Category: Sports

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The New Orleans Saints have signed their first-round draft choice, tackle Taliese Fuaga, to a four-year contract.

The club announced the agreement on Thursday, a day before the opening of the Saints’ three-day rookie camp.

The 6-foot-6, 324-pound Fuaga’s prospects for playing immediately — if not starting — are high. Andrus Peat, who played both guard and tackle last season, left in free agency for Las Vegas. Meanwhile, James Hurst, who also played guard and tackle, retired.

Adding to the Saints’ precarious situation up front is the fact that starting right tackle Ryan Ramczyk had offseason surgery to address a nagging knee injury. Coach Dennis Allen has described his prognosis as “up in the air.”

Meanwhile, 2022 first-round draft choice Trevor Penning did not perform reliably enough to hold down a starting spot in 2023 after missing much of 2022 with a foot injury. New Orleans has by no means given up on Penning, but the pace at which he improves remains to be seen.

This upcoming season, the Saints’ offense will change systems under new coordinator Klint Kubiak, whose scheme is expected to emphasize outside zone runs — a good fit for a prospect such as Fuaga, whose ability to run and block in space was seen as a strength.

Fuaga started all 12 games at right tackle in 2023 for Oregon State, which averaged nearly 5 yards per rush, and he was selected first-team All-Pac-12 last season.

In the NFL, rookie contracts are determined primarily by a scale in the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Because he was selected 14th overall, Fuaga’s guaranteed, four-year deal was projected to be worth in the range of $17 million. The club did not release financial details.

The WNBA debuts of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso were widely watched on a social media livestream from a fan who stepped in when the league’s app couldn’t broadcast the game.

Reese and Cardoso played in their first preseason game for the Chicago Sky on Friday night in a 92-81 loss to the Minnesota Lynx.

The WNBA’s app had incorrectly listed the game as available to watch, leading to confusion from fans before the league clarified that only Caitlin Clark’s debut with the Indiana Fever was being broadcast.

That’s when @heyheyitsalli stepped in on X.

“Would y’all want me to try and stream the game on here??” the X user asked, “no promises on the quality but i can try.”

Viewership numbers on the livestream varied, but on Saturday the video showed about 434,000 total views. The X user previously posted a screenshot showing that the stream peaked at 173,381 live viewers.

“Y’all these are some of THE WILDEST numbers WOW,” the user tweeted.

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve was asked about the stream after the game. She said @heyheyitsalli deserves “three bucks” per viewer.

“Anybody that watched it should send three bucks to the person, I don’t even know who it is,” Reeve said. “I think that what I would say is that the growth is happening so fast. It’s so accelerated. And I’ve been saying this in our own organization — that business as usual isn’t going to work anymore.

“You’re gonna get left behind and this is an example.”

“People want to see that, but they also want to see, you know, it’s not just about Caitlin,” Reeve said. “This isn’t Caitlin’s fault in any way. It’s more, you know, the recognition that there’s general excitement about the WNBA in ways that we haven’t seen before. And so we have to capitalize to really ensure that this is a movement.”

Reese finished the game with 13 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes. Cardoso had six points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.

Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said she was pleased with the rookies’ debuts.

“This is a learning process for all of us. … And we’re going through that process in the right way,” she said. “We got our leaders leading them, pulling them along. Keeping them confident. That’s what matters. So we’re in a great place and they’re in a hell of a great place.”

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The New Orleans Saints filled a pressing need with their first-round pick in the NFL draft.

Then they traded up in the second round to get a player they targeted at a position of relative strength.

In selecting Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga No, 14 overall, coach Dennis Allen felt the Saints took a logical approach.

“There’s really not any sense screwing around,” he said. “You’ve got the guy you like. It’s a position of need. Let’s don’t overthink this. Let’s take the player.”

