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Josh Giddey sinks half-court buzzer-beater to lift Bulls over Lakers in dramatic 119-117 win

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Josh Giddey sinks half-court buzzer-beater to lift Bulls over Lakers in dramatic 119-117 win

Josh Giddey capped a wild game-ending sequence with a half-court shot at the buzzer to give the Chicago Bulls a 119-117 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

The craziness began with the Bulls trailing 115-110. Patrick Williams hit a 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds left to narrow the deficit to two. A sloppy inbound pass from LeBron James was then stolen by Giddey. He got the ball to Coby White, whose 3 gave Chicago a one-point lead with 6.1 seconds left.

Following a timeout, Austin Reaves hit a driving layup to put the Lakers back on top by one with 3.3 seconds remaining. That merely set the stage for Giddey’s heroics.

After inbounding the ball, Giddey quickly got it back and swished a 3-pointer from just beyond the half-court line. He held his shooting hand aloft as the ball went through the net and the United Center crowd roared.

“As soon as it left my fingertips, it looked good,” Giddey said. “And that’s kind of why I held my follow-through the whole time. I had that feeling when it left. It looked straight. It felt good. It was a special night, obviously. A great comeback win. I’ll enjoy this one.”

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Giddey finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for his fifth triple-double of the season. Chicago had trailed 91-75 entering the fourth quarter but staged a furious comeback thanks to 11 3-pointers.

 

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“The probability of us winning that game was probably very low,” White said. “But we defied the odds. It was a fun game to be a part of. That’s a game that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”

For the Lakers, the loss was a sharp comedown from the previous night, when James tipped in a rebound at the buzzer to secure a 120-119 win over the Indiana Pacers.

As the regular season enters the final stretch, Los Angeles (44-29) now finds itself in a precarious position after failing to capitalize on the Memphis Grizzlies’ (44-29) loss earlier in the night to move into sole possession of fourth in the Western Conference.

The Bulls (33-40) have won 9 of their last 11 games and swept the season series with the Lakers, including a 146-115 victory in Los Angeles on March 22.

“We just kind of kept hanging in there. From Patrick’s 3 to Josh’s steal to Coby’s 3, then Reaves makes a layup and then Josh throws in a half-court shot,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “Like, that all took place in 12 seconds. So, yeah, you’re not going to normally see that very often.”

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(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

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Oilers draw first blood in Stanley Cup Final rematch with 4-3 overtime victory against Panthers

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Oilers draw first blood in Stanley Cup Final rematch with 4-3 overtime victory against Panthers

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The first game of the Stanley Cup Final rematch belongs to the Edmonton Oilers, as Leon Draisaitl’s second goal of the game was the overtime winner against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night. 

The 4-3 victory was a come-from-behind win for Edmonton, as they were down 3-1 at one point in this game, but scored three unanswered goals for a statement victory on their home ice.

After tying the game in the third period at three apiece, an overtime period was needed to determine the winner of Game 1, and it almost looked like another was necessary as both team’s chances couldn’t be seen in the net. 

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Edmonton Oilers right wing Connor Brown (28) skates past Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) in the second period in game one of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. (Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)

However, a costly mistake by Panthers forward Tomas Nosek saw him flip the puck over the glass in his own defensive zone, which is an immediate delay of game penalty. 

Now, with a man advantage, the Oilers capitalized, and it had to be Connor McDavid making the nifty saucer pass to his trusty teammate Draisaitl, who came flying in front of the net to hammer the puck past Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky. 

EDMONTON OILERS EYE REVENGE IN STANLEY CUP FINAL AFTER RALLYING PAST DALLAS STARS IN CONFERENCE FINAL

The goal, which came with 31 seconds left to play in the period, was also assisted by Corey Perry. 

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Draisaitl started the scoring just as he finished it in Game 1, he found the back of the net with just over a minute into the first period. He was in the right place at the right time, as a shot from Kasperi Kapanen deflected off Bobrovsky and landed right onto Draisaitl’s stick, who slapped it into the net to take the one-goal advantage.

But later in the first period, a controversial goal by Florida’s Sam Bennett tied the game at one apiece. 

Bennett was present in front of the net with two Oilers defenders around him when Carter Verhaeghe took a shot that hit off Bennett and got past goaltender Stuart Skinner. The Panthers, though, believe Bennett had goalie interference. 

Upon further review, it appears Bennett was tripped by Brett Kulak as the puck was being shot, leading to him falling into Skinner. The goal stood and the game was tied.

Just minutes later, Brad Marchand, the Boston Bruins legend who the Panthers traded for at the deadline, took a cross-ice pass during a power play and made the perfect shot past Skinner to take a 2-1 lead. 

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Sam Bennett celebrates goal

Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) reacts after scoring a goal against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) during the first period in game one of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. (Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images)

The Panthers had momentum going into the second period, and once again, it was Bennett getting one past Skinner to take a solid 3-1 lead. Bennett was skating in transition when Nate Schmidt placed a perfect pass on his stick, and he did the rest for his second goal of the game. 

As we learned from last year’s final, the Oilers will not go down easy, and that appears to be the same theme as they came back with their own timely goals. 

Viktor Arvidsson took a slap shot once the Oilers entered the offensive zone, and Bobrovsky was too late to react as it whizzed past his left side and stayed true into the net. 

