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Holding Tom Brady accountable going forward | More Football
Tom Brady has been inconsistent for the past several games, raising questions on how the Buccaneers can keep him accountable to improve play calling and accuracy.
Tom Brady has been inconsistent for the past several games, raising questions on how the Buccaneers can keep him accountable to improve play calling and accuracy.
Los Angeles had the No. 1 defense in the regular season, but that didn't bother the Packers.
Max Holloway put on the performance of a lifetime on Saturday.
LeVert was a key part of the trade that sen James Harden to Brooklyn.
Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson were once the most polarizing players of the 2018 Draft. Now, they're looking to lead the Bills and Ravens to the Super Bowl.
Deshaun Watson is reportedly upset at the hiring mess. Jack Easterby, in the center of it, is lashing out at others.
In a season unlike any other, it's important to be proactive and get aggressive on the waiver wire.
Khabib Nurmagomedov hasn't closed the door on his fighting career just yet.
The NHL team did not provide further details and said information regarding their schedule for Sunday will come at a later time.
The Space Jam sequel is coming out on July 16, and you won't even have to leave home to see it.
Bianca Andreescu's coach is one of the three positive tests, putting the former U.S. Open winner in a strict quarantine.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are a juggernaut at the height of its powers, but it would be unwise to sleep on Baker Mayfield and the Browns.
The Super Bowl-winning offensive lineman has been working at a long-term care facility during the pandemic.
Flyers forward Jakub Voracek obliterated a Flyers reporter on live TV while teammate Travis Konecny looked on in horror and despair.
SAN ANTONIO — DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points, Dejounte Murray had 18 points and 10 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs rallied to beat the undermanned Houston Rockets 103-91 on Saturday, snapping a four-game home losing streak. Murray had seven points in the fourth quarter, including a breakaway dunk that put the Spurs up 97-85 with 3:18 remaining after stripping Mason Jones of the ball at midcourt. Rockets centre Christian Wood had 24 points and 17 rebounds, and Jones had a season-high 24 points. Ben McLemore had a season-high 21 points on 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. Houston was on the brink of not having eight players available as required by the league, but met the minimum in the final hour. The Rockets had seven healthy players after Sterling Brown was ruled out due to a lower leg injury, but Rodions Kurucs became eligible prior to game time when the NBA approved the blockbuster trade involving James Harden. Houston acquired Kurucs, Victor Oladipo and Dante Exum, along with several draft picks and draft swaps for the disgruntled Harden on Wednesday. Oladipo and Exum were not with the team, and the Rockets were without John Wall, Eric Gordon, Demarcus Cousins, Brown and three others due to injuries. Despite being short-handed, the Rockets had a 10-point lead in the first half. Houston built the advantage on 3-point shooting and finished 12 for 32 from long range. The teams opened sluggishly in a rare afternoon start to close a two-game set in San Antonio. The teams opened the game a combined 0 for 5. Wood missed his first three shots before a three-point play ignited a 5 for 9 outburst that led to his second straight double-double in the first half against San Antonio. TIP-INS Rockets: Brown was ruled out about an hour prior to game time. He had 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes during Houston’s 109-103 victory on Thursday. … Wood entered the game averaging 23.1 points and 10.1 rebounds. … Kurucs’ first attempt and basket came when he broke to the rim for a layup off a behind-the-back pass from Wood with 5:41 left in the first quarter. Spurs: Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon remains out, along with reserve centre Drew Eubanks, due to the league’s health and safety protocols. ... DeRozan was assessed a technical foul four minutes into the second quarter after punching the ball out of bounds after making a layup. DeRozan was upset no foul was called on Tucker, who defended him on the layup. UP NEXT Rockets: Complete a three-game road trip against the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Spurs: Open a two-game road trip Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Raul Dominguez, The Associated Press
