World Cup Central - May 24 to June 5

June 11

Lasith Malinga will make a short trip back home in between Sri Lanka's World Cup 2019 matches due to the demise of his mother-in-law.

Sri Lanka Cricket said that Malinga would leave the team after their match against Bangladesh, which will take place on Tuesday in Bristol.

The funeral for the late Kanthi Perera will be on Thursday, in Colombo, and Malinga is expected to fly back in time for Sri Lanka's next engagement, against Australia at The Oval on Saturday.

Malinga was one of the stars of Sri Lanka's win against Afghanistan, taking 3 for 39 to hasten victory. Sri Lanka were thrashed by ten wickets in their World Cup opener, against New Zealand, before the win against Afghanistan. They haven't played a match since then, due to a washout against Pakistan in Bristol.

June 10

Gayle's 'Universe Boss' bat sticker got ICC thumbs down too

The ICC's equipment regulations might just have become the most widely read official document in the past week, thanks to MS Dhoni's glove affair. But before Dhoni had to get his equipment right, somebody else had to, too. The Universe Boss.

Chris Gayle wanted to emblazon his bat with the moniker he has coined for himself, but was told that he couldn't.

"ICC couldn't have made an exception for Dhoni as no personal messages are allowed on equipment. Gayle wanted it but when he was refused permission, he accepted it and moved on," PTI reported an ICC spokesperson as saying. "It is not about military symbolism. It is about a simple rule that no personal messages are allowed.

"If ICC did not make an exception for Gayle, then how come they would make it for Dhoni."

Jos Buttler on course after hip bruising

Jos Buttler is expected to resume training on Wednesday ahead of England's next World Cup fixture, against West Indies in Southampton on Friday, after sustaining "heavy bruising on his right hip" during England's victory over Bangladesh in Cardiff on Saturday.

Buttler, who was hobbling noticeably towards the end of his hard-hitting half-century, did not take the field during Bangladesh's innings, with the wicketkeeping duties passing to Jonny Bairstow. Initially it appeared that he had jarred his hip while hitting a back-foot drive for six off Mosaddek Hossain, but Eoin Morgan, England's captain, had played down any long-term concerns at the end of the match.

And now, after being monitored for 48 hours since the injury, the ECB have stated that he was "responding well to treatment and will be reassessed later this week".

"We anticipate he will train with the rest of the squad at the Hampshire Bowl on Wednesday ahead of the match against West Indies on Friday," added an ECB spokesman.

Hardik Pandya reminds Steve Waugh of Lance Klusener from the 1999 World Cup

The win over Australia "in the pressure cooker of a World Cup clash" will give India loads of confidence, but it's the innings from Hardik Pandya that "will send shivers down opposition spines", according to Steve Waugh.

Hardik slammed a 27-ball 48 at No. 4 with four fours and three sixes to provide India the late thrust as they put up 352 for 5, before bowling Australia out for 316.

"This guy might just be the equivalent of Lance Klusener in the 1999 World Cup," Waugh wrote in his column for the ICC. "He has the ability to begin his innings like most finish with clean hitting that no opposing captain can protect."

Unlike Hardik, Glenn Maxwell didn't get a promotion in the batting order, walking in at No. 5 with the scoreboard reading 202 for 3 in 36.4 overs, and scoring 28 in 14 balls. "The cameo of Glenn Maxwell will increase calls for his elevation up the batting order as he is a match-winner that can turn a game in a few overs," Waugh wrote.

'Had a point to prove' against Australia - Kohli

After India sealed a 36-run win over Australia in their second World Cup match, Virat Kohli said that the 3-2 home series defeat against the same opponents before the IPL was precisely the spur the team needed.

"After losing in India, we had a point to prove and that was our motivation," Kohli said.

India's World Cup campaign has begun brightly but New Zealand up next followed by Pakistan. That, according to Kohli, suits the team just fine, but thinking about the knockouts is best left for another day.

"We couldn't ask for a better start against two very strong sides and I like we've got the strongest sides in world cricket early on," he said. "It's far too early to talk about semi-finals, after six games we will be in a better position to think about that but it's not for now."

June 9

Dhawan sustains hand injury during century

India opener Shikhar Dhawan has picked up a hand injury while batting against Australia at The Oval on Sunday. The extent of the injury is not known yet, but Dhawan was seen with an ice pack on his left hand in the dressing room, and did not take the field during Australia's batting. The Indian team manager later said Dhawan would not take the field at all.

Dhawan, who scored a century to help India post 352, was hit on the left hand by a short ball from Pat Cummins off the first ball of the ninth over. Dhawan tried to defend the ball with a straight bat but the ball rose on him and struck his bottom hand before hitting his shoulder and helmet grille. Later in the over, India physio Patrick Farhart came out and used a spray on the opener's left thumb. Dhawan was on 24 off 26 balls then and finished with 117 off 109 balls.

June 8

Rashid Khan is being treated for concussion after taking a blow to the head in Afghanistan's game against New Zealand on Saturday.

He was struck on the helmet by quick bowler Lockie Ferguson, misjudging the length and ducking into a short of a length ball on off stump. The ball also ricocheted onto his stumps and bowled him.

Rashid walked off the field looking very dazed and when he failed two concussion tests, the team management asked him to sit out of the rest of the game as a precautionary measure. Afghanistan next play South Africa on June 15.

June 7

Sarfaraz hopes rain doesn't mess with Pakistan momentum

The forecast promised rain, and rain it did in Bristol, washing out Pakistan's - and Sri Lanka's - hopes of notching up a second win at the World Cup.

