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CLEVELAND -- Already heavy underdogs in this Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics, and trailing 2-1 in this best-of-seven affair, the Cleveland Cavaliers were dealt a massive blow after star guard Donovan Mitchell was officially ruled out for Monday's Game 4 with a calf strain. But instead of a routine Boston blowout, this one was anything but, as the Cavaliers gamely hung in there for the vast majority of the 48 minutes before eventually falling 109-102 in front of a sellout crowd here at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. "To be expected, right?" said Jayson Tatum, who led the Celtics Monday with 33 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in just under 44 minutes. "When the best player goes out, everybody has more freedom, more opportunity. "Obviously, we knew it wasn't going to be easy. It's the playoffs, they don't want to go home. Give them credit ... they played hard from beginning to end and made big plays on both ends....

NEW YORK -- New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said their failure to close out the Carolina Hurricanes at home in Game 5 presents an important character test for his team. "I don't think we thought this was going to be a cakewalk," Trouba said after the Rangers' 4-1 loss on Monday night, which narrowed New York's series lead to 3-2. "We've lost two games [in a row]. We're facing a little adversity. We'll see what we're made of going down to Carolina for Game 6." The Rangers entered the third period with a 1-0 lead thanks to Trouba's short-handed goal in the second frame. But the desperate Hurricanes took over the game by scoring three goals in 6:23.  Jordan Staal evened the score with his first goal of the playoffs. Just 3:06 later, Evgeny Kuznetsov netted his fourth of the postseason to give Carolina the lead. Jordan Martinook added a critical third goal before Martin Necas sealed the win with an empty-netter. "It kind...

CLEVELAND -- Already heavy underdogs in this Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics, and trailing 2-1 in this best-of-7 affair, the Cleveland Cavaliers were dealt a massive blow after star guard Donovan Mitchell was officially ruled out for Monday's Game 4 with a calf strain. But instead of a routine Boston blowout, this one was anything but, as the Cavaliers gamely hung in there for the vast majority of the 48 minutes before eventually falling 109-102 in front of a sellout crowd here at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. "To be expected, right?" said Jayson Tatum, who led the Celtics Monday with 33 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in just under 44 minutes. "When the best player goes out, everybody has more freedom, more opportunity. "Obviously, we knew it wasn't going to be easy. It's the playoffs, they don't wanna go home. Give them credit ... they played hard from beginning to end and made big plays on both ends. They hit big...

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James attended  Cleveland's playoff game against the Boston Celtics on Monday night, an appearance certain to drive conversation about the superstar's future. James, who can opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and become a free agent this summer, played two stints in Cleveland. He led the Cavs to their only NBA championship in 2016 before leaving two years later. The league's career scoring leader, James has maintained a residence near his hometown of Akron. He has come back to Cleveland many times since leaving in 2018, but has not attended any Cavs games. James arrived just as the game began and took a courtside seat along with his wife, Savannah, and agent Rich Paul. He received a thunderous ovation when shown on the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse scoreboard during a timeout. James acknowledged the crowd and then King James mimicked putting a crown on his head. James had a short postseason this year as the...

DENVER -- Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin has been placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHL Players' Association player assistance program, the league said Monday, just hours before the team's playoff game against the Dallas Stars. Nichushkin, under the terms of the player assistance program, will be suspended without pay for a minimum of six months. He'll then be eligible to apply for reinstatement, according to a release issued by the NHL and NHLPA. No further information about why Nichushkin, who was on the ice with the team at morning skate, was admitted into the program was provided. With Nichushkin out, Colorado, trailing 2-1 in the series to Dallas, turned to forward Jonathan Drouin, who returned to the lineup following a lengthy absence. Drouin had missed all of Colorado's postseason games before Monday, after he sustained a lower-body injury in the regular-season finale on April 18. And then, after all of that, the Avalanche struggled...

Jimmy Dunne, who last year helped negotiate the PGA Tour's controversial framework agreement with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, resigned from the tour's policy board on Monday. In Dunne's resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, Dunne wrote that "no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with PIF" and that "my vote and my role is utterly superfluous" now that player directors outnumber independent directors on the policy board. Dunne's resignation was effective immediately. "It is crucial for the Board to avoid letting yesterday's differences interfere with today's decisions, especially when they influence future opportunities for the tour," Dunne wrote. "Unifying professional golf is paramount to restoring fan interest and repairing wounds left from a fractured game. I have tried my best to move all minds in that direction." Along with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, Dunne and policy board chairman Ed Herlihy secretly negotiated the...

