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NBA

Knicks Beat Magic for Trip to NBA Cup Final

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LAS VEGAS – (Wire Service Report) – Jalen Brunson scored 25 of his season-high 40 points in the first half, Karl-Anthony Towns added 29 points and the New York Knicks advanced to the NBA Cup final with a 132-120 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. OG Anunoby scored 24 points and Mikal Bridges added 16 as the Knicks won their fifth consecutive game to match a season high. New York shot 60.7% from the floor while improving to 9-1 since Nov. 24.

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The Knicks will face the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup final on Tuesday here in Las Vegas.

Jalen Suggs scored 26 points and Paolo Banchero added 25 as the Magic lost for the first time in six NBA Cup games while getting eliminated. Desmond Bane scored 18 points and Wendell Carter Jr. had 14 as Orlando lost for the third time in five games overall. Suggs also scored 25 points in the first half while helping to pick up the offensive slack for the Magic without Franz Wagner, who has missed consecutive games with a sprained left ankle. Suggs took just one shot in the second half.

The Knicks have defeated the Magic twice in the past seven days after Orlando won the first two matchups of the season series in November.

The Knicks went on an 8-0 run to close the third quarter while turning a 92-92 tie into a 100-92 lead. The Magic failed to score over the final 2:30 of the third quarter and nearly two minutes into the fourth as New York went on an extended 10-0 run for a 102-92 advantage.

Suggs departed with 7:35 remaining while favoring his left hip and went directly to the locker room as the Knicks held a 108-98 advantage.

Brunson gave the Knicks a 121-110 lead with 2:47 remaining on a step-back jumper to reach 40 points. New York’s Josh Hart (12 points) sealed the victory on a driving layup with 1:20 left for a 125-116 lead.

–Field Level Media

Reeling Raptors Host Celtics

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Toronto Raptors are showing the effects of a grueling stretch in the schedule and there is no letup this afternoon when they host the Boston Celtics. The Raptors have dropped four of five after losing 111-86 to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.

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The five games have come in a seven-day stretch starting Nov. 29 when they lost 118-111 in overtime at Charlotte to end their nine-game winning streak.

The Raptors are 1-2 to start a five-game homestand with the loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday snapping an eight-game home winning streak.

“Mentally, physically, we’ve got to get away, we’ve got to recharge very quickly for Sunday and a 3:30 p.m. game,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “A quick turnaround over here, the schedule is what it is. We’re going to bounce back and find our energy levels and compete.”

The Celtics, meanwhile, romped to a 126-105 victory over the undermanned Lakers on Friday and have won four straight and nine of 11.

They also were playing their fifth game in seven days on Friday.

“I thought we did a good job — tremendous job — of figuring out how to pull out wins,” said Payton Pritchard, who scored 15 points on Friday. “And then in these past two games, we kind of just put our foot on the gas and took care of business. I feel like our team is growing, and we’ve just got to keep growing and keep getting better.”

The Celtics defeated the host Washington Wizards 146-101 on Thursday without Jaylen Brown, who scored 30 against the Lakers.

This will be the first meeting between Boston and Toronto this season. The Celtics won three of four from the Raptors last season with the teams splitting two in Toronto.

The Celtics have made an impressive adjustment to the prolonged absence of Jayson Tatum.

Jordan Walsh is one reason for the Celtics’ surge. He shot 6-for-7 from the field on Friday and is shooting 18-for-19 over the past three games.

He had four 3-pointers and scored 17 points against the Lakers, adding two blocked shots and one steal in 26:17. He posted a team-high box plus/minus of +28.

“He’s been great,” Brown said. “I don’t want to boost his head up too much. I don’t want him to start getting cute. He’s got to still take care of the details. But he’s been doing a good job.”

The Raptors did not get much help from their supporting cast on Friday. Immanuel Quickley scored a season-best 31 points, and Scottie Barnes had 13. No one else had more than Jamal Shead’s nine points. Brandon Ingram, who has been among Toronto’s most consistent scorers, was held to seven points on 3-for-13 shooting. He grabbed nine rebounds.

“Physically, we were worn down,” Rajakovic said. “I’m really proud of our guys tonight. I really thought that we tried. We tried. But when you’re trying and you’re missing layups, and you’re missing wide open shots, it’s hard to keep it up. What I think that we did an outstanding job at was we did not quit. We continued fighting and fighting and fighting.”

Jakob Poeltl, who rested his back injury on Thursday, returned on Friday and had five points and seven rebounds.

RJ Barrett (sprained knee) remained out against Charlotte. Jamison Battle suffered a sprained left ankle early in the fourth quarter on Friday. X-rays were negative.

–Field Level Media

Celtics Cruise Past Lakers

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jaylen Brown had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help the Boston Celtics stretch their winning streak to four games by beating the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 126-105 Friday night.

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Brown was one of six Boston players who scored in double figures. The Celtics received 19 points from Derrick White, 17 from Jordan Walsh and 15 from Payton Pritchard. Sam Hauser added 12 points and Neemias Queta finished with 10.

Walsh has made 18 of his 19 shots from the floor over the last three games.

The Lakers played without Luka Doncic (personal reasons), LeBron James (right sciatica and left foot joint arthritis) and Marcus Smart (muscle strain). Doncic is the NBA’s leading scorer (35.3 points per game).

Boston made 24 of its 45 3-point attempts (53.3%). White connected on 5 of 10 3-pointers.

Austin Reaves had a 36-point performance for Los Angeles. Gabe Vincent tossed in 18, and Deandre Ayton had six points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Los Angeles lost despite making 25 of 29 shots from the free throw line. Boston made 10 of its 12 free throw attempts.

