NBA's Southwest Division got a whole lot better with top 2 picks in draft in Flagg, Harper
The Dallas Mavericks, just months removed from the shocking trade involving superstar Luka Doncic , selected Duke forward Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, a predetermined decision after the franchise won the draft lottery.
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Newsweek
26 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Warriors' Steph Curry Gets Honest About Future Retirement
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Steph Curry has been the face of the Golden State Warriors for years. Even at 37 years old, he is still playing at an elite superstar level and has shown no signs of slowing down. Last season, he was able to lead the Warriors to the playoffs once again. He led an upset in the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Rockets, who were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, he suffered a hamstring injury in the second round against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Following Curry's injury against the Timberwolves, Golden State was quickly eliminated in five games. Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates during the third quarter in game seven of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on April 30, 2023... Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates during the third quarter in game seven of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on April 30, 2023 in Sacramento, California. More Photo byAs time rolls on, the future has become a question mark for Curry. How much longer will he keep playing in the NBA? Read more: Former NBA Star Fires Shade at Spurs' Victor Wembanyama That is a question that he has started speaking out about. During a recent appearance with Complex, Curry opened up again about his NBA future. "I'm kind of just taking it in two-year chunks. I just want to be in a position where I've put myself in a position where I can say I've done everything I can," Curry said. "I'm not nowhere close to that." Fans will love to hear that news. Curry has become a fan favorite across the league. When he chooses to hang up his shoes and retire, it will be an incredibly sad day for the NBA. He also opened up about the most difficult part of the NBA grind for him these days. The offseason has become more difficult. "Mostly the offseason for me are the hardest than the like in season experience because once you get into the 82 games like it's repetition," he said. "You know what you need to do — practice, off days, you love playing and the games are the most fun... the games are so much fun. Like you get lost in the game. Like that's the easy part." Read more: Lakers' Marcus Smart Sends Bold Luka Doncic Message Throughout his 1,026-game career thus far, Curry has averaged 24.7 points per game to go along with 6.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. He has also shot 47.1 percent from the floor and 42.3 percent from the three-point line. Curry will play most of the 2025-26 NBA season at 37 years old. He will turn 38 on March 14 of 2026. Hopefully, he's able to stay healthy and continue his career on his terms. He sounds ready to play for at least two more years and possibly more past that. For more on the Golden State Warriors and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Fox Sports
27 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Rangers vs. Braves Prediction, Odds, Picks
Data Skrive Adolis Garcia and the Texas Rangers will play Ozzie Albies and the Atlanta Braves at Globe Life Field in the first of a three-game series, on Friday at 8:05 p.m. ET. Bookmakers list the Rangers as -162 moneyline favorites, while giving the underdog Braves +136 moneyline odds. Texas is favored on the run line (-1.5). An 8-run total is listed in this game. Here's everything you need from a betting perspective on the Rangers-Braves game, regarding the run line, moneyline and total, plus expert picks. Keep up with MLB on FOX Sports. Check out the best moments between the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves. Rangers vs. Braves Game Information & Odds When: Friday, July 25, 2025 at 8:05 p.m. ET Where: Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas How to watch on TV: MLB Network, CW33, and FDSSO Favorite Favorite Moneyline Underdog Moneyline Total Over Total Odds Under Total Odds Run Line Favorite Run Line Odds Underdog Run Line Odds Rangers -162 +136 8 -115 -105 -1.5 +132 -160 Rangers vs. Braves Prediction Score Prediction: Rangers 4, Braves 3 Total Prediction: Under 8 runs Win Probabilities: Rangers 58%, Braves 42% Rangers vs. Braves Betting Insights This season, the Rangers have been favored 51 times and won 34, or 66.7%, of those games. Texas has entered 17 games this season favored by -162 or more and is 14-3 in those contests. The implied probability of a win from the Rangers, based on the moneyline, is 61.8%. The Braves have won in five, or 22.7%, of the 22 contests they have been named as odds-on underdogs this year. This season, Atlanta has been a moneyline underdog of -162 or longer four times, losing every contest. The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Braves have a 42.4% chance of coming away with a victory in the contest. The Rangers won each of the five games they played while the moneyline favorite over their last 10 matchups. In their last 10 matchups, the Rangers and their opponents combined to go over the run total five times (all 10 games had set totals). The Rangers have gone 8-2-0 against the spread over their past 10 games. Stat Avg/Total Record 8-2 Runs Per Game 4.9 HR 14 ERA 1.88 K/9 9.7 Marcus Semien