The WNBA has started to implement its regular-season chartering program for the beginning of the 2024 campaign, with the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx flying private for their opening-day games at Connecticut and Seattle, respectively. But personnel from multiple teams told ESPN they have not received word from the league on when they will be permitted to charter as the WNBA prepares to kick off its 28th season Tuesday. Teams that have started chartering are still waiting to find out if they'll charter for subsequent away games, a source said. "It's a good problem to have because we got here and we're talking about charter travel," WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson told ESPN Monday. "Now, in this moment, the league has found its pathway to yes. It just seems that the pathway has a few more bumps than perhaps were needed." The league officially announced Thursday that a full charter program would be "phased in beginning with the start of the 2024 regular...

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has sustained a toe fracture on her left foot and will be out indefinitely, the team announced Monday. The Mercury said Griner will be reevaluated in the coming weeks, with updates provided as necessary. The WNBA season begins Tuesday, with Phoenix opening at defending champion Las Vegas (10 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The Mercury finished last in the league at 9-31 last season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Phoenix has a new coach, Nate Tibbetts, and new general manager, Nick U'Ren, this season. Despite the Mercury's struggles in 2023, Griner had a good showing in her return after missing the 2022 season, when she was detained in Russia. Griner started all 31 games she played last season, averaging 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds. Griner, 33, has played 10 seasons in the WNBA and has been on the All-WNBA first or second team six times. She has been Defensive Player of the Year twice and on the All-Defensive first or second...

CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell will miss Game 4 of Cleveland's Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics with a left calf strain, the team announced. Mitchell appeared to be limping in the latter stages of the fourth quarter of Cleveland's 106-93 loss to the Celtics on Saturday night, which came after Mitchell played the first 22 minutes and 41 seconds of the second half before being subbed out with 1:19 remaining and Boston leading by 13 points. He appeared on the injury report Sunday with the left calf strain -- a new injury -- and then wasn't visible at any point of the team's morning shootaround Monday ahead of Game 4. The left calf strain is the latest in a series of left leg issues Mitchell has dealt with ever since the All-Star break. Mitchell missed 15 of Cleveland's first 20 games after the break with a couple different issues, including lingering ones in his left quad and knee. He also appeared to be limited by...

NEW YORK -- Knicks center Mitchell Robinson had surgery on his left ankle Monday, his second procedure on the ankle this season, league sources told ESPN. Robinson was already deemed to be out for the rest of the playoffs after imaging found a stress reaction following Game 1 of the Knicks' series against the Indiana Pacers last week. After consultation with doctors, it was decided he needed the procedure. He will be re-evaluated in 6-8 weeks.   Robinson initially re-injured the ankle in the first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. He missed Game 4 of that series to deal with the injury but returned for three more games before being forced to shut it down. Robinson had a surgery on a stress fracture in December and missed 50 games, returning in March with just 11 games left in the season. He averaged 5.6 points and 8.5 rebounds in 31 regular-season games. The Knicks play the Pacers in Game 5 of their 2-2 series on Tuesday at Madison...

CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell will miss Game 4 of Cleveland's Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics with a left calf strain, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Mitchell appeared to be limping in the latter stages of the fourth quarter of Cleveland's 106-93 loss to the Celtics Saturday night, which came after Mitchell played the first 22 minutes and 41 seconds of the second half before being subbed out with 1:19 remaining and Boston leading by 13 points. He appeared on the injury report Sunday with the left calf strain -- a new injury -- and then wasn't visible at any point of the team's morning shootaround Monday ahead of Game 4. The left calf strain is the latest in a series of left leg issues Mitchell has dealt with ever since the All-Star Break. Mitchell missed 15 of Cleveland's first 20 games after the break with a couple different issues, including lingering ones in his left quad and knee. He also appeared...

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- NCAA president Charlie Baker met with coaches and athletic directors Monday at this year's ACC spring meetings, discussing -- among other things -- a potential settlement in the House vs. NCAA case that could reshape the future of college athletics. Baker said settlement talks -- and the revenue-sharing agreement that would accompany any settlement -- was "only a small part" of his presentation, and he reiterated that there are still a lot of moving pieces and no deadline to finalize a deal. But the framework currently being discussed could provide some needed clarity on how schools manage rosters and player acquisition. "I think everybody would like to have to be in a position where they feel like they could plan," Baker said, "and in the current world we live in, planning is very hard to do." Brought by Arizona State swimmer Grant House in 2020, the class-action case claims the NCAA violated antitrust laws by prohibiting athletes from profiting from their...

Major League Baseball announced Monday that it has agreed to an exclusive, multiyear contract with the streaming company Roku, which will air one game each Sunday this season from now until the middle of September. Terms were not disclosed. Roku's package, branded as "Sunday Leadoff," consists of 18 games starting with this coming Sunday's 1:05 p.m. ET contest between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox and lasting through Sept. 15. With the exception of two West Coast start times, Roku games will be the first ones taking place in varying exclusive windows. Twenty-four teams are part of the package, including the New York Yankees (July 14 against the Baltimore Orioles) and Los Angeles Dodgers (Sept. 1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks). Games on Roku can be watched free through the app, on Roku devices or via Amazon Fire, Samsung and Google TVs, among other outlets. Those with MLB.tv subscriptions can watch the games...

