Thunder thrash Nuggets in decisive Game 7, advance to Western Conference Finals

Thunder thrash Nuggets in decisive Game 7, advance to Western Conference Finals

The Thunder's pursuit of its first-everNBA championshipsince the franchise moved to Oklahoma City remains alive. While the franchise did reach the mountaintop when the team called Seattle home in 1979, the team has yet to win a title since settling in OKC. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team with 35 points as OKC steamrolled theDenver Nuggetsin Sunday's Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Click Here For More Sports Coverage On Foxnews.com The 125-93 victory punched the Thunder's ticket to the Western Conference Finals. OKC will meet the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference finals, which begins on Tuesday. Timothée Chalamet Celebrates With Fans In Nyc Streets After Knicks Advance To Eastern Conference Finals Elswehere, theNew York Knickswill face off against the Indiana Pacers in the NBA's other conference finals. The Knicks haven't won an NBA championship since 1973. The Pacers won their most recent title that year — in the ABA. Read On The Fox News App When Commissioner Adam Silver hands one of those teams the Larry O'Brien Trophy next month, it'll mark a league first — seven championship franchises in a seven-year span. There hasn't been a back-to-back NBA champion since the Golden State Warriors won in 2017 and 2018. From there, the list of champions goes like this: Toronto in 2019, theLos Angeles Lakersin 2020, Milwaukee in 2021, Golden State in 2022, Denver in 2023 and Boston last season. It's the longest such run of different champions in NBA history; Major League Baseball, the NHL and the NFL have all had longer ones, and not too long ago, either. Despite dealing with whatESPN reportedas a "Grade 2 hamstring strain," Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon played on Sunday. He finished the loss with 8 points during his 25 minutes on the court. While the season is over for 26 of the NBA's 30 clubs, the fun is just starting for the last four teams standing. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital'ssports coverage on X, and subscribe tothe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Original article source:Thunder thrash Nuggets in decisive Game 7, advance to Western Conference Finals

byKevin Jones

in

May 18, 2025

Thunder thrash Nuggets in decisive Game 7, advance to Western Conference Finals

Thunder thrash Nuggets in decisive Game 7, advance to Western Conference Finals The Thunder's pursuit of its first-everNBA championships...

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sheds stoic approach as he leads Thunder to Game 7 win

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sheds stoic approach as he leads Thunder to Game 7 win

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The normally stoic Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderwas caught smiling on camera after a Game 3 loss at Denverthat put Oklahoma City down 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinals. Oklahoma City's MVP award finalist spent the rest of the series showing what he was grinning about. He averaged 30.8 points on 55.8% shooting over the next four games, and the Thunder won three of those to advance to the conference finals. Gilgeous-Alexander said the smile was a response to fans who were razzing him. "It's easy to taunt when you're up," Gilgeous-Alexander said after Game 3. "I don't ever want to show them that I'm defeated or mad or anything like that. Nothing's written. The series is not over, and we have a lot to be optimistic about." He backed up that claim byscoring 25 pointsin a Game 4 win,31 in a Game 5victory,32 in a Game 6loss and35 in a 125-93 blowoutin Game 7 on Sunday. The Thunder will host the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals starting Tuesday. Oklahoma City's MVP finalist is getting more comfortable expressing himself. For years, the Canadian star has worked to remain even-keeled, yet he acknowledged he was on edge heading into Game 7. He wanted the Thunder's league-best 68-win regular-season to mean something. Oklahoma City had lost in the conference semifinals last season after earning the No. 1 seed in the West. And he had another MVP finalist in Nikola Jokic to deal with. Instead of ignoring or downplaying his feelings, Gilgeous-Alexander embraced them. "I was nervous, to be honest, just knowing what's on the line," he said. "We worked so hard the whole 82-game season. We've all worked so hard in the summer to know if you don't bring your A-game, it can all be over with, all for nothing. But I think that nervousness, like, motivated me and helped me play today." The Thunder showed some nerves early in Game 7, but they took over in the second quarter. "Once I felt the flow of the game and we had the right intentions and the right energy, I knew it would turn around for us," Gilgeous-Alexander said. When he was subbed out for good with the Thunder leading 114-76 and 7:40 remaining, he raised his arms to exhort the crowd, then pointed to the small-market franchise's devoted fans in a rare celebratory moment. "No team in the league has a home-court advantage like we do," he said. "And that's all due to them with the T-shirts, the cheering, the screaming, the chants. They really give us energy out there. And we've been a better team because of them, having them behind us. To know that if we didn't bring it tonight, it could be over for them as well wasn't fair. We wanted to play for them as well." ___ AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

byKevin Jones

in

May 18, 2025

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sheds stoic approach as he leads Thunder to Game 7 win

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sheds stoic approach as he leads Thunder to Game 7 win OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The normally stoic Shai Gilgeous-Alexand...

