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Tag: starts

  • Report: Kings’ Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine have season-ending surgeries

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    (Photo credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images)

    The Sacramento Kings, losers of 14 straight and at the bottom of the league standings, lost stars Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine to season-ending surgeries on Wednesday, ESPN reported.

    Sabonis, a three-time All-Star in the frontcourt, had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, ESPN reported. He had returned to action in mid-January after missing 27 games following the mid-November injury.

    The 29-year-old averaged 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 29.7 minutes in 19 games (15 starts) this season.

    LaVine, a two-time All-Star guard who turns 31 on March 10, had been in and out of the lineup for 10 games because of a tendon injury in his right hand before selecting surgery.

    He last played on Feb. 6 in a home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. LaVine averaged a team-high 19.2 points along with 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 31.4 minutes in 39 games (37 starts).

    The duo are the highest-paid players for the Kings (12-44), ESPN reported, with LaVine having a $48.9 million player option next season and Sabonis having two years and $94 million remaining on his contract.

    Sacramento hosts the Orlando Magic on Thursday night and a 15th straight loss would set a franchise record for futility. The franchise twice lost 14 games when it was known as the Cincinnati Royals.

    Minnesota selected LaVine with the 13th overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft out of UCLA.

    LaVine, 30, averages 20.7 points per game for his career, with 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 32.7 minutes and 1,632 career 3-pointers in 693 regular-season games (602 starts) for the Minnesota Timberwolves (2014-17), Chicago Bulls (2018-25) and Kings. He represented the Bulls at the 2021 and 2022 All-Star Games.

    The Orlando Magic picked Sabonis with the 11th overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft out of Gonzaga and traded him the same day to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

    For his career, Sabonis averages 16.1 points 10.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 30.8 minutes in 665 games (521 starts) for Oklahoma City (2016-17), Indiana Pacers (2017-22) and Kings (2022-present). He was an All-Star in 2020, 2021 and 2023.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Struggling Magic get to face blowout-prone Nets

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    (Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images)

    The Orlando Magic open a four-game homestand Thursday against the reeling Brooklyn Nets looking to right the ship after losing six of their last eight games.

    The Magic are one game above .500 and sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference, yet they’ve been losing ground to the Philadelphia 76ers for the sixth and final playoff spot in the East.

    ‘It’ll be great to be back home for four games, it’s very important for us going into the (All-Star) break, but we have to take it one game at a time,’ Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said after his team’s 36-point loss Tuesday at Oklahoma City.

    ‘It’s hard to win in this league. We have to understand that and the work we need to put in.’

    The Magic also need leading scorer Franz Wagner (22.2 ppg) to get healthy as he has missed the last seven games with an ankle injury. It’s his second big chunk of missed time this season — and Orlando has gone 15-11 with him and 10-13 without.

    At the same time, Orlando had just 14 points in the first quarter against the Thunder on the way to trailing by as much as 41. Mosley said Wagner’s return, whenever it might be, won’t fix all of Orlando’s problems.

    ‘We still have to wait for him to come back, I don’t think any one person solves any of this,’ Mosley said. ‘We work together as a group, you win as a group and lose as a group. We’re all involved in this. We have to maintain our ability to work on the right things, but it starts with our mental preparation. When the horn starts, we gotta be ready to go.’

    Brooklyn has not looked ready for anything lately. The Nets have lost nine of their last 10 games and own a 3-16 mark since Jan. 1.

    When the Nets hosted the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, they trailed by 22 points after the first quarter. This came after a 53-point loss to Detroit on Sunday.

    ‘Yeah, more of the same. We got to figure something out,’ Nic Claxton told The New York Post. ‘Like, this is not basketball. We’re supposed to be NBA basketball players. We shouldn’t be getting beat by this much. We shouldn’t get down by this much.’

    Nets coach Jordi Fernandez looked for a silver lining, saying his team was competitive in the second half.

    ‘You start off losing the game by 22 points and lose by 16, right? That’s a little bit of the story of the game,’ Fernandez said. ‘I thought we competed at a higher level closing the second quarter and second half. I like our composure and not quitting. We saw some positive things, but obviously the first quarter is unacceptable.’

    The game tips off four hours after Thursday’s trade deadline. One of the league’s biggest trading chips is Brooklyn standout Michael Porter Jr., who ranks among the NBA’s top 15 scorers (25.5 ppg) and has scored 36, 38 and 21 points in his last three games.

