Month: June 2025

The Indiana Pacers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 108–91 on Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The series, now tied at three games apiece, will advance to Game 7 for the first time since 2016

Obi Toppin led the way with 20 points off the bench, with Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton adding 17 and 14 points, respectively. Haliburton was questionable to play in the lead up to the game with a calf strain; he said after the game: “We just wanted to protect home court. We didn’t want to see these guys celebrate a championship on our home floor. Backs against the wall—we just responded ..It’s the Finals, all of us got to give everything we have. I give everything I have for this group and this locker room. … My guys have had my back all year, especially tonight, and that means the world to me.”

The Pacers and Thunder will meet on Sunday for Game 7 at Paycom Center.

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Five-time Pro Bowl linebacker C.J. Mosley announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday.

The former Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets player said in a video posted to his Instagram and X accounts: “Once upon a time, a kid from Mobile, Ala., had a dream to do great things on the football field. I followed you my whole life not knowing where you would take me .. To envision myself as a Ray Lewis or a Brian Urlacher was just the first step of this 11-year journey. You opened doors that I once only dreamed of. You gave me passion. You gave me strength, self endurance, pain and most importantly, the DNA to trust and lead men .. Today, it is time to wake up from my childhood dream and share it with the next generation. I spent my whole life and career building my legacy. Now it’s time to start a new chapter with new dreams. It won’t be easy, but I’m here to tell you every sacrifice is worth it. When you wake up, what will your legacy look like?”

Mosley, 33, entered the league as the No. 17 overall pick by the Ravens in the 2014 NFL Draft, finishing the season No. 2 in AP defensive rookie of the year voting. He was also selected to his first Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro.

He played his first five seasons with the Ravens before signing a five-year, $85 million deal with the Jets in 2019.   The linebacker, who sat out in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, totaled 1,083 combined tackles, including 687 solo takedowns, as well as 12 interceptions, 12 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and three touchdowns over 133 career appearances. In 2024, Mosley was limited to just four games with three starts due to a neck injury.

Mosley received Pro Football Focus’ 15th-best defensive rating in 2022, when he earned second-team All-Pro honors for the fifth time of his career. In 2023, he received their third-best defensive rating among linebackers who were in for at least 80% of 1,170 snaps — the most by any linebacker.

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According to Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, the status of star guard Tyrese Haliburton for Thursday’s must-win Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder will be a ‘game-time decision’. The Pacers trail the Thunder, 3-2, and need a win at home to force a Game 7.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Haliburton is believed to have suffered a strained right calf during Game 5 on Monday, and needs an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. He left Game 5 late in the first quarter and returned to the bench area with a wrap on his lower leg; he later returned to the game and played 34 minutes — but missed all six of his shots in the second half, finishing the game with seven rebounds and six assists, but only four points.

Carlisle said in a radio interview on Wednesday morning: “He [Haliburton] is going to be carefully evaluated over the next 36 hours and will likely be listed as questionable on the injury report and probably will be a game-time decision for Game 6 … We have to prepare for two scenarios — one where he plays and one where he does not.”

Haliburton, however, has made it clear after Game 5 that he wants to try and play, despite the injured calf:  “I mean it’s the NBA Finals.. It’s the Finals. I’ve worked my whole life to be here and I want to be out there to compete. Help my teammates any way I can. I was not great tonight by any means, but it’s not really a thought of mine to not play here. If I can walk, then I want to play. They understand that. And it is what it is. Got to be ready to go for Game 6.“

If Haliburton is ruled out, it’s likely that the Pacers would promote guard TJ McConnell to a starting role. McConnell has been playing strong, and sparked a rally where the Pacers closed an 18-point deficit to a two-point difference in the second half of Game 5, before OKC eventually won the game.

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The Baltimore Ravens announced on Wednesday they have signed former Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander. The Packers released Alexander last week after seven seasons, making the end of his time there which included a pair of second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods: one in 2020 and another in 2022.

According to ESPN, Alexander has signed a one-year contract, worth $6 million – reportedly turning down more money from other organizations in order to reunite with his friend and former Louisville colleague, QB Lamar Jackson. The Ravens posted on X a short video in which Jackson is shown meeting Alexander in the team offices to congratulate him as he signed his new contract.

NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo broke down that the one-year contract is for $4 million with $2 million in incentives, per sources. The incentive package includes play-time bonuses, Garafolo added: $500,000 each for hitting 35, 40, 45 and 50 percent of team snaps.

Alexander joined the Packers as the 18th overall pick in the 2018 draft, and signed a four-year, $84 million extension with the Packers in 2022. However, his time with Green Bay was plagued with injuries — in 2021, a shoulder injury limited him to four appearances; he played in just seven games because of back and shoulder issues in 2023; and played in only seven games due to a knee problem in 2024.

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