Category: Sport

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant blamed himself for a Houston Rockets debut gone awry Tuesday, because the defending champion Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder bested his new membership, 125-124, in double extra time at Paycom Heart.

“I missed the free throws, and I fouled any individual on the finish,” Durant mentioned. “I feel these two performs are the explanation we misplaced.”

On the night time Oklahoma Metropolis celebrated its NBA title with a hoop ceremony and raised a championship banner to the rafters, Durant scored 23 factors on 9-of-16 capturing and dedicated two essential errors that he believes value Houston the sport earlier than fouling out with 2.3 seconds remaining. The Rockets led 124-123 with 11 seconds left within the second extra time interval when a pump faux by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lured Durant into his sixth foul, which despatched the reigning MVP to the free-throw line to hit the profitable free throws.

“Fouled Shai, put them up one,” Durant mentioned. “I’ve obtained to remain down, be extra disciplined [with] these alternatives to get a cease to seal the sport.”

The play marked what Durant may think about the second squandered alternative to stroll out of a sold-out area victorious. With 9.5 seconds left in regulation, Durant missed the primary of two free throws with the Rockets main 103-102. Durant related on the second free throw to place Houston forward by 2 factors, however Gilgeous-Alexander hit a 16-footer with 2.6 ticks left on the clock to ship the sport into extra time.

Disaster for Durant and the Rockets almost unfolded within the first extra time interval, too. The 37-year-old snatched a rebound with 2.2 seconds remaining and signaled for a timeout that Houston didn’t possess as teammate Alperen Sengun ran over to cease him. The play resulted in a cascade of boos from a crowd of 18,203. A postgame pool report revealed that referees didn’t whistle Durant for a technical foul on the play as a result of not one of the sport officers noticed the ahead sign for the timeout, in line with crew chief Zach Zarba.

“I feel undoubtedly he known as timeout about 3 times — verbally and bodily along with his fingers,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. “I feel the refs simply missed it, however that’s life. You make errors in life, and you progress on. Nothing too loopy. They didn’t do it on function or something. It’s simply life. You miss issues. You make errors. You progress on.”

Regardless of a tough debut, Durant flashed a glimpse of what Houston’s offense may very well be down the street as soon as the Rockets iron out among the wrinkles. Durant shot 5 of 6 on two-point jumpers on Tuesday for a crew that skilled just one occasion final season of a participant hitting 5 or extra of his 2-point bounce pictures in a sport. All of Durant’s made 2-point discipline targets got here throughout the closing 8 seconds of the shot clock, in line with GeniusIQ, tying for his most such makes in a sport since 2013-14, when participant monitoring started.

When Houston wanted to generate a strong look with the shot clock winding down, it made positive to search out Durant.

“He’s making our jobs straightforward,” Sengun mentioned. “With [more] time we’re going to get higher and higher collectively.”

Durant managed to inflict his injury in an offense that was largely facilitated by Sengun, who made a career-high 5 three pointers, scoring a game-high 39 factors with 11 rebounds and a team-high 7 assists.

“It’s unimaginable,” Durant mentioned of Sengun’s efficiency. “We’re gonna want that from him as a lot as we will. Getting downhill, making performs. There was quite a lot of house for him on the market, too, on the high of the important thing the place he likes to work. So, [it’s] one thing that he’s obtained to get used to with simply having a lot room to function now. So, he knocked down the three properly, shot it with confidence. We’re gonna want that going ahead.”

Houston trotted out a beginning unit towards the Thunder that stood a mean peak of 82.2 inches, registering because the tallest group of starters in an opener since 1970-71, when starters had been first tracked, in line with Elias Sports activities Bureau.

Durant began at guard for the primary time since 2009 alongside Amen Thompson, who was hobbled late towards OKC by cramps in his calf, in line with Rockets coach Ime Udoka. The lineup additionally featured Jabari Smith Jr. and Sengun at ahead with Steven Adams enjoying middle.

“We make performs as a crew,” Durant mentioned. “I’m not anticipated to make each huge shot in each shut sport. I simply really feel like my presence on the market can ease the strain for everyone and we will make performs. Some nights, it’s going to be my night time within the fourth. Some nights, it’s going to be Alpi’s. So, all of us simply have to arrange for it.”

The 2025-26 NBA season is formally right here! The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and the Houston Rockets tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock), because the defending champs look to start out their season off robust in opposition to Kevin Durant and his new crew.

The Golden State Warriors will then face off in opposition to their Western Convention foes, the Los Angeles Lakers at 10 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock). Luka Doncic will debut for his first full season with the Lakers, nonetheless, will probably be with out LeBron James who is about to overlook 3-4 weeks with sciatica.

As we tip off the NBA’s eightieth season, listed here are the highest highlights from tonight’s opening evening video games in addition to postgame takeaways from our ESPN insiders.

LOS ANGELES — Blake Snell will begin Sport 1 of the World Sequence on Friday and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will comply with in Sport 2 for the Los Angeles Dodgers in opposition to the Toronto Blue Jays, supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned Tuesday.

