San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama was the recipient of the vicious one-handed dunk late in the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies and, for two seconds, got Malik Beasley and Jakob Poeltl off the hook after they were posterized previously by Morant.

Morant went to the left baseline with the ball and was clearly fouled, prompting a whistle, but still went to the rim where the 7-3 Wembanyama was waiting patiently for his baptism.

‘I dunked on plenty of people, bro, he done get no pass. If you at the rim, I’m gonna try you if it’s that situation,’ said Morant, who had 21 points and 12 assists in the 129-115 victory.

In case fans are hoping for a repeat in hopes that a dunk might count, the two teams meet again on Friday in San Antonio.

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The Milwaukee Brewers announced that Hall of Fame broadcaster and legend Bob Uecker passed away at the age of 90.

Uecker, a native of Milwaukee, was not just a former catcher who played six seasons in the majors with the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. After retiring, Uecker embarked on a new career as a radio broadcaster, beginning in 1971 as an announcer for the Brewers. Uecker served as the voice of his hometown team for over five decades. Among the many achievements he earned in radio, he most notability received the Ford C. Frick Award in 2003.

Uecker was a prominent figure in Milwaukee and a significant part of the baseball community. His presence was felt even in recent years when the Brewers reached the National League Championship Series in 2018. The team invited him to throw out the first pitch in Game 1, a moment that brought back fond memories for many.

Here is how the baseball world reacted to the news of the passing of Uecker.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

There’s another world cup before the World Cup coming to the United States this summer. Cities across the country are set to host games for the 2025 Club World Cup beginning in June, and this year’s event is being billed by organizers as a first-of-its-kind international competition.

Tickets went on sale Tuesday around the globe for the 63 matches that will decide the winner, which will be determined through an expanded field of 32 club teams representing 20 different countries. Some of the sport’s biggest stars and tradition-rich clubs are slated to participate, including Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.

The tournament format now resembles what will be used in 2026 when the World Cup returns stateside for the first time in 30 years. Club teams have been placed into eight groups of four and will play three round-robin games, with the top two teams in each group then advancing to the knockout stage featuring the round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals. The bracket concludes with the Club World Cup finals at MetLife Stadium outside New York on July 13.

Past champions include Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. Previous iterations of the event were single elimination, included only seven teams (six confederation champions and host nation’s league champion) and featured byes for certain teams. The Club World Cup is now scheduled to be contested every four years ahead of the World Cup, replacing the slot on the soccer calendar once occupied by the Confederations Cup tournament.

“Fans should become part of this tournament, because after well over a century of club football, or club soccer, we are set for the first, the first, truly global and merit-based FIFA Club World Cup, and those who buy a ticket, well they will be part of football history, part of soccer history, if you want,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino in a video released in conjunction with tickets being made available to the public. “It’s true that the most successful clubs in the world have already played matches in the United States. However, this will be the very first time that the world’s very best clubs contest for real silverware on US soil in a true tournament format – and it’s not clubs competing for just any silverware, but rather the most coveted trophy in club football.”

The new 2025 group stage and bracket has 12 clubs from Europe, six from South America, four from Asia, four from Africa, four from North America, four from Central America and the Caribbean, one from Oceania and two from the United States. The Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami of Major League Soccer each qualified for this year’s tournament.

FIFA has reserved a set number of tickets to each 2025 Club World Cup game all the way through the final for the participating teams’ supporters, with prices as low as $36. General public ticket prices are as low as $50 before taxes. Tickets can be purchased at FIFA.com/tickets.

