Memphis Grizzlies guard Grayson Allen was ejected from Thursday night's NBA summer league game against the Boston Celtics in Las Vegas after picking up two flagrant fouls in the span of seven seconds.

Both hard fouls were against Celtics rookie Grant Williams and led to Allen being tossed with 9 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Allen, the 21st overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, played last season with the Utah Jazz as a rookie and was part of the trade that sent Mike Conley to Utah.

Allen also picked up a technical foul earlier in Thursday's game, and one in his summer league debut with Memphis on Sunday.

At various points during his four-year career at Duke, Allen was reprimanded for tripping opponents, a habit that led to a one-game suspension in 2017 and Allen being stripped of his Blue Devils captaincy.

Allen's ejection was the third of this year's summer league, following San Antonio Spurs forward Drew Eubanks on Monday and Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Perkins on Wednesday.

It's Russell Westbrook Day.

It's Russell Westbrook Day every day in Oklahoma City, by a mayoral decree signed in 2017 by then-Mayor Mick Cornett after Westbrook re-upped with a five-year, $205 million extension.

It was Russell Westbrook Day on July 6, when the Oklahoma City Thunder shockingly traded Paul George to the LA Clippers. And it's Russell Westbrook Day on July 11, the day the Thunder traded him to the Houston Rockets to reunite with former teammate James Harden.

Westbrook had been the fabric of the Thunder for more than a decade, connecting with the city through his confidence, bravado and underrated charm. Despite his snarling, foul-mouthed intensity on the court, Oklahomans stood up a little taller because Westbrook's unwavering self-belief soaked into the core of the state.

He'd been the last man standing from the league's small-market miracle, but things change quickly. And with little warning.

For the first time in their 11-year history since relocating from Seattle, the Thunder are tumbling headfirst into a reboot. It leaves big questions about how OKC might react to watching a team without superstars, or if it can continue to fill the arena on Tuesday nights in February.

The fall might seem abrupt, but really, the pillars of their foundation have been splintering for years. Fresh off their only NBA Finals berth in 2012, they traded a 23-year-old Sixth Man of the Year in Harden -- but they kept winning. In the summer of 2016, they lost Kevin Durant, the Thunder's first MVP and face of the franchise -- but they kept winning.

Indeed, the Westbrook and George trades are jarring, but there's some optimism for a refresh -- something many in the organization think is necessary, if not overdue. Not that the Thunder wanted this, though, by any means.

When they re-signed George a year ago, it was an achievement for a franchise that bet on itself to overcome the immense gravity of the larger markets. There wasn't just excitement about extending their window, but about the chance to finally exhale.

Every Thunder summer since 2014 centered around star free agents, first with Durant, then Westbrook's future, then George's recruitment. With Westbrook and George under contract for at least the next three years, the fan base could finally experience some stability and assurance for the first time in more than five years.

But behind the scenes, OKC's basketball axis was already tilting toward change.

THE EXIT STRATEGY was being prepared. After a 10-year stretch in which the Thunder made the playoffs nine times and amassed a winning percentage of 64%, OKC, according to league sources, viewed the 2019-2020 season as its last, best chance at winning a title.

The Thunder spent $60 million in luxury tax last season for their 49 wins. But they did so because the alternative was not having two superstars in Oklahoma City.

And they were prepared to spend big again this season: With the trio of Westbrook ($38.5 million), George ($33 million) and Steven Adams ($25 million) under contract, OKC was headed for the repeater tax in 2019-20.

But the Thunder believed they would be healthier, better and ready to compete in a reshuffled Western Conference that has finally escaped the Golden State Warriors' stranglehold.

The hard truth for the Thunder, though: The Westbrook-George pairing wasn't working. There was context, sure, like George's shoulder injuries last season, but a team that pricey with that much star power shouldn't have just three playoff wins over the past two seasons.

So when George's agent, Aaron Mintz, informed Thunder general manager Sam Presti of his client's wishes -- more a request than a demand -- it came as a shock, but it also was seen in some ways as a gift.