For Pakistan, the lost point from the abandonment might perhaps be more frustrating, favourites as they were to beat the Sri Lankans. Their captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, however, was more disappointed at how the team couldn't build on the momentum gained from beating England.

"As a team we really wanted to play this match especially after gaining momentum with the win against England," he said. "It is unfortunate that we were not able to play. We have great team spirit and our confidence is on a high after beating England. We would want to carry the momentum into the remaining games. We won't relax in our remaining six matches."

Pakistan next go up against Australia on June 12 in Taunton, while Sri Lanka's play Bangladesh on June 11, again in Bristol.

Zampa penalised for 'audible obscenity'

Adam Zampa picked up a demerit point, along with an official warning, after on-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Chris Gaffaney, third umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge and fourth official S Ravi reported him for "audible obscenity" during the Australia v West Indies game at Trent Bridge on June 6.

The incident took place in the 29th over of West Indies' chase of Australia's 288 - they fell short by 15 runs in the end - when Zampa was bowling to Shai Hope and Jason Holder.

Zampa, who sent back Nicholas Pooran on his way to figures of 1 for 58, admitted the offence and accepted the sanction handed out by match referee Jeff Crowe.

Defeat a 'tough pill to swallow' for West Indies

Shai Hope has admitted that defeat against Australia will be a "tough pill to swallow" but thinks that West Indies have sent out another reminder of what they are capable of at the World Cup.

Having rolled Pakistan for 105 in their opening match, West Indies had Australia 38 for 4 and 79 for 5 before they recovered to post 288 through impressive batting from Steven Smith (73) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (92). Still, in the chase West Indies were well placed on 190 for 4 in the 35th over before Hope's wicket shifted the game back to Australia.

"Obviously it's going to be a tough pill to swallow having basically been dominating the game for the majority of it then not being able to cross the line," he said. "When you get wickets with the new ball you always put a team under pressure, it's just unfortunate that we couldn't drive it home and get the tail in a bit earlier. Australia are a quality side and showed us they can rebuild to post a different score."

When asked if West Indies' short-ball tactics had shown a vulnerability in Australia's top order, Hope said: "I think so, yes, but regardless of what plan you throw at them sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't so you always have to be able to adapt to what they throw at you as well."

June 6

Dhoni's army gloves fall foul of ICC

The ICC has asked the BCCI to have the army logo removed off MS Dhoni's wicketkeeping gloves. It has been pointed out to the BCCI that the logo on the gloves contravenes the ICC clothing and equipment regulations, which allow only sponsor logos on them. ESPNcricinfo understands there is no fine or reprimand involved at the moment but the message has been made clear to the BCCI.

Dhoni is an honorary lieutenant colonel of the Parachute Regiment in the Indian territorial army. In India's World Cup opener, against South Africa, Dhoni was seen keeping in gloves that sported the dagger insignia of Dhoni's regiment of the Indian Para Special Forces. This particular insignia - "Balidaan", meaning sacrifice - can only be worn by paramilitary commandos.

During possibly his last international match at his home ground in Ranchi, India played against Australia in army camouflage caps to pay respect to those armymen who lost their lives in the Pulwama terror attacks. The players' earnings from the match went to the families of the martyrs. At that time the ICC cleared the jerseys "as part of charity fund-raising effort".

That India-Australia series was not an ICC event. The World Cup is.

Imran Khan not a fan of "stupid" cricket celebrations

Before they left for the World Cup, one of the farewell meetings the Pakistan team had was with their Prime Minister. He is, of course, the only Prime Minister from among the teams in this competition who has won any World Cups. Actually to be more accurate, he is the only head of state from CWC 2019 to have played a dash of international cricket. When Imran Khan addressed an awed Pakistan squad, among his other pearls of wisdom was this one - to refrain from what he referred to as "stupid" wicket-celebrations. Hasan Ali's starburst may have been the one that got his attention and unfortunately, there is no celebrato-meter to see if there ever was a dip in intensity following that particular remonstration. Not sure what the Wazir e Azam made of the madness at Trent Bridge.

Hendricks hopes to be South Africa's lucky charm

Beuran Hendricks was sitting on his couch, watching TV when he got the call telling him he would be part of South Africa's World Cup squad. He didn't know then he would be Dale Steyn's replacement, but admitted being overwhelmed on finding out that he was replacing arguably the greatest pacer his country had produced. Hendricks joined the squad a day prior to their clash against India, but didn't make the XI. Now, as South Africa fight to stay alive, Hendricks hopes he is the "good luck the team needs."

In December, Hendricks was part of the winning Jozi Stars in the Mzansi Super League. He also helped the Lions claim South Africa's franchise first-class and T20 tournaments. In April, he was a a late call-up to the Mumbai Indians, who went on to win the IPL. Hendricks hopes some of his good fortunes can rub off on South Africa.

"It's been a good year for me personally and for the teams I have been with this year so let's hope I can make it five (trophies) out of five," he said. "I am not going to say I can fill his shoes because its Dale. I come here with my own set of skills and my own ambition in this competition," he said. "It's just about making sure I can fight the good fight and contribute with the set of skills that I have."

'Faf's wicket most special' - Chahal after four-for

Yuzvendra Chahal's 4 for 51 against South Africa played a big role in India's first win of the World Cup. What was most impressive about Chahal's performance was the quality of the batsmen he dismissed: Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, David Miller and Andile Phehlukwayo.

