Kemba Walker is joining his hometown New York Knicks after agreeing to a buyout with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
ESPN and The Athletic reported the move, which sees Walker leave the Thunder without playing a game.
The four-time All-Star was part of a June trade that saw OKC send Al Horford back to the Boston Celtics and receive the 16th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The Thunder, who are building a young team after trading superstars Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Chris Paul in recent seasons, turned that selection into two more in a deal with the Houston Rockets.
Walker's exit gives OKC more minutes to dish out to prospects and sees the Knicks recruit the starting point guard they badly needed.
Elfrid Payton started 63 games last season but lost his place after 13 minutes, one point and one assist in the playoffs. Frank Ntilikina appeared fleetingly in three postseason games.
Derrick Rose was promoted to a starting role, having rediscovered some form leading the second unit, but the Knicks lost all three of his starts and badly missed his consistent contributions from the bench.
Rose has returned to Madison Square Garden on a three-year, $43million contract yet will likely now serve as back-up to Walker.
Walker is expected to fit into the $10m salary cap space left in New York following the Knicks' free agency business, which included the signing of the guard's former Celtics team-mate Evan Fournier.
Walker, who is only two years removed from an All-NBA Third Team season with the Charlotte Hornets, still had two years and $74m remaining on his previous deal before Wednesday's agreement with the Thunder.
The Knicks will be hoping for an offensive boost from Walker, who was born in The Bronx and went to high school at Rice in Manhatten.
The best defense in the league, giving up only 104.7 points per game, carried the Knicks to the playoffs for the first time in eight years, but they scored only 107.0 points on offense, ranking 26th, and lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.
Walker scored 25.6 points and played all 82 games for the Hornets in a career year in 2018-19, earning the move to Boston.
But a series of injuries kept him from playing or performing consistently for the Celtics, while his usage rate last year fell to 26.3 per cent alongside ball-dominant duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Walker will get the opportunity to shine again in a prominent role at MSG, as long as he can stay fit.
Danielle Collins eased past Shelby Rogers 6-4 6-3 to book her spot in the second round at the Silicon Valley Classic on Tuesday.
World number 36 Collins proved too strong for American compatriot Rogers, winning in one hour and 25 minutes.
Collins will meet another American in the second round, with Sloane Stephens up next.
Former U.S. Open winner Stephens beat Caty McNally 6-4 6-2 earlier in the day.
Yulia Putintseva, meanwhile, eased her way into the second round with a 7-5 6-3 win over Croatian Donna Vekic.
Putintseva will face Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round after she fought back to overcome Amanda Anisimova 1-6 7-5 7-5.
France's Kristina Mladenovic won 6-4 6-4 over Han Na-Lae, while American Claire Liu won in three sets against Dayana Yastremska.
Mladenovic will face top seed Elise Mertens, while Liu meets second seed Elena Rybakina.
Miguel Cabrera moved closer to his 500th career home run with number 498 in the Detroit Tigers' 4-2 win against the Boston Red Sox.
The 38-year-old designated hitter sent Garrett Richards over the fence at right-field with the Tigers trailing 2-0 in the second inning.
The home run takes two-time American League MVP and 11-time All-Star Cabrera's 2021 majors tally to 11 homers, and 498 for his career.
Akil Baddoo drove in Derek Hill's to make it 3-2 to the Tigers in the fifth inning, before Robbie Grossman brought Jonathan Schoop home for an RBI single and insurance run.
Polanco's game to remember
Gregory Polanco robbed Eduardo Escobar of a walk-off homer in the ninth inning before the Pittsburgh Pirates on 8-5 over the Milwaukee Brewers.
The catch capped a spectacular game for Polanco who brought up a no-hitter in the seventh inning by grounding a single, before the Pirates late rally.
After a long lay-off, Hyun-Jin Ryu returned to the mound at home and tossed down eight strikeouts across seven innings as the Toronto Blue Jays won 7-2 over the Cleveland Indians.
Bryce Harper homered in the eighth inning against his former club as the Philadelphia Phillies edged the Washington Nationals 5-4.
Tommy Pham hit a lead-off home run, the fourth of the day, as the San Diego Padres won 8-1 at the Oakland Athletics.
