I Dig Sports
Ex-All-Star Thomas scores 40 in G League return
SALT LAKE CITY -- Isaiah Thomas showed he is still a potent scorer, pouring in 40 points Tuesday night in his return to the NBA G League.
A two-time NBA All-Star, Thomas was activated by the Salt Lake City Stars on Tuesday and shot 13-for-28 from the field and had eight assists in their 122-115 loss to the Valley Suns.
Thomas, a 5-foot-9 guard, is still hoping for a return to the NBA after playing six games for the Phoenix Suns late in the 2023-24 season. He earned that opportunity after averaging 32.5 points in four games for the Stars.
Thomas played in 556 games during his 12 NBA seasons. His best season was in 2016-17, when he averaged 28.9 points for the Boston Celtics and finished fifth in MVP voting.
Sources: Griner agrees to 1-year deal with Dream
After 11 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury, 10-time WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Dream, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
Griner, who has spent her entire career in Phoenix after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2013, heads to Atlanta in one of the most stunning free agency signings in league history.
Griner announced the move in a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday night. The signing can't be made official until Saturday, when contracts are allowed to be signed.
"So, free agency has been everything I wanted it to be," Griner said in the video. "I was able to find where I wanted to go. And honestly, what led me to that decision ultimately was the team, the players, as individuals, and then also my family."
Griner's departure marks the beginning of a new era for the Mercury, who could also be without Diana Taurasi for the first time in two decades if she decides to retire. Taurasi and Griner won the franchise its third and most recent championship in 2014.
"You know it was a hard decision," Griner said, "you're leaving what you know, what I've known for my whole career. But there's also the exciting factor of like, OK, this is a rebrand now, I get to show them something different."
The 6-foot-9 center missed the 2022 campaign when she was wrongfully detained in Russia for nearly 10 months. She was eventually freed in a high-profile prisoner exchange and returned to All-Star form in 2023 and 2024.
Griner, a six-time All-WNBA selection, goes to Atlanta as the biggest free agent signing in franchise history. She joins a team also headlined by Rhyne Howard, drafted first overall by the Dream in 2022, and Allisha Gray, for whom Atlanta traded for in 2023. The franchise moved on this offseason from former coach Tanisha Wright and hired Karl Smesko from Florida Gulf Coast University to lead the team.
The Las Vegas Aces also looked at signing Griner, sources told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, in their long-standing effort to find another big to play alongside A'ja Wilson. But after acquiring former Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd and evaluating their style of play moving forward, sources said the Aces have turned their attention to other post players such as Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and trying to re-sign veterans Tiffany Hayes and Alysha Clark.
Earlier Tuesday, the Mercury also finalized a deal to acquire five-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas and Ty Harris from the Connecticut Sun, sources told ESPN, a trade that will send Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and the 2025 No. 12 pick to Uncasville.
According to sources, Phoenix is also expected to meet with Satou Sabally, who has requested a trade out of Dallas, and to speak with free agent DeWanna Bonner.
ESPN's Shams Charania contributed to this report.
Sixers say George has tendon damage to finger
PHILADELPHIA -- The 76ers said Tuesday that forward Paul George suffered tendon damage to the pinkie finger on his non-shooting left hand.
George hurt the finger when he jammed it Saturday against the Chicago Bulls. An MRI and ultrasound showed the tendon damage, the team said.
George sat out Tuesday night's game against the Lakers, the 15th game he has missed this season, and will be evaluated in the coming days. But coach Nick Nurse indicated the injury is not major and that George is day to day.
George, 34, already had missed games this season with knee and groin injuries, and because of load management. He has averaged 17.1 points and had just scored 30 points in a win Friday over Cleveland in the first season of a four-year, $212 million free agent deal.
Also Tuesday, Joel Embiid (left knee injury management) sat out again against the Lakers and is expected to miss Wednesday's game against the Kings. He did warm up against the Lakers in full uniform a day after he was spotted at practice performing handstands.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Curry sitting out vs. Jazz to manage knee injury
SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is sitting out Tuesday's home game against the Utah Jazz due to bilateral knee injury management.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the hope is that Curry will be available for the second night of the back-to-back against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"It felt like with three games in the next four nights with his knees where they are, let's be smart about it and go from there," Kerr said.
Curry, 36, a late addition to the injury report, has rested parts of back-to-backs four times this season as he manages knee soreness.
"We take it day-to-day, week-to-week, and it made sense to give him the night off and try to get him right for the rest of the week," Kerr said.
Sidelined McCain: Rising Stars pick 'really cool'
PHILADELPHIA -- Despite his season having been cut short because of left knee surgery, 76ers rookie Jared McCain had reason to smile Tuesday.