    Porter Jr. in the final season of his contract at $40 million this season and will be eligible for an extension in July. Brooklyn must decide whether to keep Porter and build around him or flip him for draft capital.

    Paolo Banchero leads the Magic’s healthy players with 21.6 points per game. Desmond Bane had been on a heater (23, 32, and 25 points in a three-game stretch) before being held to seven by the Thunder. Bane leads the NBA with his 93.6% free-throw accuracy.

    Orlando will be going for a season sweep after beating Brooklyn 105-98 on Nov. 14 and 104-103 in overtime on Jan. 7.

    –Field Level Media

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  • CF Montreal acquire D Dagur Dan Thorhallsson from Orlando City

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    (Photo credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)

    CF Montreal acquired defender Dagur Dan Thorhallsson from Orlando City on Wednesday, both clubs announced.

    In exchange for the 25-year-old Icelandic international, Orlando receives $500,000 in general allocation money.

    Orlando also retains a sell-on fee and could receive up to an additional $125,000 in conditional GAM.

    Thorhallsson signed a new deal with Montreal through the 2027-28 season with an option for 2028-29.

    ‘Dagur’s a player who we’ve monitored dating to his MLS arrival,’ Montreal senior director of recruitment Luca Saputo said. ‘We expect that he will seamlessly fit the style of play that head coach Marco Donadel wants to implement. His ability to support the attack on the flanks, along with his versatility, will provide different options for our team going forward.’

    Thorhallsson appeared in 92 MLS matches (52 starts) with Orlando from 2023-25, contributing seven goals and four assists. He set a career high with three goals in 31 appearances (11 starts) in 2025.

    ‘His dedication to the team, ability to embrace our culture, and knack for bringing every group together made him a joy to have in our locker room,’ Orlando general manager Ricardo Moreira said. ‘We’re grateful for everything he’s given to the club and wish him nothing but the best in this next chapter of his career.’

    –Field Level Media

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  • Kings star C Domantas Sabonis has torn meniscus, out at least 3-4 weeks

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    (Photo credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images)

    The skidding Sacramento Kings got more bad news on Thursday when MRI imaging revealed star center Domantas Sabonis has a partial meniscus tear in his left knee, the team announced.

    Sabonis, 29, will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks, the Kings said.

    A three-time All-Star, Sabonis last played on Sunday, collecting 17 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in a 123-110 road loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The team said he experienced left knee soreness following the game.

    He did not play on Wednesday at Oklahoma City, a 113-99 setback. Sacramento (3-12) has lost seven straight games, all by double digits.

    Sabonis is averaging 17.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 33.2 minutes in 11 games (all starts) this season. Extremely durable over his 10-year career, Sabonis was sidelined for the season opener due to a hamstring strain in the preseason and missed two games this month because of a rib issue.

    The Orlando Magic selected Sabonis with the 11th overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft and traded him the same day to Oklahoma City. The Thunder dealt him to the Pacers in July 2017, and the Kings acquired him in February 2022 in a deal that sent point guard Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana.

    For his career, Sabonis has averaged 16.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 30.8 minutes in 657 regular-season games (517 starts) for the Thunder (2016-17), Pacers (2017-22) and Kings.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Orioles, riding run of walk-off wins, seek sweep of Pirates

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    (Photo credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images)

    Everything is enjoyable for the Baltimore Orioles at the moment despite their last-place position in the American League East.

    They have been in a good groove for more than a week, largely because of thrilling finishes — including four walk-off victories in the past five games.

    Baltimore will go for a three-game sweep of the National League Central-worst Pittsburgh Pirates to wrap up a homestand on Thursday afternoon.

    ‘It’s the most fun I’ve ever had playing ball,’ Baltimore rookie outfielder Dylan Beavers said. ‘So keep it going. Winning’s fun.’

    The Orioles (68-77) won in 11 innings and 10 innings in the first two games of the series, with the 2-1 outcome on Wednesday sealed by Beavers’ game-ending single.

    The Pirates (64-82) have dropped five consecutive games since a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pittsburgh has had two longer losing skids this year, both of those prior to the All-Star break.

    Beavers has played in 20 major leagues games since getting called up to the Orioles last month. He has experienced a fair share of critical game situations.

