Jabari Smith Jr had his best Las Vegas Summer League performance on Monday, helping the Houston Rockets defeat the San Antonio Spurs 97-84.
After a pair of inefficient showings – going four-of-10 for his 10 points in the opener against the Orlando Magic and five-of-19 for 12 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder – Smith found his range against the Spurs.
He finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, two steals and one block as he displayed impressive defensive versatility, and he shot six-of-12 from the field, three-of-five from long range and four-of-five at the free throw line.
Smith, at six-foot-10 with a seven-foot-one wingspan, showed he can guard at least three positions, with only enormous centres and small, shifty point guards figuring to pose any threat to the smooth-moving wing.
He combined well at both ends with fellow first-round pick Tari Eason (17th selection) who shined with 22 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals, hitting nine-of-16 from the field and two of his three attempts from range.
Spurs first-round picks Malaki Branham (20th selection) and Blake Wesley (25th selection) also both showed strong two-way games.
Branham scored a team-high 20 points on eight-of-18 shooting, and while Wesley was much less accurate (three-of-20 from the field for 14 points), he got to the free throw line (eight-of-nine), and collected team-highs in assists (four) and steals (three).
Immediately following that game was Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder as they beat the Orlando Magic 84-81 hours after it was announced the Magic's top pick Paolo Banchero would not participate in any more Summer League action.
While the Magic believe they have seen all they needed from Banchero, the Thunder are using Summer League to build chemistry between their young core, with second-year point guard Josh Giddey also suiting up again.
Holmgren led his team in points with 16 on seven-of-10 shooting, and rebounds with 10, while blocking two shots and dishing two assists.
Giddey's goal of becoming a more efficient scorer is still a work-in-progress, finishing three-of-11 from the field for his 12 points, but his all-round game continues to blossom as he posted eight assists and seven rebounds.
In another notable stat-line, the seven-foot-five Tacko Fall came off the bench for the Utah Jazz against the Dallas Mavericks and collected an outrageous 15 rebounds in 17 minutes, with 13 of his rebounds coming on the offensive end. He also scored 12 points and blocked three shots.
New York Mets star pitcher Max Scherzer appeared back to his best in Monday's 4-1 win against the reigning champion Atlanta Braves in his second game back from injury.
Scherzer, who struck out 11 batters against the Cincinnati Reds last week in his return from six weeks on the sidelines, was a match-winner against the Braves, striking out nine while only allowing three hits and no walks in seven innings.
The Mets jumped out to a lead in the third inning through Pete Alonso's RBI double, before Alonso came around to score and make it 2-0 off Luis Guillorme's ground-out.
Those would be the only two runs from the first six innings, with Atlanta's one and only run coming from a solo homer in the seventh inning from Austin Riley as Scherzer approached 90 pitches, ultimately finishing his day with 93.
Guillorme drove home his second run in more emphatic fashion in the eighth inning, with his solo home run giving the Mets a 3-1 buffer, before Alonso collected an RBI ground-out in the last frame to seal the win.
Alonso's two RBIs give him a league-leading 72 for the season – six more than any other player – with Colorado Rockies first-baseman C.J. Cron and Cleveland Guardians third-baseman Jose Ramirez tied for second on 66.
With the win, the Mets move to 54-33 for the season, giving them the second-best record in the National League, three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Mikolas deals on the mound for Cardinals
The St Louis Cardinals came from some early adversity to comfortably defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 at home, with Miles Mikolas pitching a strong seven innings.
Mikolas' day started in bumpy fashion, giving up a first-inning home run to Rhys Hoskins, but the Phillies would score no more runs the rest of the way as Mikolas found his footing. He finished with seven-and-a-third innings pitched, giving up six hits and no walks while striking out five.
With the bat, Edmundo Sosa, Andrew Knizner and Corey Dickerson drove in a run each with three consecutive hits in the fifth inning, before Dickerson launched a two-run homer in the seventh and Lars Nootbaar completed the rout with a solo shot in the eighth.
Bobby Witt Jr makes history for Royals
Highly touted rookie Bobby Witt Jr had a spectacular day for the Kansas City Royals as they took both games of their double-header against the Detroit Tigers.