Boston started off hot and had a 39-17 lead after one quarter. The Celtics had their largest lead of the first half after Pritchard made a stepback jumper that put Boston up 56-27 with 7:08 remaining in the second quarter.

The Celtics shot 52% from 3-point territory through the first two quarters (13 of 25) and had a 69-46 halftime lead. The Lakers were 13-of-40 (32.5%) from the floor in the first half.

A 9-0 run trimmed Boston’s lead to 17 points, 85-68, with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter. A Reaves jumper with 8.6 seconds left in the third capped an 8-0 Lakers run that made it 97-82 entering the final 12 minutes, but Boston regained the momentum by scoring the first nine points in the fourth.

Boston has won 9 of its last 11 games.

–Field Level Media

Nets Beat Celtics in NBA Cup

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Brooklyn’s Michael Porter Jr. scored 33 points and Nic Claxton recorded his first career triple-double, fueling the visiting Nets to a 113-105 victory over the Boston Celtics on Friday to salvage a split of their home-and-home series. Porter sank 13 of 21 shots from the floor — including 4 of 6 from 3-point range — to extend his career-best run of games with at least 20 points to eight in a row. He scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.

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Brooklyn, which avenged its 113-99 home court setback on Tuesday, improved to 1-2 in NBA Cup Group B play. The Celtics, in turn, fell to 1-2.

Noah Clowney scored 19 points and Claxton had 18 to go along with 12 assists and 11 rebounds. Rookie Egor Demin added 12 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Nets, who have recorded all three of their wins this season on the road.

Jaylen Brown collected 26 points and eight rebounds while dealing with foul trouble for the Celtics, and Anfernee Simons added 23 points off the bench.

Boston trimmed a 15-point deficit down to four at 96-94 following a 17-4 run to start the fourth quarter before Demin drained a crowd-silencing 3-pointer with 5:04 remaining. Porter sandwiched shots from the interior along with a 3-pointer to push Brooklyn’s lead to 106-97 with 2:50 to play. Neemias Queta made a tip-in to bring the Celtics within three points at 71-68 midway into the third quarter before the Nets ignited a 19-4 run. Ziaire Williams threw down a dunk in transition to cap the sequence.

Brooklyn capped a 40-point second quarter with an 11-2 run. Demin scored four points during that sequence and recorded a crucial steal and set up a Clowney for a layup with 2.8 seconds remaining to give the Nets a 62-53 lead at halftime. Porter drained a 3-pointer to stake Brooklyn to a 19-12 lead with 5:14 remaining in the first before Boston began a 16-3 run to end the quarter. Payton Pritchard converted three times from beyond the arc and Luka Garza added a 3-pointer during that sequence and the Celtics took a 28-22 lead after 12 minutes.

Brooklyn converted 43 of 82 shots from the floor (52.4%), while Boston attempted eight more shots, but sank one less field goal (42 of 90, 46.7%).

–Field Level Media

From the Vault:

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A Memory of an Old Friend

Note: Reprinted from a Digital Sports Desk column of November 18, 2019

By TERRY LYON(S)

There’s a very special bond shared with Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Bill Lyon that only the letter “s” could separate. He had a highly demanding job as lead sports columnist in a sports-loving city where the games frequently ended just as his deadline approached. In Philadelphia, no sportsman wore glass slippers, so … somehow, through sheer talent … Bill Lyon endured and excelled, an hour and a half before the clock struck midnight. Just as many a writer with a west coast, pacific time zone deadline would be sitting down to craft a game story or sidebar, Lyon would be packing up for the night, computer tucked away in his bag slung over his shoulder with his work already placed in a column, flush-left, adorning the front page of the sports section or maybe A-1 of the newspaper, if the game just concluded was as worthy as his prose.

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Bill Lyon was a gentleman and a professional. He covered sports in Philadelphia and his job placed him in press boxes and locker rooms all across America. He wrote about the Phillies and baseball, the Eagles in football, the Flyers in ice hockey, but the bond shared revolved around the Philadelphia 76ers and NBA basketball. Bill rode shotgun alongside the Inquirer’s beat writers for 76ers basketball. From Hall of Famer Bill Livingston to the eccentric style of the late George Shirk to the solid reporting of Frank Lawlor or Joe Juliano, and nowadays Keith Pompey. Bill marched side-by-side at the broad sheet Inquirer with the great Bob Ford, as Lyon cranked out columns, on tight deadlines, with an upbeat approach and depth that few could even imagine, nevermind dream up and publish in 20 or 25 minutes.

During his tenure, he covered Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Moses Malone of the Sixers, although Lyon’s personality was undoubtedly more Maurice Cheeks than Darryl Dawkins. As the seasons changed, he covered Steve Carlton or Mike Schmidt of the Phillies, Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb of the Eagles, Rick Tocchet and Eric Lindros of the Flyers, prize fights, golf tournaments and maybe an Olympics or ten, but it was adjacent to NBA hardwood where we met and spoke quite often.

You see, long before the days of electronic mail, voicemail or iPhone 11s, Motorola Razors, Blackberries or any other type of mobile, voice-mail enabled devices, Bill Lyon was the recipient of hundreds upon hundreds of my hotel messages. Back in the day, they say with a degree of reminiscence and disdain at the same time, hotel phone operators took a pen and a pad of pink, pre-printed message slips and wrote down the name and phone number of a caller who used a telephone with a hard line and dialed the main number seeking out a guest. In our case, we frequently stayed at the same NBA media headquarters hotel and Lyon would appear on the operator’s screen before Lyons, and thus the problem.

