(SAN FRANCISCO) — The Golden State Warriors bounced back Sunday night in Game 2 of the NBA Finals to even up the series against the Boston Celtics.
Warriors point guard Stephen Curry led the team with 29 points to help achieve the 107-88 win.
Both teams will next square off on Wednesday. Tip off begins in Boston at 9 p.m ET.
Watch highlights from Game 2 below:
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Philadelphia 9, LA Angels 7
AMERICAN LEAGUE
NY Yankees 5, Detroit 4
Cleveland 3, Baltimore 2
Minnesota 8, Toronto 6
Chi White Sox 6, Tampa Bay 5
Houston 7, Kansas City 4
Seattle 6, Texas 5
Boston 5, Oakland 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 3, Arizona 0
San Francisco 5, Miami 1
Washington 5, Cincinnati 4
San Diego 6, Milwaukee 4
Atlanta 8, Colorado 7
NY Mets 5, L.A. Dodgers 4
St. Louis 5, Chi Cubs 3
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Golden State 107, Boston 88 (Series tied 1-1)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Tampa Bay 3, NY Rangers 2 (NY leads 2-1)
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Minnesota 84, New York 77
Atlanta 75, Indiana 66
Chi 91, Washington 82
Phoenix 81, Los Angeles 74
Las Vegas 84, Dallas 78
Connecticut 93, Seattle 86
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Friday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 10 L.A. Angels 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final N.Y. Yankees 13 Detroit 0
Final Cleveland 6 Baltimore 3
Final Minnesota 9 Toronto 3
Final Tampa Bay 6 Chicago White Sox 3
Final Seattle 4 Texas 3
Final Houston 10 Kansas City 3
Final Boston 7 Oakland 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final St. Louis 14 Chicago Cubs 5
Final Washington 8 Cincinnati 5
Final San Francisco 15 Miami 6
Final Arizona 8 Pittsburgh 6
Final San Diego 7 Milwaukee 0
Final Atlanta 3 Colorado 1
Final L.A. Dodgers 6 N.Y. Mets 1
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Final N-Y Rangers 3 Tampa Bay 2
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final New York 74 Washington 70
Final Dallas 68 Seattle 51
Final Connecticut 92 Phoenix 88
Final Chicago 73 Atlanta 65
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 3, Minnesota 2
NY Yankees 6, LA Angels 1
NY Yankees 2, LA Angels 1
Tampa Bay 3, Texas 1
Toronto 8, Chi White Sox 3
Seattle 7, Baltimore 6
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Miami 3, San Francisco 0
Cincinnati 8 Washington 1
Milwaukee 5, San Diego 4
Chi Cubs 7, St. Louis 5
Atlanta 13, Colorado 6
LA Dodgers 2 NY Mets 0
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
Boston 120, Golden State 108 (Boston leads 1-0)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Colorado 4, Edmonton 0 (Colorado leads 2-0)
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Connecticut 97, Las Vegas 90
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(NEW YORK) — There may be no crying in baseball, but some major leaguers are crying foul over the official baseballs used during this year’s play.
Meredith Wills, an astrophysicist and a lifelong baseball fan, said things are “very different” this season.
“Players, when they hit the ball, they’ll talk about it feeling like mush coming off the bat,” Wills told ABC News’ “Start Here.” “We’re seeing that pitchers really don’t like to hold the ball or throw the ball. They call it spongy. They’ll actually say that it’s squishy.”
Over the past few years, a complaint among some baseball fans was that it was easier to hit home runs. According to data analyzed by FiveThirtyEight, last season averaged nearly 1.22 home runs again; this season only .97 are averaged so far. Average home runs per game hit their peak in 2019 with 1.39 a game.
A league official told ABC News that several factors are contributing to the drop in home runs in the beginning of the 2022 season relative to prior seasons and not any one cause is to blame. The official pointed to factors that include conditions, pitchers on the roster, weather and the ball.
Also, a labor stoppage at the beginning of the 2022 season resulted in a protracted spring training and less practice for hitters heading into regular season games.
