Sports
Lakers start Vincent for LeBron in opener preview
LOS ANGELES — Using Friday’s preseason finale as a “dress rehearsal” for next week’s regular-season opener, Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick put Gabe Vincent in the starting lineup to fill in for the injured LeBron James.
Vincent capped a strong individual training camp with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting (4-for-5 from 3), but the Lakers lost 117-116 to the Sacramento Kings to finish the preseason 1-5.
The regular season starts Tuesday night when the Lakers host the Golden State Warriors. Though the Vincent decision was made, there is plenty more for the Lakers to figure out in the next few days.
“We have two more practices, so we need to clean up some things,” said Luka Doncic, who scored a game-high 31 points to go with nine assists in 33 minutes.
Vincent said the coaching staff informed him about the lineup change Friday morning. If the staff was uncertain about the choice, Vincent helped his cause in the Lakers’ preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday when he scored 18 points in the first four minutes, going 5-for-5 from 3.
“I think I just bring what I’ve been doing since I’ve been here,” Vincent said when asked about his fit with the starters. “Just defending, try to defend at a high level. Playmake when I have opportunities, space the floor while Luka and [Austin Reaves] are creating themselves.”
James is not expected to return to the lineup until mid-November, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania, as he continues to recover from sciatica affecting the right side of his body.
Though Vincent will join Doncic, Reaves, Deandre Ayton and Rui Hachimura on the court to tip off the 2025-26 season, Redick made it clear that the current starters are not permanent.
“I don’t know anything about who I’m going to be starting the rest of the season because, again, there’s injuries and there’s things that happen throughout a year,” Redick said. “I have a pretty good idea who’s going to start Game 1. After that, I don’t know. But I do think in that lineup there’s lot of shooting around Luka and DA, and Gabe is another ball handler, another tough defender.
“I think he fits in well, but you have to take a look at every matchup we play against and have to make a decision there.”
Redick has downplayed the magnitude of his starting lineup decision repeatedly during training camp, pointing out that he used 25 starting lineups last season.
He and his team sounded far more concerned about their defense after allowing 59 second-half points to a Kings team that shot 54.7% overall and 44.8% from 3.
“I think in practice we were more physical,” Doncic said. “We need to work on our physicality.”
The Lakers were without one of their more physical defenders in center Jaxson Hayes for the second half Friday. He left the game because of a right wrist contusion after finishing a lob dunk in the first quarter. Redick said X-rays on Hayes’ wrist were negative, and the Lakers will have a further update on Hayes when they practice Sunday.
Former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, who had 14 points and four steals off the bench against Sacramento, vowed to help with the physicality in the meantime.
“Just follow my lead,” Smart said. “That’s really it. I’m going to try to set the tone each and every night. And just kind of piggyback off me.”
Sri Lanka’s government took control of the island’s cricket board on Wednesday and appointed a nine-member interim administration to carry out “structural reforms”.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is the country’s wealthiest sporting body, but it has been plagued by allegations of corruption and mismanagement.
World governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), suspended Sri Lanka for two months in 2023-2024, citing political interference in the running of the national board.
“All administrative functions of Sri Lanka Cricket will be temporarily brought under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, effective today,” the ministry said.
Shortly afterwards, the ministry appointed former investment banker and opposition politician Eran Wickramaratne to lead the board.
Among the other members appointed by the government are former skipper Kumar Sangakkara and former Test players Sidath Wettimuny and Roshan Mahanama.
The ministry said the interim committee will “address the current issues in cricket and implement structural reforms”.
Four-time SLC president Shammi Silva resigned on Tuesday, along with his entire committee, after the government intervened.
AFP has contacted the ICC for comment.
Sri Lanka made an early exit from the T20 World Cup, which it co-hosted with India in February-March.
Half-centuries from Usman Khan and Maaz Sadaqat, combined with disciplined bowling, powered Hyderabad Kingsmen to an eight-wicket victory over Multan Sultans in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11’s Eliminator 1 on Wednesday.
Kingsmen’s victory in the high-stakes fixture drew curtains on Sultans’ campaign and meant that the new entrants will go on and face three-time champions Islamabad United in the Eliminator 2 at the same venue on Friday in a bid to qualify for the eight-team tournament’s final.
Set to chase a 160-run target, the Kingsmen comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of just two wickets and 28 balls to spare, courtesy of the second-wicket partnership between Usman and Sadaqat.
The Kingsmen, however, had a contrasting start to the pursuit as they lost their captain, Marnus Labuschagne (11), in the second over with 18 runs on the board.