The Sixers guard was selected for the Rising Stars Challenge, earning one of 10 rookie roster spots to play against a pool of players in their sophomore season and from the G League at NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco next month.
"It's obviously been one of my goals to be in that game, and I didn't know if I was eligible or not to even be in it," said McCain, who was surprised by the news when his agent texted him a photo of the roster. "But it was really cool to be named that in the games I was played in."
McCain, selected by Philadelphia with the No. 16 pick out of Duke, averaged 15.3 points on 46% shooting (38.3% from 3) and 2.6 assists in 23 games before suffering a torn meniscus Dec. 13 against the Indiana Pacers.
He underwent surgery Dec. 17 and was ruled out for the rest of the season after being seen by team doctors on Jan. 9, officially ending a promising rookie campaign for the 20-year-old who earned Eastern Conference rookie of the month honors for November.
Using a cane to support himself up a few stairs to the podium for a pregame news conference Tuesday and speaking to reporters for the first time since the surgery, McCain detailed the injury, saying he originally believed he could have hurt his head after falling to the floor against Indiana. After he cleared a concussion test, he went back in the game, and he said his knee was hurting and "it kind of felt weird."
When his knee swelled up overnight and he was limping the next day, he notified Sixers medical staff, and an MRI was schedule. His agent called him with the results: a tear of the lateral meniscus in his left knee, which would require surgery to repair.
"I started crying," McCain said. "It was very tough to hear how long I'd be out for and to know I've worked so hard to be in the NBA and now it just gets taken away from me so quick. So, it was tough, especially that night. ... Luckily, I'm good now and I got a little cane with me, so taking it step by step."
McCain said Sixers star Joel Embiid, who was sidelined his first two seasons in the NBA because of injuries, was quick to FaceTime him and check in after his surgery.
"He wanted to just know what I was doing, what really had happened, and just told me kind of how to get through it and just help me with that," McCain said. "So it was really cool to hear from him."
McCain said he has been filling his free time by brushing up on his Spanish and learning how to play the piano. He also has been using daily mental exercises.
"I do my journal. I now meditate for longer. I visualize for longer visualizing a healthy knee," McCain said. "I made a new goal board and then I usually go into my reading."
McCain, whose rehabilitation has been limited to walking on an altered-gravity treadmill thus far, said he was unsure whether he would attend the Rising Stars game.
"Just taking it super slow," he said. "Definitely don't want anything to happen. And knowing it is going to be a full recovery, just keeping that in mind."
AD's night ends early due to ab strain; Lakers fall
PHILADELPHIA -- Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis exited early in Tuesday night's 118-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with an abdominal muscle strain and did not return.
Davis subbed out with 2:10 remaining in the first quarter, with L.A. leading 20-17, and immediately went to the locker room for examination. By the time he was ruled out for the rest of the game at halftime, the Sixers were up 73-57.
L.A. started the third quarter with Dorian Finney-Smith in Davis' spot along with the starters.
Davis came into the night on a tear, averaging 32.8 points on 58.2% shooting, 15 rebounds and 2.5 blocks during the Lakers' four-game winning streak.
"He's playing at a really high level right now," Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Davis before the Sixers game. "He's got his pop and his juice back."
Davis finished with four points on 2-of-3 shooting, two rebounds and one steal Tuesday.
The Lakers continue their five-game road trip in Washington on Thursday and New York on Saturday before returning to L.A. to face the Clippers in another road game at the Intuit Dome on Tuesday.
Red Sox invite MLB No. 2 prospect Anthony to ST
Outfielder Roman Anthony, baseball's No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America and the MLB Pipeline, was among nine non-roster invitees to spring training, the Boston Red Sox announced Tuesday.
Anthony, 20, is a left-handed hitter who was named Double-A Portland's team MVP in 2024 after hitting 15 home runs and 38 extra-base hits. He quickly moved on to Triple-A, where played in 35 games for Worcester, batting .344.
A second-round selection in 2022, this will be the Florida native's first spring training camp. At Fenway Fest in Boston earlier this month, in speaking during his media availability, Anthony said he grew up watching Christian Yelich, who started with the Miami Marlins before moving on to the Milwaukee Brewers.
"I think he's part of the reason why I love the game so much," Anthony said. "He's one guy I'm really excited to meet in my career. Just as a kid, trying to model my game after him being that tall, skinny, awkward kid. I just always saw similarities of myself and him."
Boston will open spring training in Fort Myers, Florida, on Feb. 12, when pitchers and catchers report.
Right-handed reliever Kirby Yates and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a one-year, $13 million contract, sources told ESPN, continuing the Dodgers' construction of a superteam that will enter the 2025 season as heavy World Series favorites.
