Sports
LeBron James and resilient Lakers defeat Suns, stay in hunt for No. 3 playoff seed
The ball is back in LeBron James’ hands, and he is thriving in his “new” role as the Lakers’ primary caretaker.
James is in this position in the wake of injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He had been the third option behind Doncic and Reaves, and he shifted back to a role he has been accustomed to playing over his 23-year career.
James has been a force over the last three games, with his latest standout performance coming Friday night in the Lakers’ 101-73 win over the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena.
James finished with 28 points, 12 assists and six rebounds to help the Lakers secure at least the No. 4 seed in the uber-tough Western Conference.
The Lakers (52-29) still have a shot at the third seed if they beat the Utah Jazz at home on Sunday and if the third-place Denver Nuggets lose at San Antonio on Sunday, the final day of the regular season. Because the Lakers won the tiebreaker over the Nuggets, they would get the higher seed over Denver if the two teams finish with identical records.
“Obviously we are going to be able to feed off our crowd. That’s going to be great,” James said. “We’re going to have home court. That’s great for our fans. But the game is played in between the four lines. So, looking forward to that.”
James was 10 for 16 from the field against the Suns and two for two from three-point range.
Lakers guard Luke Kennard, center, controls the ball in front of Phoenix guards Amir Coffey, left, and Jamaree Bouyea during the first half Friday.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Over his last three games in this new role, James has averaged 24.6 points, 12.6 assists and 7.6 rebounds, shooting 60% from the field and 46% from three-point range.
He was on point from the beginning against the Suns.
James quickly went by a defender on a back-door cut, took a pass from Luke Kennard and threw down a two-handed, rim-rattling dunk. James flexed in front of his teammates on the bench, who stood to give their approval. The Suns called time out with four minutes and 53 seconds left in the first quarter, giving the fans more time to appreciate what James was still able to do at 41 years old.
“I’m just trying to make plays,” James said. “I had to tap back into a role that I’ve been accustomed to in the past, but obviously it wasn’t what it was this year. But circumstances have put me back in and I’m just trying to figure out my teammates and my teammates feeding off me and just trying to make things happen for us to continue to stay afloat.”
Whoever the Lakers face in the playoffs, coach JJ Redick believes teams want to face his group because of their injuries. Doncic and Reaves are not expected back for the first-round of the postseason.
“I’m sure everybody wants to play us. Let’s get that out there, like, everybody wants to play us,” Redick said before the game. “Probably teams that are in a position where they can start looking forward to potential second-round matchups as well. … Again, I’ll say what I told the team yesterday, what I told you guys after the game, we have to figure out the formula and the belief for this group to be successful. And so that’s our focus for tonight and that’s going to be our focus on Sunday.”
For Kennard, who had 19 points and three assists in his new role as the lead point guard, the Lakers face a big challenge in the playoffs without Doncic and Reaves.
“You’re missing 60 points a game, and yeah, it’s definitely out there and I’m sure people are thinking about that and what we’re missing,” Kennard said. “But we also have [James] and the way he’s been playing and leading us has been incredible, and obviously, we’re going to need him to continue to do that. But I think these last few games everybody’s starting to get a rhythm.
“We’re starting to figure out what playoffs are going to look like for us, rotations and all of that,” Kennard continued. “Guys are getting more comfortable with it and they’re playing well together and it’s been fun. So, yeah, I think no matter who we play, we’re going to be ready to fight from Day 1, Game 1. And they gotta come here first, no matter who it is, and I think we’re going to look forward to it.”
Notes: Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes missed his third straight game with left foot soreness, but he has been making progress. “Hope to have him back Sunday,” Redick said. “But yeah, he’s still day to day.” … The Lakers waived guard Kobe Bufkin. It means the Lakers have a roster spot available to sign another player for the playoffs. “We’re evaluating all the options we have,” Redick said. … Marcus Smart, who had missed nine straight games with a right ankle contusion, had six points in 18 minutes.
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Golf humbles many, including those who are the best in the world.
Just ask J.T. Poston at the Travelers Championship on Sunday.
What started out as a chance to put a low score on the card at the 13th hole after getting greenside in two shots, Poston, the world No. 32 in the Official World Golf Ranking, posted a 12 in an absolute meltdown that derailed his entire day.