Here’s more information on the 2025 Club World Cup, including the groups of round-robin play and a complete event schedule:

When is the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

Group Stage: June 14-June 26
Round of 16: June 28-July 1
Quarterfinals: July 4-5
Semifinals: July 8-9
Finals: July 13

What teams are in FIFA Club World Cup

There are 32 teams in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup that have been separated into eight groups of four for the round-robin group stage in June. Here’s how the field breaks down

Group A

Al Ahly FC (Egypt)
FC Porto (Portugal)
SE Palmeiras (Brazil)
Inter Miami (United States)

Group B

Paris Saint-Germain (France)
Atlético de Madrid (Spain)
Botafogo (Brazil)
Seattle Sounders FC (United States)

Group C

FC Bayern München (Germany)
Auckland City FC (New Zealand)
CA Boca Juniors (Argentina)
SL Benfica (Portugal)

Group D

Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia)
CR Flamengo (Brazil)
Chelsea FC (England)
Club León (Mexico)

Group E

CA River Plate (Argentina)
Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)
CF Monterrey (Mexico)
Inter Milan (Italy)

Group F

Fluminense FC (Brazil)
Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
Ulsan HD (South Korea)
Mamelodi Sundowns FC (South Africa)

Group G

Manchester City (England)
Wydad AC (Morocco)
Al Ain FC (United Arab Emirates)
Juventus FC (Italy)

Group H

Real Madrid (Spain)
Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
CF Pachuca (Mexico)
FC Salzburg (Austria)

Club World Cup match schedule

GROUP STAGE

Saturday, June 14

Group A: Al Ahly vs. Inter Miami, 8 p.m. ET (Miami)

Sunday, June 15

Group C: Bayern Munich vs. Auckland City, 12 p.m. ET (Cincinnati)
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atlético Madrid, 3 p.m. ET (Pasadena)
Group A: Palmeiras vs. Porto, 6 p.m. ET (East Rutherford)
Group B: Botafogo vs. Seattle Sounders, 10 p.m. ET (Seattle)

Monday, June 16

Group C: Chelsea vs. León, 3 p.m. ET (Atlanta)
Group D: Boca Juniors vs. Benfica, 6 p.m. ET (Miami)
Group C: Flamengo vs. Espérance de Tunis, 9 p.m. ET (Philadelphia)

Tuesday, June 17

Group F: Fluminense vs. Borussia Dortmund, 12 p.m. ET (East Rutherford)
Group E: River Plate vs. Urawa Red Diamonds, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle)
Group F: Ulsan HD vs. Mamelodi Sundowns, 6 p.m. ET (Orlando)
Group E: Monterrey vs. Inter Milan, 9 p.m. ET (Pasadena)

Wednesday, June 18

Group G: Manchester City vs. Wydad AC, 12 p.m. ET (Philadelphia)
Group H: Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal, 3 p.m. ET (Miami)
Group H: Pachuca vs. FC Salzburg, 6 p.m. ET (Cincinnati)
Group G: Al Ain vs. Juventus, 9 p.m. (Washington)

Thursday, June 19

Group A: Palmeiras vs. Al Ahly, 12 p.m. ET, (East Rutherford)
Group A: Inter Miami vs. Porto, 3 p.m. ET, (Atlanta)
Group B: Seattle Sounders vs. Atlético Madrid, 6 p.m. ET (Seattle)
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Botafogo, 9 p.m. ET (Pasadena)

Friday, June 20

Group C: Benfica vs. Auckland City, 12 p.m. ET (Orlando)
Group D: Flamengo vs. Chelsea, 2 p.m. ET (Philadelphia)
Group D: León vs. Espérance de Tunis, 6 p.m. ET (Nashville)
Group C: Bayern Munich vs. Boca Juniors, 9 p.m. ET (Miami)

Saturday, June 21

Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Borussia Dortmund, 12 p.m. ET (Cincinnati)
Group E: Inter Milan vs. Urawa Red Diamonds, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle)
Group F: Fluminense vs. Ulsan HD, 6 p.m. ET (East Rutherford)
Group E: River Plate vs. Monterrey, 9 p.m. ET (Pasadena)