Major League Baseball announced Monday that it has agreed to an exclusive, multi-year contract with the streaming company Roku, which will air one Sunday game from now until the middle of September. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Roku's package, branded as "Sunday Leadoff," consists of 18 games starting with this Sunday's 1:05 p.m. ET contest between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox and lasting through Sept. 15. With the exception of two West coast start times, Roku games will be the first ones taking place for varying exclusive windows each Sunday. Twenty-four teams are part of the package, including the New York Yankees (July 14 against the Baltimore Orioles) and Los Angeles Dodgers (Sept. 1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks). Games on Roku can be watched for free either through the app, on Roku devices or through Amazon Fire, Samsung and Google TVs, among other outlets. Those with MLB.tv subscriptions can also watch...

Vancouver defenseman Carson Soucy has been suspended one game for cross-checking Edmonton forward Connor McDavid in the face during Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series on Sunday. The NHL's Department of Player Safety made the announcement following a phone hearing with Soucy on Monday. Soucy's suspension stemmed from an altercation with McDavid late in the third period of Sunday's game. Edmonton trailed 4-3 and was pressuring Vancouver while searching for an equalizing goal. The final buzzer sounded as Soucy and McDavid became engaged behind the net. Despite the game being over, Soucy shoved McDavid, and McDavid responded by slashing Soucy in the leg. Soucy slashed McDavid back -- also in the leg -- then elevated his stick in both hands and shoved it directly into McDavid's face. McDavid was also cross-checked from behind at the same time by Canucks' defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who was fined $5,000, and he fell to the ice. Soucy...

Iowa women's basketball coach Lisa Bluder announced Monday that she is retiring after 24 years guiding the Hawkeyes and 40 seasons in coaching overall, including national championship game appearances the past two seasons. Bluder, 63, is the winningest women's basketball coach in Big Ten history. Associate head coach Jan Jensen, who has been Bluder's assistant her entire time at Iowa, will take over as the Hawkeyes' head coach. Jensen previously was Bluder's assistant at Drake after playing for Bluder with the Bulldogs. An Iowa native who played at Northern Iowa, Bluder finished with an overall career coaching record of 884-396. She had stops as a head coach at St. Ambrose (169-36 in six seasons) and Drake (187-106 in 10 seasons) before taking over at Iowa in 2000. With the Hawkeyes, Bluder was 528-254, with five Big Ten tournament titles. Iowa made 18 NCAA tournament appearances in Bluder's 24 seasons, and she was a three-time Big Ten coach of the year. She went 263-144 in Big...

Fans won't have to wait long for John Calipari's return to Lexington, with Arkansas' road game at Kentucky highlighting the 2024-25 SEC schedule announced Monday. The two teams will face off just once next season. It will be Calipari's first return trip to Rupp Arena since leaving last month to take over at conference rival Arkansas following 15 seasons at Kentucky. Since getting the job, Calipari has signed three members of what was the Wildcats' No. 2-ranked recruiting class, while also landing two Kentucky transfers. Both Calipari and Kentucky's Mark Pope took over empty rosters. Kentucky will return zero players from last season, keeping just one recruit who committed to the Wildcats under Calipari. Arkansas returns no players from the Eric Musselman era, and both high school senior recruits followed Musselman to USC. Alabama, which reached the Final Four this past season, will likely enter 2024-45 as the favorite in the SEC. The Crimson Tide...

The Detroit Lions are signing quarterback Jared Goff to a four-year, $212 million contract extension that includes $170 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday. The deal makes the 2016 No. 1 pick the highest-paid player in franchise history. The $53 million average annual salary in Goff's new deal makes him the second-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, behind only the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow ($55 million). Detroit has now rewarded three of its star players this offseason with over $444 million in contract extensions to Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and offensive tackle  Penei Sewell. St. Brown received a four-year, $120.01 million deal, and Sewell signed for $112 million over four years. With those massive deals in place, the Lions are aware that the standards in Detroit have been raised. "We've got a lot of work to do," Goff told ESPN in April. "The expectations are high, but internally,...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- ESPN NFL rules analyst John Parry is leaving the network to take a job with the Buffalo Bills, multiple sources confirmed. Parry will join the Bills in a new role as the officiating liaison. The Bills did not previously have someone on staff with that title. In this role as officiating liaison, Parry can consult from the perspective of a referee and help the coaching staff have all the proper information for decision making when it comes to reviews during games. He can also assist with rule interpretations. Parry told Football Zebras over the weekend that he was leaving the network to join an NFL team and shared that the Bills reached out during the offseason. Coach Sean McDermott joined the NFL competition committee this offseason, and a new kickoff rule was approved this spring that Buffalo has been preparing for by signing and drafting certain players who fit the new rules and by studying the play over the offseason. In his role with ESPN,...

