That was it for the Spurs. They all knew it. At a minimum, they needed a big Victor Wembanyama performance in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday. He delivered. They needed someone else to do so as well. Down 2-0 against the Knicks. At Madison Square Garden. Do or die. Stephon Castle did. The Spurs didn’t die.

You could point out any number of massive moments for Castle in what has been a series of endless pressure for both teams, but his big bucket and free throws late in the fourth quarter of Game 3 were the stuff that you’d expect from veterans, not a 21-year-old. He wasn’t fazed. If anything, Castle seemed to welcome the responsibility.

The Spurs were clinging to a four-point lead late in the fourth quarter and were desperate to find another bucket, to avoid blowing a lead yet again, as they had in the first two games. The shot clock was winding down. Wembanyama tried to take Karl-Anthony Towns off the dribble, then had second thoughts. Instead, Wemby threw an awkward, twisting pass to Castle and all but begged him to bail out the Spurs. Castle obliged. 

That 3 alone would have been reason enough for his teammates to throw him a salute and thank him for his service. But with 6.8 seconds remaining and the Spurs lead cut to two points, Castle went to the line for two critical free throws. He shot 73.4% there this season, and he’s upped that to 81.1% in the playoffs. Pretty good. But improved numbers only get you so far. Imagine the weight of being that young and knowing that knocking down both gets you another game, and doing anything short of that might very well end your season with the way the Spurs have struggled to close out the first two games. If Castle was thinking about any of that, he didn’t let the MSG crowd or anyone else see him sweat. 

Castle played it cool after the game, too. He went for 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. He committed just two turnovers. He made 8 of his 14 shots, including two 3s, and drained 5 of 6 free throws. And then after all that he sat on the courtside set with the Inside the NBA guys — all of them legends — and calmly answered questions like he didn’t just make three of the biggest shots of his life when his storied franchise needed it most and all eyes everywhere were firmly fixed on him. The postgame poise alone was impressive. 

Without Castle having the most important game of his young career at such a critical moment, the Spurs would be cooked. Maybe they still will fall short in this series, but, at the very least, they prevented the Knicks from feasting on them late for a third straight game. That’s not nothing. Here’s something else: however this series ultimately resolves itself, San Antonio knows that it has a killer young core that will make the Spurs a living nightmare for the rest of the league for the foreseeable future. Dylan Harper, at 20, is already so far ahead of the curve that it almost feels unfair. And Wembanyama is Wembanyama. But Castle emerging as a monster two-way force — a guy who has All-Defense-level talent in him along with a developing no-fear offensive game — is perhaps the secret sauce. What he’ll be two or three years from now boggles the mind. What he already is isn’t much easier to process. 

When the Spurs traded for De’Aaron Fox a little over a year ago, the idea was to pair him with Wemby and fast-track the San Antonio rebuild. But with respect to Fox — who hit the biggest shot of his career in the fourth quarter on Monday evening — he’s already been supplanted by his two young teammates. Maybe Harper ends up being the better of the two, and he’s certainly had plenty of big moments this postseason, but in Game 3 it was Castle who picked up as much weight as he could carry and helped Wembanyama lift the Spurs to a victory. Together, they became the first teammates in NBA history 22 years old or younger to both go for 20 or more points in the NBA Finals. 

Castle played through contact to find Wemby several times. And he made some contact of his own when he steamrolled Jalen Brunson, much to the displeasure of Knicks fans. Through it all, throughout the game, he looked like a veteran in both body and mindset. And when it was all done, he shrugged it off the way you’d want from a professional who’s going about his business and knows the job is far from over. The Spurs had just won a massive game on the road to climb back into the series and make the Knicks think twice about their pending parade, and this kid who is barely out of college said he felt “like we haven’t done anything yet.” Castle was right. The Spurs still have plenty to do — but that’s only the case because Castle did plenty in Game 3. 

Because Kyler Murray appears to be the runaway frontrunner to win the Minnesota Vikings’ QB1 job this summer, some NFL-themed media outlets believe Murray’s competition, J.J. McCarthy, could be traded.

A to Z Sports sized up landing spots for McCarthy, landing on the New York Jets as the wisest option from the Vikings’ standpoint.