Bill and I formed a bond in 1981 or so, and we made a pact, written in stone and not on a pink message slip. That pact was to diligently and without judgement, frustration or fatigue, with neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor first flights out, nor late nights at the hospitality room stay our bond to swiftly deliver the message or voice mail to one another during our appointed round. The ratio of Lyons to Lyon messages was probably, oh, roughly 100-3. Bill would either call, or sometimes it was easier to just walk them over. From the Los Angeles Airport Marriott to Boston’s Copley Place, the Lyon-to-Lyons message center was more reliable than a Maytag, more efficient than a GM factory and stronger than U.S. Steel. We traveled the land, undaunted by incompetent hotel operators and mixed up messages.

He marveled at the number of media credential requests, or later, of the sheer volume of international media seeking NBA information.

Likewise, his editors or occasionally his wife, Ethel, might cross telephone lines into the land of Lyons rather than Lyon. The mishaps were usually met with good-natured laughs and a promise to pass a message along or even better. As the Lyon-Lyons tandem learned over the years, we’d compare notes before a “Game 1” and then be able to say, oh no, he’s in Room 404, let me see if I can transfer your call.

It was a special bond.

Yesterday, Jim Nantz of CBS Sports informed me and the rest of the world of Bill Lyon’s passing and, at the same time, he reminded me a fantastic and wonderful bond had officially and irreversibly ended.

That made me quite sad.

Rest In Peace, old pal. You’ve got a smooth operator now.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Oct 26

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Credibility. It’s such a powerful word yet it comes with such a fragile state of being. One’s credibility can be built-up over a lifetime but lost in a minute or two. Even if you’re not involved with a situation whatsoever, if you don’t voice a strong opinion on that newsworthy issue, you can lose credibility just by not saying a single word.

It is with that in mind, I think I’m almost obligated to write today on the NBA’s season opening (alleged) gambling bombshell that exploded on the third day of the 2025-26 season, not even 12 hours after 7-5 San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama put up 40 points and 15 rebounds in a 125-92 Spurs’ thrashing of the Dallas Mavericks on October 22.

Yet, the morning of October 23, the word began to circulate in NBA and mainstream news circles that “NBA Players” were involved in a gambling scandal. Social media carried the ball, a palm, spin and travel that would’ve made Earl “The Pearl” Monroe quite proud. Word circulated quickly that Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was involved and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested the morning after a DNP-coaches decision in Orlando where the Magic slipped past the Heat, 125-121 in their exciting season opener.

Two hours of online mayhem led to a 10:00am (ET) news conference by the Feds of the Eastern District of New York – complete with beady-eyed FBI Director Kash (Don’t call me Cash) Patel in the center of the dog-and-pony show laying out indictments which included accusations against Billups, Rozier and retired NBA guard Damon Jones. The Rozier and Jones indictment is HERE.

Interestingly, the inclusion of Jones, once a member and teammate of Cleveland Cavaliers (now LA Lakers) superstar LeBron James, allowed media speculators to drag NBA royalty into the mix at no extra charge.

In regard to Billups, the charges were related to a conspiracy to rig illegal poker games. The games took place in New York City, East Hampton, Long Island, and throughout the United States and a total of 31 defendants were arrested in 11 States, including members and associates of the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese organized crime families. The charges were filed by the US Justice Department at the Brooklyn headquarters of the Eastern District of New York which also has offices in Central Islip, Long Island.

The multiple card games at the alleged locations caused losses to the many victims of at least $7,150,000. It is alleged that Billups’ role was to act as a “Face Card,” or in other words, as a lure to attract unsuspecting victims and to add a sense of professionalism to the atmosphere at the gambling games of chance.

In terms of charges in the card game portion of the bombshell indictments, crimes of fraud, money laundering and extortion have been tacked on to the basic illegal gambling and wire fraud counts.

Now, for some perspective:

No. 1 – I do not know anything about this case other than from watching the press Eastern District of New York press conference and reading the court documents.

No. 2 – It is important in these situations to know that speculation is wrong and there are very few people who know what is at the root of these cases. For that reason, the feds choose not to comment regarding the on-going investigation and league and team legal and security teams must keep their mouths shut, yet cooperate with the investigators.

Remember one of the most important lessons from reading this weekly missive: “Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut.”

No. 3 – Social media (and to a great extent, the mainstream media) in an effort to fill the airwaves with opinions, innuendo, erroneous assumptions and, generally, useless information that fans/readers/listeners/viewers consume, often break the golden rule of justice in these United States. That is the fact the accused person is assumed innocent until proven guilty through a court of law, usually by a jury of their peers.

Now, a few things that I learned over years of experience in the sports world:

No. 1 – When the indictments are unsealed, they look awfully convincing and the accused seem so guilty of the charges written on the papers. However, prosecutors must prove the case in court, and we all (anyone who has ever served on Jury Duty) know that there is often some “reasonable doubt” left open by the prosecutors and pointed out by the attorneys of the accused.

No. 2 – In cases involving organized crime, the feds (and sometimes local or state police) will use people accused of lesser crimes to turn and testify against those facing more serious charges – prosecuting the “big fish” by using the “little fish.”

Overall, it is very important not to jump to conclusions.

This week, more than once, I read online – in stories by legitimate reporters and in posts by total dimwit fans – the question of “how could a player who has made millions do such a thing?”

Let’s slice that up?

No. 1 – A statement such as that is already assuming the player is guilty. The assumption is being made without a single ounce of evidence put forth by the prosecution.

No. 2 – In many cases involving organized crime, a player/celebrity – or really anyone – can be used by the “bad guys” just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or – sadly – because a longtime friend or relative (no matter how close) has dug themselves into a hole on the wrong side of the law.