After the match, Chahal was asked by his spin partner Kuldeep Yadav on bcci.tv on his favourite scalp of the night, to which he promptly replied: "Faf du Plessis."

"Faf was playing with small forward-steps and I was drifting the ball well," Chahal said. "The previous two balls, I had bowled the legbreak. So for the wicket ball, I chose to bowl on off stump with the ball drifting in sharply. He couldn't pick it, thinking I was bowling the legbreak, and that's why the ball hit the inside of his bat and broke the stumps."

Chahal also praised Rohit Sharma's century against a difficult bowling attack that includes Kagiso Rabada. "He showed the temperament that an experienced batsman has," Chahal said. "It wasn't easy batting there against the new ball, but he stayed and finished the match. That was huge."

Older World Cup Central entries are here

TORONTO -- Bill Russell was in the hallway. The trophy was polished. The stage was ready to roll out. The cameramen had plastic over their gear. The champagne was on ice.

The team doctors' faces were ashen. The general manager was sobbing. The heroes, the guys who hit the big shots and the man who saved the season with a block, had knots in their stomachs, not smiles on their faces.

It was a most terrible win.

There were no victors in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Yes, the Golden State Warriors had 106 points to the Toronto Raptors' 105. But Kevin Durant's right Achilles injury and the circumstances around it, both in the present and future, thudded down on everyone's chest.

"Everybody gets so wrapped up in chasing championships and the greatness that you see on the floor, but life is more important in terms of caring about an individual and what they're going through," said Warriors guard Stephen Curry. The 3-pointer he made to tie the game with 1:22 left and the last of his 31 points were the furthest thing from his mind.

"I just feel so bad for him, to be honest," he continued. "Nobody should have to go through something like that, especially with this stage that we have."

The Raptors lost a six-point lead with three minutes to play, a fact that has the potential to go down in infamy if they fail to win another game in this series -- which they still lead 3-2 as it heads back to Oakland for Game 6 on Thursday.

Kawhi Leonard had two minutes of glory in the fourth quarter -- 10 points in a flash -- that was lined up be a crowning moment in his career.

Kyle Lowry went up for a shot that might've ended up memorialized in bronze someday.

A hundred thousand or so people in a three-block radius were on the edge of having the night of their lives.

Instead, the Warriors finished off one of the most remarkable escape acts in their five-year dynastic run with a cadre of different players having a hand -- or two fingers -- on it.

Draymond Green got just enough of Lowry's last-second shot to send it off target, and he knew it before anyone else, pumping his fist as millions of eyes followed the ball.

Curry and Klay Thompson, who made the eventual game-winning 3-pointer with 58 seconds left, hit breathtaking back-to-back shots that rank among the biggest of their careers.

Each of these events could have defined this incredible game in this serpentine Finals. But all of them faded almost immediately.

Instead, the lasting image will be Durant dumping the ball and falling in the second quarter. He was in the middle of a command performance. He made his first three 3-pointers. He blocked a shot. He took a hard fall over Raptors big man Serge Ibaka that made the Warriors bench grab their chests only to see him pop up as if it didn't even affect him.

But the sight of Durant pinching his Achilles tendon, perhaps to check to see if it was still intact, soured everything. The slow-motion replays of his calf, the same one that had kept him out of the last month, pulsating as he pushed off it to try to make another play made their way around social media.

Durant limped to the back with teammate Andre Iguodala on one side and Rick Celebrini, the Warriors' head of sports medicine, on the other. Curry trailed behind all the way to the locker room. Durant was in there when his teammates came back at halftime in agony, not just from the pain but from the news. The initial diagnosis was the Achilles.

"At halftime when they came out, and I don't know what the official word is, but somebody on the bench said he tore something," said Raptors coach Nick Nurse. "And I know Kyle was on the bench sitting there and was shook up by that, and both Klay and Steph stopped and talked to Kyle there at halftime on our bench about it."

As Lowry explained, "In this league, we're all brothers. At the end of the day, we're all brothers and it's a small brotherhood and you never want to see a competitor like him go down."

Midway through the third quarter, with his teammates in a dogfight for their season, Durant couldn't bear to even remain in the building. With an ugly gray boot on his right foot, he used crutches to limp his way out.

Durant's agent, Rich Kleiman, was behind him with no color in his face. Warriors general manager Bob Myers, his eyes fixed in the dreaded thousand-yard stare, walked alongside Durant. After seeing Durant into a car to take him anywhere but Scotiabank Arena, Myers came back and had to figure out how he was going to tell his owner, his coach, his team and Golden State's fans.

"I don't believe there's anybody to blame, but I understand in this world and if you have to, you can blame me," Myers said through tears. "I don't have all the information on what really the extent of what it all means until we get a MRI, but the people that worked with him and cleared him are good people, they're good people."

Myers has built three championship teams and runs one of the class organizations in pro sports, and he was not only dealing with the agony of a star player suffering a terrible injury, but also trying to manage the reality that clearing him to play in Game 5 had the type of consequences that might affect people for years.

That's what this night was, a struggle to process the gravity of moment and deal with the fallout. Normally after a big road win -- and let's be honest, denying a team a close-out victory in their arena is the biggest of road wins -- means a joyous plane ride and rising belief that the Warriors could pull off a historic reversal.

Instead, they left fearing the dawn, because the bizarre nightmare they just experienced isn't going to be over.

"I just told the team I didn't know what to say, because on the one hand I'm so proud of them, just the amazing heart and grit that they showed, and on the other I'm just devastated for Kevin," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

"So it's a bizarre feeling that we all have right now. An incredible win and a horrible loss at the same time."