Sunday, June 22

Group G: Juventus vs. Wydad AC, 12 p.m. ET (Philadelphia)
Group H: Real Madrid vs. Pachuca, 3 p.m. ET (Charlotte)
Group H: FC Salzburg vs. Al Hilal, 6 p.m. ET (Washington)
Group G: Manchester City vs. Al Ain, 9 p.m. ET (Atlanta)

Monday, June 23

Group B: Atlético Madrid vs. Botafogo, 3 p.m. ET (Pasadena)
Group B: Seattle Sounders vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 3 p.m. ET (Seattle)
Group A: Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras, 9 p.m. ET (Miami)
Group A: Porto vs. Al Ahly, 9 p.m. ET (East Rutherford)

Tuesday, June 24

Group C: Benfica vs. Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. ET (Charlotte)
Group C: Auckland City vs. Boca Juniors, 3 p.m. ET (Nashville)
Group D: Espérance de Tunis vs. Chelsea, 9 p.m. ET (Philadelphia)
Group D: León vs. Flamengo, 9 p.m. ET (Orlando)

Wednesday, June 25

Group F: Borussia Dortmund vs. Ulsan HD, 3 p.m. ET (Cincinnati)
Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Fluminense, 3 p.m. ET (Miami)
Group E: Inter Milan vs. River Plate, 9 p.m. ET (Seattle)
Group E: Urawa Red Diamonds vs. Monterrey, 9 p.m. ET (Pasadena)

Thursday, June 26

Group G: Wydad AC vs. Al Ain, 3 p.m. ET (Washington)
Group G: Juventus vs. Manchester City, 3 p.m. ET (Orlando)
Group H: Al Hilal vs. Pachuca, 9 p.m. ET (Nashville)
Group H: FC Salzburg vs. Real Madrid, 9 p.m. ET (Philadelphia)

FIFA Club World Cup Round of 16

Saturday, June 28

Match 49: Winners of Group A vs. Group B runner-up (Philadelphia)
Match 50: Winners of Group C vs. Group D runner-up (Charlotte)

Sunday, June 29

Match 51: Winners of Group B vs. Group A runner-up (Atlanta)
Match 52: Winners of Group D vs. Group C runner-up (Miami)

Monday, June 30

Match 53: Winners of Group E vs. Group F runner-up (Charlotte)
Match 54: Winners of Group G vs. Group H runner-up (Orlando)

Tuesday, July 1

Match 55: Winners of Group F vs. Group E runner-up (Atlanta)
Match 56: Winners of Group H vs. Group G runner-up (Miami)

FIFA Club World Cup Quarterfinals

Friday, July 4

Match 57: Winners of Match 49 vs. Winners of Match 50 (Philadelphia)
Match 58: Winners of Match 53 vs. Winners of Match 54 (Orlando)

Saturday, July 5

Match 59: Winners of Match 51 vs. Winners of Match 52 (Atlanta)
Match 60: Winners of Match 55 vs. Winners of Match 56 (East Rutherford)

FIFA Club World Cup Semifinals

Tuesday, July 8

Match 61: Winners of Match 57 vs. Winners of Match 58 (East Rutherford)

Wednesday, July 9

Match 62: Winners of Match 59 vs. Winners of Match 60 (East Rutherford)

FIFA Club World Cup Final

Sunday, July 13

Match 63: Winners of Match 61 vs. Winners of Match 62 (East Rutherford)

FOX Sports and LIV Golf, the Saudi-funded venture, agreed to a multiyear media rights agreement, with coverage of the 14 tournament schedule starting next month, the network announced Thursday.

Financial terms of the agreement and how many years it will last were not announced.

Fox takes over broadcast rights from the CW, which aired tournaments the past two years.

One of the FOX properties will air all three days of the LIV Golf tournament competition, with more than half of the schedule airing live on FOX or FS1. All the coverage can be streamed on the Fox and LIV Golf+ app.

‘We are thrilled to partner with FOX Sports, one of the preeminent broadcast networks in the world,’ LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said in a statement. ‘LIV Golf is getting bigger and bolder, and this relationship signals the next phase of growth as our League joins the company of the nation’s premier sports leagues and conferences.’

