed, “and he’s getting organized and playing within the flow of the game.”
Someone the Warriors might have a hard time recognizing is emerging second-year guard Bilal Coulibaly, who had just seven points in his only game against Golden State last season.
The Frenchman has improved his scoring average from 8.4 to 19.4 this season on the strength of three 20-plus-point outputs in his last four games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cubs ring up 14 hits in series-opening win over Cardinals
Jul 27, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman (3) rounds third base after hitting a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images Alex Bregman and Nico Hoerner each homered and had four hits apiece as the visiting Chicago Cubs opened a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals with a 7-3 win on Monday.
Bregman doubled twice and drove in two runs and Hoerner had four RBIs for Chicago, which tallied 14 hits and won for the third time in its last four games. Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya added two hits apiece.
David Peterson (6-7) allowed two runs on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.
Jose Fermin hit a solo homer and Masyn Winn had two hits for St. Louis, which has lost eight of its 11 games coming out of the All-Star break.
After the start of the game was delayed 1 hour and 46 minutes due to rain, the Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on back-to-back doubles by Seiya Suzuki and Bregman against Matthew Liberatore (5-8).
With two runners on and one out in the second inning, Amaya added to Chicago’s lead with a run-scoring single to right field.
Fermin put the Cardinals on the board with a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the second. The 407-foot blast was Fermin’s fifth homer of the season.
Bregman began the third inning by depositing Liberatore’s first offering into the right-field seats for his 11th homer of the season.
Liberatore allowed three runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out five.
The Cubs extended their lead to 5-1 in the fifth inning. Bregman and Kelly hit consecutive singles and both scored on Hoerner’s one-out single.
Gavin Hollowell replaced Peterson with a runner on second and two outs in the sixth. Winn greeted Hollowell with a run-scoring single, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Bryan Torres’ ground-rule double.
The Cubs added to their lead in the ninth when Hoerner hit a two-run blast for his fifth homer of the season and first since April 21.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Brandon Lowe's heroics help Pirates down Diamondbacks in 10
Jul 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe (5) receives a water bath after hitting an RBI single to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in ten innings at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Brandon Lowe’s single in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Billy Cook and propelled the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night.
The Pirates drew even with the Diamondbacks for the final National League wild-card spot, dealing Arizona its third loss in a row.
Lowe’s game-winner off Diamondbacks reliever Taylor Clarke (2-2) was a liner that got past first baseman Ildemaro Vargas. Lowe finished with three hits and two RBIs.
Endy Rodriguez, who was activated from the 10-day injured list pregame after recovering from a left glute strain, singled to right to open the 10th, putting runners on the corners with no outs.
Jake Mangum grounded to second base, and Billy Cook was caught in a rundown between third and home. But Cook bought enough time and made it back to third just as Rodriguez did, resulting in one out, but ensuring the Pirates still had a runner at third.
Max Kepler had three hits, drove in the Diamondbacks’ two runs and had a chance to give Arizona the lead in the top of the 10th. However, with the bases loaded and two outs, Kepler lined out to center against reliever Mason Montgomery (4-3).
Montgomery also struck out Gabriel Moreno two batters prior after Arizona had put runners on second and third with one out.
Bryan Reynolds knotted the game at 2 in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out RBI double to score Lowe, who doubled in the prior at-bat. The clutch hit came moments after Pirates manager Don Kelly was ejected by third base umpire Ben May after arguing a check-swing call during Reynolds’ at-bat.
The teams were locked in a scoreless stalemate until Kepler’s two-run double with the bases loaded put the Diamondbacks in front in the top of the sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth, Mangum scored on a single by Lowe to cut Arizona’s lead to 2-1.
Pittsburgh’s hot-hitting rookie Esmerlyn Valdez was struck by a 91.4 mph fastball from Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly on his left hand and exited the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Valdez has 14 home runs in his first 38 career games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Astros' 4-run small-ball rally in ninth inning sinks Angels
Jul 27, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels second baseman Vaughn Grissom (5) hits a home run during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images LaMonte Wade Jr. drove in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded walk during a four-run ninth inning as the Houston Astros rallied for a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday in Anaheim, Calif.
The decisive rally featured just one hit, a single that did not knock in a run.
Taylor Trammell homered, walked twice, was hit by a pitch and scored twice as Houston took the opener of a three-game series, its sixth win in seven games. The Astros trailed 4-0 after three innings.
Astros reliever Cristian Javier (1-1) allowed three hits and no walks over five shutout innings, striking out seven. Josh Hader pitched around two walks in the bottom of the ninth to pick up his 13th save.
Vaughn Grissom went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs for Los Angeles, which lost for the ninth time this season when leading after eight innings. Jose Fermin (3-2) was charged with three runs, one earned, while recording only one out.
Houston trailed 4-2 entering the ninth. Trammell was hit by a pitch to open the inning, advanced to second on a passed ball and went to third on a single by Christian Walker. Lucas Spence then hit a potential double-play grounder that bounced past Grissom at second, allowing Trammell to score.
It looked as if the Angels might get out of the jam when Christian Vazquez popped out on a bunt and pinch runner Nick Allen was thrown out at the plate on Jeremy Pena’s grounder to third. However, after Yordan Alvarez was intentionally walked to load the bases, reliever Sam Bachman hit Isaac Paredes with a pitch to force in the tying run, then walked Wade to make it 5-4.
Bachman subsequently mishandled Jose Altuve’s comebacker, allowing Alvarez to score.
Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Astros starter Tatsuya Imai walked Zach Neto and Mike Trout to begin the frame, and both runners advanced on a balk. Nolan Schanuel drove in Neto with a sacrifice fly as Trout tagged and advanced to third. After Jorge Soler walked, Grissom singled to drive in Trout.
The Angels extended the lead to 4-0 in the third inning on Grissom’s seventh homer, a 395-foot drive to left-center, and Jo Adell’s RBI bloop double down the right field line.
Houston cut the gap to 4-1 in the fourth inning on Trammell’s fifth home run, a 412-foot shot into the bleachers in right-center.
The Astros closed within 4-2 in the eighth inning when Pena led off with a double into the left field corner and scored on a single by Alvarez, his American League-leading 78th RBI.
–Field Level Media
Cubs ring up 14 hits in series-opening win over Cardinals
Brandon Lowe's heroics help Pirates down Diamondbacks in 10
