Sports
Kings roll past Mavs after Kyrie Irving (knee) leaves
Mar 3, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Sacramento Kings center Jonas Valanciunas (17) looks to move the ball past Dallas Mavericks forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper (8) during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan combined for 42 points and the Sacramento Kings took advantage of a knee injury sustained by Kyrie Irving to run away from the host Dallas Mavericks 122-98 on Monday.
Irving left the game for good with 2:35 remaining in the first quarter after it appeared he hyperextended his left knee on a drive to the basket.
The Dallas star remained in the game to shoot two free throws, making both, but then never left the line until helped to the sidelines and eventually the locker room.
He finished with seven points.
The Kings took care of business from there, seizing a 60-50 lead by halftime before distancing themselves from their fellow Western Conference playoff hopeful with a 34-16 surge in the third period. LaVine had eight points, Malik Monk seven and Jonas Valanciunas six during the pull-away.
LaVine led all scorers in the game with 22 points, making eight of his 12 shots and four of his five 3-point attempts. En route to their fourth straight win — their third in a row to start a four-game trip — the Kings outshot the hosts 52.2 percent to 45.5 percent overall and 47.1 percent (16 of 34) to 26.9 percent (7 of 26) from beyond the arc.
Keegan Murray also drained four 3-pointers for the Kings.
Murray totaled 18 points and Monk had 13 to go with a game-high eight assists. Valanciunas went for 14 points, a game-high-tying nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Valanciunas was filling in for Domantas Sabonis, who strained his left hamstring on Saturday and is sidelined indefinitely.
Trey Lyles aided the cause off the Sacramento bench with nine points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Dallas’ top six scorers were all reserves. Kai Jones led the way with 21 points, while Naji Marshall added 18, and Spencer Dinwiddie and Max Christie had 10 apiece. Jones pulled down nine boards, while Marshall and Dinwiddie had six assists each.
No Mavericks starter played more than 25 minutes. Irving’s seven points led the quintet.
The loss completed a 1-2 homestand for Dallas.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mexico threatens Liga MX players' World Cup spots over camp dispute
Nov 17, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Mexico Coach Javier Aguirre Onaindia speaks to the media ahead of his Mexican National Team match against Paraguay at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Jefferson-Imagn Images Liga MX players were given an ultimatum by the Mexico Football Federation (FMF): Report to a pre-planned World Cup camp on Wednesday and miss their league playoffs and CONCACAF Champions Cup matches or lose their spots on Mexico’s World Cup roster.
The FMF stated in a Wednesday morning press release that “any player who does not turn up at the (national team’s) training center will miss the World Cup.”
On April 28, FMF announced that 20 players from Liga MX would participate in a pre-World Cup minicamp in Mexico City beginning Wednesday, with 12 of those players guaranteed a spot on the World Cup roster.
As a result, players from Toluca and Chivas de Guadalajara called in by Mexico manager Javier Aguirre would not be able to participate in the Liga MX quarterfinals and any subsequent matches, along with the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal second leg and final.
Toluca requested on Tuesday that FMF release players Jesus Gallardo and Alexis Vega for the club’s Champions Cup semifinal decider Wednesday against LAFC. Toluca trails 2-1 on aggregate after losing the first leg. FMF had an agreement with Liga MX clubs, and Toluca’s request was seen as a breach of that agreement.
As for Chivas, it will play Tigres in the Liga MX playoffs on Saturday, and trails 3-1 on aggregate ahead of the second leg of a quarterfinal.
Chivas club president Amaury Vergara wrote on social media platform X on Tuesday, “The agreement is valid only when all parties respect it. I have instructed the club’s sporting leadership that our players are to report to the club’s facilities tomorrow.”
Five Chivas players — former U.S. international midfielder Brian Gutierrez, veteran Luis Romo, winger Roberto Alvarado, forward Armando Gonzalez and Raul Rangel, who is expected to be the starting World Cup goalkeeper — are affected by this conflict.
Mexico’s World Cup roster announcement is expected to come June 1, following friendlies against Ghana and Australia. Mexico faces Serbia on June 4 in a final World Cup tune-up.