It’s a repeat of the pitching order the Dodgers used for the primary two video games of their four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers within the Nationwide League Championship Sequence.

Snell had 10 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings in Sport 1 on Oct. 13. He turned the primary Dodgers pitcher to finish eight innings whereas giving up one hit or fewer in a postseason sport. Yamamoto pitched a three-hitter in Sport 2 for the Dodgers’ first postseason full sport since 2004.

Roberts mentioned the crew hasn’t selected starters for Video games 3 and 4, which can be performed at Dodger Stadium, however indicated Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani may comply with in that order.

“I believe we’re going to run the identical rotation again, I believe for certain for the primary two,” he mentioned.

Ohtani had 10 strikeouts and hit three house runs in Sport 4 to clinch a second straight journey to the World Sequence. Ohtani was chosen MVP of the NLCS.

Dodgers starters mixed for 35 strikeouts within the NLCS. Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow and Ohtani posted a 0.63 ERA in opposition to the Brewers, with two earned runs in 28 innings.

Roberts mentioned the bullpen lineup remains to be being mentioned, with the Blue Jays’ lineup that includes some right-handed energy hitters that the Dodgers didn’t need to deal with beforehand.

“There’s one spot that we may doubtlessly form of debate, and can proceed to debate,” Roberts mentioned. “Exterior of that one spot, it’s in all probability going to look precisely the identical.”

Reliever Tanner Scott is eligible for the World Sequence roster after being faraway from the NL Division Sequence roster. He had an emergency surgical process and mentioned he’s feeling good now.

“It’s simply form of attempting to get a grasp on the medical doctors giving him the total form of inexperienced gentle, the go-ahead,” Roberts mentioned. “I do know that he’s anxious, which is an effective factor, however luckily, we get to see for a pair extra days how he responds to throwing and bullpens and issues like that.”

LONDON — Whereas Arsenal are nonetheless trying to find a press release win to announce their Premier League title credentials, the look ahead to a UEFA Champions League equal is over.

For nearly an hour on Tuesday evening, Atlético Madrid’s go to to Emirates Stadium was the combative, gritty contest many anticipated beforehand. After which, an explosion occurred: The home that Atlético coach Diego Simeone has stoically constructed over nearly 14 years was shattered by 4 targets in 14 minutes, and the Gunners gained 4-0. The expanded, bloated format of this group stage dilutes the significance of early outcomes on paper, however the impact this might have on Arsenal’s younger group aiming to lastly add trophies to years of progress is likely to be profound.

Simeone’s aspect was crushed 4-0 at Benfica final season however isn’t handed a second-half drubbing like this. “We competed very effectively till the primary Arsenal purpose,” he stated afterward. “After that we may have defended higher. They did very effectively they usually bought their targets. And naturally set items are so essential in soccer, and it may be key on this competitors, as a result of it comes all the way down to positive margins by way of taking the sport in your management or not.

“And it’s not all the way down to unhealthy luck, however errors, in order that they made essentially the most of our errors, took their probabilities and all their huge probabilities become targets.”

Arsenal’s set-piece prowess is widespread information. Whereas the Premier League has been unable to seek out a solution — Arsenal’s 37 targets from corners for the reason that begin of the 2023-24 season is 16 greater than anybody else — absolutely Simeone, the sport’s best defensive coach, may accomplish that.

It appeared for some time that will be the case. And the reply was easy, if extraordinarily tough to execute: don’t give them a possibility. Arsenal had only one nook within the opening 45 minutes. Declan Rice’s 57th-minute free kick that Gabriel Magalhães headed in was, as outlined by Opta, Arsenal’s first probability from a set piece all evening.

The purpose opened the floodgates. Gabriel Martinelli curled in a elegant second seven minutes later earlier than a brace from Viktor Gyökeres, who ended a 601-minute purpose drought at membership stage, landed Arsenal the form of scoreline that may make Europe sit up and take discover. These 4 targets had been extra of a chilly bathe than something Atlético skilled a day earlier when the recent water was briefly unavailable after their coaching session at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal’s summer time spending spree led many to imagine they now possess probably the greatest squads in Europe. However in grinding their technique to the highest of the desk in England, that they had not produced the performances to justify that hype. This may function a reference level for the long run, an evening when a few these new signings felt extra at dwelling. Martín Zubimendi patrolled the midfield with authority. Gyökeres bought the targets his supervisor, Mikel Arteta, believed his show warranted, even when the primary owed every part to a big deflection off Dávid Hancko and the second was an unmissable close-range end off his thigh.

“He deserved it as a result of every part that we had been seeing by way of what he was bringing to the staff and the way a lot he was serving to the staff in lots of areas, other than scoring targets in the previous couple of weeks, there was no debate about that,” Arteta stated. “It was about holding that perception in himself, that emotional state that he can get pleasure from and play freely.

“I believe we’ve change into far more unpredictable. He’s so bodily, open, his face is for everyone. The best way he presses the ball, holds the ball, that’s phenomenal. After which there’s the icing on the cake and the largest factor that we’re going to debate about him is targets. He’s scored two very totally different ones right now, and hopefully he begins to get some momentum and a very good run of targets.”

