Sports
NBA roundup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scores 52, but Thunder lose
Jan 29, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the hoop against the Golden State Warriors in the second quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images Stephen Curry bounced back from a four-point first half with five second-half 3-pointers and the Golden State Warriors rallied to overcome Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 52 points and stun the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-109 on Wednesday night in San Francisco.
Andrew Wiggins went for a team-high 27 points and Curry finished with 21 points for the Warriors, who beat the Western Conference front-runners for the second time in three meetings this season.
Kevon Looney chipped in with a career-high-tying 18 points off the bench as Golden State earned its third win in four games.
Gilgeous-Alexander logged the second 50-point effort of his career. He put up 54 in a home win over the Utah Jazz on Jan. 22. Gilgeous-Alexander, who singlehandedly outscored the Warriors in the first quarter with a 21-point performance, finished 16-for-29 from the field. He padded his point total with an 18-for-21 night at the free-throw line.
Raptors 106, Wizards 82
Scottie Barnes scored 24 points as visiting Toronto thrashed Washington for its fifth straight win.
Barnes eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fourth consecutive game, making 10 of 19 attempts from the field. Jakob Poeltl finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Kyle Kuzma recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards, who lost their 15th game in a row, one game shy of their season-worst skid.
Celtics 122, Bulls 100
Kristaps Porzingis scored a season-high 34 points and collected 11 rebounds to help Boston breeze to a victory over visiting Chicago.
Porzingis made 10 of his 18 field goal attempts, including 8 of 14 shots from behind the 3-point arc. His eight 3-pointers tied his career high. Jaylen Brown added 28 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, who also received a 22-point performance from Derrick White.
The Bulls didn’t have leading scorer Zach LaVine, who is averaging 24.0 points per game. Chicago guard Coby White returned from an ankle injury and scored 16 points in 31 minutes.
Knicks 122, Nuggets 112
Jalen Brunson posted his second double-double in three games for host New York, which continued its surge with a win over Denver.
Brunson, who finished with 30 points and 15 assists, had 15 points during a decisive third-period run for the Knicks, who have won five straight following a 3-6 skid. Karl-Anthony Towns supplied 14 points and 10 rebounds, while OG Anunoby netted 23 points.
Jamal Murray scored 33 points for the Nuggets, who set a season-worst with their third straight loss. Denver superstar Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists while playing just 33 minutes due to early foul trouble.
Cavaliers 126, Heat 106
Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points and Evan Mobley collected 22 points and 15 rebounds, lifting visiting Cleveland to a wire-to-wire victory over Miami.
Ty Jerome contributed 20 points and Georges Niang added 15 off the bench for the Cavaliers, who shot 54 percent from the floor and held a decisive 68-38 edge in points in the paint.
Terry Rozier scored 22 points off the bench for the Heat, who have lost six of their last nine games. Tyler Herro also put up 22 points, and Bam Adebayo contributed 21 points and nine rebounds.
Mavericks 137, Pelicans 136
P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford had double-doubles, four of their Dallas teammates scored in double figures and the visiting Mavericks defeated New Orleans.
Washington finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, and Gafford had 22 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Kyrie Irving logged 25 points, nine boards and six assists. Klay Thompson added 20 points, Quentin Grimes had 17 and Spencer Dinwiddie put up 11 as Dallas won for the third time in four games.
Trey Murphy III scored 32, Zion Williamson added 29 points and seven assists, Dejounte Murray scored 27 points, and CJ McCollum amassed 23 points and eight assists for New Orleans, which lost its fourth straight game.
Timberwolves 121, Suns 113
Minnesota rode a pivotal fourth-quarter run to a road win over Phoenix in a chippy contest featuring a bevy of technical fouls.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points off the bench and Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 33 points for Minnesota, which earned its fourth straight win. Julius Randle finished with 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the floor and matched Edwards with a game-high seven rebounds. Randle also swiped a game-high three steals, and his six assists matched Mike Conley’s team high.
Devin Booker, who also received a technical foul, finished with 28 points and a game-high eight assists. Bradley Beal added 17 points and six assists for Phoenix, while Grayson Allen had 11 points and seven rebounds.
76ers 117, Kings 104
Tyrese Maxey supplied 30 points and eight assists to guide host Philadelphia past Sacramento for its fourth straight win.
Kelly Oubre Jr. added 15 points and four steals for Philadelphia, which continued to play without Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (finger), among others.
Sacramento lost for the third time in four games despite all five starters scoring in double figures. Malik Monk notched 21 points and eight assists, while Domantas Sabonis recorded his third straight triple-double (13 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists).
Nets 104, Hornets 83
Keon Johnson scored 18 points as Brooklyn won at Charlotte, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
Jalen Wilson added 15 points for the Nets, while Nic Claxton supplied 12 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots.
Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 23 points to go with 13 rebounds. The Hornets, who have lost four of their last five games, were without LaMelo Ball (ankle) and Mark Williams (foot).
Clippers 128, Spurs 116
Kawhi Leonard poured in a season-high 27 points and Ivica Zubac amassed 21 points and 22 rebounds as Los Angeles dominated the final five minutes to win at San Antonio.
Norman Powell also had 27 points while James Harden racked up 21 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who earned their third victory in four games.
Wembanyama scored 23 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the Spurs, who have lost five of their past six games.
Pacers 133, Pistons 119
Pascal Siakam had a season-high 37 points, Tyrese Haliburton added 30 and Indiana fought off a strong challenge to defeat Detroit in Indianapolis.
The game saw a total of six technical fouls called, four on Detroit, and Pistons backup center Isaiah Stewart was ejected in the second quarter after a flagrant foul on Pacers forward Thomas Bryant.
Indiana is an NBA-best 10-2 since the start of 2025, and all 10 wins have been by double figures. Detroit was led by Cade Cunningham’s 32 points. Myles Turner had 24 for the Pacers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 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
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 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
Sports
Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement
Aug 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
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