Christian Crosby will continue to host LIV Golf’s Club 54 pre- and post-round shows, and Rachel Drummond, Jerry Foltz, Su-Ann Heng and Dom Boulet will provide analysis.

The 2025 LIV Golf season starts Feb. 6 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The subsequent three tournaments will be played overseas. The first domestic tournament will be held in Miami beginning April 4, the week before the Masters tournament.

No matter who wins the College Football Playoff championship game Monday night, be prepared for detractors to offer the following data points:

“But they lost to Northern Illinois!” will be a popular refrain in the case of a Notre Dame win, noting that no national champion had ever suffered as embarrassing a loss. 
Meanwhile, should Ohio State deliver coach Ryan Day’s first national title, get ready to hear plenty of moaning and groaning about how it diminishes the regular season that a two-loss team could win the national title after finishing fourth in the Big Ten.

Let’s go ahead and offer a simple and straightforward prebuttal for any attempts to diminish the first champion of the 12-team playoff: Stop this nonsense.

Either Ohio State or Notre Dame will not just be a worthy champion, but one that deserves special recognition for surviving a gauntlet of four high-intensity, physical playoff games — something no team in the history of the sport has faced.

Deserving? You better believe it. 

At some point, after this playoff format has ingrained itself into the consciousness and no longer feels like something new, let’s hope this conversation disappears forever. 

Every other team sport has managed to crown its champion through a multi-round playoff without arguing about what-ifs or questioning whether the winner really deserved to be there in the first place. It’s time for college football fans to get on board and let the sport’s previously misguided ethos remain in the past. 

For decades and decades, college football stood apart because it valued the veneer of perfection rather than a series of tournament tests that reveal a team’s true qualities.

Certainly college football has had plenty of champions who probably would have won in any format whether it was the poll era, the BCS or the four-team CFP. We can probably find some consensus that nobody was beating 2019 LSU or 2001 Miami or 1995 Nebraska because those teams were so much better than everyone else.

But there were also plenty of years, particularly in the poll era and the BCS, when the sport’s proclivity toward being run like a beauty pageant may have misidentified the best and most deserving team. 

In 1984, BYU opened the season with a splashy win over Pittsburgh to jump into the rankings, spent the rest of its season beating a bunch of mediocre-to-bad teams in the Western Athletic Conference, got to No. 1 almost by default when everybody else lost games and clinched the national championship by beating 6-6 Michigan in the Holiday Bowl. 

That’s what the sport used to be. 

But even in the BCS era, there were questionable calls.

Who’s to say that Auburn wasn’t really the best team in 2004 when it swept through the SEC but got squeezed out of the championship game because Southern Cal and Oklahoma were also unbeaten? How do we know Oklahoma State wouldn’t have beaten LSU or Alabama in 2011 if it had gotten a shot instead of the BCS settling for an all-SEC rematch? 

Even more frustrating was that the sport’s powerbrokers looked at those controversies year after year and instead of admitting that there was a better way to run its postseason, actually argued that a media food fight over identifying the best team was fueling interest in college football. 

Just imagine: If we still had the BCS, this year’s national championship game would have been Oregon vs. Georgia, and the winner would have been accepted as the season’s legitimate champion. 

But because we have actually seen games take place on the field, we know those were not the two best teams. Georgia didn’t just lose to Notre Dame, it got physically manhandled. And though Oregon edged out Ohio State at home early in the season, the Ducks proved to be out of the Buckeyes’ league when they played on a neutral field with everything on the line. 

If you’re one of those tradition-oriented fans who believe that Oregon’s earlier win over Ohio State and subsequent Big Ten title should have been the last word because that’s how it worked for so many years, I get it. 

But it’s misguided thinking, rooted in the idea of a championship as reward rather than the culmination of a process that tests every facet of a team.