Five straight defeats for Red Sox
The Red Sox' 4-2 loss to the Tigers means they have lost five games in a row, including three against the Tampa Bay Rays, one against the Toronto Blue Jays (13-1) as well as Detroit. Boston are 63-45 and drop to second behind the Rays in the American League East.
Another Mookie Betts special
Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts pulled off a spectacular diving catch on the grass just outside the diamond to rob Michael Brantley of a hit. Only two days ago Betts pulled off another special grab against the Arizona Diamondbacks. For the record, the Dodgers lost 3-0 to the Houston Astros who improve to 64-42.
Tuesday's results
Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 Washington Nationals
New York Yankees 13-1 Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays 7-2 Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers 4-2 Boston Red Sox
Minnesota Twins 7-5 Cincinnati Reds
Miami Marlins 5-4 New York Mets
Seattle Mariners 4-2 Tampa Bay Rays
Los Angeles Angels 11-3 Texas Rangers
Pittsburgh Pirates 8-5 Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago White Sox 7-1 Kansas City Royals
Atlanta Braves 6-1 St Louis Cardinals
Colorado Rockies 13-6 Chicago Cubs
Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1 San Francisco Giants
San Diego Padres 8-1 Oakland Athletics
Houston Astros 3-0 Los Angeles Dodgers
Padres at Athletics
The San Diego Padres (62-47) continue their series against the Oakland Athletics (60-48).
Second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime survived after an early scare against Andreas Seppi to progress to the third round at the Citi Open in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.
The Canadian world number 15 won 2-6 6-2 6-2 in just under two hours over the 37-year-old Italian.
Seppi had beaten Auger-Aliassime in the opening round at the French Open in June.
Auger-Aliassime this time hit 25 winners, including nine aces, overcoming a slow start where he was broken twice inside the opening six games to win in three sets.
Youngster Jenson Brooksby continued his bright start in Washington D.C. with a 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 win over fellow American Francis Tiafoe.
Australian Nick Kyrgios was bundled out by Mackenzie McDonald 6-4 6-4, while 12th seed Sebastian Korda eased past Vasek Pospisil 7-5 6-4 in the second round.
Seventh seed Cameron Norrie also triumphed in straight sets over Marcos Giron 6-4 6-3, while emerging star Brandon Nakashima celebrated his 20th birthday with a 6-3 6-3 victory over Alexei Popyrin.
Denis Kudla beat Feliciano Lopez to set up a second round date with 10th seed Taylor Fritz, while Tennys Sandgren will meet 14th seed Lloyd Harris after beating James Duckworth in three sets.
Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori beat India's Prajnesh Gunneswaran 2-6 6-1 6-1 and will take on fifth seed Jannik Sinner in the second round.
DeMar DeRozan is headed to Chicago on a new three-year, $85million contract after the Bulls and San Antonio Spurs orchestrated a sign-and-trade deal, multiple outlets on reported Tuesday.
The Spurs received Thaddeus Young and Al-Farouq Aminu, who are both on expiring contracts, as well as a future first-round draft pick and two future second-round picks.
DeRozan, who turns 32 later this week, is one of the most consistent scorers in the NBA, averaging at least 20 points per game over each of the last eight seasons.
The 6ft 6in swingman averaged 21.6 points and a career-high 6.9 assists last season for San Antonio while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor.
DeRozan's game, however, has come under scrutiny by some due to his unwillingness to attempt and inability to make three-pointers.
He shot just 22.7 percent from beyond the arc in his three-season tenure with the Spurs.
The move is the latest for Bulls vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley in an effort to end the franchise's four-season playoff drought.
Also joining Chicago will be point guard Lonzo Ball, who received a four-year, $85m contract Monday in a sign-and-trade deal that ended his tenure with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Bulls also signed restricted free agent guard Alex Caruso after the Los Angeles Lakers declined to match Chicago's four-year, $37m offer.
Chicago were buyers at last season's trade deadline, acquiring former All-Star center Nikola Vucevic from the Orlando Magic, and are making an urgent push to build around Zach LaVine and win their first playoff series since 2015.
Always a dangerous scorer, LaVine achieved new levels of efficiency last season, shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from three-point range, both career highs.
Chicago was thought to be in the market for a polished player or two this offseason, but many thought the team would need to part ways with a young asset.
