Sports
Mavs may get Luka Doncic back against host Jazz
Nov 19, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) brings the ball up court against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Injured star Luka Doncic will join the Dallas Mavericks on their upcoming road trip and could play as soon as Saturday in Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz.
After missing the past five games due to an injured wrist, Doncic returned to practice with his teammates on Friday. It’s uncertain whether he’ll play against Utah or Sunday in Portland during the Mavericks’ weekend road trip, but he will be with the team.
“He’s doing his individual workouts. Everything I’ve heard or seen is trending in the right direction,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said on Wednesday.
Unlike last season, when the Mavericks only won four of 12 games in Doncic’s absence, Dallas has fared well without their top gun since he was injured on Nov. 19 against New Orleans. The Mavs are 4-1 in that stretch, including a 129-119 win at Atlanta on Monday and Wednesday’s 129-114 victory over the New York Knicks.
Remarkably, Dallas had four players score at least 20 points in each of those most recent wins, setting a team record. Against the Knicks, Naji Marshall scored 24, Kyrie Irving had 23 and Quentin Grimes and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 21 each.
Marshall has been particularly effective in Doncic’s absence. He’s averaged 23 points on 63.3 percent shooting while hitting half of his 3-point attempts in the past four games.
Dallas’ depth has been critical to their 11-8 record. They’ve had at least six players reach double figures in each of their last six games. In the Mavericks’ 123-120 win over Denver on Nov. 22, seven players scored in double figures.
The Jazz haven’t had similar success on the scoreboard but their players are getting experience and playing time for a variety of reasons, including injuries.
In Wednesday’s 122-103 home loss to the Nuggets, Utah was without Lauri Markkanen (personal reasons), John Collins (left knee contusion), Jordan Clarkson (left plantar fasciitis) and Kyle Filipowski (lower leg inflammation).
“We will play some lineups tonight that none of us in this room have seen,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said before that game vs. Denver. “We will play some lineups tonight that maybe none of us in this room had even thought about. But in some ways, these nights are fun because we get to lean into our creativity as a staff and as a team.”
Collin Sexton led Utah with 26 points, Keyonte George had 23 points, Walker Kessler totaled 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Brice Sensabaugh tallied 13 points off the bench.
Nikola Jokic scored 21 of his 30 points in the opening half, helping the Nuggets turn a 12-point deficit into a 10-point lead en route to the blowout win.
“We still have these little windows of the game that turn into kind of like a little disaster,” Hardy said. “That four-to-five-minute window is really where the game was decided.”
The Jazz were grateful to give Congolese player Oscar Tshiebwe, the 2022 consensus national player of the year from Kentucky, his first playing experience with the team in the loss, too. He had three points and nine rebounds.
“I love everything about Oscar. He just makes you feel good,” Hardy said. “He’s such a good human being. I wish I was more like Oscar.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Munetaka Murakami extends HR streak as White Sox pound D-backs
Apr 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami hits a home run in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Rookie Munetaka Murakami homered for the fourth straight game, Colson Montgomery went deep for the third straight and the Chicago White Sox slugged four homers in an 11-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Tuesday.
Murakami, Michael Vargas and Montgomery hit consecutive solo shots with two outs in the second inning to help stake Sean Burke (1-2) to a 7-0 lead.
Murakami, who has nine homers in 23 games, reached base four times, adding two infield singles and a walk. He singled and scored in a four-run first off Merrill Kelly (1-1).
Vargas homered for the second straight game, Montgomery and Sam Antonacci notched two hits and three RBIs apiece and Tristan Peters had three hits. The White Sox have won three of four and scored 33 runs over that span.
Arizona’s Ildemaro Vargas had a three-run homer in the ninth to extend his season-opening hitting streak to 16 games, the longest in the majors. Dating back to the end of the 2025 season, Vargas has hit in 18 straight. Alek Thomas had two hits, including his first homer of the season for the Diamondbacks, who had won 10 of 14.
The White Sox have 11 homers in their last three games and 14 in their last five.
Antonacci had a two-run inside-the-park homer in the ninth when his ground ball inside the bag at third appeared to be touched by the ball boy along the left field line. Left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. did not immediately attempt to field it as Antonacci circled the bases for his first career homer.
Burke gave up two runs on five hits in six innings in his first road victory since a 4-0 decision at Detroit on Sept. 28, 2024. He struck out three and walked one.
Kelly gave up eight runs and 10 hits before leaving with one out in the fifth. He struck out five and walked three in his second start of the season after opening on the injured list.
The first four White Sox batters reached in the first. Andrew Benintendi singled, Murakami reached on an infield single, Vargas walked and Montgomery doubled in two. Everson Pereira hit a sacrifice fly and Antonacci tripled for a 4-0 lead.
Murakami, Vargas and Montgomery homered in the second for a 7-0 lead after 13 batters.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jeff McNeil, Shea Langeliers homer as A's take down Mariners
Apr 21, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) hits a solo home run during the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: John Froschauer-Imagn Images Jeff McNeil and Shea Langeliers hit home runs as the Athletics defeated the host Seattle Mariners 5-2 Tuesday night, clinching a series victory against their American League West rivals.
The teams will wrap up the three-game set Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.
A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez (2-1) earned the victory by allowing two runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out one.
Right-hander Jack Perkins pitched the final two innings for his first save of the season.
Cal Raleigh homered for a second consecutive night for the Mariners, who have dropped six of their past eight games.
The A’s broke a 2-2 tie against reliever Eduard Bazardo (0-1) in the sixth. Tyler Soderstrom led off with a double off the wall in center field and Jacob Wilson followed by grounding a run-scoring double past diving third baseman Leo Rivas and into the left-field corner.
The loss was the first of Bazardo’s six-year career after eight consecutive victories.
Langeliers made it 4-2 with a solo shot to center with two outs in the seventh off Gabe Speier. It was Langeliers’ second homer in as many nights.
The A’s added an insurance run in the ninth off Cole Wilcox. Nick Kurtz and Langeliers led off with singles and advanced on Carlos Cortes’ chopper down the first-base line. The Mariners intentionally walked Soderstrom to load the bases. Wilson lined a single to center to complete the scoring.
The A’s scored in the first inning as Kurtz drew a leadoff walk, stole second and came home on Soderstrom’s two-out double to right.
The Mariners tied it in the third as Rob Refsnyder lined a leadoff single to center and Raleigh grounded a single into left. Refsnyder took third on Julio Rodriguez’s lineout to left and scored on Josh Naylor’s sacrifice fly to center.
The A’s responded in the top of the fourth as McNeil went deep to right-center with two outs.
Raleigh’s solo shot to left-center with one out in the fifth tied the score at 2-2.
Mariners starter Luis Castillo went five innings and allowed two runs on five hits. The right-hander walked two and struck out six.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LeBron James nets 28 as Lakers grab 2-0 lead on Rockets
Apr 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) defends Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) in the first half of game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images LeBron James compiled 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 101-94 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Tuesday.
With leading scorers Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) watching from the bench, Marcus Smart added 25 points, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range, and Game 1 hero Luke Kennard contributed 23 points, which included 3 of 6 from deep.
Kevin Durant, who missed the opening game with a right knee contusion, scored 23 points for Houston, but he had nine turnovers and was held to just three points after halftime.
Houston’s Alperen Sengun paired 20 points with 11 rebounds, Jabari Smith Jr. had 18 points and Amen Thompson posted 16 points and nine assists.
After the Rockets held a 16-12 lead midway through the first quarter, Los Angeles hit back, closing the quarter with a 9-0 rush to lead 33-26.
Durant showed no signs of being hampered by his knee, playing all 12 minutes and scoring 11 points.
At the other end, Smart (14 points) and Kennard (10 points) hurt Houston from the perimeter, combining to hit five 3-pointers in the opening quarter.
The Lakers’ lead swelled to 46-31 before Durant led a 17-3 Rockets run to trim that margin to 49-48.
Durant had 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting at the half, but Los Angeles still held sway 54-51.
Houston briefly captured the lead in the third period before the Lakers used a 13-4 burst — highlighted by a spectacular reverse dunk from 41-year-old James after he blew by Durant — to pull ahead 67-59.
With Durant held to just one unsuccessful shot attempt in 10 minutes of action for the quarter, the Rockets struggled offensively, outscored 21-17 for the period, as Los Angeles led 75-68 with one quarter to play.
Josh Okogie’s 3-pointer with 6:38 remaining in the fourth cut the gap to 85-82, but it was as close as Houston would get down the stretch.
With the Lakers up 97-92, Durant’s ninth turnover led to a powerful James dunk with 55 seconds left before Kennard sealed it from the stripe.
The best-of-seven series shifts to Houston for Game 3 on Friday.
–Field Level Media
Munetaka Murakami extends HR streak as White Sox pound D-backs
Jeff McNeil, Shea Langeliers homer as A's take down Mariners
