Sports
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder eye commanding 3-1 lead over Spurs
May 22, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) attempts to shoot the ball past San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) in the first half during game three of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t fazed by the repeated chants of “flopper” from the opposing crowd in the second half of Friday’s 123-108 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.
“They’re not going to like me,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They shouldn’t. I get it. It’s part of the game. They’re doing their part in making the game exciting. … I, honestly, like it. It makes the game more interesting, more fun and more exciting, whether they’re for or against me.”
Superstars are always polarizing, and the back-to-back NBA MVP is no different.
Heading into Sunday’s Game 4 of the best-of-seven series in San Antonio, with the Thunder leading 2-1 after winning the last two games, Gilgeous-Alexander will be at the center of the Spurs’ defensive game plan.
After shooting 55.3% from the floor during the regular season and 51.4% during the first two rounds of the playoffs, Gilgeous-Alexander’s efficiency has taken a downward turn against the Spurs.
He’s shooting 39.1% through three games.
Nevertheless, the Thunder guard has 33 assists with just seven turnovers.
Gilgeous-Alexander is also 26 of 27 from the free-throw line in the series.
San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle are just behind Gilgeous-Alexander with 25 free-throw attempts each.
In the Spurs’ three wins over the Thunder this season where Gilgeous-Alexander played, the Oklahoma City star averaged just 5.7 free-throw attempts per game.
“I think part of those free throws came from our own mistakes, from a lack of discipline in abandoning our defensive positions,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after Gilgeous-Alexander went 12 for 12 from the line Friday. “Shai knew how to punish us for it.”
On the other side, Wembanyama is coming off a tough game, where he had 26 points but just four rebounds. After averaging seven offensive rebounds over the first two games, Wembanyama had none in Game 3.
Oklahoma City has thrown plenty of defensive looks at the Spurs star, going smaller at times with Alex Caruso on him and then using 7-footer Isaiah Hartenstein as well.
Whoever has been on Wembanyama, the Thunder have consistently been physical against the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 sensation.
“There’s no place for frustration,” Wembanyama said. “It’s annoying, of course, but we gotta use that as energy. … Being physical, the difference maybe with this team is their experience. They’re maybe being more smart about it. But we just got to find the answers.”
Johnson said it was on him to not only find the answers to that but have his team able to maintain after a 15-0 lead to start Game 3 turned into a 15-point loss.
“I think we have to make sure we are able to play in the moment in the same way as they did throughout the game,” Johnson said.
As critical as the stars have been for this series, one of the biggest differences so far has been in bench production.
Oklahoma City’s bench has outscored San Antonio’s 183-64, with Caruso averaging 21 points and Jared McCain 14.3.
Johnson said Saturday he expected guards De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper to play Game 4.
Fox missed the first two games and was noticeably affected by his injured ankle, especially late in Friday’s game.
Harper suffered right adductor soreness an injury in Game 2 but managed to play 17 minutes off the bench in Game 3.
Oklahoma City could be without two of its primary scorers.
Jalen Williams missed Game 3 after aggravating a hamstring injury early in Game 2, then Ajay Mitchell left Friday’s game in the third quarter with an undisclosed leg injury and did not return.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets' Juan Soto (illness) scratched from lineup vs. Marlins
May 22, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Juan Soto (22) looks on against the Miami Marlins during the fourth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Slugger Juan Soto was scratched from the New York Mets’ starting lineup for Sunday’s game against the host Miami Marlins due to an illness.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Soto came to the ballpark on Sunday with a fever to go along with body aches.
“Soto’s ill, so he is out of the lineup,” Mendoza said prior to the game. “… He’s been battling the past three days, show up with fever today, body aches, didn’t have much sleep. Hopefully he recovers.
“There’s a lot of people for the past week have been dealing with this. Kind of a like a flu going around.”
Soto originally was slotted in the lineup as the team’s designated hitter and No. 3 in the lineup. Instead, MJ Melendez will serve as the team’s DH.
Soto, 27, belted a solo homer in New York’s 2-1 loss to Miami on Friday. The four-time All-Star and 2020 National League batting champion has a team-leading 10 homers to go along with 21 RBIs and a .294 batting average in 37 games this season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Crazy Raccoon rally to win 2026 Champions Clash
A backlit keyboard is part of the gear online video game streamer Jordan Woodruff uses in his Gilbert home.
Jordan Woodruff
Crazy Raccoon won the final two maps to secure a 4-3 victory over Twisted Minds on Sunday in the grand final of the Overwatch Champions Series 2026 Champions Clash in Tokyo.
Crazy Raccoon overcame a 3-2 deficit by posting a 2-1 victory on Oasis and 3-1 triumph on Suravasa in the best-of-seven series.
By winning the double-elimination Overwatch 2 event, Crazy Raccoon qualified for this summer’s Midseason Championship in Paris.
?2026 OWCS Champions Clash?
CR #1 WORLD CHAMPION
LETS GOOOOO ????#CRWIN #Overwatch#OWCC #OWCS2026 #OWEsports pic.twitter.com/6vQgaxXBHG— Crazy Raccoon (@crazyraccoon406) May 24, 2026
Crazy Raccoon got off to a fast start with a 2-0 win on Ilios and 1-0 victory on Circuit Royal before Twisted Minds responded with a flourish. Twisted Minds recorded a 4-3 win on King’s Row, 3-2 victory on New Junk City and a 104.37m-62.65m triumph on Runasapi.