"Westbrook is the franchise player, the one who stayed, the purified representation of the Thunder's first chapter in Oklahoma City. The highs, the lows, the drama, the tragedy, the beauty, the success, the failure -- he'd been there for all of it."

The Thunder's best bet for the season was a progression of the chemistry between their stars, internal development of their youth and some fringe additions to help steady the team's inconsistency. But if George wasn't completely on board, combined with the fact his offseason shoulder surgeries could force him to miss the first couple weeks of the upcoming season, the request might have become a demand if the Thunder started slowly.

The franchise's leverage, in that case, would be diminished, and the circus of a superstar asking out would follow.

There was no real way to ask George to reconsider. One could try to assign blame -- to George, to Westbrook, to Presti, to head coach Billy Donovan -- but if you want to blame anything, it's geography.

The Thunder have battled against it since their inception, and with George's ties to the Los Angeles area, there was no stopping it a second time around. The Thunder staved off the draw of L.A. once before, but after a yearlong, already successful recruiting effort, there was simply nothing left to sell. The partnership with Westbrook was a big part of it, and Westbrook did his part, with the two building a strong relationship both on and off the court.

But even as George's trade request shook the walls of the organization, Westbrook didn't try to change his mind, according to multiple sources.

Westbrook and George's relationship was probably the most consistent, stable thing about the Thunder these past two seasons, and there was no fracture between the two that led to George's trade request.

But Westbrook demands control, and even things like the party the Thunder threw with Westbrook's name on it last year come with conditions and complications (he made sure to personally approve every invite on the 500-person guest list). He is a creature of habit who functions within routine -- post-practice shooting at the same basket, the same arrival time at the arena, the same pregame routine, the same parking spot, the same everything.

So as Kawhi Leonard put the full-court press on George, and with Westbrook not breaking character to re-recruit his star teammate, the Thunder had little to counter it. Presti wasn't as heartbroken by George's request as some might believe, having experienced plenty of star departures before. If anything, there was pragmatic relief.

The disappointment stemmed more from the timing, because the Thunder were already in the middle of trying to execute their free-agency plan (re-signing Nerlens Noel, adding Mike Muscala and Alec Burks, who was allowed to reconsider his deal and sign with the Warriors instead).

The Thunder lost Durant for nothing, but with George, they were going to restock the cupboard and take what would be a three-year rebuilding plan and reduce it to one night. Not only was the haul of assets from the Clippers unprecedented -- and plenty more picks are coming from Houston via the Westbrook trade -- the underrated aspect of the deal was that, suddenly, the Thunder's own draft assets became valuable again.

Those would make the recovery easier to swallow. The Thunder have an ample number of pathways to take, from draft and development to accessing the accumulated assets to acquire the league's next available star. That's the pragmatic view.

But there's also the romantic one, the one that sees the end of an era, the one that puts Westbrook in a different jersey for the second half of his prime, the one that leaves the team that drafted Durant, Harden, Serge Ibaka and Westbrook as the dynasty that never was.

FOR RUSSELL WESTBROOK, the narrative had been written -- no one wants to play with him -- but against all odds and assumptions, George chose to stay. Westbrook basked in that decision, feeling as though it rewrote the book on him as a teammate. In some ways, it ranked right up there with winning the MVP as the best moment of his career.

For large parts of last season, the Thunder thrived as they took on the identity of George, with him rising as their best player and MVP candidate. But as George regressed slightly, and dealt with injuries to both shoulders, Westbrook filled the void and the Thunder's identity adjusted.

Everyone played on edge, with the joy and free-flowing nature dissolving into plenty of angry "shoot the f---ing ball!" shouts coming from Westbrook. Last season was an awkward one for Westbrook. His play was inconsistent and tension bubbled over between him and coaches, team staffers and the media.

Part of Westbrook's leadership style is to make it seem like he's an "a--hole," as George admitted before the two became teammates, but if you're inside the walls of the locker room, you see what he's really like -- affable, funny, thoughtful, relatable. He loved interrupting teammates' interviews to yell, "Tell 'em what a bad teammate I am!" because he relished the idea that they knew otherwise.