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Phil Kessel's first season in the desert did not go as planned. Expected to give Arizona a huge scoring boost, he instead struggled with injuries and his production suffered. It's just two games into the season, but it seems Phil the Thrill is back. Kessel scored two goals, Antti Raanta stopped 31 shots and the Coyotes bounced back from an opening loss to beat the San Jose Sharks 5-3 on Saturday. “It's good to get off to a good start after last season,” Kessel said. “It couldn't have gone worse for me personally, so it's nice to start good and hopefully I can continue.” The Coyotes pulled off the biggest move of the 2019 season by acquiring Kessel from Pittsburgh. The Coyotes have regularly been among the NHL's lowest-scoring teams and Kessel had been one of the league's most productive players, scoring at least 60 points eight times during his career. Kessel never lived up to expectations, in large part due to injuries, finishing with 14 goals and 24 assists in 70 games. The 33-year-old worked hard during the short time off since the NHL bubble and it has paid off. He scored the tying goal in the closing seconds of the opener and had goals in each of the first two periods Saturday. “When you're in a little bit of a slump, it's tough,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. “When those type of guys get goals early, they start to feel it. You get hot. I've seen him get hot for two, three weeks at a time and hopefully this is one of those times.” Arizona got off to a slow start before coming to life late in a shootout loss to San Jose on Thursday night. Kessel got the Coyotes rolling on Saturday and they kept pushing downhill. Clayton Keller scored for the second straight game, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson had three assists for Arizona. Jakob Chychrun and Barrett Hayton also scored. Timo Meier had a goal and an assist, and Martin Jones allowed five goals on 24 shots for the Sharks. Ryan Donato and Tomas Hertl also scored. “I thought we played better structure and together than we did in the first game,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. “We're looking for that timely goal.” San Jose won the opener of the two-game opening series 4-3 in a shootout Thursday night. In that game, the Sharks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, but Arizona scored two goals in the final 3:30 — one by Kessel with 3.2 seconds left — to force overtime. San Jose went up early again in the rematch, scoring on a power play 3 1/2 minutes in when Donato tipped a shot by Timo Meier. Kessel didn't wait as long for the tying goal, scoring on a backhanded shot on a power play midway through the first period. Hayton then gave the Coyotes their first lead of the season, beating Jones stick side on a shot that hit the crossbar. Meier tied it less than two minutes later when his cross caromed off a skate out front past Raanta late in the period. Kessel scored again in the second period, tipping a shot by Oliver Ekman-Larsson from the right circle. Chychrun made it 4-2 with a shot from above the left circle Martin had trouble seeing through traffic. Keller, who scored the first of Arizona's two late goals Thursday, gave the Coyotes a three-goal lead by scoring on a rebound early in the third period. “We created a lot of good chances, but we gave up too many chances," Sharks centre Logan Couture said. “But it's the second game. We've got to build off the good things we did.” EKMAN-LARSSON INJURED Ekman-Larsson tied his career high with the three assists, but took a big hit against the boards by Evander Kane in the third period. The Coyotes' captain appeared a bit groggy and was bleeding from the face before being helped off the ice. He did not return. "I think he hit his face or something," Tocchet said. “Hopefully, it's not much.” FACEOFF DOMINATION Arizona won 55% of the faceoffs in the first game, but it didn't pay off. The Coyotes upped it to 64% in Saturday's game and it helped trigger their offensive explosion. "It's something we've got to get way better at," Boughner said. “”We struggled in the faceoff circle, even in the first game. UP NEXT San Jose: Plays the first of two games at St. Louis on Monday. Arizona: Plays at Vegas on Monday for the first of four straight games against the Golden Knights. ___ More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers will be without newly acquired Caris LeVert indefinitely after an MRI showed a mass on his left kidney during a physical to complete this week's blockbuster four-team trade. Team officials made the announcement Saturday on Twitter. They say he will undergo more tests and additional details will be released at a later date. “On behalf of my family and myself, we want to thank the Indiana Pacers for their support and guidance," LeVert said in a statement. “We are grateful for their extreme thoroughness during the physical process and I am looking forward to joining the team and being part of this great organization as soon as possible.” The 26-year-old LeVert was acquired Wednesday in the deal that sent Harden to the Brooklyn Nets and two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo to Houston. LeVert was expected to replace Oladipo and help replace forward T.J. Warren, who is out indefinitely after having surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. It's unclear what the Pacers will do without LeVert. “We acquired Caris because of who he is as a young man first and