May 18, 2022

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OTD in 1997, Wayne Gretzky scored his 10th playoff hat trick with the Rangers, a record that still stands. The Rangers and Hurricanes kick off their conference semifinal series tonight, while Luka and Steph headline Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals.

The PGA Championship’s Legendary Billion-Dollar Grouping

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, three of golf’s biggest names — and biggest earners — will tee off together at Tulsa’s Southern Hills Country Club.

Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Jordan Spieth — who boast a combined net worth exceeding $1 billion — will play together for the first two days of the PGA Championship.

The trio have collectively won 115 PGA Tour events — including 22 majors — and Spieth is the only one (narrowly) outside the top 10 in career Tour earnings.

Woods: 82 Tour wins, 15 majors, $121M in career earnings (No. 1 all-time), approx. net worth $800MMcIlroy: 20 Tour wins, four majors, $62M (No. 6), $150MSpieth: 13 Tour wins, three majors, $52M (No. 11), $100M

The three superstars will bring plenty of drama, too. Woods (+6500, No. 27) is looking to pass Sam Snead with his 83rd Tour win, but this is only his second tournament since nearly losing his right leg in a car crash.

Meanwhile, the 33-year-old McIlroy (+1200, 2), who joined Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only golfers to win four majors by 25, has been searching for No. 5 since 2014, and Spieth (+1400, T3) can complete history’s sixth career Grand Slam.

Scottie Scheffler (+1200) — who won the Masters and three other events [[link removed]] this season — remains the betting favorite.

The Young Astros Bats Behind Their 5-HR Inning

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

It looks like the Yankees [[link removed]] aren’t the only ones blasting away in the American League.

On Tuesday, the Astros hit five home runs in the second inning off Boston’s Nathan Eovaldi in their 13-4 shellacking of the Red Sox — just [[link removed]] the eighth time in MLB history that a team has hit five in a single inning, and the third time off a single pitcher.

Three of those homers came from Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, and Jeremy Peña — all 25 or younger. Incredibly productive on very low salaries, the trio represent a powerful young core for the AL West leaders to build around.

Alvarez’s 12 HR are second in the majors; Tucker and Peña each have seven (T-22nd).All three players are pre-arbitration, leading to a combined 2022 salary of just $2.2M.The Astros’ 55 long balls have now topped the Yankees in MLB.

Between their hot bats and elite pitching [[link removed]], this Houston squad can make some noise come October.

The Astros are currently tied with the Mets for the third-best odds to win the World Series (+800) behind the Dodgers (+450) and their moonshot rivals, the Yankees (+600).

And just imagine the fireworks if Houston and New York meet in the ALCS.

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How OKC Thunder Actually Won The NBA Draft Lottery

Bryan Terry

The Orlando Magic may have won the first overall pick at Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery, but the Oklahoma City Thunder were the real winners, nabbing the second and 12th overall picks.

OKC general manager Sam Presti had been preparing for this moment, trading superstars like Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, and Paul George for picks and financial flexibility amid a dramatic rebuild.

The Thunder haven’t won more than 24 games in each of the past two seasons and suffered a league-worst 73-point loss earlier this season, but Presti has [[link removed]] amassed 38 picks over the next six years — and this is a good draft for OKC to make a splash.

This will be Presti’s first top-five selection since 2009 (James Harden, 3rd).Before Harden, he drafted Kevin Durant (2nd) and Russell Westbrook (4th) — and the Thunder reached the playoffs 10 of 11 seasons with that Big Three.The Thunder will likely end up with one of the three favorites to go first: Jabari Smith Jr. (-125), Chet Holmgren (+150), or Paolo Banchero (+500).

Presti has created the necessary space for a possible franchise-changing selection. OKC’s $82 million payroll is by far the lowest in the NBA — $35.3 million below the second-lowest Memphis Grizzlies.

Plus, the squad is built around a young core of guards like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (5 YRs, $172M), Lu Dort (4 YRs, $5.4M), and rookie Josh Giddey (4 YRs, $27.2M). Any of the projected top three — all forwards or centers — could complement OKC’s current setup.

With the right selection, Presti can finally start the Thunder’s rebuild in earnest.

Making Headlines

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

NBA: The NBA is exploring [[link removed]] options for an in-season tournament beginning in 2022-23, per The Athletic. Also: Jimmy Butler (41 PTS) led the Heat to a Game 1 ECF victory over the Celtics.

NFL: Former Giants Pro Bowl CB James Bradberry is signing with the Eagles on a one-year, $10 million contract, per multiple reports; the deal includes $7.3M guaranteed and $2.5M in incentives.

NHL: The Jets’ Kyle Connor, the Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin, and the Wild’s Jared Spurgeon were named finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship.

MLB: The Twins activated SS Carlos Correa (finger) from the injured list, sending rookie Royce Lewis to Triple-A affiliate St. Paul.

Disclaimer

*The “Contest” is open only to individuals who are at least 21 years old at the time of entry, and are legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia (excluding Washington and Nevada). Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

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Written by Chris Kuc [[link removed]], Doug Greenberg [[link removed]], Anthony Puccio [[link removed]]

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