Sports
Thunder blow out Pacers in Game 7 to win NBA championship
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The Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA championship over the Indiana Pacers, 103-91, running away with Game 7 of the NBA Finals on their home court in exciting fashion.
The last time this franchise won an NBA title was 1979, when they were still known as the Seattle Supersonics. Since relocating to Oklahoma City in 2008 and rebranding as the Thunder, they have not won a title until Sunday night.
League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates made sure to change that on Sunday night, as their dominant regular season and NBA Playoffs run was capped in the best way possible in a do-or-die Game 7.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) during the first half of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. (Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)
It was the first Game 7 since the historic Cleveland Cavaliers’ comeback against the Golden State Warriors in 2016 when they were down 3-1 in the series. Unlike that matchup, this series between the Thunder and Pacers has gone back and forth in thrilling fashion.
That’s exactly how this game began, too, with each team trading blows on the offensive end. But the Pacers suffered a devastating blow in the first quarter.
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana’s hero through the postseason, suffered an Achilles injury after pouring in three of his fourth three-point attempts to total nine points early on.
PACERS LOSE TYRESE HALIBURTON TO NIGHTMARE LEG INJURY IN NBA FINALS GAME 7 MATCHUP VS THUNDER
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) holds the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy as he celebrates with his team after they won the NBA basketball championship with a Game 7 victory against the Indiana Pacers Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
It was initially believed to be a reaggravation of his calf injury that was suffered in Game 5, but his father, John, told ESPN’s Lisa Salters that it was an Achilles. While John Haliburton said his son was in good spirits, he was quickly deemed unable to return for the remainder of the game.
The Pacers’ depth, which has been a catalyst for the team throughout the playoffs, had to step up in Haliburton’s absence, and T.J. McConnell was up for the challenge off the bench. He was on fire, going 8-of-13 for 16 points.
However, Gilgeous-Alexander tapped into his MVP level of play when his Thunder needed it the most. He may have struggled from three-point land (2-of-10), but he was a shot creator for himself and others throughout the game, tallying 29 points, 11 of which came from the free throw line, 12 assists, five rebounds and two blocks.
Gilgeous-Alexander was named the Bill Russell Finals MVP, marking the first time in 25 years a player won that award along with the league MVP and NBA scoring title.
Alex Caruso #9 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates during the game against the Indiana Pacers during Game Seven of the 2025 NBA Finals on June 22, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
But “SGA” wasn’t alone in his efforts to win it all, as his guard counterpart Jalen Williams poured in 20 points, while Chet Holmgren had the offensive game his team was hoping for after back-to-back underwhelming performances on that end.
Holmgren finished with 18 points as well as five blocks on the defensive end.
Off the bench, Alex Caruso, now a two-time NBA champion, had 10 points, as did Cason Wallace.
The Thunder truly started to pull away in the third quarter after the Pacers went into the locker room at halftime with the slim 48-47 lead. They outscored Indiana 34-20 in the quarter, and while we’ve seen some tremendous Pacers comebacks in these playoffs, they weren’t able to muster one final shocker in the fourth quarter.
On their end, it was Benedict Mathurin leading the way in the points department, dropping 24 off the bench including many in the fourth to try and claw back into the game. Pascal Siakam (5-of-13, 16 points, four rebounds, two assists) couldn’t shoulder the burden of scoring with Haliburton out either.
Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates during the game against the Indiana Pacers during Game Seven of the 2025 NBA Finals on June 22, 2025 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
As a team, the Thunder’s biggest flaw in Game 6 was the vast difference in turnover margin, which Indiana took advantage of. This time, it was flipped as the Pacers had 23 turnovers that resulted in 32 conceded points compared to the Thunder’s eight turnovers and 10 points off them.
In the end, the Thunder turned this magical season into history as the second-youngest group to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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Sports
‘Demon’ Finn Balor settles score with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42
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LAS VEGAS – Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio were once brothers in arms in the Judgment Day. The two helped the faction run “Monday Night Raw” for several years.
As championships and opportunities came and went, the rift between Balor and Mysterio grew. It came to a head when Balor caused Mysterio to lose the Intercontinental Championship to Penta. Balor leaving the Judgment Day left Mysterio and Liv Morgan as the leaders with JD McDonagh, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez sticking around.
Finn Balor is introduced before his match against Dominik Mysterio during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The latter four chose to ride with Mysterio and attacked Balor on one episode of Raw.
The bitter war led to a match Sunday night at WrestleMania 42. To make matters more interesting, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce made the match a street fight hours before the show was set to begin.
Balor had vowed to bring the “Demon” out and he certainly did.
JACOB FATU PUTS DREW MCINTYRE IN THE ‘REAR VIEW’ IN UNSANCTIONED MATCH AT WRESTLEMANIA 42
Finn Balor is introduced before his match against Dominik Mysterio during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Balor made his way to the ring in his “Demon” gear, dripping with red and black paint. Mysterio was in a mask with other Mysterio supporters.
The two then proceeded to beat the crud out of each other.
