SI:CYMI | Thunder Take the Lead

Plus, Josh Jacobs was arrested on five charges.

Madison Williams Good morning, sports fans! This is Madison Williams from Sports Illustrated, here to share the biggest news that you might’ve missed yesterday and what’s coming next in the world of sports. I’m headed to my first Savannah Bananas game this weekend, and I’m pumped. I can’t wait to see what shenanigans the players get into!    Recommended by  The headlines … Benny Sieu/Imagn Images HOOPS HEADLINES: The Thunder won Game 5 of the thrilling Western Conference Finals last night to take a 3–2 lead ahead of Game 6 back in OKC. Our team live blogged the entire game, and included some takeaways from the game. … Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla won the league’s Coach of the Year honor last night. SI’s Liam McKeone dove into why Mazzulla was impressive during his fourth season in Boston. … Even though the Knicks swept the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday, James Harden still believes Cleveland was the “better team.” Um—should we tell him? … Caitlin Clark was the grand marshal during Sunday’s Indy 500. She opened up about how nervous she was to give the “Drivers, to your cars!” command in front of 350,000 people. … Sparks star Kelsey Plum, who’s leading the WNBA in points per game, suffered an ankle sprain and is out for at least a week. ORDER IN THE COURT: Some sports figures find themselves in court. … Packers running back Josh Jacobs was arrested on Tuesday from five charges stemming from domestic abuse allegations. Jacobs denies the allegations as an investigation is ongoing. … Vikings DC Brian Flores’s discrimination lawsuit against the NFL he filed back in Feb. 2022 is headed to trial in New York after the Supreme Court declined the league’s appeal. … Quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s application to play for Texas Tech in 2026 was denied by the NCAA, so now he’ll look for a court injunction hearing to gain a chance to compete next season. … Shinnosuke Abe, the manager of the Japanese baseball team Yomiuri Giants, resigned on Tuesday after he was arrested for physically assaulting his daughter.  EXPLAIN THIS: Here’s a compilation of the best sports explainers from our staff. … Mike Kadlick detailed why he thinks Jason Kelce “nailed it” with his recent rant about the NFL moving away from Sunday games. … Kyle Koster explained how the Astros continue to defy the odds after logging a no hitter. … Tim Capurso laid out five MLB teams on fire right now and whether they are contenders or pretenders this season. … I highlighted the six biggest first-round French Open upsets, including losses for Americans Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz. … Patrick Andres detailed why Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea’s bold statement about the team winning a national championship wasn’t as far-fetched as it may seem. … Karl Rasmussen emphasized how Evgeni Malkin’s return to the Penguins for next NHL season will impact the team. Join Verducci's View Newsletter MLB insights and analysis delivered by Tom Verducci, offering a mix of expert commentary, inside angles and thoughtful perspectives on baseball’s biggest storylines. CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE   Recommended by  Feed refresher … MLB / Screenshot Some viral moments ...  SPIDER-MAN—WHERE?: Is this the best celebrity cameo at a sporting event in recent memory? It’s a contender. Actor J.K. Simmons attended Tuesday night’s Mets–Reds game in New York. A fan dressed up as Spider-Man sat behind Simmons when the camera panned to him, setting up an iconic bit. Simmons notably played J. Jonah Jameson, the editor of the Daily Bugle, in the Spider-Man films, beginning with the 2002 hit. Jameson has a known hatred for Spider-Man and calls him a “menace.” The nostalgia really hit with this awesome moment. STOP COMPLAINING: It’s been excruciatingly hot in Paris during the first few days of the French Open, putting many players in bad moods. Daniil Medvedev, who is known for not hiding his feelings on the court, let the heat get to him during his first-round match on Tuesday. Medvedev was complaining about the high temperatures during his three-and-a-half hour five-set match (that he lost), and his wife was having none of it. She was caught saying in Russian “We’re all hot. We’re all suffering. Behave yourself.” We’ve all been there, right? Get the print edition of Sports Illustrated delivered to your door. Click to subscribe! 📺 What we’re watching tonight ... WNBA:  Mercury @ Liberty—7 p.m. ET; USA Network New York is in unknown territory as the Liberty fell under .500 for the first time in three seasons after losing three games in a row. The Mercury are also on a three-game losing streak, so one of these unfortunate runs will come to an end tonight. Dream @ Lynx—9 p.m. ET; USA Network This will be a good one. The No. 1 Dream will head to face the red hot Lynx in the second game of USA Network’s doubleheader. NHL Playoffs: Hurricanes @ Canadiens—8 p.m. ET; TNT, truTV, HBO Max The Hurricanes will look to follow up Monday night’s overtime Game 3 win with another victory tonight to take a 3–1 lead over the Canadiens. The winner of this series books a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. MLB: Yankees @ Royals—7:40 p.m. ET; Prime Video, MLB.tv The series finale between the Yankees and Royals will be showcased on Prime Video tonight. New York is looking to sweep Kansas City with former Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole on the mound. Rockies @ Dodgers—10:10 p.m. ET; MLB.tv Shohei Ohtani is back on the mound tonight. He’s posted an 0.73 ERA through eight starts. Hope you have a good Hump Day! We’ll be back tomorrow A.M. Join SI The Post-Up A weekly spotlight on the biggest stories and in-depth reporting of women’s basketball—from compelling athlete features to sharp commentary on the latest news and scores. 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