Yates, 37, was one of the best relievers in baseball last year, posting a 1.17 ERA in 61 innings, striking out 85 and walking 27 while saving 33 games for Texas. He joins a Dodgers bullpen that already added closer Tanner Scott, re-signed fireman Blake Treinen and returns right-hander Michael Kopech and left-hander Alex Vesia.
Add that to their starting-pitching depth -- Shohei Ohtani, free agent signing Blake Snell, right-handers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Landon Knack, and the likely return of left-hander Clayton Kershaw -- and the Dodgers have the deepest pitching staff in baseball as they look to become the first repeat World Series champions in a quarter-century.
A late bloomer who didn't crack a big league roster until he was 27, Yates has nevertheless fashioned an impressive big league career, saving 95 games and making a pair of All-Star teams, including last year.
Yates, who can earn $500,000 bonuses if he reaches 50- and 55-appearance thresholds, puts up gaudy strikeout numbers despite lacking a high-octane fastball. His go-to pitch is a devastating split-fingered fastball and his 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings ranks sixth all-time among pitchers with at least 400 innings, behind only Aroldis Chapman, Josh Hader, Edwin Diaz, Craig Kimbrel and former Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen.
The $13 million salary will push the Dodgers' offseason spending to more than $450 million guaranteed, with the free agent signings of Snell, Scott, Treinen, outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, outfielder Michael Conforto, infielder Hye-seong Kim and a contract extension for superutilityman Tommy Edman.
Los Angeles' luxury-tax payroll this year is around $390 million, and with the penalties for exceeding the $241 million threshold, their total payroll is likely to be in excess of $500 million. Owners of other teams have been outspoken about Los Angeles' spending, with the New York Yankees' Hal Steinbrenner on Tuesday telling YES Network that "it's difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kinds of things they're doing."
Race fan, stock car driver, track promoter, racing memorabilia expert and collector and speedway historian, Ted Knorr passed away on Jan. 24 at the age of 87.
Knorr was a graduate of Indianas Rensselear High School and was a member of the schools undefeated football team in 1954. Witnessing some of his earliest races in the Chicago area, Monticello, Ind., and Rensselaer, Ind., Knorr was on hand for some of the first races at the Jasper County Fairgrounds in Rensselaer in 1953.
In 1954, the half-mile dirt track was shortened up to an almost-circular third-mile track with Knorrs father, Ted Knorr II, a successful Rensselaer businessman, taking over the tracks promotional reins in 1957 in addition to heading up the racing at the old Monticello Speedway.
With the elder Knorr doing the promoting, young Ted became a race car driver, eventually scoring a feature win. Working at the local A&P grocery store after his high school graduation, Knorr, who also did some go-kart racing, joined the Indiana State Police force in 1964.
As the 1966 racing season approached, Knorr was all set to join the stock car ranks of the United States Auto Club, which was known for its championship races in the Midwest with many Indianapolis 500 winners and drivers among its stock car competitors.
A former-Charlie Glotzbach 1964 Chevrolet with a 400 horsepower big block Chevy engine was Knorrs ride with No. 36 on the sides as Knorr assumed a new racing name Ted Wilson. The new racing moniker was to be used to keep Knorrs racing under the radar from his full-time employer.
A bad crash at the Milwaukee Mile in August of 1966 ended Knorrs USAC racing career with the team rebuilding the car for a season of racing at Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, Ind., close to Knorrs home in Lowell, Ind. Knorr finished seventh in the Illiana standings in 1967.
With the old coupes giving way to late model stocks at Rensselaer, Henrys Speedway near Boswell, Ind., and the Broadway Speedway in Crown Point, Knorr hooked up with car owner J.C. Foreman, from the Black Oak area of Gary, and began racing Foremans 57 Chevy in late 1968. Wheeling the Foreman-owned Chevy No. 3, Knorr (Ted Wilson) won the first late model stock car race at Rensselear in 1969 in addition to winning some features at the Broadway dirt oval.
Henrys was again running on Saturday nights but was a long haul from Black Oak so we ran some at Broadway and won two or three features that summer and continued doing well at Rensselaer, reminisced Knorr many years later. (I) lost the title on the final nightss 50 lapper (at Rensselaer) because the idiot driver forgot how to point race and blew the right rear (tire) while leading with ten laps to goand lost the title by two points.
He captured the late model track championship at Henrys Speedway in 1970, wheeling a Chevy with a Ron Dunmore (Win More with Dunmore) engine.
(In) 1970, I won the championship at Henrys running Ralph Wheelans 69 Chevy convertible with a Ronnie Dunmore motor, recalled Knorr more than 40 years later. It (the car) needed a real race motor because I think it was a former Raceway Park chassis and it weighed a ton. (I) couldnt keep it on the bottom but could ride wide open into the high banked corners and sent sparks flying off the concrete (walls) many times during the races.
