Sports
Cavaliers court raises safety concerns again as Luka Doncic injures leg
CLEVELAND — Luka Doncic grabbed at his left leg. He immediately thought of Dru Smith. The Miami Heat guard’s knee injury suffered in 2023 when he slipped off the side of the Cleveland Cavaliers court haunted Doncic while he winced in pain near the Lakers bench.
The Lakers superstar avoided serious injury after falling off the side of the Cavaliers’ raised court on Monday, but the threat of a player being hurt by Cleveland’s unique 10-inch drop off between the court and the arena floor came into focus again during the Lakers’ 129-99 loss to the Cavaliers.
“It is absolutely a safety hazard,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after Doncic was able to return later in the first quarter. “And I don’t know why it’s still like that. I don’t. You know, you can lodge formal complaints. A lot of times you don’t see any change when you lodge a formal complaint.”
Doncic was injured shooting a fadeaway three with 7:58 left in the first quarter. He was hopping on one foot after releasing the shot and hopped right off the platform, grabbing immediately for his left leg. When he hobbled to the locker room, Doncic could barely put any weight on his leg.
But he returned with 1:32 remaining in the first quarter and finished with 29 points, six assists and five rebounds. He didn’t have any additional braces or wraps on his left leg, but he said he didn’t feel quite 100%.
“I kind of got scared,” Doncic said. “It wasn’t a great feeling and looking back at the video I think I got a little bit lucky. It hurts obviously more now, but, just, I tried to go.”
Smith was injured much more severely in 2023 when he was closing out on defense, landed on a stat sheet and slipped over the edge. He suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament sprain in the accident, and the Heat contacted the NBA to express concerns about the floor at the time.
“It’s tough to see another player get hurt on this court, with the fall, with the drop off,” Lakers guard Gabe Vincent said Monday, “so hopefully something can get fixed with that, but we’re fortunate that [Doncic] is OK.”
Cleveland’s Rocket Arena, which opened in 1994 and was last renovated in 2019, is also home to the Cleveland Monsters, an American Hockey League affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The basketball court is raised to accommodate the ice underneath the floor. But several teams in the NBA, including the Lakers, share their arena with hockey teams and none have a court that drops off like Cleveland’s.
“It’s the only court like this so, I guess it’s my fault,” Doncic said. “I [gotta] stop jumping like that.”
The Lakers have history with concerning courts this year. In November, Doncic said during a postgame news conference that the Lakers’ custom NBA Cup court used during a home game against the Clippers was dangerously slippery. The team flagged the problem to the league and the Lakers did not use the court again because it was not deemed safe for play in time for the other NBA Cup games.
But when asked if there was a way he could bring the latest problem up with the league, Doncic demurred.
“I don’t know,” Doncic said, “don’t involve me in that.”
Similarly, Redick said any changes would be “way above my pay grade.”
Sports
Who Are The 10 Best Indy 500 Drivers Of All time?
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The 2026 INDYCAR season has already delivered stellar moments, even before “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
That highly anticipated race happens on Sunday, May 24, with the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Coverage for the Indy 500 begins at 10 a.m. ET.
You can watch the Indy 500 pre-race and race broadcasts on FOX and stream the broadcasts on FOX One, FOX Sports.com and the FOX Sports App.
Ahead of all the action, we’ve rounded up the best drivers to grace the course.
Here are the 10 best Indianapolis 500 drivers of all time.
10 Best Indy 500 Drivers Of All Time
10. Dario Franchitti
Although he had one of the shorter Indy 500 careers on this list, Franchitti managed to compile some impressive results. He earned three victories at the track between 2007-2012. Moreover, he added three other top-10 finishes to his name despite participating in just 10 races. His best stretch was when he claimed six top-seven finishes in seven attempts from 2005 and 2012.
9. Arie Luyendyk
Luyendyk won the Indy 500 twice, but it was a mixed bag overall. He raced in the event every year from 1985 to 2002 and withdrew in 2003, but he finished outside the top 10 in 10 different races. Still, few can match the success he found, with seven top-10 finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
8. Louis Meyer
The first three-time winner in the race’s history, Meyer is one of the top drivers who isn’t talked about nearly enough. He had a truly remarkable race in 1936, becoming just the second racer in history — and last — to win the Indy 500 from a starting position of 28th or lower. Meyer grabbed first and second, respectively, in his first two tries in Indianapolis.
7. Bobby Unser
It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Never has that been more true than with Unser, who had just one top-10 finish in his first four tries at Indy. However, Unser would eventually win the Indy 500 three times (1968, 1975 and 1981). In his last four starts, he had three top-six finishes, including winning the event on his last time at the track at age 47.
