Sports
Julius Randle feels fortunate to be 'wanted' by Wolves
Jan 1, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) is defended by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) while calling for the ball in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Once he got over the initial shock of being traded from the New York Knicks to the Minnesota Timberwolves last weekend, Julius Randle was excited to join another NBA title contender.
“You want to be somewhere where you feel wanted. I feel wanted here,” Randle said Thursday. “At this point in my career, I’ve accomplished a lot of great things on an individual level, but I want to win a championship. This is a perfect opportunity to do that.”
At a Thursday news conference, Randle was introduced along with Donte DiVincenzo and Keita Bates-Diop, who were acquired in the deal that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the Big Apple. The Wolves also landed a future first-round pick in the blockbuster deal.
Randle, 29, was a three-time All-Star in his five seasons with the Knicks, but a shoulder injury kept him out of their playoff run this spring.
Randle put up 24 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 2023-24. He is due to make $28.9 million in the 2024-25 season, and he has a $30.9 million player option for the following season.
“It was a breath of fresh air,” Randle said about the trade. “I’m excited to bring everything I’ve learned here over the past five years and help these guys out. My only thing here is I just want to help.
“I want to help (Anthony Edwards). I want to help Rudy (Gobert), Naz (Reid) — all those guys. I want to help win a championship, and that’s the only thing that matters.”
Per Wolves coach Chris Finch, who coached Randle in 2018-19 with the New Orleans Pelicans, the veteran is expected to be among the starting five.
“We feel we could end up one of the deeper teams in the league,” Finch said.
DiVincenzo improves that depth, joining a reserve corps highlighted by Reid, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year last season. DiVincenzo, who shot 40 percent from 3-point range, gives the Wolves a boost in that department as well after they finished 15th last season in made 3-pointers. The Villanova product is also looking forward to the various lineups the Wolves employ.
“That was a big part of why I’m so excited,” said the 27-year-old DiVincenzo, who has three years remaining on his contract for a total of almost $36 million. “You can play so many different lineups. Small, big, it doesn’t matter.”
DiVincenzo produced a career-high 15.5 points per game last season while adding 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NBA Finals ticket prices continue to plunge ahead of Game 4
Madison Square Garden before Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 8, 2026. Ticket prices for NBA Finals games continue to plummet with the get-in price ahead of Game 4 between the Knicks and San Antpnio Spurs dropping to $3,898 hours before the Wednesday night contest at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The get-in cost for the Knicks’ second home game of the series had skyrocketed to nearly $13,500 before New York’s loss in Game 3 on Monday. But the defeat means the Knicks can no longer sweep the series, which will extend to at least Game 5 in San Antonio.
That led to a drop in Game 4 get-in prices to $4,025 by Tuesday. The trend continued on Wednesday with the three-day average for the game now down 66% to $3,898, according to ticket tracking service TicketData.
And for the first time in the series, the three-day average for all remaining potential games have seen a decline — and now all are in double-digit decreases.
NBA FINALS GET-IN PRICES*
Game 4 — New York: $3,898 (down 66% past three days)
Game 5 — San Antonio: $1,414 (down 24%)
Game 6 — New York: $9,262 (down 19%)
Game 7 — San Antonio: $3,549 (down 18%)
*Source: TicketData
The soonest the Knicks could clinch their first NBA title in more than a half century is Game 5, which has the lowest get-in price among the remaining potential games. Should the series return to New York for Game 6, the get-in price has dropped below $10,000 for the first time since New York won Game 1 in San Antonio, but still remains by far the most expensive at $9,262.
For comparison, the past two Super Bowls had day-of-game get-in prices of $2,002 in 2025 and $3,251 this year. The average Super Bowl get-in price since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic has been $3,914, according to TicketData.
Outside of the World Cup and the Stanley Cup Final, the next-most expensive sporting event through the end of the year currently is UFC 329. The card featuring the return of Conor McGregor against Max Holloway currently has a get-in price of $1,369 and is set for July 11 in Las Vegas.
The Knicks opened the series as significant underdogs, but flipped to -140 favorites at BetMGM following their Game 1 victory. Now ahead 2-1 with up to two more games at home, New York is still the -185 favorite compared to San Antonio at +155.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Drew Rasmussen dominates as Rays finish sweep of Red Sox
Jun 10, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Taylor Walls (6) throws to first base against Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin (5) during the third inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images Drew Rasmussen struck out a career-high 13 batters over seven scoreless innings, and the Tampa Bay Rays held on for a 7-5, series-sweeping win over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon.
