Sports
Blazers use balanced effort to sink Mavs, Kyrie Irving
Dec 28, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) drives to the basket during the first half against Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe (17) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Shaedon Sharpe had 23 points and Anfernee Simons added 22 points and eight assists to help the Portland Trail Blazers post a 126-122 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.
Deandre Ayton contributed 21 points and 16 rebounds and Deni Avdija recorded 21 points, five assists and five rebounds as Portland won its second straight game. Scoot Henderson had 19 points, six assists and five steals off the bench and Jerami Grant had 14 points and eight boards for the Trail Blazers.
Kyrie Irving scored 20 of his season-high 46 points in the final quarter for Dallas, which played without star Luka Doncic for the second straight night and fell to 7-3 without his services this season. Doncic will miss at least one month due to a left calf strain sustained on Christmas Day.
Spencer Dinwiddie had 17 points and eight rebounds, Daniel Gafford added 15 points and nine boards and Quentin Grimes scored 15 points off the bench for the Mavericks. Klay Thompson scored 12 points and reserve Jaden Hardy had 11.
In addition to Doncic, the Mavericks played without Dereck Lively II (hip), P.J. Washington (suspension) and Naji Marshall (suspension).
Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups missed his second straight game due to his grandmother’s death. Nate Bjorkgren served as acting coach for the second consecutive time.
Portland led 97-82 entering the fourth quarter, but Irving got hot and scored 13 points in the first 3:28 of the frame as the Mavericks pulled within 102-97.
Later in the quarter, Simons drove for a layup to give the Trail Blazers an eight-point lead with 1:30 to go.
Irving was called for an offensive foul on the other end with 1:21 remaining as Dallas tentatively lost momentum. But Dinwiddie’s 3-pointer with 32 seconds left brought the Mavericks within 124-119.
Ayton split two free throws with 30.5 seconds to play to make it a six-point margin and then stole the ball from Thompson on the other end. Avdija was fouled with 16 seconds left and split two free throws to make it a three-possession game before Portland closed the contest out.
Portland shot 50 percent from the field, going 11 of 26 from 3-point range. The Trail Blazers owned a 50-40 rebounding advantage.
The Mavericks made 48.3 percent of their shots overall and were 15 of 38 from behind the arc.
Portland opened up a 34-16 lead on Henderson’s basket with 2:11 left in the first quarter. The Trail Blazers led 36-25 entering the second quarter and 69-59 at halftime despite Irving’s 24 first-half points.
Portland’s lead topped out at 21 when Henderson’s layup made it 93-72 with 2:35 left in the third period.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Why Mike Tomlin Will Be Perfect Television Fit for NBC
Mike and mic loomed as a natural fit after the talkative Mike Tomlin resigned as Pittsburgh Steelers coach in January.
As with his Steelers teams of 19 seasons, Tomlin doesn’t figure to have a losing record as a TV studio analyst, either.
A report Tuesday from The Athletic cemented Tomlin’s long-anticipated transition. He’ll join the NBC “Sunday Night Football” pregame show “Football Night in America” beginning this season.
Surely, video editors and social media managers already have their popcorn ready.
That’s “popcorn” as in the salty snack, not the alternative definition Tomlin once served up during a press conference.
“You know, there’s been popcorn,” Tomlin said. “It hasn’t been any one man specifically; it’s been popcorn. But you can’t have popcorn.”
Asked to expound, Tomlin explained “popcorn” as: “A splattering of incidences. One here. One there. One there.”
That’s some tasty imagery, indeed.
Sustained coaching success boosted Tomlin’s profile as a would-be analyst. He guided Pittsburgh to a 193-114-2 regular-season record, while his 8-12 postseason mark included a 1-1 record in the Super Bowl.
His unique turns of phrase, however, set him apart. In a broadcast climate rife with programs and platforms for former players and coaches to fill, Tomlin, 54, should climb seamlessly into the mix at “FNIA,” a leading national brand.
“I think Mike is great at painting pictures, and those sayings, those Tomlinisms, they can immediately have a context,” Tony Dungy, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and Tomlin’s mentor, told NFL Films in 2021.
Per The Athletic, Fox also coveted Tomlin as a replacement for Jimmy Johnson, who’s retiring from its “Fox NFL Sunday” show.
At NBC, Tomlin will fill a void left by Dungy, who NBC did not retain for an 18th season. While various reports have stated that the “FNIA” lineup could undergo further shuffling, host Maria Taylor and analysts Jason Garrett and Devin McCourty are expected back.
In late 2015, “FNIA” explored Tomlin’s well-documented physical resemblance to actor Omar Epps, showing photos of either man and asking Steelers fans and Tomlin’s wife, Kiya, whether it was Tomlin.
Tomlin never should be confused with Epps’ Darnell Jefferson, the cocky freshman running back from 1993’s “The Program.” That character aimed to impress college coed Halle Berry with a forced, hyperintelligent vocabulary that indubitably would make Tomlin roll his eyes.
“I don’t think a lot about the things that I say, to be honest with you,” Tomlin once said when asked about the origins of his oft-celebrated, “The standard is the standard.”
He continued: “I’m just trying to use words to vividly capture the imagination of our guys so that they can remember the messages so they can somehow be ingrained in their mind so they can somehow make it come alive inside stadiums on the grass. By whatever means we get that done, I’m for it.”
Substitute “inside stadiums on the grass” with “on sofas across the nation,” and there’s Tomlin’s value to any network suitor.
