Sports
Heat smash Bulls to win rare regular-season 3-game series
Feb 1, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) looks to pass as Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) defends during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Bam Adebayo and Pelle Larsson scored 20 points each as the host Miami Heat routed the Chicago Bulls 134-91 on Sunday night.
The Heat, who never trailed, won the season series 3-1. Miami led by as many as 54 points.
Miami point guard Davion Mitchell, who had been out with a shoulder injury, returned and provided 13 points and six assists. The Heat won convincingly despite still being without two starters in Tyler Herro (ribs) and Norman Powell (personal reasons).
Powell, 32, was named an NBA All-Star for the first time on Sunday.
Chicago was led by Coby White, who had 16 points.
Two Bulls starters returned to the starting lineup. Nikola Vucevic, who missed Saturday’s game due to rest, and White, who had a calf injury. Vucevic scored 12 points.
The Bulls were still without Josh Giddey (hamstring), Zach Collins (toe), Jalen Smith (calf) and Tre Jones (hamstring).
This was the third game between these teams in four days, the first time in 54 years that two NBA teams played three straight regular-season games against each other.
Miami, which got off to an 8-0 start and a few minutes later had a 14-0 run, led 34-13 by the end of the first quarter.
Larsson led all first-quarter scorers with 13 points. It’s the highest-scoring quarter of his brief NBA career as Miami shot 50%. Chicago shot just 20%, making 1 of 12 3-pointers.
The second quarter featured 12 points by Adebayo as Miami increased its lead to 62-40 at halftime.
Chicago shot poorly again in the second quarter – 32% overall and 1-for-9 from deep.
Miami stretched its lead to 101-62 by the end of the third quarter, and it was more of the same in the fourth.
For the game, Miami outscored Chicago in the paint 72-44. Miami shot 50.5% from the floor and made 14 of 38 3-pointers (36.8%). Chicago shot 32.2% from the floor and 6-for-41 from deep (14.6%).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Casey Mize fires 6-plus strong innings as Tigers handle Brewers
Apr 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Kevin McGonigle (7) hits an RBI double against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Spencer Torkelson hit his first homer of the season, a two-run shot, and Kerry Carpenter added a solo blast as the host Detroit Tigers downed the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 on Wednesday.
Torkelson, who hit 31 homers last season, made a winner of starter Casey Mize. In six-plus innings, Mize (2-1) gave up one run and three hits while walking three and striking out seven.
Kenley Jansen escaped a ninth-inning jam to record his sixth save.
Detroit’s Riley Greene had two hits and scored a run, Colt Keith supplied two hits and an RBI and Kevin McGonigle scored a run and knocked in another.
DL Hall served as an opener for the Brewers. He tossed two scoreless innings before Chad Patrick (1-1) took over. Patrick allowed four runs and six hits in four innings, with one walk and two strikeouts.
William Contreras and Jake Bauers knocked in Milwaukee’s runs in the middle game of a three-game series. The decisive game of the set is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
The Brewers opened the scoring in the third inning. Brice Turang drew a two-out walk, stole second and came home on Contreras’ single.
Detroit took the lead for good in the fourth. Greene ripped a one-out double to center. Torkelson then clobbered a Patrick sinker 400 feet over the left-center-field wall to make it 2-1.
The Tigers stretched their lead to 4-1 in the fifth. Javier Baez led off with a single. One out later, McGonigle battled through a 10-pitch at-bat before drilling a double off the right field wall to score Baez. McGonigle moved to third on a groundout and scored on Keith’s line single to right.
Milwaukee cut Detroit’s lead to 4-2 in the eighth. Pinch hitter Luis Rengifo led off with a single. He advanced on a groundout and scored on Bauers’ two-out single off Will Vest.
Detroit got that run back in the bottom of the inning on Carpenter’s blast to right off Carlos Rodriguez. It was Carpenter’s fifth homer of the year.
The Brewers made it interesting in the ninth, loading the bases with two outs. Turang then bounced out to first to end the contest.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Iran 'fully prepared' to participate in World Cup
Dec 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Shaquille O’Neal draws the card of Iran for Group G during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images Despite the ongoing conflict at home, the Iran men’s national soccer team is “fully prepared” to participate in the World Cup this summer, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported.
The team’s involvement was called into question after the United States and Israel began air attacks on Iran in February. The World Cup will be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada, but all of Iran’s group-stage games are scheduled to be in the United States.
Mohajerani reported that the Iranian Ministry of Youth and Sports has handled the logistics involved in having the soccer team play in the U.S.
Last month, Iran sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said on state television, “Considering that this corrupt regime (in the U.S.) has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup. Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist.”
The next day, President Donald Trump posted on social media, “The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
FIFA subsequently refused a request from Iran to have its Group G matches moved to Mexico. Iran is due to play New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, both in Inglewood, Calif., then Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who otherwise has closely allied himself with Trump, said last week, “The Iranian team is coming, for sure. Yes. We hope that by then of course the situation will be a peaceful situation. That would definitely help. But Iran has to come.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets' Francisco Lindor exits game due to calf injury
Apr 22, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) reacts after his RBI infield single against the Minnesota Twins during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor exited New York’s Wednesday game against the visiting Minnesota Twins after the fourth inning due to left calf tightness.
Lindor, who was on first base following a single, did not appear to be running at full speed as he circled the diamond and scored on Francisco Alvarez’s double. The 32-year-old grimaced while rounding third and remained on the ground for a few seconds after sliding in ahead of Victor Caratini’s tag to give the Mets — who have lost 12 straight — a 2-1 lead.
Lindor was injured the same day Juan Soto returned from a 15-game absence caused by a strained right calf. The Mets won their first three games after Soto was injured April 3 before beginning their losing streak.
Lindor has missed just 15 games total since his most recent IL stint, in 2021, when he missed more than five weeks due to a right oblique strain.
–Field Level Media
Casey Mize fires 6-plus strong innings as Tigers handle Brewers
Iran 'fully prepared' to participate in World Cup