Fuaga played right tackle at Oregon State, but with New Orleans having potential openings at both tackle spots, he said he would be comfortable on either side. Trevor Penning, the second of two 2022 first-round picks, lost his starting role at left tackle early last season. His replacement, Andrus Peat, is an unsigned free agent. Starting right tackle Ryan Ramczyk had offseason surgery to address a chronic knee issue and faces an uncertain future.

Fuaga was the fourth of seven offensive tackles picked in the first round in a draft heavy on highly rated tackles.

“It was fortunate for us,” Allen said. “It’s not too often that the depth of the draft at the position of need marry up, but this happened to be a year that it married up for us.”

New Orleans moved up four spots to grab Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, trading the No. 45, 168 and 190 picks to Green Bay for the 41st pick. McKinstry earned first-team All-America honors as a senior.

New Orleans added five players on the final day, beginning with South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler in the fifth round at No. 150. Projected as the potential No. 1 overall pick at the start of his sophomore year at Oklahoma in 2021, he lost his job to Caleb Williams and transferred to South Carolina, where he started the past two years.

He was the first quarterback taken since the run of six in the first 12 picks on Thursday night.

“This is a guy who has been through a lot of adversity, faced a lot of criticism and come out on the other side,” Allen said. “He’s got a skill set we want to work with, just from an arm talent standpoint and the ability to make all the throws.”

The others Saints selections were Pittsburgh wide receiver Bub Means (fifth round, No. 170), Texas linebacker Jaylan Ford (fifth round, No. 175), Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd (sixth round, No. 199) and Eastern Kentucky offensive tackle Josiah Ezirim (seventh round, No. 239).

ROOM FOR LATTIMORE?

Allen said taking McKinstry did not mean the Saints planned to move on from cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who has been the subject of trade speculation because of his hefty contract.

Other cornerbacks on the roster include Paulson Adebo, a third-round pick in 2021 who had 76 tackles and four interceptions last year, and Alontae Taylor, a 2022 second-rounder who had 75 tackles and two picks.

Lattimore, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, has missed as many games (17) as he played in the past two years due to injury.

“Marshon’s been valuable,” Allen said. “We’re looking forward to him being a part of our team.”

SABAN EFFECT

Having played under recently retired coach Nick Saban, who won six national championships with the Crimson Tide, was a factor in McKinstry’s favor.

“I know that he’s been coached really hard,” Allen said. “And I know that he’s been around a lot of good football and a lot of smart football, and you value those things. It adds some weight to what you’re getting.”

SAME PIPELINE

The Saints’ affinity for Senior Bowl MVP quarterbacks continued with the selection of Rattler.

Rattler followed 2023 MVP Jake Haener of Fresno State, the Saints’ fourth-round pick last year, and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond, the 2021 MVP who signed with the Saints as a free agent earlier this month. All of them will compete to back up Derek Carr along with free-agent acquisition Nathan Peterman.

TRADING UP

The move to take McKinstry was business as usual for the Saints, who have traded up in the draft 27 times since 2008. They have not traded down since 2007.

Quarterbacks went off the draft board at a record-setting pace.

Thursday night was the fourth time in the common draft era starting in 1967 that QBs went with the top three picks, with three more going in the top 12. It was the fewest number of picks for six QBs to be drafted.

This marked the first time five quarterbacks were drafted in the top 10 and matched the famed 1983 class with six first-rounders in all as teams throughout the league went in search of a big-time passer who can turn the fortunes of a franchise.

“I wasn’t shocked,” said Bo Nix, who was the last QB off the board at No. 12 to Denver. “I think the six of us, we’re all capable of playing at the next level. It’s going to be fun to watch everybody and see how they develop. I wasn’t shocked at all because I think this class of quarterbacks was very strong.”

The draft started in predictable fashion with Caleb Williams going first to Chicago, Jayden Daniels second to Washington and Drake Maye third to New England, marking the second time in the past four drafts that QBs went 1-2-3.