Neither George nor Durant left because of Westbrook, but they didn't stay because of him, either. Eighty-two games can feel like a lot more than that with Westbrook. Each game is The Most Important Game Ever, and an unremarkable win in February can still yield a stressful postgame environment.

Since he was drafted in 2008, Westbrook remained resolute, and the Thunder steadfast in their support of him. But as the team's rebuilding path became clear, and the options straightforward, both sides saw the likely conclusion.

There was a chance to spark another run, using some of the acquired assets from the Clippers trade to jump-start the engine once more, but the Thunder wanted to do right by Westbrook.

The Thunder spent the past 11 seasons being a poster child for small-market success, paving the path to contention through savvy drafting and calculated risk-taking. Now they're the latest example of the futility of fighting the forces that rule the NBA.

Those forces led LeBron James to Los Angeles. They pulled Kevin Durant to Brooklyn. And they abruptly ripped Paul George from Oklahoma City.

Westbrook was the last man standing. He couldn't be again.

It was Durant who was always thought to be the superstar next door, the one who would never leave, the player made for a small market like OKC. That connection was real, but it wasn't rooted to the red dirt. After Durant left and Westbrook pledged his loyalty, it was obvious to everyone: It was Russell all along.

"There's nowhere else I would rather be than Oklahoma City," Westbrook said after agreeing to his extension in 2017.

"You guys have basically raised me. I've been here since I was 18, 19 years old. You guys did nothing but great things for me. Through the good and the bad, you guys supported me through it all, and I appreciate it. Definitely when I had the opportunity to be able to be loyal to you guys, that's the No. 1 option.

"Loyalty is something that I stand by."

Westbrook won't be the first number retired -- that honor went to Nick Collison -- but he will be the first statue. He's the franchise player, the one who stayed, the purified representation of the Thunder's first chapter in Oklahoma City. The highs, the lows, the drama, the tragedy, the beauty, the success, the failure -- he'd been there for all of it.

It will be Russell Westbrook Day tomorrow, and all the days after, but it's also a new day for the Thunder, and the chance to finally start again.

The All-Star break is over. Time to get back to work.

With the season officially resuming tonight, we look at the contenders, the train wrecks, the trade deadline and more.

The contenders

1. Midseason predictions reset: Who are your picks for the wild cards, division champs and World Series?

Jeff Passan: The New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros lead their respective divisions now, and they'll do so after the final day of the season Sept. 29. The two closest stragglers, the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox, will eke past Cleveland for the wild cards. The National League is a mess with one spectacular team (Los Angeles Dodgers), one very good team (Atlanta Braves) and one division where the pick is little more than a shot in the dark (Chicago Cubs, chosen with minimal confidence). The wild cards: the Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers. World Series: Third time's a charm for the Dodgers, over the Yankees in five.

David Schoenfield: After his miraculous run of picks at the All-Star Game (including predicting a 4-3 win for the AL), I should just copy Jeff's picks. I'll stick with the current leaders in the AL: Yankees, Twins and Astros. Indians and A's to win the wild cards. In the NL, I'm feeling the recent surge from the Nats, so I'll go with the Nationals, Cubs and Dodgers as division winners and wild cards for the Braves and (flip a coin) ... the Padres. Because I really, really want to see Fernando Tatis Jr. in October, even if for just one game. The World Series? I'll stick to my preseason pick: Astros over Dodgers. Or was that Dodgers over Astros?

Eddie Matz: The Indians, who've finally awoken from their annual early-season hibernation, sneak past the Twins, and join the Yankees and Astros as division winners. Minnesota and Tampa Bay get the wild cards. In the NL, division titles go to the Braves, Cubs and Dodgers. Washington and Arizona get the wild cards. Dodgers in six over the Astros.

2. OK, so it looks like it's the Yankees, the Astros, the Dodgers and then everybody else. What could derail the Big Three?

Passan: Plenty, of course, be it injuries, slumps, regression, clubhouse issues, rivals improving at the July 31 trade deadline and myriad other issues. The likeliest culprit, though, is perhaps the least satisfying: The complete crapshoot that is baseball's postseason. A five-game series? Then a pair of seven-game series? It means nothing, except for the fact that it means everything. Some teams, like the Red Sox last year, surmount it. Of the 22 teams with 100-plus wins in a season this century -- and all three of these teams should reach that mark -- only four have won World Series. Granted, three of those have come in the past three seasons, so perhaps it's trending less toward chaos.