Some scientists like Wills pointed to the ball and said that depending on climate, the ball will become harder and easier to launch.
“[The yarn] dries out. It will shrink down. It’s like your hair frizzing in humidity,” said Wills.
To address this problem, the league began using humidors, according to Wills, which was also told to ABC News by a league official.
A league official told ABC news that the humidors being used in all 30 ballparks are consistent with the public recommendations made by experts to make the ball perform more consistently in various atmospheric conditions.
The 2022 baseball season began on April 7 and some pitchers have already expressed anger because they say they can’t control the new ball.
At the end of April, New York Mets starting pitcher Chris Bassitt expressed frustration toward the league for the lack of consistency in baseballs, saying that the “bad” baseballs are “all different,” following an April 26 game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets won 3-0, but three Mets players and two Cardinals players were hit by pitches.
Bassitt said that the inconsistency among the baseballs is being exacerbated by the different climates, despite the use of humidors.
“The problem is that it’s sitting on a flat shelf for two weeks. Balls are getting flat spots,” said Wills, who added that fans may start to recognize that more pitchers are discarding or throwing away balls before pitching.
An MLB official provided ABC News with league-wide data through May 15 of the current season. The data suggests that there is no evidence yet that pitchers are struggling to control the ball, saying that the league has seen the lowest walk rate since 2019, the lowest hit by pitch rate since 2019 and the lowest rate of wild pitches per game since 2012.
Also, due to the pandemic wreaking havoc on game schedules, Wills said that there are batches of balls from multiple years being used.
The MLB released a statement in November 2021 confirming that, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and supply-chain issues, the league and sports equipment company Rawlings “incorporated excess inventory” into “a full complement of baseballs” for the 2021 season.
“Every baseball used in a 2021 MLB game, without exception, met existing specifications and performed as expected,” said the statement. “MLB’s independent panel of experts and the Players Association were informed of this decision. The baseballs were fully within the specification range both before and after the production change.”
The statement also added that the excess inventory has been “exhausted,” and the 2022 season will be played “with only balls manufactured after the production change.”
In May 2022, an MLB official told ABC News that in response to player feedback following last season, the league has taken steps to make the ball more consistent than ever, including mud applied on game days, providing each team with rosin bags and umpires manually checking baseballs to ensure a level playing field is maintained.
Wills said she is not convinced. She said that the change in production has created a whole new host of problems for the league.
“If you want to break something,” she said. “Try to fix something that’s not broken, that’s pretty much the surest way to do it.”
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(FRISCO, Texas) — Marion Barber III, a former running back for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears, has died, the Cowboys announced on Wednesday. He was 38.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic death of Marion Barber III,” the Cowboys said in a statement. “Marion was an old-school, hard-nosed football player who ran with the will to win every down. He had a passion for the game and love for his coaches and teammates. Our hearts go out to Marion’s family and friends during this difficult time.”
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) June 1, 2022
The cause of Barber’s death is not yet known.
In a statement, the Frisco Police Department said it “responded to a welfare concern at an apartment believed to be leased by Marion Barber. Frisco Police along with the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating an unattended death at the location.”
The NFL mourns the tragic loss of Marion Barber III and we extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. pic.twitter.com/NzP9jVeTyp
— NFL (@NFL) June 2, 2022
Barber was drafted by the Cowboys in 2005 and played with the team for six years. Following the 2010 season, he signed with Chicago, where he played the final season of his NFL career before retiring.
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Bears RB Marion Barber III,” the Bears said in a statement Wednesday. “Our hearts go out to his family and friends.”
We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Bears RB Marion Barber III. Our hearts go out to his family & friends.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 2, 2022
In his seven years in the NFL, Barber amassed 4,780 yards and 53 touchdowns rushing, and 1,330 yards and six touchdowns receiving.