But in a note of caution, two of those highly drafted quarterbacks in 2021 have already been busts for their teams, with the New York Jets trading No. 2 pick Zach Wilson earlier this week to Denver as part of a late-round draft pick swap and San Francisco dealing No. 3 pick Trey Lance last August to Dallas for a fourth-rounder.

Two other first-round quarterbacks from that draft have also been dealt away, with Chicago trading No. 11 pick Justin Fields to Pittsburgh and New England dealing No. 15 pick Mac Jones earlier this offseason.

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga is a fan of comedic actor Adam Sandler and his 1998 film, “The Waterboy,” which he’s watched numerous times.

Perhaps the 6-foot-6, 324-pound blocker was destined to wind up in Louisiana at the dawn of his NFL career, even if the reasons the New Orleans Saints drafted him were no laughing matter.

The Saints selected Fuaga with the 14th overall pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night, adding him to an offensive line that could use some bodies, particularly at tackle.

“We felt like offensive tackle was a position of need for us,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “We’re really excited about Taliese. He’s big, he’s athletic, he’s extremely physical. … We just felt like he was our type of person.”

Trevor Penning, the second of two 2022 first-round picks by New Orleans, was unable to hold on to a starting role at left tackle last season. His replacement in the lineup, Andrus Peat, remains a free agent.

Meanwhile, the health of right tackle Ryan Ramczyk is “up in the air,” Allen said, after the veteran tackle underwent surgery in hopes of addressing a nagging knee injury.

Additionally, versatile lineman James Hurst, who normally plays guard but has filled in at tackle, has decided to retire.

Fuaga, who was the fourth offensive tackle drafted (after Joe Alt at No. 5, JC Latham at No. 7 and Olumuyiwa Fashanu and No. 11 ), said he wasn’t sure an NFL career was realistic for him until the past year or so, stressing that he long viewed football as no more than “a sport I love to play.”

During this past college season, Fuaga did not allow a sack, and his performance against UCLA star defensive end Laiatu Latu got the attention of pro scouts.

The Saints ranked 21st in the NFL in yards rushing last season. Derek Carr was sacked 31 times, placing him in a tie for 14th in the NFL for the number times sacked.

This season, the Saints’ offense will change systems under new coordinator Klint Kubiak, whose scheme is expected to emphasize outside zone runs — a good fit for prospect like Fuaga, whose ability to run and block in space was seen as a strength.

Fuaga started all 12 games at right tackle in 2023 for Oregon State, which averaged nearly 5 yards per rush, and was named first-team All-Pac-12 last season.

If Ramczyk winds up healthy enough to resume his role as starting right tackle, Fuaga said he’d feel “pretty comfortable” at left tackle as well, having gotten a number of practice snaps at that spot during college.

“Some people like to say it’s like driving on the other side of the freeway,” Fuaga said at a draft party hosted by relatives in Hawaii. “I don’t really see too much of a problem. It’s fresh because I haven’t tested it in a live game, but I feel good on the left side.”

Fuaga also didn’t dismiss the possibility of playing guard if the Saints needed him there, even though he considers it a much different position.

Fuaga said one of his chief areas of improvement in recent seasons was “trying to be a more nasty player.” One of the ways he accomplished that, he said with a grin, was by adopting the psychology of Sandler’s character in “The Waterboy,” a Cajun from Louisiana named Bobby Boucher.

Fuaga said he’d imagine an opposing defender was “talking about my mom, or talking about my brother.”

In any event, his on-field persona evidently made an impression on Allen, who made the phone call to tell Fuaga the Saints were drafting him.

“Look, you’re a tough S.O.B., and that’s what I love about you,” Allen said on the call, a video of which was posted by the Saints on social media. “And that’s the way we’re going to play.”

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Hours after the NBA announced Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was selected as a finalist for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, Oklahoma City’s All-Star guard showed why.

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points, including the go-ahead basket in the final minute, and the top-seeded Thunder edged the New Orleans Pelicans 94-92 in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series Sunday night.