Witt went two-for-four at the plate in the Royals' 3-1 win in the first game, before going four-for-five with a double and a home run in his side's 7-3 victory later in the day.
He became the first player in MLB history to ever have at least six hits, three RBIs and three stolen bases in a double-header sweep.
The top pick from this year's NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic's Paolo Banchero, will not play in the remainder of the Las Vegas Summer League as head coach Jamahl Mosley feels he has seen enough.
Banchero, 19, debuted against the Houston Rockets last week and scored 17 points with six assists in the win, functioning as a six-foot-10 lead ball-handler and his team's de facto point guard.
He followed it up with 23 points, six rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks in an overtime victory against the Sacramento Kings.
Banchero was scheduled for a highly anticipated matchup with number two pick Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, but the organisation decided to pull the plug on his Summer League campaign and wrap him in cotton wool.
Speaking to the media about the decision, Mosley said he wants to use the rest of Summer League to evaluate the more fringe talent vying for a roster spot.
"I want to give these other guys an opportunity to play, to kind of be able to show what they're capable of doing," he said.
"That's the point of summer league, you know, give them a chance... an opportunity for these other guys to see what they're capable of doing. We've seen what Paolo was capable of doing.
"His understanding of what he needs to do in certain situations, the concepts that we're preaching offensively and defensively, he's grasping on to those.
"Watching film together, he's observing those things. He explains to me the things that he sees on the floor.
"It's only two games, but you're watching those film sessions and you realise how he's registering all of it. So that's how you can make the judgement that it's time let these other guys get those moments.''
The Magic are also expected to withdraw R.J. Hampton and Admiral Schofield from the remainder of summer league, indicating they are locked into roster spots.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ quest for a wild-card spot in the American League took a hit Monday with the news that star shortstop Wander Franco will undergo surgery for a fractured hamate bone in his right hand that is expected to sideline him for five to eight weeks.
The 21-year-old Franco sustained the injury during the first inning of Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds after fouling off a pitch. He was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday and will have the surgery on Tuesday.
Franco made his major league debut in June 2021 and hit .288 with seven home runs and 39 RBIs in 70 regular-season games with the Rays. He then went 7 for 19 (.368) with a pair of homers and four RBIs in four games as Tampa Bay lost to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series.
Franco finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting, and the Rays signed him to an 11-year, $182million contract extension in late November.
Franco, though, has been hampered by injuries in 2022, as he also spent nearly a month on the injured list with a strained right quadriceps before returning to the lineup on June 26.
He has been limited to 58 games and is batting .260 with five home runs and 23 RBIs for the Rays, who entered Monday occupying the second wild-card spot in the American League.
Pablo Carreno Busta bounced back from his Wimbledon disappointment to claim a straight-sets victory over Stan Wawrinka at the Swedish Open.
Carreno Busta was forced to pull out of his first-round clash with Dusan Lajovic at the All England Club because of a leg injury.
But back to fitness and back on the clay in Bastad, Carreno Busta – playing in only his sixth tour-level event since missing 13 months due to a foot problem – battled past Wawrinka 7-5 6-4.
The fifth seed said afterwards: "It was a very tough match for me in the first round. Against Stan it is always very difficult to start the tournament, so I'm happy because I thought my level was good.
"I played very solid from the baseline. It was a bit difficult with the wind, but I thought my serve was very good throughout the match. It was very important to my game."
Elsewhere in the draw, Laslo Djejre overcame Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets and home hope Elias Ymer beat Daniel Altmaier.
Jason Kubler reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and he continued his fine form on grass at the Hall of Fame Open by defeating Australian compatriot Jordan Thompson 6-2 6-3. Kubler will now face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round.
Steve Johnson enjoyed a run to the third round at SW19 and was victorious on home soil in Newport, the American beating countryman Stefan Kozlov, while Peter Gojowczyk defeated Ugo Humbert in straight sets.
There was more joy for home fans as Jack Sock eased to a 6-1 7-6 (7-2) win over Radu Albot. Sock will next play third seed Alexander Bublik for a place in the quarter-final.
The NBA board of governors is expected to vote this week to make the play-in tournament permanent going forward, as well as a rule change to eliminate the 'take foul' in transition.
