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Four-time NBA champion backs Kings to make playoffs
The Sacramento Kings will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. They defeated the Golden State Warriors in the battle of the ninth and 10th seeds.
Zion Williamson will be missing from New Orleans' rotation following an injury suffered when facing the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
During a recent episode of his "The Draymond Green Show," the four-time NBA champion shared his rationale for why the Kings should overcome New Orleans and qualify for the playoffs.
"Without Zion, I think the Kings should win that pretty easily," Green said. "...I think the Kings go in, they have the experience...I think they go and win that game. If their defense is flying around, the way they were flying around against us, and no Zion...That's a huge loss. They're (the Pelicans) not going to be able to overcome that, in my opinion."
With Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox, the Kings have a talented two-man game. New Orleans' defense will be tested as it tries to slow the two All-Star-caliber talents down.
Furthermore, it must pay attention to Keegan Murray, who was integral in Sacramento's win over Golden State. Without Zion in their rotation, the Pelicans project to be overmatched by the Kings.
Sacramento suffered a first-round exit in the 2023 playoffs. It took the Warriors to seven games. The Kings likely feel they can take the first-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder to the brink in a potential first-round series. The Kings head into Friday's matchup as slight favorites. Green is likely going to be proven right. Zion's absence changes everything.
More must-reads:
- Pelicans fans receive crushing Zion Williamson injury news
- Eastern and Western Conference play-in teams' odds to advance take hit with brutal injuries
- The 'Leading scorers from the 2005-06 NBA playoffs' quiz
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LeBron James and Anthony Davis share the same cryptic quote on social media
It has been roughly six months since the Los Angeles Lakers made one of the most stunning blockbuster trades in NBA history, and LeBron James and Anthony Davis appear to still be missing one another. Davis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in February as part of the deal that sent Luka Doncic to L.A. The 10-time All-Star has since spoken about how he remains close with LeBron, and some strange social media activity on Tuesday seemed to illustrate that. LeBron and Davis both shared the exact same cryptic quote on their Instagram stories on Tuesday. They each posted the quote at around the same time of the day, too. The quote said, “Becoming the best version of yourself comes with a lot of goodbyes.” Fans were left a bit confused. The move looked like one a high school couple might pull after a breakup, but a lot of time has passed since Davis was traded. Some people speculated that LeBron might be sending some sort of message to the Lakers, as there have been rumblings that the 40-year-old is unhappy with his current situation. James and Davis were teammates on the Lakers for five-plus seasons and won an NBA title together. One report claimed LeBron had grown frustrated with Davis prior to the trade, and James had a very enthusiastic response to that. For whatever reason, the two pals felt the need to share the same cryptic quote.
King of New York: Pete Alonso breaks major Mets all-time record
Pete Alonso is now the New York Mets' all-time home run king. With his opposite-field, two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, Alonso clubbed the 253rd and 254th home runs of his Mets career, moving him into sole possession of first place on the team's all-time list. He moved two home runs ahead of the previous record-holder, Darryl Strawberry, who hit 252 home runs with the team between the 1983 and 1990 seasons. Here is a look at his record-setting home run. Later in the bottom of the sixth inning, Alonso hit his 254th home run: Along with the all-time Mets home run lead, Alonso is also the Mets' single-season home run leader with 53 home runs during the 2019 season. Strawberry congratulated Alonso on breaking his record: His home runs on Tuesday were his 27th and 28th of the season. It is a big deal for Alonso because there was some doubt this past offseason if he would have a chance to actually set this record. Even though he was close, the uncertainty around his future given his free-agent status created a lot of questions about where he would play. Ultimately, the Mets re-signed him to a two-year, $54 million contract that includes an opt-out clause following the 2025 season. That opt-out will again create some uncertainty about his future, but it is pretty clear Alonso still has a lot of power left in his bat. Whether he returns to the Mets or goes somewhere else, he will remain the franchise's greatest home run hitter for the foreseeable future. He is now on top of the record books for the single season and career.
