Sports
Justin Herbert, Chargers had chances to beat the Chiefs but limped at the finish line
Facing a tie score in the fourth quarter for a second consecutive week, the Chargers lined up with a chance to make a strong statement. Fourth and one from the Kansas City three-yard line, Justin Herbert dropped back. Before he could even set his feet to pass, Kansas City’s Chris Jones was in the quarterback’s face.
Herbert could only throw the best chance to knock off their AFC West rival through the back of the end zone.
The quarterback played through a high-ankle sprain for a second consecutive week but couldn’t will his shorthanded team to an upset over the Chiefs, who did convert on their critical chances in the fourth quarter Sunday to win 17-10 at SoFi Stadium.
The two-time defending Super Bowl champions won their sixth straight game over the Chargers (2-2) with five of the six coming by one possession.
Outside linebacker Khalil Mack, now in his third season with the Chargers, said this week that the championship pedigree of the Chiefs shows up as the team “find[s] ways to win games.”
The statement he made with equal parts envy and awe in front of his locker Thursday played out on the field.
The Chargers (2-2) came up empty from the three-yard line. The Chiefs (4-0) pieced together the game-winning five-play, 60-yard drive in the fourth quarter that broke a 10-10 tie.
“We had a chance to do something special, man,” Mack said, “and wasn’t able to hold on to the rope when it mattered the most.”
Including a 20-10 loss to the Steelers last week, the Chargers have not scored a second-half point in consecutive games. The Chargers, who allowed just one red zone touchdown in the first three games, gave up the decisive score on a two-yard touchdown run by Samaje Perine.
The Chargers dominated the first quarter behind a shorthanded defense that forced takeaways on each of the Chiefs’ first two drives.
A fumble forced by Tuli Tuipulotu and recovered by Elijah Molden led to a seven-yard touchdown pass from Herbert to Ladd McConkey, who tapped his toes in the back of the end zone for his second NFL touchdown.
Chargers receiver Ladd McConkey (15) hauls in a touchdown pass in the first half behind Chiefs safety Bryan Cook (6).
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
But Herbert got up from the play limping after absorbing a strong hit from Kansas City defensive end Malik Herring. Already hobbled with a high-right ankle sprain, Herbert was sacked twice and hit 10 times behind an offensive line without starting tackles Rashawn Slater (pectoral) and Joe Alt (knee).
Herbert finished with 179 yards and one touchdown on 16-of-27 passing.
“Gotta get him just a little bit more time,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Some of the throws he made, some of the plays he made were incredible.”
The patchwork offensive line that featured Sam Mustipher at starting right guard one day after the third-string center was elevated from the practice squad struggled in all aspects. The Chargers rushed for just 55 yards and had nine penalties, including five from offensive linemen.
Cornerback Kristian Fulton intercepted a pass in the second quarter and returned it 29 yards to the Kansas City 20. However, penalties by Mustipher and new left tackle Jamaree Salyer turned that opportunity into a 50-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead with 3:53 left in the first quarter.
That kept the Chiefs well within striking distance and they finally took advantage in the second quarter on a 54-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Xavier Worthy to draw within three.
Chargers’ injured starting offensive tackles Joe Alt (left) and Rashawn Slater watch action against the Chiefs.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
“We gotta be more disciplined,” left guard Zion Johnson said. “But I think that’s the thing, that we can go to the drawing board, and fix those things and the future’s bright once we fix those things.”
The upcoming off week that at first seemed too early is now coming at the right time for the Chargers, who were also without safety Derwin James Jr. (suspension) and outside linebacker Joey Bosa (hip).
Herbert, who played with an additional brace around his ankle Sunday, finished the game but came up limping after several hits. Getting Slater and Alt back will be necessary to stabilize an offense that wants to rely on its rushing attack, which has been held to 116 yards over the last two games.
Mack, now in his 11th year in the league, will focus on nursing his ailing hip and knee. After consecutive losses, however, the Chargers still are expected to practice once during the off week.
“Can’t really think about this as a bye week,” Mack said, “gotta think about it as a work week.”