foremost," Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said. “His basketball skill and on court play speaks for itself and we know he has a great career ahead of him. We will support Caris through this time and know that he will join us on the court as soon as he is able.” The Pacers expected to get several advantages from the acquisition. LeVert’s contract is $4.8 million cheaper this season and likely cheaper than it would have been to re-sign Oladipo after this seaosn. Plus, LeVert is signed through 2022-23 as are three other Pacers starters. And while the 28-year-old Oladipo continues his comeback from a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee, LeVert looked like a player on the rise. His scoring totals improved each of his first four seasons in the league and despite largely coming off the bench, this has been his best all-around season. He’s averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds — the last two last two categories being career bests. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
LEICESTER, England — Leicester climbed to second place in the English Premier League by beating Southampton 2-0, with James Maddison marking his opening goal with a humorous solo celebration to follow new pandemic protocols urging players to stop hugging and kissing. After running onto Youri Tielemans' pass and smashing home a rising shot into the roof of the net in the 37th minute, Maddison turned to face his approaching teammates and — with a broad smile on his face — waved them away before applauding himself repeatedly. “If little things like that are what we need to keep football going, then so be it,” Maddison said. "We have been told to stop gatherings of people and I tried to make it light-hearted. “Footballers, we get a lot of stick and it’s nice to put a lighter note on it." Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in England because of a new variant, the Premier League has warned clubs that punishments will be handed out for flouting the rules when it comes to celebrations. Some have questioned whether football should continue to be played in the circumstances. Harvey Barnes netted the second goal in the fifth and final minute of second-half stoppage time at King Power Stadium, running in behind Southampton's defence to slot home a finish at the end of a counterattack. Leicester's joint-best 11th victory of the campaign meant Brendan Rodgers' team split leader Manchester United and champion Liverpool ahead of their much-anticipated match at Anfield on Sunday. Leicester again looks like challenging for the Champions League qualification spots like last year when the team fell short in the final weeks after looking like a lock in the top four. “It’s nice to be second in the table," Maddison said, "but last year we petered off in the new year so the next few months will be tough.” Southampton lacked a cutting edge without star striker Danny Ings, who missed the game after only recently returning to training after contracting the coronavirus. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports The Associated Press
NEW YORK — James Harden will start Saturday night in his Brooklyn Nets debut against the Orlando Magic. The three-time NBA scoring champion became available to play earlier in the day after all the players in the blockbuster trade that sent him from Houston to Brooklyn completed their physicals. Nets coach Steve Nash immediately put Harden into the starting lineup. He said he would determine as the game goes along whether he needed to limit the All-Star guard's minutes, saying the Nets “don’t want to run the batteries down on our new Christmas present this early.” Harden has not practiced with the Nets and Nash said the team would try to keep things simple Saturday, though expected Harden to catch on quickly. “James is a brilliant basketball player, so he’s going to figure out how to make problems for the defence no matter what we do just being on the floor,” Nash said. Harden had been listed as questionable to play before the Nets upgraded him to available about two hours before the game. It was around the same time that the Indiana Pacers announced they had acquired Caris LeVert, the Nets guard who was part of the deal that also included Cleveland. The Nets remained without Kyrie Irving for a sixth straight game after he left the team for personal reasons. Nash said Irving was hopefully close to returning, but the Nets wanted to make sure he ramped up accordingly after his layoff. Their next game is Monday against Milwaukee. Whenever he does return, the Nets will be able to put their three superstars onto the floor. That will require another adjustment for Harden, especially because the team is practicing so infrequently in this season's condensed schedule. “Tonight is a first step, having him play a real game with us after not really any preparation time,” Nash said. “This is a moving target that we have try to incorporate him as we go here and learn on the fly.” ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Brian Mahoney, The Associated Press
