The NBA G League will launch a franchise in Mexico City for the start of the 21-22 season.
The franchise will have Nick Lagios as general manager.
The NBA has had interest in expanding into Mexico City in some form for several years.
LeBron James plans to return to the Los Angeles Lakers’ lineup either on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
James doesn’t plan to rush his return from a sore right ankle.
James is expected to miss four games in total since his initial return.
https://resources.skysports.com/embed/amp/video/5370900#amp=1Mo Mooncey feels LeBron James shouldn’t focus his anger at the idea of the play-in tournament, but at his team for letting him down whilst he’s been injured.
How have the LA Lakers, widely tipped as the red-hot favourites for the NBA title at the start of the year, found themselves in a three-way battle to avoid slipping into the play-in tournament that has drawn the ire of LeBron James? Ahead of a potentially defining 48 hours, Huw Hopkins runs the rule over how we landed here
To avoid future play-in games, LeBron and the Lakers need a third star.
Friday 7th May 3:00am
May 7@ LA ClippersMay 8@ Portland Trail BlazersMay 10vs New York KnicksMay 12vs Phoenix SunsMay 13vs Houston RocketsMay 15vs Indiana PacersMay 16vs New Orleans Pelicans
On February 14, the Denver Nuggets beat the LA Lakers 122-105, but the bigger loss was All-Star Anthony Davis, who injured his leg in the contest.
The Lakers had a good record of 21-7 up to that point, and the team was managing to hold things together with LeBron James leading the charge. They went 7-6 in the next few weeks, but James then suffered an ankle injury on March 20, which ended in a loss, and he wouldn’t return for 20 games.
Without Davis and James, the Lakers fell apart, and as a result, the reigning champions have slipped down the standings and are battling the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks for playoff positioning. Whoever finishes fifth and sixth will advance to the playoffs, for those that finish seven it will be the NBA’s new play-in tournament.
And LeBron does not like the idea.
https://resources.skysports.com/embed/amp/video/5365053#amp=1LeBron James had some choice words for the NBA’s playoff play-in tournament format when asked about the Lakers potentially having to earn their spot into the main post-season draw.Get NBA news on your phoneWant the latest NBA news, features and highlights on your phone? Find out more
Winding up as seventh seed would be seen as an embarrassment for the league’s most elite franchise, as they would have to compete in a play-in tournament, the lottery of a one-game shoot-out – possibly against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors – does not have the luxury of the series nature of the play-offs.
The Nets are in serious jeopardy of slipping to the East’s third seed after their 113-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday as Brooklyn has lost four straight games for the first time all season.
The Milwaukee Bucks are only a half game behind Brooklyn and own the tiebreaker between the teams. The Nets’ reclaiming first place in the East appears exceedingly unlikely, as the Philadelphia 76ers have a 2½-game lead and are riding a six-game winning streak.
The Mavericks’ eighth win in an 11-game span — with all of the losses strangely to the lottery-bound Sacramento Kings — was another step toward avoiding the play-in tournament that Luka Doncic so strongly dislikes.
Dallas is alone in the fifth spot of the Western Conference standings (pending the Lakers’ result against the Clippers, but the Mavs own the tiebreaker against the Lakers). The Mavs moved a full game ahead of the seventh-place Portland Trail Blazers, who own the season tiebreaker over Dallas. The No. 7 seed will fall to play-in games.null
A fifth-place finish might get the Mavs a first-round rematch with the LA Clippers, who bounced them from the bubble in the first round last season. — Tim MacMahon
Wizards deal Raptors major blow — In what was pretty much last call for Toronto, the Raptors lost to the Wizards131-129 to fall four games behind Washington with five to play in the battle for the final play-in spot. It didn’t come easy for the Wizards, who were pushed to overtime on a 3-pointer by Toronto’s Fred VanVleet with two seconds left in regulation.
