Blog

If Victor Wembanyama makes a last second shot, the series is tied. But the Spurs star misses, and the Knicks lead The Finals 2-0.

SAN ANTONIO — When the ball left Victor Wembanyama’s fingertips in the final second and arched toward the basket, the balance of the 2026 NBA Finals hung in the air as well:

A) He makes it, the series is tied, the San Antonio Spurs feel a sense of relief and Wembanyama some redemption.

B) He misses, the Knicks head to New York with a 2-0 lead and the heart is ripped out of the heart of Texas.

Wembanyama had a clean look from 20 feet in this incredibly tense and important moment, but the shot treated him so dirty. The one-point lead remained. The Knicks won, 105-104.

“He’s made that shot a thousand times,” said teammate Stephon Castle. “I’ll take that shot every day.”

Well, just not this day. At least the result. When it missed and the Game 2 buzzer sounded, the look of dejection dominated Wembanyama’s expression and the cold, hard truth smacked him and the Spurs in the cheek.

The Knicks, halfway toward the championship goal, are ruling this series.

It is not a simple task, to snatch two road games at the start of the Finals. That has only happened just twice before, and in those instances, the 1993 Bulls and 1995 Rockets won the title. Taking two on the road to open the series is a virtual championship ticket-stamp.

Not only that, but the Knicks are in flames. It’s now 13 straight victories in the postseason, and even the most superstitious fan in New York will accept this reality, embrace it even.

Such is the state of this series, lopsided both in terms of the count and especially the perception. Such is the luxury the Knicks find themselves in, thanks to their hard work the last few days in San Antonio. Such is the crater the Spurs are trapped inside and must deal with as they attempt to play the next two games inside a Gotham City that has starved for a champion for 53 years.

Are the 2025-26 Knicks one of the greatest postseason teams in NBA history? They’ll tell us over the next few games.

---

Here are the takeaways from the Knicks’ one-point — phew — Game 2 victory:

1. Spurs lack the finishing touch

Basketball at this stage is often played with razor-thin margins, especially and particularly in the fourth quarter. A missed shot here, a key steal there, an interrupted run here and there can make all the difference between winning and losing.

For two fourth quarters in this series, the Spurs failed to close out. That’s really the summary of the series so far. That’s why the Knicks are up 2-0. In the first game, the Spurs went chilly and Jalen Brunson went nuts. And the fourth quarter in Game 2 was even more painful.

That’s because an incredible run — 14-0 to tie the game, the most impressive stretch by the Spurs in the Finals to this point — was wasted, all because they couldn’t wrap it up.

Aside from Wembanyama’s missed game-winning attempt, there was this self-inflicted wound: His miscommunicated pass.

After securing a defensive rebound, Wembanyama inexplicably threw up-court to Castle, the Spurs’ guard, whose back was turned — Castle falsely assumed Wembanyama would simply bring the ball up himself.

The loose ball was scooped by Brunson, who was fouled with nine seconds left. He broke the tie game with one make, setting up the game’s final play.

Had Wembanyama not thrown the pass, or had the Spurs called timeout to set up a final play, they would’ve had a chance to win late or in overtime.

Of course, the Spurs put themselves in the position of needing a big run because they were outplayed by the Knicks from late first quarter until that point.

“We can’t change the past now,” said Wembanyama, taking ownership. “We’re already focused on Game 3.”

These are painful lessons being learned by the young Spurs — potentially championship-costing lessons.

---

2. Best big man is Big KAT

Karl-Anthony Towns delivers a 21-point, 13-rebound, 4-assist showing in the Knicks’ Game 2 win.

To be fair, Wembanyama made amends for a poor start with a furious fourth quarter, save for the turnover and missed last-second shot. But all told, this big-man contest was controlled by Karl-Anthony Towns when it counted.

He was the aggressor, the smarter player, certainly the more physical. His only issue was developing foul trouble, then getting frozen out by his teammates in the fourth quarter, when he rarely touched the ball. Otherwise, KAT — 21 points and 13 rebounds — was all that.