3. What's more likely to happen to the Red Sox, rebounding for a deep October run or completely missing the playoffs?

Schoenfield: I've been trying to believe in the Red Sox all season, but they have yet to establish any sort of consistency -- and not just from the bullpen, which continues to rank poorly in FanGraphs' "clutch" measurement (23rd in the majors). Plus, guys like Marcus Walden and Matt Barnes, worked heavily so far, are showing signs of fatigue (Walden has an 8.22 ERA over his past 17 appearances and Barnes has an 8.79 ERA over his past 17 appearances). They'll probably add relief help and David Price has quietly been very good (as has Chris Sale since his rough start), but they've also played more than half their games against both the Orioles and Blue Jays. I think they win 90 games, but fall just short of a wild card.

4. And in the NL, the Central is incredibly tight. What's going to determine who wins the division?

Schoenfield: I'll go with the easy cop-out: starting pitching. But the best way to frame that is maybe starting pitching health and depth. The Cubs, for example, have required just five starts beyond their top five guys (although Cole Hamels is out at the moment with an oblique stain). The Brewers have received good work from Zach Davies and All-Star Brandon Woodruff, but have also used 10 starters. The Reds actually have the best rotation ERA in the division so far (3.60 versus 4.02 for the Cubs) and have needed just one start outside of their top five guys. That's why they're still just 4.5 games out, even if they're in last place.

5. Which NL East team is more likely to make the playoffs: Bryce Harper's current squad in Philly or his surging former team in D.C.?

Matz: I can't believe I'm saying this, but ... the Nats. Injuries/suspensions have absolutely wrecked Philly. The pen and the outfield are in shambles, and now Jake Arrieta has elbow issues. As for the Nationals, six weeks ago I was the guy driving the Washington-Is-Washed-Up train. But their turnaround is for real. Yes, their schedule has been Charmin-soft lately. Sure, the bullpen needs oodles o' help. But between a stacked rotation, a dangerous lineup and a sneaky-good bench (not to mention a watered-down NL), Harper's old co-workers have enough to make it to October.

The bad ... and the ugly

1. So, what the heck is going on with the Mets?

Passan: Jeff McNeil is hitting .349. Pete Alonso should exceed 50 home runs. Things are great. *Looks around* *No chairs flying* *Starts whispering* OK, things are definitely not great. The bullpen is an unmitigated disaster. Free-agent signings have flopped. The Edwin Diaz-and-Robinson Cano trade could only go worse if the prospects they gave up were any good. *Checks notes* Two of them were at the Futures Game. Well, at least the Mets don't owe Cano much. *Checks notes again* THEY OWE HIM MORE THAN $80 MILLION AFTER THIS SEASON?!!?!? WHAT!?!?? *Sees chair flying* Sorry gotta go good luck you'll need it they're trading Wheeler Thor might go too they probably should blow it all up ahhhhhhh ...

2. But they aren't the worst team by any means -- how many games could the Orioles and Marlins lose?

Matz: Technically speaking, they could lose 264 games combined. Of course, that would require both teams losing every one of their games in the second half, which (probably) won't happen. In fairness to Baltimore and Miami, both clubs have been playing better recently. Truth be told, if I'm picking a pair of teams to shoot the moon the rest of the way, I'd take K.C. and Detroit. But back to the original question, I'm putting the over/under for Birds/Fish combined losses this season at 225½. (And I'm taking the over.)

3. Which managers could be managing for their jobs in the second half?

Matz: The three most caliente cushions are the ones under Mickey Callaway, Gabe Kapler and Joe Maddon. If the Phils and Cubs finish up strong and make the postseason, it's hard to imagine Kapler and Maddon getting axed (though not impossible). As for Callaway, the way things have unfolded in the four-ring circus that is the Mets, it's hard to imagine him not getting the boot.

4. Are there any teams at the bottom of the standings with positive signs for the future we should be watching down the stretch?