Rasmussen (6-2) allowed just two hits in the dominant outing. He struck out the side in order twice and did so again while working around a walk in his final frame. It marked the second straight outing in which Rasmussen threw seven shutout innings.
Nick Fortes went 4-for-4 with three runs scored to lead the Rays, including back-to-back doubles in his first two at-bats. Yandy Diaz added a 3-for-5 showing with one run scored and two RBIs.
After Ceddanne Rafaela’s three-run home run brought Boston within 5-4 in the top of the eighth, Cedric Mullins provided insurance for the Rays with a two-run shot out to right-center field.
Caleb Durbin accounted for half of Boston’s hits, going 3-for-4 with solo homers in the eighth and ninth innings.
Rasmussen mowed down the Red Sox in the early going, striking out the side in order twice while facing the minimum through the first four innings.
After Boston counterpart Jake Bennett (1-2) fanned three of his first six batters, the Rays manufactured the opening run after Fortes hit a leadoff double just off the top of the left-center field wall in the third. Fortes advanced to third on Mullins’ sacrifice bunt and scored on a Taylor Walls sacrifice fly.
The Rays knocked around Bennett for four hits in five batters to begin the fifth, upping their lead to 4-0. Fortes sparked the inning with a second opening double before back-to-back singles by Taylor Walls and Yandy Diaz plated another run.
Austin Slater’s RBI double made it 3-0, as his line drive up the middle deflected off Bennett and into a vacated hole between shortstop and third base. Two batters later, Ryan Vilade added a sacrifice fly.
Bennett was charged with four runs on seven hits through the first five innings.
In the sixth, Diaz’s second run-scoring single in as many innings brought home the fifth Tampa Bay run. Fortes started the frame with a one-out single before Wells’ single moved him up to third.
Durbin greeted Tampa Bay reliever Cole Sulser rudely to begin the eighth, depositing a leadoff solo homer down the line in left. After Isiah Kiner-Falefa walked and Jarren Duran singled off Steven Matz, Rafaela crushed a three-run homer out to left-center two batters later.
The Mullins homer proved to be key, as Durbin knocked out a two-out solo shot to deep left in Boston’s ninth, but Garrett Cleavinger finalized the save with the final two outs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yanks' Carlos Rodon continues success vs. Guardians in sweep
Jun 10, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) scores around the tag of Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges (27) during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a two-run triple and three RBIs and Trent Grisham scored three times as the visiting New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians with a 8-4 victory on Wednesday afternoon.
The Yankees are 10-4 since May 24 and have the second-best record in the American League, a few percentage points behind the Tampa Bay Rays.
Grisham tripled and provided the go-ahead run on Jose Caballero’s sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, when the Yankees scored three times to go up 6-3. Anthony Volpe and Paul Goldschmidt added RBI hits in chasing Guardians starter Parker Messick (6-3).
New York blew the game open in the seventh, making it 8-3 on Caballero’s single that scored Grisham and Chisholm’s RBI fielder’s choice.
Yankees starter Carlos Rodon (2-2) improved his strong career numbers against Cleveland, striking out seven over six innings. The left-hander allowed three runs on four hits with three walks, improving to 11-5 with a 2.62 ERA in 25 appearances (23 starts).
Messick gave up a career-high five runs (four earned) on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. The lefty struck out four and walked three in losing consecutive starts for the first time in his two-year career.
New York outscored the Guardians 18-11 during the series, posting its first sweep of Cleveland since April 22-24, 2022.
Leadoff hitter Angel Martinez homered on Rodon’s second pitch in the first, but New York answered with three runs in the second. Grisham and Caballero each singled and scored on Chisholm’s triple off the wall.
Chisholm scored one batter later when Travis Bazzana fumbled Volpe’s grounder into the outfield. Messick also committed a throwing error in the inning.
Cleveland scored twice in the fourth to tie it at 3-all, taking advantage of back-to-back walks to Bazzana and Stuart Fairchild. Austin Hedges doubled in Bazzana and Brayan Rocchio’s sacrifice fly brought home Fairchild.
Hedges had a second RBI double in the ninth off Ryan Yarbrough, resulting in the Yankees getting closer David Bednar warmed up. Yarbrough retired the next two hitters to end the game.
The Yankees resume their six-game road trip Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays, while the Guardians continue their six-game homestand with the Detroit Tigers in town Friday.
–Field Level Media