He flourished when the Spurs assigned a small man to guard him and also when Wembanyama checked him. The Spurs still haven’t cracked the code after two games.

“I think he’s made some shots and he’s a really good player,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. “He played two good games. We have to make it tougher on him. We’ve had some coverage breakdowns. Just keep trying to make great players work for everything they get.”

As for Wembanyama, by comparison, he did score 22 of his 29 points in the second half — an improvement over two nights earlier when he weakened down the stretch. This was not a poor night; this was a night where, had his final shot fallen, would’ve reflected very well on him.

But Towns, at the very least, has the edge on Wembanyama through two games, and the Knicks will take that ratio anytime.

3. Strategic about-face — Spurs finish with Harper

Johnson had a change of heart, and strategy, regarding Dylan Harper. In Game 1, Harper sat for all but four minutes in the fourth quarter, when the Knicks made a comeback. In Game 2, Harper was on the floor during all of the moments of truth.

And he made key plays in the final minutes, none better than his bucket (via goaltend), followed by a steal and feed to Wembanyama for a three-point play.

Harper is just a rookie but plays with such wisdom and confidence. He isn’t afraid of the moment, and evidently Johnson conceded as much. Just as he did in Game 1, Harper finished with double-figure scoring (15 points) and commanded 32 minutes off the bench.

But the end result was the same, two games straight, with or without something from Harper in the closing moments.

“I feel like we haven’t played our best brand of basketball these past two games,” he said. “We’re going to stay together as a team and things are going to switch.”

---

4. The X-factors, and the ex-factors

The Knicks defeated the Spurs, 105-104, in Game 2 of the NBA Finals to take a 2-0 series lead.

Here are others who impacted Game 2, one way or another, with a play or performance:

Mikal Bridges, Knicks
Remember when Bridges struggled in the first round and was dropped in the rotation against the Hawks? So, so long ago, much like the last time the Knicks dropped a postseason game. His 20 points in Game 2 were much-needed on a night when Brunson (7-for-25) struggled with efficiency (though Brunson did tie the game at 104).

OG Anunoby, Knicks
He muscled in a two-handed dunk while being challenged at the rim by Wembanyama late in the fourth quarter to toss ice water on the Spurs’ run.

Mitchell Robinson, Knicks
The backup center with the repaired hand was assigned to guard Wembanyama on a pair of possessions in the final minute and came away satisfied.

Keldon Johnson, Spurs
The 2026 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year remains mostly invisible. Johnson shot just 1-for-4 in Game 1, then followed up Friday with another 1-for-4. He has six points — total. He averaged 13.2 points (52% shooting) and five rebounds and was so impactful during the regular season.

De’Aaron Fox, Spurs
He’s probably not 100%, yet for the first several minutes of Game 2 looked impressive — quite the contrast to his last few games of the post-season. He also threw a solid pass to Wembanyama on the screen-and-roll in the final second to set up the Spurs center for a clean look. Fox finished with 20 points; only the second time in his last five games he’s hit double-figures.

Game 2 of the NBA Finals had several turning points, and the Knicks were on the right side to escape with a 105-104 victory.

Victor Wembanyama misses a jumper in the final seconds as the Knicks hold on to take a 2-0 series lead in The Finals

SAN ANTONIO – In a game that had dramatic swings and wasn’t decided until the final possession, picking one turning point doesn’t do an ultra-competitive heavyweight throwdown justice.

Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals had turning points, and the Knicks were on the right side of enough of them to escape with a 105-104 victory Friday and a 2-0 series lead against the San Antonio Spurs.

From Karl-Anthony Towns’ big game to withstanding the Spurs’ late push, from Knicks coach Mike Brown’s critical challenge to Victor Wembanyama’s costly turnover and Jalen Brunson’s unsurprising clutch play, the Knicks found a way.

“They made a run. We made a run. They made a run. We made a run,” Brown said. “So there was a lot of back-and-forth throughout the course of the game. Obviously, they made their run towards the end. And you know, we could have folded a few times.”

The Knicks return to New York for the next two games in great position. Just two previous teams have won the first two games of the NBA Finals on the road – the 1993 Chicago Bulls and the 1995 Houston Rockets – and both won championships.