In many cases, the threat of harm or public exposure to the athlete, his immediate family, his friends or a threat to hurt his career can become powerful tools used by organized crime to sink their hooks into a player/celebrity. Often, the “ask” of said player/celeb is something very simple and seemingly legal. As in, “All you have to do is come over to the house at 9:00pm and socialize with our guys, have a drink, relax, watch tv, watch the game and hang out for an hour or two.”

Or else.

The “or else” can be underlined with pictures of the player/celeb’s kids at school or the local playground, maybe a photo or short motion picture on an iPhone of a wife, daughter, girlfriend or – they’ve gone as far as – a mother shopping at the local grocery store to prove, “they know where you, your friends and family live.”

The verbal threat of violence – often never even considered to be carried out by the mobsters – is enough to draw the player/celebrity into the scheme.

So, the “how could a player making tens of millions do such a thing” is understood a little more if the full story is told in the court of law. As it should be and, hopefully, will be if the charges stand.

Remember? Sometimes, a case can not be made and – even though an indictment from a Grand Jury has come down – prosecutors can not “make the case” and must dismiss the charges.

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THE SKY IS FALLING: From a distant memory, maybe call it a totally un-related comparison, I can remember back to 1987 when a fax machine in the NBA office was spewing out a multi-page Maricopa County indictments of 13 people, including Phoenix Suns players, former players and even the team photographer for the club.

As I read the indictments – which seemed so convincing, and were the very first time I was going to be “in the room where it happened,” – I thought that a number of people would be going to jail. I ran the pages of the indictment down to the Commissioner’s office as they came in, maybe two or three pages at a time, so they could be reviewed. When they were all complete, I awaited instructions for what would come next – a statement, Legal instructions on our official comment when answering media calls, maybe arranging a media conference call or drafting an NBA statement.

When it all played out, months later, here’s a synopsis of what resulted:

Player testimony: Suns player Walter Davis, who was cooperating with authorities after entering a rehabilitation program, provided grand jury testimony that led to the indictments. He was not charged but was suspended by the team after suffering a relapse. Suns rookie center William Bedford was also granted immunity in exchange for his testimony.

Dismissed charges: The case against most players ultimately fell apart due to lack of evidence, and no one went to trial. Suns veterans James Edwards and Jay Humphries entered a deferred prosecution program, and charges against them were later dismissed.

Probation: Suns reserve Grant Gondrezick and two other individuals pleaded guilty to lesser charges and received probation.

The enormity of the charges as they came across the fax machine seemed insurmountable. The reality? It was a very thin case and little, if any, evidence was produced. The charges were dropped.

At that time, four players had been dismissed from the NBA because of violation of the NBA/NBA Players Association anti-drug program. The situation with the Suns resulted in the NBA initiating a Player Programs Department – the first ever in professional sports – and Celtics legend, Tom “Satch” Sanders was hired to head-up the department and staff-up to be able to properly serve the NBA and its players.

Arguably – not – it was one of the most important decisions the late David Stern ever made and the hiring of Sanders was – possibly – the most impactful in league history.

What to Expect? – The season will not be pretty for the Portland Trail Blazers. The league placed Billups and Rozier (both active in the league) on mandatory suspension and the Blazers asked assistant coach Tiago Splitter to step up as interim coach. The Heat will “hear it” from the opposing fans as they travel through the 82 game schedule for 2025-26.

It will take time for legal proceedings to move forward, in part because of a busy schedule in NY’s Eastern District. The accused are promised a fair and speedy trial with full legal representation to defend the charges. The feds will have to build and present their case. No timetable has been made public.

In Closing: I have to advise to all readers to follow the case closely but to make no judgements. After writing this column, I plan to keep my mouth shut because I have no information and do not plan to seek out information.

It would be wise for others – not in the know – to do the same.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: On the heels of a gambling scandal in the pro ranks, the NCAA approved a rule change on Wednesday that will allow its athletes and athletic department staff members to bet on professional sports. Two weeks after a Division I cabinet approved the change, Division II and III management councils signed off on it, allowing the new rule to go into effect Nov. 1. The ruling doesn’t change the NCAA rule forbidding its athletes from betting on college sports. The NCAA also prohibits sharing information about college competitions with known gamblers. The NCAA also doesn’t accept advertising or sponsorships of NCAA championships by betting or fantasy sports gambling sites. Go figure?

The South Bay Lakers selected 2025 NBA champion Dillon Jones (6-5, 235, Weber State) with the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA G League Draft. The Osceola Magic selected Tyler Smith (6-9, 224, NBA G League Ignite) with the second overall pick, while the Greensboro Swarm selected Ace Baldwin (6-1, 190, Penn State) third overall pick. Jones, the No. 26 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, appeared in 54 games for the Oklahoma City Thunder last season. The Weber State product also averaged 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in four games for the Washington Wizards at NBA Summer League.

Michael Baiamonte, the Miami Heat’s in-arena public address announcer and the second longest tenured PA man in the NBA, will retire at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. Baiamonte has announced more than 1,500 professional basketball games including six NBA Finals.

Lawrence Tanter of the LA Lakers is the longest tenured public address announcer in the NBA, working for the Lakers since 1982-83.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: As it relates to future prosecution in the feds’ gambling cases against some 31 defendants, the National Security Law firm notes, “Federal prosecutors are always looking to build cases that allow them to climb the criminal enterprise ladder. They may cast a wide net, targeting individuals with the hope of flipping them to build a case against higher-level offenders. Defense attorneys can turn this dynamic in their clients’ favor.” … In EPL action, Liverpool matched their worst EVER run at Brentford when they lost, 3-2, to the home but 10th place club on Saturday. It was Liverpool’s fourth consecutive league loss.