Pacers cool off Hawks — The Pacers beat the Hawks 133-126 to hold on to their half-game edge on the Wizards for the ninth spot in the East, with the teams squaring off Saturday. Atlanta, which had a three-game winning streak snapped, sits a game behind the Knicks for the No. 4 seed in the East and a game ahead of the Celtics and Heat in the race to avoid the No. 7 seed.
Grizzlies can’t take advantage — Memphis entered the game with a half-game lead over Golden State for eighth place in the Western Conference, but couldn’t take advantage of a matchup with the lowly Pistons, losing 111-97. The Warriors can take over the No. 8 spot with a win over the Thunder later Thursday night.
Play-in games to be held May 18-21
• How the play-in tournament will work
• Current NBA standings
EAST
Game 1: No. 8 Charlotte at No. 7 Miami — winner is No. 7 seed in playoffs
Game 2: No. 10 Washington at No. 9 Indiana — winner moves on in play-in; loser is eliminated
Game 3: Indiana/Washington winner at Miami/Charlotte loser — winner is No. 8 seed in playoffs
WEST
Game 1: No. 8 Memphis at No. 7 Portland — winner is No. 7 seed in playoffs
Game 2: No. 10 San Antonio at No. 9 Golden State — winner moves on in play-in; loser is eliminated
Game 3: Golden State/San Antonio winner at Portland/Memphis loser — winner is No. 8 seed in playoffs
Dorian Finney Smith hustles to save an unexpected pass from Luka Doncic and ends up flying into a cameraman.
180 — Russell Westbrook had the 180th triple-double of his career, leaving him one shy of tying Oscar Robertson for the most in NBA history. Westbrook had 13 points, 17 rebounds and 17 assists, but was 5-for-19 from the field, had seven turnovers and fouled out in overtime.
4-6 — The Nets are 4-6 since Jan. 16 when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving play without James Harden.
Pelicans at Sixers, 7 ET
Celtics at Bulls, 7:30 ET (ESPN)
Magic at Hornets, 8 ET
Timberwolves at Heat, 8 ET
Rockets at Bucks, 8 ET
Cavaliers at Mavericks, 8:30 ET
Nuggets at Jazz, 9 ET
Knicks at Suns, 10 ET
Lakers at Trail Blazers, 10 ET (ESPN)
Spurs at Kings, 10 ET
How concerned should we be about the Los Angeles Lakers and their superstars?
When LeBron James returned to the lineup on Friday following a 20-game absence from a high ankle sprain, eight days after Anthony Davis came back after missing 30 games, the Lakers seemed to have survived the simultaneous absences of their two superstars.nullADVERTISEMENTnull
Instead, the Lakers dropped the next two games, with LeBron leaving Sunday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors early due to ankle soreness and sitting out Monday’s surprising win over the surging Denver Nuggets. The Lakers played both those games without starting point guard Dennis Schroder, who’s expected to miss 10 to 14 days due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
With James now expected to miss at least the Lakers’ next two games, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the caveat about the Lakers being fine for the playoffs as long as their stars are healthy is in jeopardy.
Will AD, LeBron & Co. be ready to navigate a more difficult path than they faced as the No. 1 seed in last year’s bubble playoffs? Let’s take a look.
In the wake of the Lakers’ relatively easy run to the 2020 title — only their NBA Finals win over the Miami Heat extended beyond five games — it’s easy to forget how much concern there was last summer over their sluggish performance in the eight seeding games preceding the postseason. After a thrilling 103-101 win over the rival LA Clippers on the opening night of bubble play in Orlando, Florida, the Lakers lost five of their next seven games.
With little at stake (the Lakers had already clinched the top seed in the West, and home-court advantage was no longer relevant for the Finals), coach Frank Vogel experimented with his lineups, including Dion Waiters playing the fourth-most minutes of any player on the roster in seeding games. As a result, the Lakers ranked 20th of the 22 teams in offensive rating during the seeding games and made a league-low 30% of their 3-pointers.