Governors will meet on Tuesday with the expectation that the play-in tournament – which was first implemented in the 2020-21 season, giving two extra teams in each conference a chance at qualifying for the playoffs – is a near sure-thing to be adopted permanently.
According to ESPN's report, the feeling around the league is that the play-in tournament and flattened odds in the draft lottery – giving less incentive to finish with the worst record in the league – have gone a long way in curtailing the ugly 'tanking' generally seen in the final six weeks of a season.
The 'take foul' has been a hot topic over the past season as players routinely decided to intentionally foul a ball-handler to prevent a fast-break opportunity, limiting the amount of exciting break-away dunks and shows of athleticism in every game.
As is the case in European basketball and international FIBA rules, that play is expected to be reclassified as an unsportsmanlike foul, resulting in one free throw and possession remaining with the offensive team.
While those two changes are likely to go through without much opposition, another recurring topic from commissioner Adam Silver will be discussed: an in-season tournament.
Silver has been vocal over the past few years about his desire to have mid-season competition in the same vein as cup competitions in European football, giving the teams something else to compete for and to add excitement to the regular season.
It was initially going to be rolled out at the same time as the play-in tournament, but it was met with stiff resistance and put on the backburner.
Original discussions proposed a $1million prize to each member of the winning team, although ESPN's latest report says "the players would likely see more financial and competitive incentives before an agreement on the format might be reached".
Here today, gone tomorrow – or is it tomato?
It's the end of an era in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers announced on Monday their longtime stadium will no longer be called Heinz Field.
The Steelers will now play in Acrisure Stadium after reaching a 15-year sponsorship deal with the financial tech company. Financial terms were not released.
"We are excited to partner with Acrisure for the naming rights to our stadium," Steelers President Art Rooney II said. "Acrisure provided us with an opportunity to ensure our stadium continues to be a valuable asset for our fans as well as keeping up with the market value of NFL stadiums."
The name change will take place immediately at the 68,400-seat venue, which had been known as Heinz Field since it opened in 2001.
In their 21 seasons since its opening, the Steelers have won two Super Bowls, 10 division titles and made the playoffs 14 times. In this span, only the New England Patriots (80.5) and Green Bay Packers (73.8) have achieved a higher home winning percentage than Pittsburgh's 72.8 (122-45-2).
Elena-Gabriela Ruse was the only seeded player to fall in the opening round of the Hungarian Grand Prix on Monday, going down in three sets to Kamilla Rakhimova.
The seventh seed made numerous errors and was undone against Russia's world number 107 Rakhimova, who hit 23 winners en route to a 6-4 5-7 6-3 victory in Budapest.
Rakhimova will now face Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko, who beat Carolina Alves 6-4 6-1 to reach the last 16.
At the Ladies Open Lausanne, meanwhile, another seventh seed in Tamara Zidansek was eliminated at the first hurdle by Anna Kalinskaya with a 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-3 defeat.
Sara Sorribes Tormo, the only other seeded player in action on day one in Switzerland, had far less trouble in seeing off Lauren Davis 6-2 7-6 (7-1).
Joe Sakic has been promoted to president of hockey operations by the Colorado Avalanche just over two weeks after he helped build the team that captured its first Stanley Cup since 2001.
The move was officially announced on Monday, along with assistant general manager Chris MacFarland moving into Sakic's former position as Avalanche GM.
Sakic had recently been awarded the 2021-22 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award and became the first person in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup as a GM and a captain for the same organisation after leading the Avs to titles in 1996 and 2001.
The 53-year-old Sakic retired from playing in 2009, and had served as Colorado's executive vice president and GM for the past nine seasons.
Under his direction, Colorado vaulted from a last-place finish in the 2016-17 season to Stanley Cup champions in just five years, becoming the fifth team in the expansion era (1967-68) to accomplish such a turnaround.
With 56 victories in the regular season – 34 more than five seasons ago – the Avs established a franchise record for wins.
After recording 16 more playoff victories en route to raising the Cup, Colorado's 72 combined wins matched the NHL record set by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens and equalled by the 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers and 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings.
The 52-year-old MacFarland spent the last seven seasons as assistant GM for the Avs, and his name had been recently linked to other GM jobs with other franchises.