But the Bulls' front office was able to add both DeRozan and Ball without giving up Lauri Markkanen, Patrick Williams or Coby White.
The Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry agreed to a max contract extension, paying the two-time league MVP $215.4million over four years.
Added to his previous deal of $201m, signed in 2017, Curry becomes the first player in NBA history to ink multiple deals worth at least $200 million, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday.
Curry will be 38 at the end of his new contract but has shown no signs of slowing down after averaging a career-high 32.0 points during the regular season to become the oldest NBA scoring champion since a 35-year-old Michael Jordan accomplished the feat in 1997-98.
The move comes during a crucial offseason for the Warriors after two straight injury-riddled campaigns have seen them fall short of a postseason berth.
Curry carried the Warriors in 2020-21 with Klay Thompson and 2020 second overall pick James Wiseman both suffering season-ending injuries.
Golden State general manager Bob Myers admitted he is not sure if Thompson will be healthy by the start of next season. The five-time All-Star tore his right Achilles before last season's training camp.
That came after Thompson missed the 2019-20 season with a torn ACL suffered in a Game 6 NBA Finals loss in June 2019 that gave the Toronto Raptors their first NBA title.
“I don't know that it'll be the start of the year,” Myers said. "We'll see more as camp gets closer. When I say start of the year, I mean Game 1. I don't know if that's realistic or not.
“What we're focused on is when do we expect Klay to be Klay, and I don't know if that'll be January, February, March. It's too early to say."
With Curry at 33 years old and Thompson and Draymond Green both 31, the Warriors have been connected to rumors of a win-now move that would add veteran talent, but Myers has yet to pull off such a blockbuster.
Wiseman, whose college career at Memphis was cut short due to eligibility issues, has played just 42 games since leaving high school and remains a raw prospect.
Myers has insisted that the club does not intend to trade Wiseman, however, saying he can be an asset in both the short and long term.
The Warriors left many pundits puzzled after last Thursday's NBA Draft, where they used the seventh overall pick on unpolished forward Jonathan Kuminga and the 14th overall selection on guard Moses Moody, leading to even more trade speculation.
There appears to be much left to accomplish this offseason for Myers and the Warriors, but a new contract extension ensures Curry will be the centrepiece of it all, just as he was for three NBA titles and five straight NBA Finals appearances from 2015-19.
Kyle Sinckler is free to play in the British and Irish Lions' deciding third Test against South Africa on Saturday after a citing for alleged biting against the prop was dismissed.
Lions head coach Warren Gatland has made six changes to the side that lost 27-9 in last weekend's encounter in Cape Town.
Hooker Ken Owens, prop Wyn Jones, scrum-half Ali Price, centre Bundee Aki, wing Josh Adams and full-back Liam Williams all come into the XV.
Wales duo Adams and Williams are likely to have an important role in the back three under the Springboks' kicking game that dismantled the Lions after half-time last time out.
Tight-head prop Sinckler will take his place on the bench alongside fly-half Finn Russell, lock Adam Beard and number eight Sam Simmonds – the three of whom are in Test squad for the first time in the series.
Gatland has axed Owen Farrell Taulupe Faletau, Anthony Watson, Stuart Hogg, Rory Sutherland, Tadhg Beirne and Chris Harris from his 23.
"The matchday 23 have an incredibly special opportunity in front of them - to seal a Lions series victory in South Africa," said the veteran coach.
"It doesn't get much bigger than this and we're excited by the challenge that faces us on Saturday.
"We've no excuses from last week - the Springboks put us under pressure in the second half and deserved the win. We have to be much better than that second-half performance, and I believe we will be."
Sinckler denied allegations that he bit Franco Mostert and World Rugby were unable to find sufficient evidence to punish the England forward, who was facing a minimum 12-week ban.
A statement from the governing body read: "Having reviewed all the evidence, the committee deemed that on the balance of probabilities, it could not be satisfied that the player committed an act of foul play.
"On that basis, the committee dismissed the citing and the player is free to play again immediately."
South Africa are without world player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit and influential scrum-half Faf de Klerk through injury.
Cobus Reinach comes in for De Klerk while Franco Mostert's switch to blindside flanker means Lood de Jager will partner Eben Etzebeth in the second row.