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 24 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. added 23 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 113-109 on Thursday night to finish a season sweep.
Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 45 points for the Nets. They lost a season-high fourth straight game and dropped two games behind Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia.
Dorian Finney-Smith scored 17 points as the Mavericks reached 10 games over .500 for the first time this season and moved a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers for the fifth seed in the West. Dallas holds the tiebreaker on the defending NBA champs.
“This is all experience we need,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “There’s a lot of situations that are new. Last year at this time we were locked into the seventh position and we weren’t going lower. This year is a whole different ballgame. There’s so much in play. The thing I’m most proud of with this group is they’re blocking out all the external noise.”
Kevin Durant had 20 points and nine rebounds for the Nets but was just 1 of 10 from the field in the second half with each team missing an injured star: James Harden for Brooklyn and Kristaps Porzingis for Dallas. In the Mavericks’ 115-98 win at Brooklyn in February, Harden played while Durant and Irving were out.ADVERTISEMENTnull
The Nets were coming off back-to-back losses to Milwaukee.
“I think pressure is good,” coach Steve Nash said. “You’re going to face pressure in the playoffs and you have to be pressure-tested. This is a little bit of pressure for us, a little bit of a hole for us to dig out of. How can we solve this riddle? How can we get over the line in some of these games.”
Doncic had 10 rebounds, and one of his eight assists came on a layup by Dwight Powell that put Dallas ahead for good at 94-92 and started a 7-0 run. Doncic was just 2 of 11 from the field after halftime, but had seven rebounds and five assists.
“When Luka goes through periods where he’s not scoring, he finds other ways to impact the game,” Carlisle said. “He was rebounding really well during that stretch. He moved it to some guys for some really good looks.”
The Nets were down six in the final minute when Irving was free for an easy layup and the ball slipped out of his hands. Irving finished 17 of 30 from the field after repeatedly getting to the rim in a 25-point first half.
“We need to be tested like that,” Irving said. “We’re not a perfect basketball club. We could be doing ourselves a great disservice if we weren’t honest. We’ve just got to have better continuity down the stretch.”
Jalen Brunson scored eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter for Dallas, and Powell had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Nets: Brooklyn missed a chance to build a cushion when Dallas misfired on its first nine shots and first two free throws of the second half. The Nets missed six consecutive shots after Irving opened the second half with a 3, and an early third-quarter lead didn’t last long. … Blake Griffin had 10 points and 10 rebounds. … Irving’s previous season high was 43 in a 121-113 loss to Orlando on March 19.ADVERTISEMENTnull
Mavericks: Doncic, whose already made his share of wild shots that counted late in the games in his nearly three seasons, tossed up a halfcourt shot after a whistle away from the ball in the first quarter. It went in. … Carlisle said Porzingis, who has missed seven of the past eight games with right knee soreness, was doubtful Friday against Cleveland. Carlisle said he believes the 7-foot-3 Latvian will play again in the regular season.
HARDEN UPDATE
Harden, who hasn’t played since April 5 and had a setback along the way with his strained right hamstring, worked out Thursday and said he plans to play again in the regular season. Nash said that would be ideal.
“If we can get a little bit of extra time, that’d be great,” Nash said. “But if we can’t, we can’t. It looks really good right now. He’s worked extremely hard to put himself in position to return before the playoffs.”
COURTSIDE STARS
Retired Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, teammates with Nash for the first six of his 21 seasons in Dallas, was in one of the few courtside seats with his wife, Jessica, former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush.
Nowitzki and the former president participated in a virtual pregame forum with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban about Bush’s book of portraits of immigrants. The 7-foot German is one of the subjects.
UP NEXT
Nets: The fourth game on a five-game trip, the last road stint of the regular season, is at Denver on Sunday. The Nets have won four of the past five meetings.
Mavericks: Cleveland visits Friday for Dallas’ second-to-last back-to-back, with the rematch set for Sunday in Cleveland. The Mavericks have won the past four meetings by an average of 20 points.