Sakic and MacFarland will turn their attention to constructing a roster this offseason in a bid to repeat as champions.
Wales wing Alex Cuthbert has been ruled out of this weekend's series decider against South Africa with a shoulder injury.
The 32-year-old was forced off the field 17 minutes into the visitors' 13-12 victory in Bloemfontein on Saturday, which levelled the three-match series at 1-1.
Wales confirmed on Monday that Cuthbert will play no part in the third and final Test, with no replacement being called up.
Josh Adams, who replaced Cuthbert and scored Wales' late try, is now expected to start the crunch clash in Cape Town.
Captain Dan Biggar and prop Dillon Lewis suffered shoulder and arm injuries respectively in the second Test, but they have not yet been ruled out.
South Africa confirmed earlier on Monday that centre Andre Esterhuizen, who started for the much-changed hosts last time out, will play no part after breaking his hand.
Jamaica’s Women’s basketball team received a welcome cash boost on Saturday as they continue preparations for the Caribbean Basketball Championship set to tip off in Cuba on July 13.
Three St Lucia boxers preparing for the Commonwealth Games left the island recently for England for a training camp that is expected to get them in top shape for the Games.
Light middleweight Kyghan Mortley, middleweight Arthur Langellier and super heavyweight Leran Regis were accompanied by National Head Boxing Coach, Conrad Fredericks.
The trio, from the Vigie Boxing Gym, are the most senior and experienced boxers and are set to compete at the Games to be held in Birmingham, England, from July 28 – August 8.
Prior to their departure, the boxers and coach received a courtesy call at the gym by Minister for Youth Development and Sport, the Honourable Kenson Casimir, Resident British Commissioner Lesley M. Saunderson, Joyce Huxley, Chef de Mission for the 2022 Birmingham Games and Irwin Jean, Vice-President of the St. Lucia Boxing Association (SLBA).
Minister Casimir commended the boxers for their determination as they were able to continue their training through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also congratulated them for making the team to the Commonwealth Games, imploring them to make the most of the opportunity.
“I’m very proud of their level of preparation and where they are right now and, of course, Saint Lucia will be proud that they will give a good account of themselves,” the minister said.
“It really speaks volumes of their character and their love for country, so I just want to encourage them to do their best.”
The minister also praised the efforts of the St. Lucia Boxing Association in preparing the boxers for the Games, noting that not enough credit is given to administrators.
“We must really remedy it as a nation, not just as a Ministry. I think we need to continue to commend and encourage those who volunteer their time and energies. So hats off to the St. Lucia Boxing Association for getting them prepared,” he said.
Meanwhile, President of the St Lucia Boxing Association David Christopher said the boxers have been making good progress with their training in England.
“I think this is the best preparation any boxing team in the history of Saint Lucia has ever gotten,” Christopher said.
“They’re presently training at two gyms in England, including the Repton Gym, where they’re getting their required amount of sparring and strength and conditioning with a special coach. They’re getting pad work, working on their shape and balance, and nutrition.”
The boxers will leave their training camp on July 23 for Birmingham prior to the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.
Christopher thanked the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, National Lotteries Authority, and St. Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) Inc. for supporting the boxers’ training camp.
Suriname kept their slim hopes of claiming the gold medal in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship alive with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-15) victory against host Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.
With the straight-sets win, Suriname, seeking a first title at this level, improved their win-loss record to 2-1 and 11 points, the same as Jamaica (2-1) and two points behind unbeaten leaders Haiti (3-0) as the trio will enter the final day of the five-team round-robin series all in contention for their first title.
Hosts Trinidad and Tobago, who needed a win to keep alive their medal hopes dropped to a 1-2 record and three points, just ahead of winless US Virgin Islands, who completed their four-match campaign with two points.
Despite the loss, Trinidad and Tobago still has a slim chance at a medal but will need to pull off a shock win over title-favourites Haiti.
On, Monday, July 11, in the final round of matches, Jamaica meets Suriname at 10 am, and Haiti meets Trinidad and Tobago at 4 pm, at the end of which, the top team will be declared champions.
South Africa centre Andre Esterhuizen has been ruled out of Saturday's series decider against Wales with a broken hand.
The 28-year-old sustained the injury during the Springboks' 13-12 loss in Bloemfontein over the weekend.
Boks assistant coach Deon Davids confirmed on Monday that Esterhuizen is facing around a month on the sidelines.
However, South Africa were always expected to revert back to the XV that started the first Test, which ended in a dramatic 32-29 victory.
That would see Lukhanyo Am and Damian De Allende recalled as the hosts' starting midfield combination for the Cape Town showdown.
Esterhuizen is now in a race against time to be fit for South Africa's opening Rugby Championship match against New Zealand on August 6.
Tennis great Roger Federer is no longer ranked by the ATP Tour after his remaining ranking points expired, meaning he has dropped out of the top 100 for the first time this century.
The 40-year-old has not played since undergoing knee surgery after a straight-sets defeat to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2021, having also missed much of the 2020 season with a similar injury.
But Federer, a 20-time grand slam champion, has repeatedly ruled out retiring and recently said he intends to make an ATP Tour comeback in 2023.
His remaining ranking points have now expired, meaning he has not only dropped out of the top 100 for the first time in almost 23 years, but he is no longer ranked at all by the ATP.
According to Opta, the last time the Swiss superstar was not ranked among the 100 best players in the world was October 4, 1999, a remarkable 8,316 days ago.
Daniil Medvedev remains as world number one, while Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic slipped to seventh in the rankings despite his win over Nick Kyrgios at SW19 on Sunday, as ranking points were stripped in this year's tournament.
England flanker Sam Underhill will not feature in the Test series decider against Australia due to concussion, joining Maro Itoje on Eddie Jones' list of absentees.
Jones confirmed Itoje would be unavailable for the winner-takes-all clash in Sydney on Saturday, after England levelled the series with a 25-17 victory in Brisbane last weekend.
England have won four of their past five games in Oceania, having done so just once in their previous 12 away matches against teams from that continent, but the most recent victory came at a cost.
While Jones had already acknowledged Itoje would miss the third Test, England remained hopeful Underhill may be fit to feature after the pair both suffered concussions in the same game.
However, England announced on Monday that the pair had been withdrawn from the squad and no replacements have been called up.
Flanker Tom Curry has already returned home after being concussed in the first Test, with Australia's Jordan Petaia and Allan Alaalatoa making up the five players ruled out of the series due to concussion.
Jones will likely call upon Billy Vunipola and Courtney Lawes again, with Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam and Jack Willis the alternate options for the final spot in the back row.
Novak Djokovic has slipped to seventh in the ATP Tour rankings despite winning Wimbledon, where ranking points were stripped in this year's tournament.
Players from Russia and Belarus were banned from competing at the third major of the year due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The ATP and WTA retaliated by stripping ranking points from the event at the All England Club, where the likes of world number one Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev did not feature.
Moscow-born Elena Rybakina, who switched to represent Kazakhstan four years ago, lifted the women's title in the singles competition, while Djokovic triumphed for a fourth straight time in the men's event.
Yet, Djokovic has lost 2,000 rankings points – the standard total awarded to a grand slam singles champion – after winning in SW19 last year, with no such rewards available on this occasion.
That meant the Serbian has dropped from third place to seventh, his lowest position since August 2018 when he fell to 10th.
Djokovic moved within just one major title of Rafael Nadal's record of 22 grand slams, and the Spaniard has jumped up one spot to third.
Medvedev and Alexander Zverev are unmoved as the respective top two after losing just 180 rankings points in the latest edition. Both missed Wimbledon, with the Russian banned and the German still injured.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz make up the top six after climbing a place each, while Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jannik Sinner are the trio behind Djokovic.
Nick Kyrgios appeared in his maiden major final against Djokovic at Wimbledon as world number 40, the lowest-ranked grand slam male finalist since Marcos Baghdatis (54) at the Australian Open in 2006.
Just a day later Kyrgios has dropped five places to 45th in the rankings, losing 90 points from his third-round berth last year. If the ban was not imposed, the Australian would have broken into the top 20.
Cameron Norrie is another loser from the ranking points fallout. His run to the semi-finals at the London major would have seen him climb to eighth, but instead he has to settle for 11th.
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