NBC doesn’t want viewers to leave their couches, of course. But with Tomlin aboard, they may well leap from them – or at least sit up – while hanging on every word.
Sports
Nolan Schanuel, Jose Soriano help Angels defeat Blue Jays
Apr 22, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Mike Trout (27) runs after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images Nolan Schanuel homered and also had a three-run, go-ahead double and Jose Soriano continued his historic start to the season with five more shutout innings as the Los Angeles Angels snapped a four-game losing streak with a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif.
Soriano extended his scoreless inning streak to 24 2/3 innings while lowering his ERA to 0.24, the lowest ERA in a pitcher’s first six starts to a season since earned runs became official in both leagues (1913) with a minimum of 30 innings pitched. Soriano, who allowed seven hits and struck out four, has allowed just one run – a home run by Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin – in 37 2/3 innings. He also became the first pitcher since at least 1900 to allow one total run (or fewer) in his first six starts to a season.
Mike Trout homered, walked twice and scored twice and Logan O’Hoppe and Bryce Teodosio each had two hits for Los Angeles. Brent Suter (1-1) picked up the win, striking out two during one inning of hitless relief.
Ernie Clement went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Nathan Lukes and Andres Gimenez each had a double and two hits for Toronto, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Tommy Nance (0-2) suffered the loss allowing two runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on Jo Adell’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly, driving in O’Hoppe who had singled.
Schanuel made it 2-0 in the fourth when he led off the fourth with his third home run and first since March 28, a 371-foot line drive just over the fence in right-center.
Trout extended the lead to 3-0 in the fifth when he drilled a 428-foot homer to the back of the bullpen in left, his eighth of the season. It was the 796th extra-base hit of Trout’s career, tying the team record set by the late Garret Anderson.
Toronto parlayed a walk and three hits, including an RBI double by Lukes and an RBI single by Clement, into three runs in the seventh to tie it, 3-3.
The Angels answered with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to regain the lead, 7-3. Trout walked, stole second and went to third on a single by Adell. One out later, Yoan Moncada walked to load the bases. Schanuel then followed with an opposite-field double into the left field corner to clear the bases and give Los Angeles a 6-3 lead. Vaughn Grissom drove in Schanuel with a bloop single to right.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Raptors identify areas to improve while down 2-0 to Cavs in series
Apr 20, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) passes while being defended by Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) during the first half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images The Toronto Raptors need to decrease turnovers and get more scoring from Brandon Ingram on Thursday night in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff matchup against the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 after their wire-to-wire 115-105 home victory Monday.
The Cavaliers have defeated the Raptors in 12 consecutive playoff games to equal the NBA postseason record for a winning streak against one opponent.
The Raptors, who are home for Games 3 and 4, committed 22 turnovers Monday for a total of 40 leading to 44 points over the first two games.
“I think it really came down to turnovers,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said after Game 2. “They really cost us.”
Ingram, who often was Toronto’s top scorer in the regular season, had 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting in the first game, a 126-113 setback on Saturday, and seven points (3-for-15) on Monday.
“I’m confident I won’t miss all my shots and find a rhythm,” Ingram said at practice on Wednesday. “It’s tough when you feel like you’re not doing your job. But I like to sit in disappointment for a little bit, see where I went wrong, and then get back into the fight.”
“We need him to continue being aggressive in shooting,” Rajakovic said. “I’ve got absolute support for him. He’s going to make his shots.”
Cleveland forward Dean Wade scored eight total points over the two games, but he started both and is a key to the defense.
“We had it in the back of our minds to start Dean anyway because that five-man lineup has been so great for us all year,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson told cleveland.com after Game 2. “But the more we watched film as a staff, we just kept saying, (Ingram) is the head of the snake, so we need to put our best perimeter defender on him.’ That’s Dean.”
Wade, in his seventh season, all with the Cavaliers, said he enjoys the defensive role
“Sometimes, it’s a thankless job and I had to learn to love it,” he said. “But, man, I love it. I really do.”
Toronto center Jakob Poeltl also has struggled. He had two points and four rebounds in only 9:26 on Monday.
“He needs to be part of the solution for us,” Rajakovic said Wednesday. “He needs to be more aggressive. He needs to dominate the glass. … He’s going to be a big part of Game 3, and I believe he’s going to perform really well.”
The Raptors were without Immanuel Quickley (strained right hamstring) for the first two games, but the injury is improving.
“We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow,” Rajakovic said.
With Ingram struggling, Scottie Barnes led Toronto with 26 points on Monday and RJ Barrett added 22 points.
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points for Cleveland in Game 2, James Harden added 28 points and Evan Mobley scored 25 points.
The February trade for Harden, an 11-time All-Star guard and the league MVP in 2018, has helped Mitchell.
“I mean, I can go stand on the wing,” Mitchell said. “And like I always say, you have a guy that can create his own offense for himself and for others. … it just makes it tough (to defend).
“And there’s also possessions where you can just go stand in the corner and allow him to be him. It’s definitely better on the body, I’ll tell you that. That’s one thing.”
Atkinson agreed.
“That’s part of it, right?” the coach said. “Keeping (Mitchell’s) usage at a reasonable level. Donovan can get worn down. So again, these are reasons why you bring James Harden on board.”
–Field Level Media
Why Mike Tomlin Will Be Perfect Television Fit for NBC
Nolan Schanuel, Jose Soriano help Angels defeat Blue Jays