Vikings QB Plan Still Points toward Keeping the Young Passer

A to Z Sports Lands on Jets as Top McCarthy Trade Partner

Rob Gregson led the charge for McCarthy to the Jets, writing, “Jets receive: J.J. McCarthy. Vikings receive: 2027 5th-round pick (conditional pick that rises to a 3rd with 70% snaps played). Let’s be honest, the New York Jets aren’t going to field a very competitive team in 2026, or at least not on the offensive side of the ball.”

“After his career resurgence in Seattle, Geno Smith has regressed to the mean over the past couple of seasons, including a year to forget in Vegas last year. Even if he recaptures the magic of his 2022-2023 campaigns in Seattle, Smith turns 36 in October.”

New York also has rookie passer Cade Klubnik in the mix.

Gregson continued, “The Jets are searching for their quarterback of the future, and they are well-positioned to do so in the 2027 class with three 1st-rounders. But why delay the process? Let’s say you trade for J.J. McCarthy, he wins the backup job, and then at some point during the season, you turn to him. Now, let’s say he plays well.”

“Suddenly, you have a bridge quarterback at the very least, if not a long-term backup. Plus, you will still have all of your premier draft capital, because McCarthy isn’t fetching anything close to a 1st-rounder. A low-risk, high-reward proposition for the Jets here.”

The panel at A to Z Sports also mentioned the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals as trade partners but settled on the Jets as the smartest: “Vikings should select trade proposal from Jets. There are two things at play here: getting proper draft capital back for McCarthy, but also getting him an opportunity to potentially be a starting quarterback somewhere.”

“The Dolphins offered the best package from a guaranteed draft pick standpoint, but the Jets offering a condition on the fifth-round pick to improve it into a third-round pick, while only having Geno Smith in his way makes it the smartest move.”

Destined to Fail?

The Jets — especially right now — would not be the best situation for any quarterback, especially McCarthy, who must hone his consistency to catch on as a long-term starter. Foremost, he’d be trapped in a QB2 role behind Smith because, for some reason or another, the Jets just love Smith.

McCarthy would also have Klubnik breathing down his neck, notable because the current front office regime hand-picked him in the draft a month and a half ago.

And — it’s the Jets. How many times in recent memory or NFL history has New York hosted a successful redemption story — or a long-term quarterback at all? McCarthy could hand the ball off to Breece Hall and sling it to Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq, but the Jets aren’t the dream setup for the youngster.

The only thing he might have going for him, down the road, is playing time.

Vikings Likely to Keep McCarthy

Minnesota’s 2025 quarterback strategy faced a critical flaw: a lack of viable alternatives. The Vikings could have retained Sam Darnold after a 14-3 season. They could have brought in Daniel Jones for another year or pursued Aaron Rodgers. They could even have eased McCarthy into the starting role, making his rookie year smoother.

Instead, they bypassed these options and immediately entrusted McCarthy with the starting position, accepting the consequences. He didn’t fully excel, and the Vikings missed the playoffs. By February, their quarterback situation was back to square one.

And this is where Murray becomes a pivotal addition. He provides the Vikings with something they lacked last year: a genuine Plan B. McCarthy can still earn the starting job, but so can Murray. Minnesota is no longer forced to put all its hopes on a single young quarterback to develop under pressure.

While this doesn’t guarantee perfect quarterback play — nothing does — having two strong contenders for QB1 is a significant improvement over relying on one uncertain prospect.

Given Murray and McCarthy as long-term possibilities, trading the younger player makes little sense. Two of the last three Vikings seasons have been derailed by quarterback injuries. It would be unwise to discard a quarterback option so soon.

Chargers Make Most Sense Otherwise

Suppose McCarthy is traded. The Chargers are the one spot that makes sense — because of Jim Harbaugh. He nurtured McCarthy at Michigan and seems to “get him.” The two won a National Championship together in 2023.

Of course, McCarthy would sit behind Justin Herbert, and he won’t surrender the QB1 job. But Herbert has missed five games in the last three seasons. Perhaps living under Harbaugh’s tutelage would work wonders for McCarthy. Any time Harbaugh is asked about McCarthy, he just raves about him.

Generally speaking, a McCarthy trade is unlikely to come to fruition this summer unless he demands one.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

Former Australia batter Matthew Hayden is set to be named head coach of the European T20 Premier League’s Glasgow franchise.

BBC Sport understands Hayden has signed up to coach Glasgow Cosmic for the inaugural tournament between 26 August and 20 September.

Hayden has split his time between commentary work and coaching since retiring from playing in 2012.

