Thursday Sports Update – Rangers Open Against Cubs
(Arlington, TX) — Play Ball! The Rangers will open their final season at Globe Life Park today against the Cubs. Chris Woodward is a first-year manager, replacing Jeff Banister who was fired last September with the Rangers buried in the AL West cellar. Asdrúbal Cabrera will start at third, replacing future Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre, who retired after last season. Left-hander Mike Minor will make his first career Opening Day start for the Rangers today against the Cubs. Minor missed the 2015-16 seasons with a labrum tear and returned as a Kansas City reliever in 2017. The Rangers signed him and moved him into the rotation last year, where he went 12-and-8 with a 4.18 ERA.The Rangers will be moving into a new stadium across the street next year after playing in Globe Life Park since 1994, which opened as the Ballpark in Arlington. Our pregame coverage begins this afternoon at 2:30 on 710AM and 97.5FM KGNC.
Astros Open Season Today Against Rays
(St. Petersburg, FL) — The Astros will open the season today against the Rays in St. Petersburg. Houston won 103 games last season and the World Series in 2017. Houston has a deep lineup, which includes the addition of outfielder Michael Brantley, a career .295 hitter. George Springer has homered in the last two Opening Days. Springer, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa provide Houston with plenty of firepower at the top of the order. Justin Verlander will make his 11th Opening Day start today. Verlander finished second in the Cy Young balloting last season with a 16-and-9 record and 2.52 ERA. Tampa Bay will start Blake Snell, who won the 2018 Cy Young.
George, Westbrook Push Thunder Past Pacers
(Oklahoma City, OK) — Paul George scored 31 points against his former team to lift the Thunder to a 107-99 win over the Pacers in Oklahoma City. OKC used a 24-to-0 run over a seven-minute span to go from down 10 to up 14 in the third quarter. Russell Westbrook finished with a triple-double, going for 17 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds as the Thunder won for the second time in three games. Bojan Bogdanovic had 28 points for Indiana, which has lost five-of-six. Miles Turner tallied 12 points and 14 boards in defeat.
NBA
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Golden State Warriors 118, Memphis Grizzlies 103
Oklahoma City Thunder 107, Indiana Pacers 99
Portland Trail Blazers 118, Chicago Bulls 98
Washington Wizards 124, Phoenix Suns 121
Utah Jazz 115, Los Angeles Lakers 100
Mavs Face Heat Tonight In Miami
(Miami, FL) — The Mavericks will play the Heat tonight in Miami. Dallas has lost 16 of its last 19 games and is 29-and-45 overall. The Mavs will play Sunday in Oklahoma City before returning home Monday to start a three-game homestand.
Rockets Home For Two
(Houston, TX) — The Rockets are home tonight to meet the Nuggets. Denver is second in the West with a 50-and-23 record, while the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers have won five straight to move ahead of the Rockets for third in the conference with a 47-and-27 record. Houston is 2-and-2 in its last five games and is 47-and-28. The Rockets will host Sacramento on Saturday.
Stars Win, But Bishop Injured
(Calgary, Alberta) — Miro Heiskanen and Alexander Radulov scored on power plays as the Stars defeated the Flames 2-1 in Calgary. It could be a costly victory for Dallas with goalie Ben Bishop leaving in the 33rd minute with a lower-body injury. He made 20 saves before departing. The Stars have won the first two of this four-game Canadian trip and led the West wild-card standings with 86 points. They will play tonight in Edmonton and Saturday in Vancouver before returning home Tuesday against Philadelphia.
NHL
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Philadelphia Flyers 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 4 (SO)
Boston Bruins 6, New York Rangers 3
Dallas Stars 2, Calgary Flames 1
Colorado Avalanche 4, Vegas Golden Knights 3
Jones Optimistic Cowboys Can Sign Lawrence To Extension
(Phoenix, AZ) — Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix he is “optimistic” Dallas can re-sign defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence to a long-term contract. The two sides have a July 15th deadline to reach an agreement. The Cowboys put the franchise tag on Lawrence, which would pay him just more than 20 million dollars this year. Lawrence is reportedly seeking a long-term contract for more than 22-million dollars a year.
AAF Co-Founder Says League Is In Jeopardy
(Undated) — The Alliance of American Football is already in trouble in its first season. Chairman Tom Dundon tells USA Today Sports that they can’t be a development league if the NFL Players’ Association won’t let them use their young players. He says the AAF is looking at its options, which includes discontinuing. A decision is expected within the next several days.
Texas Tech Faces Michigan Tonight In Sweet 16
(Anaheim, CA) — Third-seeded Texas Tech will face Michigan tonight in a NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game in Anaheim. This is the first time in Tech’s history to make it to the Sweet 16 in back-to-back years. The Red Raiders have held opponents to 59.2 points per game, third in the nation, and 36.8 percent shooting from the field, which ranks second. Michigan has limited eight opponents to less than 50 points, including a 64-49 win over Florida in the second round. Tech is 28-and-6, while the Wolverines are 30-and-6. Our coverage begins immediately following Texas Rangers baseball.
Cougars Prepare To Meet Kentucky Next
(Kansas City, MO) — The third-seeded Houston Cougars and second-seeded Kentucky will square off tomorrow night in a Sweet 16 game in the NCAA Tournament. This is Houston’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 1984. Kentucky will be trying to get back to its fifth Final Four in the last 10 years. The Cougars are led by Corey Davis, who is averaging 17.1 points a game. Houston is 33-and-3, while Kentucky is 29-and-6.
Texas Whips Colorado To Advance To NIT Final Four
(Austin, TX) — The Texas Longhorns are bound for the Big Apple. The Steers beat Colorado 68-55 in a NIT third-round game in Austin. They jumped out a 44-to-19 halftime lead. Dylan Osetkowski led the Longhorns with 15 points, while Kerwin Roach had 14. Texas will meet Big 12 foe TCU on Tuesday in the semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
Baylor Women Back In Sweet 16
(Greensboro, NC) — Number-one ranked Baylor will play South Carolina on Saturday in a NCAA Women’s Tournament Sweet 16 game in Greensboro. It is the 11th consecutive year the Lady Bears have reached the Sweet 16. Baylor beat the Gamecocks 94-69 on December 2nd at South Carolina.
West Texas A&M Buffs fell to Southern Indiana in 94-84 in the D-2 Elite 8 last night in Evansville, Indiana.
