data-mm-id=”_ejuo7cy8d”>The NBA's dream came true for this year's playoffs as the Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the postseason. LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry will be a ratings bonanza, drawing many eyeballs despite the lowered stakes compared to the last time they faced off with everything on the line. The basketball will also not be as good as those Warriors-Cavs years because the 2023 version of the Lakers and Warriors both suffer from rather significant roster flaws that led to their low playoff seeding. Despite that, this is still the sort of series the networks drool over and it will be the topic of discussion every day on sports studio shows from now until the end of the series. The Undisputed team kicked things off in that regard on Monday and it featured Skip Bayless being super nice to the Lakers and LeBron before going with the purple and gold to take the series in six games. Who wins: Lakers or Warriors? "I have Lakers in 6. LeBron is the driving force of his team and I look for AD to do to Kevon Looney what he did to Sabonis." — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/M254NtRWou— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 1, 2023This could definitely be a reverse jinx attempt by Bayless. On the other hand, he's going to milk hours and hours of content from this series. If the Lakers win then Bayless was right that Curry fails to show up in big games most of the time and he is indeed a magnanimous sports personality for easing up off LeBron when the moment calls for it. If the Warriors win then LeBron failed his team in the playoffs again, Anthony Davis ain't all that, and Rob Pelinka did his best but the Lakers couldn't get it done. No matter what, Skip Bayless wins. And we all lose, to some degree. That's actually true through pretty much every lens of this series. Nobody is going to win regardless of which team advances. But hopefully we can at least get some good basketball out of it. Or at least one last LeBron/Steph showdown for the ages.
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Romelu Lukaku scored twice and assisted another to help Inter to a 3-1 win over Lazio that lifted Antonio Conte s men above bitter rivals Milan to the top of Serie A.
Milan s shock 2-0 loss to Spezia on Saturday opened the door for Inter and they pounced at San Siro on Sunday, taking a one-point lead into next weekend s huge Derby della Madonnina.
Lazio were furious with the awarding of Inter s 22nd-minute penalty as replays appeared to show Wesley Hoedt, drafted in after Stefan Radu was injured in the warm-up, got some of the ball before taking out Lautaro Martinez.
Lukaku converted and added a second ahead of half-time with the assistance of VAR, before teeing up Martinez to seal the points after Gonzalo Escalante had given Lazio some temporary hope.
Br…
Verdict: Manchester City -3
Best Odds:
Bookmaker:
Huddersfield will target an unlikely victory against Manchester City on Sunday as they look to move away from the Premier League relegation zone. We make our prediction on the clash from the Etihad.
Manchester City
Even though Manchester City have already been crowned Premier League champions, they can set a number of records with victory against Huddersfield. Three points on Sunday will ensure they surpass Chelsea’s 2004-05 record of 95 points, and last season’s 30 wins. Just two more goals and Pep Guardiola’s men will also break the Blues record of 103 set in 2009-10. City may have been forgiven for taking their foot off the pedal since they mathematically secured the title, however a 5-0 victo…
Tottenham qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2010-11 after Tuesday s 1-0 win at Borussia Dortmund secured a 4-0 aggregate triumph.
Mauricio Pochettino s men held a commanding lead ahead of their trip to Signal Iduna Park and, although the hosts piled on the pressure in the first half, Hugo Lloris proved a reliable last line of defence before Harry Kane ultimately put the tie to bed.
Dortmund did everything they could to breathe life into the second leg in the opening period, but they came up against an inspired Lloris, who made a string of vital saves, most impressively to thwart Mario Gotze and Julian Weigl.
Spurs then took full advantage just after the interval, Kane confidently dispatching a one-on-one to become the club…
Market: Atletico Madrid win
Odds: 1/1 @
Looking to extend their buffer at the top of the La Liga table this weekend, Atletico Madrid will make the trip to Getafe on Saturday night.
