Sports
Ja back, Grizzlies going deep as they hit Houston
Oct 23, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) reacts to being called for a foul during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images Memphis guard Ja Morant proved the anticipation over his return to the Grizzlies was justified in the season opener on Wednesday.
Morant lost 73 games last season to suspension and injury last season but it was hard to tell he’d been away with 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in a 126-124 road win over the Utah Jazz.
Yet the production from forward Santi Aldama was equally noteworthy. Starting in the stead of Jaren Jackson Jr. (hamstring), Aldama poured in 27 points – one shy of his career high – and five rebounds to help Morant steer a balanced offensive attack for the Grizzlies, who will remain on the road when facing the Houston Rockets on Friday.
Aldama emerged last season as a starter in 35 games for the injury-plagued Grizzlies and averaged 10.7 points with 5.8 rebounds. His perimeter shooting is valuable for Memphis, given Morant and his penchant to get downhill with the ball in pursuit of spectacular rim attacks. Aldama hit five 3-pointers against the Jazz in a preview of how potent the pairing could be.
“He’s got a lot of potential going into his fourth year,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said of Aldama. “He’s grown a lot. He’s played a lot of different roles for us: he’s come off the bench, he’s been a starter, he’s played in super big lineups, sometimes he had to play at the five. Hopefully, when we’re fully healthy I still think he can make an extreme impact at a lot of different positions.
“Going into his fourth year I think he’s learned a lot and he understands the impact he can have. We’re going to keep challenging him to do that.”
Jenkins used an 11-man rotation at Utah — all 11 recorded double digits in minutes. The Grizzlies’ depth is a development worth noting, particularly given that Morant can serve as a singular force and any support to his offensive workload could prove especially beneficial.
“I haven’t played 11 guys probably in my time in Memphis,” Jenkins said. “I thought all 11 guys contributed in different forms or fashions, different stages of the game.
“Overall, bench guys set the tone. These guys are taking advantage of the opportunity. We’ll see what we do moving forward, how deep we play it, but that’s got to be a strength of ours moving forward, our bench.”
While the Rockets opened this season touting their depth, it didn’t exactly come to fruition in their 110-105 home loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. Houston coughed up an 18-point, first-half lead in the setback with only one reserve, Amen Thompson, scoring in double figures.
Thompson finished with 13 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes while the four other reserves who participated totaled 15 points on 7-for-16 shooting. Cam Whitmore was the only reserve to post a positive plus/minus at plus-4.
“We have a rotation that we look at (and) like, and depending on how guys play those minutes can get extended,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “I didn’t love our end of third, start of fourth, so I went back with the starters there. We do have depth and I think the first time the bench came in the first half they extended (the lead). You kind of roll with them and let guys play it through and see what happens. But it’s going to be a good problem to have all year.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Right-handers for Giants, Brewers out to cap successful July with win
Jul 22, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Landen Roupp (65) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images A pair of young right-handers attempting to complete an unbeaten month of July will go head-to-head Tuesday night when Logan Henderson and the Milwaukee Brewers take on Landen Roupp and the host San Francisco Giants in the continuation of a three-game series.
The Giants opened the set with a 3-0 victory Monday, getting brilliant pitching from Tyler Mahle and a two-run homer from Grant McCray.
Roupp (7-8, 3.93 ERA) will attempt to successfully follow in Mahle’s footsteps as he looks to continue the form that led to a fast start this season before a two-month slump.
The 27-year-old began the season 5-1 through the end of April, but then started 11 consecutive losses, seven of which went on his record, in May and June.
The third-year major-leaguer has regained his winning form in July, however, going 2-0 with wins against the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. He took a no-decision against the Kansas City Royals in a 5-4 win last Wednesday. He has allowed just three runs and nine hits in 21 innings.
Roupp’s earlier skid reached its greatest depth when he suffered through his worst outing of the season in a 16-2 loss at Milwaukee on June 1, charged with eight runs in four innings. The loss ran his career record against the Brewers to 0-2 with a 7.16 ERA in five games, including three starts.
Jackson Chourio’s two-run double and Brice Turang’s two-RBI triple, hit consecutively, were the big blows against Roupp in the earlier head-to-head in Milwaukee.
Henderson (4-1, 3.05) has had a similar month. Like Roupp, he is 2-0 with a no-decision in July. The Brewers have won all three Henderson starts, games against the St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins and New York Mets.
In just his second major-league season, the 24-year-old Henderson went winless in his first three starts in 2026 before going unbeaten in his past five. He has allowed just six runs and 11 hits in 15 1/3 innings in July.
His July starts followed almost a six-week layoff due to back soreness. But he watched closely, especially the games of hard-throwing staff ace Jacob Misiorowski, who clearly inspires him.
“It never gets old, and he’s taking it up a notch every start,” Henderson told reporters recently. “I feel privileged to have a front-row seat every game.”
Henderson never has faced the Giants.
One player Henderson definitely won’t see will be Giants slugger Casey Schmitt, who strained his right knee rounding first base after a hit in the second inning of the opener and had to be removed from the game.
The Giants announced after the game that Schmitt, whose hit raised his average to .271, would undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
San Francisco manager Tony Vitello said after the game that he feared Schmitt could miss “significant” time.
“He’s a little bummed out. He loves to play every day,” Vitello told reporters after the win. “Scary moment for him. He was really struggling just to move around. Heart’s got to go out to him and you hope for the best.”
– Field Level Media
Sports
French legend Zinedine Zidane to coach national team
Jul 26, 2024; Paris, FRANCE; Zinedine Zidane during the Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games along the Seine River. Mandatory Credit: Andrew P. Scott-Imagn Images Zinedine Zidane, who led France to the 1998 World Cup championship, has been named the next coach of the French men’s national team.
He replaces Didier Deschamps, 57, who had been at the helm since 2012. Deschamps said in January 2025 that he intended to retire at the end of the 2026 World Cup, in which France lost 6-4 to England in the third-place match.
The deal with Zidane, announced Tuesday, is for four years, and he officially will begin his job on Aug. 1. His staff is expected to be revealed in September.
Zidane, 54, entered coaching after his playing days, and his Real Madrid teams won three consecutive Champions Leagues finals (2016-18) and two LaLiga titles.
He resigned from his job in Madrid five years ago and has not coached since, long projected as the successor to Deschamps.
“For me it’s a continuity, a dream,” Zidane said. “I had some offers during the five years I was away to take charge of a club but I turned them all down for the France team. It was the only thing I wanted to do.”
And Zidane said he is ready to get to work.
“I have so many emotions, I am ready for the challenge,” he said. “That’s what motivates me.
“Today I have the opportunity to be in charge of this team and I will give everything so that this team can win.”
Zidane will make his coaching debut with the national team on Sept. 25, when he leads France against Turkey in their first match of this UEFA Nations League schedule.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Luca Van Assche beats Alexander Blockx in Portugal for first title
Jul 31, 2024; Washington, DC, USA; Luca Van Assche (FRA) hits a forehand against Andrey Rublev (not pictured) on day five of the Mubadala Citi DC Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Luca Van Assche of France secured his first ATP title when he posted a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory over Belgium’s Alexander Blockx on Sunday in the Estoril Open final in Portugal.
Van Assche, 22, converted 8 of 13 break points and overcame eight double faults to win in two hours and 24 minutes on the clay surface. He is the ATP’s 10th first-time winner this year.
Blockx, 21, had seven aces and seven double faults while playing in his first title match. He rallied from a 3-0 hole in the third set to tie it 5-5 before Van Assche closed it out by winning two straight games.
The championship match was the first between players born in 2004 or later.
–Field Level Media
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