CHICAGO -- The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to start contacting coaching candidates in the coming days, with an initial concentration on sitting assistants and ex-head coaches with whom they have less familiarity, sources told ESPN on Monday. Lakers VP of Basketball Operations and general manager Rob Pelinka has been gathering information on a number of head-coaching candidates, including ESPN analyst JJ Redick, sources said. The initial wave of requests for interview permission will be with those the organization hasn't met with in previous searches, or simply knows less than other candidates. In Pelinka's conversations with officials across the league, the term "grinder" keeps coming up in the general manager's description of an important characteristic for the next coach, sources said. The initial interview list is expected to include assistant candidates such as Miami's Chris Quinn and New Orleans' James Borrego, sources said. The search is expected to proceed in...

CHICAGO -- The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to start contacting coaching candidates in the coming days with an initial concentration on sitting assistants and ex-head coaches with whom they have less familiarity, sources told ESPN on Monday. Lakers VP of Basketball Operations and GM Rob Pelinka has been gathering information on a number of head coaching candidates, including ESPN analyst JJ Redick, but the initial wave of requests for interview permission will be with those candidates with whom the organization hadn't met with in precious searches, or simply know less than other candidates, sources said. In Pelinka's conversations with officials across the league, the term "grinder" keeps coming up in the GM's description of an important characteristic of the Lakers' coach, sources said. That initial interview list is expected to include assistant candidates such as Miami's Chris Quinn and New Orleans' James Borrego among multiple others, sources said. The search is...

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Antoine Winfield Jr. have reached agreement on a four-year, $84.1 million deal, agent David Mulugheta announced Monday. The deal makes Winfield the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history -- the first time in modern NFL history that a safety has set this mark. Winfield's deal includes $45 million guaranteed, the most ever given to a safety. Mulugheta posted to Instagram a screengrab of his call to Winfield and congratulated his client. "Couldn't be happier to make this call and let @antoinewinfieldjr know he just made HISTORY! The first time that a safety is the highest paid defensive back in the NFL. In a year where the value of safeties has been questioned, the Buccaneer Organization, the Glazer Family and GM Jason Licht have stepped up and taken care of one of their most valuable family members," he wrote in the post. "Congratulations Antoine, you have accomplished something that has never been done before. You will...

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Antoine Winfield Jr. have reached agreement on a four-year, $84.1 million deal, agent David Mulugheta told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday. The deal makes Winfield the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history -- the first time in modern NFL history that a safety has set this mark. Winfield's deal includes $45 million guaranteed, the most ever given to a safety. The Buccaneers have focused on re-signing their own star players this offseason. Quarterback Baker Mayfield (three years, $100 million), wide receiver Mike Evans (two years, $41 million) and linebacker  Lavonte David (one year, $8.5 million) have also re-signed with Tampa Bay. Winfield received the franchise tag from the Buccaneers in March. Nine players received the franchise or transition tag from their teams this offseason, and Winfield becomes the eighth to agree to a long-term contract. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is the...

NASCAR will introduce a five-race in-season tournament with a $1 million prize in 2025. Under the format, announced Monday, the top 32 drivers will be placed in an NCAA tournament-esque bracket in which the head-to-head result of each matchup will determine who advances to the next round in the following race. Seeding will be based on the highest result of each driver over the three races preceding the tournament. Ties will be broken by their second-best finish, then by their spot in the season standings. "The idea of an in-season tournament has been discussed within the NASCAR industry and as we started to focus on adding promotional elements that drive interest throughout the season, we were excited by the opportunity to leverage the marketing weight of Amazon and TNT Sports to bring this concept to life," NASCAR senior vice president of media and productions Brian Herbst said in a statement. The specific races that make up the in-season tournament were not announced. The new...

Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand, who is day-to-day after he was hit in the head in Game 3 of the team's playoff series against the Florida Panthers, skated Monday morning and will travel with the team to Florida. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Marchand, who missed the third period of Game 3 and all of Game 4 after getting punched by Panthers center Sam Bennett, is feeling better. Coach Jim Montgomery on Sunday wouldn't disclose whether Marchand had suffered a concussion. The Bruins trail 3-1 entering Game 5 of the Eastern Conference second-round series on Tuesday night. Marchand has two points in the series, both coming on assists, and is the team's leading scorer in the playoffs with 10 points in 10 games. Bennett wasn't called for a penalty and later was cleared by the NHL's Department of Player Safety. Field Level Media contributed to this report.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Antoine Winfield Jr. have reached agreement on a four-year, $84.1 million deal, agent David Mulugheta told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday. The deal makes Winfield the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history -- the first time in modern NFL history that a safety has set this mark. Winfield had received the franchise tag from the Buccaneers in March.