Crazy Raccoon advanced to the grand final with a 3-1 win over ZETA DIVISION.
Again, Crazy Raccoon won the first two maps — a 2-1 victory on Ilios and a 5-4 decision on Circuit Royal — before ZETA DIVISION responded with a 3-1 win on Suravasa. Crazy Raccoon ended the match with a 3-2 victory on King’s Row.
ZETA DIVISION fell behind quickly in their lower-bracket final against Twisted Minds, who secured a 2-1 win on Ilios and 3-1 victory on Suravasa. ZETA DIVISION answered with a 5-4 triumph on King’s Row, but Twisted Minds advanced to the grand final following a 3-2 decision on Circuit Royal.
Champions Clash prize pool (pool is crowdsourced and TBD):
1. Crazy Raccoon, qualifies to Midseason Championship
2. Twisted Minds
3. ZETA DIVISION
4. Virtus.pro
5-6. Dallas Fuel, Weibo Gaming
7-8. All Gamers, Spacestation Gaming
–Field Level Media
Sports
Angels fans have clear message: 'Sell the team'
May 23, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels fans gather outside Angel Stadium before the game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Texas Rangers to protest the Angels team owner Arte Moreno. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Los Angeles Angels fans are making it clear that they want owner Arte Moreno to sell the team.
Buoyed by the operators of various Instagram accounts — such as Angels Boycott and Angels Central — fans have held organized protests at Angel Stadium recently. The protests are expected to culminate with Sunday’s game against the Texas Rangers in a matchup that will be aired nationally on Peacock from Anaheim, Calif.
On Friday, Angels fans were asked to wear all black and be vocal. On Saturday, more than 100 fans gathered at the main entrance to the stadium before the Angels-Rangers game to protest Moreno’s ownership.
That followed a protest on Thursday among fans seated in an otherwise empty upper deck, who drew attention to their cause by following the new shirtless “tarps off” trend. Chants of “Sell the Team” and vulgar expressions directed toward Moreno have been heard throughout the stadium.
Angels fans have many issues with the team, but they boil down to performance. The Angels have not had a winning record since 2015 (85-77), and they are on their sixth manager, Kurt Suzuki, since Mike Scioscia departed after the 2018 season.
The Angels enter play Sunday with an MLB-worst 19-34 record.
The Angels Central page said this about the campaign:
“The chants will continue all season long because this is no longer just about wins and losses. It’s about accountability, leadership, and the future of the franchise. We are not rooting for wins anymore, we are rooting for change.
“For the first time in a long time, Angels fans are united behind one common goal, change in ownership. And the frustration is directed at the person that is responsible for holding this organization hostage. Arte Moreno.”
The Angels joined the American League in 1961 with entertainer Gene Autry as their owner. Upon his death in 1998, his widow, Jackie Autry, took over the team.
The Walt Disney Co. took over ownership until 2003, selling the Angels to Moreno after the team won its only World Series title in 2002.
Moreno paid $183.5 million for a franchise now valued by Forbes at $2.8 billion, placing it No. 11 among MLB teams in valuation.
In August 2022, Moreno announced he was taking the first steps toward selling the club. And with several interested suitors, a sale was considered a done deal.
But the follwing January, Moreno said the team had “unfinished business” and was off the market.
A perennial contender in the first decade of the 2000s, the Angels have made the playoffs just once since 2009, being swept in three games in 2014 by the Kansas City Royals in the American League Division Series.
Those are the only three playoff games in the career of Mike Trout, a three-time American League MVP.
The Angels’ issues are numerous.
First, Moreno has been criticized for his failure to spend money on free agents to pair with two of the biggest stars of this generation — Trout and Shohei Ohtani, who combined to win five MVP awards in an Angels uniform. And when Moreno did spend money, it turned out to be poorly spent.
Before the 2012 season, the Angels signed 32-year-old Albert Pujols to a 10-year, $240 million contract, and his numbers with the Angels didn’t come close to replicating his first 11 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals.
After Anthony Rendon won the 2019 World Series with the Washington Nationals, the Angels signed him to a seven-year deal worth $245 million. He is no longer with the team — an agreement was made to make deferred payments to honor the final year of his contract — and he played in only 257 games. He produced 22 home runs and 125 RBIs. In 146 games with the Nationals in 2019, he hit 34 homers and drove in 126 runs.
Off the field, the Angels and the city of Anaheim — the owner of Angel Stadium — have been trying to reach an agreement about a stadium lease and renovations.
The team’s lease runs through 2032, and the team wants renovations to the stadium, which opened in 1966 and doesn’t include the upgrades of modern stadiums. It is the fourth-oldest venue in the majors.
Anaheim mayor Ashleigh Aitken has informed Moreno that the team needs to shed its Los Angeles designation and become the Anaheim Angels again — the franchise held that name from 1997-2004 — before substantial talks can take place.
The California state Assembly also unanimously passed a bill called the “Home Run for Anaheim Act,” which would require the team to reinstitute the former team name as a condition for any future stadium redevelopment, lease or sale agreement. It requires approval by the state Senate.
–Field Level Media
Mets' Juan Soto (illness) scratched from lineup vs. Marlins
Crazy Raccoon rally to win 2026 Champions Clash
