Sports
High-scoring Cavaliers put unbeaten streak on line vs. Magic
Oct 30, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) warms up before the game between the Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson has made an immediate impact in his first season with the Cavaliers, who are off to the franchise’s best start since 2016-17.
After opening the season with five straight wins, the Cavaliers strive to remain unbeaten when they face the visiting Orlando Magic on Friday.
Orlando began its five-game road trip with a 102-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday after being held to 12 points in the fourth quarter.
The Magic will need a more consistent effort to keep pace with Cleveland, which has scored at least 110 points in all five games. The Cavaliers are thriving under Atkinson, who has made fourth-year forward Evan Mobley a centerpiece of the team’s offense.
“Sharing the ball and having Evan up at the top, being the distributor, he’s been doing an excellent job running our offense, basically,” Cleveland center Jarrett Allen said. “We put a lot through him. It just gets everybody open.”
Mobley scored 25 points in 19 minutes in a 134-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Donovan Mitchell added 24 points and Allen recorded his third double-double of the season with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Cleveland also received a spark off the bench from Caris LeVert, who scored 16 points in 22 minutes. The 30-year-old guard is shooting 68.8 percent from the field and 64.3 percent from 3-point range.
The Cavaliers began Thursday with the NBA’s top offensive rating at 123.4, just ahead of the Boston Celtics.
“We’ve got a ways to go,” Atkinson said. “We’re developing, we’re still learning each other. Still a work in progress. But feels like we’re headed in the right direction.”
Friday’s game features a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference first-round playoff series, which Cleveland won in seven games.
Orlando forward Paolo Banchero is off to an impressive start after scoring 30-plus points in three of his first five games, including 50 on Monday against Indiana. However, Banchero was listed as questionable to face Cleveland due to a right abdominal strain.
Banchero had 31 points in Wednesdays’ loss to Chicago, while Jalen Suggs had 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. The Magic led by as many as 20 points in the first half before Chicago rallied in the third quarter and emerged with the victory.
“I think we settled too much, myself included, in that second half. Settling on too many jumpers as a team, not attacking the paint,” Banchero said. “But to their credit, they did a good job walling off and plugging the gaps in the second half.”
Orlando is shooting 34.6 percent from 3-point range and will need to improve on that mark against Cleveland, which leads the league at 41.1 percent.
Guard Gary Harris said the Magic have made 3-point shooting a point of emphasis this season. Orlando is one of 10 teams averaging at least 40 3-point attempts, and Harris said the goal is to maintain that pace.
“We definitely have to get up more threes,” Harris said. “You see how the league is trending, getting up shots. We definitely harped on the spacing all summer, especially in training camp. Just trying to keep the spacing, so if we have open shots, open looks, we take them. Then if we don’t, we give space for our guys to work.”
Orlando is monitoring the status of forward Franz Wagner, who has been limited in the past two games due to illness. He had seven points, three rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes against Chicago before exiting early in the fourth quarter. He is officially questionable for Friday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s two home runs power Yankees over Pirates
Jul 20, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run home run during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered twice as the New York Yankees produced one of their better showings at home of late in an 8-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.
The Yankees won for the third time in their past 12 home games. New York scored its most runs in a home game since a 10-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox on June 17 thanks to Chisholm, who also hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning in Sunday’s 2-1 win over the Dodgers in the nightcap of a doubleheader.
Chisholm homered in the first and third off Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft (9-4) and produced his 10th career multi-homer game.
He lifted a 1-1 curveball into the right field seats for a three-run homer that gave the Yankees a 4-0 lead after the Pirates committed two errors on Paul Goldschmidt’s grounder.
Chisholm gave the Yankees a 6-5 lead with a two-run drive off Ashcraft’s slider into the second deck that just stayed fair.
Chisholm’s second homer occurred after rookie Esmerlyn Valdez hit a 431-foot two-run home run that gave the Pirates a 5-4 lead in the top of the third. Valdez’s drive to right gave him an RBI in eight straight games and 13 homers in the first 32 games of his career.
Jose Caballero hit a two-run bases-loaded double in New York’s four-run third when it had six hits and Ben Rice scored when Pittsburgh left fielder Bryan Reynolds committed a throwing error after third baseman Nick Gonzales misplayed Goldschmidt’s grounder.
Jared Triolo hit a two-run double in the second and scored on an RBI single by Gonzales as the Pirates were unable to tie a season high by moving five games over .500.
