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🏀 Five things to know Wednesday
- The Knicks eye a bounce-back in Game 4 of NBA Finals. Before the NBA could look ahead to tonight’s Game 4, it had to first revisit a controversial play from Game 3. The league admitted that Victor Wembanyama fouled Jalen Brunson on what went as a no-call, but it said it will not upgrade the foul to a flagrant. With that business handled, the Knicks have their sights set on a bounce-back in tonight’s contest at Madison Square Garden, and they identified a handful of things they need to adjust in order to get back in the win column. That loss Monday snapped their 13-game win streak, but so long as they do not lay an egg tonight, the Knicks will still have the Spurs on the ropes. By the way, President Donald Trump is reportedly unlikely to attend Game 4.
- The Stanley Cup Final is level again at two games apiece. A hot start to Game 4 saw the Hurricanes rattle off two goals in the first 3:28, and even though the lead evaporated, Carolina ended up victorious by that two-goal margin. The Golden Knights fought their way to a 3-3 tie heading into the third period, but with about 14 minutes to play, Jordan Staal sent in his second goal of the night to put the Hurricanes back in front for good before an empty-netter turned this battle into a best-of-three series. The Stanley Cup Final now heads back to Raleigh, North Carolina,, where the Canes have a chance to take their first series lead in front of the home fans Thursday.
- Georgia and Nebraska to boycott future games against Texas Tech. The fallout from the injunction that granted Red Raiders quarterback Brendan Sorsby eligibility for 2026 is already immense. Two athletic departments issued memos to their teams instructing coaches not to schedule games against Texas Tech in response to the ruling, making a potentially pivotal moment in college athletics all the more momentous. The Big Ten will reportedly discuss a league-wide mandate against scheduling the Red Raiders, and multiple schools from within Texas Tech’s own conference, the Big 12, are informally entertaining the idea of ditching their matchups with Sorsby’s program this season.
- Braden Montgomery hit a walk-off home run in his major-league debut. It is a feat only four other players in MLB history had accomplished before the White Sox prospect. Things are looking up on the south side of Chicago with this year’s influx of exciting young talent, and Montgomery is just the latest player to make an impact right out of the gate. It was a night to remember for the 2024 first-round pick, as he also notched his first career hit and RBI on a fourth-inning single. The White Sox defeated the mighty Braves 6-5 to move within half a game of the AL Central lead.
- Police arrested Alaric Jackson on suspicion of felony domestic violence. The Rams’ starting left tackle spent nearly three hours in jail early Tuesday morning and was released on $50,000 bond following his arrest. Jackson, who served a two-game suspension in 2024 for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, allegedly got into an altercation with a woman at his house after she recorded him with a cell phone.
⚽ Do not miss this: World Cup game-by-game picks, potential breakout stars
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We are just over 24 hours away from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The long wait for the international soccer tournament to unfold on U.S. soil (as well as Canada and Mexico) is nearly over. Festivities begin just before kickoff tomorrow with the first of three opening ceremonies (one in each of the three host countries) at 1:30 p.m. ET in Mexico.
To celebrate the arrival of this glorious event, and to complete the necessary task of picking a winner, our Chuck Booth took on the daunting task of picking every single game and crowning his pick for world champion.
How far does he think the United States — and potential starting goalkeeper Matt Turner — will advance? For a brief glimpse at how he foresees the Americans’ group panning out, here are Booth’s picks for Group D’s Matchday 1:
- United States 2, Paraguay 1
- Turkiye 3, Australia 1
While Booth foresees reigning runner-up France coming up short of a return to the World Cup final, their squad is still loaded with talent. A couple of breakout performances could be in store from two of their up-and-coming standouts, too. Our Francesco Porzio named Desire Doue and Michael Olise as the two most likely players in the tournament to establish themselves as household names. Here are his thoughts on Olise:
- Porzio: “Olise, the most impressive player of the season in Europe with Bayern Munich. He’s a star, but here he can become a global superstar. The French striker is set to play a key role under Didier Deschamps at what will be the manager’s final World Cup.”
🔮 Adam Finkelstein’s first two-round NBA mock draft
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Two rounds. Sixty picks. And CBS Sports director of basketball scouting Adam Finkelstein has predictions for every single one of those slots. Of course, the most intrigue still lies at the top of the board, where the Wizards have yet to tip their hand on whether they will take AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson or Cameron Boozer. But there will be countless impactful picks later in the draft, and we’re taking our first stab at identifying them.
The second round could be loaded with some of college basketball’s biggest names. That’s the thing about the college game; just because someone thrives at one level does not necessarily mean their skills project perfectly to the next.
The following are among the standouts with whom you’re probably familiar:
- Pick 35: Spurs select Alex Karaban (UConn)
- Pick 39: Rockets select Braden Smith (Purdue)
- Pick 41: Heat select Emanuel Sharp (Houston)
- Pick 48: Mavericks select Jaden Bradley (Arizona)
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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📺 What we’re watching Wednesday
⚾ Red Sox at Rays or Yankees at Guardians, 1:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Reds at Padres, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Twins at Tigers, 6:40 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Phillies at Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Cardinals at Mets, 7:10 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
🏀 NBA Finals: Spurs at Knicks, Game 4, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Brewers at Athletics or Astros at Angels, 10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Sparks at Storm, 10 p.m. on USA Network