Leon Draisaitl celebrates goal

Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29) reacts after scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers during the first period in game one of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. (Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images)

With a 3-2 deficit going into the third period, Edmonton knew they had to get on the board first to put pressure on Florida. That’s exactly what happened as Mattias Ekholm scored his first Stanley Cup Playoffs goal after Connor McDavid dished a back-handed pass to the front of the zone and it found his stick. Bobrovsky was completely out of position with bodies in front of him as Ekholm shot the puck into the net. 

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Through two periods, it was the Panthers’ dominating play on the ice, but the Oilers turned it up a notch in the third period and never looked back. They outshot the Panthers 46-32 on the night, while Skinner made 29 saves in the win as well. 

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Pete Alonso's bat is all Mets need to defeat Dodgers

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Pete Alonso's bat is all Mets need to defeat Dodgers

The month is just four days old, but for the Dodgers the June swoon is already getting old.

On Wednesday, they lost for the third time in four games with a pair of Pete Alonso home runs lifting the Mets to a 6-1 victory. The loss was the 10th in 18 games for the Dodgers, who are just four games over .500 since their season-opening eight-game winning streak.

Right-hander Tony Gonsolin (3-2) took the loss although he really only had one bad inning.

He got off to a rough start, hitting Francisco Lindor in the right foot with his second pitch, and the inning went downhill from there. Brandon Nimmo followed with a potential double-play ball that went through second baseman Kiké Hernández and after Nimmo stole second, Lindor scored on a ground out.

Alonso followed with a towering two-run home run to right-center to give the Mets a 3-0 lead.

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Gonsolin settled down after that and though he didn’t allow another run, New York had runners on base in each of the five innings he worked. He exited after 90 pitches, having given up three hits and two walks while striking out six.

After a pair of hitless innings from the Dodger bullpen, Alonso put the game away in the eighth, following a hit batter and a walk from reliever Ryan Loutos with a majestic three-run homer to left. It was Alonso’s first multi-homer game of the season, and it gave him a season-high five RBIs.

The Dodgers’ only run came on Andy Pages’ solo home with one out in the ninth. The hit was Pages’ third of the night — half his team’s total. He also had a second-inning infield single and a seventh-inning double, extending his hitting streak to a season-high nine games and raising his average to .290.

Mets starter Griffin Canning (6-2) cruised through his six innings, facing just four batters over the minimum. The former Angel gave up three hits, walked one and struck out seven in his best outing of the season, winning for the first time in nearly a month.

Mookie Betts fields a grounder in the first inning.

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(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Etc.

Switch-hitting utility man Tommy Edman could be headed to the injured list after tweaking his right ankle earlier this week, aggravating an injury that forced him to spend three weeks on the IL earlier this season. Edman came off the bench in Tuesday’s win but was out of the lineup Wednesday. Speedy outfielder Esteury Ruiz was summoned from triple-A Oklahoma City as a precaution and would probably take Edman spot on the roster if he goes on the IL.

Relievers Kirby Yates (hamstring) and Michael Kopech (shoulder) both threw short simulated games Wednesday, and manager Dave Roberts said both are close to being activated.

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“As long as he feels good tomorrow, then there’s certainly a good possibility to be activated this weekend,” Roberts said of Yates, who last pitched May 17 against the Angels.

Kopech gave up 11 runs in 6.1 innings while on a rehab assignment in Oklahoma City, but Roberts seemed unconcerned.

“Obviously you’re in rehab mode, you’re not around. So to get back to your teammates and the coaches, they might be able to kind of detect some things or clean some things up mechanically,” he said. “To be here tonight, last night to watch a game, that’s very that’s helpful and productive. With him it is just kind of getting command more dialed in.”

Kopech’s last appearance came in the fifth and deciding game of last fall’s World Series.

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Girls' track athlete cries in 1st TV interview after losing championship for fire extinguisher celebration

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Girls' track athlete cries in 1st TV interview after losing championship for fire extinguisher celebration

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California high school girls’ track athlete Clara Adams broke down in tears during her first TV interview since having her state championship revoked.

Adams, who took first place in the 400-meter final on Saturday, was penalized for excessive celebration when she prayed her shoes with a fire extinguisher after crossing the finish line.

California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) officials deemed the act unsportsmanlike and disqualified her.

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“I worked so hard for that title,” she said while crying in an interview with KSBW-TV.

Adams also lost the opportunity to compete in the 200-meter race.

Her father, David Adams, defended her in the interview.

FOOTAGE SHOWS LGBTQ PROTESTER ATTACKING CONSERVATIVE AT CALIFORNIA TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP AMID TRANS ATHLETE DRAMA

“When she blew the fire extinguisher, the opponents were gone,” he said. “That was our moment of celebration, and CIF officials made it about them. The crowd went crazy, they loved it, the CIF booth went crazy, they loved it. But those few guys in those jackets took offense to it, didn’t like it, and made a decision based off emotions.”

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The father previously told the Monterey Herald that the CIF’s decision was protested and that he felt like the disqualification was “racially motivated.”

The decision to revoke the teen’s title was heavily criticized online, especially by women’s rights activists who pointed out that Adams was stripped of her title while a biologically male trans athlete was able to compete and win two titles.

Clara Adams lost her title on the same day a trans athlete won two girls’ championships. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

AB Hernandez, representing Jurupa Valley High School, took first place in the girls’ high jump and triple jump, while taking second place in the long jump.

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The controversy involving Hernandez put the entire event under a national microscope, but Adams was the only girls’ athlete who walked away from the meet with a significant penalty.

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