J.T. Poston plays a shot from the first tee during the first round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., on June 25, 2026. (Jordan Bank/Getty Images)
While Poston may not have been in contention, he wasn’t picturing himself at the bottom of the leaderboard by the end of the tournament, but the 12 was the main reason behind finishing 6-over and 1-over on the tournament for 69th place out of the remaining 72 that made the cut.
So, what exactly happened to Poston?
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Well, the 13th hole began with a perfect tee shot that found the middle of the fairway. Then, his second shot found a greenside bunker, but professionals sometimes don’t mind finding those bunkers because of how great their short game is. A good bunker shot and Poston has a chance at birdie on the par-5.
But things went awry from there, as the bunker shot came out quite short, leaving him with a chipping situation. Again, professionals understand that’s not the end of the world, with a chance at par after a solid chip.
The nightmare was just beginning for Poston, though, as his fourth shot went clear across the green and ended up in the water on the other side.
From there, Poston had to drop not once, but three separate times because he couldn’t get his ball back on the green. On his 10th stroke, he finally got the ball into a putting position.
J.T. Poston stands on the first tee box during the second round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., on June 26, 2026. (Ben Jared/PGA Tour)
Poston still had to keep going, putting his 11th stroke and missing it before a tap-in 12 and ending the meltdown in front of the fans.
Poston spoke about the multiple drop balls near the water that continued to roll back into the drink.
“It’s not really rough, where you can kind of blast it out,” Poston said, per Golfweek. “It’s into the grain, but it looks like you can get enough golf ball on it, which is why I kept trying to hit a good chip.”
Poston was asked if he even thought about putting it out of the greenside rough with his chips clearly not working out.
“I feel like it’s just going to hop and that takes all the speed out of it,” he responded. “And you’ve got this big false front you got to get it over. So my worry with trying to putt it was it would not have enough speed to really get there.”
J.T. Poston plays a tee shot on the first hole during the second round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., on June 26, 2026. (Ben Jared/PGA Tour)
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Poston didn’t bounce back on the 14th hole either, as he posted a double bogey on the par-4 to put himself down even more. In the end, Poston posted a 76 on the day to finish off his tournament.
Meanwhile, the Travelers Championship will come down to a playoff that must be played on Monday after Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler found themselves deadlocked at 21-under after the latter sank a putt to force it. Hovland’s putt to win it all just missed and Scheffler took advantage of the open opportunity.
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Less than two hours before the Dodgers took the field in Minneapolis on Wednesday, a pair of powerful earthquakes rattled Venezuela, where the wife and two kids of Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas were visiting and where his sister lives.
The successive magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes left the country’s northern coastal state of La Guaira in ruins, collapsing more than 770 buildings and killing at least 1,450 people, local authorities said Sunday.
All of Rojas’ family members were OK, the Venezuelan native told reporters ahead of Friday’s game against the Padres in San Diego.
“Literally two blocks away from where my family was, two buildings collapsed — the whole building,” he said. “I’m lucky, to be honest with you guys. I’m really lucky to have my family still alive and with me. I’m not taking this for granted.”
Rojas’ wife and kids were in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, which is only about six miles south of the destruction along the coast. His wife was there to renew her passport, and the kids were going to try to get Venezuelan citizenship. His sister was in Los Teques, Rojas’ hometown about 17 miles south of the coastal destruction.
Rescue workers search through rubble on Saturday in Catia La Mar following the devastating double earthquakes.
(Fernando Vergara / Associated Press)
“It’s really tough to see teammates of mine and players that I played with at some point in my career to lose family members, to lose kids,” said Rojas, who had spent years playing baseball in La Guaira. “It’s really devastating. It’s been really hard for me to go to sleep at night.”
Rojas, on Friday, said he was talking daily with his family members, who were still in Venezuela. He hoped to bring them back to the United States as soon as possible. Aftershocks continued to rattle the country into Sunday morning.
As the Dodgers and Padres started their series in Petco Park on Friday, both teams wore caps with the letters “VZ” embroidered on the side to honor the people of Venezuela as the road to recovery begins.
“That means a lot because both teams will be doing it — it means a lot, because it brings awareness,” Rojas said.
“We are on one of the biggest stages in sports, and I really appreciate what the Dodgers do to support us,” he added. “It’s not just what happens now, it’s what’s going to happen in the future. It’s going to take a long time for people to recover.”
Times staff writer Maddie Lee contributed to this report.