PARIS — Defender Layvin Kurzawa's goal was just enough as defending champion Paris Saint-Germain earned a scrappy 1-0 win at Angers to go top of the French league on Saturday. But title challenger Lyon can restore its one-point lead by beating mid-table Metz at home on Sunday. PSG was without coach Mauricio Pochettino after he tested positive for the coronavirus, and his two assistants took charge. However, it was an uninspiring performance PSG fans watching at home will quickly forget. Kurzawa volleyed in neatly from just inside the penalty area with 20 minutes left, but his goal had a touch of fortune as a cross from the right hit an Angers defender and looped up invitingly. Angers contained PSG comfortably in midfield but lacked a cutting edge going forward. “We weren't far off,” Angers defender Romain Thomas said. “We prepared for the game very well and it's a pity we couldn't open the scoring.” Earlier, winger Florian Thauvin fluffed a penalty and Marseille paid the price as it was stunned at home by struggling Nimes 2-1. Thauvin sent goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet the wrong way from the spot but his shot went over the crossbar in the 35th minute. Moments later, Reynet saved striker Dario Benedetto’s tame shot from close range with his foot. Sixth-placed Marseille was punished for those misses when Swedish midfielder Niclas Eliasson struck twice in quick succession early in the second half for Nimes to move off the bottom and into 18th place. Benedetto pulled a goal back with five minutes left. Right back Pol Lirola started his first game for Marseille since joining on loan from Italian side Fiorentina but the home side's defence looked shaky without injured goalie Steve Mandanda. “First of all we need to apologize to the fans,” Marseille coach Andre Villas-Boas said. “We didn’t play well and didn’t show a good team spirit. I’m not happy about the lack of commitment.” Marseille central defender Alvaro Gonzalez used an expletive to describe his team's sloppy performance. “We have to respect the jersey, we lacked strength and combativeness. We did nothing,” Gonzalez said. “When we lose, people talk about the coach or something else, but it's not true. It's down to us. When you are rubbish, you lose." ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press
An artist from the Stz'uminus First Nation is behind the design for this season's Vancouver Canucks goal mask, rectifying an earlier controversy around the mask's design. Vancouver Canucks goalie Braden Holtby revealed a new custom goalie mask in December featuring Coast Salish-inspired artwork. However, the mask was designed by a non-Indigenous artist from Sweden, David Gunnarsson, who did not have consent to use the Indigenous design — a replica of the Thunderbird on the Stanley Park totem pole originally designed by Kwakwaka'wakw artist Tony Hunt Sr. The design immediately raised concerns about cultural appropriation, and Holtby apologized for any offence caused. Luke Marston, a Coast Salish artist and member of the Stz'uminus First Nation, watched the controversy unfold online. "I was excited to see First Nations art on there — I think most people were — but just the way they executed it wasn't so cool," Marston said. "It was more than just appropriation. It was copyright, too." Marston, however, believed that their intentions were in the right place and was willing to help. He texted Francesco Aquilini, the owner of the Vancouver Canucks, whose number he had because Aquilini had purchased art from Marston before. "I got a hold of [goaltender] Braden [Holtby]. We talked for a while ... He felt really bad about the whole thing. He wanted to see if he could fix it in any which way. And then he was telling me that David Gunnarsson — he's the main guy who pretty much does all the goalie masks of all the NHL — felt really bad, too." A collaboration was formed. Marston told Holtby some Coast Salish stories. The one Holtby liked best, Marston said, was the legend of wolves transforming into orcas to hunt on land and sea. "He really liked that, and it fit for the Canucks being on the hunt this year," he said. The new mask design features an orca on one cheek and a wolf on the other, mid-transformation. Gunnarsson painted the logo and Holtby's number on the top and chin. Marston, who typically works with wood or bronze, found adapting to the medium of a plastic mask fairly easy. "[The goalie mask] is shaped well to our art form. First Nations art can be adapted to really anything, but with the mask culture that we do and the masks that we carve, it really leant itself really easily to the art form," he said. The mask has since gone back and forth between Marston and Gunnarsson in Sweden. It is currently with hockey equipment giant Bauer, where specialists are adding padding and straps. Marston expects the mask will debut at Saturday's Canucks game. He says the opportunity to rectify the situation was positive. "It's just respecting one another, respecting one another's culture and other people's intentions," he said. Listen to the interview with Luke Marston on CBC's All Points West: