Sports
Hand injury latest ailment for Vikes QB McCarthy
EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings are embarking on another round of injury evaluation for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who did not play in the second half of Sunday’s 16-13 victory over the New York Giants because of a hand injury.
X-rays on the hand were negative, coach Kevin O’Connell said, but McCarthy was scheduled for further testing Monday. The Vikings have a short week of preparation before their next game, which is scheduled for Thursday afternoon against the Detroit Lions.
The tight turnaround raises the possibility that McCarthy will miss his seventh game of the season because of a third different injury. A high right ankle sprain cost him five games earlier this season and he sat out a sixth while in concussion protocol. He missed all of his rookie season in 2024 because of a torn meniscus in his right knee.
“It’s a bummer just because I’m having a blast coaching him,” O’Connell said, “and seeing the growth of a young player getting the opportunity to actually go out there and grow and develop. And I’ve been so proud of the way, really these last few weeks, he’s come back and just really shown some growth. So, you’d love to have him. Love to have him for two straight home games to finish [the season] and we’ll see where his hand’s at, and if he has the ability to play for us again. I sure hope so.”
McCarthy was wearing a latex glove on the hand in the postgame locker room. The Vikings said he was unavailable for comment.
McCarthy had produced his two best games of the season in wins over the Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys, producing a combined 82.1 QBR that ranked fifth in the NFL over that period. His performance Sunday was a bit more uneven. O’Connell praised his decision-making, but his accuracy was less consistent, and his receivers struggled to corral some of his throws.
Jordan Addison dropped a touchdown pass in the first quarter and Jalen Nailor let another throw bounce off him for an interception. Overall, McCarthy completed 9 of 14 passes for 108 yards. He did not throw for a touchdown but staked the Vikings to a 13-3 lead in the second quarter with a 12-yard scoring run.
At some point prior to that score, McCarthy had suffered the injury. O’Connell said he did not know exactly when it happened and did not think that McCarthy did, either. Video review showed that two plays before the touchdown, McCarthy hit hand on the helmet of Giants defensive lineman Ray Robertson-Harris. In Week 10, McCarthy bruised his right hand in a similar manner. He did not miss any game time for that injury but wore protective padding for the ensuing two weeks.
McCarthy did not mention Sunday’s injury to coaches or medical staff on the sideline, but it grew evident on the next series. With 25 seconds remaining in the half, O’Connell called a quick receiver screen play. But McCarthy did not throw the ball, allowing unblocked Giants linebacker Brian Burns to sack him and force a fumble. Safety Tyler Nubin recovered and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown.
“The ball needs to be thrown right away,” O’Connell said, “and he knows that. He had done it already in the game. And if you do hold it on a receiver perimeter screen, the backside defensive end is coming and he knows that. So, I haven’t seen [replays] yet, but my guess is he could not grip the football.”
When an athletic trainer began examining the hand on the sideline, McCarthy grimaced in pain, pulled his arm away and walked to the Vikings’ locker room.
“It sucks,” right tackle Brian O’Neill said of McCarthy suffering another injury. “With the strides he’s made the last few weeks, and even months, you hate to see it. The growth and trajectory that he’s been on recently has been fun to play with. It’s fun to be a part of. And that’s another one of the reasons why you see guys fighting through things to be able to play is because they want to be a part of it and we want to be out with him. Fingers crossed is not too bad.”
Backup Max Brosmer played the second half, completing seven of nine passes for 52 yards. Brosmer would start Thursday against the Lions if McCarthy is unavailable.
The Vikings suffered two other significant injuries in the game. Running back Jordan Mason suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter and did not return, and center Ryan Kelly was placed into concussion protocol.
Kelly was on injured reserve for nearly two months this season after suffering concussions in Weeks 2 and 4. Sunday’s concussion is the sixth in his NFL career.
“We’re all just hoping and really just thinking about him,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell said he wanted to review the play that Kelly was injured on because “I don’t know where the contact could have come from in the normal rhythm of a play like that.”
Several Vikings players had “concerns” about the way Kelly was injured, O’Connell said, but he would not elaborate. Video of the play showed Kelly colliding with Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke, who was attempting to fill a hole.
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New York Yankees radio legend John Sterling has died, WFAN Sports Radio in New York announced on Monday. He was 87.
“We are devastated to hear about the passing of John Sterling, a WFAN and Yankees radio icon whose voice was synonymous with an entire generation of Yankee fandom,” the radio station wrote on social media.
John Sterling sits in the broadcast booth before the New York Yankees game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in New York on Sept. 25, 2009. (Bill Kostroun/AP)
Sterling suffered a heart attack in January and was said to be in good spirits. He retired from broadcasting in April 2024 after 64 years in the industry.
Since 1989, Sterling has been gracing the New York airwaves as the voice of the Yankees, and that has included the multiple World Series titles.
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“It is high, it is far, it is gone!” is something Yankees fans have heard for decades, and Sterling usually followed it up with specific calls for each player, including, “It’s an A-bomb from A-Rod” for Alex Rodriguez and “Here comes the Judge!” for Aaron Judge.