Tom Aspinall, the UFC’s undisputed heavyweight champion, had a disastrous start to his title defense on Saturday, as his bout ended in a no-contest at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. Aspinall (15-3) was unable to continue after title challenger Ciryl Gane (13-2) accidentally poked his right eye during an exchange at 4:35 of the opening round. Aspinall was provided five minutes to recover, but referee Jason Herzog stopped the show once the champ said he couldn’t see. Aspinall was immediately transported to the hospital post-fight.

While the sports industry, media and fans all poo-poo the NBA for its start-of-season gambling scandal, the vast number of media outlets leads their NFL coverage with “Best Bets,” “Sleeper Picks,” “Fantasy Football Props,” and other teases for sports gambling on Sunday’s NFL schedule. … Jimmy the Greek would be proud.

El Clásico – be there. It’s on TV (ESPN2 or ESPN+) Sunday at 11:15am.

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THIS JEST IN: North Carolina still hasn’t won a game against an NCAA Power Four Football opponent under Hall of Fame pro coach Bill Belichick, but Saturday’s 17-16 overtime loss to ACC rival and No. 16, Virginia, showed some improvement. The Tar Heels dominated Virginia at the line of scrimmage, racking up six sacks and largely stopping Virginia’s ground game, but UNC a failed 2-point conversion in overtime which proved to be the difference. Belichick was going for the victory in the final play.

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: There’s no TACOS in Texas! According to the Associated Press, Texas Tech is banning the throwing of tortillas by fans on kickoffs after the 14th-ranked Tech Red Raiders were penalized twice and fined for objects being thrown onto the field in their most recent home game. TT Athletic director Kirby Hocutt said the fans entering the stadium would be instructed to discard tortillas, and there would be reminders before kickoff for anyone who took tortillas in to give them to stadium workers in order for them to be thrown away. Anyone caught throwing tortillas would have their ticket privileges revoked from the rest of the academic year across all sports, Hocutt said. The announcement came a little more than a week after the Red Raiders were given two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after kickoffs in a 42-17 win over Kansas.

Wash Wizards Always Innovating

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WASH DC – (Staff Report from Official Team News Release) – The Washington Wizards are launching of the “Wizards 529” season ticket plan for the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season. This limited-quantity package offers fans full access to all 41 home games for just $529 – less than $13 per game. Designed as an innovative and affordable season ticket option, the “529 Plan” includes reserved seating in select value sections, along with early access to marquee matchups, exclusive fan events, and loyalty incentives.

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Inspired by both the Wizards’ youth movement and the widely recognized 529 college savings plan, the “529 Plan” encourages fans to invest in the future of D.C. basketball.  Tailored for first-time season ticket buyers, students, families, and young professionals, the package offers an accessible and affordable long-term way to witness the next era of the Wizards, and the growth of the game in the nation’s capital firsthand.

“Our Basketball leadership is building a talented roster for the future, and we want our fans to be part of that journey,” said Hunter Lochmann, Monumental Sports and Entertainment Chief Marketing Officer. “Just like a 529 savings plan, this ticket package is all about smart investing – in this case, investing in the future of D.C. basketball.”

In addition, the Wizards’ College Series and Student Rush ticket packages are returning for the 2025-26 season. The College Series features a 10-game lineup highlighted by UNC, UVA, UMD, and Pittsburgh, and purchases include a limited edition, co-branded school and Wizards Hawaiian shirt, while supplies last. Student Rush presented by Chick-fil-A, will be offered for select home games throughout the season, with tickets starting at just $15. Students will also receive a Chick-fil-A meal voucher with their purchase.

Washington will also have custom player designed giveaways. On Nov. 25, the first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive pajama pants designed by guard Bub Carrington. Fans can also take home a City Edition themed hat designed by second-year man AJ Johnson on Feb. 3.

This season, the Wizards will host a variety of theme nights. For the second consecutive season, Washington will host Hoops & Hounds Night presented by Brandywine Valley SPCA on Feb. 22, inviting fans and their dog to watch the Wizards vs. Hornets matchup at Capital One Arena. In addition, the SPCA will be on the concourse with dogs available for adoption. Further details will be announced later in the season.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | October 19

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St. John’s is issuing “Replica Rings” to longtime fans (file photo)

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – As the 2025-26 college basketball season is now underway (St. John’s defeated Towson, 73-63, in a Saturday afternoon exhibition at Carnesecca Arena in Queens), there’s a new kid in town as some major Div I basketball programs appoint celebrity (and full time) General Managers to the mix of coaches, assistant coaches, graduate assistants and other assorted people on the team bus.

Boston Celtics great Jayson Tatum (recovering from an injured Achilles) made some headlines in Boston and Durham, North Carolina when he and Duke University announced the NBA All-Star would be the new GM of the Blue Devils. Tatum will still keep his “daytime” job as a star player for the NBA Celtics as he works his way back into playing, jumping, sprinting and full court defensive condition. Tatum’s rehab and therapy session are reportedly ahead of schedule for a possible return come NBA Playoff time.

But Tatum lending his name, his game and his money to the Duke University basketball program follows a very interesting trend which is not new to this season but trending upward as the money flows into collegiate sports.

Back in April of 2023, Villanova Vice President and Director of Athletics Mark Jackson announced the creation of a new position, General Manager of Basketball, and named former Wildcats’ Associate Head Coach Baker Dunleavy to fill the role.