Tesni Evans battles back for big win over Joelle King
By SEAN REUTHE in Cairo 

Egyptian duo Raneem El Welily and Mohamed ElShorbagy have become the first players to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2018-2019 CIB PSA World Tour Finals after they beat World No.3s Camille Serme and Tarek Momen, respectively, during the second day of action at Cairo’s Mall of Arabia.

El Welily, the women’s World No.1, recovered from a game down to win 10-12, 11-7, 11-5 against France’s Serme, and that victory sees her move three points clear at the summit of Group A, meaning she is guaranteed a second place finish at worst.

The top two from each group qualify for the knockout semi-finals and beyond, with the first four days of group stage fixtures played using a round-robin, best-of-three games format. El Welily, a two-time runner-up at the season-ending tournament, will line up against New Zealand’s Joelle King tomorrow (June 11) in her final group match.

“I think I was a bit patient in that last game,” said 30-year-old El Welily. “She made a few errors. It’s very tough mentally to push ourselves in the last tournament.

“We are all pushing ourselves and working really hard. I’m definitely not going to go off court without leaving everything on here.

“My movement is an aspect of my game that I work on really hard. Not just with my fitness coach, Ahmed Faragallah, but also Haitham Effat – they push me hard when it comes to movement and technique, but I actually think it could be better today.”

Serme and Evans will face off in the other Group A fixture, with that match set to take place on Wednesday June 12. Evans got the better of King by an 11-9, 7-11, 11-8 scoreline in the final women’s match of the day and the winner of her fixture with Serme will join El Welily in the last four.

“I’m really happy with that,” said 26-year-old Evans. “I was a bit disappointed yesterday because I was only on court for 18 minutes [against El Welily]. I know it’s best of three, but I still felt like I could have given it more. I wanted to come out here, no matter what the result, and give it everything I have and I think I did that.”

The other women’s match on day two saw World No.5 Nour El Tayeb avenge her British Open semi-final defeat to eventual tournament-winner Nouran Gohar, as she took a 2-1 lead to move up to second place in Group B, one point behind current leader Sarah-Jane Perry.

In the men’s event, defending champion ElShorbagy booked his spot in the semis after a 2-1 win over Momen saw him move two points clear at the top of Group B.

The reigning British Open winner defeated Peru’s Diego Elias yesterday by a 2-1 scoreline and backed that up again against Momen, winning 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 to continue his title defence as he looks to win his third consecutive World Tour Finals title.

“He has had a great season, the last three years he has been a player who has been a contender for every World Tour event,” said ElShorbagy.

“I’m really happy that he has been playing this quality, he is an inspiration. I’ve seen him for years training hard, having bad losses and coming back stronger, and he’s an example for a lot of juniors to watch of never giving up and always working hard.”

ElShorbagy has guaranteed a top two spot and plays Germany’s Simon Rösner tomorrow in his final match of the group stage. World No.5 Rösner is unable to qualify for the semis after losing 2-1 to Elias, with Elias and Momen wiquare off on Wednesday to decide the final qualifying spot in Group B.

“It’s really tough playing in these conditions,” said Elias after becoming the first Peruvian to win a match at the World Tour Finals.

“After my match yesterday [against ElShorbagy] I didn’t think I was going to recover, especially after that last game. My body felt good today and I think I played well today, it was a really tough battle with Simon. This is my first tournament playing best of three, so I think I like it because usually I get a bit tired towards the end of matches.”

Meanwhile, World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad and World No.6 Paul Coll got their tournaments under way, with the former winning 11-5, 13-11 to join World No.1 Ali Farag on four points at the top of Group A, while Coll sits bottom alongside Mohamed Abouelghar, neither of whom have a point to their name after the first round of matches in that group.

Group stage action continues today and play begins at 19:00 (GMT+2). All six fixtures from the Mall of Arabia will be broadcast on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour. 

CIB PSA World Tour Finals 2019, Mall of Arabia, 6th of October City, Cairo, Egypt.

DAY TWO
Men’s Group A:
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [5] Paul Coll (NZL) 2-0: 11-5, 13-11 (40m)

Men’s Group B:
[7] Diego Elias (PER) bt [6] Simon Rösner (GER) 2-1: 5-11, 11-8, 11-9 (57m)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt [3] Tarek Momen (EGY) 2-1: 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 (46m)

Women’s Group A:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [4] Camille Serme (FRA) 2-1: 10-12, 11-7, 11-5 (38m)
[8] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt [5] Joelle King (NZL) 2-1: 11-9, 7-11, 11-8 (38m)

Women’s Group B:
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [6] Nouran Gohar (EGY) 2-1: 11-4, 7-11, 11-8 (40m)

TODAY (June 11)
Men’s Group A:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v [4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
[5] Paul Coll (NZL) v [8] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)

Men’s Group B:
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v [6] Simon Rösner (GER)

Women’s Group A:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [5] Joelle King (NZL)

Women’s Group B:
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v [3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
[6] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 

Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA PR and Media Manager). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA

TORONTO -- When Raptors coach Nick Nurse called timeout with 3:05 remaining and Toronto leading 103-97, it felt like the beginning of a championship celebration north of the border.

Toronto had just gotten 10 straight points from Kawhi Leonard to explode into the lead after trailing since the first quarter, and appeared well on their way to winning the first title for the city in more than two decades.

Only then, in an instant, it wasn't.