Caitlin Clark's regular-season debut will be a must-see event in the WNBA, but getting into the arena for Tuesday's game has become notably harder. The Connecticut Sun announced Monday that their home opener against Clark and the Indiana Fever is a sellout, with 8,910 tickets sold. The Sun said it was their first sellout for a home opener since their first game in Connecticut in 2003. This kind of interest is becoming the norm around Clark, the former University of Iowa phenom and No. 1 overall pick in this year's WNBA draft. She helped draw 13,000 fans to her first home game -- a preseason contest Thursday against the Atlanta Dream. Her first preseason game, at Dallas, was in front of a sellout crowd. The curiosity surrounding Clark has some opponents moving games to larger venues to accommodate ticket sales, and a Fever team that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2016 will now have 36 of its 40 regular-season games on...

Tyson Fury's father, John Fury, was involved in a head-butting incident during a media event ahead of Saturday's undisputed heavyweight championship bout with Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In a heated altercation, John Fury was standing head-to-head with a member of Usyk's team before being separated, after which he appeared to ram his head into another member of the Ukrainian fighter's entourage. John Fury came away with a wound on his forehead and blood dripping down his face, while security personnel then diffused the situation. Tyson Fury wasn't in the room when the incident took place and in the footage is heard asking his father: "How did you cut yourself like that?"  John Fury reportedly apologised for his actions later on Monday. "Sincere apologies to everybody involved. It's just the way we are. Emotions and tensions are running high. He was a very disrespectful fella. If you come close in a fighting man's space, you're gonna cop for something," he told...

Tyson Fury's father, John Fury, was involved in a headbutting incident during a media event ahead of Saturday's undisputed heavyweight championship bout with Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In a heated altercation, John Fury was standing head-to-head with a member of Usyk's team before being separated, after which he appeared to ram his head into another member of the Ukrainain fighter's entourage. John Fury came away with a wound on his forehead and blood dripping down his face, while security personnel then diffused the situation. Tyson Fury wasn't in the room when the incident took place and in the footage is heard asking his father:"How did you cut yourself like that?"  John Fury reportedly apologised for his actions later on Monday. "Sincere apologies to everybody involved. It's just the way we are. Emotions and tensions are running high. He was a very disrespectful fella. If you come close in a fighting man's space, you're gonna cop for something," he told Seconds...

Utah State transfer Great Osobor, the top available player in the NCAA transfer portal, has committed to Washington, he told ESPN. Osobor, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, has name, image and likeness agreements in place that will give him the highest-known valuation in college basketball this season, at $2 million, according to a document reviewed by ESPN. His NIL agreements, which include marketing assurances, were negotiated by agent George Langberg of GSL Sports. "I would like to thank God for putting me in this position," Osobor said. "Washington will allow me to maximize my potential as a player in my final year of college basketball. Coach [Danny] Sprinkle has been with me every step of the way since I came from England, and I cannot wait to help the Huskies get back to the NCAA tournament." Osobor committed to Washington over similar opportunities from Louisville and Texas Tech. He has one year of college eligibility...

CHICAGO -- In the aftermath of his cardiac arrest and a procedure to repair a congenital heart defect nine months ago, USC's Bronny James has been medically cleared to be drafted by the NBA's Fitness to Play Panel, sources told ESPN. The NBA plans to inform teams Monday that the panel's three physicians evaluated and unanimously approved James, sources said, allowing him to fully participate in this week's pre-draft combine -- an important step to make a case to team executives about his viability as a 2024 prospect. Sources said James -- the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James -- is expected to take part in the combine's 5-on-5 scrimmages beginning Tuesday, which will give NBA executives a closer look at James after a disappointing freshman season at USC. James was sidelined for several months after his heart issues, and that clearly took a toll on his readiness to make an impact as a Trojans freshman; he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds...

The Kansas City Chiefs will open their attempt for a three-peat when they host the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL's annual prime-time season opener, the league announced Monday. The matchup, to be played Thursday, Sept. 5 at Arrowhead Stadium, is a rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game, which the Chiefs won 17-10 before defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. The season opener features two of the game's top quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes, the Super Bowl MVP the past two years, and reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. Mahomes has dominated the matchup against Jackson, going 4-1 against him, including the postseason. The last time Baltimore played in Kansas City was 2019, when the Chiefs won 33-28. The Ravens haven't won at Arrowhead Stadium since 2012. Following the game announcement, sportsbooks released the point spread and total. The Chiefs opened as a 2.5-point favorite at ESPN BET with an over/under of 47.5. The...

