CAIRO – Thierry Darlan’s Bangui beat Khaman Maluach’s City Oilers 91-76 in the Basketball Africa League Nile Conference on Friday, to put the team from the Central African Republic team on the brink of qualification for the playoffs in Rwanda. Egypt’s Al Ahly defeated Libya’s Al Ahly Benghazi 87-76 in the second game of the day.
City Oilers started the opening encounter strongest, spreading the scoring in the opening minutes; Patrick Rembert, Robinson Opong Odoch, Randy Culpepper and Khaman Maluach were all on the scoreboard in the first seven minutes, with Maluach also making a big contribution on defence.
Bangui fought back to claim into the ascendancy late in the first quarter, with Darlan serving as a playmaker as Rolly Fula Nganga, Kurt Curry Wegscheider and Omega Ngaifei Komesse scoring to put the Central African champions 19-12 up.
Tim MacMahon, ESPN Staff WriterApr 27, 2024, 01:35 AM ET
CloseJoined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas MavericksAppears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FMOpen Extended Reactions
Washington, the power forward acquired by the Mavericks at the trade deadline, was ejected along with Clippers guard Russell Westbrook with 6:10 remaining.
That confrontation began with Westbrook fouling Mavs superstar Luka Doncic by grabbing his right arm from behind and yanking on it, pulling Doncic backward. When Doncic approached Westbrook to object, Westbrook shoved him with his left arm. Washington and Westbrook then exchanged shoves before other players, coaches, officials and security prevented the
Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN Staff WriterApr 27, 2024, 01:43 AM ET
CloseOhm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is a graduate of Michigan State University. Follow him on Twitter »Ohm’s chat archive »Open Extended Reactions
DALLAS — LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard said the inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee did not respond the way he had hoped after Game 2, and after gutting out 25 minutes in Friday’s 101-90 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Leonard’s status for Sunday’s Game 4 is in question.
Leonard had nine points and nine rebounds but did not look like his normal self in Game 3 at American Airlines Center. With their franchise player limited,
Minnesota goes for the sweep in Game 4 on Sunday in Phoenix.
It was the third straight game the Wolves used a big third to turn a tight game into a comfortable victory. Minnesota hit 7 of 11 3-pointers during the surge, including four from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, to take a 22-point lead into the fourth.
Mike Conley and Karl-Anthony Towns. Late in the third, Alexander-Walker hit his fourth 3-pointer of the quarter for a 95-73 lead.
The Wolves were also dominant on the glass, finishing with a 50-28 rebounding advantage.
Six Minnesota players scored in double figures. Towns finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds while Alexander-Walker scored 16.
The listless Suns could never cut the deficit to single digits in the fourth. Now they’re one loss away from what would be a bitterly disappointing season after entering the year with championship aspirations.
Phoenix’s Josh Okogie was ejected late in the fourth after a hard foul on Gobert.
The Timberwolves led 59-53 at the halftime break following a competitive first half. Edwards led the Wolves with 16 points while Durant had 14 for the Suns. Eric Gordon gave Phoenix a spark with 10 points in the first quarter, but it was short lived.
The Suns played without starting guard Grayson Allen, who led the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage this season. Allen’s dealing with a sprained ankle from Game 1 that he aggravated in Game 2.
What’s the buzz on Twitter? Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU Paul and Kawhi are done speaking. Clippers are gonna have to help James Sunday after all those minutes. Kawhi? Don’t know how much he can help and he hasn’t played an afternoon game since the 76ers beatdown Russ? We’ll see what league says if anything Big PG game coming. – 11:39 PMBrad Townsend @townbrad Kawhi Leonard at the end of this clip says the reason he only played 25 minutes is his knee didn’t respond the way he
INDIANAPOLIS — Injuries are beginning to pile up for the Milwaukee Bucks, presenting them with a new hurdle as they try to rally from a 2-1 deficit in their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.
Milwaukee has already been playing without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, sidelined with a calf strain. Khris Middleton was listed as questionable entering Friday’s Game 3 before scoring 42 points in 41 minutes. And near the end of the fourth quarter, Damian Lillard aggravated an Achilles injury that he said hindered him during overtime.
“We are just taking a lot of hits right now as far as injury-wise,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after his team’s 121-118 loss in overtime.