Think about what Ohio State has had to go through just in the CFP, facing the nation’s No. 3 defense (Texas), the No. 6 defense (Tennessee) and an offense that averaged 35 points per game (Oregon).

Notre Dame has faced the No. 2 scoring offense (Indiana), the SEC champion (Georgia) and the No. 7 defense (Penn State).

Do these teams have some flaws? Of course. 

No national championship team has ever lost to an opponent as bad as Northern Illinois, which finished 4-4 in the Mid-American Conference. It was a stunning, inexcusable performance by Notre Dame — but also the catalyst to fixing its issues and becoming a group that played with intensity and focus and purpose. 

And it’s true that Ohio State, having lost to Michigan for the fourth year in a row, would not have been talked about at all in the BCS or the four-team CFP. They’d simply have been assigned to some bowl game nobody cares about, and it would have been a sad and desultory ending for a team that never lived up to its potential. 

But when you watch Ohio State play in this tournament, with two blowout wins over quality opponents and a tough-as-nails win over Texas, that doesn’t exactly seem like a great advertisement for the old system.

“We are very grateful. I think everybody in the program is, to be in this situation, for a lot of reasons,” Day said. “But I do think the new format has allowed our team to grow and build throughout the season, and as much as losses hurt, they really allow us as coaches and players to take a hard look at the issues and get them addressed, and then it’s about the business of getting them fixed as time goes on. I think that’s really been the biggest thing I’ve learned about this format, which I think has been great for our players. I think it’s great for college football.”

And nobody has to apologize for it. 

The same way the Miami Heat didn’t have to apologize for making the NBA Finals two years ago after losing their first game of the play-in tournament and getting another chance to win the eighth seed. 

The same way UConn didn’t have to apologize for winning the men’s basketball championship in 2014 despite finishing third in the American Athletic Conference and starting the NCAA tournament as an afterthought No. 7 seed.

The same way the 2011 New York Giants didn’t have to apologize for being a 9-7 regular season team that just so happened to win a Super Bowl and beat one of the greatest New England Patriots teams of all time in the process. 

This is how sports work. Get used to it. Take your complaints elsewhere. 

And the idea that it diminishes the college football regular season because the last two teams standing wouldn’t have been the ones picked by a committee or pollsters? There’s just no evidence of it. 

After all, any team that makes the playoff either got there by winning a conference or by being judged as a top-10 team. That’s the standard now in the 12-team playoff, and it’s not easy to get there.

Alabama couldn’t do it despite being given every benefit of the doubt. Ole Miss couldn’t do it despite having perhaps the best overall roster in the SEC. Miami couldn’t do it despite having the best offense in college football and going 10-2 in a power conference. If the regular season was meaningless, there wouldn’t have been so much crying from that trio about barely missing the cut. 

To win a national championship now in college football, you have to be one of the best teams in the country during the regular season and play your best football in December and stay healthy enough to win four postseason games and face teams with a variety of styles and strengths. 

There are no free rides. You have to be complete. 

Ohio State and Notre Dame have done that better than anyone, and the winner Monday night will be the most deserving national champion the sport has ever had. 

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Dan Wolken on social media @DanWolken

As the 2024-25 NBA season nears its midway point, some teams are very much at a crossroads.

One of those is the defending champion Boston Celtics, who — at full health — dropped a disappointing game Wednesday night against a Toronto Raptors team that entered the night with only nine victories. Boston still has elite talent, but it has one glaring issue it seemingly can’t shed.

Another team at a crossroads — a more optimistic one — is the Houston Rockets, who have produced impressive offensive performances during a five-game winning streak after struggling with inefficiency earlier in the season.

Here are the winners and losers from the 11th week of the NBA season.

WINNERS

Oklahoma City Thunder

While the Cavaliers, the top team in the Eastern Conference, snapped Oklahoma City’s 10-game winning streak last week, the Thunder (33-6) bounced back with a 25-point win over the Knicks, a 41-point drubbing of the Wizards and an 18-point victory over the 76ers.

