Sports
Lakers hold off late Hornets rally to close road trip with win
In the back of the house at the Spectrum Center, the Hornets’ home arena, workers are greeted with a wall of quotations from an array of famous people, from Jeff Bezos to Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, all surrounding an incredibly basic quote from their former boss, Michael Jordan.
“Just play” it reads on the wall. “Have fun. Enjoy the game.”
For a time on the Lakers’ trip that ended Monday with a 124-118 win in that same building, the Lakers were doing none of the three. But after beating the Hornets to win their third straight, faint traces of optimism emerged as the team moved toward Thursday’s trade deadline.
“When we put our minds to it, we can beat any team in this league,” Anthony Davis said. “You know, we lose two we felt like we should’ve won. Maybe won two that the people in Nevada thought we should lose. When we buckle down defensively and play the right way, play Laker basketball, then we’re a tough team to beat.”
Blowout losses to Houston and Atlanta completely erased any of the momentum built after their two-overtime win against Stephen Curry and the Warriors. LeBron James’ hourglass emoji post only escalated trade-deadline tensions, and Thursday when it was determined that he and Davis would miss the Lakers’ game with the Celtics, a sense of dread kicked in.
Then, the Lakers won and won again, and by the time they took the court in the first half on Monday, they were playing. Having fun. Enjoying the game.
D’Angelo Russell wagged his head and celebrated with the Lakers’ bench after splashing a three. Austin Reaves flipped no-look passes while Davis and James traded turns slamming home dunks, the Lakers looking very healthy against a short-handed 10-win Hornets team playing on the second night of back-to-back games.
“Super fun. Guys are making shots. We’re playing the right way. Swinging the basketball. Getting stops. It’s who we are. It’s who we want our identity to be,” said Davis. “It doesn’t always seem to happen that way, like, kinda at the end of the third and most of the fourth.”
Davis finished with a triple-double of 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, while Russell contributed 28 points and six assists and James had 26 points and seven assists.
The Lakers had 74 points in the first half and they would lead by as many as 21 points. And it seemed they would fully recapture the vibes their Grammy trip started with.
But as the lead slipped away in the fourth quarter, the issues that have plagued the Lakers through much of their season resurfaced.
Barely playing. No more fun. Who could enjoy it?
James’ legs filled with cement. The rims tightened on Russell and Reaves. And the touches didn’t find Davis often enough to exploit their clear interior advantage.
As the Hornets chipped away, the Lakers even resulted to letting the basketball sit untouched in their backcourt while the seconds ticked off the clock — a time-burning strategy that wasn’t quite the same as grabbing the game by the horns.
Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller, two of the only healthy Hornets usually in their best lineups, exploded for 74 combined points. Only when Davis blocked a three-pointer from Bridges could the Lakers exhale, their 4-2 road trip secured.
“We dropped our guard a little bit,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “…But all of that said, we kept fighting, making big defensive plays when we needed to.”
Monday’s win in Charlotte was the Lakers’ final piece of data for the front office as they enter Thursday’s trade deadline, an incredibly tight eye of a needle that needs threading considering their strengths, their weaknesses and their limited pathways for making changes.
With access to just a lone first-round pick — from 2029 nonetheless — and limited players they are willing to trade who are healthy and hold value around the league, the organization is in a tough place as it enters what appears to be a seller’s market.
With playoff expansion putting 20 teams into the postseason mix (counting the play-in tournament), a poorly regarded draft class and low appetites for rebuilds, sellers are scarce, with prices still inflated in the eyes of executives around the NBA.
The Lakers, still in the middle of so many trade rumors, felt at least somewhat confident in the group they headed home with.
“This is who we have,” James said, “so there’s nothing else to talk about.”
Jarred Vanderbilt injury update
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt is dealing with a foot sprain.
(Michael Wyke / Associated Press)
Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt will be out at least three to four more weeks after the team announced Monday that he has a sprain in the middle of his right foot.
Vanderbilt, who usually defends an opponents top perimeter player, suffered a noncontact injury to the foot during the first half of the Lakers’ upset win in Boston on Thursday.
After consulting with multiple foot specialists, it was determined surgery is not needed now. He’ll be reevaluated in about a month.
Vanderbilt missed the first 20 games this season because of a heel injury in his left foot. During his absence, his defensive versatility, ability to force turnovers and rebounding were sorely missed.
Over the last 12 games he played, Vanderbilt averaged 8.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals. He was a plus-30 in 41 minutes against Golden State in the first game of the six-game road trip, which ended in Charlotte.
