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Watch: Bucks' Portis ejected in first quarter of Game 4
Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis (9) is ejected during Game 4 of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Bucks' Bobby Portis ejected in first quarter of Game 4

The Milwaukee Bucks was already playing without Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 4. Then they lost Bobby Portis after just a few minutes.

Portis got tangled up with Indiana's Andrew Nembhard under the basket. Both got technical fouls for their shoving match, but Portis got a second technical and an ejection for throwing an open-handed slap at Nembhard.

The first quarter had five technicals, though the first two were pretty soft. First, Pascal Siakam got T'd up for staring down Portis, after he faked him out for an easy dunk.

Then Patrick Beverley got a technical foul after doing his beloved "too small" celebration, which could have been a make-up call for being so strict about Siakam. Players have been doing "too small" to each other all season, and it rarely leads to technicals.

Perhaps the referees were trying to de-escalate some of the tensions in the game by showing zero tolerance for taunting. But that didn't stop the Portis-Nembhard conflict, with Portis being unbelievably reckless with his team shorthanded.

What's Doc Rivers' solution? He's leaning on Brook Lopez offensively, and he's taking Danilo Gallinari out of his bubble-wrapped container, giving the forward his first playing time in 16 days. 

Gallinari isn't the same defensive player as Portis, but on the plus side, he's very unlikely to slap anyone. 

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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NBA

The 5 Best Basketball Shoes Dropping This Weekend

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Browns HC, Shedeur Sanders clear air on controversial benching during two-minute drill
NFL

Browns HC, Shedeur Sanders clear air on controversial benching during two-minute drill

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders appeared to be frustrated with Kevin Stefanski when the head coach took him out for the final offensive drive of Saturday's preseason game. The Browns made a curious decision to put in Tyler Huntley to lead the offense in the final two minutes of their final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams at Huntington Bank Field. Huntley, who has almost no chance of making the 53-man roster, engineered a six-play, 46-yard drive that ended in a game-winning field goal to give the Browns a 19-17 win. Following the game, Stefanski was asked about why Sanders approached him before Huntley went in. Stefanski claimed the rookie quarterback was just being a competitor, and there was nothing more to it than that, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Sanders told reporters he didn't know the Browns were benching him for the two-minute drill. "I didn't know I was out, Sanders said via video from ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi. "I was on a bike that was powering up... I was powering up for that two-minute drive. Because that's just a situation every quarterback dreams for... I thought I was in. So then (Stefanski) told me I wasn't in. I was like, 'Ok.'" Sanders left the game after leading the offense to five straight punts. He struggled in his second preseason appearance, going 3-of-6 passing for 14 yards. The fifth-round pick took six sacks for -50 yards. Sanders didn't want to leave on that low note. The Browns shouldn't have let him. Stefanski should have given Sanders the chance to run the two-minute offense and gain valuable experience instead of giving reps to a player who won't be on the roster by Tuesday afternoon.

CFB Week 0 winners, losers: Fourth-down decisions loom large in ranked Big 12 showdown
College Football

CFB Week 0 winners, losers: Fourth-down decisions loom large in ranked Big 12 showdown

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Ryan Blaney wins wild Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona in photo finish
NASCAR

Ryan Blaney wins wild Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona in photo finish

In a race that saw lead change after lead change in the closing laps, Ryan Blaney edged ahead of the pack and scored the win in Saturday's Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. A push on the exit of Turn 4 on the final lap was enough to lead Blaney to victory over a host of drivers who needed a win to make the Cup Series playoffs. The win is Blaney's second at Daytona and his second of the 2025 season. Daniel Suarez finished runner-up, with Justin Haley, Cole Custer and Erik Jones rounding out the top five. Chris Buescher, Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry and Chase Elliott completed the top-10. An aggressive block from Haley on Custer on the final lap allowed Blaney to get the necessary momentum to make a run at the win. Suarez, Haley and Custer were three-wide for second at the checkered flag. Other notable finishers include Christopher Bell in 13th, Brad Keselowski in 18th, two-time Daytona 500 champion William Byron in 19th, Denny Hamlin in 25th and Kyle Busch in 33rd. Tyler Reddick clinched a playoff spot on points after Alex Bowman crashed early, but Bowman also earned a playoff bid by virtue of Blaney's victory. The Cup Series playoff field is now set, with the playoffs set to begin on Aug. 31 with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

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