Inside the downfall of the Nets' Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving era  —  Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving chose the Nets.  Not the other way around.  —  It's an important note to remember as we unpack the end of a not-quite era of championship contention in Brooklyn: The superstars chose to be here.

Recapping the Chicago Bulls: Poor 3-point shooting — again — leads to a 116-105 loss to the Brooklyn Nets  —  NEW YORK — Hours after executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas insisted that a consistent roster is still the answer, the Chicago Bulls on Thursday lost to the Brooklyn Nets 116-105.

Clippers acquire Bones Hyland, Eric Gordon, Mason Plumlee, dealing John Wall, Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard  —  The Clippers improved their frontcourt and added depth to the backcourt through several moves in the final hour before Thursday's trade deadline

Sources: Padres' Yu Darvish gets 6-year, $108M extension  —  Right-hander Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres are in agreement on a six-year, $108 million contract extension, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Thursday.  —  The deal, which contains a full no-trade provision …

Dolphins great Zach Thomas finally gets in Pro Football Hall of Fame  —  The fourth time was the charm for Zach Thomas.  —  The great Miami Dolphins linebacker is bound for the Pro Football Hall of Fame as one of five modern-day players elected Thursday night at NFL Honors awards ceremony.

SMU, rumored Pac-12 expansion candidate, keeps commissioner's visit under the radar  —  George Kliavkoff visited campus and attended a men's basketball game at Moody Coliseum as the Pac-12 seeks schools to replace USC and UCLA.  —  UNIVERSITY PARK — If SMU had its way …

2023 National League prospect rankings for every team  —  Last week, I ranked the top 100 MLB prospects and all 30 MLB farm systems heading into the 2023 season.  Now it's time to go deeper with my team-by-team rankings, starting with the National League followed by the American League lists later this week.

Classic rosters packed with international talent  —  It's nearly here.  After a six-year wait, the World Baseball Classic has returned, and it's bigger than ever.  That's not hyperbole, either: The tournament field has been expanded to 20 teams, with three first-time participants in Great Britain …

A beloved San Jose statue vanished.  It's not the first time it's been stolen.  —  Who took the figurine of Indian ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from Guadalupe River Park?  —  A 440-pound metal statue has disappeared from Guadalupe River Park, dismaying community members who treasure …

Angels owner Arte Moreno changed his mind and decided not to sell the Angels, but there's no mistaking Moreno's intention when it comes to his two-way superstar.  —  PALM BEACH, Fla. — Angels owner Arte Moreno changed his mind and decided not to sell the Angels, but there's no mistaking Moreno's intention …