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Good morning! You too should work with your father today.
while you were sleeping
A weekend of beatings
The Lakers and Warriors completed their trade in embarrassment. Los Angeles is back in favor of the explosion Last night, he built a 2-1 series lead, riding three 20-point plays to turn a double-digit second quarter deficit into a 30-point, 127-97 lead.
Remember: This is the Lakers trailing Minnesota by 15 in the second half of the Play-In Game. Now, LeBron and AD find that 2020 shape again.
Go deeper
How many times can warriors flounder like that?
The Heat has heard your bubbly jokes, too Over the past three years the playoff bogeyman Jimmy Butler He has something to say. He has now scored at least 25 points in his last nine playoff games as the Heat stifled the Knicks on Saturday. Nix… where do we begin?
TODAY: The Sixers geared up to enter Game 4 (3:30 a.m. ET, ESPN). James Harden’s powers are gone. Since Philly’s Game 1 win, he has made as many turnovers as field goals. no bueno. (Nuggets–Suns Game 4 comes out later tonight.)
- BTW: At least Joel Embiid returned to MVP form in the Game 3 loss – literally stomping on Celtics defenders in the process.
Joel Embiid accidentally stepped on the head of Grant Williams while he was on the ground.
Williams will remain in the game. pic.twitter.com/sembOLJbxI
– ESPN (espn) May 6, 2023
Coronation day
Bruni stays home
A great day for the royal families.
After months — in fact, we were talking about this in October — of speculation about where Broni James will play college basketball, King James’s son committed to USC on Saturday.
The move, while not unexpected, is interesting for several reasons. Let’s decipher:
- First, how good is Bruni? “A real NBA prospect,” says Sam Vesini, our recruiting expert. He’s a 3’6 and 6-foot-3 guard and by all accounts has improved quite a bit during the hiring process. However, he may come off the bench as a true freshman.
- Second, how good is USC? The Trojans also bring in the #1 freshman class recruit in guard Isaiah Collier. USC was No. 23 in Seth Davis’ first 25 before Bronny committed. The Trojans could be a Pac-12 contender.
- Finally, will this be a circus? definitely. It’s hard for USC basketball to steal the spotlight—many other options in Los Angeles usually take priority—but Trojans games will be must-TV nationally (think Zion on Duke’s level of interest). A gift for the Pac-12 before USC heads to the Big Ten.
Geographically, that’s a great conclusion. Bronney and LeBron will play next season on the same street: The Galen Center at USC (3400 Figueroa Ave) is 1.7 miles from the Crypto.com Arena (1111 S. Figueroa Ave). Congratulations on making it to the HVAC lane!
Derby details
Magic run
A horse with only one career wins. Jockey is 0 for 15 in the Kentucky Derby. Just another surprise in the race for roses.
Do you have a mage on your ticket? The 15-for-1 long shot lived up to his name, and worked magic down the distance to win the 149th Kentucky Derby—the fourth time in five years that a horse had double odds on winning the race. Note to self: never pick a favourite.
a full run of 149 #KyDerby Where the MAGE emerged victorious! pic.twitter.com/hLKQsiZ835
– NBC Sports (NBCSports) May 6, 2023
- Mage’s odds are likely a product of the fact that he only raced three times, winning once. But he pulled ahead down the stretch to beat Two Phil’s (incorrect apostrophe and all) by a length.
- The race came after a turbulent week at Churchill Downs. Seven horses, including one participant in the Derby, had to be euthanized or died at the track since 27 April. Five horses scratched from the race, leaving 18th in the field.
- When asked if Mage would be racing the Preakness Stakes in two weeks, trainer Gustavo Delgado asked for a few days to enjoy the victory. Last year’s Derby winner, Rich Strike, did not run the Preakness. American Pharoah (2015) and Justify (2018) are the only triple crown winners since 1978.
Sunday morning question: What would the perfect derby hat look like? Let us know.
Summary / s
Anonymous execs applied to the NFL Draft
It’s a week removed from the NFL Draft and a week away from freshman players reporting to rookie junior camp. That makes it hot for us, or rather the anonymous NFL executives who spoke with them the athlete.
Here’s what they think of two of the most notable storylines of Day One: Will Levis falling to the Titans (“They need Levis to be the answer because he’ll make all the other issues go away next year”) and Black picks Jahmir Gibbs in #12 (“Using a Pick The first round to swap an unmarked position, that was weird. How cool is Gibbs to justify that?”).
Oil stars attack
Let’s talk about postseason Leon Dricetel. The Oilers forward scored two more goals on Saturday as Edmonton tied the Golden Knights with a 5-1 win in Game Two. The NHL Postseason record is just 19.
Go deeper
Why Leon Dricetel’s Qualifying Tour needs no explanation – just awe
Do LSU Hoops Make a Super Team?
It’s time to ask if defending national champion LSU can do better next season. Former DePaul forward Anissa Morrow — who averaged 25.7 points and 12.2 rebounds per game last year — committed to the Tigers this weekend, joining Louisville club Hayley Van Leith. And High School Recruiting Class #1. Oh, Angel Reese and Flauge Johnson are back too. stack team.
Pulse options
Happy Miami Grand Prix day! Follow our live updates from the race – and before it starts, catch up on Luke Smith’s feature on F1’s only American team.
Arthur Stapel writes that the Rangers have moved on from head coach Gerard Gallant, but that doesn’t solve all of New York’s problems.
The Cardinals made an off-season signing transfer of Wilson Contreras from catcher to DH/outfielder. Katie Wu explains why.
The Bucks championship changed expectations. Eric Nehm writes that the next coach needs to meet them.
Grant Wahl was posthumously inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame.
Zach Rosenblatt got a deep read on Will McDonald’s fourth first-round draft pick, whose path to New York wasn’t always easy.
Prior to Game 3, Pierre LeBron took a look at Sam Bennett’s rise to Leafs villain and Panthers squad-maker.
(Top photo: Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)