Game 3 is Monday at New York’s Madison Square Garden (8:30 ET, ABC).

Here are the key turning points from Game 2.

1. Karl-Anthony Towns’ huge second quarter

Karl-Anthony Towns builds on a strong Finals debut, racking up 21 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2.

The Spurs raced to a 37-25 lead early in the second quarter, and then Towns took over. He started his scoring spree with a 3-pointer, had nine points in a three-minute span and closed the quarter with a 3-pointer that gave the Knicks a 56-52 halftime lead.

Towns had 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and one block in the quarter and changed the direction of the game. He is not afraid to challenge Wembanyama offensively and defensively.

He finished with team highs in points (21) and rebounds (13) and also had four assists, and the Knicks were plus-11 with Towns on the court in Game 2.

Towns has been fantastic through two games, averaging 19.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists and shooting 55.6% from the field and 42.9% on 3-pointers and 100% on free throws – all while trying to score against Wembanyama on one end and frequently defending him on the other.

Towns deflected credit when asked about his performance against the Spurs.

“It’s all about the team success, so for us to be up 2-0, it’s a testament to the coaches getting us a great game plan and to my teammates executing the game plan,” he said. “It’s a team effort, and we found a way to win these two games. It’s a shoutout to everyone coming together for the greater cause.”

Brunson offered praise with a caveat.

“He’s been great,” Brunson said. “He’s been pretty phenomenal on both sides of the ball, the things he’s been able to do throughout this entire playoffs but obviously here now, he’s been great. But we need more.”

---

2. Mike Brown’s challenge

The Spurs had come back from a 97-83 deficit and tied the score at 97-97. The Knicks had not scored in 3½ minutes, and momentum had swung San Antonio’s way.

New York’s OG Anunoby attempted a corner 3-pointer with Julian Champagnie defending. The ball went out of bounds after the shot and San Antonio was given possession. Brown turned to assistant coach Jordan Brink who is charge of quickly reviewing the play on a tablet and helping Brown decide whether to challenge the call.

Brown called timeout and asked for a replay review, and after review, the initial call was overturned, and a foul was called on Champagnie giving Anunoby three throws. He made all three.

“Jordan, he’s been a master at this,” Brown said. “And I’ve said it before, man. I’ve got great assistants, even guys sitting behind the bench, my young guys. … Jordan is insistent. He’s been doing this now two years in a row. I rely totally on him. Every once in a while, I lose my mind, you know, get emotional, and try to stick it to the refs, even though I like all of them. But that never works. I try like heck to follow Jordan’s lead, and it was 100% his call.”

---

3. Wembanyama’s turnover late in the fourth quarter

Wembanyama grabbed the rebound off a missed shot by Jalen Brunson with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the score tied at 104. Wembanyama took one dribble and threw the ball toward teammate Stephon Castle who had already turned his back on the play and was headed toward halfcourt. The ball hit Castle in the back, Brunson corralled the loose ball and was fouled by Wembanyama with 9.5 seconds left.

“I’m still very blurry. That’s the whole problem,” Wembanyama said. “I need to have more poise, more control over the game. I’m not going to go through the whole possessions, but that’s the general image.”

He added: “That’s the most frustrating thing, to throw it away after putting in all this work. What did I think? Urgency at this point. It’s like body reacts quicker than mind … I threw that one away. I messed up. We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours. But at this point, it’s done. Yes, am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.”

Overall, Wembanyama scored 22 of his 29 points in the second half and had nine rebounds and four blocks.

---

4. Brunson clutch again

Brunson has struggled with his shot against the Spurs, going 7-for-25 in Game 2 after going 12-for-31 in Game 1. But he has scored when necessary with the game on the line. His 13-foot shot with 39.3 seconds remaining evened the score at 104-104 and his free throw with 9.5 seconds left stood as the game-winning shot.

“I don’t know if you say [he had] a rough shooting night,” Towns said. “I see Captain Clutch doing what he’s always been doing since I got here. He’s a huge part when it comes down to winning the game. Number 11 can’t be messed with.”