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Arsenal0Villarreal0(Agg 1-2)FTHT 0-0
Unai Emery came back to haunt Arsenal as his Villarreal side eliminated the team who sacked him in 2019
Arsenal’s Europa League hopes were dashed as Villarreal sealed a semi-final victory that will almost certainly end the Gunners’ unbroken 25-season run of appearing in European competition.
Trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Spain and knowing that victory in this tournament represented their only realistic route back into the Champions League, Mikel Arteta’s side could not find a way past the visitors’ stubborn defence.ADVERTISEMENTnull
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struck the post with a volley but it was a rare moment of threat in a display strangely passive for large parts.
Nicolas Pepe and Emile Smith Rowe both fired efforts wide early in the second half and Aubameyang hit the post again with a downward header later in the game, but such moments were few and far between.
That the defeat came at the hands of former boss Unai Emery will be especially galling for the Gunners. Emery was sacked in November 2019 after 18 months in charge, ultimately leading to the appointment of Arteta.
With Manchester United seeing off Roma in the other semi-final and Chelsea and Manchester City into the Champions League final, Arsenal’s loss ruins hopes of a Premier League clean sweep of European competitions this season.
Villarreal will face United in Gdansk’s Stadion Miejski on 26 May.
More importantly for the Gunners, though, the result effectively ends their season and their European chances – a big blow to a club that, a little over two weeks ago, was one of 12 prepared to walk away from the Champions League in order to join the proposed European Super League.
Arsenal have been a mainstay in European competition since the 1996-97 season, much of that time spent in the Champions League under Arsene Wenger, with the last four campaigns in the Europa League.
But that run is now over, serving warning that the Gunners are arguably at their lowest point in terms of on-field performance since George Graham was sacked in February 1995.
There were high hopes when Arteta’s side beat Liverpool in August’s Community Shield, after winning last season’s FA Cup, but what has followed has been a model of inconsistency, every forward stride followed by two steps back.
For such a crucial game, they were too nervous and ponderous in the first half, failing to open up a Villarreal side comforted by their first-leg advantage and determined not to be unbalanced.
Young, talented players showed flashes and then faded, while senior individuals, so crucial to guide a side through such situations, failed to step up when needed with the requisite composure and leadership.
Aubameyang did his best but is clearly still hampered by fitness issues following a recent bout of malaria. His withdrawal late on, when a goal was needed to save the team’s season, was a clear nod to this.
Similarly, Kieran Tierney was a late addition to the starting XI, with Granit Xhaka picking up an injury in the warm-up, but after a spell out he was clearly not at his dynamic, penetrative best down the left.
Arsenal’s first home meeting with Villarreal – a Champions League semi-final 15 years ago – was the final European game at Highbury.
Without some serious summer surgery, Thursday’s game against the Spanish side may well be the last continental encounter the Emirates sees for some time.
Villarreal’s boss is the undoubted master of the Europa League.
He won the competition three times on the trot as Sevilla boss between 2014 and 2016 before leading the Gunners themselves to the final in 2019, where they were comprehensively beaten by Chelsea.
This is another triumph for the Spaniard and a sweet one at that, coming at the ground where he was never fully embraced by a crowd fed on a regular diet of success by Wenger and frustrated at the way the Frenchman’s regime was allowed to slide from its early heights.
As in the first leg, in which Villarreal were somewhat unfortunate to concede, Emery won the tactical battle against his successor and compatriot Arteta.
They were disciplined, well-drilled, alive to where the danger might come from and willing to battle when they had to.
They had to face some adversity too, with arguably their most dangerous player, Samuel Chukwueze, departing injured in the first half.
But they adapted and continued to compete with a minimum of fuss.
A sweet moment for Emery, but also for Villarreal, who were beaten by Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals in 2006 and quarter-finals three years later, and now, finally, have their revenge.