New Orleans’ CJ McCollum missed a leaning 3-pointer in the closing seconds and the Thunder held on to win their first home playoff game since 2019.

“I thought we showed great grit down the stretch,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “Obviously, that was a tight game. It was a bit of a brawl for both teams offensively. And we made plays defensively down the stretch — big time plays — and had the resolve to go in and win the game.”

Jalen Williams scored 19 points and Chet Holmgren added 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the Thunder, who will host Game 2 on Wednesday night.

Trey Murphy III scored 21 points, McCollum had 20 and Jonas Valanciunas added 13 points and 20 rebounds for the Pelicans. Zion Williamson, New Orleans’ leading scorer in the regular season, sat out with a strained left hamstring.

Gilgeous-Alexander made an off-balance jumper in the paint with 32.5 seconds left to break a 90-all tie and was fouled on the play. With the crowd chanting “M-V-P!” Gilgeous-Alexander made the free throw to put Oklahoma City ahead 93-90.

McCollum’s mid-range jumper made it 93-92.

Holmgren was fouled with 14 seconds left. He missed the first free throw and made the second to put the Thunder ahead 94-92 and set up McCollum’s final shot. Thunder rookie Cason Wallace forced him to scramble and take a difficult shot.

“I got the switch,” McCollum said. “I should have attacked a little earlier, a little faster. But credit, it was good defense. … I thought it was cash and I missed it long.”

The energy from the Oklahoma City fans — most wearing white Thunder T-shirts — was off the charts, and Holmgren brought them to a fever pitch by opening the scoring with a 3-pointer.

“It was amazing,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They were exactly what I expected. … They were perfect.”

The game was tied at 17 at the end of the first quarter and tied at 43 at halftime. The Thunder held New Orleans to 34% shooting in the first half, but missed a lot of open shots. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 points before the break.

New Orleans led 50-48 in the third quarter before the Thunder went on an 11-0 run over a three-minute span that put them up 59-50.

New Orleans recovered to briefly take the lead, but Oklahoma City closed the third quarter strong. Isaiah Joe hit a 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds left in the quarter to put the Thunder up 74-68 heading into the fourth.

New Orleans missed several opportunities to seize control in the final quarter.

“We had quality shots coming down the stretch that we just didn’t make, and it came down to the final play,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “Our guys fought all night. Defense was solid. Game plan was executed at a high level. We’ve got to knock down some shots.”

It was a defensive battle between teams that both averaged more than 115 points in the regular season.

“This is what it’s going to be,” Green said. “We’re physical with them, they’re physical with us and that’s a part of the game. That’s a part of playoff basketball.”

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Zion Williamson had New Orleans fans roaring and out of their seats as he burst down the lane on the dribble, finishing a game-tying layup over Lakers star Anthony Davis.

Moments later, the Pelicans star forward was throwing a towel to the floor in disgust as he disappeared down a tunnel leading to the locker room.

Williamson’s highlight-filled, 40-point, 11-rebound showing in his postseason debut ended in a worrisome way for him and New Orleans on Tuesday night. He missed the final three minutes of a 110-106 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference play-in tournament because of a left leg injury.

“This is an unfortunate situation,” Pelicans guard CJ McCollum said. “He was having a great game. We’re getting down the stretch of a highly important game where he’s dominating and leaving his imprint in all phases. And he ends up having to leave the game early.

“I don’t know what happened or the extent of it,” McCollum added. “Hopefully, he’s back soon.”

Williamson was due for imaging on Wednesday and his status was unclear heading into a do-or-die play-in finale against Sacramento on Friday night to the decide the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Williamson, who missed most of his first four seasons because of a series of injuries to his knee, hand, foot and hamstring, finally got through a regular season relatively good health in his fifth year as a pro. He played in 70 games, leading the 49-win Pelicans in scoring at 22.9 points.

Sometimes he used the glass, sometimes he tossed the ball straight in. He slammed down forceful dunks and sprinkled in some midrange shots.