Co-hosting the World Cup along with the United States and Canada, Mexico opens the tournament June 11 against South Africa in Mexico City. The tournament runs through July 19.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Streaking Rays cap sweep of Blue Jays with a shutout
May 6, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda (8) scores a run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Shane McClanahan fired 5 2/3 scoreless innings and the Tampa Bay Rays earned their 10th straight home win by grounding the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 on Wednesday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla.
McClanahan (4-2) allowed just two hits to stretch his scoreless streak to 16 2/3 innings over the past three starts and drop his ERA to 2.60.
He struck out four and walked one as the Rays swept their six-game homestand over the San Francisco Giants and Blue Jays and moved to 12-1 over the past 13 games with a sixth straight win.
Jonny DeLuca and Chandler Simpson produced RBIs in the fourth inning as Tampa Bay improved to 14-4 in its repaired dome and 16-2 against the American League overall.
Toronto’s Myles Straw went 2-for-3 with a double, but Toronto, on a four-game losing skid, managed only four hits.
Starter Patrick Corbin (1-1) tossed 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on five hits with two walks and one strikeout.
Tampa Bay shortstop Taylor Walls ended the top of the first inning with a sensational sliding stop deep in the hole and throw to get Lenyn Sosa with Kazuma Okamoto at second after a double.
Corbin’s wildness cost him in the fourth after a one-out walk to Jonathan Aranda. DeLuca followed by slashing a double into the right-center field gap to plate Aranda for a 1-0 lead. Simpson lined a single to right to score DeLuca two batters later.
McClanahan was sharp after allowing Okamoto’s double in the first. The left-hander retired 13 straight hitters until Straw drilled a double off the left-center field wall in the fifth inning.
Kevin Kelly replaced McClanahan after a two-out walk to Okamoto in the sixth brought up Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and the reliever induced a deep flyout to left to hold the 2-0 lead.
Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger tossed a wild pitch in the seventh to advance runners to second and third but whiffed Yohendrick Pinango for the final out.
Tampa Bay added an unearned insurance run in the eighth on a throwing error by second baseman Ernie Clement on a double-play ball.
Ian Seymour spun a perfect ninth for his first save.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Flyers' Noah Cates (lower body) out for rest of series vs. Canes
Apr 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers left wing Noah Cates (27) watches for the puck drop on a third period face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins in game five of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Trailing the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Philadelphia Flyers will be without versatile two-way center Noah Cates for the remainder of the series due to a lower-body injury.
Cates, 27, has four points (one goal, three assists) in eight playoff games following the best offensive season of his career, when he posted 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 82 games.
“I mean, he’s been Mr. Consistency all year. Does a lot of things for us,” coach Rick Tocchet said Wednesday. “But like I said, it’s no different than other teams. Next man up. You’ve heard the drill before.”
Cates averages 16:15 in ice time and is one of the league’s top defensive forwards, as the Flyers averaged only 1.67 goals against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 during the regular season with him on the ice.
Despite losing Cates, Tocchet is confident in the Flyers’ centermen, including 20-year-old rookie Denver Barkey, who has received more time at the position. Trevor Zegras will return to center as a move “to get him going,” Tocchet said.
Veteran Sean Couturier is a reliable option at the position along with Christian Dvorak, who is expected to play in Game 3 despite an undisclosed injury.
With the Flyers limited to two goals over the first two games, Tocchet is encouraging his players to have a “shot-first mentality” to overcome the Hurricanes’ defensive aggressiveness.
“I think to help some guys out that are struggling against Carolina, they’ve got to have a shot-first mentality,” he said. You’ve got to be able to make a play around them. I think some guys are overpassing and that’s the one thing Carolina’s good at. They make you overpass. But if you throw pucks at the net, beat their aggressiveness, you’re going to get chances.”
The best-of-seven series resumes Thursday night with Game 3 in Philadelphia.
–Field Level Media
Mexico threatens Liga MX players' World Cup spots over camp dispute
Streaking Rays cap sweep of Blue Jays with a shutout
