Thursday Sports – Dodgers knock off Mets to win Game 3 of NLCS

MLB – Major League Baseball Playoffs – League Championship Series – Best of 7
Last night
Los Angeles Dodgers 8, New York Mets 0 (LAD leads 2-1)

Dodgers 8, Mets 0 – Shohei Ohtani hits a home run as the Dodgers defeat the Mets 8-0 to take a 2-1 lead in the NLCS
Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run home run to highlight the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 8-0 victory over the New York Mets in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. Kiké Hernández hit a two-run pitch in the sixth inning to make it 4-0 and waved to the Citi Field crowd, which he silenced. Los Angeles rebounded from a home loss to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series by posting its fourth shutout in its last five playoff games. Ohtani scored in the eighth, a 410-foot drive that rocketed into the second deck in right field.

Tonight
New York Yankees (Schmidt 5-5) at Cleveland Guardians (Boyd 2-2), 5:08 p.m. (NYY leads 2-0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (Yamamoto 7-2) at New York Mets (Quintana 10-10), 8:08 p.m. (LAD leads 2-1)

NFL – National Football League – Week 7
Tonight
Denver Broncos at New Orleans Saints, 8:15 p.m

NFL – Newly signed WR Davante Adams is expected to play for Jets vs. Steelers
Davante Adams is expected to make his debut for the New York Jets on Sunday night in Pittsburgh. The star wide receiver was acquired from Las Vegas on Tuesday. Adams was limited in the Jets’ passing practice but said he was able to play against the Steelers. Adams missed the Raiders’ last three games with a hamstring injury that coincided with his trade request. He is reunited with Aaron Rodgers. Adams caught 615 passes from Rodgers for 7,517 yards and 68 touchdowns in eight seasons together in Green Bay.

NFL – The Lions are signing DT Alim McNeill to a four-year, $97 million contract in the franchise’s latest investment
The Detroit Lions have decided to make defensive tackle Alim McNeill their latest investment, retaining a key player on a long-term contract. McNeill signed a four-year, $97 million contract extension, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because conditions were not disclosed. Detroit plays NFC North leader Minnesota on the road on Sunday in what could be a crucial game in the division race and playoff positioning. The Lions won the NFC North last season, their first division title since 1993.

NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
New York Rangers at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m
San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association Finals – (Best of 5)
Last night
New York Liberty 80, Minnesota Lynx 77 (NYL leads 2-1)

Liberty 80, Lynx 77 – Ionescu’s 3-pointer with 1 second left gives Liberty an 80-77 win over Lynx and a 2-1 series lead
Sabrina Ionescu hit a game-winning 3-pointer from the top of the key with one second left and Breanna Stewart scored 30 points to help the New York Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx 77-8 on Wednesday night to move to 2-1 in the lead of five WNBA Finals series. The Liberty are now just one win away from winning their first ever title. Game 4 will take place on Friday evening in Minnesota, with the decisive fifth game taking place on Sunday in New York if necessary. With the score tied at 77-77, Ionescu had the ball at the top of the key and dribbled around before pulling up and hitting the 3-pointer that broke the tie.

WNBA – Clark is the first rookie to make the All-WNBA first team since 2008
Rookie guard Caitlin Clark added another accolade to her outstanding first season, earning All-WNBA honors on Wednesday. The Indiana Fever guard was the first rookie to make the team since Candace Parker in 2008. She is the fifth rookie ever to receive this honor, joining Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings and Diana Taurasi. Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson and Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier were unanimously selected to the first team. Breanna Stewart and Alyssa Thomas rounded out the five-member team. New York featured three of the 10 players on the two teams, with Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones receiving second-team honors. They were joined by Kahleah Copper of Phoenix, Nneka Ogwumike of Seattle and Arike Ogunbowale of Dallas.

NBA – National Basketball Association preseason
Last night
Detroit Pistons 108, Cleveland Cavaliers 92
Chicago Bulls 125, Minnesota Timberwolves 123

Tonight
Charlotte Hornets at Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m

NBA – Lonzo Ball makes his long-awaited return from knee injuries and scores 10 points
Lonzo Ball received a rousing ovation in his long-awaited return for the Chicago Bulls after being sidelined for nearly three years with a knee injury. Ball scored 10 points in 15 minutes in the Bulls’ 125-123 preseason win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. The point guard also had an assist, a steal and a block in his first appearance since January 14, 2022. Ball underwent a cartilage and meniscus transplant in his left knee last year after multiple procedures failed to heal his injury. He found he was “moving great” and the knee was causing him “no problems at all.” Ball received a rousing ovation when he came on for Josh Giddey after a timeout midway through the first quarter.

