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Pelicans overcome 19-point deficit to rally past Spurs for second straight win

NBA: San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans PelicansFeb 25, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) passes against New Orleans Pelicans forward Bruce Brown (00) and guard Trey Murphy III (25) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Trey Murphy III scored 24 points and the host New Orleans Pelicans overcame a double-digit deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs for the second consecutive game, 109-103, on Tuesday night.

Zion Williamson had 18 points, CJ McCollum added 13, and Jordan Hawkins finished with 12 off the bench. Yves Missi had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans, who overcame a 19-point deficit two nights after they rallied back from a 17-point hole to beat the Spurs 114-96.

Devin Vassell paced San Antonio with 20 points, Harrison Barnes and De’Aaron Fox each had 15, and Chris Paul recorded 12 points and 10 assists. Also for the Spurs, Jeremy Sochan scored 12, Keldon Johnson had 11 and Bismack Biyombo added 10 points and 12 rebounds.

New Orleans opened the fourth with six straight points, capped by a Hawkins jumper, to take a two-point lead. Sochan and Johnson made consecutive layups before two baskets by Williamson sandwiched one by Alvarado to push the Pelicans in front 91-87.

San Antonio got within two points three times before Fox’s 3-pointer gave the Spurs a 100-99 lead with just over four minutes to play. McCollum and Murphy answered with consecutive field goals, and Missi scored four points to give New Orleans a 107-100 lead with 2:15 left.

Paul made a 3-pointer to trim the lead to four with 58.1 seconds remaining, but that was San Antonio’s only points in the final 4:26.

Barnes made three 3-pointers, Paul and made and San Antonio raced to a 24-8 lead. Alvarado scored five points to help the Pelicans get within 12 points Sochan made a layup to give the Spurs a 30-16 lead at the end of the quarter.

Sochan made another layup and Stephon Castle followed with a 3-pointer as San Antonio scored the first five points of the second quarter and opened a 39-22 lead. Murphy scored nine points and New Orleans finished the quarter on a 19-6 run to get within 51-49 at halftime.

Vassell scored seven of the Spurs’ first 14 points to give the visitors a 65-56 lead early in the third quarter. The Pelicans, though, closed the gap to 83-79 by the end of the third quarter Murphy and Hawkins combined for 11 points in the period.

–Field Level Media

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Tadej Pogacar rides away with record-tying fifth Tour de France title

Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia celebrates winning his fifth Tour de France on Sunday in Paris.Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia celebrates winning his fifth Tour de France on Sunday in Paris.

With a record-tying fifth Tour de France title already in hand, Tadej Pogacar did his best to put on another show on Sunday before relenting near the finish of the shortened final stage in Paris.

The cycling star from Slovenia was overtaken on the final straightaway of Stage 21, but still won the overall title in a time of 73 hours, 56 minutes, 26 seconds over the three-week event. He finished 6:26 ahead of Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel.

Pogacar’s UAE Team Emirates teammate Isaac del Toro of Mexico finished third overall, which also clinched the title for top rider 25-years-old and under.

Mathieu van der Poel of Belgium won the final stage in a sprint to the finish line along Paris’ Champs-Elysees.

Pogacar and van der Poel were locked in a duel on the final circuit before van der Poel used his famed sprinter’s speed to pull away. It was a 1-2 finish for the Alpecin-Premier Tech team with Jasper Philipsen of Belgium coming in second. Mads Pedersen of Denmark, and the Lidl-Trek team, finished third.

Stage 21 was adjusted this year to include the hilly Montmartre circuit, which has gained popularity since being used during the 2024 Paris Olympics. The route was adjusted further Saturday when it was reduced to 88.7 kilometers due to wildfires outside of Paris.

Richard Carapaz of Ecuador won the overall title for top climber while wearing the polka-dot jersey while Pedersen clinched the sprinter’s title in the green jersey. Lidl-Trek, which includes Quinn Simmons of the United States, won the team title.

Simmons, the reigning United States road race champion, was awarded “Best Teammate” for the second consecutive year.

Pogacar ended up in 30th on the final stage, but the overall title had long been in hand as he won the Tour de France for the third consecutive year. He also won titles in 2020 and 2021.