In 1971, Knorrs driving days were over as he was forced to quit by the Indiana State Police. Knorrs dad had given up race promoting after 1965 but came back to Indiana in 1971 to promote the Rensselear oval, now known as Rensselear Raceway. Sadly, Knorr Senior passed away in October of 1971, leaving the management of the track up to Ted and his brother, Gerry.
Knorr promoted the Rensselaer dirt track through the 1985 season, hosting weekly racing on Sunday nights. The tracks annual season-ending Brooks Ford 100/Northern Indiana Dirt Track Championship race became one of the Midwests premiere dirt track events with the likes of Earl J. Hubert, Dave Whitcomb, Bob Pierce, Roger Long, Paul Shafer and Dick Potts among those claiming victories. Potts was a nine-time Rensselaer late model champion.
For several years, Knorr also promoted Henrys Speedway, or Chase Raceway as it was known then, and formed the Illiana Clay Racing Club, which operated from 1975 until the early 1980s, naming an overall champion between the two tracks and later the Broadway and Kankakee, Ill., dirt ovals. Knorr was an original member of Bob Memmers United Midwest Promoters sanctioning body.
After his promoting days were over, Ted Knorr became interested in the history of the sport and an expert regarding racing memorabilia. Retiring from the Indiana police force in 1992, he and his wife Cathy could be seen at numerous swap meets and memorabilia shows throughout the area.
For many years, Knorr was involved with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in several capacities. He loaned numerous pieces from his 500 collection to the speedways museum for display. He also originated the largest-ever auto racing memorabilia show at speedway, the day before the 500. Knorr even took a vintage ride or two at the famed speedway, including in 2012.
Ted Knorr was a true racer.
MSRs Return Successful with Runner-Up Rolex 24 Result
In Acura Meyer Shank Racings return to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition, the team literally almost picked up where it left off.
Following the teams win in the 2023 Petit Le Mans capped off the season at Road Atlanta, MSRs sports car operation went dormant as focus shifted to its NTT IndyCar Series program.
Now back to full-time competition, the 63rd Rolex 24 at Daytona saw the team nearly duplicate its performance at Petit Le Mans two years ago.
However, a valiant effort by anchor driver Tom Blomqvist aboard the No. 60 Acura ARX 06 came up short in the waning stages of the twice-around-the-clock race at Daytona (Fla.) Intl Speedway as as Porsche Penske Motorsports Felipe Nasr polished off a second consecutive Daytona victory for the team
MSRs second entry, piloted by Renger van der Zande, Nick Yelloly, Alex Palou and Kakunoshin Ohta, endured issues during the endurance race after a left-rear suspension failure forced the team to make repairs. The No. 93 finished eighth in GTP.
Blomqvist, who co-drove the No. 60 with Scott Dixon, Felix Rosenqvist and Colin Braun, felt the car lacked pace throughout the 24-hour event.
I mean, somehow in the race we actually struggled a lot more pace, Blomqvist said. We came into the race relatively confident, but for whatever reason we just struggled a lot to keep our rear tires under us.
Even from lap one you already knew it was going to be a tough stint. We kind of struggled to be honest the whole race. The Porsches were extremely strong. We were good maybe the first few and then they would just pull away especially on the double stints they had a lot more pace than us, and when the traffic came they had such an advantage.
We struggled so much for traction that they would just carve through traffic so much better than us.
The No. 60 came to life unexpectedly during the final laps according to Blomqvist.
Last stint, the car was just better, Blomqvist said. Not much to say, really. I didnt think I was going to have anything for them, but you never give up, and I think I gave it all I had, and I think to be honest that was the best we probably could have done today.
The guys did a fantastic job to get us in that position strategy-wise. We were always making the right calls generally at the right time, so that was good.
But definitely some work to do, Blomqvist continued. A lot of lessons learnt, lets say, from this race, and I think to be honest, if you asked all of us, were super happy with second because at one point we thought it was going to be a real long day.
As Dixon and Rosenqvist shift back to full-time NTT IndyCar Series action, MSRs full-time sports car drivers aboard the No. 60, Blomqvist and Braun, felt the teams reemergence in the sport was as successful as it could be.
I think considering all the other GTP teams have been together for a few years here and were kind much reassembled and adding people, I think we have a lot of blue sky, a lot of potential to tidy up a few things here and there and continue to be stronger and stronger, Braun said. A heck of a first race.
I think when we all went to the first test in November when we got the cars, I think if you would have said wed come here and finish second, wed all have been signing up for that. So great job for sure.
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