The Celtics were without stars Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving, but they were anchored by Al Horford and timely assistance from role players. They began a run that brought them within minutes of the NBA Finals before finally losing to Cleveland. Much has changed, with Mike Budenholzer taking over the Bucks and the team reinforcing its core around Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bledsoe and Middleton with the addition of Brook Lopez, George Hill, Ersan Ilyasova and Nikola Mirotic....

Uygur alleged he was “much larger than Joe” and could “end him.” But how tall are they both in real life? Why Did Cenk Uygur Say He Could Fight Joe Rogan? The host of The Young Turks made the comment while sparring with Rogan fans on Twitter on Thursday night, after criticizing the podcaster’s stance on COVID-19 vaccinations. The host of The Joe Rogan Experience has made several controversial remarks recently around COVID-19, such as one speculating that Joe Biden faked getting the booster shot on live television....

Sasse was an increasingly outspoken critic of Trump as the former president’s term ended in post-election chaos amid false claims of massive voter fraud, culminating in the January 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection and his unprecedented second impeachment. The senator denounced GOP retaliation efforts in a Thursday video directed at members of the Nebraska GOP State Central Committee, which plans to meet on February 13 with the possibility of censuring Sasse for his anti-Trump stance....

As you would expect of the tweet-loving Johnson (he has sent an astounding 102,000 tweets and has more than 3.6 million followers), he sent out several comments before and after the race. In two he mentioned that Bolt reminds him of Moss. MORE: Classic photos of Usain Bolt It sounds crazy comparing anyone to Bolt, who just won this third straight Olympic gold in the 100 meters. But Ocho Cinco makes some good points....

Binnington originally issued a publicly challenge to Bieber on Jan. 1 in response to a series of videos the musician posted of him playing recreational hockey on Instagram. “10 breakaways me vs. you,” Binnington commented on one video. “You score on me I’ll dye my hair platinum blonde @justinbieber.” Bieber’s videos iincluded a game of shinny with Toronto Maple Leafs players Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Tyson Barrie and showed off some skill — he even scores a nice backhand goal in one of them, which prompted Binnington to challenge the pop star in the comments....

Having kicked off its qualifying stage last June, then transitioning to the final 32 in September, UEFA’s flagship club competition has now been whittled down to the final four. Those teams will now look to book their place in the final, which will serve to drop the curtain on the majority of European club seasons ahead of the 2018 World Cup. With just under a month to go, Goal brings you everything you need to know about the Champions League final, including where it is, ticket information, how to watch and more....

Budget-busting Manchester City are looking to culminate a more than decade-long quest to win their first Champions League in their first final. London-based Chelsea, with deep pockets of their own, are eyeing a second title (2012) on their third trip to the final. What’s guaranteed is that an American player will hoist the trophy. U.S. men’s national team stars and fellow Pennsylvania natives Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) and Zack Steffen (Manchester City) will be on opposite sides of this matchup....

The 2022 Champions League final will herald an enormous package for the winners, though slightly reduced compared with the last campaign’s prize money because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The two 2022 finalists — Real Madrid and Liverpool — know that they can nearly double their knockout round prize haul should they hoist the title. While the quarterfinalists settled for $12 million of additional prize money, the winner of the tournament comes away with an extra $23 million....

While talking about the fate of friend and former teammate Dwight Howard, Parsons expressed his hope that the center would leave the Rockets once his contract is up and join the Mavericks. MORE: 23 best free agents who are actually available “I think he can still dominate the game. I think he can still be a great player in this league. And I think he’s going to leave Houston, so why not come here?...

Or when you're suspended from the team. Or when you transfer. He pleaded to his Twitter followers on Monday evening for people to stop asking Louisville head coach Rick Pitino about him now that he's enrolled at Colorado State.

How does NASCAR compete with a 109-yard touchdown to end the game? How does NASCAR have so much on the line that the crescendo to the finish has no equal? NASCAR is working on trying to match that type of moment with its latest proposed Chase for the Sprint Cup format. The proposal — and right now, it's important to note that it is in the proposal stage — would have four drivers competing for the championship in the final race....

James Theodore Highhouse was charged Tuesday with five federal offenses, four relating to the sexual abuse of an inmate at Federal Corrections Institute (FCI) Dublin and one charge of making misleading statements to federal investigators, according to The Mercury News. The abuse allegedly occurred from May 2018 through early February 2019. Highhouse is accused of lying to FBI and Justice Department investigators after the accusations were made later in February....

The Line: 49ers -2, Total: 41.5 Line movement and notes: The 49ers opened -2.5 at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook on Sunday before dropping all the way to -1 on Wednesday. On Thursday, lines ranged from San Fran -1 to -2.5 (William Hill).The total opened 42.5 at the SuperBook and dropped down to 41.5. Asked on Tuesday how postseason motivation is factored into the number, Westgate oddsmaker Ed Salmons told The Linemakers on Sporting News, “It’s definitely part of it, it’s looking at a team to see if they’re showing any life....

The Chargers held off the Broncos for a 21-13 victory at Qualcomm Stadium. WEEK 6 PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread Broncos coach Gary Kubiak was not at the game because of migraines. Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis served as Denver’s interim head coach Thursday. The Broncos were plagued by 12 penalties for 103 yards. The most crucial penalty was a holding call — the fifth of the night — that negated a C....

Los Angeles (9-3) trailed 23-7 at halftime before scoring 23 unanswered points to take a 30-23 lead in in the fourth quarter. MORE: Watch NFL live and on demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) Pittsburgh (7-4-1) tied the game on a 10-yard touchdown from Ben Roethlisberger to Jaylen Samuels with 4:10 left in the game. Philip Rivers then led the Chargers 64 yards down the field to set up a game-winning field goal attempt with three seconds left....

The NBA season has been suspended since March 11, when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert became the first player to test positive to COVID-19. In the intervening two months, the league has weighed a number of contingency plans, with commissioner Adam Silver indicating all options were on the table. For Barkley, however, returning in the midst of a global pandemic remains too risky. “It’s too dangerous, it’s not safe, I don’t know how they can make it safe,” the 1993 season MVP told The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on ESPN radio on Monday night....

The curious nature of his hiring led some commentators to ask whether Nash was the beneficiary of white privilege in a league whose player base is 80 percent Black yet only has five current Black head coaches. Among those analysts: ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who despite lauding Nash as a player and person claimed the Nets passed up on other, more credentialed Black candidates such as Tyronn Lue, Mark Jackson and Sam Cassell to land on him....

The TNT basketball analyst made an appearance on ABC as it broadcast Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, a 6-2 victory by the Lightning to shorten the Avalanche’s series lead 2-1. Barkley, a noted hockey fan, was funny and engaging on the broadcast, as usual. Oh, and Sir Charles had jokes — especially at the expense of Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. MORE: Charles Barkley’s best moments on The Match 2022...

The TNT analyst is never afraid to keep it real when it comes to his opinions on various issues. Indiana recently ratified a “religious freedom bill,” which could give businesses discretion to ban same-sex couples due to religious beliefs. Though Indiana isn’t the only state to do this, people have started talking about it because Indianapolis is set to host the Final Four. MORE: Big Ten issues statement on ‘religious freedom’ law | Charles Barkley, Samuel L....

Charles Barkley is being wooed by the LIV Golf Series to take up a microphone and become one of the voices of the upstart tour, but before he does, he’ll play in an event. Barkley is playing in the upcoming LIV Golf pro-am tournament at Trump Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey, per The New York Post. LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman is reportedly preparing an offer for Barkley to join....