There were a sprinkling of others which led to the big scoop. St. Bonaventure alum and multi-million dollar earner Adrian Wojnarowski left his mobile device and his 24/7 job as an NBA Insider for ESPN, dropped the serious coin and became the GM of men’s basketball for his alma mater. It was more of less a dream “retirement” job where Woj can still work 24 hours a day, but rather than scoop San Antonio Spurs leads, he can improve the Bonnies’ chances of making the big Dance. Surely, he’ll get some good tips on up & coming talent from RC, right?

Davidson basketball GM Austin Buntz spent several years at Under Armour, and originally joined Davidson’s athletic department in the fundraising department. But he’s recently moved over into the GM role, which he describes as “an extension” of the coaching staff.

Buntz was “one-upped” when Golden State Warriors guard and Davidson Wildcats’ most famous alum, Stephen Curry, signed on as defacto GM. Curry, at the direction of Coach Bob McKillop, led the 2008 Davidson team to a wild ride through March Madness only to fall a game away from the Final Four. And, while Curry fell short in college he made up for it in the pro game as an 11-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA champion, in addition to his three-time USA Basketball gold with the senior national team at the Paris Olympics (2024) and twice at the Worlds (2010-Turkey; 2014-Spain).

Curry lending his name and frequent appearances on campus helps build the Davidson brand globally while raising much needed money for NIL, and general expenses, noting the small collection of alum from such a small Carolina school.

Think that’s enough? How about other active NBA players like Portland’s Damian Lilliard as a GM for Weber State; Brooklyn’s Terance Mann helping out at Florida State; Atlanta’s Trae Young lending a GM hand at Oklahoma.

It’s not just hoops, either, as Andrew Luck is a football GM for his alma mater, Stanford; Michael Lombardi has an active, day-to-day gig as GM with Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels and former NFL head coach Ron Riviera is lending a hand at Cal, all according to a short list assembled by The Old Gray Lady,” The New York Times by way of its sports subsidiary, The Athletic.

For major change, however, college athletic departments, as a whole, need to operate in similar fashion as a pro franchise, complete with a pro mentality of investing in their product, staffing up properly – especially in ticket sales – more facility and game operation improvements, along with front office savvy. Of course, the initial investment is something college ADs refuse to entertain, so they dip their toe in the water, a bit, as long as the newly created positions come with a major donation. to the “U.”

The changes need to be much more substantial. Colleges and the NCAA have long kept a straight arm up against the professional sports leagues, citing the need for compliance and keeping their products squeaky clean and far away from the big bad wolf of professionalism and money.

Well, the barn door blew wide open when the NCAA lost its case to Ed O’Bannon and the world of N.I.L. hit the colleges like a cold slap in the face. No longer could the payments go under the table or in FedEx envelopes to addresses unknown. As it’s been written here before, Now, It was Legal (NIL). Let the Vitamin Water guy (Mike Repole) fund coach Rick Pitino’s St. John’s starting five and some.

GM positions for college basketball are the perfect example of what is really needed. Instead of the head coach making each and every decision as it relates to his program, a trusted GM – even one reporting on a dotted line to both the basketball coach and the AD – can accomplish much more, especially in season. A good GM can run a much better and deeper scouting department (both high school prospects and potential transfer portal options, never mind the upcoming oppenents.

A good GM can make 10 decisions a day that the head coach need not concern himself with at any level. It would free-up time for the coach to coach his team and better prepare for the next game. In addition to a good GM, college coaches for both basketball and football should have a right hand man to clear and guard his/her schedule for the most important activities. If the school marketing department needs a photo shoot, schedule it through the right hand man. If the development office needs some meet and greets on a road trip, run it through the right hand man to best schedule the task. That way, it’s sure to get done and the head coach doesn’t get five calls from five different people for the same requirement/obligation.

The big question is whether the power hungry, control everything head coaches, who control all aspects of basketball and football, will yield their power and responsibilities to a newfound colleague or not?

Of course, football and basketball are the revenue generators but a more professional approach needs to take place within every sport and the athletic office as a whole.

Can the colleges and college conferences make sacrifices for the greater good of college sports as a whole?

Along with the schools moving ahead, the NCAA and individual college conferences need to call a cease fire and form a truce. No more raiding each others’ colleges until a fair and universal approach can be negotiated. In other words, will the NCAA or the colleges have the clout, or will the NCAA be relegated only to run post season play?

The BIG EAST Conference will gather industry leaders this week to discuss the “Future of College Basketball” (Monday, Oct. 20, from 2:00 to 5:30pm (ET), at the Empire State Building), a day ahead of BIG EAST Basketball Media Day on Tuesday, Oct. 21st.

The seminar will start with a “One-on-One” with NCAA president and former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker who will sit down with Bonnie Bernstein, a former reporter for CBS and ESPN and now Founder/CEO, of Walk Swiftly Productions.

There will be four additional panel discussions which are all listed in the BIG EAST agenda – HERE.

The BIG question for Big Charlie – will he re-establish the NCAA and his own power to rule over all of college athletics or will he allow each conference to run amok the way things have been going, which resulted in the Pac-10 imploding? Stanford and Cal playing in the ATLANTIC Coast Conference and other abnormal activities have turned college athletics into a very bad lesson in geography and business sense.

three white baseballs on gray textile

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: MLB’s Gold Gloves finalists were named earlier this week. These players are the best defensive gloves in the game of baseball. Players from the Boston Red Sox are in BOLD.

American League

P – Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers; Max Fried, New York Yankees; Luis Severino, The Athletics.

C – Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers; Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays; Carlos Narváez, Boston Red Sox.

1B – Ty France, Minnesota/Toronto; Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays; Carlos Santana, Cleveland Guardians.

2B – Andrés Giménez, Cleveland Guardians; Luis Rengifo, Los Angeles Angels; Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers.