The Golden State Warriors ripped off three straight 3-pointers -- first by Klay Thompson, then Stephen Curry and then Thompson again -- to storm back into the lead, and Toronto missed multiple chances to tie or take the lead in the final minute, falling 106-105 Monday night in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Golden State now will get a chance to push this series to a seventh game when these teams meet again Thursday night in the last game at Oracle Arena, while Toronto will be hoping to claim that elusive final win to clinch the title.

"We just came across and just decided to give those guys a rest," Nurse said of the timeout. "[We] just thought we could use the extra energy push."

In a rule that was instituted last season, teams can have only two timeouts inside of three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Any extra timeouts are lost, causing many coaches to call one in exactly the same spot Nurse did Monday night.

In this case, though, the Raptors found themselves with all the momentum and closing in on a championship. After it, things fell apart.

"At that time I felt that he probably wanted to get us some rest," Leonard said. "You never know. I mean, if we would have won the game, we wouldn't be talking about it."

The Raptors, however, did not win the game -- and didn't in particularly ugly fashion.

Toronto missed five of its final six shots in the last three minutes -- including three 3-pointers -- and committed one costly turnover that led to Curry's game-tying 3 with 1:22 remaining. Golden State, meanwhile, got the shots it needed to take the lead, and then a season-saving block by Draymond Green on Kyle Lowry's potential championship-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

"It felt great out of my hand," Lowry said. "He got a piece of it, that's what great defenders do. He got a piece of it and we'll continue to look at it and see how we can be better for the next game."

It was a strange end to a strange game, one that saw all the air taken out of the building early in the second quarter when Kevin Durant planted his right foot and fell in a heap, eventually walking off the court with what was later diagnosed as an Achilles injury.

When it happened, it appeared some fans were cheering Durant going down -- something Lowry and other members of the Raptors immediately began telling them not to do. After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr thanked the Raptors for doing that.

"I think that I don't think the fans knew the significance of the injury," Lowry said. "They kind of just seen he went down. In this league we're all brothers. At the end of the day, we're all brothers and it's a small brotherhood and you never want to see a competitor like him go down. You don't know what the circumstances are.

"And for me it was just, listen, we don't want anything to ever happen like that. We don't know what's this or that. So I just kind of -- we don't want that type of stuff. And it didn't change much emotionally. It was just after he went down he went down, and we got on and finished the game."

That finish turned out to be nothing like what anyone expected, however, when Leonard ripped off those 10 straight points to power Toronto in front. Scotiabank Arena -- not to mention the tens of thousands of fans outside it, and across the country that had congregated at various "Jurassic Parks" to watch it -- erupted, and it felt like the Raptors were destined to get over the finish line and win the title.

The Warriors, though, reminded the world why they have won two titles in a row, three of the past four and made it to five straight NBA Finals, by taking Toronto's best shot and coming right back at the Raptors.

"I think that in this day and age, up six with three minutes to go doesn't mean a whole lot," Nurse said.

"You got to keep playing and getting good shots and keep guarding. We have been a really good close-game team this year, both ends of the floor. We really guarded in the second half; we held them to 22 each quarter, and I felt good at that point.

"[We] just needed to make a couple more plays."

DENVER -- In Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon's estimation, his team just can't get over the hump on the road, where they dropped another one-run affair on Monday. This time, they fell to the Colorado Rockies after starter Yu Darvish blew an early 4-0 lead, which has been a theme for him of late.

"It sucks, especially after we score four runs with three home runs (in an inning)," Darvish said after the 6-5 loss. "The last five or six starts, every time we score, I give up a run."

The Cubs became the fifth team to hit three home runs in an inning in multiple games this season. They did it on May 28 in Houston, and then again in the third inning on Monday, when David Bote, Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo all went deep. The common link between the two games? The Cubs lost both of them -- the only one of the five teams to do so.

"We're just not making the big pitch on the road," Cubs reliever Brandon Kintzler said. "At home we're making the pitch. Maybe we're not matching the energy the opposite crowd is bringing. You have to slow the game down in those situations. Right now we're just not getting that pitch."

That thinking would make even more sense if not for the pro-Cubs crowd in the stands at Coors Field. Like most places the Cubs travel, you can't always tell who the home team is simply by listening. The visitors got plenty of support on Monday, including Darvish. He actually pitched well -- but only after giving back the lead just moments after the Cubs gave it to him. The bottom of the third inning featured long balls with a man on by Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado, erasing the 4-run cushion just like that.

"I don't know why," Darvish said. "I have to find out. Next time we score, I will go 120 percent for that inning ... I gave up four runs and no walks and threw a lot of strikes. Just that one inning."

The loss dropped the Cubs to 13-17 on the road and 11-11 in one run games. Four of their last six losses away from Wrigley Field have come by one run so Kintzler's assessment might have some truth to it.

"We're in first place," he said. "Other teams that play us at home are going to bring energy. We have to be able to match it."

Darvish's ERA fell to 4.98 after six innings in which only those four third-inning runs crossed the plate. That's not bad at Coors Field, but it wasn't enough to win the game either. Maddon shook his head when asked if the Cubs road record was misleading at all. After all, seven of their 17 losses came in the opening 10 days of the season.

The Cubs skipper wasn't having any of it.

"You have to somehow win those games," he said. "At the beginning of the year, we scored and lost, and then we didn't score a lot and lost.

"There's not an intimidation factor. We just haven't gotten over other teams on the road. We just have to pick it up a little. I can't tell you we played badly. (We need to) get that winning vibe on the road and move on."

