There should be plenty of drama down the stretch

Mark Daigneault denies the Thunder having the Lakers matchup circled on their calendars originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Oklahoma City Thunder got a massive 139-96 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. It was an impressive win for the Thunder, especially since the Lakers have been one of the NBA's hottest teams over the past month.From the outside, it looked like the Thunder were overly focused on beating the Lakers. However, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault felt this was only a sign of his team's consistency.Daigneault felt the Lakers matchup was just another gameThe Thunder have been the best team in the league again this season. They are not only superb on offense due to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but they also remain one of the most dangerous defensive teams in NBA history.Daigneault has his players performing at their peak, and they are ready to repeat as champions. It will be challenging, but beating one of their rivals is great news ahead of the Playoffs.MORE:Chet Holmgren feels no one comes close to SGA's MVP caseThe Lakers have been playing out of their minds recently, especially Luka Doncic. Before he went down with a hamstring injury on Thursday, the Lakers were already down big against the Thunder.It just showed that there is still a gap between the defending champions and the Lakers. The result is proof that OKC deserves its spot as the favorites, and they want to keep playing at a high level, no matter the opponent."Not really. This team is surgically consistent with the approach.Theyve been like that for years.You cant tell, if youre in our gym, if its October or March. You cant tell if were playing the Lakers... So I didn'tsense anything different, but we were obviously ready to play," Daigneault said after the Thunder beat the Lakers.Some people might feel that the Thunder were playing hard because it was against the Lakers. That was not the case, as the Thunder remain superb against all of the tough matchups they play against.More NBA news:Cason Wallace speaks about how he could be part of the All-Defensive First TeamCarmelo Anthony gives his reasoning behind choosing SGA as the MVPSGA denies to make his case to win a back-to-back MVPGilgeous-Alexander finds the positives in the many MVP debatesJalen Williams' importance revealed by Gilgeous-Alexander

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For the first time since 1996, the Houston Baseball team beat Texas Tech in Lubbock, taking the series opener inside Rip Griffin Park, 8-6, on Thursday night.The win marked the first Cougar win over the Red Raiders since 2014 and the first in Lubbock in nearly 30 years.Houston (14-14, 2-8 Big 12) blasted three home runs in the series opener. Catcher Riley Jackson began the scoring with a solo homer in the second inning before right fielder Xavier Perez launched a 400+ foot three-run shot in the fifth inning and first baseman Cade Climie hit a two-run blast in the seventh.The Cougars hung crooked numbers on the board in three different innings, scoring three in the second and fifth, and two in the seventh.In his best start against a Big 12 Conference opponent, right-handed pitcher Connor Udland (2-2) struck out five over 5.0 innings for his second win of the year. Left-handed reliever Ryne Rodriguez picked up his third save with a 4.0 inning relief outing.Three different Cougars recorded multiple hits and five different Cougars drove in runs, including former Texas Tech Red Raider (17-12, 4-6 Big 12) Antonelli Savattere who plated a run in the second inning on an RBI single. UP NEXTThe Cougars look to win their first Big 12 series of the season on Friday at 2 p.m. from Rip Griffin Park in Lubbock, Texas. The game can be streamed on ESPN+. Houston is seeking its first series win in Lubbock since 1980.

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Ukraines Anna Muzychuk defeated Russias Kateryna Lagno in Round 4 of the Womens Candidates 2026, with no handshake or acknowledgement reflecting ongoing geopolitical tensions. Muzychuks precise play exploited Lagnos critical error on move 28, winning in 31 moves. The victory puts Muzychuk atop the leaderboard with 2.5 points, tied with Bibisara Assaubayeva.

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