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Boston 7, Cincinnati 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland 4, Kansas City 0
Houston 5, Oakland 4
Detroit 5, Minnesota 0
Baltimore 9, Seattle 2
Toronto 7, Chi White Sox 3
Tampa Bay 4, Texas 3
LA Angels at NY Yankees (Postponed)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis 5, San Diego 2
NY Mets 5, Washington 0
Miami 14, Colorado 1
Atlanta 6, Arizona 0
Philadelphia 6, San Francisco 5
Chi Cubs 4, Milwaukee 3
Colorado 13, Miami 12
Pittsburgh 8, LA Dodgers 4
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
NY Rangers 6, Tampa Bay 2 (NY leads 1-0)
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
New York 87, Indiana 74
Atlanta 84, Minnesota 76
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Cincinnati 2, Boston 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota 8, Detroit 2
Cleveland 8, Kansas City 3
Detroit 4, Minnesota 0
Seattle 10, Baltimore 0
NY Yankees 9, LA Angels 1
Texas 3, Tampa Bay 0
Toronto 6, Chi White Sox 5
Houston 3, Oakland 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
NY Mets 10, Washington 0
St. Louis 3, San Diego 2
San Francisco 7, Philadelphia 4
Chi Cubs 8, Milwaukee 7
Arizona 8, Atlanta 7 (10)
Pittsburgh 5, LA Dodgers 3
Miami at Colorado (Postponed)
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
Colorado 8, Edmonton 6 (Colorado leads 1-0)
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Washington 87, Indiana 75
Chicago 73, Phoenix 70
Las Vegas 89, Connecticut 81
Los Angeles 93, Dallas 91
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(NEW YORK) — Lia Thomas, a transgender woman who generated controversy by competing on the women’s swim team at University of Pennsylvania, said she plans to keep swimming, with an eye on the Olympics.
“I intend to keep swimming,” Thomas told ABC News’ Juju Chang in an interview that aired Tuesday on Good Morning America. “It’s been a goal of mine to swim at Olympic trials for a very long time, and I would love to see that through.”
Thomas, of Austin, Texas, won gold in the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA championships in March, becoming the first female swimmer in Penn’s history to win an individual national title, according to the university.
After competing for three years on Penn’s men’s swimming team, Thomas also made history in that race as the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA division title in any sport.
“It was a goal of mine to be at that meet and do as well as I could,” said Thomas, who competed in three races at the championships. “So to be able to fulfill that personal goal and be at that meet as well as the sort of fulfillment of competing as my authentic self was just such an amazing experience, to have these things that I’ve been working towards for so long all come together.”
Assigned male at birth, Thomas said she fell in love with swimming at age 4, but as she grew older she said she felt increasingly disconnected to her body, explaining, “I didn’t feel like I was a boy.”
“When I was a young kid, my mom always would describe me as a very happy kid,” said Thomas. “And then sort of in middle school and high school, as I, like, went through puberty, that shifted a little bit, with gender dysphoria from being trans, but I didn’t have, I didn’t yet know or have the language to describe that.”
After high school, Thomas earned a spot on the men’s swimming team at Penn, her dream school.
But by her sophomore year in college, Thomas said her gender dysphoria plunged her into a deep depression, and she struggled with suicidal thoughts.
“I was barely going to classes. I could really barely get out of bed,” she recalled. “I said, ‘I can’t live like this anymore. I want to live again. I want to be able to do things I enjoy.'”
Thomas said a fear of not being able to compete in the sport she loved kept her from transitioning initially.
By 2019 though, at the end of her sophomore year, Thomas said she began hormone replacement therapy, a “gender-affirming treatment [that] uses female hormones to create a more feminine appearance,” according to The Cleveland Clinic.
“The mental and emotional changes actually happened very quickly,” said Thomas. “I was feeling a lot better mentally. I was less depressed.”
She continued, “And I lost muscle mass and I became a lot weaker and a lot, a lot slower in the water.”
Thomas began swimming on Penn’s women’s swimming team at the start of her senior year, following NCAA guidelines that athletes must complete one year of hormone replacement therapy to change gender categories.
The scrutiny over Thomas grew the more she achieved success in the pool.
In response to critics who say Thomas transitioned in order to win more swimming medals, she reiterated that is not the case.
“Trans people don’t transition for athletics,” she said. “We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves. Transitioning to get an advantage is not something that ever factors into our decisions.”
