NBA
On Friday, LeBron James will carry the U.S. flag. But first, he carried the U.S. men’s basketball team. Again. James scored the final 11 points for the Americans down the stretch, and the four-time reigning Olympic gold medalists held off World Cup champion Germany 92-88 in London on Monday night in their final tune-up before the Paris Games start later this week.
Pelle Larsson broke a tie by scoring from the lane in overtime to give Miami a 120-118 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies and hand the Heat their first NBA Summer League championship. This was the highest-scoring game in championship history and just the second one to go into overtime. The Los Angeles Lakers’ 110-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in 2017 had the previous record for total points in the Summer League final. Just the year before, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 84-82 for the only other final to reach OT.
Turner Sports intends to continue its longtime relationship with the NBA. Warner Bros. Discovery informed the league Monday that it will match the $1.8 billion per year offer by Amazon Prime Video. Turner has had an NBA package since 1984 and games have been on TNT since the network launched in 1988. The NBA’s Board of Governors approved the league’s 11-year media rights deals with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video at its meeting in Las Vegas last Tuesday. WBD received all three contracts on Wednesday, which started the five-day clock on whether it wanted to match. An NBA spokesperson says the league is reviewing the matching offer.
MLB
Juan Soto hit two of the Yankees’ five home runs and New York salvaged a four-game series split with a 9-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Soto went 11 for 18 in the series, including a four-hit game on Friday. DJ LeMahieu, Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe also homered as the Yankees tied a season high by hitting five homers for the second time this season. Carlos Rodón earned his first win since June 10. He allowed one run and two hits and struck out 10 in seven innings.
Francisco Lindor homered twice, Jeff McNeil also went deep and the New York Mets beat the Miami Marlins 6-4. McNeil had three RBIs for the Mets, who split the four-game series against the National League’s worst team. New York is 5-5 versus Miami this season. Mets starter David Peterson permitted two runs and six hits in five innings. Miami scored once in the ninth against Edwin Díaz, but he retired Jake Burger on a popup with runners at second and third for his 12th save. Josh Bell and Bryan De La Cruz homered for the Marlins.
Ezequiel Tovar singled home the winning run with the bases loaded and two outs in the 12th inning to give the Colorado Rockies a 9-8 victory over Boston, handing the Red Sox their fourth straight defeat since the All-Star break. Jake Cave singled to drive in Brendan Rodgers with the tying run with no outs in the 12th off rookie Bailey Horn, who was making his fifth major league appearance. Tovar had three hits and Charlie Blackmon homered to help the last-place Rockies win for the fourth time in five games. Wilyer Abreu’s two-out RBI single in the top of the 12th gave Boston an 8-7 lead. Red Sox manager Alex Cora was ejected after the 11th inning.
Minnesota starter Bailey Ober rebounded from Bryce Harper’s two-run homer for Philadelphia in the first to settle in for seven innings, and the Twins beat the Phillies 7-2. Ober threw only 83 pitches and retired 17 of his last 18 batters. The 6-foot-9 right-hander gave up four hits and one walk and improved to 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA in his last six starts. His record for the season is 9-5. Phillies starter Ranger Suárez fell to 10-5. He lost his fourth straight decision and failed to finish the sixth inning for the third time in his last four starts.
Bobby Witt Jr. fell a single short of the cycle, Salvador Perez and Hunter Renfroe also homered, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-4 on Monday night for their fourth straight victory. Witt tripled in the first inning, doubled in the third and drilled a three-run homer to deep left-center in the fourth to get the hard part out of the way. He needed a single for the first cycle by a Royals player since George Brett in 1990 but was hit by a pitch and flew out to right in his final two at-bats.
Tarik Skubal pitched seven innings while continuing to be mentioned in trade rumors and Justyn-Henry Malloy hit a two-run homer, leading the Detroit Tigers to an 8-2 win over the scuffling Cleveland Guardians. Skubal gave up a career-high 10 hits, but just one run as the All-Star worked out of several jams. The left-hander has been linked to potential trades with several contenders ahead of the July 30 deadline. Malloy homered in the first inning off Carlos Carrasco as the Tigers, who are 12-5 in July, beat the AL-Central leaders for the fourth time in five games. Cleveland has dropped three straight and is just 2-7 since July 10.
Texas rookie Wyatt Langford hit a game-ending RBI single in the 10th inning, after scoring the tying run in the ninth, as the Rangers rallied to beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3. Leody Taveras opened the Texas 10th on Monday night with a sacrifice bunt that moved pinch-runner Travis Jankowski to third. After a strikeout and two intentional walks loaded the bases, Langford hit a drive that ricocheted off the base of the wall in left. The 27-75 White Sox have lost eight in a row. They had gone ahead on Paul DeJong’s solo homer in the ninth before their bullpen’s MLB-high 25th blown save. Taveras and Marcus Semien homered for Texas.
Hogan Harris and three relievers combined on an eight-hit shutout, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Houston Astros 4-0. Harris allowed seven hits in 6 2/3 innings and matched his career high of seven strikeouts. The win was his first since June 18. JJ Bleday had three hits while Lawrence Butler and Max Schuemann added two apiece to pace the A’s to their second win in eight games against the Astros. Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti took the loss.
Jo Adell drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Seattle Mariners 3-1. Adell’s base hit to center against reliever Trent Thornton scored Brandon Drury. Center fielder Victor Robles’ throw to the plate went wide and ricocheted away from catcher Cal Raleigh for an error, allowing Zach Neto to score from first base to make it a two-run game. Mariners starter Bryce Miller worked seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits, but the Angels tied the game in the eighth on Taylor Ward’s sacrifice fly.