Brunson finished with 20 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals.

Mikal Bridges puts together one of his most clutch performances ever to help the Knicks secure a 2-0 lead in The Finals.

Victor Wembanyama misses a jumper in the final seconds as the Knicks hold on to take a 2-0 series lead in The Finals.

SAN ANTONIO — Among the many questions swirling around the New York Knicks at the moment – from the nervous (“Can they really close out these Finals?”) to the cocky (“Where and when’s the parade?”) – there’s one that’s sure to ignite a heated debate: “Would the Knicks trade Mikal Bridges right now for five first-round picks?”

OK, that’s more of a playful one, a turnabout on the second-guessing that has lingered since July 2024, when New York gave up five first-round draft picks to acquire Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets. It was a king’s ransom, especially by 2026 standards when NBA asking prices for young stars has decreased.

The price paid made it impossible, in the minds of some, for Bridges ever to play up to the expectations the Knicks might have had for him. He’s never been an All-Star, he’s neither the first nor second scoring option on a good team and he often has failed to impress at the most crucial times.

Until Friday. In Game 2 of the 2026 Finals at Frost Bank Center, Bridges put together one of his most thorough and clutch performances ever. He scored 20 points, nine in the third quarter when New York seized temporary control of the game.

Bridges logged a game-high 40:53, chipped in six rebounds and six assists, hit eight of his 13 shots (including 4-for-6 3-pointers). And he did it all against the backdrop of a sputtering Jalen Brunson and foul-plagued Karl-Anthony Towns.

Those two Knicks stars needed some bailing out if their team was going to go up 2-0 on the San Antonio Spurs as the series shifts to New York. And there was Bridges – along with Landry Shamet, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson but most of all Bridges – bucket in hand.

“Mikal during a stretch of the ballgame was huge for us on both ends of the floor,” coach Mike Brown said. “You’re not stopping a guy like De’Aaron Fox. You’ve just got to try to make him work. We put Mikal on Fox in the second half a little bit and made him work. “But what he did for us offensively when we were struggling and then when we took Jalen out was huge. He made big play after big play after big play.”

With 3:19 left in the third quarter, the Knicks were vulnerable and their floor general was off his game. After making only three of 11 shots in the first half, Brunson went 1-for-5 after halftime before Brown sat him at that timeout. Towns already was on the bench after picking up his fourth foul. The Knicks’ lead once had been 11 points but had dwindled to 76-72.

That’s when Bridges found himself on the floor with four reserves – Shamet, Robinson, Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado – and the ball mostly in his hands. He hit a couple shots, found Robinson on an alley-oop, grabbed a key defensive rebound and pushed his team’s lead back to nine points, 84-75, by the end of the period.

Things got worse before they got better, but Bridges’ calm hand in the third and contributions throughout the night kept the Knicks in position to seize the series two games in.

“Yeah, I think [it] started just defensively getting stops,” Bridges said. “I think that’s the biggest thing, us getting stops and getting out. Just [Brown] giving me confidence to try to make the right play. … I trust everybody out there on that court.”

Said teammate Josh Hart, another foul-hampered Knick whom Bridges helped get off the hook: “You can’t say enough about him. I’m not surprised about it. I don’t think anyone else is surprised or should be surprised. That’s what he does. He’s a winning basketball player. He makes big-time shots, big-time stops.”

Bridges became the first Knicks player to put up at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in a Finals game since (wait for it) Walt Frazier.

That’s the kind of dry spell, 53 years since New York’s last championship in 1973, that prompted the front office to grab Bridges when they could two summers ago, no matter the price. His play the past two seasons has dragged along a nagging referendum, a series of assessments as his performances rose and fell.

Worth it. Not worth it. Worth it. Not worth it.

And then Friday, with his timely production and the circumstances in which Bridges came up so big, most definitely worth it.

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said he expects Pro Bowl wide receiver George Pickens to be at the team’s mandatory minicamp that will run June 16-18.

Schottenheimer said he spoke Wednesday with Pickens, who has not attended the voluntary offseason program and the organized team activities, which began this week at The Star.

