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Milne also played his first ODI in more than five years in November, with his last game in the format having come during the Champions Trophy in 2017.
There was also no place for allrounder James Neesham, who too had turned down an NZC offer nearly a year back, while committing himself to T20 leagues around the world.
Under the terms of the Master Agreement, all New Zealand players have until June 12 to accept or decline the contract offers made by NZC.
Players offered NZC contracts for 2023-24: Finn Allen, Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson and Will Young
'Can't happen': Butler critical of low energy in G3
MIAMI -- Heat star Jimmy Butler vowed to set a better tone for his team in the wake of Wednesday's 109-94 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, acknowledging that Miami -- playing in its first Finals game in front of a home crowd in nine years -- needed to come out with more energy and effort, especially after getting outrebounded 58-33.
The Heat now trail the series 2-1.
"I don't know," Butler said, when asked why the energy is lacking. "I can't answer that. Maybe we're at home; we think we did something. I don't know. It just can't happen. It won't happen again. It starts with myself. I have to lock in on the defensive end. I have to go up and get loose balls. I think if I start playing and doing that, then everybody else has to follow suit."
Aside from Nuggets stars Nikola Jokic (32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists) and Jamal Murray (34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) becoming the first pair of teammates in NBA history to record 30-point triple-doubles in the same regular-season or postseason game, according to ESPN Stats and Information research, what irritated Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was that his team didn't play with the same kind of edge that has defined its unlikely run as a No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
"I just think sometimes, for us, when we lose a lot of those physical battles, the effort plays, the loose balls, the rebounding battles, that's our identity," Spoelstra said. "And sometimes, that can affect the flow of the rest of your game. That's not an excuse. I think the thing that we've proven over and over and over is we can win and find different ways to win regardless of whether we have confidence, regardless of whether the ball is going in.
"We have a determination to impact the game and find a different solution or different way to win a game regardless of whether the ball is going in. It felt like, at times, some of those missed shots at the rim or in the paint, the makeable shots that we've made the last several months or weeks, that affected a little bit of our, whatever, going down the other end. And that hasn't happened a lot."
The postgame news conference room inside Kaseya Center was quiet as Heat players and Spoelstra tried to explain how Jokic, Murray & Co. were able to control the glass, especially as Denver pulled away in the second half. Veteran Miami guard Kyle Lowry said he felt Murray's early success helped Jokic get rolling later in the contest.
"I think the game started off with Jamal Murray, and it kind of made Jokic's game a little -- a little bit easier," Lowry said. "We had the help on Jamal. Jokic is going to get his. He's a two-time MVP. He knows how to play basketball. He's really talented.
"Sometimes, he's going to do what he's going to do -- 32-10-21, that's pretty good numbers. He's 7 feet. He can do pretty much everything. But I think Jamal set the tone for their group, and he was aggressive, assertive. And, you know, he set the tone, and it made things a little bit easier for Jokic."
In Butler's mind, the fix for Friday's Game 4 is simple: The Heat must come out more aggressive as they try not to fall into a 3-1 hole against a Nuggets team that played like it had a point to make all night on Wednesday.
"I feel like we just got to come out with more energy and effort, and that's correctible," Butler said. "That's on us as a group. No X's and O's can fix that. So come out, dive on the floor, get loose balls, get defensive rebounds and maybe, just maybe, it would have been a different game."
How Jokic and Murray's chemistry as teens previewed their NBA Finals run
MIAMI -- This time of year, lots of old basketball videos circulate around social media. Interviews from years ago suddenly sound prescient based off of what's happening game to game in the NBA Finals. Big shots from previous Finals games mirror a key play from the current series.
Recently, footage of Denver Nuggets stars Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic playing together at the 2014 Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, Oregon, made its way around Instagram. Neither of them were the featured stars in that game -- big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor were. But Murray and Jokic were paired together on the World team, and there are plays between them that look a lot like what they have been doing to the Miami Heat during these Finals.
"I didn't see the clip," Jokic told ESPN after he and Murray became the first teammates in Finals history to record triple-doubles in the same game during the Nuggets' 109-94 Game 3 win Wednesday night at the Kaseya Center that gave them a 2-1 series lead. "But I do remember that we played together and that I didn't speak English at the time."
Jokic deleted all his social media accounts a few years ago, but he and Murray have long since spoken the same language on and off the court.
"A lot of guys play with each other," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "I think those two guys play for each other and off of each other, and they read each other so well."
Wednesday's performance was a highlight reel for what's become one of the best two-man games in the NBA.