Following the early setback, in-form wicketkeeper batter Usman joined Sadaqat in the middle, and the duo batted dominantly to put together 92 runs for the second wicket.
Usman, who was the core aggressor of the vital stand, was eventually removed by Steve Smith in the 11th over. He walked back after top-scoring for the Kingsmen with a swashbuckling 64 off 35 deliveries, studded with eight fours and three sixes.
Sadaqat was then joined by Saim Ayub in the middle, and the duo batted sensibly to steer the Kingsmen over the line in the 16th over.
The left-handed opener remained the joint top-scorer for the Kingsmen with an unbeaten 64 off 35 deliveries, comprising eight fours and three sixes, while Saim chipped in with a run-a-ball 15 not out.
For Sultans, Ismail and Smith could pick up a wicket apiece.
Put into bat first in the high-stakes fixture, the Sultans finished at 159/9 in their 20 overs, courtesy of Masood.
The Sultans got off to a shaky start to their innings as Mohammad Ali dismissed their experienced opener Steve Smith (13) in the third over with just 28 runs on the board.
Kingsmen then lost two more wickets in successive overs as Akif Javed got in-form opener Sahibzada Farhan (15) caught at cover point, while Hunain Shah trapped Josh Philippe (six) lbw, and consequently slipped to 36/3 inside the batting powerplay.
Following the early stutter, captain Ashton Turner (nine) and his deputy Shan Masood attempted to force a recovery by batting cautiously but could add 15 runs for the fourth wicket as the former was sent back by Saim Ayub in the seventh over.
Glenn Maxwell inflicted another blow to the Sultans’ batting expedition as he got rid of their young all-rounder Arafat Minhas on the first delivery of the eighth over and brought the total further down to 52/5.
Meanwhile, Masood, who stood his ground firmly during the collapse, then shared a crucial 33-run partnership for the sixth wicket with all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, who contributed with an 18-ball 19 before falling victim to Javed in the 12th over.
Sultans endured another setback an over later as Ali cleaned up Mohammad Imran Randhawa (two) to expose their batting tail.
Hunain ensured retaining the momentum in Kingsmen’s favour as he bowled Peter Siddle in the 16th over.
Masood, however, kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly and eventually brought his 10th PSL half-century in the 18th over.
The left-handed batter batted until the end and top-scored with an unbeaten 69 off 46 deliveries, studded with four sixes and as many fours.
For Kingsmen, the pace trio of Hunain, Ali and Javed bagged two wickets each, while spinners Maxwell and Saim chipped in with one scalp apiece.
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Hitters, pitchers and catchers are not the only beneficiaries of the ABS challenge system. Fans benefit, too.
The ABS challenge system helped Cincinnati Reds’ fans get free pizza during the ninth inning of the team’s 7-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park.
When the Reds strike out 11 hitters in a game, fans get free pizza from the local pizzeria, LaRosa’s. The Reds had 10 strikeouts going into the top of the ninth inning and needed one more to earn their fans some free pizza.
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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brock Burke celebrates with catcher Tyler Stephenson after the final out of the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park. The Reds won the game 7-2 in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 28, 2026. (Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Reds’ reliever Brock Burke was ahead 1-2 in the count against Colorado Rockies second baseman Edouard Julien. Burke fired a 98 mph fastball at the edge of the zone, but home plate umpire Carlos Torres called it a ball.
Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson thought otherwise and tapped the top of his helmet to initiate the challenge. As the challenge appeared on the scoreboard, Reds play-by-play announcer John Sadak set up the moment.
“Stephenson has won one (challenge) tonight, can he win pizza for those in the stands?” Sadak said on the broadcast.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
A general view of Great American Ball Park during the seventh inning of the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 14, 2026. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The replay confirmed it was a strike, giving the fans free pizza, and the place went bonkers.
“The crowd ready to burst. That’s a strike! He does it for everybody! He does it for the people,” Sadak said.
The broadcast panned to a raucous crowd that celebrated their free pizza. With Burke’s strikeout on the overturned call, all fans got a free small one-topping pizza at LaRosa’s.
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Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Brock Burke pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning at Great American Ball Park. in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 28, 2026. (Katie Stratman/Imagn Images)
For good measure, Burke struck out the 12th Rockies hitter to end the game and secure the win.
With the win, the Reds improved to 19-10 which leads the National League Central. They will take on the Rockies (13-17) on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. ET in the second game of their three-game series.
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