In the final seconds of the first half, he sprinted nearly the length of the court on the dribble before hitting a contested floater off the glass as time expired.

For Pelicans veteran forward Larry Nance Jr., Williamson’s performance exemplified why the former Duke star was the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

“That dude is incredible,” Nance said. “My vocabulary is pretty expansive. I don’t have the words to describe his performance tonight and how he’s shouldered us all season. So, you know, hopefully, hopefully he’s healthy and, he can, we can get something similar on Friday.”

James, meanwhile, predicted that Williamson is “going to be great for a long time.”

“He’s a generational player, a generational talent. He’s going to continue to get better and better,” James said. “Tonight was just a small microcosm of how great he can be, his ability to get downhill, finish vs. smalls, finish vs. bigs, taller guys, shorter guys, doesn’t matter,” James said. “One thing about him, he’s not afraid to compete. So, that’s a great thing. He’s a star.”

A star the Pelicans can only hope to have on Friday with their season in the balance.

NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and a deep WNBA draft class hope the momentum they created lifting women’s college basketball to new heights carries over to the pros.

“We’re not just basketball players, we’re super impactful to the community, the people around us, the little kids that look up to us, and being able to also be nationwide, everybody knows us everywhere we go,” Reese said. “Our lives aren’t normal. We might get a little bit of normalcy going into the league now, but I’m just excited to be a trailblazer. I’m excited to be a part of history, and just continue to see the future, and I know it’s bright.”

They’ll need to perform on the court for that momentum to continue at the next level and boost the league which is coming off its own strong year. The WNBA just had its most-watched season in 21 years, averaging 462,000 viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and CBS.

The league also had its most-watched Finals in 20 years that featured Las Vegas and New York. It was up 36% from the previous season. The league’s attendance rose 16% — it’s highest figure since 2018. Throw Clark into the mix and that number could grow exponentially.

The potential impact of this class wasn’t lost on WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

“I would be remiss not to mention the incredible excitement and energy for women’s basketball that this group has helped build,” she said. “It’s so clear that this draft class is entering the WNBA at an incredible time. We are witnessing a transformational moment in sports that we may not experience for generations.”

Atlanta Braves (9-5, first in the NL East) vs. Houston Astros (6-11, fifth in the AL West)

Houston; Monday, 8:10 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: Darius Vines (0-0); Astros: Spencer Arrighetti (0-1, 21.00 ERA, 3.33 WHIP, three strikeouts)

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Braves -115, Astros -104; over/under is 9 1/2 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Houston Astros host the Atlanta Braves on Monday to begin a three-game series.

Houston has a 4-6 record at home and a 6-11 record overall. The Astros have a 1-8 record in games when they have given up at least one home run.

Atlanta has a 5-3 record on the road and a 9-5 record overall. The Braves have the top team batting average in MLB play at .301.

The teams meet Monday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jose Altuve leads Houston with five home runs while slugging .721. Yordan Alvarez is 13-for-34 with two home runs and nine RBI over the last 10 games.

Marcell Ozuna has three doubles and seven home runs for the Braves. Matt Olson is 12-for-39 with four doubles, a triple and two home runs over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Astros: 4-6, .265 batting average, 7.12 ERA, outscored by 20 runs

Braves: 6-4, .291 batting average, 5.56 ERA, outscored by three runs

INJURIES: Astros: Chas McCormick: day-to-day (hamstring), Oliver Ortega: 60-Day IL (elbow), Framber Valdez: 15-Day IL (elbow), Bennett Sousa: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Penn Murfee: 60-Day IL (elbow), Luis Garcia: 60-Day IL (elbow), Lance McCullers Jr.: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jose Urquidy: 15-Day IL (forearm), Justin Verlander: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Kendall Graveman: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Braves: Spencer Strider: 15-Day IL (right elbow strain), Sean Murphy: 10-Day IL (oblique strain), Angel Perdomo: 15-Day IL (elbow)