Sports
New Laker Dorian Finney-Smith excited to try to win with LeBron instead of guarding him
The things that the Lakers and LeBron James are going to like best about Dorian Finney-Smith are the things that have kept Finney-Smith from appreciating his battles against the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
“This is probably the most I ever said something to him. I’ve been guarding him for nine years, but I’m just not too friendly on the court,” Finney-Smith said Monday in Los Angeles.
Just because Finney-Smith is known for his toughness, his willingness to take on brutal defensive assignments, that doesn’t mean his first chat with James would be about the battles the Lakers would fight now that they’re teammates.
Instead, Finney-Smith saw an opportunity.
“I just have to pull that shade down and ask him ‘give me some of those shoes.’ I can finally ask for some of that gear,” Finney-Smith said. “We never know when he’s going to hang it up. It was fun to be able to ask him for something, knowing I ain’t got to compete against him tomorrow.
“… He said he got me. The hard part out the way. I asked. I broke the glass.”
He’s got the gear, now he’s ready to play big-time games.
“I’m excited,” he said. “I’m back to playing some meaningful basketball. It’s been a while, but I’m excited.”
The Lakers broke the glass on their trade market Sunday, sending D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three future second-round picks to Brooklyn for Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton.
Finney-Smith, 31, has played in 20 games this season and is averaging 10.4 points and 4.6 rebounds while attempting 5.4 threes per game and making 43.5% of them. Milton, 28, is averaging 7.4 points in 27 games for the Nets this season while making 38.9% of his three-point shots.
The two players attended — but didn’t participate in — the team’s practice Monday with the hopes of playing Tuesday against Cleveland, provided that all physicals are completed. The Lakers are also expected to get center Jaxson Hayes back from an extended absence because of an ankle injury. Lakers guard Gabe Vincent didn’t practice Monday and is questionable to play against the Cavaliers.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said he plans on using Finney-Smith as a backup for the time being, electing to keep Rui Hachimura in the starting five.
“I already talked to him about it. You know, we’re in a good spot with our starting group right now. So [Finney-Smith will] play and he’ll come off the bench,” Redick said. “And like I’ve told you guys several times, I want consistency with that group. But I’m not gonna be stubborn and locked into something if it’s not working. But it’s working right now, and Doe is a guy that can fit in very easily with any lineup and any sort of roster. He’s easy.
“He has a desire to win and compete and it doesn’t matter to him if he’s starting or coming off the bench.”
Typically, in-season trades are a shock to any player’s system, but for Finney-Smith, he’s been in trade rumors for most of the last two years after Dallas included him in their deal to acquire Kyrie Irving from Brooklyn.
“You hear the noise. But I’m one of them guys, last year I got fed up. I was tired of hearing the noise. You start paying attention to it a little too much and you lose sight of where you’re at,” Finney-Smith said.
“And that’s what happened last year. I thought I was gonna get moved and I ended up staying in Brooklyn. So this year, I just wanted to be where my feet was at. And that was in Brooklyn. So I was just trying to — even though I’m human — you gonna think about it. But I just tried to stay where I was at and that’s in Brooklyn. So I knew the chance of me getting traded was high.
“So it didn’t matter where it was going to be at, I was gonna be ready to go because, again, I was already mentally prepared to get moved. But I’m happy I’m here. I’m not — I don’t wanna say that cause — but if you played for Brooklyn, you know what I mean. You don’t wanna be the little brother in the city. So I’m finally with the big bros.”
Finney-Smith and Milton, strangely enough, were both teammates of Redick’s during his time as a player.
“It gives you a lot of confidence because he knows what you can do so you ain’t got to go out there and try to do nothing you can’t,” Finney-Smith said. “So I just go out there and be me. Sometimes what I do, like you say, won’t show up in the stat sheet. But as long as we win, I’m happy. So that’s all I want to do here is win, bring good vibes, bring that winning mentality, and have fun doing it.”
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After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a point of emphasis at the PGA Championship on Friday.
However, when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated.
Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year’s United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing.
Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley watch from the tenth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock, with the official telling them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas appeared to point at the group in front of them.
“We just didn’t really agree with it,” Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and tough pins. “We were behind. That wasn’t our issue… It’s just the fact that we weren’t holding up the group behind us.”
Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole.
Justin Thomas plays his shot on the 15th tee during the second round of the PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet — though he was definitely not happy with the call.
It is a large PGA Championship field, with 156 golfers at the course and groups even starting their rounds on the back nine. The scores have also been rather high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing.
Aronimink also features a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that’s causing problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth.
Keegan Bradley prepares to putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here.”