“I expect he’ll be here,” Schottenheimer said Thursday. “I think he’s in a good spot, but, again, I know he’s handling his business. I know he misses his teammates, [and] we miss him too. You know how we feel about him. We love him. This is just part of the business.”

Pickens signed the $27.3 million franchise tag tender earlier in the offseason after the Cowboys said they would not negotiate a long-term deal with him. If Pickens does not report for training camp, he would be subject to a fine, per the collective bargaining agreement.

Even if he is in attendance, he could be limited in what he is asked to do since he has not taken part in the first two phases of the offseason program. Last year, Micah Parsons, who was in a contract negotiation, did not take part in OTAs but did attend the minicamp and did not practice because of what he called low-back tightness.

Despite the recent extensions for Atlanta’s Drake London and Green Bay’s Christian Watson, the Cowboys’ approach does not figure to change. If it were to change, the team and Pickens would have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal before having to play the 2026 season on the franchise tag.

Earlier in the offseason, Pickens took part in some throwing sessions with Dak Prescott away from the Cowboys’ facility, but Schottenheimer said he is not sure if those have continued or not.

Pickens, who is scheduled to host a youth football camp this weekend, caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in his first season with the Cowboys after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers, establishing single-season career highs in all three categories.

Schottenheimer said the “connection piece” is what is missed most when a player is not present at the voluntary workouts, but he said that element can be made up before and during training camp.

“This time of year, where these guys are training, the workouts are a little bit longer,” Schottenheimer said. “It’s actually more about the strength and weight room program than even football, quite honestly, working through Phase 1 and Phase 2. I’ve always believed this — and this has got nothing to do with a single player — how do you prove to your teammates that you’re doing everything in your power to be the best version of yourself if they don’t see you doing it? I have no question George is preparing, just like I had no questions what Micah was doing or whoever.”

The Dallas Cowboys have signed first-round pick Malachi Lawrence to a four-year, fully-guaranteed rookie deal worth $20.22 million, a person familiar with the move confirmed to The Dallas Morning News.

Lawrence was the last remaining player in this year’s Cowboys draft class to sign.

The Cowboys used their second first-round pick on the UCF defensive end at No. 23 overall. Dallas moved from No. 20 to No. 23 in the deal with the Eagles, who selected USC wide receiver Makai Lemon.

Lawrence, 22, had familiarity with North Texas, as he played in the East-West Shrine Bowl at The Star in Frisco in January. Lawrence also had a good relationship with Cowboys assistant defensive line coach Demeitre Brim, who was a defensive analyst at UCF last season.

SAN DIEGO — Padres left fielder Ramón Laureano could miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip, manager Craig Stammen said on Friday.

It’s a devastating blow for a Padres offense that has already struggled mightily this season. Laureano has dealt with a balky hip for most of the past five seasons, and has generally been able to play through it. But last weekend in Washington, he alerted the team that the condition had worsened, and on Friday he opted for surgery.

• Bogey Goes Boom Bobblehead Giveaway is Tuesday!

Here’s what it all means for Laureano and the Padres:

Laureano’s timeline

It’s entirely possible that Laureano — a free agent after the season — has played his final game for San Diego.

Laureano arrived last summer in the Trade Deadline deal that also brought Ryan O’Hearn to San Diego. Laureano made an instant impact, posting an .812 OPS down the stretch, though he missed the postseason with a fractured finger he sustained when he was hit by a pitch.

Laureano started this season just as strongly as he’d finished last season. On April 15, he was hitting .292 with a .921 OPS. It’s unclear exactly when his hip started barking, but it clearly impacted his performance. By the time Laureano was placed on the IL on Tuesday in Philadelphia, he was hitting just .203 with a .660 OPS.

In 2021, when the hip first became an issue, Laureano opted against surgery and received an injection. Stammen noted that surgery was prescribed at the time. This time, Laureano chose to go that route.

It leaves his status for the remainder of the season in doubt. Laureano could be available if the Padres were to make a run in October. (Of course, not having Laureano available all summer would seem to lessen those chances in the first place.)

