June 2025

There were 1,837 posts published in June 2025 (this is page 161 of 184).

Latest buzz on Knicks’ head coach search: Rockets not interested in parting with Ime Udoka

Here’s the latest news and buzz on the Knicks‘ search for a new head coach…

June 4, 2:41 p.m.

The Rockets have “no interest in entertaining” a scenario where they allow head coach Ime Udoka to leave for the Knicks job, reports Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

Per The Athletic, Udoka and the Rockets are “committed to the long-term project and are actively preparing for a busy offseason.”

Udoka, 47, has been the Rockets’ head coach since the 2023-24 season.

He served as the Celtics’ head coach from 2021 to 2023, and has worked as an assistant for the Spurs, 76ers, and Nets.

June 2, 12:40 p.m.

The Suns are hiring Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott to be their next head coach, which means potential Knicks candidate Johnnie Bryant is still available.

Bryant was reported to be one of the finalists for the job in Phoenix.

June 2, 3:02 a.m.

SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley reports that it would be surprising if the Knicks found their next head coach by the end of this week.

Additionally, Begley noted that people recently in touch with the team have downplayed the idea of Mike Malone being a slam-dunk hire.

Begley also noted that the early read is that Dan Hurley isn’t at the top of New York’s initial list, adding that Ime Udoka was a name he had heard mentioned. To hire Udoka, the Knicks would have to get permission from Houston and give the Rockets compensation to let Udoka out of his deal.

As far as Jason Kidd, Begley reported that he can’t see the Mavericks even entertaining the idea of letting Kidd go.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers: How to watch every game of the 2025 NBA Finals

Obi Toppin and the Indiana Pacers will play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Getty Images)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters

The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals. The odds heavily favor the Thunder over the Pacers, which is no surprise considering the Thunder were 68-14 in the regular season and the No. 1 overall seed in the Western Conference. This is also the Pacers’ first NBA Final since 2000. Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off in Oklahoma City on Thursday, June 5, at 8:30 p.m. on ABC. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the Pacers vs. Thunder NBA Finals.

Game 1 date: Thursday, June 5

Game 1 time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV channel: ABC

Streaming: DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and more

All games in the NBA Finals will air on ABC — sweet and simple! 

The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals.

All times Eastern.

Thursday, June 5

Game 1 – Indiana at Oklahoma City: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Sunday, June 8

Game 2 – Indiana at Oklahoma City: 8 p.m. (ABC)

Wednesday, June 11

Game 3 – Oklahoma City at Indiana: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Friday, June 13

Game 4 – Oklahoma City at Indiana: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Monday, June 16

Game 5 – Indiana at Oklahoma City, if necessary: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Thursday, June 19

Game 6 – Oklahoma City at Indiana, if necessary: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Sunday, June 22

Game 7 – Indiana at Oklahoma City, if necessary: 8 p.m. (ABC)

*if necessary

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers: How to watch every game of the 2025 NBA Finals

Obi Toppin and the Indiana Pacers will play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals. (Trevor Ruszkowski/Getty Images)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / Reuters

The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals. The odds heavily favor the Thunder over the Pacers, which is no surprise considering the Thunder were 68-14 in the regular season and the No. 1 overall seed in the Western Conference. This is also the Pacers’ first NBA Final since 2000. Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off in Oklahoma City on Thursday, June 5, at 8:30 p.m. on ABC. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the Pacers vs. Thunder NBA Finals.

Game 1 date: Thursday, June 5

Game 1 time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV channel: ABC

Streaming: DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV and more

All games in the NBA Finals will air on ABC — sweet and simple! 

The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals.

All times Eastern.

Thursday, June 5

Game 1 – Indiana at Oklahoma City: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Sunday, June 8

Game 2 – Indiana at Oklahoma City: 8 p.m. (ABC)

Wednesday, June 11

Game 3 – Oklahoma City at Indiana: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Friday, June 13

Game 4 – Oklahoma City at Indiana: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Monday, June 16

Game 5 – Indiana at Oklahoma City, if necessary: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Thursday, June 19

Game 6 – Oklahoma City at Indiana, if necessary: 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

Sunday, June 22

Game 7 – Indiana at Oklahoma City, if necessary: 8 p.m. (ABC)

*if necessary

Mannix: How teams are viewing Celtics ahead of pivotal offseason

Mannix: How teams are viewing Celtics ahead of pivotal offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Celtics might be the most fascinating franchise ahead of what could be a very exciting NBA offseason.