Schoenfield: Uhh ... do I have to answer this question? The Royals have Hunter Dozier and Whit Merrifield, but even Adalberto Mondesi has come crashing down and is hitting .268/.298/.445. The Mariners can point to Dan Vogelbach's breakout season and J.P. Crawford is showing some positive signs, plus prospects Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn and Evan White all made the Futures Game (and outfielder Julio Rodriguez might end up being better than all of them). But that's at the minor league level. The Marlins have some nice young starters, but that offense is unwatchable. The Tigers can't hit. I won't even bring up the Orioles. The Blue Jays ... well, Vlad Jr. is fun to watch in Home Run Derby. So to answer the question: not really. (Although I do like to point out that the 2013 Astros lost 111 games and were in the playoffs two years later.)

The trade deadline

1. The deadline is three weeks away. How does the market compare to recent years?

Passan: Extraordinarily pitching-heavy. Which is not entirely coincidental, seeing as the bat-rental market has cratered -- remember what the Tigers got for J.D. Martinez in 2017? -- and teams are increasingly loath to give up young, under-control everyday players. It seems counterintuitive too, with good pitching such a limited commodity in 2019. Sometimes that's just how the market shakes out, and with Madison Bumgarner and Marcus Stroman almost assuredly on the move, Trevor Bauer, Mike Minor and Robbie Ray able to be had, and Matt Boyd and Zack Greinke tailor-made for playoff rotations, it's a nice group -- and one with enough diversity in salary, years of control, handedness and stuff to satisfy every buyer. There are plenty of relievers too, and especially because of how they can affect postseason series, the prices on them could be even higher than some of the rental starters. The best rental bat, if you really want to know? Probably Nicholas Castellanos. The best available bat? Might be Hunter Renfroe. Like I said: pitching-heavy.

2. Is the new single deadline without August moves going to have a big impact on how teams operate?

Passan: Considering teams that previously could wait until Game 135 to make their buy-or-sell decisions now will need to do so around the 105-game mark, it most certainly will. Particularly in a year like 2019, when 17 teams went into the All-Star break with .500-or-better records, when an eight-car pileup for the NL's wild-card spots saw 2½ games of daylight between the best and worst teams vying for it. Selling can be difficult to spin to fans, to ownership, to players in the clubhouse who for four months have worked hard to win. While the lack of August trades might not yet have transformed the psyche of general managers to embrace striking earlier on trades, it does theoretically place additional pressure to declare their current state of affairs in unequivocal fashion. Trading win-now players and still trying to, you know, win now does not tend to work.

3. Who are some buyers to watch?

Schoenfield: Who do the Nationals get to upgrade their bullpen? Are the Dodgers happy enough with their current bullpen? Do the Red Sox get a closer? The back of the Rays' pen is struggling as Jose Alvarado is suddenly getting lit and Diego Castillo is on the IL. The Twins' pen has been fine but you can never have too much relief depth. I sense a trend here.

4. And the sellers?

Matz: Come July, relief help is always the flavor of the month. That makes San Francisco a key player in this year's market. The Giants are headed into rebuild mode. Their bullpen ranks sixth in the majors in ERA (3.90) and is littered with sellable names that will make contenders salivate. From Will Smith to Sam Dyson to Mark Melancon to Tony Watson to Brian Wilson to Robb Nen, the possibilities are limitless. OK, those last two have long since retired, but you get the point.

The players

1. Who will be the MVPs, Cy Youngs and Rookies of the Year?

Passan: MVPs: Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger. Cy Youngs: Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer. ROYs: Yordan Alvarez, Fernando Tatis Jr.

Schoenfield: MVPs: Mike Trout, Christian Yelich. Cy Youngs: Charlie Morton, Max Scherzer. ROYs: Brandon Lowe, Pete Alonso.

Matz: MVPs: Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger. Cy Youngs: Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer. ROYs: Brandon Lowe, Pete Alonso.

2. Will anyone hit 60 homers this year, and how many could realistically reach 50?

Matz: In the upset of the year, not one single player will reach the big 6-0. But half the league will get to 50. (And by "half the league," I mean Christian Yelich and Pete Alonso.)

