Category: News

Ja Morant’s first two performances in his Western Conference Semifinal debut have been nothing short of spectacular. While the Memphis Grizzlies are tied at one game each against the Golden State Warriors, Morant has been a thorn in the Dubs’ side on in each game, going for 34 points the first time they went head-to-head and 47 in the Grizzlies’ Game 2 win.

It looks like Game 3 is going to follow that pattern, as Morant has 17 points, four assists, two rebounds, and two steals at the half. While the Grizzlies walked into the locker room at the Chase Center trailing 64-57, that deficit isn’t quite as bad thanks to a jumper Morant hit right before the halftime buzzer went off.

The catch: Morant didn’t just knock down a buzzer-beater, the dude pulled up from half court and got nothing but net despite a contest from Andrew Wiggins.

Here is an alternate angle of the shot, in which — you guessed it — this is still sick.

Morant got hot from deep in the first half of Game 3, going 4-for-6 from downtown despite playing in front of a hostile road crowd. Of course, while they all count the same, pulling up from half court with a hand in your face is easily the most impressive of the bunch.

The referees during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics came under fire from people on both teams. Celtics coach Ime Udoka, upset about the officiating after losing 103-101, claimed that he is going to teach his players how to flop more effectively so they can be on the receiving end of charge calls.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was likewise not particularly happy with the whistle from the officials, either, only he was not as eager to express his frustration as Udoka. After the game, Antetokounmpo made clear that he wanted to critique the officiating in the game, but ultimately decided to bite his tongue because he didn’t want to get fined.

Despite the fact that he felt this way, Antetokounmpo still managed to have an excellent game in Milwaukee’s win go up in the series, 2-1. The reigning NBA Finals MVP scored 42 points with 12 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and two blocks while shooting 12 of the 17 free throws that the Bucks attempted. Perhaps he won’t be in as good of a mood after Game 4 if the Bucks lose and the officiating continues to rub him the wrong way and he’ll be a little more willing to speak out, although diapers will still cost far too much money if that happens, so we expect him to bite his tongue no matter what.

Earlier this week, 42 Dugg was arrested by federal agents at a Detroit airport after he failed to turn himself in for a sixth-month sentence for firearm possession. The charge comes after Dugg, who is a convicted felon, was seen firing a weapon at an Atlanta gun range back in 2019. As a result, he was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $90,000 fine. However, Dugg repeatedly violated the terms of his probation after he allegedly tested positive for drugs on multiple occasions and was arrested in Las Vegas. As a result, a judge sentenced him to six months at a federal prison camp in West Virginia.

According to Detroit News, prosecutors shared that they had been looking for Dugg since April when he was scheduled to turn himself in to the prison camp. Eventually, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives secured a search warrant to track the location of the rapper’s phone, which led to them finding him at the Detroit airport around 4:45 a.m. Wednesday. The next day, prosecutors explained why they believe Dugg is a flight risk during a court hearing about the arrest.

“When he was arrested he had $25,000 in cash and more than $100,000 in jewelry,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Lanning said during the hearing. “He’s claimed more than $11 million worth of assets. He has access to a private plane with a pilot willing to fly an unnumbered flight where Mr. Hayes is not included on the flight’s manifest.” Lanning concluded, “That’s not an accident. That’s not a happenstance.”

In response to the charges, Dugg’s lawyer told the Detroit News that his client did not turn himself in because they were appealing the six-month sentence. He adds that they mistakenly believed that Dugg did not need to surrender as the appeal was pending. Despite this, prosecutors said Dugg and his teamed filed paperwork in late April that claimed the rapper was a sovereign citizen that was exempt from federal laws. On Thursday, Dugg’s court-appointed lawyer, Casey Swanson, said Dugg did not file the paperwork. “Mr. Hayes did not flee,” she said. “He did not intentionally avoid a sentence in this case.”

42 Dugg is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The 2022 Kentucky Derby featured a number of horses that were considered reasonable winners, led by Epicenter (4-1) and followed by the likes of Zandon (6-1), Messier (6-1), and others. Without a prohibitive favorite, there was some expectation of chaos, as some thought the 1 post might produce the first winner in history in Mo Donegal (10-1).

As they came out of the final turn, it was shaping up to be a battle between favorites, as Epicenter jumped to the lead and Zandon was trying to close hard on his outside. While everyone was focused on those two, out of nowhere, the horse with the longest odds in the field, Rich Strike (80-1), made an unbelievable charge up the inside and overtook the two favorites by nearly a full length at the wire to become the biggest upset winner of the Derby since 1913.

The horse was as fired up as anyone else, as it kept nipping at the pony as they tried to direct him off the track — and was later biting at the guys putting the roses on him in the winner’s circle.