In January, the NCAA updated its transgender athlete eligibility guidelines to say that each sport’s national governing body could make their own rules. Previously, the NCAA had a uniform hormone therapy requirement across all sports, according to ESPN. USA Swimming, the sport’s national governing body, has used a review panel to make individual determinations on a case-by-case basis since 2018.
The NCAA then announced it would wait until next season to enforce the new guidelines, which cleared the way for Thomas to compete as a female at the 2022 NCAA championships.
In February, just one month after the NCAA’s announcement, 16 of her Penn teammates and some of their parents signed an anonymous letter arguing she posed a threat to women’s sports. The letter stated that while the signers supported Thomas’ right to transition, they thought it was unfair that she compete against cisgender women.
“You can’t go halfway and be, like, ‘I support trans women and trans people, but only to a certain point,'” Thomas said in response to her teammates’ letters. “Where if you support trans women as women they’ve met all the NCAA requirements, then I don’t know if you can really say something like that.”
She continued, “Trans women are not a threat to women’s sports.”
While the science on transgender athletes is new and evolving, some medical experts say the effect of higher testosterone during male puberty may never be fully erased.
Dr. Michael Joyner of the Mayo Clinic told ABC News that with hormone therapy, there are physical aspects of men that may remain among trans women. For a swimmer like Lia Thomas, those physical aspects may be “activated” due to the sport.
“There is going to be some loss to skeletal muscle mass, there is going to be some increase in body fat — those would be the two most obvious things,” Joyner said. “But things like hand size, lung size, feet size — that’s not going to change much. And of course, because as you know, swimming, it’s such an intense sport and people train so hard, that she is going to continue to have a significant exercise stimulus to those skeletal muscles.”
Despite existing evidence of what happens to a trans person’s body after hormone therapy, Thomas said she views herself in the context of other female athletes, all of whom vary in size, strength and ability.
“I’m not a medical expert, but there’s a lot of variation among cis female athletes,” she said. “There are cis women who are very tall and very muscular and have more testosterone than another cis woman, and should that then also disqualify them?”
The controversy surrounding Thomas’ collegiate swimming career coincided with more than a dozen states, including Oklahoma, Arizona and Florida, instituting bans to prevent trans students from participating in sports that align with their gender identity.
Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that trans youth often report feeling isolated and excluded in academic environments. That discrimination puts them at increased risk for poor mental health, suicide, substance abuse, violence and other health risks.
Thomas said she does not see it as an acceptable option to prevent transgender people from competing in sports, or to limit them to competing only against each other or themselves, like in a separate swimming lane, for example.
“In addition to not allowing the full athletic experience, that’s incredibly othering to trans people who already face immense discrimination in other parts of our lives,” she said. “To then again have this discrimination in sports and be, like, ‘Oh, OK, you can swim, but only over there, like in that lane.’ It’s very othering.”
Speaking of her own experience of waiting longer to transition because she wanted to compete in swimming, Thomas added, “I don’t think trans people should have to make that decision. It is something that caused me a lot of personal stress and I don’t want other trans people to have to face that choice.”
Thomas graduated from Penn in May and has said she plans to attend law school, in addition to continuing to compete in hopes of reaching the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
The highlight of her college graduation, according to Thomas, was hearing her name called as Lia Thomas.
“When I actually got to walk across the stage and hear them say my name and walk across, it was very cool,” she said, describing her emotion in that moment as “pure joy.”
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Monday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 7, Minnesota 5
Houston 5, Oakland 1
Cleveland 7, Kansas City 3
Baltimore 10, Boston 0
Texas 9, Tampa Bay 5
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 7, Chi Cubs 6
St. Louis 6, San Diego 3
Colorado 7, Miami 1
San Francisco 5, Philadelphia 4
Milwaukee 3, Chi Cubs 1
NY Mets 13, Washington 5
Arizona 6, Atlanta 2
Pittsburgh 6, LA Dodgers 5
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PLAYOFFS
NY Rangers 6, Carolina 2 (NY wins 4-3)
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