Manny Machado's 2,000th career hit
With many eyes on Mets top pitching prospects, two of them delivered big performances on the Fourth of July. Brandon Sproat had his second straight strong start for Triple-A Syracuse, striking out eight over five innings while only allowing two hits and one walk. Jonah Tong continued his incredible run of starts at Double-A Binghamton, with 10 strikeouts over 5.2 innings of work.
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NBC Sports
6 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
NBA Summer League 2025: Schedule, key players to watch including Cooper Flagg vs. Bronny James
The NBA Summer League has arrived. The appetizers took place in Salt Lake City and California's Bay Area, with the main course starting Thursday, July 10, in Las Vegas. That's where all 30 NBA teams descend on the city with their rosters of young players trying to get a foothold in the league. It's an NBA event like any other, where fans can get closer to players (more like MLB spring training) than they usually can. Here is everything you need to know about the 2025 NBA Summer League. Where is the NBA Summer League 2025? Las Vegas. That's the short answer. The more detailed answer is that there are actually three Summer Leagues. First, there are a couple of appetizers — the Salt Lake City Summer League (hosted by the Jazz) and the California Classic (played at the Warriors' Chase Center in San Francisco). This summer, those featured the first games for No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe of the 76ers and No. 5 pick Ace Bailey of the Jazz. Then comes the main course — the Las Vegas Summer League. Sin City has been the primary home of the NBA Summer League since 2004, although that first year had just six teams. Now, all 30 teams come to the desert in July, and the games are played in one of two connected arenas on the UNLV campus. Every game is broadcast nationally, and the NBA Summer League has become a convention for the league and a bucket-list item for big NBA fans. Here's what you need to know about the 2025 NBA Las Vegas Summer League. What is the NBA Summer League schedule? All 30 teams play at least four games in the Las Vegas Summer League. To see the full schedule of group-play games, just follow this link. Check out @ESPNNBA's 2025 @NBASummerLeague schedule 🏀 Action tips off Thursday in Las Vegas Details: What is the point of the NBA Summer League? While the NBA has turned Summer League into a profit center (low-wage players, packed arenas, broadcast rights), it remains an important part of a team's offseason development — and it can be critical for some players, especially those trying to get noticed and/or earn a roster spot. The point of Summer League depends on the player and their situation. • Rookies with NBA contracts: For the first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, as well as second-rounders who signed an NBA deal, Summer League is a measuring stick. Teams bring in their young players, work them out in their system, and put them in a professional game to see where things stand. While there is a strong temptation among fans and media to draw broad conclusions — and certainly strengths and weaknesses are on full display — what matters is improvement. For example, Utah's No. 5 pick Ace Bailey struggled in his Utah Summer League debut but looked much better in his second game. That growth is what matters to teams. Also, how a player looks this summer is a baseline, teams want to see how much better they look at Summer League a year from now. For the biggest names — Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, etc. — teams don't want to risk an injury, so they traditionally only play a couple of games and are shut down. • Second-year players: If the first year at Summer League sets a baseline for a rookie, the second year becomes a chance to measure how far that player has progressed. Something to watch: Players who received regular NBA run as rookies and then return to Summer League should dominate the game, they should have risen beyond this level. If they don't, it's a red flag. Also, for some second-year players, it's a chance to try out a new role their team couldn't give them during the regular season. For example, the Lakers put the ball in Dalton Knecht's hands at the California Classic and asked him to run the offense and be a shot creator, something they could not do during the regular season with Doncic and LeBron on the court. • Undrafted players/guys without a contract for next season. The best stories of Summer League are the unexpected standouts nobody saw coming. Maybe the most classic example of this was everyone showing up to watch No. 1 pick John Wall at Summer League and walking away saying, 'Who is this Jeremy Lin kid?' Or watching a player such as Austin Reaves stand out enough with the Lakers that he played his way into a two-way contract with the team (and eventually became a key part of their rotation). These players without contracts after the summer make up the vast majority of players in Las Vegas. These are the guys diving after loose balls and hustling at every step because they are playing for their next contract (that can also lead to some questionable shot selection and decisions as guys try to do too much). Some of those contracts will be in the G League, and many of them will be playing overseas next season. That is part of the quiet business going on at Summer League, there are a lot of international scouts looking at players not quite ready to make an NBA roster who would be the standout star of a mid-sized European club. When is Cooper Flagg's NBA Summer League debut? No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg is scheduled to make his debut Thursday night, July. 10, at 8 ET when the Dallas Mavericks take on the Los Angeles Lakers (the game will be broadcast on ESPN). Flagg's second game is scheduled for Saturday at 4 ET (ESPN), when he and the Mavericks take on No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and the San Antonio Spurs. Often stars such as Flagg are shut down by the team after a