Sports
Knicks feeling their way entering clash with inconsistent Rockets
Oct 14, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts after a dunk against New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) and guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images The acquisition of Karl-Anthony Towns during training camp allowed the New York Knicks to pair a second exceptional scorer with Jalen Brunson, whose emergence as a standout offensive performer last season thrust the Knicks into the upper echelon in the Eastern Conference.
And while the merger of their respective talents will take time to coalesce, the Knicks — who will continue their four-game road trip on Monday against the Houston Rockets — have already witnessed glimpses of what might manifest when Towns or Brunson are clicking.
Two days after Towns paired 44 points with 13 rebounds in a nine-point road victory over the Miami Heat, Brunson tallied 36 points and five assists in a 128-98 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
Offensively, the Knicks appear to be just scratching the surface. Defensively, their reputation under coach Tom Thibodeau remains ironclad. And central to that defensive might is versatile forward OG Anunoby, whose all-around excellence against the Pistons complimented Brunson.
Anunoby posted 21 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals in the victory. When Anunoby joined the Knicks via trade last season, his impact was immediate. Injuries undermined the influence Anunoby had on the Knicks last postseason. Still, now that he is fully settled in, it has become clear to everyone involved how critical a role Anunoby will play moving forward.
“I love the way OG played,” Thibodeau said. “I thought his activity was phenomenal for us.
“I think his teammates, his coaches, the organization — we know how valuable he is to us. He’s really invaluable.”
Inconsistency remains the buzzword for the Rockets, who followed a road victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday during which they coughed up most of a 23-point lead with a 127-121 overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. Host Houston rallied from a 31-point deficit against the Warriors to force the extra period, even taking a one-point lead in the fourth quarter.
The rollercoaster started in the series opener. The Rockets blew an 18-point lead in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets before registering a 20-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Rockets never trailed during their 106-101 road win over the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 28 but had to hold on late after leading by 21 points late in the third quarter.
The erratic play has made the Rockets a difficult team to peg. Their in-game variance has yielded a philosophical conundrum of viewing the glass half full or half empty in terms of praising the Rockets for their resilience or dismissing them for their penchant to fall into massive holes or blow significant leads.
“Inconsistency is obviously not a good thing,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “The fact that you either build a lead or fight back from a deficit, there are some positives to it. On the flip side is letting leads slip away or getting yourself in a big hole.
“The thing we talk about is being more consistent coming in and we’ve been anything but that. We’ve pretty much played halves all year other than the Dallas game where we played three good quarters.”
Houston knocked off the Knicks 105-103 on Feb. 12 to snap an eight-game losing streak in the series.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Dodgers jump ahead early, hold off Mets to win fourth straight
Jul 25, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (68) talks to starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) after the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Kyle Tucker homered for a second straight game and Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed just a run over six innings Saturday for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won their fourth straight game by beating the host New York Mets 4-3.
The Dodgers outfielder, who on Friday went deep for the first time since June 27, led off the third with a 392-foot shot off Nolan McLean (7-7) that hit the right field foul pole.
Andy Pages (1-for-4) drove in two, and Freddie Freeman had three singles in four at-bats for the Dodgers.
Bo Bichette went 2-for-5, and Tyrone Taylor hit a pinch-hit, two-run double for the Mets.
Yamamoto (11-6) could not match his last start, a complete-game victory last Sunday against the New York Yankees. Still, he was able to secure his eighth win in his last 10 starts. The right-hander struck out five against five hits and three walks.
The Dodgers staked Yamamoto to a three-run lead in the third thanks to Tucker’s power and some errant Mets defensive play. First baseman Brett Baty threw wild after fielding a Shohei Ohtani chopper. Rather than starting a possible inning-ending double play, it gave the Dodgers runners at the corners.
Pages grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice, and then went to third on a Freeman single and scored on a passed ball by catcher Francisco Alvarez.
McLean went six innings, and only two of the four runs he allowed were earned. The Dodgers got seven hits and two walks off the righty, who struck out seven.
Pages added to the lead in the fifth with a single to right that scored Teoscar Hernandez, who led off the frame with a double.