At the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park, I stood on a packed Lansdowne Street behind the Green Monster during the Home Run Derby and watched ball after ball fly not just over the wall, but over the street and onto the roof of the parking garage. Mark McGwire may have blasted one or two that bounced off the garage and onto the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Luckily, no 50-car pileups ensued.

It was great theater. The sluggers were hitting balls in places never before seen at Fenway Park. It was assumed something was up with the balls -- they simply weren't supposed to travel that far -- but it wasn't a big deal. It was a Home Run Derby and if you want to juice things up a little bit to make the event more exciting, that seemed OK. Plus, this was McGwire in the year after his epic record chase with Sammy Sosa, when he was still king of the sport. It was all good fun.

On Monday, the Arizona Diamondbacks were in Philadelphia. It was a good night to maybe hit a couple of home runs: the wind was blowing out to center field at 7 mph, Citizens Bank is a good home run park and Jerad Eickhoff, who had allowed 11 home runs in his past five starts, was pitching for the Phillies.

Well, the Diamondbacks would pound eight home runs in their 13-8 victory that featured a mind-numbing 13 home runs altogether -- a major league record, surpassing the combined mark of 12 set by White Sox and Tigers on May 28, 1995, and the White Sox and Tigers again on July 2, 2002.

Imagine hitting five home runs and losing the game. The Phillies have company: It's the sixth time that's happened this season.

The Diamondbacks hit five off Eickhoff in his three-plus innings:

First inning: Jarrod Dyson, 360 feet to right field (101 mph exit velocity)

First inning: Ketel Marte, 406 feet to right field (102.7 mph)

First inning: David Peralta, 407 feet to center field (100.3 mph)

Those were the first three batters of the game. Most of the fans were still in line getting their cheesesteaks and it was already 3-0.

Fourth inning: Eduardo Escobar, 371 feet to right field (100.6 mph)

Fourth inning: Alex Avila, 366 feet to right field (99.5 mph)

3 batters.
3 homers.
That's just efficient. #RattleOn pic.twitter.com/yYhQLEH5zo

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 10, 2019

FYI: Eduardo Escobar is really good at baseball. That's all.@Dbacks up 5-3 in the top of the 4th! pic.twitter.com/6DjpeK9uQZ

— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) June 11, 2019

Eickhoff allowed five fly balls and all five left the park. All were certainly struck well, but none were exactly crushed or featured an unusual exit velocity, as a typical game features a dozen or so balls in play at 100 mph or higher. Dyson, with 17 career home runs in more than 2,000 at-bats, hit a high-and-away fastball out of the park, not exactly the location you would expect Dyson to connect for a home run. (He'd only hit one other home run in his career off a pitch in a similar location.)

But when baseball in 2019 has turned into a season-long Home Run Derby, these things happen. They're happening all the time. And it's becoming a bit absurd.

The Diamondbacks became the sixth team to hit seven or more home runs in a game this season - well, five teams for a total of six times, as the Twins have twice hit eight in a game (so did the Dodgers). And only two of those six games came against the Orioles.

Get this, in the entire decade of the 1990s, when half the league was supposedly using steroids, there were 12 seven-homer games. In the 1980s, there were six, so we've already matched that total on June 10.

A couple of recent home runs caught my attention. Here's one from Ji-Man Choi from a few days ago, in which he kind of just flicks his bat at the ball ... and the ball goes 394 feet into the Fenway bullpen:

Ji-Man Choi (6 HR) finds a pitch he likes! ??#RaysUp 1#RedSox 0

Catch @RaysBaseball on FOX Sports Sun ? l FOX Sports Go.? pic.twitter.com/PWmgGQQCIS

— FOX Sports Florida (@FOXSportsFL) June 7, 2019

And here are the Nationals hitting four home runs on Sunday. The third one was from Adam Eaton. He's not a power hitter, with 47 career home runs and a season high of 14, but he kind of one-handed the ball 402 feet to center field:

Howie Kendrick homered.
SEE. YOU. LATER.
Trea Turner homered.
SEE. YOU. LATER.
Adam Eaton homered.
SEE. YOU. LATER.
Anthony Rendon homered.
SEE. YOU. LATER.

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK! pic.twitter.com/LYiJL0phqp

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 9, 2019

Those are just a couple of examples and far from the best ones. But let's be honest here: The ball is a joke. I'm not telling you anything you haven't seen with your own eyes. Combine the lively ball with some of these cozy dimensions -- right field at Yankee Stadium is a joke, Cincinnati feels like a high school field -- and the home run barrage is never-ending.

Entering Monday, we were on pace for 6,514 home runs -- almost 1,000 more than were hit in 2018 and 400 more than the 2017 record of 6,105. Yes, the launch angle revolution works when you can hit what might have been a warning track fly ball a few years ago and now it lands three rows deep. Take Marte, one of Arizona's home run hitters on Monday. He came up as a slap-hitting shortstop who hit three home runs his first two seasons. Now he's a beefed-up slugger with 16 home runs already, including one last week that went 482 feet, one of the season's longest.

The ball rewards players like Marte or Tommy La Stella who can add strength and rework their swings to hit more fly balls (as long as it doesn't come at the expense of too many strikeouts or pop-ups that can wipe out the gains in power). But it also means the game has become extremely one-dimensional. Home run or die. Lots of home runs. Maybe too many home runs. Indeed, as I was writing this, Ian Desmond hit a 486-foot home run, the longest of the season:

?LONGEST HOME RUN OF THE SEASON ?

Desi sends one 4️⃣8️⃣6️⃣ft!! pic.twitter.com/ZLrZOFtuwy

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 11, 2019

You could call it McGwire-esque.