The Celtics are one of three teams in the second apron, and based on what their roster could cost next season, it would make sense to shed some salary this summer and create future flexibility.

With superstar forward Jayson Tatum sidelined as he starts a lengthy recovery from Achilles surgery, the Celtics could choose one of several different paths. Do they make a couple minor changes and try to remain competitive in a weak Eastern Conference next season? Or do they take a bit of a step back, make moves with an eye toward the future and look to be a serious contender two seasons from now?

And what does the rest of the league think of the Celtics’ dilemma?

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix answered that question Wednesday on NBC Sports Boston’s The Off C’Season YouTube show.

“Whenever I talk to teams about Boston, they’re almost viewed as a target where they’ve got a little something for everybody,” Mannix said. “If you want a wing player, you can try to pull Sam Hauser out of there. If you need a defensive-minded guard, Jrue Holiday is available. I just think teams are waiting to see how deep the cuts with Boston are going to go. We all know they’re going to slice away some of this payroll.”

Which players could be available if the Celtics are looking to shed salary?

“Hauser, to me, is the most likely candidate to go, just because you have (Baylor) Scheierman there to effectively fill his role,” Mannix said. “I think they’d love to find a home for Jrue Holiday, just because of the contract and where they are as a team. (Kristaps) Porzingis, who knows? I don’t think they want to take on contracts that go on longer than Porzingis’ deal, but he’s certainly available.

“Teams I’ve talked to just aren’t fully sure what Boston wants to do. Do they want to just nibble around the fringes and get under the second apron, or do they really want to reboot this thing, take that full gap year, and go into 2026-27 with Jayson Tatum and some other stuff as the centerpiece of the team?”

Hauser is about to enter the first season of a four-year extension worth $45 million. He is a career 42 percent 3-point shooter and can hold his own defensively. Hauser’s quality outside shooting and modest salary could make him attractive to a bunch of teams.

Holiday has two more years, plus a 2027-28 player option, left on his contract with an average annual salary of $33.6 million. The veteran guard is still a decent scorer, is a very good defensive player and has plenty of championship experience.

Porzingis is entering the final year of his contract with a $30.7 million salary cap hit. The veteran center is a good 3-point shooter and a strong interior defender, but he’s not very durable. Porzingis has played in 99 of a possible 164 regular season games since joining the Celtics.

The Celtics ran it back with their championship roster in 2024-25, and just like the previous five defending champions, they didn’t make it past the second round of the playoffs. Now the hard part has arrived. How will Brad Stevens and his front office staff tweak the roster? It’ll be exciting to watch it all unfold.

Watch the full episode of The Off C’Season in the video below:

How DFA’ing Wade, other roster moves impact Giants moving forward

How DFA’ing Wade, other roster moves impact Giants moving forward originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Waiting wasn’t an option. The Giants shook up their roster Wednesday ahead of their game against the San Diego Padres, highlighted by designating first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. for assignment, and new faces immediately were slotted into manager Bob Melvin’s lineup. 

“We’re building a new group and we’re trying to change things up a little bit,” Melvin said. “Giving it a little different look is important.” 

The Giants’ plethora of roster moves included DFA’ing Wade and catcher Sam Huff, as well as optioning infielder Christian Koss to Triple-A Sacramento. To fill their spots, the Giants signed veteran first baseman/left fielder Dominic Smith to a one-year major league contract, while also selecting outfielder Daniel Johnson and catcher Andrew Knizner from Sacramento. Both Smith and Johnson are starting Wednesday night in their Giants debuts. 

Smith is playing first base and batting fifth. Johnson will roam right field and bat seventh, and Knizner is expected to be the starting catcher Thursday to conclude a four-game series with San Diego. 

Between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds, Smith had six home runs and a .691 OPS in 93 games last year. He’s yet to play in the big leagues this season, but had eight homers with a .782 OPS for the New York Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate in 45 games prior to his signing. 