“There’s a chance,” Stammen said when asked about the likelihood of Laureano playing again this season. “Some guys have come back from this surgery quicker than it — I think the typical timeline is that four-to-five month range.”

In the meantime, Laureano will rehab the injury at the team’s Spring Training complex in Peoria, Ariz.

How do the Padres make up for Laureano’s absence?

In the starting lineup, replacing Laureano feels fairly straightforward. Gavin Sheets, Ty France and Miguel Andujar have been sharing time at first base and DH this season. The simplest solution now is: Sheets in left, France at first (where he’s a Gold Glove winner) and Andujar at DH.

But that leaves the Padres extremely thin on the bench. And considering the bottom of their lineup often features Sung-Mun Song and either Rodolfo Durán or Freddy Fermin at catcher, this team could really, really use a viable pinch-hit bat or two.

They thought they had one of those in Nick Castellanos. But Castellanos was designated for assignment on Wednesday, amid his struggles adjusting to that role. He was hitting just .191 with a .560 OPS.

Another scenario sees the Padres continue to use Sheets, Andujar and France in a three-for-two setup, leaving one on the bench each night. That could allow them to platoon some version of Jase Bowen, Bryce Johnson and Samad Taylor in left field — all superior defenders to Sheets. In fact, that’s how they lined up for their series opener against the Mets — with Johnson in left. But that left them with a light-hitting bottom third in which all three hitters sported an OPS of .560 or worse.

Mariners shortstop plunked by 95.6 mph fastball in third inning, but X-rays negative

DETROIT — The Mariners were firing on all cylinders heading into the series opener against the Tigers and enjoying a first-place seat atop the American League West to boot.

It seemed for a moment — particularly following Seattle’s recent eight-game win streak — that the club’s maddening early-season struggles were finally behind it.

• Stars & Stripes Jersey Giveaway is June 18!

The good vibes at Comerica Park lasted all of two innings on Friday night.

The Mariners’ dugout held its collective breath in the top of the third inning, when J.P. Crawford was hit on the right hand by a 95.6 mph fastball from Tigers starter Framber Valdez. Crawford’s teammates watched their leadoff hitter double over in pain, and he admitted how similar it felt to the HBP that fractured his right pinkie finger in July 2024.

The relief in the clubhouse afterward was palpable when Crawford’s X-rays were negative. Following Seattle’s 7-3 loss, he said he expects to avoid a lengthy absence.

“It looked bad,” manager Dan Wilson said. “There was a lot of swelling right away. There was some black and blue, and the strength wasn’t quite there. So it was an opportunity where we thought, ‘Let’s go get this looked at.’ We’re just really glad that nothing’s too serious at this point.”

Crawford battled Valdez to a 3-2 count before the payoff pitch struck him. He spun away from the field, flinging his bat and taking several hopping steps toward the visitors’ dugout while grabbing the injured hand.

Crawford took a knee near the on-deck circle as Wilson and a team trainer came to his side. Crawford eventually got up and walked to first, then he remained in the game to run the bases.

Still, after replays showed Crawford gingerly gripping the hand of a team trainer to test the severity of the injury, it was no surprise when he was removed to start the bottom of the frame.

“It was the same thing that happened the last time I broke my hand,” Crawford said. “But as time went by, it still hurt, but not as bad as the time when I broke it, so I knew we were all good.”

Patrick Wisdom entered the game to take Crawford’s spot in the batting order. Starting third baseman Colt Emerson slid over into Crawford’s spot at shortstop, while Wisdom took over at the hot corner.

Losing Crawford even temporarily is a blow to a team that has found ways to keep the offense afloat despite losing its star to a right oblique strain on May 14. While Cal Raleigh is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment on Sunday, Crawford has been crucial in his absence, batting .393 (11-for-28) with four RBIs, three home runs and a 1.250 OPS across his past eight games.

NEW CHANDIGARH, India (AP) — India captain Shubman Gill won the toss on Saturday and chose to bat against Afghanistan in a one-off cricket test.