Starting with the hosts, while Getafe might have hoped they could build off of that 3-0 victory against Valencia when drawing a close to February, it appears that was just a minor bounce for The Blues. Despite only just about missing out on another European finish last season, many in José Bordalás camp will still be looking over their shoulder at the drop zone. Making an immediate return to losing ways last time out thanks to a 2-1 defeat against Real Valladolid, Getafe have now lost five of their last six La Liga matchups and the mood in their camp could be at a real low. Facing …
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Ander ter Stegen has been ruled out of the Copa del Rey final due to a knee problem.
The Germany international missed the final three LaLiga games of the season while undergoing treatment for an issue in his right knee.
The club confirmed on Wednesday that Ter Stegen still has discomfort and is therefore unavailable for the match with Valencia at the Benito Villamarin on Saturday.
It means Jasper Cillessen is likely to start, despite reports suggesting he has agreed to leave the club to join Benfica in the coming transfer window.
[INJURY NEWS] FC Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen still has discomfort in his right knee and will continue receiving treatment during the coming weeks and, thus, has been ruled out for the Sat…
Neymar must find tranquillity in front of goal to boost his chances of Champions League glory, according to Brazil great Ronaldo.
The Paris Saint-Germain star has put in a pair of virtuoso displays in Lisbon to propel Thomas Tuchel s side into Sunday s showpiece, where they face the might of treble-chasing Bayern Munich at Estadio da Luz.
The only blot on Neymar s performances has been unusually erratic finishing – something for which one of the finest goalscorers of his generation believes there is a simple solution.
He has played very well in the last few games, especially in this final phase in Portugal. He has generated and created many goal situations, Ronaldo told a media event in the Portuguese capital.
But yes, he lacked a bit of calm at the t…
Maurizio Sarri is delighted with Juventus form but acknowledges the team must be better than in seasons past if they are to again retain their Serie A title.
The Bianconeri defeated Roma 3-1 in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Wednesday, scoring through Cristiano Ronaldo, Rodrigo Bentancur and Leonardo Bonucci before half-time.
It was a fifth win in a row in all competitions for Juve, in which time they have built a four-point lead over Inter at the top of the league table.
Sarri saw evidence of this winning mentality against Roma but acknowledged improvement was required in a three-way title tussle with the Nerazzurri and Lazio.
Winning is becoming normal, Sarri explained at a post-match news conference. I m happy for the team.
But we don t …
Market: Celtic win to nil
Odds: 21/20 @
Simply looking to extend their stay at the top of the Premiership table this weekend, Celtic will welcome Hearts to Glasgow on Saturday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, heading into September’s international break with a stellar 3-0 romp against arch-rivals Rangers, Celtic are in the midst of what has become another sensational purple patch. Marking their return from the fortnight interval sat at the top of the Premiership table, Brendan Rodgers’ camp are pencilled in as a landslide contender to make more domestic history this season. Flying out of the traps since opening up the 2024/25 campaign, the former Leicester boss has seen his squad win all of their first four Premiership appearances. Continuing on from what…
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire believes the Red Devils were complacent in their 1-0 loss to Premier League rivals Arsenal.
United s Premier League woes continued after succumbing to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang s 69th-minute penalty at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer s United humbled last season s Champions League semi-finalists RB Leipzig 5-0 midweek but were off the pace against Arsenal.
United – who languish 15th in the table – have collected just seven points from their six Premier League games this season, the club s lowest tally at this stage since David Moyes short stint at the helm in 2013-14, while they are now winless in their past six league home games.
The Reds are beaten.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
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Fernando Torres believes Liverpool are set up for sustained Premier League success and expressed his delight that their 30-year wait for top-flight glory is over.
The former Reds striker feels the 2019-20 title – which saw the team rack up 99 points under Jurgen Klopp – is likely to be the first of many in the coming years.
I m so happy Liverpool won the Premier League because they deserved it, Torres told talkSPORT.
I was especially happy for the supporters; I know how important it was for them to win the Premier League.
Even when they won the Champions League the season before, obviously that s a huge achievement, but once you play for Liverpool and are in contact with the people, you know how important it was for them to win the Premier League…