Caitlin Clark hit in throat during WNBA loose-ball scramble, sparking backlash and game suspension
WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark was hit in the throat during a loose-ball scramble, sparking outrage and a one-game suspension for Alyssa Thomas. Fox News’ Garrett Tenney reports on the ‘absolutely unacceptable’ incident and the coach’s reaction. Political analyst Gianno Caldwell discusses Clark’s immense impact on WNBA viewership, including a $2.2 billion deal, and the role of gender and race in the controversy.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Phoenix Mercury All-Star Alyssa Thomas is the latest villain to Caitlin Clark fans after punching Clark in the throat during a game on Wednesday night.
The referees missed the punch in real time, but fans and the league office did not.
A viral clip of the punch in slow motion spread across social media, pouring gasoline on the ongoing culture war surrounding Clark’s physical treatment by opposing players, which has been a controversial issue dating back to Clark’s rookie season in 2024.
And Less than 24 hours after the incident, the WNBA slapped Thomas with a one-game suspension for what was deemed a “reckless” and “non-basketball act.”
Who is the woman behind the punch?
If Thomas wasn’t in the WNBA, she says she would go pro in combat sports
In a 2019 interview with Nike PLAYlist, Thomas answered what sport she would have gone pro in if she didn’t go pro in basketball.
“Either boxing or MMA,” Thomas said.
If Thomas never went pro in any sport, she said she would have gotten into dentistry.
“Since I was a kid, I loved going to the dentist. I just was fascinated with teeth and still am. I’m passionate about that whole process of cleaning,” according to a profile on WNBA.com.
The first time Thomas stepped on a basketball court, she threw a ‘hissy fit’
Thomas was signed up to try basketball for the first time at the age of five by her mother, Tina, per the WNBA.
Thomas said she “Threw myself all down the stairs, down the hallway,” while her mom said “She just threw an absolute hissy fit.”
WNBA SUSPENDS ALYSSA THOMAS FOR ‘RECKLESSLY’ HITTING CAITLIN CLARK IN THROAT DURING SCRAMBLE
Her parents didn’t let her win a popular board game
Thomas’ parents never took it easy on her when they played “Candyland” as she was growing up.
“We weren’t the parents that were just going to let you win,” Tina said, per the WNBA.
“In life, you have to fight, and how are you going to fight if you don’t teach your kids to fight? So if she fell over, ‘get up, you’re alright,’ and if she didn’t get up, you knew something was wrong.”
It was a parenting tactic also used by the father of New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter, who famously never let Jeter win in board games or card games when he was growing up, to instill harsh competitiveness at an early age.
Thomas added that her mom was especially hard on her and helped develop her toughness.
“By no means was it easy, and it’s still not easy,” Thomas said.
Thomas plays more physically because shoulder issues hinder her shooting ability
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas scrambles to get up over Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark during a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on June 24, 2026. The Phoenix Mercury defeated the Indiana Fever 111-109. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Thomas currently plays basketball with torn labrums in both of her shoulders.
The injuries are so severe that she completely lacks the structural integrity to lift her arms and shoot a traditional, fluid jump shot. Instead, she is forced to use a rigid, one-handed pushing motion from her chest just to get the ball to the rim.
Because she cannot rely on outside shooting, Thomas adapted by leaning entirely into her physical frame. She drives directly into the teeth of opposing defenses, absorbing heavy contact in the paint to score closer to the basket.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark shown after falling in the lane while Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas watches the ball at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Indiana on June 24, 2026. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
That brutal, driving style requires her to initiate intense physical collisions on nearly every single possession.
Despite the mechanical limitations and constant pain, the tactical shift worked. She transformed herself into a six-time All-Star, three-time First-Team All-WNBA, an Olympic gold medalist and the undisputed triple-double queen of the WNBA.
Thomas has been the center of immense criticism this week
The throat punch on Clark ignited a fierce wave of backlash.
Indiana Fever Head Coach Stephanie White led the charge, completely unloading on Thomas and the league’s officials during her postgame press conference.
“We have a generational talent and a WNBA superstar who had two cheap shots right there that weren’t called,” White said, pointing directly at Thomas’s actions. “Absolutely unacceptable.”
White argued that Thomas regularly crosses the line from playing physical defense into inflicting dangerous, non-basketball contact.
“It’s absolutely egregious and utterly disrespectful,” White continued to fume to reporters. “The fist in the throat is crazy. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous.”
On Thursday, Fever President Kelly Krauskopf released a statement praising the decision to suspend Thomas.
“Player safety should be paramount in our league. We appreciate the WNBA’s review of last night’s incident and the action taken. Right now our focus is on Caitlin and our entire team as we prepare for Saturday,” Krauskopf wrote.