3B – Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays; Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals; José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians.

SS – Corey Seager, Texas Rangers; Taylor Walls, Tampa Bay Rays; Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals.

LF – Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians; Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers; Tyler Soderstrom, The Athletics.

CF – Kyle Isbel, Kansas City Royals; Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox; Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners.

RF – Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox; Adolis García, Texas Rangers; Cam Smith, Houston Astros.

UTIL – Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays; Mauricio Dubón, Houston Astros; Daniel Schneemann, Cleveland Guardians.

National League

P – Matthew Boyd, Chicago Cubs; David Peterson, New York Mets; Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants.

C – Patrick Bailey, San Francisco Giants; Carson Kelly, Chicago Cubs; Luis Torrens, New York Mets.

1B – Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies; Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves; Spencer Steer, Cincinnati Reds.

2B – Xavier Edwards, Florida Marlins; Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs; Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers.

3B – Ke’Bryan Hayes, Pittsburg/Cincinnati; Ryan McMahon, Colorado/NY Yankees; Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs.

SS – Nick Allen, Atlanta Braves; Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers; Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals.

LF – Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs; Tommy Pham, Pittsburgh Pirates; Kyle Stowers, Florida Marlins.

CF – Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs; Victor Scott II, St. Louis Cardinals; Jacob Young, Washington Nationals.

RF – Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks; Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers; Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres.

UTIL – Miguel Rojas, Los Angeles Dodgers; Javier Sanoja, Florida Marlins; Jared Triolo, Pittsburgh Pirates.

Winners will be announced on November 2nd.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: Formula-1 racing dumped ESPN to sign a five-year deal with Apple TV. While the fringe sports trend towards big money and long term deals with streaming services, they fall short with the ability to extend their audience/reach. F-1 can kiss nightly/weekly news highlights on SportsCenter goodbye.

In other words, the ESPN TV coverage of F-1 will be as terse as their parting shot statement after the Apple TV deal was announced: “We’re incredibly proud of what we and Formula 1 accomplished together in the United States and look forward to a strong finish in this final season. We wish F-1 well in the future.”

Sort of an F-U to F-1?

Speaking of ESPN, many an NBA fan expressed some outright glee when former Golden State team GM and now former NBA on ESPN studio analyst Bob Myers took a lofty position as president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment – the parent company for the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), New Jersey Devils (NHL), Washington DC Commanders (NFL) and The Prudential Center in Newark (home of the NJ Devils).

“Our goal has been to hire, grow, and retain the best and brightest executives in the world and we are a stronger, more dynamic organization with the addition of Bob Myers,” Harris and Blitzer said in a statement.

Myers was already working as a senior advisor on the Commanders’ reorganization plans.

Let’s see if the Commanders, Sixers and Devils can get one of the greatest players in their respective sports with the seventh pick of the draft?

Miami’s Erik Spoelstra was named head coach of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team through 2028. Spoelstra was selected by USA Basketball’s Men’s National Team managing director Grant Hill and was approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.

In addition to an Olympic gold coaching effort as an assistant coach at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, Spoelstra was an assistant coach to Steve Kerr at the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup, where the USA finished fourth. He also served as head of the 2021 USA Basketball Men’s Select Team, which trained alongside the 2020 USA Men’s National Team ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Spoelstra is the perfect choice for this time and place, but it’s sort of amazing his boss, Pat Riley, never had an opportunity to coach the USA at the Olympic Games.

Celtics Sign Harper, Jr. to 2-Way Deal

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Boston Celtics announced the player contract for guard-forward Ron Harper Jr. was converted to a two-way contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced. The slot opened when the Celtics waived R.J. Luis – the 2025 BIG EAST Player of the Year – was waived on October 15.

Harper Jr. (6-5, 233) has appeared in 56 career regular season G League games (49 starts) across three seasons with Toronto (2022-24), Maine (2024-25), and Motor City (2024-25), averaging 17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals in 32.6 minutes per game. The 25-year-old scored in double figures in 23 outings last season, including nine games with 20+ points and three games with 30+ points. Harper Jr. posted a G-League career-high 38 points (13-20 FG, 11-18 3FG, 1-1 FT) to go with three rebounds, eight assists, and one steal in a victory over Long Island Feb. 1.

The New Jersey native has seen action in 11 NBA games over three seasons with Toronto (2022-24) and Detroit (2024-25) with averages of 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game. In three appearances with Boston in the 2025-26 preseason, Harper Jr. averaged 4.3 points and 1.0 assists in 10.6 minutes per game. Prior to going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, Harper Jr. spent four seasons at Rutgers (2018-22) where he posted averages of 12.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 121 career games (109 starts). He earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors his senior season after averaging a team-high 15.7 points per game and shooting a career-high 39.8 percent (68-171 3FG) from 3-point range. Harper Jr. is the son of former NBA first-round pick Ron Harper, and his younger brother, Dylan, currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs.

Dateline | Abu Dhabi

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

ABU DHABI – Greetings from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The city is hosting a pair of NBA Preeason games between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers. Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the UAE, and the largest and most populated of the seven emirates. It is quite an amazing place.

Is it hot? Yes, like Las Vegas during the prime heat of the NBA Summer League (July) or USA Basketball training (August), but it doesn’t have the “strip.” It does have the Grand Mosque, one of the most spectacular sights ever seen. Photos do not do it justice.