It is only the second test between India and Afghanistan. Previously the teams played in 2018, when India hosted Afghanistan’s inaugural test in Bengaluru and the home side won by an innings and 262 runs.

Overall, it was the 13th test for Afghanistan, and no points from the match will be accrued toward the World Test Championship. India had previously lost 2-0 to South Africa at home in November.

India opted for two pace bowlers — Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj. Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, 23, makes his test debut. Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar were the other two spinners.

Afghanistan, led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, went with three spinners. Left-arm spin all-rounder Nangeyalia Kharote, 22, makes his debut for Afghanistan.

The pitch in New Chandigarh should aid the batters with spin expected to come into play as the test progressed.

Lineups:

India: Lokesh Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Afghanistan: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Nangeyalia Kharote, Ziaur Rahman, Mohammad Saleem.

Zverev advances: Alexander Zverev beat Jakub Mensik in four sets to reach his fourth Grand Slam final and second at Roland Garros.

Final opponent: He will face Flavio Cobolli, who reached his first major final after Matteo Arnaldi withdrew due to illness.

High stakes: With top seeds out, Zverev is the favourite to finally claim a Grand Slam title on Sunday.

Zverev overcomes Mensik to book French Open final spot

Alexander Zverev battled past Czech rising star Jakub Mensik 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in just over three hours to secure a place in Sunday’s French Open final. The world No. 3 took the first two sets with dominant serving and early breaks, weathered a third-set fightback from Mensik, and closed out the match with an early break in the fourth. This marks Zverev’s fourth Grand Slam final and his second at Roland Garros, where he lost in 2024 to Carlos Alcaraz.

A fourth Grand Slam final and a golden opportunity

With Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and other top contenders out early, Zverev’s path to the title has been clearer than in past years. He has dropped only two sets en route to the final and is the only player left with Grand Slam final experience. Having lost three previous major finals — including from winning positions in 2020 and 2024 — Sunday offers perhaps his best chance yet to secure a long-elusive Slam victory. 

Cobolli awaits after Arnaldi’s withdrawal

Zverev will meet Italian 10th seed Flavio Cobolli, who reached his first Grand Slam final without playing after compatriot Matteo Arnaldi withdrew from their semi-final due to a viral illness. Cobolli, who will break into the top 10 next week, has beaten Felix Auger-Aliassime and Learner Tien during his run. The walkover means he will be fresher than Zverev, adding intrigue to the final despite his lack of experience at this stage. Evening Standard + 4

Mensik’s breakthrough run ends in semi-finals

At 20, Jakub Mensik reached his first Grand Slam semi-final after defeating Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev, and Joao Fonseca, despite earlier collapsing from heat exhaustion in the second round. Against Zverev, he showed flashes of brilliance, using drop shots to take the third set, but struggled to maintain intensity after a neck issue and heavy workload in earlier rounds. His performance cements him as a future contender on the big stage. Tennis365 + 4

“First of all, I am super happy that I could reach the semi-finals and that I could beat a lot of top players. And actually, there were a lot of tough moments that it was basically already done for me. But I stood up and I kept fighting, and I find a way how to win.”

CHICAGO — The Windy City’s new favorite son, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, spent Thursday night celebrating his prominent place on the cover of the upcoming Madden NFL 27.

He’s hoping the jovial spirit shared inside the Aon Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier is similar to the feeling he’ll experience three miles south at Solider Field this winter.

“Winning. I want to win as many games as possible,” Williams said when asked what he was looking forward to most entering the 2026 season. “I think we’re building toward that.”

Williams’ anointing as the latest NFL star to grace the cover of Madden is no small feat. The third-year quarterback joins the likes of household names like Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady to lead the game’s marketing campaign in this decade. When EA Sports comes calling and places you on the cover of their massive football simulation, it’s a strong acknowledgement of your success and the expectation for more.

Bears fans can gladly take it as a sign that their team is ascending toward greater heights.

“I wanted to bring a certain energy back to Chicago Bear football,” Williams said. “This is just a start. A big portion of it is winning games and winning the big one. Hopefully it starts this year and that trend keeps going upward from there.”