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A Sunday of pro wrestling will not be complete without looking over the card for WWE NXT’s The Great American Bash, taking place at WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
The card will feature five championship matches and two others among four people with scores to settle. The anticipation is building and there are sure to be fireworks during these matches.
It will be the first NXT premium live event broadcast on the CW Network. The show begins at 7 p.m. ET.
Read below for a preview of the matches and predictions.
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Shiloh Hill vs. Tristan Angels
Tristan Angels takes Shiloh Hill’s Mr. NXT sash during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, on June 9, 2026. (Matt Pendleton/WWE)
Tristan Angels will hope to keep his vanity at bay just a few minutes as he battles Shiloh Hill on Sunday night. Angels has been one of the newest members of the NXT roster already making an impact. He’s run into Shiloh Hill as of late. Hill was named Mr. NXT, which angered Angels and led to a blindside assault. Their feud heads to The Great American Bash.
Prediction: Tristan Angels announces his presence with authority.
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Saquon Shugars vs. Dion Lennox
Saquon Shugars speaks during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on June 23, 2026. (Andrea Kellaway/WWE)
DarkState tossed Saquon Shugars out of the group earlier this month and it sparked a feud between him and Dion Lennox. The two men traumatized the NXT roster together and while DarkState might fizzle without Shugars, Lennox is looking to keep its momentum going. The two are set to put the bash in The Great American Bash.
Prediction: Saquon Shugars defeats Dion Lennox.
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Myles Borne (c) vs. Tavion Heights for the NXT North American Championship
Myles Borne competes against Dion Lennox during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, on April 21, 2026. (Matt Pendleton/WWE via Getty Images)
Myles Borne has been a really good representative of what an NXT North American champion should be. Borne defeated Ethan Page to win the title back in February and has put away each opponent, including Johnny Gargano and Dion Lennox in TV title defenses. Tavion Heights is a beast that Borne hasn’t faced before. Heights beat Jackson Drake on his way to earning the title shot. He already had a chance to win the title against Page at No Mercy last year, but came up short. Will anyone stop him Sunday night?
Prediction: Myles Borne retains the title.
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Wren Sinclair (c) vs. Arianna Grace for the WWE Women’s Speed Championship
Wren Sinclair wins the WWE Women’s Speed Championship during NXT at the 713 Music Hall in Houston, Texas, on March 17, 2026. (Meg Oliphant/WWE)
Wren Sinclair has been the proud holder of the WWE Women’s Speed Championship since she defeated Fallon Henley for the belt back in March. She puts the title on the line against Arianna Grace, who is a few weeks from losing the TNA Knockouts World Championship to Lei Ying Lee. Grace would love to get a championship back around her waist.
Prediction: Wren Sinclair retains the title.
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Zaria (c) vs. Tatum Paxley for the NXT Women’s North American Championship
Zaria attacks Lizzy Rain during an NXT match at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on May 19, 2026. (Andrea Kellaway/WWE)
It’s a rematch with the NXT Women’s North American Championship on the line. Zaria stunned NXT fans when she defeated Tatum Paxley for the title a few weeks ago. Paxley has not just withered away into the shadows. She’s back and looking for a fight. The match will take place at The Great American Bash.
Prediction: Zaria defeats Tatum Paxley.
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Tony D’Angelo (c) vs. Naraku for the NXT Championship
Tony D’Angelo and Naraku face off during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on May 27, 2026. (Andrea Kellaway/WWE)
Tony D’Angelo told Fox News Digital before his match with Naraku that he was keeping his head on a swivel for any shenanigans from Naraku. He obviously didn’t see a fireball shoot into his face during the official contract signing. D’Angelo has a lot of things to keep his eye on. Naraku is looking to make a statement with a win.
Prediction: Tony D’Angelo retains the title.
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Lola Vice (c) vs. Kendal Grey for the NXT Women’s Championship
Lola Vice competes against Izzi Dame during NXT at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, on May 27, 2026. (Andrea Kellaway/WWE)
Lola Vice has been no fluke as the NXT women’s champion since she won the belt at Stand & Deliver over Kendal Grey and Jacy Jayne. Grey has come all the way back from the loss and earned the No. 1 contender spot. Grey is the challenger everyone in pro wrestling has their eye on. She’s perceived as the future of women’s wrestling in WWE. Sunday night will be something to watch.
Prediction: Kendal Grey wins the NXT Women’s Championship.
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