Lillard finished with 28 points on 6-of-20 shooting in 45 minutes, but he did not take a shot and went scoreless in
The Timberwolves are on the road but looking no worse for wear. After three quarters their offense has really been able to impose its will, dominating the Suns 95-73.
If the Timberwolves keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 3-0 in no time. On the other hand, the Suns will have to make due with an 0-3 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Phoenix Suns
Regular Season Records: Minnesota 56-26, Phoenix 49-33
Current Series Standings: Minnesota 2, Phoenix 0How To WatchWhen: Friday, April 26, 2024 at 10:30 p.m. ETWhere: Footprint Center — Phoenix, ArizonaTV: ESPNFollow:CBS Sports AppOnline streaming:fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)Ticket Cost: $113.00What to Know
The Timberwolves have enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. On Friday, they will fight it out against the Phoenix
Photo by John Smolek/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
This class could be very special
Never in my lifetime have I seen a Pittsburgh Steelers draft class that has looked quite as good as this.
With a combination of great drafting, luck, and the football gods smiling upon them, the Steelers went 4-for-4 with making excellent draft picks over the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, and they didn’t have to trade up for any of them.
Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu fell to Pittsburgh at No. 20 in the first round. West Virginia center Zach Frazier was there waiting at No. 51 in round two. Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson slid out of the second round and into the middle of the third for the Steelers to grab him at No. 84. And finally, the consensus No. 1 linebacker in this class, Payton Wilson out of North Carolina State, fell all the way to No. 98 for the Steelers to close out the first two days of the NFL Draft with a potential all-time draft class.
It wasn’t long ago when the Steelers’ offensive line looked like this:
LT: Dan Moore
LG: Kevin Dotson
C: Mason Cole
RG: James Daniels
RT: Chuks Okorafor
That’s also without mentioning the sprinkling of Kendrick Green and Trai Turner in 2021. Now, the offensive line is completely revamped and looks like this:
LT: Broderick Jones
LG: Isaac Seumalo
C: Zach Frazier
RG: James Daniels
RT: Troy Fautanu
Omar Khan deserves a ton of credit for cleaning up the mess that Kevin Colbert left behind.
Not only did the offensive line get completely revamped, Pittsburgh addressed almost every position of need with their first four picks. Roman Wilson is one of the best receivers in this class who can be boundary and slot versatile. Remember, the biggest question about Justin Jefferson coming out of LSU was he was a slot receiver and many believed he wouldn’t be able to play outside. That’s not to say Wilson will be Justin Jefferson, but he has the tools and skillset to be the Steelers’ boundary receiver opposite of George Pickens.
Payton Wilson was a player I never even imagined would be an option for the Steelers. He was very easily the top linebacker in this draft class. His injury history definitely caused him to fall, as he has had multiple knee injuries that plagued him in college. However, he was the best coverage linebacker in the nation last season, picking off three passes and allowing a passer rating less than 50.
Payton Wilson, LB, North Carolina State
PLUSES
— Depending on where he’s aligned pre-snap, can cover everywhere from the flat to hook/curl. An instinctive natural in coverage.
— Can rush the quarterback off-ball and on the line of scrimmage. Has the speed to chase down… pic.twitter.com/PgfS4EymtS
The Steelers were able to add a consensus top 10 player in Fauatnu at tackle, arguably the most versatile and reliable center in the draft in Frazier, a high-end versatile receiver in Roman Wilson, and the top linebacker in Payton Wilson. If all four even come close to reaching their respective potentials, this will be a draft class that goes down in Steelers’ history as one of the best ever.
Baxter Holmes, ESPN Senior WriterApr 26, 2024, 08:00 AM ET
CloseBaxter Holmes (@Baxter) is a senior writer for ESPN Digital and Print, focusing on the NBA. He has covered the Lakers, the Celtics and previously worked for The Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times.Open Extended Reactions
KEVIN DURANT HEARD the pop in his right leg over the roar of nearly 20,000 fans inside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Then he collapsed to the floor, holding his leg, pinching his heel.
It was the second quarter of Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. As Durant sat there, a member of the Golden State Warriors, memories from his basketball career flashed before his eyes. Fearing the end of his career, or one that seemed recognizable, he gazed around the court and into the crowd, trying to soak up a final moment.
When he was helped to the locker room, Durant’s foot didn’t feel fully