Former Minnesota Vikings captain and prominent conservative activist Jack Brewer said the punch would be considered a “hate crime” if the roles were reversed.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“This would be considered a hate crime if it were the other way around,” Brewer told Fox News Digital.
Other critics have expressed their own outrage on social media.
Sports
Parents of ex-NFL player Doug Martin allege excessive force by Oakland police in wrongful death suit
The parents of Doug Martin filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that police officers used excessive force in trying to subdue the former NFL running back while he was “experiencing a mental health crisis” last October.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the Northern District of California, also claims that paramedics contributed to Martin’s death by failing to “provide timely medical care.” The city of Oakland, several police officers and emergency medical service provider Falck USA/Northern California were named as defendants.
Martin died Oct. 18 in a hospital following his arrest by officers responding to reports of a break-in at a residence. He was 36. His death remains under investigation by Oakland police.
According to the Alameda County coroner’s office, Martin’s autopsy reports still are being finalized. Martin family attorney John Burris told the Athletic that an independent pathologist told the family that Martin potentially died from restraint asphyxia.
“Plaintiffs allege, on information and belief, that Decedent Martin died from restraint asphyxia caused by Oakland police officers and the FALCK NORCAL paramedics’ failure to provide timely medical care,” the lawsuit states.
The Oakland Police Department and Falck Norcal did not immediately respond to messages from The Times.
According to the complaint, Martin was “experiencing a mental health crisis” when his mother called for paramedics. He then fled and hid in a neighbor’s basement, where officers found him.
“After a brief struggle, defendant police officers physically restrained him,” the complaint states. “During the restraint, decedent Martin was placed face down while one or more officers pressed on his back. After a period of time, defendant Officers turned him onto his side.
“When they did so decedent Martin was unresponsive seemingly unconscious; However, the defendant officers initially believed he was sleeping or pretending to be sleep. When decedent Martin remained unresponsive, an officer requested medical assistance.
“Plaintiffs are informed and believe that decedent Martin did not receive immediate medical attention. Falck paramedics arrived over 15 minutes after the call for service and, and when they arrived, did not promptly provide medical care.”
A Stockton native, Martin was a first-round pick by Tampa Bay in the 2012 draft. He played six seasons for the Buccaneers, making the Pro Bowl in 2012 and 2015, before spending his final season with the Oakland Raiders in 2018. In his career, Martin rushed for 5,356 yards and 30 touchdowns.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
With 48 teams competing and a grueling path through the knockout stage, reaching the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be an accomplishment in itself.
Only four nations will survive the tournament’s first 100 matches and earn a spot in the final four, putting themselves within two victories of lifting the most coveted trophy in sports.
Let’s take a look at the latest odds to reach the semifinals at FanDuel Sportsbook as of June 26.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
To Reach Semifinals
Argentina: +100 (bet $10 to win $20 total)
France: +110 (bet $10 to win $21 total)
Spain: +120 (bet $10 to win $22 total)
England: +165 (bet $10 to win $26.50 total)
Portugal: +210 (bet $10 to win $31 total)
Brazil: +270 (bet $10 to win $37 total)
Netherlands: +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total)
Germany: +330 (bet $10 to win $43 total)
USA: +380 (bet $10 to win $48 total)
Norway: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)
Colombia: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Belgium: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Morocco: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Switzerland: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)
Mexico: +850 (bet $10 to win $95 total)
Japan: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Croatia: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)
Ecuador: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Canada: +1700 (bet $10 to win $180 total)
Austria: +1900 (bet $10 to win $200 total)
Here’s what to know about this oddsboard:
The Top 10: Argentina, France, Spain, England, Portugal, Brazil, the Netherlands and Germany — all considered powerhouse countries — stand at the top of the board, with each nation listed at +330 or better to reach the semifinals. But right after that group? The USA and Norway. The Americans have never made it to the semifinals of the World Cup, and this is Norway’s first appearance in the tournament since 1998.
-
North Dakota5 minutes agoBurglars steal from Grand Forks business, cancer fundraiser
-
Ohio12 minutes ago20-year-old Emerson homers in Ohio homecoming
-
Oklahoma15 minutes ago523 animals rescued in SE Oklahoma City meth bust, animal welfare overwhelmed
-
Oregon20 minutes agoThe Cost of the Crackdown: How Trump’s immigration enforcement affects Oregon
-
Pennsylvania27 minutes agoFederal government sues Pennsylvania, others over SNAP data
-
Rhode Island30 minutes agoTarget 12: State of RI’s fire hoses
-
South-Carolina35 minutes agoMississippi State baseball lands Will Craddock, South Carolina transfer infielder
-
South Dakota42 minutes agoSouth Dakota Republicans reject censuring John Thune over stalled SAVE America Act