Nick Gonzales hit a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning after Mitch Keller allowed one run in the first seven, and the Pittsburgh Pirates won for the seventh time in eight games, 2-1 over the St. Louis Cardinals. Bryan Reynolds led off the eighth with a single to left before advancing to second on a wild pitch. With one out, Gonzales sneaked a slow dribbler off John King through the right side of the infield. Keller gave up six hits in seven innings, striking out three and walking two. Aroldis Chapman pitched a perfect eighth for the win in this matchup of NL wild card contenders.
Hunter Greene allowed only two hits in seven scoreless innings, Will Benson homered and the Cincinnati Reds took advantage of their speed to beat Reynaldo López and the Atlanta Braves 4-1. Greene had seven strikeouts in his first start since taking the loss in the All-Star Game. The right-hander has allowed a combined two runs in his last four starts. The Reds ended a four-game losing streak and dealt the Braves their third straight loss. Cincinnati stole four bases and leads the majors with 143.
Ian Happ lined a solo homer, six Chicago pitchers cobbled together a five-hitter and the Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1. Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson each had two hits as the Cubs twice escaped based-loaded jams to end NL Central-leading Milwaukee’s three-game winning streak. Willy Adames’ team-leading 16th home run got the Brewers on the board in the eighth. Garrett Mitchell had two hits, and William Contreras and Joey Ortiz doubled for the Brewers, who failed to cash in on six walks from Chicago starter Javier Assad. Reliever Drew Smyly got five outs for the win.
Teoscar Hernández had three hits and three RBIs, including a go-ahead single in the eighth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers extended their winning streak to four games by beating the San Francisco Giants 3-2. Tyler Fitzgerald became the first Giants player to homer in four straight games since Brandon Belt did it twice in 2018. Fitzgerald connected on an elevated sinker from Ryan Yarbrough to tie it 2-all in the seventh. River Ryan allowed one unearned run over 5 1/3 innings in his major league debut for the Dodgers. The 23-year-old right-hander, acquired from San Diego in a 2022 trade, gave up four hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
NFL
The short summer vacation is over for NFL players. It’s time to begin the journey to Super Bowl 59. Coming off a disappointing finish in the AFC championship game, the Baltimore Ravens became the first team to open training camp when they welcomed rookies on Saturday. Nineteen more teams get underway this week and all 32 clubs will open doors by July 24. Everyone is 0-0 but expectations aren’t the same. Some teams are legitimate contenders. A few are rebuilding. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are aiming to become the first team to three-peat since the 1965-67 Green Bay Packers won three consecutive NFL championships.
Joe Burrow and his surgically repaired wrist have been cleared for contact and the Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback is ready to go for the opening of training camp on Wednesday. Burrow was sidelined last season when he suffered a torn ligament in his right wrist in the 10th game, a loss to Baltimore on Nov. 16. He had surgery on his wrist Nov. 27.
Khyree Jackson was supposed to report to training camp this week with the rest of the Minnesota Vikings draft class. The team is instead grieving the death of the fourth-round pick out of Oregon. Jackson was killed with two friends in a car crash in Maryland on July 6. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell spoke with the rookies and other early reports about the plans to honor the gregarious 24-year-old cornerback. The Vikings are sending a contingent to his funeral and covering more than $20,000 toward the cost. Players will wear helmet decals with Jackson's number 31 on them this season.
Jordan Love won’t be practicing with the Green Bay Packers as long as the quarterback’s negotiations on a contract extension remain unresolved. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Monday that Love reported to camp last week but wouldn’t be working out until a deal is reached. Love’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season. Gutekunst remained optimistic the Packers and Love could reach a deal soon. He noted that Love is participating in all other team activities.
GOLF
Charlie Woods shot a 12-over 82 on Monday in the U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills. The 15-year-old son of Tiger Woods birdied both of the par 5s on the Oakland Hills North Course but otherwise struggled, making five double bogeys and four bogeys. Woods will have to have quite a turnaround Tuesday on a course known as “The Monster” to be among the low 64 scorers from a field of 264 players from 40 states and 35 countries. He earned his spot in a qualifier last month in Florida.
SOCCER
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi won’t play in the MLS All-Star Game while nursing an ankle injury. Messi left the July 14 Copa America final win over Colombia with a right ankle injury. His teammate, Luis Suárez, also won’t play in the game Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio, with what the team described as “knee discomfort.” Both were listed among the unavailable players by the league on Monday.
COLLEGE SPORTS
Commissioner Jim Phillips was eager to tout the financial gains of the Atlantic Coast Conference as it enters the 2024 season. He also said the league would fight “as long as it takes” against lawsuits from member schools Florida state and Clemson over the league's ability to charge hundreds of millions of dollars for leaving the league. Phillips told The Associated Press that the league is “better than the narrative that it's getting right now.” That comes as the league adds California, Stanford and SMU in expansion for this fall.
OLYMPICS
From training and competing to preparing bottles for feedings and changing diapers, some of the Olympians at the Paris Games will be balancing their roles of athletes and parents. There will be some help from organizers this time for athletes in Paris juggling the demands of elite sports with the tasks of parenthood. The International Olympic Committee and Paris organizers set up what they call the first Olympic Village nursery to allow athletes to be closer to their children and have quality time with them during the Games.
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