3. Vlad Jr. certainly made a name for himself on Derby night. Prediction for his second half?

Schoenfield: The Home Run Derby is not real baseball. I think Guerrero's second-half numbers will be a little better, but don't expect a sudden surge to superstardom. One issue -- and the scouting report is out on this -- he's had trouble on pitches up in the zone. All eight of his home runs have come on pitches in the lower half of the zone and he's hitting just .159 on pitches in the upper half. Young Mike Trout had some of these issues when he first came up. We'll see if Vlad can learn to adjust.

4. Young players have dominated the season, are there any more big names on the way?

Passan: Of course! What would baseball be without a new kid arriving every week who can hit a 450-foot home run or throw 100 mph? For the honorary Who's Going to Be This Year's K-Rod and Find Himself in High-Leverage October Innings Without Much Major League Service Time Award, keep an eye on Deivi Garcia with the Yankees and Ian Anderson for the Braves. At some point, Kyle Tucker will add to the Astros' incredibly crowded (and talented) outfield -- or join another team as the best prospect in the biggest trade of July. The Dodgers have a surplus of pitching; they've already called upon Tony Gonsolin for a spot start, and they might yet open the bifrost between Oklahoma City and L.A. and summon Dustin May, aka Gingergaard, whose flowing red hair, Texas roots and triple-digit fastball earn him some mighty comps. Two others worth noting: Jesus Luzardo (perhaps in September, if Oakland remains in the wild-card hunt) and Luis Urias (Padres second basemen this year: .229/.303/.372).

SPARTA, Ky. – Tyler Ankrum turned the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series playoff grid on its head with a thrilling victory on Thursday night during the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway.

Ankrum, who pitted for the final time with 41 laps to go and had to take a second can of fuel, ultimately found himself in the catbird’s seat in the final laps as his rivals’ gas tanks ran dry all around him.

The 18-year-old raced past defending Truck Series champion Brett Moffitt coming to the white flag, when Moffitt’s No. 24 Chevrolet sputtered in turn three, and led the final two laps en route to victory.

It was the first NASCAR national series win of the California teenager’s career in just his 12th series start. He led a race-high 40 of 150 laps.

“Honestly, I wasn’t even listening to what anyone was telling me (on the radio) at the end there,” Ankrum admitted when recalling the final laps. “I was just trying my rear end off. Holy cow. I think I held my breath for the last three laps. That was so awesome, though. I can’t thank DGR-Crosley enough.

“I don’t know what to say right now; I really don’t,” he added.

Ankrum, who didn’t turn 18 until midseason and had to miss the first three races, was actually sidelined after Texas in early June due to a sponsorship shortfall with his primary ride at DGR-Crosley.

However, veteran owner Joe Nemechek stepped up to offer Ankrum a start-and-park ride in his No. 87 Chevrolet for back-to-back races at Iowa Speedway and Gateway Motorsports park later in the month, keeping Ankrum’s playoff hopes alive since he had run every race and gotten a NASCAR age waiver.

That means Ankrum’s win puts him in the postseason with a shot at the championship later this fall.

“Hopefully this means that we get a sponsor now!” Ankrum said. “I can’t believe we just did this.”

Ankrum’s triumph was actually built when he stayed out at the start of the third and final stage, taking the lead on a lap-77 restart and fending off a determined charge from Ben Rhodes early in the run.

However, because he had less fuel at that point than those – like Moffitt – who pitted during the second stage break, Ankrum had to cede command after leading 37 laps in succession, hitting pit road for the final time.

When he hit his pit stall, crew chief Kevin ‘Bono’ Manion called for two tires and two cans of fuel, putting Ankrum a half-lap behind as the pit cycle wound through but in position to make it to the finish.

Moffitt, on the other hand, pitted for the final time with 30 laps left and only took one can of fuel in hopes of staying out in front of the field – which he did for a while, moving back into the race lead with 26 to go and having more than a five-second advantage over then second-place man Ben Rhodes.

