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Even as a rookie, Victor Wembanyama is making a strong case to win the Defensive Player of the Year for the San Antonio Spurs this season. Turns out, the Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving has somehow endorsed the French phenom.
Irving got to see Wembanyama’s brilliance on the defensive end of the court when the Mavericks got the 113-107 win over San Antonio. Although the rookie performed poorly by dropping 12 points on 23 percent shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, and three assists, the French star still had six blocks.
On the other hand, Irving posted 28 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. His performance was timely due to Luka Doncic having an off-night of 18 points on 22 percent shooting from the field, 10 rebounds, and 16 assists.
In the end, the San Antonio Spurs took their 54th loss of the season to go along with their 15 wins. The Mavericks, on the other hand, took hold of the Western Conference’s seventh seed as the regular season only has less than a month to go.
Dallas Mavericks Star Kyrie Irving Endorses San Antonio Spurs Rookie Victor Wembanyama as Defensive Player of the Year
After the game, Irving spoke to reporters and mentioned how Wembanyama’s presence is a boon for San Antonio’s defense. The point guard shares more in an article written by Grant Afseth for SI.com:
“You got to be aware of him late challenging, and he has the timing of a guard,” Irving said of Wembanyama. “I don’t know if it’s just he’s played against guards, but I’m just saying, I think he’s got a lot of reps of playing against good guards and guarding them one-on-one,” Afseth wrote.
Over the course of 61 NBA games, Wembanyama has averaged 1.3 steals and is currently leading the NBA in blocks by rejecting 3.5 shots per contest. He’s also posting 20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on a nightly basis.
The NBA will soon announce this year’s DPOY awardee and it looks like Brook Lopez is a leading candidate. If Wemby wins the said award, expect a lot of hype to rain down on the Spurs rookie.
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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.
Milwaukee Brewers Force Paul Skenes Into Unfiltered Admission About Brew Crew After 14-0 Beatdown
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes was no match for the Milwaukee Brewers – again. The former LSU Tigers star pitcher got lit up on the mound by the red-hot Brew Crew on Tuesday night, as he allowed four earned runs on six hits (including two home runs) while issuing two free passes and striking out four Milwaukee hitters across four innings of work. The Brewers eked out a 14-0 victory to win the series and move just a win away this Wednesday to sweep the Pirates and extend their win streak to 12 games. Skenes’ start tied his shortest thus far in the 2025 MLB regular season. The last time he pitched for only four innings was against the Brewers as well on June 25, when he surrendered four earned runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts in a 4-2 loss, also at American Family Field. Skenes is now 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in three starts this season versus the Brewers. Skenes speaks up on Milwaukee Brewers after 14-0 loss The reigning National League Rookie of the Year opened up about his thoughts on the Brewers and his performance against the streaking Milwaukee side. “They’re obviously hot right now,” Skenes said of the Brewers, per Rich Rovito of MLB.com. “I got in positions that weren’t very advantageous to me to where I had to be perfect, and I didn’t have my best stuff. I couldn’t really count on any singular pitch to be executed and get guys out. “I had some 3-2 pitches that caught too much of the plate and didn’t execute two-strike pitches as well as I should have. They did a good job capitalizing on it.” The Brewers improved to 75-44 with their win over the Pirates, while Pittsburgh dropped to 51-70.
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 about whether he would have a chance to 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.
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