    ‘I try and control my breath, and I feel like that’s the key for me,’ said Beavers, who is batting .305. ‘No matter what I’m thinking about, if I’m breathing and my heart rate’s down, I can go out and perform.’

    That’s what Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino likes seeing up and down the lineup as newcomers adjust to this level. While there is not the pressure of a pennant race, there are opportunities to make progress.

    ‘Our guys are hanging in there,’ Mansolino said. ‘They’re battling, they’re playing defense, they’re taking care of the ball right now, keeping us in the game, getting the big hit when we need it.’

    Pirates manager Don Kelly is hoping that center fielder Oneil Cruz can put together a strong finishing stretch. Cruz is batting .130 (3-for-23) this month without a home run. He has 19 homers this season.

    ‘That’s what I want to see, the freedom and the joy of competing,’ Kelly said. ‘When you go through those struggles, it’s tough. These guys, they feel it every day.

    Baltimore will turn to Cade Povich (3-7, 5.16 ERA) as its starting pitcher on Thursday. The left-hander will be looking to notch victories in back-to-back starts for the first time after beating the San Diego Padres 7-5 on Sept. 3. He had a shutout through five innings but was charged with four runs without recording an out in the sixth.

    That outcome was the first time the Orioles won in one of Povich’s starts since June 15. He will be facing the Pirates for the first time.

    Baltimore’s pitching should be in good shape in terms of availability despite the consecutive extra-inning games. The Orioles’ starters went into the seventh inning in both games of this series.

    Pirates right-hander Johan Oviedo (2-0, 2.70) is set for his sixth start of the season after missing all of last year following Tommy John surgery. He threw five innings in each of his past two starts, allowing only one unearned run and one hit on Friday in a no-decision against the Milwaukee Brewers.

    Oviedo has made just one appearance against the Orioles in his career, when he allowed one run in five-plus innings in a no-decision on May 12, 2023.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Chicago Starts Five-Year Phase-Out of Tipped Minimum Wage

    Chicago Starts Five-Year Phase-Out of Tipped Minimum Wage

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    Tipped hospitality workers across Chicago are getting a raise on Monday, July 1 as a hotly debated city ordinance goes into effect, increasing the tipped minimum wage from $9.48 per hour to $11.02.

    The result of a historic vote by Chicago’s City Council in October 2023, the ordinance will phase out the city’s tipped minimum wage — essentially, a subminimum wage augmented by tips — growing it by eight percent annually over five years. This will continue until it matches the standard wage, which is also increasing as of Monday from $15.80 per hour to $16.20 for businesses with four or more employees.

    In addition, changes in paid time off have also gone into effect. Employees who work at least 80 hours through a 120-day duration are entitled to five days of paid leave and five days of paid sick leave. The 10 combined days were a compromise from the 15 that was proposed last year.

    Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has called the efforts his team’s way of “making Chicago the most pro-worker city in the country.” They’re the culmination of work by activists like the progressive group One Fair Wage and officials including Johnson (who made it part of his platform), the wage increases were the subject of much divisive debate last year. In the early years of the pandemic, local hospitality workers began speaking out more loudly than ever about the challenges of relying on tips to get by. Opponents, however, including some members of the Illinois Restaurant Association, countered with fears that the increase in costs for operators would force them to raise prices and thus alienate customers, harming restaurant businesses in the long term.

    Johnson’s 2023 mayoral victory was key, says national labor activist Saru Jayaraman, founder of One Fair Wage. By August, Jayaraman declared that the city’s ordinance was all but passed. But in September, opponents threw a Hail Mary by proposing a new association-backed ordinance that would increase Chicago’s tipped minimum wage to $20.54 per hour — the highest in the nation — in any restaurant that uses the tip credit.

    Within days, however, the sides reached a compromise and the restaurant association dropped its opposition to a revised ordinance that established a $500,000 pool from private funds to help smaller restaurants transition and address the need for unionized restaurants to pay lower wages per worker contracts. This move cleared the way for activists and supporters to declare victory ahead of the city council vote.

    Many across the U.S. are keeping a close eye on Chicago, waiting to see how the ordinance will impact the city’s hospitality industry. Seven states — Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, and Washington — had long dispensed with a tip credit, and in May 2023, Washington D.C. voted to increase its tipped minimum wage from $5.35 per hour to $10. This year, legislators have proposed raises to the tipped minimum wage in 17 states including Illinois, but no bills have yet passed, according to the Sun-Times.

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    Naomi Waxman

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