The Mets, who have lost three straight, were 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 on base. They got two runners on base against Yamamoto three times but only capitalized once, when Bo Bichette’s two-out single got Baty home in the fifth.
Dodgers reliever Edgardo Hernandez hit Carson Benge and walked Luis Robert Jr. to start the eighth. He retired the next two before giving way to Tanner Scott. Taylor welcomed him with his two-bagger to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Brock Stewart threw a perfect ninth to record his third career save, the first for the 34-year-old right-hander since 2023.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Defenses rule as Minnesota United, Whitecaps play to scoreless draw
Jul 25, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota United FC midfielder Wil Trapp (20) and Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Oliver Larraz (8) battle for the ball during the first half at Allianz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Minnesota United goalkeeper Drake Callender made five saves in a 0-0 draw with the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night at Saint Paul, Minn.
The performance was a big upgrade for the United, who were blown out by Vancouver earlier this season.
Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka stopped three shots, but the Whitecaps (10-3-3, 33 points) remained winless in two matches since returning to action this month.
Even though there was improvement, Minnesota (6-6-5, 23 points) had its winless streak grow to six matches (0-3-3).
United forward Mamadou Dieng compiled a match-high three shots on goal.
Despite a nice advantage in possession for the Whitecaps (60.3%), they weren’t crisp and that cost them repeatedly when they were attempting to push forward.
Each team produced two shots on goal in the scoreless first half. Later, there were rushes for both teams in the added time, but nothing that mounted to a breakthrough. Vancouver finished with 11 shots, five on target, to 10 and 3 for Minnesota.
The Whitecaps, who dropped Wednesday’s outing at Cincinnati by 4-3 following the layoff for the World Cup, have been shut out in two of their last four matches.
The Whitecaps drubbed visiting Minnesota 6-0 in March.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jonquel Jones leads Team Spoon to All-Star Game defeat of Team Coop
Jul 25, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Team Spoon forward Nneka Ogwumike (30) celebrates with center Jonquel Jones (35) in the first half during the 2026 WNBA All Star Game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images Jonquel Jones had 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists and Olivia Miles added 11 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists to boost Team Spoon to a 129-122 victory against Team Coop on Saturday in the WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago.
Jones, a star with the New York Liberty, garnered MVP honors, helping outpace a 28-point effort from Kelsey Mitchell of Team Coop.
Allisha Gray (19 points), Caitlin Clark (17), A’ja Wilson (12), Courtney Williams (12), Nneka Ogwumike (11) and Kiki Iriafen (10) also scored in double figures for Team Spoon.
Marina Mabrey added 23 points for Team Coop. Gabby Williams chipped in 18 points, while Paige Bueckers and Dominique Malonga had 12 each. Malonga added 13 rebounds for a double-double while Breanna Stewart (six points) also had 13 boards.
A league All Star Game-record 19,783 fans attended the game at the United Center, home of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls.
That more than doubled the attendance when Chicago hosted the annual midseason showcase in 2022. A crowd of 9,572 looked on at Wintrust Arena, where the Chicago Sky play their home games.
With the WNBA saluting its 30th anniversary season, Hall of Famers Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon drafted the teams and served as general managers. They also were part of a rotating contingent that was “mic’d up” during an interactive broadcast on ABC.
Minnesota Lynx bench boss Cheryl Reeve coached Team Spoon while Becky Hammon, coach of the reigning league champion Las Vegas Aces, guided Team Coop.
Team Spoon rolled to an 81-64 advantage at the half behind 55.7% shooting compared to 42.6% for Team Coop. The teams combined for 24 makes from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes, with Mabrey (five) edging Clark (four) for the most treys before the break.
Mabrey, who entered the All-Star break as the league leader in made 3s with 82, led all scorers with 23 first-half points. Still, Malonga provided arguably the most memorable first-half basket with a dunk off a pass from Angel Reese with 6:24 to play in the second quarter.
It marked the first dunk in an All-Star Game since Sylvia Fowles in 2022.
Skylar Diggins remains the only player to record an All-Star triple-double, accomplishing the feat last season.
–Field Level Media
Dodgers jump ahead early, hold off Mets to win fourth straight
Defenses rule as Minnesota United, Whitecaps play to scoreless draw