After a challenging rookie season, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 draft blossomed in 2025, his first season spent playing under offensive mastermind, Bears head coach Ben Johnson. The results were magical: 3,942 passing yards, a 27-7 TD-INT ratio, an 11-6 record, an NFC North title, a Wild Card Weekend win over the rival Green Bay Packers and a highlight reel with enough thrills to fill a major motion picture.

The sudden turnaround transformed the Bears from a frequently frustrating club into the most promising franchise in the Windy City, with the source of optimism wearing No. 18.

It’s up to Williams to ensure 2025’s successes weren’t a fluke.

Williams carried an air of confidence into Thursday night’s preview event for both Madden 27 and College Football 27 — which EA Sports dubbed their first-ever “Opening Drive” — but despite his years spent in the spotlight at Oklahoma and USC, it’s clear the stardom is still relatively new to the quarterback.

It’s either that, or Williams understands the work is more important than the theatrics.

Take his response to a question regarding the feared “Madden curse,” a belief that a Madden cover athlete is destined for doom in the upcoming season, for example. Williams quickly pivoted away from the hype and back toward the field.

“No more of this Madden curse,” he said. “We’re going to go out and do all the things we need to do, stay healthy, do all the things we need to do study film and be prepared each week, and go out there and handle business.”

The business should be a bit easier, at least during the current portion of offseason activities. At this time one year ago, Williams was submerged in Johnson’s new scheme, absorbing as much of it as possible while preparing for his second NFL season that suddenly carried heightened expectations.

“I was learning so much and it felt like I was just drowning with all the information and things like that,” Williams explained.

Now, after a year spent together, Williams believes the Bears are properly positioned to grow.

“Where we’re at now is different than where we were at last year,” Williams said. “A lot of last year was trying to figure it out. A lot of last year was trying to trust teammates and coaches and all of that. I think at this point, we trust our coaches, they trust us. We’ve got a lot of returning guys, at least on the offensive side of the ball that we know the offense well enough to be able to go out and practice and have these good practices, and with the information that we’re gaining on these plays and on these different schemes that we have, it just heightens the awareness for the scheme and when we’re out there we have a better understanding of where we need to go and what we need to do.”

Familiarity is always a strength in a league that produces annual turnover, but the Bears aren’t running back the exact same lineup. Veteran receiver DJ Moore is now in Buffalo, leaving Williams with a supporting cast largely led by fellow youngsters in Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III and Kyle Monangai. At 27 years old, both running back D’Andre Swift and tight end Cole Kmet represent the most seasoned of Chicago’s playmakers.

It’s good to be young and talented. It will be even better if these Bears can apply the lessons learned from their run to the Divisional Round to the upcoming season.

“I think that’s the portion that we’re building right now in training camp, OTAs, all of that is building trust between each other,” Williams said. “At this point, I have all faith between Cole Kmet, 84 Colston (Loveland), Rome (Odunze) and Luther (Burden), all these different guys, (D’Andre) Swift, guys that have been here. That’s just building on top of that and adding more confidence to it and belief to it.

“And for the new guys, it’s just communicating with them, having open communication about where they need to be, when they need to be there. When they’re wrong, you correct them, and knowing your personnel, you correct them. You do things like that throughout these periods and you get to the season and now you’re on the same page and you’re rolling.”

It’s clear Williams is embracing his new role as the face of the Chicago Bears, one that looms large enough to stretch across the nation and onto the cover of an incredibly popular video game. It’s a job that carries significant responsibility, both to the city of Chicago and the NFL at large.

And even if his coach barely pays it any attention — “He said ‘congrats’ and ‘heard you’re on the cover’ and we kind of laughed about it and moved on,” Williams said of Johnson — becoming the face of Madden means more than photoshoots, sizzle reels and game sales.

For a Bears fanbase, it means hope. It means recognition. And it means anticipation, the likes of which Chicago hasn’t seen in quite some time, for the upcoming campaign.

“I’m excited to get back out on that field,” Williams said. “I’ve been excited since that last game that we had, falling short in the way we did. … Excited for the fans to be able to love and enjoy being a fan for Chicago.”