The attention starts building weeks, if not months, ahead of the one major keeping Rory McIlroy from the career Grand Slam, the most elite club in golf. It's like that every year, and it doesn't make it any easier when he gets to the Masters. Jordan Spieth should be able to appreciate the feeling. Except that he really doesn't. Now that McIlroy missed again at the Masters -- his 10th straight attempt to win the one major that has eluded him -- Spieth is next up with an opportunity to become only the sixth player in history to win all four majors. It feels like an afterthought going into the PGA Championship, which starts Thursday. But Spieth isn't surprised the attention is not that high, certainly not at the level McIlroy has faced the past decade each time he heads to Augusta National. One reason is his game, which has not been great. Spieth has gone just over two years since he last won a tournament and has come close only a few times since then. He comes into the PGA...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Nikola Jokic burned a double-team by finding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope open for a 3 then notched a steal and hit a streaking Michael Porter Jr. for a fast-break dunk before Jamal Murray collected another steal and swished a 55-foot heave at the buzzer. In the span of 20 dizzying seconds, the Denver Nuggets scored eight points to sprint into halftime of Sunday's Game 4 up by 15. The flurry left the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Target Center crowd stunned while propelling Denver to a 115-107 win to even the Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2. The Nuggets left Denver on Thursday down 2-0 and feeling as if many had counted them out against the upstart Timberwolves. They return to Colorado having reclaimed their championship swagger and with home-court advantage back in their pocket. Asked what his team found in Minneapolis during these two road games, Denver coach Michael Malone quoted former ...

CHICAGO -- The Atlanta Hawks rocketed up the board to grab the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft, winning the lottery for the first time in franchise history. The Hawks, 36-46 this season for a 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference, had just a 3% chance to win the lottery, the fifth-lowest odds by a team to win the No. 1 pick since the lottery began in 1985. The Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs rounded out the top four. The Detroit Pistons, owners of the league's worst record this year, fell to No. 5. It's the second consecutive season the Pistons have had the worst record but fell to the fifth pick. The Rockets, 41-41 this season, moved up six spots to get into the top three. Washington and Detroit had the best chances to land the top pick at 14%. The draft is June 26-27 in Brooklyn. Atlanta jumped from the No. 10 position before the draft to the top overall selection, beating improbable odds. It's the...

MINNEAPOLIS -- With the clock winding down in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 115-107 Game 4 loss to the Denver Nuggets -- finishing a disastrous homestand during which the Wolves handed back the two-game Western Conference semifinals lead they had built on the defending champs -- Anthony Edwards looked defiant rather than defeated. As the 22-year-old star crossed directions with Denver's Jamal Murray near the sideline, Edwards clapped his hands, nodded his head and kept his gaze fixed on the Nuggets point guard while he delivered a message. "I just told his ass we love that," said Edwards, who scored a game-high 44 points in Sunday's outing. "'Keep talking [like] that. That's what we like.' Well, I loved it. He didn't say nothing back. But I'm pretty sure he heard me. They heard me. You live for that." Edwards made plenty of noise with his play before that, topping the 40-point plateau for the second time in the series and the third time this...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Nikola Jokic burned a double-team by finding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope open for a 3 then notched a steal and hit a streaking Michael Porter Jr. for a fast-break dunk before Jamal Murray collected another steal and swished a 55-foot heave at the buzzer. In the span of 20 dizzying seconds, the Denver Nuggets scored eight points to sprint into halftime of Sunday's Game 4 up by 15. The flurry left the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Target Center crowd stunned while propelling Denver to a 115-107 win to even the Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2. The Nuggets left Denver on Thursday down 2-0 and feeling as if many had counted them out against the upstart Wolves. The Nuggets return to Colorado having reclaimed their championship swagger and with home-court advantage back in their pocket. Asked what his team found in Minneapolis during these two road games, Denver coach Michael Malone quoted former ...

BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins disagreed with the officials' decision on a failed coach's challenge for goalie interference, one that let the game-tying goal stand in their Game 4 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday night. The Panthers, down 2-0 in the opening period, went on to win the game 3-2, scoring twice in the third to take a 3-1 series lead. At 3:41 of the third period, Florida's Sam Bennett scored to tie the game at 2. The goal was immediately challenged by the Boston bench. Replays showed Bennett had cross-checked Bruins forward Charlie Coyle onto goalie Jeremy Swayman before scoring into an open net. The on-ice officials reviewed the call and determined "there was no goaltender interference on the play." The official ruling from the NHL Situation Room was that "video review supported the referees' call on the ice that the shove by Florida's Sam Bennett on Charlie Coyle and the subsequent contact with Jeremy Swayman did not...