There was the pick-and-roll: Jokic set an on-ball screen for Murray 32 times in Game 3, tied for their most in a game this season and tied for their second most since becoming teammates in 2016, according to Second Spectrum tracking data.
There was the dribble handoff, which resulted in 15 points -- after going for just 14 points in the first two games combined.
There was even some great defense as they combined to contest 31 shots in Game 3, of which the Heat made just seven, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Jokic finished with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists. Murray had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It was clinical. It was also beautiful.
"I'd say it's a trust and a feel," Murray said. "That's the best way for me to put it. It's not really X's and O's. It's just reading the game and trusting that the other is going to make the right play. If he throws it to me, he knows and expects what to see from me, and he knows the mood I'm in.
"If something is there, we go. If it's not, we don't force it. He makes tough shots look easy, and he's been doing it for a very long time."
"I think the consistency doesn't get talked about enough," Murray added.
Earlier in this series, Heat guard Kyle Lowry compared Jokic and Murray to the Hall of Fame tandem of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. It was high praise, and it was warranted. But it took a bit for the basketball world to digest it, considering those two San Antonio Spurs won five championships together.
This is just Jokic and Murray's first Finals appearance, and they still need two more wins against an always-dangerous Heat team to earn their first championship.
But one player who was in Portland nine years ago when the beginnings of the Jokic-Murray tandem were forming completely agrees.
"They're like the old-school Spurs," Towns told ESPN. "They just keep walking you down."
In all honesty, Towns said he can't claim to have seen the potential of the duo during the week they spent as teammates on the World team during that camp. He remembers thinking Murray was special, because he saw how mentally tough he was and admired how he meditated before games. He says he even tried to get the Minnesota Timberwolves to draft Murray when they had a chance in 2016.
But destiny had other plans for Jokic and Murray, and it's playing out in these Finals.
"They've been together a long time," Towns said. "It's why they have such good chemistry. Every team that wins championships has had a stability that has allowed them to all get acclimated with each other at a championship level."
Noah Syndergaard's rough 2023 didn't get any better Wednesday night in Cincinnati, leaving Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to say the veteran right-hander might need a "reset" to fix his struggles.
Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings as the Dodgers' losing streak hit four with an 8-6 loss to the Reds.
Syndergaard, who signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Dodgers during the offseason, watched his ERA balloon to 7.16. He has given up five runs or more in three straight starts.
He also has been dealing with a blister on his throwing hand, but Roberts said the struggles go beyond that.
"Noah has been going through it all year. It is not from lack of effort or preparation. It's just not working," Roberts said. "There's things with that blister. There was a fingernail break tonight. He's not going to make excuses. He understands about performance.
"We're going to sit down with him and try to figure out. Obviously, we can't continue at this pace of performance. There might be an opportunity to give him a reset to get this taken care of. You give up a lead. Get the lead again and give it up, it takes a toll on the offense. We couldn't overcome it."
Syndergaard has allowed six earned runs or more in four starts this season overall, tied with Cincinnati's Graham Ashcroft and the Oakland Athletics' Kyle Muller for most in the majors.
He previously had expressed displeasure with his performance this season, calling himself the rotation's "weakest link" last week.
Syndergaard, 30, missed all of 2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and has a 4.71 ERA over the past two-plus seasons. The right-hander went 10-10 with a 3.94 ERA last season with the Angels and National League-champion Phillies.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
J.T. Higgins resigns after 3 seasons as USC head men's golf coach
For the second time in less than three years, USC is looking for a new head men’s golf coach.
The Trojans’ athletic department announced Wednesday evening that J.T. Higgins has resigned from his position after three seasons leading USC.
Higgins arrived in Los Angeles from Texas A&M, where he won the 2009 NCAA Championship among nine other top-15 finishes at nationals in 18 seasons. But after taking over at USC, the Trojans didn’t finish better than eighth at three Pac-12 Championships and missed NCAA regionals as a team each of the past two seasons.
A national search for Higgins' replacement will begin immediately.
Back in July 2020, USC and Chris Zambri mutually agreed to part ways after 14 seasons with Zambri leading the men’s golf program. Under Zambri, a USC alum, the Trojans had made 12 NCAA Championship appearances, won three regional tiles and three conference crowns, and amassed 32 total tournament victories.
PRAGUE -- West Ham United manager David Moyes said winning the Europa Conference League on Wednesday stands as the best moment in his career.
