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TheDallas Starsgot off to a bad start whilebeing eliminated Thursday nightby theEdmonton Oilers. A careless penalty. A power-play goal in which Corey Perry was left alone in front. Another defensive breakdown on the Oilers' second goal by Mattias Janmark at 7:09. Stars coach Peter DeBoer called a timeout, then did something shocking: He pulled star goaltender Jake Oettinger and inserted backup Casey DeSmith. DeBoer explained his reasoning afterward, saying he didn't fully blame Oettinger for the goals but at the same time, he cited the "reality" of the situation. "If you go back to last year's playoffs, he's lost six of seven games to Edmonton and we gave up two goals on two shots in an elimination game," DeBoer said. "It was partly to spark our team and wake them up and partly knowing that status quo had not been working. That's a pretty big sample size." Jake Oettinger's night is DONE 5 mins into Game 5 😳He gets pulled after allowing 2 goals on the Oilers' first 2 shots 😬pic.twitter.com/gSSyXUZsZJ — Gino Hard (@GinoHard_)May 30, 2025 DeSmith gave up a quick goal to Jeff Skinner and though the Stars pulled close on a couple of occasions. they fell 6-3. "We didn't roll over," DeBoer said. Oettinger was one of three U.S. goalies at the 4 Nations Face-Off who could also be thenetminders for the 2026 Olympics. Top goalie Connor Hellebuyck hadsome tough games on the roadfor the Winnipeg Jets in the playoffs. Oettinger had a 3.93 goals-against average and .853 save percentage in the conference final. Boston's Jeremy Swayman missed the playoffs but helped theUSA win a rare gold medalat the world championships. The Stars have now lost three consecutive trips to the Western Conference final. "Our group needs to go – you know, coaches, players – and reflect in the summer on what we can do when we get to this point against the best teams," DeBoer said. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Stars' Jake Oettinger pulled; coach Peter DeBoer explains why

PARIS (AP) — If more tennis players find themselves breathing easier, it might just be thanks toCarlos Alcaraz. The four-time Grand Slam champion, whose bid for a second consecutiveFrench Open titlewas scheduled to continue with a third-round match Friday night, has often worn a nasal strip in matches since last season — although not during his first two contests atRoland-Garrosthis week — and the sport's other athletes took note. After all, if Alcaraz finds something useful on the court, their thinking goes, maybe it makes sense to give the adhesive bands a shot. "I saw Carlos playing in it," said 18-year-oldMirra Andreeva, a semifinalist in Paris last year and the No. 6 women's seed this time. "I'd be pretty interested to try and see if there is really a difference. If he plays matches in it, then probably there is." At the 2024 season-ending ATP Finals last November, Alcaraz said: "It is something that I'm going to wear more often. I could recover better between points." Once associated with Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and soccer stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, the bands, which essentially look like a Band-Aid worn across the bridge of the nose, are popping up on tennis courts — sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of curiosity. They are designed to open the nostrils slightly, making it easier to breathe through the nose. Originally marketed to reduce snoring, they're being embraced to enhance air intake during physical exertion. The idea is simple: Better breathing could mean better oxygen intake. In practice, the science is less convincing. In 2021, Brazilian academic Ricardo Dinardi reviewed more than 600 studies on nasal strips and found they didn't make a real difference in how much air athletes took in, their heart rate or how strenuous exercise felt. "The effect on athletic performance is mostly placebo," Dinardi said. "But in elite sports, even perceived benefits can count." Three-time major finalistCasper Ruud, who wore the strips in matches earlier this year, knows the evidence is shaky. But he still liked using them — both on the court and while sleeping. Like Alcaraz, Ruud did not wear one in Paris before his second-round exit. But he has been testing a prototype of a different version. "I tried out a device that's very early in development. It will be a bit more comfortable to wear, because it's inside the nose and it looks like I have this bullring under," said Ruud, who was the runner-up at Roland-Garros to Rafael Nadal in 2022 and Novak Djokovic in 2023. "It will return, don't worry." For other players, like Nicolás Jarry, the strips are more than a trend — they're a necessity. After