Veteran fly-half Morne Steyn, whose long-range penalty secured a series triumph for the Springboks over the Lions in 2009, is named on the bench.
British and Irish Lions: Liam Williams, Josh Adams, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe, Dan Biggar, Ali Price; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Tadhg Furlong, Maro Itoje, Alun Wyn Jones (captain), Courtney Lawes, Tom Curry, Jack Conan
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Mako Vunipola, Kyle Sinckler, Adam Beard, Sam Simmonds, Conor Murray, Finn Russell, Elliot Daly
South Africa : Wille le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Makazole Mapimpi; Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach; Steven Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Siya Kolisi (captain), Franco Mostert, Jasper Wiese
Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Trevor Nyakane, Vincent Koch, Marco van Staden, Kwagga Smith, Herschel Jantjies, Morne Steyn, Damian Willemse
Alex Dickerson hammered a grand slam as the San Francisco Giants won 11-8 over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the MLB on Monday.
Leading 3-1 at the top of the fifth inning, Dickerson hit Diamondbacks right-hander J.B. Bukauskas over at right-field with bases loaded.
It was Dickerson's third career grand slam, having crushed one on his memorable franchise debut two years ago.
The home run was only Dickerson's 10th of 2021, with only 28 RBI this season.
The table topping Giants led 7-1 but the Diamondbacks, bottom of the National League West, stormed back after two-run shots from Josh Reddick and Asdrubal Cabrera.
Wilmer Flores homered to make it 8-5 before Arizona tied it up after three runs in the seventh inning off reliever Jay Jackson.
In the 10th inning, Buster Posey drove in Brandon Crawford, before two more runs, with Jarlin Garcia closing it out.
Brinson grand slam, Escobar HR home debut
Lewis Brinson hit a first-innings grand slam to lead the Miami Marlins to a 6-3 win over the New York Mets. With bases loaded, Brinson drove it out over right-field.
New acquisition Eduardo Escobar marked his home debut with a three-run home run in the Milwaukee Brewers' 6-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Right-hander Jorge Lopez allowed one hit across six innings as the Baltimore Orioles won 7-1 over the New York Yankees.
Andy Ibanez made an incredible sliding stop at second base with a throw to first in the Texas Rangers' 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Rays brushed aside by Mariners
The Tampa Bay Rays (64-43) may be top of the American League East but they were humbled 8-2 by the Seattle Mariners (57-50) after conceding five runs in the third inning. It was not a good shift on the mound for Michael Wacha, allowing eight hits in four innings.
Guerrero tops the charts
Vladimir Guerrero Jr hit a two-run home run to tie it up in the Toronto Blue Jays' 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians. Guerrero now has an league high 82 runs and 85 RBI, while he is second behind only Shohei Ohtani for most home runs, with 34.
Monday's results
Cleveland Indians 5-2 Toronto Blue Jays
Philadelphia Phillies 7-5 Washington Nationals
Baltimore Orioles 7-1 New York Yankees
Miami Marlins 6-3 New York Mets
Seattle Mariners 8-2 Tampa Bay Rays
Texas Rangers 4-1 Los Angeles Angels
Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
San Francisco Giants 11-8 Arizona Diamondbacks
Astros at Dodgers
World champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers (64-43) will host the Houston Astros (64-42) in a blockbuster rivalry meeting.
Ninth seed Alison Riske defeated former top 10 player CoCo Vanderweghe in the opening round of the Silicon Valley Classic in straight sets on Monday.
Riske, who made the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2019 and is currently ranked 37th in the world, won 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 28 minutes.
In a match which saw eight breaks converted, Riske's ability to win on her first serve proved the difference.
Vanderweghe, who made the Silicon Valley Classic finals in 2012 and 2017, was broken five times and won 58.1 per cent of first serve points.
Croatian sixth seed Petra Martic eased into the second round with a 6-3 6-3 victory over Anastasija Sevastova.
Martic will face Magda Linette next, after the Pole accounted for Dutch qualifier Lesley Kerkhove 6-3 6-3.
Ana Konjuh defeated Marie Bouzkova in a three-set epic which last two hours and 41 minutes, winning 7-5 3-6 7-5.
China's Zhang Shuai won over Emma Raducanu in straight sets, along with Carolina Garcia who defeated Emina Bektas.
Young American Jenson Brooksby claimed some revenge for last month's Hall of Fame Open final defeat to Kevin Anderson by beating the South African 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in the Citi Open first round on Monday.
Brooksby, who received a wildcard for the draw, triumphed in one hour and 49 mnutes against the former world number five.
The 20-year-old American saved a set point at 5-6 in the first set, before winning in a tiebreaker off the back of winning six consecutive points having trailed 1-4.
Former City Open finalist Anderson, who sent down 10-1 aces, had defeated Brooksby to win the Hall of Fame Open last month.
World number 130 Brooksby, who had started the season outside the top 300, claimed the crucial break in the eighth game of the second set.
Brooksby advances to take on American Francis Tiafoe, fresh from competing at Tokyo 2020, as numerous big names enter the draw for the second round.
Kei Nishikori, who won in Washington in 2015, got past American Sam Querrey 6-4 6-3 to set up a second round meeting with Kazakhstani ninth seed Alexander Bublik.
American Jack Sock will take on top seed Rafael Nadal in the second round after he got past Yoshihito Nishioka in a walkover 6-7 (3-7) 4-0.
Former top 20 player Andreas Seppi triumphed in three sets against Yasutaka Uchiyama while Canadian tour veteran Vasek Pospisil got past Emilio Gomez in three.
Ilya Ivashka, Marcos Giron, Ricardas Berankas and Daniel Galan were the other first round winners on Monday.
Kyle Lowry is set to leave the Toronto Raptors to join the Miami Heat after the 35-year-old point guard revealed the free agency move on social media.
The six-time NBA All-Star, who has been with the Raptors since 2012, will reportedly join the Heat on a three-year deal. The deal marks the start of the NBA free agency period.
Lowry announced the deal on Twitter, posting "Miami Heat x Kyle Lowry Let's goo!!"
ESPN claims the deal is worth approximately $90 million, completing via a sign-and-trade with the Raptors.
Lowry holds records for most assists, most three-point field goals and three-point attempts for Raptors and is widely viewed as the best player in franchise history. He was part of the Toronto side which won the 2019 NBA title.
The veteran played in 601 games after joining Toronto in July 2012, behind only DeMar DeRozan (675) on their all-time list.
Lowry averaged 17.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in the 2020-21 NBA season.
The Heat reached the NBA postseason in 2020-21 but fell in the first round 4-0 to eventual champions, the Milwaukee Bucks.
South Africa's director of rugby Rassie Erasmus is to face a misconduct hearing after publicly criticising the match officials following their first Test defeat to the British and Irish Lions.
Erasmus accused the Lions of "reckless and dangerous" play in their 22-17 win last month and hit out at the standard of refereeing from Nic Berry.
The 48-year-old made the claims in a 62-minute clip posted on social media as he highlighted what he felt were a number of calls that went against South Africa.
He also retweeted clips from an anonymous Twitter user, alleged to be one of his own accounts, highlighting "questionable calls" made by the tourists.
World Rugby has now cited Erasmus for his comments and he, along with South African Rugby, will face a judicial hearing.
"Match officials are the backbone of the sport, and without them there is no game," a statement from the rugby governing body read on Monday.
"World Rugby condemns any public criticism of their selection, performance or integrity which undermines their role, the well established and trust-based coach-officials feedback process, and more importantly, the values that are at the heart of the sport.
"Having conducted a full review of all the available information, World Rugby is concerned that individuals from both teams have commented on the selection and/or performance of match officials.
"However, the extensive and direct nature of the comments made by Rassie Erasmus within a video address, in particular, meets the threshold to be considered a breach of World Rugby regulation 18 (misconduct and code of conduct) and will now be considered by an independent disciplinary panel.
"World Rugby has reminded the management of both teams of the importance of this area and their obligations regarding the values of the sport."
In response, SA Rugby posted a brief statement on Twitter, which read: "SA Rugby has noted the charges brought by World Rugby and will respond through the designated channels. There will be no further comment from SA Rugby until the process is complete."
South Africa defeated the Lions 27-9 in a fiery encounter at the weekend to level the three-match series at 1-1 and set up a decider in Cape Town on Saturday.
Erasmus, who has doubled up as a water carrier, may still be present for that showdown as a hearing date has not yet been set by World Rugby.
George Russell will get behind the wheel of a Mercedes this week as speculation around a Formula One promotion persists.
Russell is widely considered to be vying with current Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas for a seat next season.
And the Williams man will get the opportunity to join the team in Hungary on Tuesday to test the 18-inch tyres that will be used in 2022.
Russell was part of Mercedes' junior driver programme before getting his F1 opportunity with Williams and has tested for the Silver Arrows previously.
The 23-year-old even stood in for Lewis Hamilton at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix when the world champion had tested positive for coronavirus.
A pit-stop mix-up cost Russell the victory on that occasion, but a ninth-placed finish secured his first points.
The Bottas rivalry will draw extra attention to Russell's performance this week, though, coming straight after his best ever result at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Russell finished eighth, earning points with Williams for the first time.
Bottas had started from second after a record-equalling 80th qualifying one-two for Mercedes, but he crashed on lap one in a chaotic start.
Though there is plenty of baseball still to be played before October, the Tampa Bay Rays made a statement over the weekend with their three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox.
The Rays held on for a 3-2 victory Sunday to increase their lead in the American League (AL) East division to a game and a half after entering the series trailing Boston by the same margin.
Brandon Lowe started the Rays off in the third inning with a two-run homer but former Ray Hunter Renfroe answered for Boston with a solo shot in the fourth.
Manuel Margot singled in what proved to be the winning run in the fifth and Boston could get no closer than the seventh-inning wild pitch by Drew Rasmussen that allowed Alex Verdugo to score.
The Rays had some nervous moments late as the Red Sox put two batters on with two out in the ninth but Randy Wisler got J.D. Martinez to fly out to end the game.
Bryant, Giants down Astros
Kris Bryant hit a home run in his first game since joining San Francisco and Darin Ruf drove in three runs as the Giants defeated Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 to win the series between teams with the two best records in MLB. Bryant joined his former Chicago Cubs team-mates Anthony Rizzo (Yankees) and Javy Baez (Mets) in hitting a homer in their first games with their new teams after being traded this week. According to Stats Perform, they are the first trio in the modern era to homer in their debuts after playing for the same team earlier in the season.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts returned from the injured list to start at second base for only the second time since 2014 before capping the scoring with a ninth-inning home run in a 13-0 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Chicago White Sox bounced back from an agonising loss to the Cleveland Indians with a 2-1 victory on Brian Goodwin's ninth-inning home run punctuated by an epic bat flip.
Kyle Gibson got plenty of run support in his Philadelphia Phillies debut after coming over from the Texas Rangers in a trade, picking up the win with 6.2 solid innings in a 15-4 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Milwaukee Brewers managed only three hits off Charlie Morton and the Atlanta Braves' bullpen but held on for a 2-1 road victory.
Cubs waste Ortega's big day
A day after Chicago White Sox catcher Seby Zavala hit the first three home runs of his career only to see his team lose, Chicago Cubs outfielder Rafael Ortega hit three in a 6-5 loss to the Washington Nationals. The 30-year-old journeyman, who made his MLB debut in 2012, had six homers in 192 career games entering Sunday. He drove in all of Chicago's runs with a solo homer in the first inning and two-run shots in the sixth and eighth, but it was not enough as Yadiel Hernandez led off the ninth with a homer to give Washington the walk-off win.
Heim the homer hero again
Jonah Heim hit a walk-off home run to beat the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, and he enjoyed it so much he did it again Sunday in a 4-3 Texas Rangers win. Heim became the first Rangers player ever to hit walk-off homers in consecutive games and the first player for any MLB team to do so since Albert Pujols of the St Louis Cardinals did it in June 2011.
Sunday's results
Philadelphia Phillies 15-4 Pittsburgh Pirates
Washington Nationals 6-5 Chicago Cubs
Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 Kansas City Royals
Cincinnati Reds 7-1 New York Mets
New York Yankees 3-1 Miami Marlins
Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 Boston Red Sox
Detroit Tigers 6-2 Baltimore Orioles
Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 Atlanta Braves
Texas Rangers 4-3 Seattle Mariners
Chicago White Sox 2-1 Cleveland Indians
St Louis Cardinals 7-3 Minnesota Twins
Oakland Athletics 8-3 Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers 13-0 Arizona Diamondbacks
San Francisco Giants 5-3 Houston Astros
San Diego Padres 8-1 Colorado Rockies
Indians at Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays (54-48) are riding a four-game winning streak as the Cleveland Indians (51-51) cross the border to visit Rogers Centre.
Lando Norris saw his 15-race points streak end with a first-lap crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and he took no solace in an apology from the man who started the chain reaction.
Valtteri Bottas failed to time his braking in Turn One and hit Norris, sending the McLaren driver into Max Verstappen as Bottas continued on to take out the other Red Bull car driven by Sergio Perez.
While Norris was able to remain on the track and reach the pits, his team determined he had suffered too much damage to continue, leaving the Briton frustrated with his early exit.
Bottas also was forced to retire, along with Perez, and the Finn apologised to Norris afterward.
“I had a poor start,” Bottas said. “Wheelspin off the line, and lost places, and then braking into first corner I was right in the gearbox of Lando and I just locked the wheels.
"So probably being that close didn’t calculate quite right the braking point, locked two wheels, hit him, and then it was a mess.”
It was a mess that left the other two drivers knocked out of the race furious. Perez called it a "big mistake" on Bottas' part and feared another engine loss due to the damage incurred.
Norris had no time for Bottas saying he was sorry for the wreck.
“There’s not much to say is there?" Norris said. "It’s not my fault, like, to be honest he [Bottas] just came over to me then and apologised – but apologies are nice, but it doesn’t change the result or anything, so it’s Lap 1 of the race, no one has to do anything stupid but that’s what they did today. So just ruined it.”
With his pursuers Bottas and Perez also knocked out, Norris remained a distant third in the championship standings as leader Verstappen slipped into second behind Lewis Hamilton following a 10th-place finish.
Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard are expected to decline player options for next season ahead of the NBA free agency period opening on Monday, but the veteran stars may stay with their teams.
After leading the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals, Paul will not exercise his $44million option for the 2021-22 season, The Athletic reported. ESPN added that the Suns are optimistic they will be able to re-sign the 36-year-old.
Yahoo Sports first reported Leonard would decline his $36m option with the Los Angeles Clippers and become an unrestricted free agent, but ESPN reports he is expected to remain with the Clippers on a new deal after suffering a season-ending knee injury during the playoffs.
Even if they end up staying where they are, those two will be the two biggest names on the open market beginning on Monday, but others figure to be available in trades.
Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors may top that list as he is expected to move on from Toronto. ESPN reported that the Miami Heat's move to pick up Goran Dragic's $19.4m team option might have been designed to facilitate a sign-and-trade deal for Lowry.
Ben Simmons also could be on the move from the Philadelphia 76ers, but Bradley Beal now seems set to stay with the Washington Wizards after they sent Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers in a draft-night trade.
John Isner has claimed his sixth Atlanta Open title after a straight sets win over American teenager Brandon Nakashima in Sunday's final.
Isner, who had won five of the past seven Atlanta Opens held, triumphed 7-6 (10-8) 7-5 in one hour and 56 minutes.
The victory is world number 35 Isner's 16th ATP Tour career title. It is also 36-year-old Isner's first title since 2018.
Isner sent down 21 aces on route to the win, where his serve was not broken once with Nakashima unable to convert any of his three break points.
The 208cm American broke for the first time in the crucial game, deciding the contest with Nakashima dishing up a double fault on match point.
Nakashima had beaten Isner in last week's Los Cabos Open semi-finals but the veteran has made the Atlanta court his own.
The 19-year-old had one set point in the first set tiebreaker which he failed to convert before Isner capitalized with his third, winning 10-8.
Isner's dominance was on his serve, winning 81 per cent of first serve points, which he landed 58 of 77, with break points rare until the final three games.
The big American had three break points at 5-4 in the second set but Nakashima saved them all, before the teenager let slip two break points in the next game.
Isner converted a single break point in the 12th game of the second set to salute.