The east London club clinched their first trophy in 43 years -- and first European title in 58 years -- in a dramatic 2-1 win over Fiorentina thanks to a 90th minute goal from Jarrod Bowen.
In the end Moyes, who turned 60 this year and coached in over 1,000 matches during his 25 years in management, was able to lift the first major trophy of his career. The Scot said it was the crowning moment in his career despite previous notable triumphs -- helping Everton qualify for the Champions League in 2005 and later succeeding the great Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013.
"I would have to say so. The moments you get to celebrate with your family and win in the last minute of the game, it doesn't happen often," Moyes said. "It can go against you, but tonight is a brilliant feeling.
"If somebody had said three years ago when I took the job that you'd avoid relegation and finish in Europe and I've said you were mad.
"This competition has been great for us, the players have been remarkable."
Moyes was able to share a moment with his 87-year-old father David Sr. after the match.
"I thought he was the first one who should get the medal round his neck," Moyes then told a news conference. "He's had a lot of moments over the years and not had that moment, so I hope he's enjoyed it."
Moyes previously coached West Ham in the 2017-18 season, helping to save them from relegation, but left at the end of that season when his contract was not renewed.
He then returned in December 2019 and again helped guide the club clear of relegation. Since then, he has helped the club qualify for the Europa League and last season go on a run to the semifinals before losing to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Wednesday's triumph means West Ham qualify for next season's Europa League and will play European football for a third consecutive season.
"These sorts of moments as managers don't come around often. This is a great moment for us," Moyes told BT Sport. "It is a brilliant club in the East End of London that does wonderful work in the community. It is a great family club. It is getting better and stronger. This is another step on the road of continued progress.
"We have gone unbeaten in Europe, which is incredible. We only lost last year in a semifinal, two incredible years and we get another one now."
Leus du Plooy lifts Derbyshire Falcons to thrilling win over Birmingham Bears
Derbyshire 207 for 4 (du Plooy 66*, Reece 57) beat Birmingham Bears 203 for 7 (Hain 79, McKiernan 3-39) by six wickets
After the Bears piled up 203 for 7, du Plooy smashed an unbeaten 66 from 25 balls to see his side to 207 for 4 with three balls to spare.
England all-rounder Chris Woakes was socked for 51 in his four overs as the Falcons side completed a quickfire double over the Bears and handed them their third successive defeat.
Hain batted beautifully but needed support and found it from Dan Mousley and, after Mousley was bowled through a lap by Zak Chappell, from Woakes, who transformed the innings with 23 from 11 balls in a dazzling stand of 48 in 18 balls with Hain.
Woakes was yorked by Zaman Khan but Hain was at his most destructive in the closing overs, thumping 36 from his last eight balls faced.
The Falcons faced a testing target but, after riding their luck early on, Reece and Haider Ali played sweetly to raise 50 from 33 balls. They set down the perfect platform before being parted in scruffy fashion when Haider Ali charged and missed at Danny Briggs. Davies missed the stumping at the first attempt but, with the batter down the track, had time to complete it second time round.
Moeen, playing his penultimate game for the Bears before he departs on Ashes duty, applied a brake with an astute spell which brought the wicket of Reece, bowled through a slog sweep. As the required rate escalated, and Wayne Madsen suffered a rare failure when he holed out to Mousley, the pressure increased on the Falcons.
Du Plooy went to the crease with that pressure at its height. He needed to hit brilliantly from his first ball - and did so to take his side to a victory which tightens the North Group table right up.
James Vince, Joe Weatherley set Hampshire up for success
Hampshire 178 for 4 (Weatherley 59*, Vince 50) beat Somerset 173 for 6 (Smeed 52, Kohler-Cadmore 43) by five runs
But Australian quick Ellis went for three and four in the 17th and 19th overs to return one for 26, with Scott Currie defending 18 in the final over as Hampshire won by five runs.
Hampshire had only failed to defend 178 at the Ageas Bowl once before in T20s but Tom Banton and Smeed were desperate to add to the Zak Crawley-inspired Kent eight-wicket destruction in 2020. The duo piled on 69 runs in the powerplay with inventiveness, power and clean ball striking.
But Liam Dawson found a top edge out of Banton - who scored 31 in 21 balls - in the seventh over, only for his replacement Tom Kohler-Cadmore to blast Currie for three fours.
Smeed had returned a modest 70 runs in his first six innings of the summer but dominated with seven fours and a pair of sixes in a 30-ball fifty. But he fell two balls later when slogging Mason Crane to deep mid-wicket.