BOSTON -- Aleksander Barkov slipped through three Bruins defenders to score the go-ahead goal Sunday night, and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 16 shots to give the Florida Panthers a 3-2 victory over Boston and a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. One year after Florida knocked out the record-setting Bruins in the first round on its way to the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers won their third straight to send Boston to the brink of elimination. Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell also scored for the Panthers, who scored three times in a row to rally from a two-goal deficit. Florida can advance to the Eastern Conference finals with a victory in Game 5 at home on Tuesday night. One game after Bennett's hit -- or, as the Bruins believe, his sucker punch -- knocked Brad Marchand out of action for Game 4, Bennett scored a disputed goal to tie the game 2-all about four minutes into the third period. After Jeremy...

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- There were so many special parts of Brad Keselowski's first NASCAR victory in three years, it was difficult for him to say what meant the most. It was the 36th of his career and his second at Darlington Raceway, which he reveres as an ultimate test of drivers. It came in front of his young family with daughters Scarlett, who'll turn 9 later this month, and 4-year-old Autumn joining him on the podium. And it was his first since leaving the Penske organization to become co-owner at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing in 2022. "There's a lot of things to be excited about, don't know which one means the most," Keselowski said with a smile. He moved to the front when leaders Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick hit battling for first with nine laps left, and he held on to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. "Hell of an effort by everyone," Keselowski said after crossing the finish line. It appeared Buescher, an employee of...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Blowing out a visiting team in a playoff game is commonplace. What mattered more in the wake of the Indiana Pacers' 121-89 lopsided defeat of the New York Knicks in Sunday's game is whether it was an aberration or a tipping point. The Pacers' game plan has become clear over their weekend sweep to even the second-round series 2-2: Do everything in their power to wear out the wounded and weary Knicks with giant emphasis on Jalen Brunson. That has meant pressuring him as soon as he gets the ball, no matter where it is on the court. It has meant putting a bigger and more rugged defender, Aaron Nesmith, on him and challenging the referees by playing Brunson with much more physically. And it has meant using their depth advantage to play at speed, trying to run the Knicks to exhaustion. A lot of things contributed to Sunday's result. The Pacers shot the ball brilliantly, making 57% of their shots and knocking down 14 3-pointers. The...

Oklahoma has won the past three Women's College World Series championships. But its Red River rival Texas on Sunday received the No. 1 overall seed in the 2024 NCAA softball tournament for the first time in program history. The Sooners (49-6) defeated the Longhorns 5-1 on Saturday night to win their ninth Big 12 tournament title. But Texas (47-7) captured the Big 12 regular-season crown in its final year as a member of the conference, highlighted by a series victory over Oklahoma in early April. Oklahoma is seeded second. SEC regular-season champion Tennessee got the No. 3 overall seed, followed by No. 4 Florida, which won the SEC tournament title. No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 6 UCLA, No. 7 Missouri and No. 8 Stanford round out the top eight, all of which will host super regionals if they advance from the opening round next weekend. Texas ended the regular season with 16 straight victories, a streak that began with a pair of wins over Oklahoma. But the Sooners made a late push for...

Wyoming has hired former assistant Sundance Wicks as the Cowboys' new men's basketball coach, the school announced Sunday. His contract is for five seasons, sources told ESPN. Wicks spent last season as the coach for  Green Bay, where he led the Phoenix to an 18-14 record, 15 wins more than the previous season -- one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball. The native of Gillette, Wyoming, was a former assistant with the Cowboys from 2020 to 2023. He also was the coach at Missouri Western from 2018 to 2020. "I am honored, humbled and immensely grateful for this opportunity at the University of Wyoming," Wicks said. "... You cannot put into words what it means for a kid from the country roads outside of Gillette to represent the State of Wyoming and the Cowboys as their new head basketball coach." He replaces Jeff Linder, who has been in the process of finalizing a deal in recent days to become the top assistant coach at Texas Tech after going...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. --  Rory McIlroy has a full head of steam heading into the PGA Championship. McIlroy won the Wells Fargo Championship for a record fourth time Sunday with another dominating performance at Quail Hollow, easily overcoming a two-stroke deficit to beat Xander Schauffele by five shots. No other player has won the event more than twice. McIlroy closed with a 6-under 65, playing the final 11 holes in 6 under even with a double bogey on the 18th hole. He finished at 17-under 267 after four straight rounds in the 60s and won his second straight PGA Tour event after teaming with Shane Lowry to take the Zurich Classic two weeks ago in New Orleans. That should give McIlroy plenty of momentum heading to Kentucky for the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, the site of his last major win 10 years ago. "I really got some confidence," McIlroy said. "My golf swing feels a lot more comfortable than it has. So going to a venue next week where I've won,...