Braves hit five home runs, get into dust-up: The Braves beat the Pirates 13-7 as Ozzie Albies homered twice, Ronald Acuna Jr. hit a grand slam and Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis also homered. But the big moment came in the bottom of the first when Pittsburgh starter Joe Musgrove clipped Josh Donaldson's jersey, Donaldson said a few words along the lines of "Don't look at me" and then the benches emptied:

Benches clear as #Braves' Josh Donaldson is hit by a pitch by Pirates' Joe Musgrove. pic.twitter.com/7xKeHgC9Fn

— FOX Sports: Braves (@FOXSportsBraves) June 10, 2019

In the silliness that followed, plate umpire Brian Gorman ejected Donaldson, Musgrove and Pirates manager Clint Hurdle. Musgrove said Gorman told him it was for taking off his hat and glove -- even though if you watch the replay, Musgrove didn't remove his hat until well after both benches had emptied. It seemed a terrible decision by Gorman, especially given that the pitch didn't really hit Donaldson's body (just his flapping jersey) and Donaldson instigated the episode with his beef over a pitch that wasn't even that far inside.

Joe Musgrove on his ejection: pic.twitter.com/SScIX8Dirw

— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) June 11, 2019

Aside from the home runs and the ejection, the other key was Sean Newcomb's 4⅔ innings of one-hit relief after Kevin Gausman left early. Newcomb has been very good out of the bullpen since his return from the minors, although this was his first extended outing. Obviously, Dallas Keuchel will take over in the rotation (probably for Mike Foltynewicz), but Newcomb could be a possibility to return to the rotation if Gausman continues to struggle.

Rockies, Cubs combine for six home runs: Hey, just a regular game at Coors Field. Remember the stat about Eickhoff allowing five fly balls and five home runs? Rockies starter German Marquez allowed two fly balls -- and three home runs (apparently one of the home runs was classified as a line drive). Anyway, in six innings he didn't record a single fly ball out. The Rockies won 6-5 with a run in the eighth inning, but the fun, non-homer highlight of the game came from Nolan Arenado:

#Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado and 2B Ryan McMahon pull off a slick play to retire #Cubs Carlos Gonzalez pic.twitter.com/ve9FHf8bJN

— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) June 11, 2019

Hyun-Jin Ryu allows home run! In this season of the home run, Ryu's performance feels all the more remarkable. Kole Calhoun's home run off him was the first Ryu had allowed since April 26, eight starts ago. (He'd allowed just three runs in those seven starts.) That was the only run the Angels got off Ryu in six innings, although he ended up with a no-decision when the bullpen blew his 3-1 lead.

Former world number one Boris Becker has called on tennis players under the age of 28 to "show up" and start challenging for Grand Slam titles.

With Nadal winning the French Open, the last 10 Slams have been won by either the 33-year-old, Novak Djokovic, 32, or Roger Federer, 37.

Dominic Thiem, 25, is the only male player currently aged under 28 to have reached a Grand Slam final.

"That is not good," six-time Grand Slam champion Becker said.

"That is not a compliment for anybody under 28.

"And don't give me that the others are too good. We should question the quality and the attitude of everybody under 28. It just doesn't make sense. As much as I respect Roger, Rafa, Novak - who else? Show up. Give me something I want to talk about."

Austrian Thiem has reached two successive French Open finals and took a set from Nadal at Roland Garros on Sunday.

He defeated Djokovic in the semi-finals, while Greek 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas beat 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer at the Australian Open.

To date, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic and Juan Martin Del Potro - all now over the age of 30 - are the only players other than Nadal, Djokovic and Federer to have won a Grand Slam title since the Spaniard won at Roland Garros in 2005.

"Eventually they will be too old. But you want to see the passing of the torch while they are still in their prime," added Becker, who won Wimbledon at the age of 17.

"You want to see Stefanos and Dominic beating them when they are still very, very good.

"It's not the forehands. It's not the fitness. It's a certain mentality, mindset, attitude that makes the difference between winning and losing."

Nadal, Djokovic and Federer have won 53 Grand Slam titles between them, and there have long been fears as to what will happen to tennis' popularity once they retire.

"There will be a dip. People have to get used to the new players," said Becker. "There will be a 'wow' moment. 'Wow, we're not talking about Roger and Rafa any more'.

"But we said the same thing with [John] McEnroe and [Jimmy] Connors, [Andre] Agassi and [Pete] Sampras. Maybe myself and [Stefan] Edberg and [Mats] Wilander.

"Tennis will always continue with great new stars. But there will be a dip and then the spotlight will be on the young generation to say, 'Now, show up. Who are you? Are you good enough, can you carry the sport, or was it all a bluff?'"

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – His father won his class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998. His brother won his class at Le Mans in 2015.

Making his sixth appearance in the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend, Ricky Taylor is looking to add to his family’s legacy of success in the prestigious French endurance race. He should have a good shot at it, too.

He will be competing in the LMP2 class. With a 20-car entry list, it’s the largest of the four competing classes, but the Jackie Chan DC Racing team for which Taylor is driving has enjoyed recent success at Le Mans.

In 2017, the LMP2 team swept the top two positions in class and very nearly took the overall victory. As it was, the team’s No. 38 ORECA finished on the overall podium in second, followed by the No. 37 Jackie Chan DC Racing entry in third place.

