Sports
Losers of a combined 13 in a row, 76ers and Bulls clash in Philly
Feb 20, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) controls the ball against the Boston Celtics during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Two teams desperate to end long losing streaks collide Monday when the Philadelphia 76ers host the Chicago Bulls.
Philadelphia enters the week having lost seven games in a row, while Chicago is aiming to snap a six-game slide. Despite the teams’ rough play of late, they are both on the fringe of postseason contention in the Eastern Conference, as the Bulls sit in 10th place — the final spot of the play-in tournament — while the Sixers are two games out of 10th.
Of course, neither team can be counted on to make any noise in the postseason unless things start to improve in a hurry.
The Sixers lost 105-103 to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. Tyrese Maxey hit the tying 3-pointer with 22 seconds left before Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton put in an offensive rebound at the buzzer.
“It’s tough,” Philadelphia guard Quentin Grimes said. “That’s one of the games that we felt like we should’ve won.”
Meanwhile, Chicago has lost a pair of tight contests since returning from the All-Star break. The Bulls fell 113-111 in overtime on the road against the New York Knicks on Thursday before dropping a 121-117 decision to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.
In the setback against Phoenix, Josh Giddey paced the Bulls with 24 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Coby White chipped in 20 points and eight assists, while Nikola Vucevic added 16 points and 11 rebounds.
All things considered, though, Chicago coach Billy Donovan was pleased with his team’s performance.
“The New York game and this game, at the rim there’s more presence and being aggressive at the point of attack,” Donovan said. “We are trying to do those things. I’m happy and pleased with the way the guys are competing and battling; I really am.”
Rookie Matas Buzelis scored 15 points in 24 minutes.
Buzelis is averaging just 6.5 points per game, although he has scored in double figures in nine of his past 10 contests. Giddey, meanwhile, is averaging 25.5 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists over his past two games.
On the Sixers’ side, Grimes has scored in double figures in all six games since joining the team in a trade with Dallas Mavericks. He also has pulled down at least seven rebounds in five consecutive outings.
Joel Embiid, on the other hand, was 7-of-22 from the field in the past two games as he struggled to play through a knee ailment that will keep him out of Monday night’s game against the Bulls.
He was benched in the fourth quarter on Saturday night, a move Sixers coach Nick Nurse said was because the five players on the court were playing well.
“They had a good feel for the game at that point,” Nurse said. “Just wanted to let them roll with it.”
However, there may have been more to it than that, as ESPN reported Embiid had swelling in his knee after the game and underwent new imaging on Monday. Embiid and the Sixers will reportedly consult specialists to get further medical opinions about possible options, including surgery, according to ESPN.
Maxey, who is averaging 27.4 points and 6.1 assists through 48 games, was listed as questionable for Monday night’s game with a right finger sprain. He missed eight games earlier in the season with a right hamstring injury.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Richard Carapaz, Tadej Pogacar stand tall at Stage 20 of Tour de France
Richard Carapaz of Ecuador is in action during Stage 20 of the Tour de France on Saturday. The race ends Sunday. Richard Carapaz of Ecuador won the stage and Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia all but wrapped up his fifth general classification title in seven years during a wild penultimate day at the Tour de France on Saturday.
The 33-year-old Carapaz capped a monumental week with his second victory in three stages, and third of his career, while also taking over the polka-dot jersey for top climber of the three-week stage race. He also finished third in Friday’s Stage 19.
Stage 20 unfolded in dramatic fashion as Sepp Kuss of the United States held a comfortable lead with just over 7 kilometers remaining in the 170.9-kilometer stage as it approached the finish at the resort town of Alpe d’Huez.
Kuss then crashed against a curb on the right side of the road while exiting a tunnel but got back on his bike and continued with the lead. Misfortune struck again when Kuss crashed against a left-side curb with 5.8 kilometers remaining.
Carapaz passed Kuss after his second solo crash and went on to the stage victory for the U.S.-based EF Education-EasyPost team. Remco Evenepoel of Belgium passed Kuss near the finish line to take second place, while Kuss made his way to the podium with a disappointing third-place finish.
Kuss was trying for his second career stage and stands as the last American man to win a Tour de France Stage when he reached the finish line first in 2021.
Race leader Pogacar finished fourth in the stage, while his UAE Team Emirates teammate Isaac del Toro of Mexico was fifth. The finish kept del Toro in the white jersey given to the top rider under 26 years old.
All that remains is Sunday’s mostly ceremonial final Stage 21. Barring major disaster, Pogacar will wrap up his third consecutive Tour de France title as he takes a 6-minute, 26-second lead over Evenepoel into the final day.
In third place overall is del Toro, who is 9:42 off his teammate’s pace. Paul Seixas, the 19-year-old sensation from France, is fourth overall and nearly two minutes behind del Toro for the white jersey. Seixas finished 10th in Stage 20.
The final stage into Paris on Sunday was cut from 133 kilometers to 89 kilometers because of nearby wildfires, with fans now treated to two extra circuits along the Champs-Elysees before a climbing finish on the nearby Montmartre loop.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tour de France final stage rerouted due to wildfires
A firefighter works to battle wildfire near the A9 motorway near Beziers, France, July 3, 2026. Wildfires in southwest France have forced organizers of the Tour de France to reconfigure the final stage, set for Sunday.
The change is necessary because multiple first responders have been diverted to the fires. The new route will leave a smaller race footprint for local officials to secure.
“As numerous wildfires are currently affecting France, particularly the Gironde region, emergency services are fully mobilized to combat the blazes, while internal security forces are working to secure the affected areas and protect the population,” the Amaury Sport Organisation said in a statement.
“In light of this, the Ministry of Interior has decided to redeploy a portion of the internal security forces initially mobilized to ensure security for the final stage of the Tour de France, in order to reinforce the response efforts in the areas affected by the wildfires.”
The wildfires have led to the evacuations of about 200,000 people.
Stage 21 had been set as a 132.5-kilometer ride from Thoiry down the Champs-Elysees in Paris.
The re-imagined Stage 21 still will end along the famed road, just after a circuit on the Montmartre. But the run now will occur solely within the Paris boundaries and travel just 89 km. Cyclists will take two extra circuits along the Champs-Elysees before heading out for the Montmartre climb.
The Montmartre circuit has proven to be popular after it was used in the 2024 Paris Olympics and then added to the 2025 Tour de France. The area can accommodate large gatherings of fans, who turn the area into a party atmosphere.
Earlier in the Tour de France, fans were asked to stay away from the final 40 kilometers of Stage 3 because of wildfires and the need to deploy first responders to the area.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Robert Kraft: Patriots offered CB Christian Gonzalez record-setting deal
Jun 9, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) takes questions from the media at minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the team offered Christian Gonzalez a contract extension that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
Kraft did not reveal the specific terms of the deal on Saturday, the first day of training camp.
“We love Christian Gonzalez,” Kraft said during the team’s Pawtriots pet adoption event, per the Boston Herald. “We love him as a player, as a person. That’s why we’ve made an offer to him that makes him the highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL, and coincidentally, it’s the highest contract in the Patriots franchise history.
“So we’re glad we drafted him and we developed here, and we hope he’ll be with us for a long time.”
Gonzalez is eligible for a contract extension for the first time after being selected by the Patriots with the 17th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Los Angeles Rams’ Trent McDuffie is currently the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, pocketing $31 million per season on his four-year, $131 million contract that he signed this offseason.
Gonzalez, 24, made the Pro Bowl last season after posting 69 tackles and 10 passes defensed in 14 starts. He has three interceptions, 24 passes defensed, one fumble recovery, one sack and 145 tackles in 34 career games (all starts).
–Field Level Media
Sci-Fi Action Thriller Is A Time Travel Modern Classic
Richard Carapaz, Tadej Pogacar stand tall at Stage 20 of Tour de France