has 11 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 42 walks while hitting .228. Semien's home runs put him 83rd in MLB, and he ranks 58th in RBI. Josh Smith has a club-high .278 batting average. Smith ranks 161st in homers and 219th in RBI in the bigs. Corey Seager has launched a team-high 15 homers. Seager is on a six-game hitting streak entering this contest. During his last 10 outings he is hitting .368 with five doubles, two home runs, four walks and 10 RBIs. Garcia has been productive as he paces his team with 57 runs batted in. In three games over the last 10 matchups when set as underdogs by sportsbooks, the Braves had a record of 1-2. In their last 10 games with a total, the Braves and their opponents have failed to hit the over three times. The Braves have three wins against the spread in their last 10 chances. Stat Avg/Total Record 4-6 Runs Per Game 5.1 HR 12 ERA 6.09 K/9 8.3 Matt Olson leads the Braves in home runs (18) and runs batted in (64). Olson is 32nd in homers and 18th in RBI among all batters in MLB. Olson carries a seven-game hitting streak into this matchup. During his last 10 outings he is batting .250 with two doubles, a home run, eight walks and six RBIs. Albies is hitting .221 with 12 doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 37 walks. Albies is 145th in homers and 121st in RBI among all hitters in the big leagues. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .235 with 11 doubles, 13 home runs and 64 walks. Ronald Acuna has nine doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 37 walks while batting .320. Check out the best moments between the Athletics and the Texas Rangers. FOX Sports created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Texas Rangers Atlanta Braves recommended Item 1 of 3
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
OKC Thunder mailbag: How should Lu Dort's possible contract extension be handled?
The calendar nears August, which means the NBA is in its driest part of the year. Rosters are mostly set as front offices head into vacations for the next couple of months before training camps start. The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter the 2025-26 season with the hopes of being repeat NBA champions. They had one of the greatest seasons ever with a 68-14 regular-season record and captured the Larry O'Brien trophy. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were all signed to new contract extensions this offseason. But what about another Thunder starter who is sneakily extension-eligible? With plenty of time to kill, Thunder Wire will conduct regular mailbags to answer questions that fans have. One question being asked is if the Thunder should go four-for-four with big extensions this summer and sign Lu Dort to a new deal. There's no straightforward answer as OKC's payroll situation gets dicey after next season. Dort has two years, $36.4 million left on his current deal. The second year is a 2026-27 team option for $18.2 million. Considering the 26-year-old had his best season yet as he finally earned All-Defensive Team honors and stepped up in the playoffs, he's being criminally underpaid. That should change soon. If the Thunder feel confident enough about their payroll situation and comfortable with an expensive roster, they could go ahead and sign him this summer. But considering their recent history of decline-and-sign deals, they could wait until the next offseason to ink him to a long-term contract. Considering what other top defenders make, Dort could get in the $20 million to $30 million salary range pretty easily. He could surpass that, too. As currently constructed, that would place the Thunder with quite an expensive payroll. Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren are set to take up around 85% of OKC's cap space once the 2026-27 season starts. It'd be tough to pencil in another decent-sized salary before running into roster construction problems. You also have to consider other contract situations with Dort. Isaiah Hartenstein has a $28.5 million team option for the 2026-27 season. Cason Wallace will be eligible for an extension next summer. Alex Caruso will start a four-year, $81.1 million extension this upcoming season. It's a lot to tie up. The Thunder may need to decline Hartenstein's option anyway to avoid being punished with the first and second aprons. That doesn't even include the possibility of keeping Dort or Wallace. Just ballparking OKC's long-term cap sheet, it may be one or the other. Which is a tough decision to make. But if the Thunder hope to keep both, Caruso could be a trade candidate to make that possible. Even though he's on the wrong side of the age curve, the 31-year-old has a tradeable contract that averages around $20 million per season. He should easily have a market. If the Thunder move on from him and let Hartenstein walk, that could signal their hope to keep Dort and Wallace. I think the Thunder should do what they do best. Kick the can down the road. Make any long-term decisions on that group of four role players after next season. Dort has been a fixture since he arrived in 2019. He's been one of OKC's best gems ever as an undrafted rookie. Who knows how the Thunder prioritizes their upcoming contract situations outside of their Big 3, but Dort would be worth the headache to keep on a new extension. He's that valuable on both ends of the floor and is still in his prime. Extend Dort now or wait until next offseason before deciding what to do?What will happen with Dieng's contract? Salary dump him at the deadline and convert Barnhizer or Carlson to a standard deal? Trade Dieng for a win-now veteran?Will Chet's minutes be managed this reg szn?