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Napoleon Solo took home the 2026 Preakness Stakes on Saturday, the 151st running of the race.
The favorite in Taj Mahal, the 1 horse, was in the lead from the start until the final turn until Napoleon Solo made his move on the outside and took the lead at the top of the stretch. As Taj Mahal fell off, Iron Honor, the 9 horse, snuck up, but the effort ultimately was not enough.
Napoleon Solo opened at 8-1 and closed at 7-1. Iron Honor, at 8-1, finished second, with Chip Honcho fishing third after closing at 11-1. Ocelli, one of just three horses to run both the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago and Saturday’s Preakness, finished fourth at 8-1.
A Preakness branded starting gate is seen on track prior to the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026 in Laurel, Maryland. For the first and only time, Laurel Park is hosting the Preakness Stakes which is the second race of the Triple Crown jewel due to the traditional home of the race of the Pimlico Race Course undergoing complete renovations. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
A $1 exacta paid out $53.60, while a $1 trifecta brought in $597.10. But someone out there is very lucky, as a $1 superhighfive – picking the top-five finishers in order – paid out $12,015.70.
Even moreso, a 20-cent Pick 6 – picking the winners of the six consecutive races, with the final being the Preakness, paid out $33,842.34.
The race was run without the Kentucky Derby winner for the second year in a row. After Sovereignty did not run the Preakness last year – and wound up winning the Belmont Stakes – the training team of Golden Tempo opted to skip the Maryland race.
From 1960 to 2018, only three Derby winners did not run in the Preakness. Three Derby winners have skipped the Preakness in the last five years, and for the sixth time in eight years, for various reasons, the Triple Crown had already been impossible to accomplish by the time the Preakness even rolled around.
“I understand that fans of the sport or fans of the Triple Crown are disappointed, but the horse is not a machine,” Golden Tempo’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux, told Fox News Digital earlier this week.
Paco Lopez, right, atop Napoleon Solo, edges out Iron Honor, ridden by Flavien Prat, to win the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
CHERIE DEVAUX REFLECTS ON MAKING KENTUCKY DERBY HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE TRAINER TO WIN THE RACE
Only three horses from two weeks ago – Ocelli, Robusta, and Incredibolt, were back at the Preakness. Corona de Oro, the 11 horse on Saturday, was scratched well ahead of the Derby, and Great White, who reared up and fell on his back after becoming startled shortly before entering the Derby gate, took the 13 post on Saturday.
The Preakness went off roughly 24 hours after a horse died following the completion of his very first race.
Hit Zero, trained by Brittany Russell, came into the race as the favorite. However, he finished last in the race, which was won by another one of Russell’s horses, Bold Fact — and upon crossing the finish line, Hit Zero reportedly began coughing, dropped to his knees, then put his head down and died.
The Preakness took place at Laurel Park as Pimlico undergoes renovations. It was the first time ever that Pimlico did not host the race, moving roughly 20 miles south.
Paco Lopez, atop Napoleon Solo, wins the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
The Belmont Stakes, the final Triple Crown race, will take place on June 6. The race will return to Saratoga for a third year in a row as Belmont Park continues to be renovated.
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HIGH SCHOOL BOYS VOLLEYBALL
CITY SECTION FINALS
FRIDAY
At Birmingham
DIVISION I
#1 Taft d. #3 Cleveland, 25-23, 25-14, 25-21
DIVISION IV
#7 Maywood CES d. #4 Math & Science College Prep, 25-17, 25-17, 25-23
At Venice
DIVISION II
#4 Marquez d. #6 Narbonne, 23-25, 25-19, 29-27, 25-16
DIVISION III
#13 Birmingham d. #2 Legacy, 25-20, 17-25, 31-33, 25-21, 15-10
SATURDAY
At Birmingham
OPEN DIVISION
#3 Chatsworth d. #1 Granada Hills, 24-26, 25-21, 25-14, 25-18
DIVISION V
314 Franklin d. #13 Rancho Dominguez, 25-18, 25-19, 25-16
SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS
THURSDAY
At Home Sites
DIVISION 9
Vasquez d. Tarbut V’ Torah, 25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-10
FRIDAY
At Cerritos College
DIVISION 1
#1 Mira Costa d. #3 Loyola, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22
DIVISION 4
Sunny Hills d. Royal, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 25-23
At Home Sites
DIVISION 5
Bishop Diego d. St. Anthony, 25-19, 25-19, 23-25, 25-23
DIVISION 8
Temescal Canyon d. West Valley, 24-26, 25-16, 25-19, 25-23
SATURDAY
At Cerritos College
DIVISION 2
Orange Lutheran d. Edison, 3-1
DIVISION 3
Windward d. St, John Bosco, 24-26, 25–21, 25-22, 25-20
DIVISION 6
Culver City d. Garden Grove, 27-25, 25-20, 19-25, 21-25, 15-9
Sports
It’s Game 7, and we have a bet locked in as the Cavaliers and legacies are on the line against the Pistons
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The NBA takes a lot of flak for having meaningless games, and I can definitely understand it, watching on a random Wednesday in January. However, the playoffs have delivered over and over to viewers and rewarded us for putting up with garbage regular-season games.
This will be the fourth Game 7 of the playoffs. Three series have been sweeps, and the other three have been six games. That shows competitive hoops. Now, how do we bet this Game 7 in the Eastern Conference?
The Cleveland Cavaliers blew it. After not winning a road game all postseason, they took Game 5 in surprising fashion. It looked like they were going to win in six games. After all, they hadn’t lost a game at home in the postseason.
Instead, Detroit came out and blitzed the Cavs, never giving them a chance to get their footing. They lost in an ugly fashion and now have to figure out a way to win a game on the road.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden drives to the basket against the Detroit Pistons during the second half of Game 5 in the second-round NBA playoffs in Detroit on May 13, 2026. (Duane Burleson/AP)
It isn’t just the Cavs’ fate that rests in this game. It is also the legacy of James Harden and, to a lesser extent, Donovan Mitchell.
We know that Mitchell is a very good player, but he isn’t regarded as one of the best players ever. Harden is. Unfortunately, Harden has struggled in Game 7s. He’s averaged 19.1 points, 7.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds. That’s not terrible, but looking at his shooting percentages, he is at 35.3% and 22.2% in those games. He actually is 4-4 overall in the games, but in his past three, he has scored a combined 34 points over 113 minutes.
The Detroit Pistons seem to like playing with their backs against the wall. They are a gritty team, so I suppose it makes sense.
Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren reacts after allowing a pass to go out of bounds in the second half of Game 4 of the second-round NBA playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland on May 11, 2026. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
Cade Cunningham continues to deliver for the team, and he finally got some help in Game 6 from Jalen Duren. This was never going to be an easy series for Duren, but it feels like he is taking more time to mature than others. He definitely improved this year, but the consistency they need from him just isn’t there yet.
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Now as the team goes home they will need Duren to be a beast on the glass. If he can keep the Pistons in the rebounding battle, they should win this game with ease. They won Game 6 by just three rebounds, but that takes away a big dimension of what Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley do for the Cavs. It isn’t everything, though, as the Pistons won the rebounding battle in both losses in Cleveland.
I don’t see this being a runaway game for the Pistons. Mitchell and Cunningham likely will cancel each other out with scoring. Harden needs to establish himself as the third-best player on the floor. I haven’t seen him do that in the postseason, yet.
Cleveland Cavaliers All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden talk during Game 2 in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs vs. the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Ohio. (David Dermer/Imagn Images)
This is the second Game 7 of the playoffs for both of the clubs, so it isn’t like either will be caught off guard about what this entails.
If I look at it objectively, I think the Cavs have the better players. However, the Pistons have looked significantly better this season, and definitely in the playoffs overall. Both are prone to issues and slipping. The Cavs shouldn’t be as they are a veteran team.
This game has to be won by Cleveland, though. There is too much riding on the franchise and legacies of guys for them to not prepare properly for it. Maybe that’s weak analysis, but I’m taking the Cavs with the points and I do think they win outright. I expect a monster game from Mitchell, and Harden should get 10+ assists.
Either way, whoever wins will lose to the New York Knicks.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
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