That’s all well and good, but Thursday night’s rematch against Cleveland — this time held in Oklahoma City — should be another thriller and potential NBA Finals preview. Oklahoma City might be the most consistent team in the NBA. The Thunder offense is methodical and unhurried, taking after star and MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has led the team in scoring in 18 of the last 19 games. The best news for the Thunder: injured center Chet Holmgren (pelvic fracture) has returned to doing light basketball activities and may be returning soon.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets (27-12) have exploded on offense to stack an impressive stretch, winning five consecutive games — making them the owners of the NBA’s longest active winning streak. The last three victories Houston has posted have been against the Nuggets (24-16) and a pair against the Memphis Grizzlies (26-15).

The Rockets have averaged 124.1 points per game during this stretch, with their lowest output being a pair of 119-point games. Houston led Denver Wednesday night pretty much wire to wire, but the key has been the defense springing efficient offense; the Rockets grabbed five more offensive rebounds than Denver and forced 20 turnovers — opposed to only 11 committed by the Rockets. Houston, therefore, took 19 more shots and scored 34 points off of those Nuggets turnovers. This is what could turn a very good, young team into an absolutely dangerous one.

Orlando Magic, Paolo Banchero

On Wednesday night, Paolo Banchero, who started out the season on an undeniable All-Star pace, played only his eighth game of the year, and his third since returning from a torn oblique that had sidelined him since late October.

While the Magic have gone 1-2 since Banchero returned (with both losses against the Bucks), his offense has been instantly notable; Banchero has scored 34, 20 and 22 since his return, though Orlando emptied the bench early Wednesday night in a blowout loss. His effortless range, inside presence, offensive rebounding and ability to drive have all made the Magic more potent with the ball.

LOSERS

Boston Celtics

A fully-healthy Boston team lost Wednesday night by 13 to a Raptors squad that entered the night with only nine wins. The Celtics (28-12) have now lost half of their last 14 games, a span that stretches back a month. The team’s defense has not been nearly as crisp. Players often move through the court as if they are bored, which could be a symptom of a very good team trudging through the early half of a season.

Yet, Boston’s primary issue is the same one that has affected the team going back to last season: when the Celtics are hitting 3s, they are unstoppable. When they aren’t, they stagnate, appear frustrated and their defensive intensity dips. Boston ranks first in the NBA in 3-point attempts, with 49.3 per game. Yet, the Celtics are making them at just a 36.2% clip, which ranks 16th in the league. In fact, of Jayson Tatum’s 745 field-goal attempts this season, 51.3% have been 3s. For Derrick White, that number is an astronomical 70.1% of his 481 field-goal attempts. For a pair of players hitting them at 35.9% and 37.4%, respectively, that’s far too much inefficiency to bear.

Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat

With Jimmy Butler’s seven-game suspension set to lift Friday, neither he nor the Heat have come out looking very good. Butler reportedly is insisting on a trade and a payday; Miami maintains he is under contract and is obligated to contribute. Both sides have leaked details to local and national media, with reports of trade requests, accounting errors, distant behavior and private jets. All the while, a serious market for a trade doesn’t appear to have materialized, other players are having to answer questions about the locker room each night, and team owner Micky Arison is getting involved, reportedly meeting with Butler before Friday.

And thus, with no resolution in sight, this could drag on well past the Feb. 6 trade deadline — and barely anyone is talking about the actual Heat product on the court.

Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia (15-24) has lost four in a row and seven of the last nine as it continues to be plagued by injuries. The central absence — pun, intended — has been Joel Embiid, who has now missed 26 of 39 total games this season with various ailments.

While Paul George has largely been a disappointing addition, Embiid is the difference-maker: the Sixers had won seven of the last nine games in which Embiid appeared. Yet, even with the deadline approaching, blowing it up may be imprudent; despite its recent struggles, Philadelphia is still just six games back of the six-seed in the East, the last guaranteed playoff spot.