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The Sparks are finally in the win column, but the outcome was in doubt late Friday night.
Behind double-digit scoring from all five starters, the Sparks had by far their best offensive showing of the season, shooting 63.8% during a 99-95 win over the expansion Toronto Tempo.
The Tempo didn’t make things easy, cutting the deficit to two points late and later trailing by just three with 31 seconds remaining and possession of the ball. Marina Mabrey missed a three-point attempt before late Tempo fouls gave the Sparks enough of a cushion to win.
Kelsey Plum nearly claimed a double-double with 27 points and nine assists, while Dearica Hamby had 19 points with seven rebounds and Nneka Ogwumike scored 20 points.
Erica Wheeler, who started in place of Ariel Atkins (concussion), scored 10 points with seven assists and was a plus-16 as the primary ball handler after starting the season two for 16 from the field. That freed up Plum to be in position to score, setting up a much more efficient Sparks offense.
Toronto was shorthanded in the frontcourt without starting center Temi Fagbenle (right shoulder), and the Sparks trio of bigs had a field day with 54 points in the paint.
The Sparks came out firing on Friday, opening with a 17-2 run.
The Tempo went on a 10-0 burst heading into the second quarter but the Sparks countered to maintain momentum and led 46-38 at halftime.
A Wheeler three-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Sparks a 20-point lead. The Tempo cut it to three midway through the fourth while Brittany Sykes (27 points, seven assists) sparked Toronto’s rally. The Tempo put up more shots than the Sparks, 70-58, largely because of a 10-2 offensive-rebounding gap.
Cameron Brink’s 10 points were the only ones provided by the Sparks’ bench, while the Tempo got 42 points from reserves.
Toronto was coming off its first win in franchise history on Wednesday when it defeated Seattle but struggled against a more complete offensive team in the Sparks.
In her return to Los Angeles after winning a national championship with UCLA this spring, Tempo rookie Kiki Rice netted 11 points.
Kate Martin made her Sparks debut as a developmental player with Atkins and Sania Feagin (lower left leg) unavailable and picked up one rebound in six minutes.
The Sparks will face Toronto again on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
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The WNBA season has been in session for about a week, so it is far too early to make assumptions about teams. That doesn’t mean we won’t make them; it’s just too early to really believe it. I lost my first WNBA bet this season, so I’m hoping to avenge that loss here as the Sky take on the Mercury.
The Chicago Sky are one of the most poorly run franchises in basketball. They have had some great names on their team and only one championship to show for it.
Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner shoots over Indiana Fever guard Aerial Powers in the first half at PHX Arena. (Rick Scuteri/Imagn Images)
There really isn’t a clear indication of what is wrong with the franchise, but they’ve never been able to retain their talent. Aside from Kamilla Cardoso, I can’t name a player on this team that they’ve actually drafted. They just seem to get good players and then show them the door.
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Even though they’ve had questionable front office decisions, they seem to have put together a solid team for this season – something I didn’t expect before the season started.
They are 2-0, which is too early to really say they are a good team. I also want to reserve judgment until they face a team with a longer history than last year. The Portland Tempo played their first-ever game against the Sky, and Golden State was good last year, but still is in just their second season of existence.
The Phoenix Mercury are actually considered one of the best franchises in the league. I’m sure there are issues that people have reported, but for the most part, they have good facilities, and people want to play for their team. They made it all the way to the WNBA Finals last season before falling to the Las Vegas Aces. This year, they are looking to restart that journey and see if they can win the last game of the year.
Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper dribbles the ball in the second half at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., on July 27, 2025. (Emily Faith Morgan-Imagn Images)
It will need to come with some better play than they’ve shown through three games this year. They are just 1-2 for the year with a 0-1 home record. The lone win was a blowout victory over the Aces (a clear revenge game if we’ve ever seen one). Then they lost the next two games against Golden State and Minnesota. Losing to the Lynx wouldn’t be a problem, but they didn’t have Napheesa Collier, who still has an ankle injury.
I expect the Mercury to make some adjustments for this game. They haven’t looked very crisp to begin the year, but they’ve been strong on offense, averaging 87 points per game.
The Sky are going to keep relying on their offense to do just enough and their defense to lock in. The Sky do have an edge on the interior, so they can get buckets fairly easily down low. I like the over 166.5 in this game.
Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins chases the ball during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on May 13, 2026. (Bob Kupbens/Imagn Images)
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I also think it is worth betting on Kahleah Copper to go over her point total. Copper had two rough games before she broke out in the last game. Now she has the same sight lines and can attack the bigs from the Sky with her athleticism. Since going to Phoenix, she has scored 29, 7, 16, 25 and 28 points in five games against them.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
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