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How every LIV Golf player fared at the 107th PGA Championship

How every LIV Golf player fared at the 107th PGA Championship

A trio of the 16 LIV Golf players in the PGA Championship field posted top-10 results at Quail Hollow, but the breakaway league's major championship drought will extend at least another month after Jon Rahm's late implosion in Charlotte on Sunday. The most recent major triumph by a LIV player was Brooks Koepka's win at the PGA Championship two years ago. The next opportunity to snap the drought will come at the U.S. Open. Here is a breakdown of how each of the 14 players fared at Quail Hollow: BRYSON DECHAMBEAU (-6) After tying for the lowest LIV Golf player at 3-under 139 through 36 holes, DeChambeau climbed into contention by reeling off five birdies through his first 15 holes on Saturday. However, he went 3 over through the closing "Green Mile" to fall six shots back entering the final round. DeChambeau drove the ball incredibly well most of Sunday but was unable to capitalize on the greens. Still, his 1-under 70 was good enough for his second consecutive runner-up at the PGA. JOAQUIN NIEMANN (-4) Niemann eagled his third to last hole on Friday to make the make the cut on the number, and parlayed that into his best career major finish. A hole-out eagle on the par-5 seventh was part of a 3-under 68 on Sunday that vaulted the Chilean into A T8 -- his first career top-10 in a major. Niemann's previous best major result had been a T16 at the 2023 Masters. JON RAHM (-4) The running joke that LIV players only compete for three days doesn't apply here. Rahm hit only three greens on the front nine Sunday but kept himself in contention with his putter. A pair of birdies to begin his back nine saw Rahm briefly pull even with leader Scottie Scheffler. He would later rue the inability to post a birdie on 14 or 15 to apply more pressure before Rahm came undone by going 5 over through the "Green Mile." RICHARD BLAND (+1) The 52-year-old Englishman equaled DeChambeau by reaching the weekend at 3 under. Bland fell out of contention with a third-round 76, but did battle back with a 70 that included an eagle. TOM MCKIBBIN (+4) LIV's newest addition reached the weekend at a very respectable 1 under. After moving backward with a 74 on Saturday, McKibbin worked his way back to 2 over before bogeying his final two holes of the tournament. TYRRELL HATTON (+6) The fiery Englishman was on the first page of the leaderboard before imploding on the 18th hole on Friday, which was his ninth hole of the day. A drive into the water was the start of a triple-bogey that included Hatton spitting at his ball while uttering some expletives. He went 72-77 over the weekend, including three consecutive double bogeys to close out the event. DAVID PUIG (+6) The young Spaniard made the cut on the number and then posted a very solid 68 to get under par at 2 under through 54 holes. That momentum evaporated with three bogeys through Puig's first five holes on Sunday, and Puig stumbled home with a 7-over 78 on Sunday. SERGIO GARCIA (+7) The Spaniard rebounded from an opening 75 to make the cut on the number. He might have wished he missed the weekend after carding a 79 on Saturday that was three strokes worse than any other player in the field. FAILED TO MAKE THE CUT John Catlin: 3-over 145 Patrick Reed: 4-over 146 Dean Burmester: 6-over 148 Cameron Smith: 7-over 149 Martin Kaymer: 8-over 150 Phil Mickelson: 9-over 151 Brooks Koepka: 9-over 151 Dustin Johnson: 12-over 154 --Field Level Media

byKevin Jones

in

May 18, 2025

How every LIV Golf player fared at the 107th PGA Championship

How every LIV Golf player fared at the 107th PGA Championship A trio of the 16 LIV Golf players in the PGA Championship field posted top-10 ...

