Sports
Dillon Brooks, Suns seek to cool down streaking Cavaliers
Jan 29, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) reacts against the Detroit Pistons in the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Phoenix Suns distributed “Dillon the Villain” T-shirts to fans on Thursday.
Dillon Brooks turned it into more than just a fashion statement.
Brooks scored a career-high 40 points and made four 3-pointers as the Suns opened a back-to-back set with a 114-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.
“I didn’t want to disappoint and lose on my villain night,” Brooks said in a postgame TV interview.
The Suns on Friday night will host the streaking Cleveland Cavaliers, who are in a four-team scramble for the second seed in the Eastern Conference behind the Pistons. The Cavaliers have won a season-high five games in a row.
“I was just getting to my spots, something I work on every day,” Brooks said. “My teammates and my coaches are trusting my work, my shooting, and my scoring ability.
“I’m just in a flow state (as the game progress), just trying to keep scoring, keep playing hard, not give into the fatigue and try to win the game.”
Brooks added eight rebounds and four assists as the Suns won their second straight game without leading scorer Devin Booker (sprained ankle) while finding their outside shooting touch.
Collin Gillespie made five 3-pointers and Grayson Allen added four for the Suns, who were 16 of 42 from beyond the arc. They were 12 of 55 from long distance in the last two games.
Suns coach Jordan Ott said he was unaware of the Brooks T-shirt giveaway until afterward.
“We can give it away every night if it looks like that,” said Ott, a Cleveland assistant last season.
The Cavaliers blew out the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 129-99 in their most recent game Wednesday.
Cleveland has won seven of its past eight games as it enters the first contest of a five-game road trip that includes games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets.
Donovan Mitchell had a team-high 25 points Wednesday for the Cavaliers, who outscored the Lakers 72-44 in the second half. Second-year wing Jaylon Tyson had 20 points, six assists and six rebounds while making his eighth straight start alongside Mitchell.
“Our intensity level on both ends of the floor,” Mitchell said of the reason for the recent success in a postgame TV interview. “Not getting too high, not getting too low. Starting the games off strong. That is what we do, find ways to be connected and be together. And this guy (Tyson) has been phenomenal.”
Mitchell averages 29.4 points per game, fifth-best in the league, and has 170 3-pointers, one behind Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry for the league lead.
While Mitchell has been a constant, Tyson’s strong play has helped mitigate the injury losses of starting guard Darius Garland (toe) and center Evan Mobley (calf). Garland has missed the last seven games, and Mobley will sit out his second straight contest.
“There is a lot more required of both of us,” Mitchell said. “We’re ready to step up.”
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said he has been “blown away” by the play of Tyson, who is averaging 13.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 44 games (29 starts).
“It bodes really well for our future if we can get a 6-foot-7 wing, kind of a secondary playmaker,” Atkinson said.
The coach said he would not call the victory over the Lakers’ a “statement” win but did say there are “wins that feel better … LeBron (James) here, and it’s the Lakers. I think that’s important. You don’t want to go into this long, tough road trip with a loss.”
James, a longtime former Cavaliers star and fan favorite, was held to 11 points as he suffered his worst defeat in Cleveland as a visiting player.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Twins vs. Guardians Prediction: Best Bets for Tuesday's AL Central Showdown
Jun 18, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Parker Messick (77) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images The Minnesota Twins (49-52) and Cleveland Guardians (53-48) meet for the second installment in a four-game series at Progressive Field on Tuesday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.
The Twins are looking to bounce back after the Guardians routed them 13-4 despite the presence of All-Star RHP Joe Ryan on the bump. Cleveland knocked him around for eight runs and 10 hits in just four innings, and he was out there serving up batting practice. Ryan tied a major league record, while setting a Twins franchise record, by serving up six home runs.
The Guardians swatted seven homers on Monday night, and it was the sixth time in Indians/Guardians history that the team has belted at least seven home runs in a single game. Rhys Hoskins swatted a pair of solo home runs, while Petey Halpin also had two homers and three RBI out of the ninth spot. All-Star Travis Bazzana, Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio also left the yard. Chase DeLauter had two singles and two doubles in five at-bats, while driving in three runs.
Tuesday Twins vs. Guardians best bet
Now, the Guardians turn to their All-Star, LHP Parker Messick (8-5, 2.73 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) for Tuesday’s game. He is 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 58 ⅓ IP in 10 home starts, and he has allowed just two homers in those outings. In other words, Ryan has allowed three times as many home runs at Progressive Field in four innings than Messick has allowed in 10 outings.
The rookie LHP Kendry Rojas (1-1, 2.79 ERA, 1.60 WHIP) makes his third start and ninth career appearance. It’s his first start since serving as the opener for two innings in a 12-3 loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 23. He twirled four scoreless innings in his only other start against the Houston Astros on May 18. This will be his first-career road start.
Our Current Best Offers
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Minnesota is skidding hard, losing three in a row, while getting outscored 29-7 in the nosedive. The Over has cashed in the past two games, allowing 11.5 runs per game (RPG).
Cleveland is 2-2 in four games out of the All-Star break, while the Over has cashed in each of its past two games, too. The Guardians are 6-2 in the past eight games, while the Under is still 6-2 in the eight-game span since July 9.
The Twins are 23-27 on the road this season, while going 14-14 inside the AL Central Division. Against left-handed starting pitchers, Minnesota is just 13-18 this season.
The Guardians have a 26-24 mark at home, while going 16-11 inside the division, although they’re just 2-4 in the past six games against the AL Central. Cleveland is 21-12 vs. LHP in 33 encounters this season, too.
There is a 50 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms around first pitch, with the weather expected to mostly clear out by 9:00 p.m. ET, so there could be a potential delay. The good news is that the rains should keep the smoke and haze from the Canadian wildfires to a minimum. If it was dry, the air quality might be an issue, with the winds blowing out of the west-northwest from 10-15 mph. That means winds will be blowing from left field to right field, which could aid right-handed hitters against left-handed starters. As such, our top play in this game is the OVER 8 (-115). In addition, with Messick against an opener, it’s surprising the GUARDIANS (-150) aren’t favored by quite a bit more.
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Sports
'Relentless' Royals picking up steam entering rematch vs. Giants
Jul 20, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Nick Loftin (12) is doused with water after hitting a walk off bunt during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images The Kansas City Royals have built some momentum since returning from the All-Star break, while the San Francisco Giants continue to struggle.
After opening their three-game series against the Giants with a dramatic victory on Monday, the Royals can secure their third straight winning home series by handing the Giants a fourth straight loss on Tuesday night.
American League Central cellar-dwelling Kansas City improved to 3-1 on its post-All-Star break homestand despite squandering a 3-1 lead with two outs in the ninth inning on Monday, courtesy of Willy Adames’ two-run homer.
However, Nick Loftin brought home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth with a squeeze bunt for the Royals’ second walk-off win of the homestand.
“We’re a very relentless team,” Loftin told Royals.TV. “We’re just all clicking together.”
Loftin entered the game after All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. exited with lingering lower back tightness.
The status of Witt, who was rested during the Royals’ 19-2 loss to San Diego on Sunday, is uncertain for Tuesday’s game.
Meanwhile, fellow star teammate Salvador Perez is batting .300 in his last 11 games. He moved within one home run of tying George Brett’s all-time franchise mark of 317 after hitting a two-run shot Monday.
“Just trying to do my job. … Help my team to win,” Perez said.
Perez has five home runs in 19 career games vs. San Francisco, which is 1-3 on its six-game trip since coming out of the break. He’s 2-for-6 with a homer against scheduled Giants starter Tyler Mahle (2-8, 5.31 ERA), who will look to build on one of his better outings of the season.
The right-hander yielded three walks and five hits, but only one run, over seven innings of San Francisco’s 4-2 victory over Colorado on July 11.
“I’m a big believer that preparation pays off. If he has (more performances like his last), eventually he’s going to get wins under his belt,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said of Mahle.
That solid effort came at home, where Mahle is 2-3 with a 3.00 ERA in eight starts this season. However, in seven road starts, he is 0-5 with a hefty 8.45 ERA.
