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The Milwaukee Bucks took care of business on their home floor in Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals. After the Phoenix Suns took the opening two games of the series in their building, things shifted to Milwaukee, where the Bucks picked up wins in both games and made the NBA Finals a best-of-3 series to determine a champion.

The two teams will square off on Saturday night in the first of those tilts, a Game 5 matchup at Phoenix Suns Arena, a building where the Suns have only lost twice this postseason. Perhaps this will make it easier for Phoenix to contain Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been magnificent during the Finals, or perhaps it will help Chris Paul, who struggled mightily in Game 4, to find his form and help get the Suns one win away from a championship. Then again, if the Bucks can carry their recent play to an opposing building, it’s very easy to imagine them returning to their home court for Game 6 with the chance to life the Larry O’Brien trophy in front of their home fans.

Game 4 TV Info

Tip Time: Saturday, July 17; 9 p.m. ET
TV Network: ABC

Game 4 Betting Lines (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Series Prices: Suns (-145), Bucks (+125)
Spread: Suns -3.5 (-110), Bucks +3.5 (-110)
Total: Over 219 (-115), Under 219 (-105)
Money Line: Suns (-165), Bucks (+145)

Game 4 Player Scoring Props (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Bobby Portis O/U 6.5 (Over -105, Under -115)
Brook Lopez O/U 10.5 (-115, -105)
Cameron Johnson O/U 9.5 (+100, -120)
Cameron Payne O/U 7.5 (+100, -120)
Chris Paul O/U 21.5 (-105, -115)
Deandre Ayton O/U 15.5 (-115, -105)
Devin Booker O/U 28.5 (-110, -110)
Giannis Antetokounmpo O/U 33.5 (-110, -110)
Jae Crowder O/U 11.5 (-105, -115)
Jrue Holiday O/U 18.5 (-120, +100)
Khris Middleton O/U 24.5 (-120, +100)
Mikal Bridges O/U 10.5 (-110, -110)
P.J. Tucker O/U 4.5 (-120, +100)
Pat Connaughton O/U 8.5 (+105, -125)

Shohei Ohtani has taken over baseball this season, putting forth the kind of performance as a hitter and a pitcher that we’ve never seen before en route to being the frontrunner for the American League Most Valuable Player award. He parlayed this into a cameo in the Home Run Derby, and while he did not advance past the first round, Ohtani took his winnings and gave them back to the people in the Los Angeles Angels organization who make his life easier.

According to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, Ohtani, who lost in a swing-off in the first round to Juan Soto, took the $150,000 he won and split it evenly among 30 members of the Angels’ support staff. This wasn’t only because he pocketed the lowest-possible amount: Fletcher reports this was his plan regardless of where he finished.

Ohtani apparently decided that he was going to use the money in this way no matter what the outcome was. The Derby winner received $1 million, while the runner-up received $500,000.

Ohtani entered the Derby as the No. 1 overall seed, but fell in a thrilling first-round matchup to Soto — the pair were tied at 22 home runs each after the first round, then 28 after the first tiebreaker round. Soto went on to go 3-for-3 in the tiebreaker swing-off, while Ohtani failed to go yard with his first swing of the round. Currently, Ohtani leads Major League Baseball with 33 home runs.

Britney Spears scored a win in a court hearing this past week when a judge allowed her to retain a new lawyer of her choice, that being former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart. While the singer’s conservatorship stating that her conservator, her father Jamie Spears in this case, needs to approve any moves the singer attempts to make, Rosengart argued that it’s the singer’s constitutional right to have the lawyer of her choice and the judge agreed. It’s a small win in what will be a long journey for the singer as she hopes to remove her father from his conservator role and eventually end the conservatorship altogether.

As we wait for the next hearing in the conservatorship battle, Britney took a moment to call out some of the people closest to her in an Instagram post. Under an image that read, “Never forget who ignored you when you needed them and who helped you before you even had to ask,” the singer shared a piece of her mind in a lengthy caption.

“There’s nothing worse than when the people closest to you who never showed up for you post things in regard to your situation whatever it may be and speak righteously for support … there’s nothing worse than that!!!!” she began. “How dare the people you love the most say anything at all … did they even put a hand out to even lift me up at the TIME !!!??? How dare you make it public that NOW you CARE … did you put your hand out when I was drowning ????”

She continued her point further into the caption.