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Texas A&M becomes first No. 1 seed to miss Super Regionals in NCAA softball tournament

Texas A&M becomes first No. 1 seed to miss Super Regionals in NCAA softball tournament

In a day full of emotional whiplash, Sunday's regionalsended in desolation at College Station, Texas. It started in Game 1 ofSunday's regional round,a must-win for No. 1 seed Texas A&M. After the Aggies fell behind 6-0 to unseedeed Liberty, they stormed back to ultimately pull out a 14-11 win in eight innings and force a winner-take-all game against the Lady Flames. The Aggies then jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the nightcap before Rachel Roupe homered to open the scoring for Liberty. Texas A&M gave up another five runs to go down 6-3, before ultimately losing 6-5 following a spirited comeback attempt. MAKING HISTORY IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE 🙌@LibertySBknocks off the national number one seed for the first time ever AND is advancing to their first super regionals!#RoadToWCWSx 🎥 ESPN2pic.twitter.com/5iipyLISkY — NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball)May 19, 2025 It's an inauspicious loss for the Aggies, who became the first No. 1 overall seed to miss the Super Regional round. Texas A&M, of course, got that No. 1 seed when the SEC Championship game against Oklahoma was cancelled, giving the Aggies the top seed in the NCAA tournament and Oklahoma getting No. 2. NCAA SOFTBALL HIGHLIGHTS:Liberty battles Texas A&M in winner-take-all regional final Texas A&M's loss Sunday made the Aggies the first No. 1 seed to ever fail to advance out of the regional round of the tournament. They have not made the Women's College World Series since 2017 and, to add insult to injury, Liberty's win Sunday propelled the Lady Flames to the Super Regional round for the first time in program history. Kaylan Yoder was key for Liberty, coming in and tossing 1⅔ innings after ace Elena Escobar was run in the sixth. The five-run sixth was ultimately the difference for the Lady Flames, and the Aggies were unable to overcome the late onslaught. Texas A&M went 47-10 in the regular season and 16-7 in the SEC. It has not won the Women's College World Series since the current format was introduced in 2005 after winning two national championships in 1983 and 1987. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Texas A&M out of NCAA softball tournament after losing to LIberty

byKevin Jones

in

May 18, 2025

Texas A&M becomes first No. 1 seed to miss Super Regionals in NCAA softball tournament

Texas A&M becomes first No. 1 seed to miss Super Regionals in NCAA softball tournament In a day full of emotional whiplash, Sunday's...

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Brewers send pitcher Tobias Myers back to the minors as he tries to regain his 2024 form

Brewers send pitcher Tobias Myers back to the minors as he tries to regain his 2024 form

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Tobias Myers is going back to the minors as he continues to struggle to match the success he enjoyed as a rookie last year. The Brewers optioned Myers to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday while selecting right-handed pitcher Easton McGee from Triple-A and transferring left-handed pitcher Connor Thomas to the 60-day injured list. Myers is 1-1 with a 4.95 ERA in six appearances, including five starts. He allowed four runs over 3 2/3 innings in a7-0 lossto the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. The right-hander had gone 9-6 with a 3.00 ERA last season and was selected the Brewers' most valuable pitcher by the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He closed that season by pitching five scoreless innings in the decisiveGame 3of the NL Wild Card Series against the New York Mets, a game theBrewers lost 4-2by allowing four runs in the ninth. "I love the kid, man," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after Saturday's game. "You saw it in Game 3, that's in there. So we've got to get back to that." The Brewershad optioned Myersto Nashville a week ago, but he didn't actually pitch there before rejoining the big-league club after left-hander José Quintana went on the injured list with a left shoulder issue. Now he's heading back to Nashville. Myers entered Saturday having walked 10 batters over 16 1/3 innings. He didn't walk anyone Saturday, but gave up a career-high 11 hits. "My goal was to fill the zone up and kind of get away from the walks I've been dealing with," Myers said after the game. "I think I just filled it up a little too much." McGee went 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 18 1/3 innings in 13 relief appearances with Nashville. McGee appeared in one game for Tampa Bay in 2022 and one game for Seattle in 2023. In the only two games he has pitched in the big leagues, McGee has allowed just one unearned run over 9 2/3 innings while striking out three and allowing five hits and one walk. ___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

byKevin Jones

in

May 18, 2025

Brewers send pitcher Tobias Myers back to the minors as he tries to regain his 2024 form

Brewers send pitcher Tobias Myers back to the minors as he tries to regain his 2024 form MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Tobias M...

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