Lewis Hamilton was denied a 100th Formula One race win but charged up from last to finish on the podium in a dramatic Hungarian Grand Prix, leapfrogging championship leader Max Verstappen in the process.
There was chaos from the off at the Hungaroring, where Esteban Ocon triumphed to hand Alpine an unlikely victory.
Like two weeks ago at Silverstone, the race was suspended after a collision at Turn One. Unlike on that occasion, Hamilton – who started in pole has he hunted a record ninth win in Hungary – was not involved, but Verstappen was.
Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas was at fault, with five drivers forced out in total.
Verstappen survived, albeit with a damaged car, and an apparent mistake from Mercedes after the restart sent Hamilton down from first to last.
Yet the seven-time world champion battled back, leaving Verstappen – who just scraped into the points – well in his wake as he took top spot in the championship standings while Ocon celebrated a maiden F1 success.
After the furore at Silverstone, the pre-race build-up was dominated by talk of possible danger at Turn One, and so it came as little surprise when, in wet and greasy conditions, Bottas failed to judge the timing of when to brake.
Bottas, who was given a five-place grid penalty for the Belgian Grand Prix, Verstappen's team-mate Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc were all out by the time the red flag was raised, with Lando Norris, on a 15-race streak of finishing in the points, also unable to continue.
There was more drama to come. After the restart formation lap, only Hamilton started from the grid, with all other 14 drivers choosing to switch tyres as the rain eased off and the track dried.
By the time he had pitted, Hamilton had fallen to last.
The 36-year-old recovered, getting the better of Antonio Giovinazzi before, on the 21st lap, undercutting Verstappen, who was held up by Daniel Ricciardo's sluggish exit from the pit lane.
Hamilton continued his charge up the field, and at one stage it seemed like an incredible victory could be on the cards.
However, his push was held up by Fernando Alonso, who expertly held his own in a thrilling 10-lap tussle.
A frustrated Hamilton finally got beyond his former McLaren team-mate on lap 65, with Carlos Sainz's efforts to hold onto third proving fruitless.
Hamilton's remarkable run stopped there and, though a milestone success on the track where he won his first Mercedes triumph in 2013 alluded him, he has the championship lead.
Alonso's defence ultimately ensured victory for Alpine team-mate Ocon, with Sebastian Vettel holding off Hamilton to seal a second podium finish of the season.
IN THE POINTS
1. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
2. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) +1.918 seconds
3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +2.540s
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +15.018s
5. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) +15.651s
6. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) +1:03.614s
7. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) +1:15.803s
8. Nicholas Latifi (Williams) +1:17.910s
9. George Russell (Williams) +1:19.094s
10. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +1:20.244s
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 192
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 186
3. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 113
4. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) – 108
5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) – 104
Constructors
1. Mercedes – 300
2. Red Bull – 290
3. McLaren – 163
4. Ferrari – 160
5. Alpine – 75
The Hungarian Grand Prix began in chaotic fashion as five drivers crashed out on Turn One, with championship leader Max Verstappen also heavily affected.
Verstappen was forced to retire early after a collision with Lewis Hamilton at the British Grand Prix, which the Mercedes driver went on to win.
Red Bull were unhappy with the penalty handed out to Hamilton, who made contact with Verstappen at Copse Corner at Silverstone two weeks ago.
This time, it was Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas who was clearly at fault on a wet and greasy first turn at the Hungaroring.
He failed to time his braking, clipping Lando Norris, who in turn span into both Red Bulls, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc also caught up in the chaos.
Verstappen had been in third but slumped down to ninth before heading into the pits and dropping a further four places before the red flag was raised due to debris on the track.
His team-mate Sergio Perez could not continue, with Leclerc, Bottas and Lance Stroll all out of the race.
"I think basically Bottas made a big mistake and took everyone out of the race, it's a big shame. It's a massive loss for us as a team," Perez told Sky Sports.
"I don't know what to say. It's a big mistake, we will leave it up to them [the race stewards]."
Hamilton, who is hunting his 100th F1 race win after clinching pole, escaped unscathed with his lead intact, with the pause to the race at least giving Red Bull the chance to repair Verstappen's car.
However, McLaren were unable to get Norris – who was on a 15-race streak of finishing in the points and had made a fantastic start – back on the track, making it five out of the race in total.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