Johnson has only played 32 major league games in his career, but had been impressing in Sacramento with five home runs and an .846 OPS.

Adding three players and dropping three will affect multiple players and positions, most notably first base. Smith, a left-handed hitter, is getting the first crack against right-handed starter Nick Pivetta. Smith for his career has shown much more power against righties and should see himself in a platoon situation more than anything else. He’s the Giants’ lone left-handed bat that has experience playing first base.

Melvin still has a handful of right-handed choices. Jerar Encarnación has the ability to play first base, but likely will see most of his action at DH and right field. Casey Schmitt also is an option there as well. Wilmer Flores already has played 60 of the Giants’ 61 games after playing 70 all of last year, and Melvin hopes to get him some more rest. 

“Just gives us a few more options depending on how guys are swinging at the time,” Melvin said. 

Notably, Johnson, a left-handed Vallejo native, is starting in right field and not Mike Yastrzemski. Melvin is going to give Yastrzemski some days off, and Johnson’s long experience playing center field could even spell a breather here and there for Jung Hoo Lee.

“All in all, a little bit more versatility and flexibility, move guys around a little bit and also give some guys some days off who have had extreme workloads,” Melvin said. 

The Giants’ offense has been historically bad as of late, and the team has lost the first two games in their series with San Diego. They’re searching for any kind of spark, and their decision to drop Wade and others will affect plenty of players and positions.

Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

Reds place Hunter Greene on 15-day injured list and sign Wade Miley to 1-year contract

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds placed ace pitcher Hunter Greene on the 15-day injured list with a right groin strain and signed veteran left-hander Wade Miley to a one-year contract.

Miley, 38, who had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in May 2024, gets a $2.5 million salary while in the major leagues and $300,000 while in the minors. He would earn a $15,000 performance bonus for each inning pitched from one through 100.

He signed a minor league contract with the Reds on Feb. 4 that included an opt-out clause if he didn’t reach the big leagues by June 1. The 14-year veteran executed that clause but remained in Cincinnati while he pursued potential deals with other clubs, and he stayed in touch with the Reds.

“I was able to spend some time with the family, just being a dad, going to Little League games,” Miley said. “I’m appreciative of the Reds organization and the way they handled it. We always stayed in contact. I feel healthy. I’m really excited to be back. I’m ready to go to work.”

Miley is the third left-hander in the Reds rotation, joining Nick Lodolo and Andrew Abbott. He made 34 appearances including 32 starts for the Reds in 2020-21, going 12-10 with a 3.55 ERA. He tossed the 17th no-hitter in Reds franchise history, and his first, on May 7, 2021, at Cleveland.

Miley has posted 108 victories for eight different teams in his 14 seasons. Manager Terry Francona said Miley’s veteran presence is a welcome addition for the Reds’ young rotation.

“He and (Reds president of baseball operations) Nick (Krall) talked multiple times,” Francona said. “I know how much he appreciated Nick’s honesty. We were going to have him in the bullpen and then knowing at some point we would probably need him. Well, it happened a little quicker.”

Francona said Miley will be available out of the bullpen for the series finale against the Brewers. If he’s not used, he’ll pitch the first game of the upcoming Cleveland series, then move into the rotation.

“He was in full (uniform) early this morning,” Francona said. “It’s really welcome. We’ve been waiting for him. He’s a bright light. He brings a lot. His ability to compete, he won’t shortchange you.”

It was another setback for Greene who made three starts since a 15-day stint on the injured list last month due to a groin strain he sustained May 7 during a start in Atlanta.

In a 4-2 win over the Brewers, Green threw 85 pitches before leaving the game after five innings when he felt discomfort in his groin. An MRI was scheduled, but Francona said there was no need to wait for the results.

“We talked to him, we talked to trainers, it was kind of an easy decision even without seeing the MRI,” Francona said. “We’ve got to get him healthy.”

Greene — who made his first All-Star appearance last season — is 4-3 with a 2.72 ERA in 11 starts this year.

Suns hire Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as head coach, AP source says

PHOENIX (AP) The Phoenix Suns hired Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as their head coach, opting for a young, emerging leader to rebuild a franchise that has regressed over the past few seasons, a person familiar with the search told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the hire hasn’t officially been announced.