As they noted on the broadcast, Rich Strike was purchased a year ago for $30,000 and earned a $1.8 million payday. For any bettor willing to throw out some wild bets with the longshot winning, there were some huge paydays out there. A $1 superfecta with Rich Strike, Epicenter, Zandon, and Simplification paid $321,500 — with a $0.50 trifecta paying $7,435.

The Boston Celtics tried to mount a late charge in Game 3 against the Milwaukee Bucks, but ultimately, they came up just a little short. Despite trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half, Boston was able to chip away at Milwaukee’s lead and pull ahead in the waning moments before the Bucks narrowly secured a 103-101 victory to go up in the series, 2-1.

The loss came in one of the more physical games of the 2022 playoffs. While the two teams combined to shoot 51 free throws — 34 of which went to Boston — the referees still let quite a bit go, particularly when it came to Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose lowered his shoulder on numerous occasions and was able to create space en route to his 42-point performance.

The lack of charge calls miffed Celtics coach Ime Udoka, who claims he spoke to the officials during the game and was told that charges wouldn’t get called unless his players hit the deck. As a result, Udoka said after the game that he might instruct his players to flop more so they can get calls.

We will actually see if Boston takes their coach’s advice and flops more when Game 3 tips off on Monday evening.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Milwaukee Bucks have a 2-1 series lead on the Boston Celtics. Despite leading by as many as 14 points, the Bucks needed to hold on until the very end to pick up a 103-101 win in their first home game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

As he’s done so many times over the years, Giannis Antetokounmpo came out and set the tone for Milwaukee during the first half of play. Whether he was using his length and athleticism to pester the Celtic offense or using his strength and physicality to attack the rim on the other end of the floor, the reigning NBA Finals MVP had 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting with nine rebounds in the first half.

Boston’s defense, however, was able to contain everyone else. The Celtics shot 15-for-45 (31.8 percent) from the field and 4-for-18 (17.6 percent) from three, but managed to hold their opponents other than Antetokounmpo to just over 29 percent shooting from the field. Beyond a strong half by Brook Lopez (11 points, seven rebounds) and nine points on 4-for-12 shooting for Jrue Holiday, the rest of the Bucks only scored six points.

As for Boston, five players scored at least seven points — Jaylen Brown’s 10 led the way, while Jayson Tatum only had six on 2-for-10 shooting — and as a result, the Celtics took a 50-46 lead into the road locker room thanks in part to a 7-0 run to end the half.

The start of the third quarter continued the trend of chippy play, with the difference being that one side had Giannis Antetokounmpo. The sheer physicality that he brought to the floor helped Milwaukee open the half on a 20-6 run to wrest the lead away and find themselves up by double-digits. The Bucks’ 10-point lead as a result of the stretch was the largest deficit Boston faced all postseason up to that point.

The biggest moment of the quarter, though, came with 3:26 remaining, when Mike Budenholzer opted to rest Antetokounmpo for the remainder of the period. Instead of the Celtics being able to cut into the 10-point deficit at that time, Milwaukee actually managed to extend its lead to 13, putting themselves up 80-67 entering the fourth.

Boston came out for the start of the final frame in a precarious place, as Antetokounmpo returned to the game and the crowd at Fiserv Forum was ready to watch the home team pull away. That didn’t happen, as the Celtics stayed in it and eventually went on a 9-2 run to cut things to five.

Boston kept chipping away over the course of the fourth, getting it down to one point on multiple occasions. But each time, they couldn’t quite get over the hump … until Brown went up for a layup with 1:49 left, got fouled by Holiday, and knocked down a pair of free throws to go up, 100-99.

After back-to-back possessions where neither team scored, Milwaukee came down the floor, got the ball to Antetokounmpo, and let him go to work for a go-ahead basket. A layup attempt by Brown through contact was no good, and on the ensuing Bucks possession, the dagger came when Holiday composed himself after a collision with Tatum and made a runner.

The door was opened for the Celtics when Marcus Smart got fouled with 4.6 seconds left. After making the first, Smart purposely missed the second and all hell broke loose. The league’s Defensive Player of the Year got the rebound, threw up an off-balance attempt, and while it did not go in, Robert Williams got a chance for a putback. That didn’t go in, either, but Al Horford got a chance, and while he made his tip-in, it was determined this came after the buzzer.

Antetokounmpo had a monster night, going for 42 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and two steals, while Holiday gave them 25 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Lopez registered a double-double, going for 13 points and 10 boards. Brown’s 27 points and 12 rebounds led the way for Boston, with Horford pitching in 22 points, 16 rebounds, five dimes, and two blocks. Tatum had a game to forget, scoring 10 points on 4-for-19 shooting.

