The Nuggets regained the lead in the NBA Finals in Miami on Wednesday with a convincing 109-94 win, the largest margin of victory in the series so far.
Denver is a 3.5-point favorite for Game 4 and has moved back to a -901 favorite to win its first title. Accordingly, Nikola Jokić is -800 to win Finals MVP. The Heat are once again a home underdog — they had covered all four previous times in that position (and won three times) until the Game 3 loss.
Below are four betting picks and one key question for Game 5, which tips off Friday at 8:30 p.m ET on ABC.
Author: Michael
With the Yankees and Red Sox set to square off this weekend for the first time in 2023, all eyes will turn to the most prominent rivalry in baseball. But it appears that at least some of the participants in the upcoming series hold the view that the feud between the two sides has lost some of its edge in recent years.
The beef between the two franchises dates back over a century, with countless iconic moments of mutual loathing over the years. They’ve even faced off in the playoffs twice over the past five seasons, with Boston winning both times in 2018 and ’21.
The No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft, Bryce Young, took his first snaps with the first-team on Thursday and moved into the QB1 role for the Panthers, coach Frank Reich told reporters Thursday.
“It’s just the next step,” Reich said at organized team activities. “There’s really nothing to say other than, ‘Hey, we just wanted to move him up this week.’”
Reich added that Young has watched Andy Dalton with the first-team for several weeks and said it was “really good” for him. Dalton, a 12-year veteran, was listed atop the team’s depth chart before Young’s ascension.
Red Sox pitcher Matt Dermody, who is being called up from Triple-A Worcester to pitch against the Guardians on Thursday night, has come under fire for a past anti-LGBTQ tweet that has since been deleted from his personal account.
On June 26, 2021, Dermody tweeted “#PrideMonth. Homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. They will go to hell. This is not my opinion, but the #Truth. Read 1 Corinthians 6:9. May we all examine our hearts, ask Jesus to forgive us and repent of all our sins.
Recently-demoted ESPN broadcaster Mark Jones trended over the weekend for a bizarrely-defensive tweet in which he responded to a random account praising Nikola Jokic.
Jones continues to tweet misleading stats to degrade the Nuggets star and even shares posts accusing Jokic and his family of benefiting from white privilege.
Why are his issues with Jokic? Did Jokic not defend him from racist white arena police officers?
Perhaps. Though it’s quite clear Jones has an issue with a white player dominating a majority-black sport.
At first sight, Nikola Jokić does not come off as the most dominant player on the court when considering his physique.
However, the Nuggets center continues to defy the norms of what it means to be a big man in today’s NBA. When considering the league’s most dominant big men, most think of the legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon, to name a few.
Those traditional centers were true to their position during their NBA tenures, an era where position-based basketball was the standard.
Adam Silver made a dig at Ja Morant’s gun troubles ahead of a potential suspension.
Before the 2023 NBA Finals tipped off, commissioner Adam Silver told the world the league’s investigation into Ja Morant’s latest gun incident had uncovered new information and reached its conclusion. Silver just wasn’t going to tell us the punishment Morant would receive until after the Finals, because he didn’t want to distract from the play on the floor between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat.
The Arizona Diamondbacks-Washington Nationals game in Washington D.C. has been postponed due to poor air quality.
This marks the latest in a series of games affected by wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada.
The New York Yankees-Chicago White Sox game on Tuesday was postponed due to air quality concerns. As was the Philadelphia Phillies-Detroit Tigers game in Philadelphia.
Smoke even caused cancellation of an indoor WNBA game in New York City.
The Jacksonville Jaguars unveiled some amazing plans and renderings of a proposed refurbished TIAA Bank Field, pools included, on Wednesday and that was fun to see.
But there are questions.
Uncertainties.
And, as everything NFL, it involves a lot of money.
“Well, our schedule would have serious construction begin after the 2025 NFL season. So hopefully February of 2026,” club president Mark Lamping said this in an interview with local TV station WJXT4. “And at that point it depends on how you approach construction.”
Rendition of refurbished TIAA Bank Field from the inside.
Omaha Productions is bringing an alternate broadcast to ESPN 2 beginning June 18 with the Canadian Grand Prix.
The company produces the alternate Monday Night Football “Manningcasts” which have been wildly successful. Why not bring that same formula to Formula 1?
Red Bull reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo will be part of the broadcast along with actor and comedian Will Arnett. The broadcast will be known as The Grandstand with Daniel Ricciardo and Will Arnett and will air on ESPN 2. Meanwhile, the usual race broadcast will appear on ABC.