New York’s Ryan Weathers allowed five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. The left-hander struck out five and walked two before four relievers followed.
Angel Chivili (1-0) pitched 1 1/3 innings and Fernando Cruz notched the final four outs for his second save of the season.
In the eighth, benches briefly cleared after Caballero hit an inning-ending double play against Dennis Santana. Santana started yelling at Caballero and was restrained by teammates Rafael Flores Jr. and Bryan Reynolds before order was restored after a few minutes without an ejection.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Milwaukee roughs up former Brewer Freddy Peralta, beat Mets
Jul 20, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz (3) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the New York Mets at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Joey Ortiz had a three-run homer, and Andrew Vaughn and Cooper Pratt added solo shots to pace the Milwaukee Brewers to an 8-3 victory over the visiting New York Mets and former teammate Freddy Peralta on Monday in the opener of the three-game series.
Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski, who skipped his last start before the All-Star break due to arm fatigue, allowed one unearned run before exiting after four innings and 65 pitches. Two of the four hits allowed by the hard-throwing right-hander were infield singles. He struck out six and walked one.
The National League Central-leading Brewers, who have opened the second half with four consecutive victories, scored five runs in the first three innings off Peralta (5-9), traded to the Mets in the offseason after eight seasons in Milwaukee.
Jackson Chourio drew a one-out walk in the first and Brice Turang followed with an RBI double. Garrett Mitchell’s two-out single scored Chourio for a 2-0 lead.
Pratt made it 3-0 in the second with his first career home run, sending an 0-1 pitch 393 feet to left-center.
The Mets responded with an unearned run in the third. Francisco Alvarez singled to open, advanced to third on an error by Vaughn at first base, and came home on a double-play grounder by Juan Soto.
Vaughn answered in the bottom half with his third homer following a two-out double by Mitchell to extend the lead to 5-1.
Ortiz made it 8-1 in the sixth with his fifth home run. Jake Bauers walked with one out and Pratt singled, chasing Peralta. Xzavion Curry relieved and Ortiz sent an 0-1 curveball 373 feet to left.
Peralta, facing his former team for the first time, was tagged for seven runs on eights hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking two in a 107-pitch outing.
Craig Yoho (2-0) followed Misiorowski with one scoreless inning. Veteran right-hander Lance McCullers Jr., acquired in a trade with Houston last week to bolster the Brewers injury-riddled staff, relieved and retired seven straight before allowing two runs in the eighth.
–Field Level Media
Sports
A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young guide Aces to rout of Tempo
Jul 20, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Tempo forward Maria Conde (10) controls the ball as Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) tries to defend during the third quarter at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images After losing by 34 points in their previous game, the Las Vegas Aces returned to form in a 109-83 road win over the Toronto Tempo on Monday.
Veteran stars A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young scored 26 and 24 points, respectively, to power the Aces’ highest-scoring game of the season on a 45-of-78 shooting night (57.7%).
Wilson shot 11-for-14 from the field, and the four-time MVP added six rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots. Young was 10-for-17 shooting and contributed 12 assists to make it a double-double.
Las Vegas (18-7) never trailed after a 12-4 run to end the first period. The Aces shot 61% in the first half and built a 60-44 halftime edge before pushing the advantage as far as 28 points after intermission.
Wilson scored 19 of her points before halftime, and her bucket and foul shot with 24.7 seconds left in the second quarter gave Las Vegas its 16-point cushion.
NaLyssa Smith shot 9-for-10 en route to 18 points and five boards and Chelsea Gray tallied 14 points and seven assists. Jewell Loyd added 11 more points off the bench.
The Tempo struggled without head coach Sandy Brondello, who was suspended by the WNBA for the game due to inappropriate comments made about Atlanta forward Angel Reese. Brondello apologized for her remark and the Tempo were led for the evening by associate head coach Olaf Lange.
Toronto (10-16) has now lost seven of its last eight games. Isabelle Harrison matched Wilson with 26 points on 8-for-11 shooting and added 11 rebounds.
High-scoring guard Marina Mabrey had averaged 21.3 points per game coming in, good for third in the league among qualified players, but shot 5-for-21 Monday for 14 points. Maria Conde added 15 points and eight boards for the Tempo.
Reserve Nyara Sabally missed the game with a rib injury after scoring 16 points in Toronto’s previous game.
–Field Level Media
Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s two home runs power Yankees over Pirates
Milwaukee roughs up former Brewer Freddy Peralta, beat Mets