Bukayo Saka spoke final season of a need to in the future win the Ballon d’Or and be thought of one of many world’s biggest wingers. His all-round efficiency merited that right here; he was fixed menace down the precise, however of equal significance to Arteta was Saka’s work off the ball. Martinelli was equally dynamic on this regard: His eight ball recoveries was three greater than any participant on both aspect.

Nothing is set in October, however the baton could also be passing from Simeone to Arteta as essentially the most defensively resolute coach in Europe. Arsenal have conceded only one shot on track of their final three video games. Furthermore, they’ve conceded three targets in all competitions, placing them on observe to interrupt a number of information. That tally is the fewest Arsenal have conceded of their first 12 matches of their 138-year historical past.

After all, they’ve damaged varied membership information earlier than below Arteta, solely to finish up empty-handed. All that issues this time is that they recover from the road. Nights like this counsel they could be higher positioned than ever to take action.

Olivia Vukosa, the No. 3 recruit within the ladies’ SC Subsequent 100 Class of 2026, has dedicated to UConn, she introduced on Tuesday.

Vukosa is the primary 2026 commit for the reigning nationwide champions. She selected the Huskies over LSU, Ohio State, Texas and South Carolina.

The Whitestone, New York, native is a present senior at Christ the King in Queens, which has despatched plenty of gamers to Storrs, together with Corridor of Famer Sue Hen and Tina Charles. She cites that pipeline as a key consider selecting Geno Auriemma’s program.

“I’ve seen Coach Mackey and Deluca put together ladies for faculty and seen Coach Geno put together these ladies for the following stage,” Vukosa instructed ESPN. “And lots of of those ladies have adopted the trail of Christ the King and UConn, and now I wish to observe that legacy.

“One other huge issue was UConn’s location; it permits my household to return assist me simply, irrespective of the sport or time. In the end, what sealed my resolution was how I felt across the workforce. Throughout my go to, the gamers welcomed me like I used to be already a part of the household, and that sense of belonging made UConn actually really feel like dwelling.”

The 6-foot-4 submit will convey years of worldwide taking part in expertise with Croatia in FIBA competitions to UConn: She was a part of the 2023 U16 Girls’s European Championship, 2024 Girls’s World Cup and most not too long ago the 2025 U20 EuroBasket B Division, through which she averaged 15.6 factors and 9.1 rebounds per sport.

Vukosa’s sport brings to thoughts Stefanie Dolson, a two-time nationwide champion with UConn and 11-year WNBA veteran. Each are gifted passers and assured ball handlers. Vukosa has proved herself efficient from past the arc, however nonetheless maintains the flexibility to submit exhausting and punish opponents on the block. Her rebounding efforts up to now calendar 12 months have improved tremendously, as she discovered the worth of attacking the offensive glass. Defensively, her mobility will permit her to play in a number of schemes and techniques whereas sustaining the bodily presence demanded of submit gamers.

At present at No. 3 within the rankings, she may problem Saniyah Corridor for the No. 1 spot by the top of the highschool season. Her dedication now takes the highest 4 recruits within the 2026 class off the board.

The Huskies stay within the combine for No. 5 Jerzy Robinson and No. 10 Addison Bjorn. The AP preseason Prime 25 No. 1 workforce, UConn opens its title protection in opposition to No. 4 Louisville on Nov. 4.

An “aftermarket” signed 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card has bought in a non-public sale through Goldin Auctions for $2.7 million. In accordance with the public sale home, it’s a report paid for a card with an “aftermarket” signature.

“Aftermarket” signed playing cards are autographed outdoors the chain of card manufacturing; bodily autographed playing cards are both arduous signed immediately onto the floor, signed onto a hologram sticker which is later positioned onto the cardboard’s floor, or embedded as reduce signatures — autographs reduce from paperwork equivalent to checks.

Due to Jordan’s longtime unique cope with Higher Deck, signed Jordan rookie playing cards have been arduous to seek out for many years outdoors the 23 copies Jordan signed for a 2006 twentieth anniversary buyback Higher Deck promotion. However Jordan has lately began to do personal signings, together with on the Fleer rookie card, that are nonetheless thought of uncommon.

Goldin Auctions founder and CEO Ken Goldin confirmed by a consultant that the cardboard — graded a PSA Mint 9 with a ten autograph grade — was one of many 9 signed by Jordan “in personal with witnesses” at a 2024 signing.

One other card from that signing (one in every of three PSA 9s; the remaining six acquired 10 grades from PSA and, as of June, haven’t surfaced publicly) bought through Joopiter, Pharell Williams’ public sale home, for $2.5 million in late June. Goldin additionally confirmed to ESPN that this $2.7 million Jordan just isn’t a reselling of the $2.5 million Joopiter card.

“Signed rookie playing cards of greatest-of-all-time athletes, like Michael Jordan, characterize the head of sports activities collectibles,” Goldin stated in a press release. “This record-breaking sale is a testomony not solely to Jordan’s enduring legacy but in addition to the popularity of aftermarket-signed playing cards […].”