Mahle is 1-0 with an 0.73 ERA in three career starts against the Royals, allowing only a Vinnie Pasquantino solo homer over 12 2/3 innings. The most recent came in 2023 while pitching for Minnesota.
The Giants showed some mettle Monday before losing for the 10th time in 13 road games.
“A loss is gonna be the same way, regardless,” Vitello said. “No matter how it goes down, you don’t like it.”
San Francisco’s Heliot Ramos hit his ninth home run of the season Monday. Two homers have come during his current 10-game road hitting streak.
Kansas City is slated to counter Tuesday with right-hander Luinder Avila (4-3, 5.08 ERA), who will face the Giants for the first time as he remains in a Royals rotation that’s been ravaged by injuries,
Avila is 4-2 with a 5.87 ERA in nine starts this season. He most recently allowed three runs, three walks and seven hits over five innings in his team’s 5-3 loss at Baltimore on July 10.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Odell Beckham Jr.'s Giants Return Comes With Plenty of Questions
Odell Beckham Jr. watched Sunday’s World Cup final at his once and future NFL home digs amid scores of luminaries from sports, stage and screen.
The New York Giants wide receiver hopes to inspire pandemonium, not absorb it, during his forthcoming visits to what again can be called MetLife Stadium. Until then, Beckham Jr. is drawing attention for behavior beyond football as his Giants reunion begins.
Welcome back to real life, if not reality.
In June, OBJ signed a one-year, veteran minimum contract with New York that’s worth up to $1.3 million, per reports. A few weeks later, he discussed the hypotheticals of earning much more, delivering an opinion that made him look disjointed and entitled.
Again, welcome back to – well, you know.
During an appearance on the Pivot podcast, Beckham said that a five-year, $100 million NFL contract – a sum now well beyond the 33-year-old’s grasp – isn’t enough money.
Said Beckham: “It’s five years for $60 million; you’re getting taxed.”
He then asserted that his own spending habits, roughly $4 million per year, would spare him a measly $40 million. Then there’s the matter of taking care of friends and family.
“Can you make that last forever?” Beckham said.
Apparently, you can stretch a fraction of that sum to catch the conclusion of Spain’s dominant run to a world soccer title, anyway.
Beckham posted about his Sunday-afternoon whereabouts on Instagram, including a photo of him alongside Giants quarterback Jaxon Dart. The duo certainly looked cool, with OBJ showing the swagger of the youngster who earned AP Offensive Rookie of the Year with New York in 2014 while collecting 5,476 receiving yards and 44 touchdown receptions over his first five seasons with Big Blue.
To what extent Beckham can channel that production in his second stint remains to be seen. For all the flash he brings and the many feel-good voyages down Memory Lane his signing provided, Beckham shouldn’t project as a lynchpin as the John Harbaugh Era dawns.
OBJ played in only nine games with the Miami Dolphins in 2024, finishing with nine catches for 55 yards before he received a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. He sat out the 2025 season and hasn’t caught a touchdown pass since Week 14 in 2023, when he played for the Baltimore Ravens.
New York brought Beckham back while adding a slew of fellow veteran wideouts – including Darnell Mooney, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Braxton Berrios and Calvin Austin – to a receiver room that lost Wan’Dale Robinson to free agency (Tennessee) and is navigating numerous offseason injuries.
In May, Gunner Olszewski suffered a torn Achilles during OTAs. Darius Slayton had core-muscle surgery in the spring but continues to recover and was among the 80,000-plus at MetLife for Spain-Argentina.
Malik Nabers, meanwhile, appears on track to return after tearing his ACL in Week 4 of last season following a standout rookie year.
The Giants hope at least one of their veterans can slide into a starting role to augment their budding youngsters.
While OBJ’s output isn’t the proverbial money in the bank of a decade ago, you can bet his pursuit of a second chance in New York will net plenty of chatter.
He’s due back at MetLife in a little under one month; the Giants host the Minnesota Vikings in their preseason opener on Aug. 15.
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Twins vs. Guardians Prediction: Best Bets for Tuesday's AL Central Showdown