The 54-year-old’s most recent coaching job was as the Gujarat Titans’ batting coach for the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Hayden previously held batting and mentoring roles as part of Pakistan’s coaching staff from 2021 until after the 2022 T20 World Cup.

He played 103 Tests, 161 one-day internationals and nine T20s for Australia between 1993 and 2009 scoring 15,066 runs across all formats.

Hayden’s assistant at Cosmic will be fellow Queenslander Matthew Mott, who coached England’s white-ball team between 2022 and 2024.

New Zealand opener Finn Allen, South Africa quick Lungi Ngidi and former England all-rounder Liam Livingstone are among the players to have agreed deals to play for Cosmic in the ETPL.

The ETPL is being run in collaboration with the cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands with teams based out of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Glasgow Cosmic are backed by the Mugafi Group, an India-based entertainment business, while former Australia captain Steve Waugh and India legend Rahul Dravid are among those to invest in other ETPL franchises.

Bollywood actor and film producer Abhishek Bachchan is a part-owner of the league in conjunction with Rules Sport Tech, a private Indian company.

The first edition of the tournament will be staged in The Hague and Dublin.

The Netherlands beat Uzbekistan but failed to put their minds at ease. Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the US. Olivier Giroud has extended his contract with Lille, whilst Ibrahima Konaté is set to sign for Real Madrid. Monaco have qualified for their fifth consecutive Betclic Élite final. Serena Williams is making her return to the courts.

Guela Doue scored a goal and set up the winning strike as Ivory Coast surprised France – and Doue’s brother in the French dugout – with a 2-1 victory in a World Cup warmup match.

Amad Diallo fired home Doue’s low cross from the right six minutes from time at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes Thursday.

Rayan Cherki had put France ahead in the final minute of the first half when he left two defenders behind and beat goalkeeper Yahia Fofana with a low shot.

Fofana was frequently in action, saving the chances of Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and again Cherki.

But Doue – whose brother Desire Doue plays for France – received a through ball from Nicolas Pepe to equalize eight minutes into the second half.

Many fans waved posters with a photo of Didier Deschamps to thank the coach for a successful reign that began in 2012 and saw France win the 2018 World Cup and reach the 2022 final and will come to an end after this edition.

Deschamps had all six players involved in the Champions League final – Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Warren Zaire-Emery, Desire Doue, Lucas Hernandez and William Saliba – on the bench. He used Hernandez, Zaire-Emery and Barcola as substitutes in the second half.

France will play one more warmup – against Northern Ireland on Monday in Lille – before heading to the United States.

France opens its campaign against Senegal on June 16 in New Jersey.

Ivory Coast meets Ecuador in its opener in Philadelphia on June 14.

Spain held by IraqSpain – another World Cup favorite – was held 1-1 at home by Iraq in La Coruna.

Playing without forwards Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, Spain took a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute on Ferran Torres’ goal.

Merchas Doski’s left-footed strike from just outside the box beat goalkeeper Joan Garcia to equalize before the half-hour mark.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said he expects Yamal to be fit to face Cape Verde in the team’s World Cup opener in Atlanta on June 15.

De la Fuente rested David Raya, Martin Zubimendi and Fabian Ruiz – who all participated in the Champions League’s final. Recently injured Mikel Merino came on as a substitute.

Spain is scheduled to play one more warmup game – against Peru in Mexico on Monday.

Iraq meets Norway in its World Cup opener in Massachusetts on June 16.

England’s national football team will use a new high-carbohydrate liquid pouch this summer, designed to help cope with the World Cup rigours this summer.

The Football Association has meticulously prepared for the tournament’s unique stresses, including travel, time zones, heat, and humidity in North America.

This groundwork involved England’s performance nutritionists collaborating with sports drinks partner Lucozade’s research and development team to develop a product for hydration, fuelling, and recovery in North America.

Lucozade Elite, a high-carbohydrate electrolyte solution, is being used by Thomas Tuchel’s side at the World Cup. It is not commercially available, having been exclusively developed for use by the national teams.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham said: “Football is demanding enough on its own, but when you’re playing regularly and at the highest level, the small details become even more important.

“Everything around preparation, hydration and fuelling has to be right so you can perform consistently throughout a game. The right preparation can make a big difference.”

England have been in Florida since last Monday acclimatising to the heat and humidity during a warm weather training camp, which ends with Wednesday’s friendly against Costa Rica in Orlando.