Again … NO … so if you’re reading this and you know who you are … and you actually have the nerve to say anything about my situation just to save face for yourself publicly !!! If you’re gonna post something …. Please stop with the righteous approach when you’re so far from righteous it’s not even funny …. [middle finger emojis] and have a good day !!!!! and have a good day !!!!! PS if you’re reading this today and you can relate …. I’m sorry because I know what it’s like … and I send you my love.

You can check out Britney’s post above.

It’s been more than two years since DaBaby shot into the mainstream rap spotlight with his breakout single “Suge,” an effort that peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard singles chart in 2019. The North Carolina native would then go on to share two back-to-back chart-topping albums with 2019’s Kirk and 2020’s Blame It On Baby.

While some may be iffy about his music nowadays, there’s no denying the success the rapper has attained over the years. And during a recent interview with Complex, DaBaby reflected on his a few moments during come-up which included one time when he learned that Beyoncé was a fan of his music.

“I remember when Beyoncé walked up to me at Diddy crib and told me she was a fan of my music,” he said to Complex’s Speedy Morman. “Told me she loved what I’m doing. That was dope. I’m like, ‘OK, this Beyoncé, you get what I’m saying?’ Diddy too, that was dope too, he reached out to me…He hold me close to him when he reach out to me.”

During the interview, he also confirmed that fans can expect a new project in the near future. “Another single before the album,” he said before adding, “definitely a new album on the way!” The new single would follow last month’s “Red Light Green Light” and “Ball If I Want To” as well as January’s “Masterpiece.”

The drama between a pair of Roc-A-Fella Records co-founders continues as a judge delivered a new ruling this past week. The label was created more than 25 years ago by Jay-Z, Dame Dash, and Kareem “Biggs” Burke, but recently, Dash sought to sell his one-third stake in the company, a move that Jay-Z is reportedly trying to stop. According to TMZ, Dash recently learned about a meeting that was set to take place between Jay-Z and Burke on Friday and quickly sought to have the meeting stopped by a judge. Unfortunately for Dash, the judge denied his request and told him to file a lawsuit at a later date if he was not pleased with the outcome of the meeting.

This comes less than a month after a judge blocked Dash’s attempt to sell an NFT of Jay-Z’s debut album, Reasonable Doubt. According to The Hollywood Reporter, U.S. District Court Judge John Cronan signed off on a temporary restraining order to the label. Dash denies trying to auction an NFT of Reasonable Doubt, but his partner in the business move, SuperFarm, announced the auction “of Damon‘s ownership of the copyright to Jay-Z’s first album Reasonable Doubt. This marks a new milestone in the history of NFT’s, entitling the new owner to future revenue generated by the unique asset.”

As for Dash’s attempt to sell his one-third stake in Roc-A-Fella, he claims that Jay-Z offered to buy his portion of the label back in March, but it was at “a price I deemed unacceptable.” As a result, Dash was left to find a more suitable buyer for his Roc-A-Fella stake.

On his seventh attempt in the Pacific Skateboard Vert Best Trick competition at this year’s Summer X-Games, 12-year-old Gui Khury pulled off an unreal 1080 spin move in the halfpipe to win the gold medal.

It is the first such trick ever to be pulled off in competition, and Khury is the youngest gold medalist in the history of the X-Games.

To make things even better for Khury, he pulled off the trick right in front of the legendary Tony Hawk, likely making a surreal win even more incredible for the young Brazilian skateboarder.

The part you might miss from the highlight is that the 53-year-old Hawk was not just in attendance or there for kicks. The legend was himself competing in the Vert Best Trick competition, meaning Khury beat Hawk for the win.

As Michelle Bruton explains at Forbes, Khury last year became the first skater ever to land a 1080 on a traditional sized vert ramp, and this was his first time landing it in competition. To be sure, this kid seems like the future of skating, already bending gravity and reaching unprecedented heights before he hits his teenage years. To land this groundbreaking trick in front of Hawk, a legend dipping his toes back in, makes the full-circle moment all the more special.

The world is mourning the loss of another hip-hop legend today. After his hospitalization for complications related to diabetes in 2020, today a family source confirmed to TMZ that rapper Biz Markie has passed away at the age of 57. Best known for his hit single “Just A Friend,” the prolific and multi-talented entertainer was respected by the hip-hop world at large, and plenty of artists and friends are expressing their grief at the loss.

Dubbed the “Clown Prince Of Hip-Hop,” Biz Markie, born Marcel Theo Hall was a member of the Juice Crew and an integral part of the New York rap world during the ’90s. An accomplished rapper, beatboxer, producer and well-known for his out-of-the-box sampling ideas, Markie was also an on-screen presence with a role in Men In Black II and a stint opening for comedian Chris Rock.