United last reached, and won, the Europa League final in 2017 under Jose Mourinho
Manchester United reached their first final of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era but lost their seven-match unbeaten record in an entertaining Europa League last-four tie with Roma.
Edinson Cavani scored both United goals in the second leg of a 13-goal semi-final.ADVERTISEMENTnull
The Uruguayan opened the scoring with a fabulous first-half effort, then found the net with a fine header from Bruno Fernandes’ excellent floated pass in the second half.
In between, Roma briefly threatened a comeback when former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko scored his ninth goal against United before Bryan Cristante finished smartly with a shot on the turn.
The Italians had the final word when Nicola Zalewski’s low drive went in through David de Gea’s legs after taking a deflection off Alex Telles.
The 8-5 aggregate victory ends a run of four semi-final defeats for United under Solskjaer and sets up a meeting with Villarreal – who knocked out Arsenal – in Gdansk on 26 May.
United are without a trophy since their last triumph in this competition in 2017, their longest run since the five-year gap between 1985 and 1990, which was ended by an FA Cup success that marked the start of Sir Alex Ferguson’s silverware collection.
Jose Mourinho was manager for that most recent United success and he will be responsible for reviving Roma’s fortunes next season, knowing their only chance of European football next season will come in Uefa’s new third-tier Conference competition.
Edinson Cavani has scored 16 goals in his last 15 UEFA Europa League appearances, including 15 in his last 10 starts in the competition
If getting to within one win of a trophy as United manager was a triumph for Solskjaer, it also underlined why the Norwegian is persisting in his efforts to keep Cavani at Old Trafford.
At 19, Mason Greenwood is at the other end of the age scale to Cavani. The England man eclipsed Duncan Edwards as the youngest Englishman to reach 100 appearances for United, and the third youngest ever behind Norman Whiteside and George Best.
Evidently, Greenwood has much to learn. Cavani, 34, is the finished article.
His four goals in the tie have taken him to 14 for the season and a run of seven goals in six games suggests he is reaching top form at just the right time.
Cavani’s first-half effort was stunning. Starting with Paul Pogba winning possession, United’s team work was brilliant. A fantastic lay-off by Fernandes sent Fred running through midfield. The pass was good but Cavani still had work to do as he belted his shot into the Roma net.
His second was more subtle, coming from another Fernandes assist – a deep cross delivered to perfection, which invited the headed finish which effectively killed the tie.
The word is Cavani is now minded to stay at United for another season and as by far the best orthodox number nine at his disposal, Solskjaer will be delighted if those suggestions prove to be correct.
It has become a modern tradition for second-choice goalkeepers to play in cup competitions in order to keep them motivated.
That was the case at United in 2016-17, which meant Sergio Romero rather than De Gea played in the Europa League final victory over Ajax in Stockholm.
So, given De Gea has featured in all four Europa League ties since losing his Premier League spot to Dean Henderson, he must be in line for an outing in Gdansk.
Nothing happened in this game that would lead Solskjaer to conclude De Gea should not get the job.
The Spaniard was superb and without him, what appeared to be a fanciful Roma comeback might have become a reality. Right at the start, he denied Gianluca Mancini with a superb close-range save and it took another to prevent Lorenzo Pellegrini giving the hosts the advantage.
De Gea then made a series of stops in the second half which were even more important as Roma attempted to turn the tie on its head. He turned a Dzeko effort that was heading towards the top corner away from danger and then made further saves shortly afterwards from former United man Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Cristante when another Roma goal would have given them added impetus and left them only two short of their target.
The current situation of having two international keepers mixing games seems unsustainable but on this evidence, De Gea is far from past his best.
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, speaking to BT Sport: “It feels good to be in the final. We played one very, very good half at Old Trafford which has taken us through. I’m disappointed we lost – especially the way we played in the second half.
“It could easily have been 8-6 to them. It was a strange game. We kept giving them the ball but luckily we have one of the the best keepers in the world. We are in the final and are looking forward to 26 May.”
