Sports
Kings hope to find answers in meeting with Mavs
Dec 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) reacts after being called out of the game on fouls during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images The Sacramento Kings look to halt a season-worst six-game losing streak when they host the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.
The first five losses of the skid were under Mike Brown, who was fired on Friday in an unconventional manner. Assistant Doug Christie was named interim coach and oversaw a 132-122 road loss against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
Sacramento had high hopes entering the season but sits six games below .500 with the campaign about 40 percent complete.
The killer setback for Brown came Thursday against the visiting Detroit Pistons. The Kings led by 10 with less than three minutes to go but eventually lost 114-113. Detroit’s Jaden Ivey converted a game-winning four-point play stemming from a foul on De’Aaron Fox with three seconds left in the game.
Brown sharply criticized Fox following the game. Brown then conducted practice and handled media responsibilities on Friday. A short time later, he was fired before the team boarded its flight to Los Angeles.
Now the club is trying to regroup, with star Domantas Sabonis saying it is time for a turnaround.
“We obviously know we haven’t been performing at our best,” Sabonis said. “And we have to do a better job. Me, as one of the leaders of the team, I got to make sure that that happens. We got to win all the games that we can.”
Sabonis had 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in the loss to the Lakers. Fox recorded 29 points, 12 assists and four steals. DeMar DeRozan added 25 points and Malik Monk scored 20.
With the Kings mired in 12th place in the Western Conference, Fox is feeling a sense of urgency.
“Obviously, the conference continues to get better,” Fox said. “But us, you know, we kind of got a little stagnant, and that is what it is. We have to find a way to get better.”
Dallas will be playing its third game since losing star Luka Doncic to a strained left calf on Christmas Day.
The Mavericks are 7-3 without Doncic this season, a mark that includes a 126-122 loss to the host Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.
Dallas never led in the contest, and four Portland players reached the 20-point mark. The Trail Blazers led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter.
Kyrie Irving carried the Mavericks with a season-best 46 points, including 20 in the final quarter.
“Kai, our leader, he got us back in that game,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “It’s just unfortunate we couldn’t make the right plays on both ends when we got it down.
“That’s just who he is. Kai’s a leader and wants to help the team win. Being able to score 46 wasn’t easy.”
The loss was just the fifth in the past 20 games for the Mavericks.
But it felt painful to Irving, who wasn’t pleased about the club digging such a huge hole against one of the worst teams in the Western Conference.
“We definitely could have done a better job keeping the game a lot closer,” Irving said. “Getting down like that, I don’t want to say it’s characteristic for us, but we’re used to it to a certain degree to get out of holes like that and give ourselves a chance. Most teams would give up, especially on a back-to-back. But our identity is we don’t want to give up.”
Dallas will be without Naji Marshall, who will miss his second contest as part of a four-game suspension for his part in an altercation with Jusuf Nurkic of the Phoenix Suns on Friday. P.J. Washington, suspended one game for his role in the scuffle, will return on Monday.
Mavericks big man Dereck Lively II (hip) is listed as questionable. He has missed the past two games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Big 12 keeps Brendan Sorsby lawsuit active amid draft questions
Texas Tech’s Brendan Sorsby goes through warmups before the spring football game, Friday, April 17, 2026, at Jones AT&T Stadium. The Big 12 is not ready to close the book on the Brendan Sorsby case, even after the Texas Tech quarterback moved to leave college football behind.
The conference’s presidents and chancellors have not withdrawn the federal lawsuit filed earlier this week, with lingering questions about Sorsby’s NFL future and whether Texas Tech could still face consequences from the legal fight, a Big 12 source told ESPN. The league’s board of directors is expected to meet early next week to discuss its options.
“We don’t know the answer to those questions,” the source said. “We haven’t done anything different at this point. We’re going to reconvene next week to run through all the options. Right now that case is still active.”
The Big 12 filed suit Monday in the Northern District of Texas, looking for a declaratory judgment and injunctive relief that would allow the conference to use its bylaws to potentially discipline Sorsby. Hours later, Sorsby moved toward the NFL supplemental draft and dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA, a step needed for him to be declared ineligible in college by Monday’s deadline.
