Sports
No. 9 Oregon pulls away from pesky Maryland
Oregon’s Nate Bittle, left, and TJ Bamba, right, force a turnover against Maryland’s Derik Queen during the first half at Matthew Knight Arena. Keeshawn Barthelemy hit a 3-pointer with 2:16 left to give No. 9 Oregon the lead for good in a therapeutic 83-79 victory over visiting Maryland on Sunday in Eugene, Ore.
Jackson Shelstad made all five of his 3-point attempts, scoring 23 points, as the Ducks (13-2, 2-2 Big Ten) recovered from a stunning 109-77 loss to No. 22 Illinois on Thursday, in which they surrendered the most points ever in a regulation game at home.
In its first-ever meeting with Maryland, Oregon also got 16 points and six rebounds from Nate Bittle and 14 points and five assists from Barthelemy. Reserve Kwame Evans Jr. scored all 10 of his points in the second half.
The Ducks trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half but seized the lead for the first time as it went on a 19-2 run that bridged the halves.
The Ducks made 51.8 percent of their shots from the floor, including 12 of 28 (42.9 percent) from 3-point range, while the Terrapins made 47.5 percent of their shots and 9 of 21 (42.9 percent) from deep.
Rodney Rice scored 19 points to lead Maryland (11-4, 1-3). Derik Queen added 17 points and five rebounds while Ja’Kobi Gillespie provided 16 points.
It was the second straight loss on a West Coast road trip for the Terrapins, who fell at Washington on Thursday night.
Bittle sank a 3-pointer in transition to give Oregon its first lead at 50-47. The Ducks led 61-52 after Evans drained a 3-pointer with 14:30 left, but Maryland rallied with a 19-6 run.
Gillespie supplied seven of the points in the spree as the Terrapins took a 71-67 lead with seven minutes left.
From there it remained close until Barthelemy delivered his key shot and Bittle followed with two free throws to give Oregon an 81-76 edge with 1:31 left.
In the first half, Maryland got off to a sizzling start, hitting 11 of its first 16 shots. With a 13-2 run, which included two baskets apiece from Rice and Queen and a three-point play from Selton Miguel, the Terrapins gained their biggest lead, 30-17.
But Oregon responded with its own 13-2 run, which included a pair of 3-pointers from Shelstad and another from Bittle as the Ducks sliced the deficit to 32-30.
–Field Level Media
Sports
76ers' Joel Embiid to home fans: 'Don't sell your tickets'
May 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) scores a three pointer against the Philadelphia 76ers with 25 seconds to go in game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images It’s just a little more than 100 miles from Madison Square Garden in New York to Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philadelphia — a relatively short car ride or train trip for Knicks fans who wanted to see their team in action against the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
But 76ers star Joel Embiid, who was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player and a first-team All-Pro selection in the 2022-23 season, wants no part of Knicks fans invading his team’s home arena.
In his postgame interview Saturday night after the Sixers stunned the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of their series to advance, he put 76ers fans on notice.
Don’t sell your playoff tickets — especially not to Knicks fans.
New Yorkers overtook the Philadelphia arena two years ago when the No. 2-seeded Knicks eliminated the No. 7 Sixers in the opening round of the postseason. It has been presumed that Knicks fans bought their tickets from 76ers fans.
“I just have a message for our fans,” Embiid said Saturday night. “Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like [Philadelphia] was Madison Square Garden East. We’re going to need the support.
“Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys.”
Embiid offered a solution, if need be.
“Knicks fans travel — they buy tickets,” he said. “There’s going to be people who will sell the tickets because they need the money. Don’t do it, we need you guys. We need the support, and we need them to be extremely loud. If you need money, I’ve got you.”
The Eastern Conference semifinal between the teams begins Monday in New York, with Game 2 set for Wednesday. The series will move to Philadelphia on Friday for Game 3, followed by Game 4 on Saturday.
The Knicks defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games to advance.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jannik Sinner wins Madrid, shatters record for consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles
Mar 29, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates his victory over Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic in the final of the men’s singles at the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images Jannik Sinner became the first player to capture five straight ATP Masters 1000 titles when he breezed past Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday in the Mutua Madrid Open final.
The 24-year-old Italian, who ranks No. 1 in the world, started his unprecedented streak in France by winning the Paris Masters on Nov. 2. He set the record there for losing the fewest number of games (29).
Sinner won the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March, where he became the first player not to lose a set in two consecutive ATP Masters 1000 events. He followed that by claiming the Miami Open, the Monte-Carlo Masters and now the Mutua Madrid Open. The last four victories have come in a nine-week span.
In Sunday’s win over the second-seeded Zverev, Sinner never faced a break point while converting all four of his break points against Zverev. Of his 29 first serves that landed, he won the point on 27 (93.1%). He averaged 130 miles per hour on his first serves compared to Zverev’s 124 mph.
Sinner needed just 25 minutes to complete the first set and 31 minutes to take the second set and wrap up his ninth consecutive win over Zverev. The German sensed the match might go this way.
“He’s world No. 1 and hasn’t lost a match since the beginning of February,” Zverev told reporters after capturing his semifinal match on Friday. “Right now he’s definitely the best player in the world. I have to play very, very good tennis to have a chance.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Raptors' Brandon Ingram downgraded to doubtful for Game 7
Apr 26, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (3) shoots the ball as Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) defends during game four of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram was seen in a walking boot during the team’s shootaround on Sunday morning, several hours before Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first-round series against the host Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ingram initially was listed as questionable to play due to right heel inflammation. He was downgraded to doubtful when the NBA released its official injury report early in the afternoon.
An All-Star this season for the second time in his career, Ingram was limited to 11 minutes and scored one point in Toronto’s 125-120 setback to Cleveland in Game 5 on Wednesday. He did not play in Toronto’s 112-110 overtime victory in Game 6 on Friday.
During the regular season, the 28-year-old Ingram averaged a team-high 21.5 points over 77 games. He also averaged 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists and drilled 38.2% of his 3-point attempts.
–Field Level Media
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76ers' Joel Embiid to home fans: 'Don't sell your tickets'