On United’s punishing schedule over the next few days: “It’s unheard of. It’s made by people who have never played football at this level. It’s physically impossible for the players. We have not been dealt a good hand. We are going to need everyone for these four games. It’s a short turnaround but we have to be ready.”
Last updated on6 May 20216 May 2021.From the sectionBoxing
Floyd Mayweather and Jake Paul posed during a news conference at Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens, Florida
Former five-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather was involved in a brawl with Jake Paul during an event promoting his exhibition bout with the YouTube star’s brother.
Mayweather, 44, was due to pose for photographs in Miami for his 6 June exhibition fight with Logan Paul.ADVERTISEMENT
But when Jake Paul stole Mayweather’s hat after they exchanged words, a melee involving several parties broke out.
Jake Paul later claimed one of Mayweather’s staff punched him.
“One of Floyd’s 30 bodyguards got a clean shot on me in the eye,” tweeted Jake Paul, who has had three boxing matches of his own in recent months.
“Honestly I have had three easy fights as a pro so I’ve been itching for some real action.
“I stole his hat because he steals people’s money with boring fights.”
Jake Paul had posted a video on Twitter where he claimed he was “about to steal Floyd Mayweather’s hat”.
Social media footage of the aftermath shows countless individuals grappling and it is not clear as to whether punches were thrown or landed.
Mayweather launched an expletive-laden tirade during the incident and afterwards, when his publicist was seen telling him to get into a locker room.
Insults had already been traded in an earlier confrontation, with Logan Paul taunting Mayweather by referencing his 2011 domestic violence case.
Mayweather served two months of a three-month sentence after attacking an ex-girlfriend.
Before the brawl, Logan Paul told AFP he firmly believed he could do what no boxer had ever done before and beat Mayweather, who last competed in a sanctioned bout in 2017 and retired with 50 wins from 50 professional fights.
“After this fight I don’t want anyone to tell me something is impossible,” Paul said.
“I am representing the guy who was counted out, the guy who believed in himself so much that his unrelenting belief in himself propelled him to success. That’s me.
“I don’t just think I can beat him. I know I can beat him.”
Logan Paul first ventured into white-collar boxing in a bout he lost against British YouTuber KSI in 2018 and he has not fought since.
Logan Paul went into today’s press conference with Floyd Mayweather with every intention of treating it seriously. His brother, Jake Paul, on the other hand, had other ideas.
Both Logan and Mayweather met for the first time in person earlier today to promote their June 6th showdown that will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. Mayweather warned Logan that come fight night, he’s going to end up flat on his back. As for Logan, he hurled jokes in the direction of Mayweather and claimed that the newly inducted Hall of Famer had no punching power.
Once the two finished posing for pictures, Jake sprung into action. The younger brother of Logan jumped into the face of Mayweather and challenged him to a fight. Not one to back down, Mayweather shouted back that he had no problem facing Jake next. With things getting heated between the pair, Jake grabbed Mayweather’s hat and began running off. Mayweather immediately grabbed him and momentarily placed Jake in a headlock while several members of Mayweather’s team broke the altercation up.https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1390410815606599684?s=20
While most of the media members that were in attendance were stunned by what was taking place, Logan was not. Just before Jake made his move towards Mayweather, Logan says he was informed of his plan.
“Yeah, he told me he was going to do it,” said Logan while laughing. “I told him not to.”
During the entire ordeal, Mayweather was irate with what just took place.
“I’ll kill that motherfucker,” said Mayweather once his hat was stolen. “I don’t know who this motherfucker thinks he playing with. I don’t play those types of games, I’ll fuck you up.”
In the midst of it, Jake was seen on camera taking several shots from Mayweather’s security team. Throughout it all, Logan was nowhere to be seen. Yet, before fans attack him for seemingly failing to have his little brother’s back, he says there’s a good reason why he wasn’t able to lend a helping hand.
“It was a setup. He (Floyd Mayweather) had his boys get me before I could even get involved.”
Sports Newz