Sorsby admitted to violating NCAA rules by placing thousands of bets, including 40 on Indiana football while he was on the Hoosiers’ roster. The NFL still has to approve his application for the supplemental draft, which has not produced a selected player since 2019.
The Big 12 could also revisit whether Texas Tech should be responsible for the costs associated with the dispute. One Big 12 athletic director said the issue is less about punishment and more about whether the entire league should absorb legal fees from a case that other schools did not start..
–Field Level Media
Sports
Brazil's Raphinha (leg) departs match vs. Haiti
June 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.; Brazil’s Raphinha in action with Haiti’s Martin Experience. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images PHILADELPHIA — Brazil attacker Raphinha departed in the 40th minute of Friday night’s World Cup Group C clash against Haiti in Philadelphia with an apparent leg injury.
The 29-year-old FC Barcelona winger was making his second start of the tournament for manager Carlo Ancelotti after going the full 90 in a 1-1 draw against Morocco last Saturday.
He was a critical part of Brazil’s most recent qualifying effort, scoring five of the Selecao’s 24 goals while appearing in 13 of their 18 matches.
It was unclear what caused him to drop to his haunches shortly before halftime and eventually exit in favor of Rayan. He departed with his side leading 2-0 through Matheus Cunha’s brace, before Vinicius Junior added a third in first-half stoppage time.
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
Sports
UFC Freedom 250 Falls Short of Super Bowl Hype but Delivers Massive Win
UFC Freedom 250 was an unquestionable hit, but the biggest event in combat sports didn’t quite touch Super Bowl number.
Paramount+ said viewership for UFC Freedom 250 reached 17 million across the U.S. and Latin America, citing Nielsen in a press release on Thursday. The previous record was five million viewers for the first UFC card on Paramount+ in January.
How did UFC Freedom 250 compare to Super Bowl?
UFC boss Dana White was “expecting Super Bowl-type numbers” for the fight on the White House lawn. The 2026 Super Bowl was watched by an estimated 125 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
The UFC and Donald Trump promoted this event diligently. Even though they didn’t even come close to touching Super Bowl viewership numbers, this event was a massive success for the UFC.
Politics aside – the production quality of UFC Freedom 250 was awesome. Fighters walking out of the White House from all angles, surrounded by military heroes. The live band was great. The backdrops of Washington, D.C. completely trumped the visuals at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
But more importantly, the fights exceeded expectations. All seven bouts ended before decisions. Judges weren’t needed.
For the health of the sport, that’s a good thing. Casual fans love knockouts and finishes. For an event that hauled in well over 10 million more viewers than the average UFC fight, that feels like a massive win. The UFC has a few upcoming weekends of Fight Nights before UFC 329, where Conor McGregor is expected to make his long-awaited return against Max Holloway.
It’s probable that fight will pull in big ratings also, which should appease Paramount+ – as long as the streaming giant had more realistic expectations than Dana White’s Super Bowl prediction.
Over the last few years, many fans have griped that the UFC was running low on superstars. But Diego Lopes got a huge ovation from the American crowd after the first fight of the night. Bo Nickal got a much-needed victory to maintain relevance in the UFC.
More notably, Josh Hokit’s viral Michelle Obama comment got the heavyweight exactly what he wanted – attention. Even though the UFC publicly shamed these remarks, there’s no doubt that they understand his personality is polarizing and could cause fans to tune in. Similarly, Sean O’Malley earning big knockout finishes always feels good for those fans that tune in.
Sure, the point still stands that there aren’t a ton of intriguing names on the rise. But Hokit’s fights will be watched. Fans will always keep up with O’Malley. And there will be natural intrigue on what Justin Gaethje decides to do next after this win. Similarly, what will Ilia Topuria do following that first devastating defeat?
The White House card might’ve fallen hilariously short of Super Bowl expectations. Dana White loves to remind fight fans that he’s not competing with up and coming leagues like the PFL or Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. Instead, he insists that he’s competing with the NFL, NBA and MLB.
Report: Big 12 keeps Brendan Sorsby lawsuit active amid draft questions
Brazil's Raphinha (leg) departs match vs. Haiti