Harry Kane played down the impact the USA’s sweltering temperatures will have on England’s World Cup chances after they had their first proper run-out on American soil.

The Three Lions played their first of two warm-up matches on Saturday evening, beating the World Cup’s lowest-ranked side New Zealand 1-0 – and while Tuchel was unhappy with some of the “freestyle” football shown in the first half against New Zealand, emerging unscathed from the patchwork pitch was a boost.

Kane admitted the surface was “a bit sticky” as they were made to sweat in 33 degrees Celsius heat, but the skipper feels talk about the conditions have been overblown.

“To be honest, I don’t think the heat’s been too bad,” the striker, who played at last year’s Club World Cup in America, added.

“Obviously, we’ve been getting used to it in training. After the first couple of days, I felt like most of the lads were used to it.

“Today actually didn’t feel terrible out there, so I think there’s a talking point that might get over spoke about, to be honest.

“We’re all professional athletes. We all have done the right preparation to get ready for this tournament between us and the staff as well.

“We have another 10 days or so until that first game, training in this environment, so I think come the tournament, it won’t be a factor.”

Kane scored the winner against the All Whites, a sublime first-half header, to take his tally to 67 for the season for club and country.

Sports broadcaster Gary Lineker has said his “marriage” with the BBC had started to “run out of love” by the time he left the corporation.

The former England footballer, 65, was the presenter of BBC’s Match Of The Day for 26 years until he stepped down in May last year following criticism over him airing his political opinions on social media.

His departure came after a row following an Instagram post he made about Zionism, which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult.

Speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Lineker said the incident sped up his exit from the corporation, describing his relationship with the broadcaster as like a marriage that had run its course.

He said: “I was going anyway, but we just brought it forward. I thought it seemed to be the sensible thing to do.

“I think it’s like a marriage with the BBC. We’d been together for a long time and we were starting to run out of love for each other. I’ll always love the BBC. It’s an amazing, amazing corporation.”

The sports broadcaster apologised for the post, adding that he did not see the rat visual and that he did not think “anyone actually believes I would’ve posted that”.

He said: “Obviously, I learned about that pretty quickly after that. But that one I felt bad about because that was my mistake. That was my mistake because it was not with intent, but I could see why some people would be upset by that.”

The former Barcelona striker fronts The Rest Is Football podcast alongside former footballers Micah Richards and Alan Shearer with the series airing as a daily TV show on Netflix for the 2026 World Cup to cover events in the US, Canada and Mexico, where the tournament is being held.

Last week, Lineker’s media enterprise, Goalhanger, was named Britain’s fastest-growing company, highlighting a successful transition from traditional punditry to the burgeoning podcast industry.

Research for the annual Sunday Times 100 revealed the production firm generated £37.9 million in sales in 2025. This impressive figure reflects an average annual sales growth of approximately 321% over the last three years, positioning it as the top performer among all companies scrutinised.

Adrien Broner has named who he sees as the sport’s current flagship fighter, better than the likes of Oleksandr Usyk, Naoya Inoue and Shakur Stevenson.

Most would argue that the No.1 pound-for-pound spot belongs to either Usyk or Inoue, with both having become two-division undisputed champions.

More recently, Inoue has closed the gap by successfully defending his super-bantamweight crown against Junto Nakatani, who he unanimously outpointed at a sold-out Tokyo Dome last month.

Usyk, meanwhile, was also in action last month, only his performance against former kickboxer Rico Verhoeven did not quite live up to the vast majority of expectations.

Rather controversially, though, former world champion Broner has rejected both the Japanese sensation and masterful Ukrainian as his leading fighter.

Instead, he continues to regard Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, who has not fought since March 2025, as the most complete package in the sport today.

The 31-year-old’s last outing saw him retain his WBA lightweight title with a dubious draw against Lamont Roach, who was denied a clear 10-8 round after flooring his man in the ninth frame.

‘Tank’ was then set to face Jake Paul in an exhibition match last November, only to be removed from the lucrative opportunity due to a series of domestic violence allegations.

Subsequently, the WBA downgraded his status to “Champion in recess”, yet Broner has nonetheless told FightHype that he still sees Davis as the top pound-for-pound fighter.

“Tank [is the best fighter in the world]. Everything that them boys [other fighters] got, he got. But the s**t he [Davis] got, [they don’t have].”

Perhaps Broner is referring to the American’s considerable knockout power but, either way, it seems a stretch to rank Davis in any pound-for-pound list.