Danielle Lerner

World Cup draw live updates: Time, 2026 FIFA group pots, where to watch Find out live who the USMNT and soccer's best teams will face in the 2026 World Cup.

Find out live who the USMNT and soccer's best teams will face in the 2026 World Cup.

USA Today: Motocross quietly becomes deadliest sport for kids, USA TODAY finds

📰 USA Today
Motocross quietly becomes deadliest sport for kids, USA TODAY finds

⟶ USA Today | headline in context

Excited to share that today is my first day at @usatoday.com as a national sports enterprise reporter. I’ll write features and investigations about all sports – stories that cover the heartwarming, corrupt and weird.

Email dlerner@usatodayco.com with tips, story ideas and dad jokes.

Thanks for following along and reading. Really, it means the world. Please support local journalism and be kind to one another. See ya on the flip side.

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Alperen Şengün: “Today, if I played the same way I played in the first half, I know we're gonna watch a film next day with Ime. So I just don't want to lose. I just got to get back. I know this team needs me, so I got to do whatever it takes to win.”

bsky.app/profile/dani...

Rockets get late-game magic from Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün to win in OT Alperen Şengün and Kevin Durant hit key baskets to force overtime and then get the win over Orlando after trailing most of the game.

Initial game story from the Rockets’ OT win over the Magic/ my obituary www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rocke...

Of course it's overtime for my last game. Why not?

With 2:50 remaining in the game, Durant’s 3-pointer just gave the Rockets their first lead since 4-3 in the first quarter. It's 95-94 now. Strap in.

END 3Q: Rockets 77, Magic 80. Houston has been knocking on the door but Orlando always manages to pull away. The Rockets just have to take care of the ball and make some shots under the basket.

Fifth turnover of the game for Kevin Durant. He and Alperen Sengun have combined for nine of Houston's 11 turnovers.

HALFTIME: Rockets 46, Magic 55. The Rockets cut the deficit to two points a couple of times, but the Magic are raining 3s and crowding the paint on defense. Houston has more turnovers (6) than 3-pointers (3, all from the bench).

Kevin Durant has 15 pts, Reed Sheppard 10 pts.

END 1Q: Rockets 23, Magic 30. Orlando shot 5-of-9 from deep and has five blocks. The Rockets’ offense looked best in transition but they shot just 40.7% from the field and are 0-for-3 from deep.

The Rockets subbed in Aaron Holiday in what is normally Tari Eason's spot. Holiday got the bulk of Eason's minutes in the second half last game.

Same Rockets starters vs. Magic tonight: Thompson, Okogie, Durant, Smith, Sengun

Magic rule Jalen Suggs out ahead of road game at Rockets Jalen Suggs joins Paolo Banchero as the second member of the Magic to deal with a groin injury in the first 14 games of the season. After returning from Houston, Orlando plays three in a row at Kia…

My story on the #Magic ruling guard Jalen Suggs OUT ahead of tonight’s game at Houston due to a sore right groin: www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/16/o...

Rockets forward Tari Eason to miss 4 to 6 weeks with oblique injury Tari Eason, who was hurt Friday, had helped the Rockets absorb the preseason injuries suffered by Fred VanVleet and Dorian Finney-Smith.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka on Tari Eason's injury: "It was a freak accident, got hit at a weird angle. So that part is unfortunate, no doubt. He'll be back sooner than later, so good news overall that he's not missing the season like (Bradley) Beal." www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rocke...

Rockets forward Tari Eason to miss 4 to 6 weeks with oblique injury Tari Eason, who was hurt Friday, had helped the Rockets absorb the preseason injuries suffered by Fred VanVleet and Dorian Finney-Smith.

Initial story on Rockets forward Tari Eason’s oblique injury, to be updated: www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rocke...

Tari Eason has a strained oblique and will be out 4-6 weeks, Rockets coach Ime Udoka just told us after practice.

The Rockets are averaging an NBA-best 125.5 ppg with a dynamic offense predicated on balanced scoring from multiple players.

Kevin Durant: “The great teams got multiple attacks. They can score in the half court, transition, offensive rebounding, they can score in multiple ways.”

Alperen Şengün and Rockets get a win over Trail Blazers and Tiago Splitter Alperen Şengün just misses a triple double and Kevin Durant scores 30 points as Houston beat Portland, coached by former Rocket Tiago Splitter

Alperen Şengün came one assist short of a triple-double as the Rockets turned defense into offense and rolled over the Trail Blazers for their first NBA Cup win www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rocke...

Rockets coach Ime Udoka didn’t have an update on Tari Eason (right hip contusion) postgame

(this isn’t unusual, he’ll probably get more info tomorrow after season has been examined)

That's 15 steals for the Rockets, a season high

After Sharpe dunked on Smith and stared him down, Smith responded by nailing a 3-pointer over Sharpe and talked back to him. Fun matchup here.

Tari Eason is out with a right hip contusion for the remainder of the game

HALFTIME: Rockets 69, Blazers 60. Jabari Smith Jr. came up big with 10 points in the second quarter and the Rockets stepped up their effort on the boards. Hopefully Tari Eason is OK after leaving with an apparent injury.

END 1Q: Rockets 41, Trail Blazers 32. Interesting dynamic as both teams are kind of getting beaten at their own game. Houston has three steals and seven points off turnovers against a steal-hungry Portland team, but the Blazers are leading 8-3 in second-chance points.

Ime Udoka says Rockets starters remain the same tonight vs. Portland: Thompson, Okogie, Durant, Smith, Sengun.

Says that while Portland is an aggressive team with good isolation scorers, the Rockets should be able to get an advantage by attacking the offensive glass per usual.

The Rockets’ NBA Cup court is here

Who's on the aux cord at Rockets practice? Usually assistant coach Josh Bostic First-year NBA assistant Josh Bostic started with the Rockets as a video staffer and doubled as the team's practice DJ, a vibe-setting role.

The Rockets’ practice soundtrack is an audible gumbo of musical artists: Gunna, the Isley Brothers and Metallica all mixing in the same pot. Throw in some Afrobeat and jazz on occasion, too.

It started with assistant coach Josh Bostic, the team’s vibe-setter www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rocke...