Mysterio wrapped Balor’s head in between a chair and hit a 619 on him. He tried to pin Balor, but to no avail. At another point, Mysterio tossed Balor through a table set up in the corner.
As many have learned, it’s hard to keep your demons down. Mysterio learned the hard way.
Balor would not give up. Balor clotheslined Mysterio, hit him with a chair multiple times before wrapping his head in between the chair and drop-kicking him into the corner. Balor put Mysterio onto a table and hit the Coup de Grâce for the win.
Dominik Mysterio is introduced before his match against Finn Balor during WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Balor excised his own demons, while Mysterio is still haunted.
Sports
Ryan Ward has a solid debut, but bullpen blows it again as Dodgers lose to Rockies
DENVER — What do you know? The once-stampeding Dodgers have been caged by the Colorado Rockies.
With a 9-6 loss Sunday at Coors Field, the two-time defending World Series champions lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. The Dodgers again couldn’t hold a lead, letting the Rockies tee off for 15 hits.
Nor could the Dodgers keep up offensively at the hitter-friendly park — though they put some pressure on in the ninth inning, when Shohei Ohtani led off with a ground-rule double and the Dodgers scored twice to cut the lead to three runs. Then the new guy, Ryan Ward, made the final out in his big league debut, robbed of a hit and a chance to keep chipping away by a diving Troy Johnston in right field.
Before that, the Rockies — who beat the Dodgers twice in 13 meetings all of last season — chased starter Roki Sasaki from the game in the fifth inning and then ruffled the Dodgers’ relievers. That included closer Edwin Díaz, who came on in the eighth and promptly gave up three singles, a walk and two runs before being pulled with the Dodgers trailing 8-4.
Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki gave up three runs on seven hits in 4-2/3 innings Sunday against the Rockies in Denver.
(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)
He and Blake Treinen combined to face eight batters without getting an out.
“They both weren’t sharp,” said manager Dave Roberts, who had theories but not many answers — though he did have real concern, especially about Díaz, who recently had his right knee checked out by the medical staff.
Roberts said the closer wanted to pitch after nine days off, even though it wasn’t a save situation. But his velocity was slightly down (95.4 mph vs. 95.8) and so, “today was a tough evaluation,” the manager said.
“It really was,” Roberts said. “Because, you know, I know what it’s supposed to look like, and when it doesn’t look like that, it gets a little concerning, really.”
And losing for the second time to the Rockies, who are now 9-13? Being in danger of losing their four-game series, after arriving in Denver without having lost to a National League opponent, against a club that hasn’t made the postseason since 2018?
It’s well below the bar the Dodgers have set, and it added a bitter note to Ward’s otherwise sweet debut.
Ward punched a big league clock for the first time wearing No. 67 and cranked his first hit off Rockies starter Michael Lorenzen in the fourth inning, lining a changeup to right field for a single that scored Andy Pages, made it 3-0 and got the 20-some members of Ward’s party up, jumping in place, hugging and high-fiving.
“When I was on first base, I got to see them all jumping around up there,” Ward said. “That was a pretty special moment.”
He also singled in the sixth and swung on the first pitch in his first at-bat, a fly out in the third inning.
The Dodgers gave Sasaki a 2-0 lead in the third. Alex Freeland drove in Hyeseong Kim, and Shohei Ohtani doubled in Freeland — and extended his career-best on-base streak to 51 games, moving past Willie Keeler into third place in Dodgers history.
Sasaki went 4-2/3 innings, threw 78 pitches and gave up three runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking two. His ERA after his fourth start: 6.11, worst in the six-man rotation.
The Dodgers fell behind 6-5 in the seventh when Treinen — who was cleared Friday after he was struck in the head by a batted ball during batting practice — gave up four consecutive hits, including a two-run home run by Mickey Moniak.
The result likely will be a minor detail when Ward tells the story years from now about getting the call after first baseman Freddie Freeman was placed on the paternity list.
The Dodgers’ No. 19 prospect and reigning Pacific Coast League MVP spent the last seven years in the minors. Last season, he hit 36 home runs and drove in 122 runs with a .937 on-base-plus-slugging percentage for triple-A Oklahoma City, and he has a 1.020 OPS and four homers this year.
Ward made it a point to improve his chase rate, draw more walks and get on base more frequently, everything the Dodgers asked of him. He also passed the broadest patience test.
“The plate discipline, being a better hitter … he’s done all that,” Roberts said. “He’s improved his defense. But honestly, for me, just not to let his lack of opportunity in the big leagues deter him. That’s easy when you get frustrated and let it affect performance, and he hasn’t done that.”
If anything, Ward said, the waiting made him better.
“I used it to keep going. ‘OK, if I’m not there yet, what do I have to do to get there?’” he said. “‘What part of my game do I need to work on to keep getting better?’
“I used it as fire to keep working.”
That will be the Dodgers’ assignment too.
In the finale of the four-game series Monday, the Dodgers are expected to start left-hander Justin Wrobleski (2-0, 2.12) against Colorado left-hander Jose Quintana (0-1, 5.63).
Sports
ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd
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LAS VEGAS – Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.
While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.
The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”
Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.
WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”
Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.
“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”
Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.
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