6. Johnny Rutherford
Another three-time Indy 500 winner, Rutherford claimed his victories between 1974 and 1980. Rutherford had a bit of a slow start to this race, finishing 18th or lower in each of his first nine times at the track. He then turned in four straight top-10 finishes, including winning in 1974 and 1976 and grabbing second in 1975.
5. Wilbur Shaw
As good as Rutherford’s three-year stretch was, Shaw one-ups him with his bonkers four-year run. From 1937 to 1940, Shaw placed first, second, first and first. A run like that automatically vaults you into the top five in the history of the Indy 500. Before that, it had been an up-and-down race for Shaw, but you cannot overlook just how dominant he was overall, with three victories and seven top-five finishes.
4. Helio Castroneves
Castroneves is the first of four drivers on this list tied for the most wins (four) at the Indy 500. He earned his most recent victory in 2021, while his previous three wins came between 2001 and 2009. He’s also one of just six drivers to claim back-to-back Indy 500 victories, doing so in 2001 and 2002. Perhaps the most remarkable part of his driving career at IMS is the fact that he owns the record for the longest span between his first and last win — 20 years.
3. Al Unser Sr.
Unser isn’t just tied for the most Indy 500 wins, claiming his four in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987. He’s also the oldest winner ever at 47 years, 360 days old, slightly edging out his brother, Bobby. In his second-to-last race at IMS in 1992, Unser finished in third, while his son, Al Unser Jr., was the winner.
2. A.J. Foyt
Foyt is undoubtedly deserving of one of the top spots on this list as the first four-time winner in the race’s history, finishing in first place in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977. Most impressive about his career in Indy, though, is that Foyt has the most starts there of any driver (35), including racing in every single one from 1958 to 1992.
1. Rick Mears
The other driver tied for the most wins at IMS, Mears dominated in Indy. He started 11 times on the front row, with six of those times coming consecutively from 1986 to 1991 — both of which are records at the track. He has also claimed a record six pole positions at the event and is one of just 12 racers to earn back-to-back pole positions.
Check out all of our Daily Rankers.
Sports
Prep talk: Teenage barber is helping baseball players look good during playoffs
Baseball players like to feel comfortable wearing their hats but also look good when taking them off. That’s where sophomore JV baseball player Noah Nolasco from Birmingham High comes into play.
He’s been cutting hair for players in the East Valley, from Birmingham to Poly to Sylmar to Bishop Alemany. He’s been busy because the playoffs are taking place, and players are apparently following the philosophy “look good, feel good, play good.”
One of his customers is Birmingham sophomore pitcher Carlos Acuna, who’s 11-0 and plays in Saturday’s City Section Open Division championship game against El Camino Real at Dodger Stadium.
Nolasco said a taper is the favorite haircut these days and there’s also players bleaching their hair blond for the playoffs. He normally charges $25.
Here’s his instagram page.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Thunder erase 15-point deficit to take series lead over Spurs as Victor Wembanyama’s 26 points fall short
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Through the first two games of the Western Conference Finals, Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has produced numbers not seen at this stage of the postseason in roughly 50 years.
As the series shifted to San Antonio for Game 3 on Friday, the French basketball phenom once again led the Spurs in scoring. But his 26-point performance was not enough to give San Antonio a 2-1 series lead over the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Reigning back-to-back NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched Wembanyama with 26 points, leading Oklahoma City to a 123-108 victory.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama shoots the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half of game three of the Western Conference finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on May 22, 2026. (Daniel Dunn/Imagn Images)
Shortly after Game 2 on Wednesday, Spurs guard Stephon Castle acknowledged that his team is “probably most comfortable playing in front of our fans.” San Antonio quickly backed up that sentiment in Game 3, jumping out to a 15-0 lead in its first home game of the series.
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Just five minutes into the contest, the Spurs held a commanding 19-4 advantage as the home crowd created a raucous atmosphere.
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs reacts during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on May 22, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
But Oklahoma City’s bench played a pivotal role in the comeback that ultimately gave the Thunder a critical series lead. Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams, Jared McCain and Cason Wallace were widely credited with helping swing the game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket past Julian Champagnie of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter in Game Three of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on May 22, 2026. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
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The Spurs took Game 1 behind 41 points and 24 rebounds from Wembanyama, and the defending champion Thunder got 30 points from Gilgeous-Alexander on the way to getting a victory in Game 2.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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