“It’s an incredible day and an incredible atmosphere,” Pogacar said. “I’m happy that it’s over and we won for a fifth time.”

Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark are the only riders to win the Tour de France since 2000. Vingegaard was forced to abandon this year’s race on Stage 15 when he crashed in a turn and came away with a right arm injury. Vingegaard was second overall when he crashed.

Miguel Indurain of Spain was the last to win five Tour de France titles, clinching the last of those in 1995. Bernard Hinault of France, Eddy Merckx of Belgium and Jacques Anquetil of France also won five titles.

“Every victory is really special and seven Tours already, seven times on the podium, with five wins, it’s something that you wouldn’t even write in a storybook,” Pogacar said. “It’s unbelievable for me.”

Pogacar stamped himself as one of the top road racers of all-time by winning Stages 3, 6, 10, 14 and 19 this year. The five wins this year give him 26 Tour de France stage wins.

“It’s a lot of factors,” Pogacar said when asked how he was able to secure title No. 5. “You enjoy what you’re doing, and you have the people around you that you trust and they help you. They’re there for you when you’re at your lowest and you can be yourself and chase your dreams.”

–Field Level Media

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Mario Hezonja back in NBA, signs deal with Cavs

Aug 11, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) and Portland Trail Blazers forward Mario Hezonja (44) battle for the ball during the second half of a NBA game at The Field House. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn ImagesAug 11, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) and Portland Trail Blazers forward Mario Hezonja (44) battle for the ball during the second half of a NBA game at The Field House. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Mario Hezonja is returning to the NBA for the first time since 2020 after signing a one-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, ESPN reported Sunday.

The deal for the Croatia native, who was the fifth overall selection in the 2015 draft, is reportedly worth $2.8 million.

Hezonja, 31, has spent the last six years in the EuroLeague and the last four at Real Madrid where he blossomed. Hezonja helped Real Madrid clinch the EuroLeague championship in 2023 and was named the MVP of Liga ACB for the 2025-26 season when he averaged 17.5 points and 4.9 rebounds.

The Golden State Warriors also pursued the former lottery pick, according to the report. The Cavaliers came out ahead in the end as they look to improve on a run where they made it to the Eastern Conference finals last season. It was their first conference final since 2018.

Hezonja last played in the NBA during the 2019-2020 season with the Portland Trailblazers and also spent time with the Orlando Magic (2015-18) and New York Knicks (2018-19) in five seasons. In 330 career games (69 starts) Hezonja averaged 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists, while shooting 41.7% from the field and 31.9% from 3-point range.

–Field Level Media

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Cardinals agree to sweetened $15.5M deal with QB Jacoby Brissett

Jul 23, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) during training camp at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesJul 23, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) during training camp at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett agreed to a reworked deal that will guarantee him $15.5 million plus incentives, according to multiple reports on Sunday.

Brissett could earn $21 million this season if he meets all incentives. He is slated to become a free agent following the season.

Brissett has been unhappy with his contract all offseason after starting 12 games in 2025 and being projected as Arizona’s starting quarterback again this season.

The 33-year-old Brissett didn’t do on-field work during the team’s mandatory minicamp as he expressed his disdain for his deal due to pay $4.88 million in 2026 with just $1.5 million guaranteed.

However, he participated in Thursday’s first training camp workout with Arizona.

Brissett replaced injured Kyler Murray as the starter last season and completed 64.9% of his passes for career highs of 3,366 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also tossed a career-worst eight interceptions in 485 attempts.

Still, the Cardinals went 1-11 in Brissett’s 12 starts. In the offseason, Arizona hired a new coach in Mike LaFleur and drafted quarterback Carson Beck in the third round of the 2026 draft.

Overall, Brissett is 20-45 as a starter while playing for six teams. He made 30 of his starts for the Indianapolis Colts (2016-19) with 15 coming in 2017 when Andrew Luck was injured. He made 15 more in 2019 after Luck unexpectedly retired shortly before the start of the season.

Brissett has passed for 14,766 yards, 76 touchdowns and 32 interceptions in 101 games. Brissett and Aaron Rodgers both have 1.4 interception rates that are the lowest in NFL history.

–Field Level Media

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