Sean Dickson lost his leg stump to John Turner, although Kohler-Cadmore heated up a lull with two huge sixes off Crane in the 16th over. But fell to a well-aimed Turner bouncer with 26 needed off 15 balls.
Aneurin Donald pulled off a stunning catch to send away Tom Lammonby as Ellis' 19th over only went for four to leave 19 required off the final Currie over.
Lewis Gregory was run out and despite still going for 13, Currie and the Hawks came out victors to end Somerset's six-game winning run.
Having been invited to bat first, Ben McDermott pulled, cut and ramped a trio of boundaries but fell in the third over to Matt Henry.
After his run of half-centuries was ended by Middlesex on Tuesday, Vince added Somerset to his victims this season, although with slightly less fluency than some of his imposing knocks earlier in the Blast.
Three fours brought up 54 for one in the powerplay, with two more sixes to follow in his 37-ball fifty - although after hitting Roelof van der Merwe back over his head for his second maximum he failed to strike a boundary off his last 14 deliveries before holing out to long-on.
Toby Albert had joined him in a 60 stand before falling to a swing to long on as Somerset took control of the middle overs thanks to Lewis Gregory, Ben Green and van der Merwe's squeezing.
Weatherley escaped the press firstly by carving van der Merwe twice to the cover boundary before upping the ante with two swats for six to take him to a 31-ball half-century.
Ross Whiteley had run hard to help in a 73-run stand, although he only personally managed a scratchy 14 off 15 balls. Whiteley was brilliantly caught by Smeed on the boundary before Donald's looping six over extra cover took the hosts to 178 for 4.
Georgia Adams fifty spearheads Vipers romp to Finals Day
Southern Vipers 115 for 5 (Adams 63, Villiers 3-15) beat Sunrisers 114 for 7 (Griffith 65, Smith 3-13) by five wickets
Southern Vipers romped towards finals day of the Charlotte Edwards Cup when they defeated Sunrisers by five wickets at the 1st Central County Ground, Hove.
Even without their England players they were far too strong for a Sunrisers side who have lost all seven of their matches in the competition. Chasing a modest target of 115 the Vipers got home with 5.1 overs to spare.
The Vipers went into their last group stage match with the comfortable knowledge that only heavy defeat would deny them a place at New Road, Worcester, where they will face Thunder.
The Vipers were well on their way to victory after just five overs, having reduced Sunrisers to 18 for 4 in that time.
Struggling Sunrisers had given the captaincy to the experienced South African Dane van Niekerk and given a debut to impressive medium pacer Esmae MacGregor, who took two wickets. But it wasn't enough.
From the second ball of the fifth over wicket-keeper Amara Carr was run out by Alice Monaghan, going for an optimistic second run and the innings looked in ruins.
But the Sunrisers can never be written off while Griffith is still there and once again the aggressive right-hander counter-attacked against a Vipers side who, as usual, rotated their bowlers at every opportunity. At the halfway stage of the innings - which had featured six Vipers bowlers - Sunrisers were 45 for 4.
Grifffith powered to her fifty from 44 balls when she pulled Elwiss to the midwicket boundary. But with the last ball of the over Elwiss yorked Florence Miller for 20 to end the 65-run partnership. And, in essence, the innings was over in the 18th over when Griffith, aiming for the leg side, was caught at extra-cover.
Sources: Suns, CP3 discuss his future with team
Phoenix Suns ownership and executives had a series of conversations with Chris Paul and his representatives on the All-Star point guard's future with the franchise Wednesday, including the possibility that he could be waived by the NBA's June 28 guarantee date on his contract, sources told ESPN.
The Suns insist that they're still working through several possibilities for Paul's future and reiterated that to his representatives later Wednesday afternoon, sources said. Phoenix plans to explore trade opportunities including Paul and Deandre Ayton that could alter the franchise's roster landscape ahead of a final decision on Paul's partially guaranteed contract, sources said.
Only $15.8 million of his $30.8 million for the 2023-24 season is guaranteed if he's waived -- unless the Suns keep Paul past that June 28 deadline date. The expectation is that the Suns would stretch and waive the guaranteed portion of Paul's salary next season ($3.16M per season over the next five seasons) to create more salary cap space and open up the team's ability to use the $12.2 million taxpayer midlevel exception. Paul's $30.8 million for 2024-25 is nonguaranteed.
Paul continues to want to return to the Suns and partner with his close friend Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, sources said. Nevertheless, Paul and his representatives want the organization to make a quicker decision on his future so that he can proceed out into free agency if indeed the Suns ultimately waive him, sources said.
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