Game 4 between the Bucks and Celtics will take place on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

Less than two years removed from his strong debut album That’s What They All Say, Jack Harlow returned over the weekend with his sophomore effort Come Home The Kids Miss You. It presents 15 tracks and the previously heard singles “Nail Tech” and “First Class” as well as guest appearances from Drake, Lil Wayne, Justin Timberlake, and Pharrell. While Harlow’s collaboration with Drake, titled “Churchill Downs,” is one of the highlights off the new album, another track that’s getting some attention is “Dua Lipa.” Harlow uses the track to shoot a confident shot at the Grammy-winning Future Nostalgia singer.

During a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club, Harlow revealed that he got Dua Lipa’s approval for the song before putting it on his album. “I wanted to get her blessing,” he said. “I didn’t want her to be blindsided by that or feel creeped out or anything.” Harlow revealed that Lipa’s response was “I suppose it’s OK.” He added, “If she had said, ‘Yo, I hate it, I don’t want it to come out,’ it wouldn’t have came out.”

Harlow was then asked if he had a crush on Dua Lipa. “I admire her,” he replied. “I think when the song comes out, she’ll grow to appreciate it even more.”

You can listen to “Dua Lipa” and check out The Breakfast Club interview in the videos above.

Come Home The Kids Miss You is out now via Atlantic Records. You can stream it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Natalie Portman didn’t have a ton to do in her two big stints as Jane Foster, the erstwhile ladyfriend of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. She wasn’t even given a cameo in the third one. But she’s back in the forthcoming fourquel Thor: Love and Thunder, this time with a meatier role. We already know that she’ll be Mighty Thor, the female version of the Nordic god. She even gets to wield that hammer, as we’ve seen. In case there was any doubt, the film’s director promised that she’ll have a lot more to do this time around.

In a new interview with Empire (as caught by The Hollywood Reporter), Taika Waititi explained the impetus behind giving Jane Foster a lot more action. “You don’t want Natalie coming back and playing that same character who’s walking around with science equipment,” Waititi explained. “You know, while Thor’s flying around, she’s left on Earth, tapping her foot going, ‘When’s he going to be back?’ That’s boring. You want her to be part of the adventure.”

He also pointed out another thing about Portman: She’s hilarious. “Natalie’s really funny in real life,” he said. “She’s kind of goofy and has got a great sense of humor, and I don’t think that was exploited enough in the first films.”

Thor: Love and Thunder will be released on July 8.

(Via Empire and THR)

For the last few weeks, Madison Cawthorn has been the target of mockery. A group committed to ousting the young MAGA lawmaker from power has been among those leaking unflattering videos of him, doing things like wearing lingerie and having his crotch touched by another man. The latest finds him naked in a hotel room, seeming to dry hump some guy. Cawthorn has claimed each of these were jokes, just some bro humor. He even compared himself to Gandalf. But that hasn’t stopped him from being a laughing stock.

Indeed, while discussing the latest Cawthorn video, Bill Maher, on his show Friday night, could not stop laughing. He described him as a “Christian conservative” who “keeps getting caught doing things that don’t seem Christian conservative.” He then brought up the new video, which features him, as he put it, “straddling another man’s face, and thrusting his pelvis into it,” Maher said while trying to keep composure. He then started losing it.

Maher eventually got his stuff back together, enough to get to his jokes. “I’ve got to say, comedically this guy really commits to the bit, you know what I’m saying? He commits!” Maher told the crowd. “I’m not saying he is gay at all, I’m just saying in Florida they’re not allowed to discuss him in school now.”

You can watch Maher talk about Cawthorn in the video above.

(Via Raw Story)

It’s been 30 years since Luton Town has played in the top flight of English football, and on Saturday, the Hatters officially punched their ticket to the EFL Championship play-off. On the surface, the way they managed to do it — a 1-0 win over lower-table side Reading — isn’t all that impressive, but the manor in which that goal came led to a moment to remember for supporters of the club.

Reading goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland held the ball in his hands during injury time in the first half, surveyed the pitch, and instead of hoofing it up the field, noticed that no one was near him and ostensibly wanted to put it down and kill off the remaining seconds in the half and get to the dressing room tied at zero. What he did not notice — in part because he does not have eyes in the back of his head — is that Luton Town’s Harry Cornick stood behind him and waited for him to let his guard down.

Once that happened, Cornick swooped in, took the ball, and put it into the back of the net.

After the game, Cornick explained exactly how he made this happen, and more or less said he figured he might as well try it.

Let this be a lesson to all young athletes: sometimes, shenanigans work.