NBA – Sports betting can confuse players, so the NBA helps them differentiate between right and wrong
One Jontay Porter was one too many for the NBA when it comes to sports betting. The NBA has spurred American professional sports leagues’ push into once-forbidden territory while trying to balance betting and the integrity of the game. Players who violate established guidelines can face a lifetime ban. Porter found this out while betting on Raptors games while playing for Toronto. The NBA signed a deal with gaming company MGM in 2018. The league also signed FanDuel and DraftKings as official sponsors in 2021. The landscape can be confusing, so the NBA has a program in place to train employees from the league office to players, coaches and staff at individual teams to understand the potential pitfalls of rule violations.

NCAAFB – NCAA closes loophole that allowed Oregon to intentionally incur a late penalty
The NCAA Football Rules Committee has issued guidance to close a loophole that allowed second-seeded Oregon to take advantage of an illegal substitution penalty late in its win over Ohio State to take a timeout. When Ohio State had its final possession of the game with just a few seconds left, Oregon was accused of having too many defenders on the field. While the Buckeyes gained 5 yards, the play lasted four seconds and Ohio State didn’t have time to call a timeout for a potential game-winning field goal. The NCAA coordinator of football officials said in a statement that the new guidelines are intended to “deprive the defense of any gain from the commission of an intentional penalty.”

NCAAFB – Banned letters of intent, shortened transfer window mean more college chaos
The time-honored tradition of high school athletes proudly sitting behind a table and signing a national letter of intent is a thing of the past. Instead, starting next month, athletes will have their names added to financial aid packages that will likely be tied to a revenue-sharing agreement. The NCAA announced the death of the letter of intent last week, the same day it implemented a newly shortened schedule for players to opt out of the transfer portal. Coaches say they are confused about all the changes in college athletics.

Billie Jean King is celebrating the 50th anniversary of her Women’s Sports Foundation
Billie Jean King founded the Women’s Sports Foundation with a check for $5,000. She turned that investment into $100 million and has spent half a century helping girls and women achieve their dreams through travel and training scholarships, local sports programs, and the mentorship of athletes and coaches. King celebrated the foundation’s 50th anniversary by honoring the 1999 U.S. Women’s World Cup winner, PWHL and Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter and the WNBA rookie class of 2024 on Wednesday night in New York. Nearly 100 female athletes attended the dinner to celebrate the milestone and King, a tireless advocate for equal pay and increased investment in women’s sports.

NWSL – NWSL expansion team BOS Nation FC apologizes for the “Too Many Balls” campaign
The National Women’s Soccer League’s expansion team in Boston has apologized for a “Too Many Balls” marketing campaign that drew strong backlash from the transgender community and others. A day after unveiling the slogan as part of the launch of the team name, BOS Nation FC, the organization posted on Among those criticizing the campaign was Seattle midfielder Quinn, who identifies as transgender and non-binary.

MCCAA – Michigan Community College Athletic Association
Yesterday
Men’s football
Lake Michigan College at Cuyahoga Community College, postponed

Today
Women’s volleyball
Lake Michigan College at Marian University Ancilla, 6:30 p.m
Kalamazoo Valley Community College at Southwestern Michigan College, 6:30 p.m

MHSAA-Michigan High School Athletic Association
Last night
Girls volleyball
St. Joseph 3, Kalamazoo Central 1
Lakeshore 3, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 1
Mattawan 3, Gull Lake 0
Portage Central 3, Battle Creek Central 0
Portage Northern 3, Battle Creek Lakeview 2
Michigan Lutheran 3, Eau Claire 0
South Haven 3, Bridgman 0

Boys soccer (district finals)
Division 3 at Fennville
Fennville 2, South Haven 0

Tonight
football
Berrien Springs (4-3) at Benton Harbor (0-7), 7 p.m. at Dickinson Stadium, St. Joseph

Boys soccer (district finals)
Division 2 at Edwardsburg
Sturgis vs. St. Joseph, 4:30 p.m

Division 3 at Berrien Springs
Hartford vs. Berrien Springs, 5 p.m

Division 3 at Quincy
Three Rivers vs. Eaton Rapids, 4:30 p.m

Division 4 in Cassopolis
Michigan Lutheran vs. Bridgman, 5 p.m

Division 4 at Kalamazoo Hackett
Kalamazoo Christian vs. Kalamazoo Hackett, 6 p.m

Girls volleyball
Plainwell at Niles, 6 p.m
Edwardsburg at Vicksburg, 6 p.m
Paw Paw in Otsego, 6 p.m
Three Rivers at Sturgis, 6 p.m
New Buffalo at Cassopolis, 7 p.m
Saugatuck at South Haven, 6:30 p.m
Galesburg-Augusta in Coloma, 6:30 p.m
Martin in Watervliet, 6:30 p.m
Gobles at Fennville, 6:30 p.m
Delton-Kellogg at Allegan, 6:30 p.m
Kalamazoo Christian at Portage Northern, 6:30 p.m
Burr Oak at Howardsville Christian, 6 p.m