Ott will be the team’s fourth head coach in four seasons and replaces Mike Budenholzer, who was fired following a miserable 36-46 season that ended without a trip to the playoffs despite the high-priced trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

The 40-year-old Ott has worked for the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and the Cavaliers. He also worked as a video coordinator under Tom Izzo at Michigan State, which is where Suns owner Mat Ishbia played as a walk-on from 1999 to 2003.

It remains to be seen if Durant or Beal will be on next season’s roster – both could be moved in trades. Booker seems like the only player on the roster who is truly untouchable after 10 seasons in the desert, including four All-Star appearances.

Ott and fellow Cavs assistant Johnnie Bryant were the two finalists for the job. Both worked under Kenny Atkinson, helping lead Cleveland to a 64-18 record this season, which was the best record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

Ishbia and general manager Brian Gregory led a lengthy, deliberate search that lasted 1 1/2 months and included more than a dozen candidates. Gregory also has Michigan State ties as a former assistant coach.

ESPN first reported the hiring.

Ott takes over a franchise that’s had a quick rise and fall over the past five years.

The Suns made the NBA Finals in 2021 with a core that included Booker, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Chris Paul, Cameron Johnson and coach Monty Williams, but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. Phoenix had the best record in the NBA the next season before losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round.

Ishbia blew up that nucleus shortly after purchasing the team in 2023, trading for a superstar in Durant, but the Suns lost again in the postseason’s second round, this time to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets. Williams was fired following the season, which started the franchise’s sideline shuffle.

The Suns traded for Beal – a three-time All-Star – and hired coach Frank Vogel during the ensuing offseason, but the group never seemed to gel. Phoenix was swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the playoffs in 2024, leading to Vogel’s firing.

Budenholzer replaced Vogel before last season, but the Suns didn’t even make it to the play-in tournament in 2025. Ott worked under Budenholzer as the Hawks’ video coordinator from 2013 to 2016.

—

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Rockies’ 2nd straight win in Miami ends MLB-record streak of series losses at 22

MIAMI — The woeful Colorado Rockies have ended their ignominious, record-setting MLB streak of 22 consecutive series losses, which dated to last season.

A nervy 3-2 victory at Miami, highlighted by Hunter Goodman’s third home run in two games, gave Colorado two straight victories over the Marlins to ensure the Rockies would leave town with their first series victory since taking two of three games from Arizona in Denver in mid-September.

“That was big-time for the boys, to get that first series win,” Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. “Who would’ve known it wouldn’t come until June. But the time is now. I’m happy for them.”

Colorado, a major league-worst 11-50, won consecutive games for just the second time this year after beating Atlanta on April 30 and San Francisco the next day. They now go for a series sweep against the Marlins.

Goodman called the Rockies’ recent form “more encouraging than discouraging.”

“We had some rough games in the first part of the year, and being able to just be in ballgames and have a chance to win is always better than just not being in it,” he said.

Goodman’s teammates seemed unsurprised by his pivotal role in securing the Rockies’ first series win of the season.

“He’s just raking, and when he’s hot, he’s one of the best hitters in the game,” centerfielder Brenton Doyle told Rockies.tv. “I hope he keeps it up. He’s one of my good buddies and that was awesome.”

Rockies reliever Seth Halvorsen earned his third save, but only after Heriberto Hernández drove his 1-1 pitch about 400 feet to left center, where Doyle made a game-ending, running catch at the wall.

“I’m not going to lie; off the bat, I thought that was a homer,” Schaeffer said. “But it wasn’t, so it’s all good. It’s the best having (Doyle) in center field.”

Excluding one-game series, the Rockies are the fourth team since MLB expansion in 1961 to go 18 series before recording their first series win in a season. The 1987 Padres, 1969 Montreal Expos and 1962 Washington Senators all won their first series of those seasons in their 19th series.

Before the Rockies arrived in Miami, they’d gone 3-28 on the road — the worst road mark at that point of season in more than a century — and had not won back-to-back road games since last Sept. 5-6.

“It’s nice to get a couple wins. It’s good to get that first series win,” Schaeffer said. “Now we just move forward.”