Former Chargers general manager A.J. Smith died Sunday at the age of 75, his family announced. Smith had been battling prostate cancer for the past seven years, his family said in the announcement, which was released by the Falcons. Smith's son, Kyle, is the Atlanta Falcons' assistant general manager. During a 35-year career in the NFL, A.J. Smith rose from a part-time scout to general manager of the San Diego Chargers, holding that role from 2003 to 2012. He became the winningest GM in franchise history, as the Chargers won 98 games (including playoffs) during his 10 seasons in the role. "Belying a tough, matter of fact and no nonsense persona -- one synonymous with that of a true football guy -- was AJ's softer side which included a tremendous love for his family, the NFL and the Chargers," Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in a statement. "The architect of one of the greatest chapters in franchise history, A.J. made everyone around him better with a singular...

CLIFTON, N.J. -- Great things have been expected from Rose Zhang from the moment the two-time NCAA champion won in her professional debut last year and joined the LPGA Tour the following week. The 20-year-old finally delivered Sunday, birdieing four of the final five holes to win the Cognizant Founders Cup. She beat Madelene Sagstrom by 2 strokes while putting an official end to Nelly Korda's record-tying LPGA Tour winning streak. "I was able to grow so much throughout the journey in this past year," Zhang said. "I don't know, it's crazy to come out here. Didn't have any expectation of having to win because I realize that it's all just noise, and I really just have to be able to work at it myself and try my best to put myself in positions like this. "But no matter what happened this week, I would've been very satisfied, and it reignited my passion for the game once again." Zhang, who was talking to her mom on Mother's Day coming into the media room, had a funny start to her...

Wyoming has agreed to a five-year deal to hire Sundance Wicks as the Cowboys' new men's basketball coach, sources told ESPN on Sunday. Wicks spent last season as the coach for  Green Bay, where he led the Phoenix to an 18-14 record -- 15 wins more than the previous season, which was one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball. Wicks, a native of Gillette, Wyoming, was a former assistant with the Cowboys from 2020 to 2023. He also was the coach at Missouri Western from 2018 to 2020. He replaces Jeff Linder, who has been in the process of finalizing a deal in recent days to become the top assistant coach at Texas Tech after going 63-59 over four seasons with Wyoming. Wyoming's program has made 16 NCAA tournament appearances. Its most recent came under Linder in 2022, with Wicks as an assistant, when Wyoming lost in the First Four. Prior to that appearance, Wyoming last reached the NCAA tournament in 2015 under Larry Shyatt. Wicks' résumé includes...

Former Chargers general manager A.J. Smith died Sunday at the age of 75, his family announced. Smith had been battling prostate cancer for the past seven years, his family said in the announcement, which was released by the Falcons. Smith's son, Kyle, is the Atlanta Falcons' assistant general manager. During a 35-year career in the NFL, A.J. Smith rose from a part-time scout to general manager of the San Diego Chargers, holding that role from 2003 to 2012. He became the winningest GM in franchise history, as the Chargers won 98 games (including playoffs) during his 10 seasons in the role. "Belying a tough, matter of fact and no nonsense persona -- one synonymous with that of a true football guy -- was AJ's softer side which included a tremendous love for his family, the NFL and the Chargers," Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in a statement. "The architect of one of the greatest chapters in franchise history, A.J. made everyone around him better with a singular...

CHICAGO -- The Atlanta Hawks rocketed up the board to grab the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft, winning the lottery for the first time in franchise history. The Hawks, 36-46 this season for a 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference, had just a 3% chance to win the lottery, the fifth-lowest odds by a team to win the No. 1 pick since the lottery began in 1985. The Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs rounded out the top four. The Detroit Pistons, owners of the league's worst record this year, fell to No. 5. It's the second consecutive season the Pistons have had the worst record but fell to the fifth pick. The Rockets, 41-41 this season, moved up six spots to get into the top three. Washington and Detroit had the best chances to land the top pick at 14%. The draft is June 26-27 in Brooklyn. Atlanta jumped from the No. 10 position before the draft to the top overall selection, beating improbable odds. It's the...

Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen crushed hosts VfL Bochum 5-0 on Sunday to stretch their remarkable unbeaten run across all competitions this season to 50 consecutive matches. On Thursday Xabi Alonso's team, aiming for a treble of titles, surpassed Benfica's long-standing European unbeaten record set from 1963 to 1965 with a 2-2 draw against AS Roma that sent them through to the Europa League final. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) On Saturday they did not ease off against lowly Bochum -- the last team to beat Leverkusen almost a year ago -- scoring twice late in the first half versus the last Bundesliga team to beat them in the previous season. Patrik Schick put Leverkusen in the driving seat in the 41st minute and Victor Boniface doubled their lead with a penalty in first-half added time, with Bochum down to 10 men following a straight red card for Felix Passlack in the 15th...