But Ankrum was charging as Moffitt had to try and conserve fuel. Moffitt’s crew radioed inside of 20 to go that the reigning titlist was two laps short, and Ankrum cut a second a lap off his deficit at times as he worked valiantly to close the gap.

With 14 to go, Ankrum moved into second as Rhodes pitted with a shredding left-rear tire, and inside of 10 to go, he carved the gap down underneath six seconds as Moffitt tried desperately to get to the checkered flag under power.

Finally, a lap and a half from the finish line, Moffitt’s quest for a third win this season came up empty.

The No. 24 slowed, and Moffitt could only watch helplessly as Ankrum’s blue No. 17 Railblaza Toyota Tundra streaked past and quickly drove out of sight.

“I was just backing up as much as I could, but it wasn’t quite enough to make it,” said Moffitt, who dropped to seventh in the final rundown as the last truck on the lead lap.

“It sucks to lose a race like that, but everyone on this team did a great job. … We had a really good truck tonight,” he added. “(Jerry Baxter) called a great race. We were just a lap short. It’s tough, a bummer.”

As a result of all those who ran out of gas, Stewart Friesen ended up finishing second for the sixth time in his career, after starting the day in a backup truck and having to come from the rear of the field.

Harrison Burton crossed the line third, followed by Ross Chastain and Ankrum’s DGR-Crosley teammate Dylan Lupton.

Austin Wayne Self, Moffitt, Spencer Davis, Jeb Burton and Johnny Sauter completed the top 10.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The San Jose Sharks re-signed forwards Dylan Gambrell and Antti Suomela on Thursday.

Gambrell agreed to a two-year deal, and Suomela to a one-year contract. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

The 22-year-old Gambrell has failed to record a point in 11 regular-season games with San Jose, three in 2017-18 and eight last season. He appeared in two playoff games last season, scoring a goal.

Gambrell had 20 goals and 25 assists in 51 games last season for the San Jose Barracuda in the American Hockey League. The former University of Denver star from Bonny Lake, Washington, was selected 60th overall in the 2016 draft.

Suomela had three goals and five assists in 27 regular-season games for San Jose last season. The 25-year-old Finn had six goals and 14 assists in 47 games for the Barracuda. He signed with the Sharks as an undrafted free agent in June 2018.

After free-agent forward Marcus Morris reneged on a verbal agreement to sign with the San Antonio Spurs, the franchise finally withdrew its offer and instead reached a two-year deal with forward Trey Lyles, league sources told ESPN.

Morris had waffled on a two-year, $20 million commitment to the Spurs, who gave him more than two days to reconsider the decommitment before striking a deal with Lyles, league sources said.

Morris is accepting a one-year, $15 million deal with the New York Knicks, whose offer had caused Morris to renege on his Spurs agreement, league sources said. Spurs general manager RC Buford had worked to give Morris a chance to accept the Spurs deal, but ultimately moved on to Lyles, who saw his qualifying offer pulled and became an unrestricted free agent upon the Denver Nuggets trading for Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jerami Grant.

Lyles has split his first four NBA seasons with the Nuggets and Utah Jazz. Lyles, 23, is younger and bigger (6-foot-10) than Morris, but certainly not as accomplished in his career. Lyles could be a better long-term play for the Spurs, given that Morris considers this contract to be a bridge to a bigger free-agency score in 2020.

The Knicks' salary-cap space was suddenly available because the team and free-agent forward Reggie Bullock are no longer executing a two-year, $21 million deal, and reworked the terms down to a lower financial commitment, league sources said.

The Spurs traded forward Davis Bertans to the Washington Wizards to create the ability to sign Morris upon his weekend commitment to San Antonio.

Agent David Bauman and the Knicks are reevaluating Bullock's fitness to play a full season in 2019-20.

In a brief conversation with ESPN this week, Bauman was complimentary of how the Knicks handled an emerging situation with Bullock, citing how accommodating ownership, the front office and medical staff had been with Bullock's situation.

"First-class throughout," Bauman said.

Bullock hadn't yet signed the original deal made near the opening of NBA free agency, which includes a team option on the second year, sources said.

Morris, 29, averaged 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Boston Celtics in his eighth NBA season.