Here’s an attempt to help set the scene:

Grand Mosque exterior (file photo)

Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi (photo by T. Peter Lyons)

While the Knicks vs. 76ers game was certainly the marquee event of the trip, as with most NBA international preseason games, there is a whole other ancillary program working all around the games. Here in Abu Dhabi, there’s:

  • The NBA Experience – It used to be called “Jam Session”
  • NBA House – The highlight of the NBA Experience
  • NBA Store – Great, 5th Avenue-like NBA Store in nicest Mall ever
  • NBA Basketball School – Tournament

The NBA Basketball School tournament is HUGE. It’s run at three venues, all world class level training facilities with multiple courts, one of which is on site at New York University (NYU)’s Abu Dhabi campus. There are competitors at the U-15 and U-17 levels for both boys/young men and girls/young women. There are teams from all over the world: Australia, Dubai, India, Poland, Italy, Lebanon and a “combo” Europe team. There’s also start-up NBA Basketball Schools here – without team – all learning from the experience for future beginnings, and that includes a great program that just began last week in Tiblisi, Georgia (former USSR). Tbilisi is near and dear to this writer’s heart as it was one of three cities (Moscow, Tbilisi and Vilnius (Lithuania) the Atlanta Hawks toured in 1988, but that is a column for another day (the stories are endless).

The reason your roving reporter/columnist is here this week is to assist/advise NBA Basketball School – Türkiye, via a very longterm relationship born on the basketball court at the 2002 FIBA Worlds in Indianapolis (Türkiye played quite well, the USA did not). That tournament was sponsored by Turkish Airlines and that airline later became the title sponsor for EuroLeague Basketball.

My friend and contact is Devrim KIVANÇ who coaches basketball for many, many years and then started his own “MVP” camps for youth. It is quite a successul program, based mostly in Istanbul – a city that is even more amazing that Abu Dhabi, and that’s a pretty serious statement.

Coach Devrim also ran some great camps in conjunction with the Philadelphia 76ers going back a decade but it came to an end because of COVID-19 and trouble getting USA visas for students/campers. Coach Devrim and I have been working with the NBA to plan for an NBA Basketball School to begin in Istanbul very soon. More to come on that.

Team Boxscores: (surf around on “other games, too) —> HERE

This column is being written anout 60 … countdown to 45 minutes before a scheduled Team Türkiye meeting (5:00pm Saturday) in advance of a 5:30pm team bus to compete in the championship/Finals of the event.

To that end, the U-17 team (4-0) – the players are playing together for the very first time. They’ve run a fluid offense, played hard with a tough defense and have the results to prove it. The good news was winning games – the bad new, the event schedule called for the U-17 Finals to be held at 7:00pm tonight, the same time of Game 2 of the Knicks vs 76ers gme at Etihad Arena – a great facility in which the NBA has played multiple years and USA Basketball played leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics. It’s great, and thankfully VERY well air conditioned.

Time zone differences, time constraints pre-game and post game will not allow for While We’re Young (Ideas) to report the results of the tournament, but this is the important part:

Every team of the NBA Basketball School program has already won. In fact, they’ve all won – Gold, Silver and Bronze in the most important aspects of such an experience. I’ll rattle off just a few of an endless list, and I’ll do it via stream of consciousness.

Here we go:

  1. The experience of playing ball, working within a team structure and learning the key life lessons that basketball can bring to the youth of the world has been accomplished in ways I couldn’t even dream of in 1980 when I started at the NBA in New York. I couldn’t even dream of it post-1992 when the Dream Team captured the world’s imagination and allowed athletes from all over the world to experience the very best the NBA had to offer. Post 1992, the NBA hit a springboard for global growth, and I was asked to switch from NBA Media Relations to International Communications, beginning in February of 1993.
  2. The players from each country were given ample time to interact with each other and learn even more about different nations and cultures. That was the best take-away from this event.
  3. The NBA has created an unbelievable program and its “back of the house” is so well planned, produced and offered to potential new schools (and the existing ones, of course) and it includes handbooks and software programs to allow for cohesive sign-ups, communications and sharing of information primarily for the individual camp, but also to share with the league and the other schools. In the biz world, they call it “Best Practices.”
  4. The teams/players getting to see the NBA game was probably a “once in a lifetime” experience for the players. Although preseason games can be a bit rough around the edges on the front end of October (they’re quite better when we used to take Texas teams to Mexico City on – say – October 30/31), the spectacle of an NBA game, music/game operations, dance teams, mascots and all the ancillary programming is quite amazing for the kids – and the adults.
  5. (Side note) – It wasn’t until I sat down in the arena with a “premo” center court seat that I realized it was the first NBA international preseason game I ever attended when I could sit in the stands and have fun (rather than be working and worried about every second and every activity – including my No. 1 concern back then – NO INJURIES, please). PS: The cold Amstel Light wasn;t bad, either.
  6. The competition was very good, pretty high level and well coached. The traveling parties from all the different countries operated like pro-level event companies. The players were polite and respected each other and their chaperones.
  7. A good handful- especially from Australia – travlled with parents of the players who all shared the unbelievable experience. We had a small handful of parents for Türkiye, but actually are doing a conference call with the parents as a surprise “pre-game motivational talk” for the guys at the meeting – now only 20 minutes away.
  8. I could list another 100 things, but will stop now because of the fact, it’s time to freshen up, get the game face on, grab my pass (I always hung my credentials on my hotel room door knob or door lock during my days with USA Basketball at the Olympics so I’d never forget the pass), and I’ve been doing it here – a HUGE throwback in my mind’s eyes to the Olympics and 120+ international preseason games I worked between 1985 and 2008.
  9. It’s GAME TIME!

HERE NOW … No MORE NOTES!

We’ll be back next week wit your regularly scheduled programming.

Go Türkiye. 🇹🇷

This event has been one of those “pinch me!” Is this actually happening – moments of my life and I hope I’ve shared just a small glimpse of that experience with you.