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NBA roundup: Kevin Durant hits milestone in Suns win

NBA: Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix SunsOct 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with forward Ryan Dunn (0) against the Dallas Mavericks in the second half of the home opener at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kevin Durant recorded 31 points and nine rebounds to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 114-102 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.

Durant also became the eighth player in NBA history to top 29,000 career points. He finished the game with 29,010.

Devin Booker scored 21 points, Jusuf Nurkic had 18 points and 14 rebounds and Ryan Dunn tallied 13 points for the Suns.

Luka Doncic had 40 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Mavericks. Kyrie Irving scored 22 points and Klay Thompson added 19.

Lakers 131, Kings 127

LeBron James had 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and Anthony Davis became the first Laker since Kobe Bryant in 2005-06 to open the season with three straight 30-plus-point games as Los Angeles rode a fourth-quarter surge to down visiting Sacramento.

De’Aaron Fox knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to close the third quarter and send the Kings into the final period with a seven-point lead. The Lakers then went on a 21-0 run to open the fourth quarter. James scored 16 of those points on a variety of shots, including three 3-pointers.

Sacramento battled back to get to within two points in the final minute but Davis hit one of two free throws and Gabe Vincent stole the ball from Fox on the final possession to seal the win.

Thunder 114, Bulls 95

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 10 points to a 22-3 run to close the first half and visiting Oklahoma City spoiled Lonzo Ball’s first game before the home fans in almost three years with a triumph over Chicago.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 23 points, one behind team leader Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren added 21 for the Thunder. Ball, who last played a home game for the Bulls in January of 2022, scored just three points in 16 minutes off the bench.

The Bulls were within 37-36 midway through the second quarter before watching the visitors score 22 of the first half’s final 25 points. Nikola Vucevic posted an 18-point, 13-rebound double-double for Chicago.

Clippers 109, Nuggets 104

Norman Powell scored 22 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, James Harden hit four high-pressure free throws in the final 30 seconds and visiting Los Angeles beat Denver.

Harden finished with 23 points and 16 assists, Ivica Zubac contributed 24 points and 15 rebounds and Kris Dunn scored 11 points off the bench for the Clippers.

Nikola Jokic made a career-high seven 3-pointers on his way to 41 points, Jamal Murray scored 22 points, Christian Braun finished with 11 points and Aaron Gordon added 10 for the Nuggets.

Celtics 124, Pistons 118

Jayson Tatum piled up 37 points and visiting Boston continued its dominance of Detroit with a victory.

The reigning champion Celtics have won their past 10 meetings with the Pistons. Detroit’s last win in the series was a one-point victory on Feb. 16, 2022. Jaylen Brown had 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Payton Pritchard supplied 19 points, while Al Horford and Derrick White added 17 points apiece.

The Celtics finished the first week with a 3-0 mark. Detroit, which set a franchise record for most losses last season, is seeking its first win under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Jaden Ivey led Detroit with 26 points. Cade Cunningham had 21 points and 10 assists, Malik Beasley added 17 points and Jalen Duren chipped in 15.

Timberwolves 112, Raptors 101

Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle scored 24 points apiece as Minnesota held on to beat Toronto in Minneapolis.

Donte DiVincenzo added 16 points off the bench for Minnesota, which won its home opener. Rudy Gobert finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Gradey Dick scored 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting to lead Toronto. Scottie Barnes had 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Ochai Agbaji scored 19. Toronto committed 20 turnovers, compared with 13 for Minnesota.

Cavaliers 135, Wizards 116

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, Jarrett Allen went 10-for-10 from the floor en route to 23 points and Cleveland cruised past host Washington to make it three straight wins to open the season.

The Cavaliers hit 18 of their 39 shots from beyond the arc (46.2 percent), with Mitchell knocking down six, Darius Garland hitting four and Sam Merrill sinking three.

Bilal Coulibaly paced Washington with 23 points and six boards. Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole each chipped in 14 points and No. 2 overall pick Alexandre Sarr added 12.

Heat 114, Hornets 106

Jimmy Butler heated up in the second half, scoring 17 of his 26 points, and Miami won for the first time this season, topping host Charlotte.

Tyler Herro racked up 22 points, Terry Rozier — who received a video tribute after he was traded last winter from the Hornets — poured in 19 points, Bam Adebayo posted 12 points and 11 rebounds and Nikola Jovic added 10 points. The Heat hadn’t played since losing their season opener to Orlando on Wednesday night at home.

LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 27 points and seven assists. Miles Bridges notched 16 points, Seth Curry supplied 15 points, Tre Mann had 14 points and Nick Richards turned in 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Grizzlies 124, Magic 111

Santi Aldama scored 22 points and Jay Huff had a career-high 18 points to lead Memphis to a win in its home opener over Orlando.

Ja Morant finished with 16 points and 10 assists for the Grizzlies. It was the 60th point-assist double-double in Morant’s career, tying him with Mike Conley for the franchise record. Reserve point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. also had a double-double (11 points, 12 assists).

The Magic were led by Franz Wagner with 23 points. Jalen Suggs scored 21.

Spurs 109, Rockets 106

Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points and rookie Stephon Castle hit a key free throw with 7.2 seconds to play as San Antonio outlasted visiting Houston in the first of a pair of games in three nights between the Lone Star State rivals in the Alamo City.

Jeremy Sochan added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, who evened their season record through two games. Keldon Johnson scored 16 points off the bench, Julian Champagnie hit for 12 and Harrison Barnes tallied 11 for San Antonio.

Jalen Green scored 11 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to spark the Rockets’ comeback and drew the back of the rim on a final 3-point attempt to tie the score in the final seconds. Fred VanVleet added 18, Brooks poured in 16, Jock Landale had 13 and Cam Whitmore scored 10 points for Houston, which was playing a night after beating Memphis at home.

–Field Level Media

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A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24

WNBA: Playoffs-Las Vegas Aces at New York LibertyOct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.

Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).

Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.

It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.

“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”

While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.

“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.

“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”

Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.

“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”

As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.

“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”

When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.

“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”

–Will Despart, Field Level Media

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Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series

MLB: Seattle Mariners at AthleticsMay 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.

It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.

But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.

Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.

“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.

“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”

Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.

The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.

“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”

Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.

The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.

Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.

Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.

Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.

Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.

“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”

New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.

Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.

Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.

–Field Level Media

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Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement

Boxing: Pacquiao vs UgasAug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.

Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.

The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.

Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.

The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.

Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.

Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.

–Field Level Media

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