Perhaps Superman Paul Skenes has found his kryptonite
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes may continue to be one of the top contenders for the National League Cy Young Award, but there is one place where he has appeared mortal this season. On Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Brewers did to Skenes what they have done to plenty of MLB pitchers in 2025 ... put up big offensive numbers. For the second time this season, Skenes also pitched in Milwaukee on June 25, the Brewers forced him from the game after just 4.0 innings on Tuesday night, logging six hits and four runs during his time on the mound. Both of those performances came at Milwaukee's home stadium (American Family Field) and both are now Skenes' shortest outings of the season. While another NL Central team has put up more runs against Skenes this season (the St. Louis Cardinals nicked him for five runs in 6.0 innings on April 8), no other team has had the same kind of success over multiple starts by Skenes in 2025 as have the Brewers inside their home stadium. In all this season, Skenes has given up 10 hits and eight runs in 8.0 innings in Milwaukee. It was his third career outing on the road against the Brewers, with his lone 2024 start representing arguably the best outing of his rookie season. On July 11, 2024, Skenes struck out 11 and didn't allow a hit over 7.0 innings as the Pirates would eventually post a 1-0 victory. Tuesday's short outing was highlighted by a pair of Milwaukee home runs, including a leadoff solo shot by Sal Frelick that quickly set the tone for the Brewers. While Milwaukee's hit parade helped raise Skenes' ERA on the season to 2.13, it's hardly any reason for concern in a season where the 23-year-old right-hander is still a heavy favorite (-600) to win the NL Cy Young Award, per BetMGM. Skenes struggling in Milwaukee is likely more yet another stamp of approval on the Brewers' potential to be a threat once the postseason arrives. With an 18-4 record since the All-Star break entering Tuesday, Milwaukee has taken over the NL Central race from the Chicago Cubs. So what's the good news for Skenes? This is Pittsburgh's last trip to Milwaukee this season and the next-to-last series for the Pirates against the red-hot Brewers. Milwaukee will visit PNC Park for a three-game series on Sept. 5-7 and, if Skenes gets a chance for revenge against Milwaukee, there couldn't be a better place for him to take the mound. This season, in 11 starts covering 68.2 innings, Skenes has a 1.70 ERA in the Steel City.
Big-league-best Brewers chase sweep of Pirates, 12th straight win
The surging Milwaukee Brewers will be looking for veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff to continue his remarkable comeback when they go for their 12th consecutive victory on Wednesday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates to wrap up the three-game series. Woodruff (4-0, 2.29 ERA), who missed all of the 2024 season following shoulder surgery, will be opposed by right-hander Mitch Keller (5-10, 3.86). The Brewers, who have won 14 of their past 15 games, chased Pirates ace Paul Skenes early and pounded out a season-high five homers in a 14-0 rout of the Pirates on Tuesday. Freddy Peralta allowed three hits over six scoreless innings for his major-league-best 14th win. Andrew Vaughn had a three-run homer while Christian Yelich and Caleb Durbin each had a two-run shot against the Pirates bullpen. Sal Frelick and Brice Turang had solo homers off Skenes, who entered with a big-league-best 1.94 ERA but was tagged for four runs on six hits in four innings. Milwaukee, which also had an 11-game winning streak from July 6-21, is the first team since the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays to have multiple winning streaks of 11 or more games in the same season. The Brewers are the first NL club with two such streaks since the 1935 Chicago Cubs. The Brewers, 26-4 over their past 30 games, improved to a major-league-best 75-44 and increased their lead in the NL Central to 7 1/2 games over the second-place Cubs, who lost 5-1 at Toronto on Tuesday. "After we lay our heads down on the pillow, tonight's game doesn't matter. It's about tomorrow and winning tomorrow," Turang said postgame. "It's just trying to win the game that day and they stack up." Woodruff has been dominant since coming off the injured list in early July, pitching at least six innings in five of his six starts with opponents hitting just. 139 against him. In his latest outing, Woodruff shook off a pair of early solo homers and allowed just one hit the rest of his seven innings to get the victory in a 3-2 win over the New York Mets on Friday. Woodruff is 7-3 with a 3.40 ERA in 17 career games, including 15 starts, against the Pirates. Turang extended his hitting streak to nine games. He is batting .351 with six homers and 12 RBIs over that span after managing only six homers in his first 105 games this year. Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly, who was ejected for arguing balls and strikes on Tuesday, said his team simply has to move on. "We have to find a way to come back tomorrow, have energy," Kelly said. "We've got a day game after a night game and come out and compete and find a way to win." Keller is 4-0 with a 3.50 ERA over his past eight starts. In his most recent outing, he allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings but did not get the decision in Pittsburgh's 3-2 comeback win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. Keller is 1-5 with a 4.99 ERA in 10 career starts vs. Milwaukee. He has faced the Brewers once this season, when he permitted one run in six innings during a no-decision in a 2-1 Pirates victory on May 24. Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz was removed from the Tuesday game in the top of the sixth inning and was being evaluated for a head injury. He collided with left fielder Jack Suwinski on a fourth-inning double by Joey Ortiz.
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