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This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
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Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown accused NBA officials of having an “agenda” against him in the team’s playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, which ended in a Game 7 defeat.
Brown touched on 76ers center Joel Embiid getting calls after Boston lost to Philadelphia on Saturday night. He further went after referees in a livestream.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa., on April 30, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
“They keep saying there are push-offs and stuff like that,” he said, via MassLive. “Do you know how many players do that? That’s the common play, a basketball play. Every player does it. So why are you targeting me? They clearly had an agenda. Maybe because I had spoken and was critical of the refs in the regular season. So you know how they responded? You’re going to lead the playoffs in offensive fouls. That was the response from the officiating crew.
“I actually spoke to some refs and there was an agenda going into each game. Anytime Jaylen brings his arm up, just from reputation, just call it. Paul George does the same thing. Jalen Brunson does the same thing. I can go down the list. It’s a basketball play, whether y’all believe it or not. Everybody does that when you drive, especially when you got bodies on you. Philly took advantage of it, and they took advantage of the officiating, and it cost us to some degree.”
Philadelphia won the final game of the series, 109-100. Embiid had 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Embiid made nine of his 11 free-throw attempts.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George and Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown compete for a loose ball during the first quarter of game seven in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at TD Garden in Boston, Mass., on May 2, 2026. (Winslow Townson/Imagn Images)
Brown made critical comments toward Embiid.
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“Embiid put a lot of pressure on us, like on all our bigs and our guards,” he said. “We didn’t really have an answer for him. We tried a bunch of different things and he just, he’s a big body, and also he was flopping around. He got some extra calls and stuff like that, and they rewarded him for that. That’s the league that we’re in. So, that’s all I got to say.”
Brown averaged 25.7 points per game and shot 45.5% from the floor.
He was the best Celtics’ player all season as the team was without Jayson Tatum for most of the season. He played in 71 games and averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey drives past Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown during the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 30, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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Boston was 56-26 and finished second in the Eastern Conference.
LOS ANGELE:
The Detroit Pistons routed the Orlando Magic 116-94 on Sunday to cap a remarkable NBA playoff comeback and book an Eastern Conference semi-final clash with Cleveland.
Cade Cunningham scored 32 points and handed out 12 assists and Tobias Harris added 30 points with nine rebounds as the Pistons, who trailed 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, wrapped up a 4-3 triumph.
In Cleveland, the Cavaliers weathered a hot start from Toronto to beat the Raptors 114-102 and secure a 4-3 win in a series in which the home team won every game.
The Pistons, who locked up the top seed in the East with the third-best record in the league, notched their first playoff series victory since 2008.
“It’s great,” Cunningham said after the Pistons became the 15th team to climb out of a 3-1 hole — one day after the Philadelphia 76ers accomplished the feat against Boston.
“We had a great regular season, we built a lot of momentum going into these playoffs,” Cunningham said. “To lose in the first round would have really stung.
“To come back from 3-1, odds against us, and to come back and win it at home — it feels good.”
Detroit had already fended off elimination with victories in games five and six against the Magic — erasing a 24-point deficit on Friday to force Sunday’s decider.
It’s the second time the Pistons have rallied from 3-1 down to top the Magic, having accomplished the feat in the first round in 2003.
“They really pushed us to the limit,” Cunningham said. “We’ve grown a lot because of this series, because of that team.”
Paolo Banchero scored 38 points with nine rebounds and six assists for Orlando but got precious little scoring support.
Banchero scored the Magic’s first 11 points and Orlando emerged from a tight first quarter with a two-point lead.
The back-and-forth action continued early in the second, Detroit finally creating some separation behind a 17-point second-quarter outburst from Harris.
They led 60-49 at halftime and pushed their lead to as many as 25, taking full advantage of 16 Magic turnovers that led to 19 Pistons points.
“We’re excited for what’s to come,” Cunningham said. “We want to win games, win series and (our) ultimate goal is a championship.”
That quest continues with game one against Cleveland on Tuesday.
Allen masterclass
The Cavs, behind a masterclass from center Jarrett Allen, notched the franchise’s fifth straight game-seven triumph as they vanquished the Raptors for the fourth time in four post-season meetings.
Cleveland erased an early 10-point deficit to go into halftime tied at 49-49 and opened the third quarter on a 9-0 scoring run.
They out-scored the Raptors 38-19 in the third, Allen scoring 14 of his 22 points and pulling down 10 of his 19 rebounds in the period.
“I just wanted to show my teammates that we can win this game,” said Allen, who added two steals and three blocked shots.
His dominance on the boards helped the Cavs win the rebounding battle 60-33.
“Energy and effort, that’s what I believe wins games,” Allen said. “If you do it on the defensive end, everything translates to the offense.
“Every single possession, it means a lot,” he added of the game-seven intensity. “Every single possession means it could be the end of the season.”
Donovan Mitchell added 22 points for Cleveland and emerged unscathed from his own energetic leap for a ball which landed him in the third row of Rocket Arena seats early in the third quarter.
Veteran James Harden chipped in 18 points.
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with a game-high 24 points, but Toronto’s ability to respond in the second half took a hit when foul trouble sent him to the bench for extended minutes.
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