One of the most heartfelt and earliest reactions from a fellow artist comes from Q-Tip, who is feeling the loss. “This one hurts baad … RIP to my Aries bro… ahhh man
@BizMarkie damn im gonna miss u so so many memories.. hurts bad. My FRIEND,” he wrote. Check out more reactions from fellow rappers and artists below. Rest in peace Biz Markie.

More sad news for the hip-hop community today, TMZ reports that rapper Biz Markie, born Marcel Theo Hall, has passed away at age 57 due to complications from diabetes. In 2020, he was hospitalized due to the same issue and has now succumbed to the disease. TMZ cites a family source who confirmed the rapper died in a Baltimore hospital at 6:25 PM tonight.

A member of the Juice Crew, out of New York, and primarily known for his rhymes penned by Big Daddy Kane (also of the Juice Crew), the rapper, singer, DJ, record producer, actor, comedian, and writer was a multi-talented artist and entertainer who earned the title “Clown Prince Of Hip-Hop.”

His debut album Goin’ Off was released in 1988 and included underground singles “Nobody Beats The Biz” and “Vapors.” His second album, The Biz Never Sleeps came out just a year later, and even if you’re unfamiliar with Biz Markie’s extended catalogue, odds are most people have heard his breakout hit from this record, “Just A Friend.” After its release in 1989, it became a global hit, and still gets played even today, decades later.

His third album I Need A Haircut came out in 1991, and was followed up in 1993 with All Samples Cleared!. That title referenced a landmark sampling case one of his songs, “Alone Again,” was involved in. Later on, he released his final solo album, Weekend Warrior, in 2003. Aside from his career in music, Markie was also an on-screen presence and a comedian, including an appearance in Men In Black II and a stint opening for Chris Rock’s “No Apologies” tour in 2008.

Rest in peace to a legend.

Space Jam: A New Legacy hit theaters and HBO Max on Friday, and while the reviews for the movie generally ranged from “it wasn’t great” to “there is no circumstance under which you should watch this,” there was one cameo during halftime of the big game between the Toon Squad and the Goon Squad that was pretty funny even if, quite frankly, we all probably should have seen coming.

[It goes without saying, but we’re about to dive into some spoilers]

With LeBron James and co. getting thrashed by Don Cheadle’s team of virtual Monstars antagonists, a much-needed halftime pick-me-up comes by way of Sylvester, who claims that he found Michael Jordan for a pep talk. The team loses it, and then, noted person also named “Michael Jordan” — Michael B. Jordan — walks in. What ensues is a bunch of groaning and Jordan deadpanning.

It was one of the best moments from the film, and in an interview with ET, producer Sev Ohanian explained that it was kind of obvious that it was going to happen.

“Look, if you’re gonna have a Michael Jordan in your movie, you’re gonna want Michael A. Jordan, right? The Jordan,” producer Sev Ohanian told ET. “But if you have the opportunity to have this incredible joke that’s 25-plus years in the making, how could you not? It was the perfect, looniest addition to the film, and honestly, I just can’t wait to be in the theatre and watch audiences experience it live.”

…

“It’s an amazing way to play homage to M.J. [and] make sure that audiences know how much he matters to us and to this film and these characters,” Ohanian explains. “At the same time, once everyone heard the joke, they loved the concept and it was all in.”

The guy who won six rings and starred in the first Space Jam is not in the movie, but hey, sometimes you gotta just take the layup.

Loki‘s first season is finished, and fans are buzzing about the possibilities for a second season. The course of Marvel’s movies shifted considerably in the course of the show’s run, even if it did well to stand on its own as far as watchability outside of the MCU.

Now that the season is finished, though, many fans are looking ahead to what’s next. And many of those fans hope that the show brings back some new Loki variants in Season 2 as their expansion of Lokis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had some charming consequences.

More than just Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Sylvie, the show introduced a few other Norse gods to the mix including some Lokis of a different species. And now one Loki that captured the imagination of many fans has its own theme song. Jonathan Mann, who creates a song once a day and posts it on Twitter, decided that Friday was the day to give the world an unofficial song for Alligator Loki, who first appeared in the show’s fifth episode. And, well, it’s pretty damn good.

Perhaps the clips of Alligator Loki looking menacing and slightly mischievous help to sell the effect, but fans of the Marvel show will certainly appreciate a character that immediately trended online in the wake of the episode’s release on Disney+. Considering all the gator-themed Marvel merch that’s almost certain to follow, it certainly makes sense that the hand-chomping Loki now gets its own tune.