game or two of Summer League, but if he plays (or, if he doesn't) the rest of the Dallas schedule is July 14 vs. Charlotte (6:30 ET, NBATV) and July 16 vs. Philadelphia at 8 ET (ESPN). Is Bronny James playing in the NBA Summer League? Yes — in fact, he's already played a couple of games. Bronny scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting (2-of-7 from beyond the arc) in two games in the California Classic. He also did this: BRONNY JAMES WITH THE HUGE THROWDOWN 😮💨 MIA-LAL | California Classic on NBA TV In Las Vegas, his first game will be a highly anticipated matchup against Flagg and the Mavericks on Thursday night, July 10, at 8 ET (broadcast on ESPN). It's unclear how many more games Bronny will play after that. The rest of the Lakers' Las Vegas schedule is as follows: Saturday, July 12, vs. New Orleans (8:30 ET on ESPN2), July 14 vs. the Clippers at 10:30 ET (NBATV), and July 17 vs. Boston (9:00 ET, ESPN). Cooper Flagg vs Bronny James preview This social media dream matchup is the most anticipated game of the 2025 NBA Summer League – the 17,923-seat Thomas & Mack Center is already sold out. According to TickPick, the current 'get-in' price for a Thursday Summer League ticket is $83, which jumps to $643 for the lower bowl in the Thomas & Mack, and courtside tickets are going for $2,519. Bronny and Flagg will not be directly matched up much (Bronny is a guard, Flagg a forward), but both are defense-first players who thrive when playing in transition — this could be an entertaining, up-and-down contest. With Bronny, remember that what matters is improvement — how much better is he now than a year ago? He's not there yet, but is he making strides toward being an NBA rotation player? That's what the Lakers want to see. One other thing to remember, this is Flagg's and Dallas' first Summer League game, they will be trying to shake things out, while this is the Lakers' fourth game, and they have developed a rhythm. That could lead to a rough opening night for Flagg. If it happens, don't read too much into it — Victor Wembanyama had a rough first outing at Summer League (Kai Jones dunked all over him, we all blamed his flirtation with Brittney Spears for throwing his game off). Wemby turned out to be okay. How much do NBA Summer League players get paid? Not much, although like NBA regular season salaries, it depends on who we're talking about. For players under NBA contracts — such as No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and other high draft picks, or returning players like Bronny James— playing in Summer League is part of their contract and is generally covered by the CBA. The NBA does have 'summer contracts' that are essentially make-good contracts — play well enough, and this can become an Exhibit 10 (a training camp contract plus a bonus for signing with the team's G-League franchise when waived) or an Exhibit 9 (a training camp invite). Keep playing well, keep impressing the coach and front office, and these make good contracts could eventually see the player on an NBA roster. Most of the players on a Summer League roster eventually sign in the G-League or to play overseas. The players also receive a $125 per day per diem for food or any other expenses they choose to incur. NBA Summer League champions, MVPs by year Winning it all isn't the primary goal for teams heading into Summer League, but these are competitive people, and when a prize is put in front of them, they go all out for it. Here is a list of past Las Vegas Summer League winners: 2024 Miami Heat 2023 Cleveland Cavaliers 2022 Portland Trail Blazers 2021 Sacramento Kings 2020 Cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) 2019 Memphis Grizzlies 2018 Portland Trail Blazers 2017 Los Angeles Lakers 2016 Chicago Bulls 2015 San Antonio Spurs 2014 Sacramento Kings 2013 Golden State Warriors Here's a list of former Las Vegas Summer League MVPs: 2024 Jalen Wilson (Brooklyn Nets) 2023 Cam Whitmore (Houston Rockets) 2022 Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings) 2021 Co-MVPs Davion Mitchell (Sacramento Kings), Cameron Thomas (Brooklyn Nets) 2020 Cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) 2019 Brandon Clarke (Memphis Grizzlies) 2018 Josh Hart (Los Angeles Lakers) 2017 Lonzo Ball (Los Angeles Lakers) 2016 Tyus Jones (Minnesota Timberwolves) 2015 Kyle Anderson (San Antonio Spurs) 2014 Glen Rice Jr. (Washington Wizards) 2013 Jonas Valančiūnas (Toronto Raptors) 2012 C0-MVPs, Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), Josh Selby (Memphis Grizzlies)
Washington Post
9 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Nolan Arenado back in Cardinals lineup after missing 3 games with a shoulder impingement
ST. LOUIS — Nolan Arenado was back in the St. Louis starting lineup Wednesday night, playing third base and batting fifth as the Cardinals played the second game of a three-game series against the Washington Nationals. Arenado had missed the last three games with a right shoulder impingement. The eight-time All-Star also was sidelined for two games last week, after he had jammed while recording his 1,900th career hit in a game against the Guardians.
Associated Press
16 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Nolan Arenado back in Cardinals lineup after missing 3 games with a shoulder impingement
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Arenado was back in the St. Louis starting lineup Wednesday night, playing third base and batting fifth as the Cardinals played the second game of a three-game series against the Washington Nationals. Arenado had missed the last three games with a right shoulder impingement. The eight-time All-Star also was sidelined for two games last week, after he had jammed while recording his 1,900th career hit in a game against the Guardians. The 34-year-old Arenado is having perhaps the worst seasons of his 13-year big league career. The 10-time Gold Glove winner, who led the NL in homers three times during his days in Colorado and twice led the league in RBIs, entered Wednesday hitting just .248 with 10 homers and 41 RBIs in 81 games for St. Louis. ___ AP MLB:
