Author: Shekari Philemon

LeBron James made his preseason debut for Philadelphia on Thursday in a 114 to 108 loss at Brooklyn, playing 18 minutes in his first appearance for the fourth and likely final franchise of his career. What did his line look like? Unusual. Ten points, four rebounds and a team high five assists, with exactly one field goal attempt, which he made. The other eight points came from the free throw line, where he went 8 for 8. Philadelphia outscored Brooklyn by 10 in his minutes, all of which came in the first half. What does one shot attempt indicate? Intent…

Undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels led Tampa Bay to a 24 to 16 win at Dallas on Thursday night, ending an 0 and 4 start in his second consecutive start standing in for an injured Baker Mayfield. How did he play? Efficiently rather than spectacularly. He completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards with a touchdown and added 23 rushing yards. He went 8 for 8 during a stretch in the second quarter that ended with a 5 yard touchdown to Bucky Irving, and found Tez Johnson for 64 yards during a 17 point third quarter that decided the…

Dallas lost 24 to 16 at home to a previously winless Tampa Bay on Thursday, allowing 241 rushing yards and extending a run of consecutive games conceding more than 20 points to twelve, which matches a franchise record. How bad are the defensive numbers? Comprehensively poor. Beyond the 241 rushing yards, Dallas gave up 165 yards before contact, the most by any team in a game this season, and conceded a 72 yard run on the second play of the third quarter. An undrafted rookie quarterback making his first start completed 19 of 25 passes for 189 yards and a…

Ben Shelton reached the third round of the Shanghai Masters on his 24th birthday, beating Daniel Altmaier 6 to 3, 7 to 6 on Friday. How did he get through? Comfortably in the first set and narrowly in the second, taking a tiebreak that went to eight points. It is a routine win for a player of his ranking and a useful one given his recent form. What has his autumn looked like? Difficult. He reached the US Open final and lost to Alexander Zverev, then withdrew from the Laver Cup, then played Davis Cup for the United States and…

Jannik Sinner will miss the remainder of the season with knee inflammation, ending a year in which he won Wimbledon and leaving him almost certain to lose the world number one ranking before it closes. What does he miss? Four significant commitments. The Shanghai Masters, the Paris Masters in November where he cannot defend the 1,000 points won last year, the ATP Finals later that month, and the Davis Cup Final 8, where Italy hosts as three time defending champion. He has not played since beating Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon final in July and withdrew from the US Open…

The FIA will introduce new wet weather engine software before the United States Grand Prix on Oct. 25, following a failure that left multiple cars losing power on the formation lap at the Bahrain Grand Prix, run this year at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit. What went wrong? A bug in software the governing body supplies to every team, which governs how electric power is deployed. Cars running at low engine revolutions in sectors where a 250 kilowatt power reduction applied lost drive beyond what was intended and could not recover it within those sectors. The problem appeared coming out of a…

The NBA and FIBA said Thursday they will proceed with plans for a new professional league in Europe, days after EuroLeague clubs rejected a formal merger offer. What did they say? That a unified structure would serve clubs, players and supporters, and that both organisations remain committed to a new men’s league in Europe alongside partners sharing their vision and the principles of the European sports model. The statement was issued jointly, which matters because it places the sport’s international governing body formally alongside the NBA rather than neutral between the parties. Why was the offer rejected? Valuation, according to…

Celebrations in which players mimic drinking a beverage will no longer be treated as violations, the NFL and the players’ association said in a joint statement on Wednesday. What prompted this? A cluster of fines. Several players were penalised in Week 2 for celebrations imitating drinking, including a San Francisco fullback whose version has been his signature for years. The union’s executive director said there were 20 celebration fines across Weeks 2 and 3, which he described as an unusual spike, and that every fined player appealed. Two of those fines were rescinded earlier Wednesday. What is still prohibited? Three…

Baltimore acquired two time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens from Philadelphia on Wednesday, sending a 2027 fifth round pick and a 2028 second rounder for Jurgens and a 2027 seventh. Why did Baltimore need him? Because it has run out of centers. The position has been a problem since the previous starter left in free agency in March. One candidate suffered a season ending knee injury in a joint practice in late August. Two more were lost in a single game in Rio de Janeiro, one with a broken fibula and one with a knee injury, and the player expected…

Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka and Jannik Sinner are among the players confirmed for the Australian Open’s 1 Point Slam in January, an exhibition in which every match lasts a single point and the winner takes one million Australian dollars. How does it work? A knockout bracket where each match is decided by one point. Men and women, professionals, amateur qualifiers and wild cards all compete in the same draw, which means a club player can eliminate a Grand Slam champion in the time it takes to play a rally. The final is at Rod Laver Arena on Jan.…