This year, Taylor is sharing the No. 37 with David Heinemeier Hansson – a GTE Am class winner at Le Mans in 2014 – and British driver Jordan King, who last month competed in his first Indianapolis 500. King and Heinemeier Hansson also teamed up with Will Stevens to win the grueling FIA World Endurance Championship’s (WEC) 1,000 Miles of Sebring in March, which also bodes well for his and the team’s chances.

“Le Mans is such a complex event, as all sports car races are,” Taylor says. “But Le Mans is such a tough one. Being that it’s on city streets, you never get to test there. The race weekend goes in so many different ways. The track conditions are always changing. You get very limited laps with how long the track is.

“So, every year, regardless of how competitive your equipment might be, every year you’re gaining knowledge and gaining experience and it helps you each year after that. So, having quite a few years under my belt now, I feel quite prepared. I think we’ve got all the pieces in place as far as the team and the car, mechanics, drivers, I think we’ve got everything ready to go hopefully win this thing.”

This weekend’s race will mark five races since Ricky’s younger brother, Jordan, co-drove the No. 64 Corvette C7.R to the GTE Pro class victory at Le Mans with Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner. Ironically, that was the only year since 2013 that Ricky didn’t compete at Le Mans.

It’s also 21 years since his father, Wayne Taylor, took the LMP1 class victory at Le Mans with co-drivers Fermin Velez and Eric van de Poele in a Doyle-Risi Racing Ferrari 333SP. Ricky was eight years old when that happened.

Le Mans is the one crown jewel of sports car racing that has eluded Ricky to this point. He’s won at Daytona, Sebring, Motul Petit Le Mans and many others. So, he’s eager to check that Le Mans box.

“Le Mans is a massive event,” he said. “I think any driver in the world, if you win the race – regardless of which class you win it in – it goes right at the top of your résumé. There’s a number of American drivers going, but to be able to come back to America with a trophy would be an absolute honor.”

In addition to representing America, Taylor heads to Le Mans among many representatives of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. As full-season co-driver of the No. 7 Acura Team Penske ARX-05 DPi with Helio Castroneves, Taylor is in the midst of a tough 2019 DPi championship battle, which reached its halfway point with the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic at Detroit’s Belle Isle Park on June 1.

He and Castroneves are currently third in the DPi standings, trailing points co-leaders Pipo Derani – who also is competing at Le Mans in the GTE Pro class in the No. 89 Risi Competizione Ferrari – and Felipe Nasr by six points, 152-146, and teammates Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya in the No. 6 Acura by one point.

Taylor feels strongly that the close competition he faces with regularity in the WeatherTech Championship will benefit him at Le Mans.

“The LMP2 class at Le Mans is always very competitive and there’s a lot of very good cars,” he says. “I think coming from the WeatherTech Championship, we’re used to battling head-to-head. The way our races go with the full-course yellows, you’re always fighting somebody tooth and nail. That’s something that they don’t have as much of over in Europe.

“So, I think maybe we’re a little bit more accustomed to the head-to-head battling, whereas in Le Mans, you’re racing against the clock every lap, which is a challenge on its own. But I think coming from America, we’re used to this head-to-head, every lap matters sort of racing, and I think going there, we’re always fresh and on our toes.”

BROOKLYN, Mich. – No one was even in the same zip code as Joey Logano on Monday afternoon at Michigan Int’l Speedway.

Logano, who started from the pole in Monday’s rain-delayed Firekeepers Casino 400, led 161 laps en route to a dominant victory at Michigan Int’l Speedway.

“A day like that, you don’t get those days all the time,” Logano said from victory lane.

Logano, the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, was in control of the Firekeepers Casino 400 from the moment the green flag waved. He was rarely challenged, typically only giving the lead up for a few laps at a time when other cars were able to get a run on him or during pit stop cycles.

The last such pit stop cycle began with 28 laps left, with Logano hitting the pits with 26 laps left. It took a little more than 10 laps, but when the cycle was complete with 15 laps left Logano was back in front by nearly a second over Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch.

Initially it didn’t appear Truex and Busch were going to be able to catch Logano, but with seven laps left the two began working together by drafting off one another and they quickly began to close the gap on Logano.

With five laps left Truex had caught Logano and was looking for a way by, but moments later Erik Jones went for a spin in turns one and two, leading to the final caution flag of the afternoon.

The ensuing overtime restart saw Logano get a massive jump on the field, allowing him to pull clear of Truex just past the start/finish line. Busch was able to get alongside Truex and take the second position as Logano tried to distance himself.

Busch tried his best, but he wasn’t able to do anything with Logano over the final lap and a half as the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang earned his second victory of the season.

“What a great execution day. Our race car was obviously very fast, our pit crew was amazing. T.J. Majors, my spotter, spotted his butt off up there,” said Logano, who has won three races at Michigan Int’l Speedway from the pole during his career. “There is nothing like bring a Ford to victory lane on their home turf, and Roger Penske’s cars as well. There is no better feeling than that. This is a big win for us.”

Busch’s second-place finish Monday afternoon matched his best result of the season in the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Chip Ganassi Racing.

“I had a blast. That was the tightest I’ve ever put my belts at the end of a race,” Busch said. “We got enough stage points today and I was like hell with it, we don’t need to get anything but the win. We got second today. Logano’s car was tough.

“I really wanted it to go green at the end with Truex. I was just going to push Truex straight through the 22 (Logano). That was my best shot at it.”

Truex ended up third at the checkered flag, followed by Daniel Suarez and Kyle Busch.

Kevin Harvick, who seemed to be the only driver throughout Monday’s race who could keep up with Logano, ended up seventh after taking four tires during the final pit stop cycle while most others took two.