nasal surgery in 2020, the Chilean still needed help to draw air into his nose, so he puts them on for every practice and every match he plays. "Without it, I cannot breathe. My nostrils shut when I try," he said, inhaling to demonstrate for a reporter. "Others don't have that issue and still use them." Jarry definitely has noticed a recent spike in interest among players. He said that even though he's worn the strips for years, including at this French Open, other competitors on tour never asked about them — until Alcaraz started wearing one last year, sometimes in black, sometimes in pink. "Others have asked me, and many are trying it," said Jarry, who sported a beige-colored strip in Paris. "But before him? Nothing." There are those, like2024 US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula, who are tempted to try. "I have a horrible deviated septum. I can't really breathe out of one side of my nose," said Pegula, who will play 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in the third round Saturday. "Maybe I should start wearing one." She admits, though, that the aesthetic aspect might be a deal-breaker. "I don't know," Pegula said with a smile, "if I have the confidence to rock one." ___ AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich contributed. ___ AP tennis:https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Jessica Clements and UCLA softball finished out the evening of Women's College World Series action with a walk-off home run to defeat Oregon 4-2 on Thursday. The Bruins and the Ducks were tied 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Bruins had the potential game-winning run on first base with two outs before Clements clinched the victory with her home run. The ball landed just over the fence in center field and into the hands of a fan in attendance. "We just have an unwavering faith in each other and what we are doing," UCLA catcher Alexis Ramirez told NCAA sideline reporter Michella Chester after the game. THE GAME ALWAYS KNOWS!!JESSICA CLEMENTS WALK-OFF HOMER TO TAKE GAME ONE!!#GoBruinspic.twitter.com/vl9vOl9mMu — UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball)May 30, 2025 Ramirez played a key role in the game for the Bruins, going 2-for-3 with a two-run home run. The Bruins held a 2-1 lead going into the final inning before the Ducks tied the game after a controversial obstruction call at home plate. Oregon's Paige Sinicki slid toward home plate but was tagged by Ramirez, who appeared to have her foot on the plate. The Ducks challenged the call and were awarded the run afterthe call was reversed. Oregon ties it in the top of the 7th on ESPN2 😯After review, UCLA was called for obstruction on the game-tying play.pic.twitter.com/7Zr1MJgnn1 — espnW (@espnW)May 30, 2025 As a result of the victory, the Bruins will advance to the winner's bracket. WCWS bracket 2025:Scores, schedule, matchups for NCAA softball tournament UCLA will play Texas Tech on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Texas Tech beat Ole Miss 1-0 with Lauren Allred scoring a run in the fourth inning after scoring on an error. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:UCLA softball beats Oregon in WCWS with walk-off home run

NEW YORK — In a despondent visiting locker room at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Josh Hart was searching. He'd just committed a handful of "just bad, stupid turnovers" that helped kickstart the Pacers' potent transition attack, fueling Indiana's offense in a130-121 win in Game 4of the 2025 Eastern Conference finals. After anear-flawless performanceby Tyrese Haliburton gave the Pacers a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven set, pushing New York to the brink of elimination, Hart was asked what message his team could rally around as they exited Indianapolis. "We're going back home," Hart said. "I've never known this team to quit. That's not the character of the guys we have in the locker room. Obviously, our backs are against the wall, but we're competitors, and we're going to bring it until the series is over." It's not over yet. The Knicks are still alive, thanks largely to its superstars — the celebrated but also, in this series, somewhat maligned duo ofJalen BrunsonandKarl-Anthony Towns— showing up and showing out with the season on the line. During his pregame media availability, Thibodeau said Towns would be a game-time decision with theleft knee contusionhe suffered late in New York's Game 4 loss. Asked when he knew he'd be good to go, Towns said, "I looked at the game, and it said, 'Game 5.' Do or die. That was pretty much all I needed to see." Towns credited the Knicks' medical staff with getting him prepared to be able to compete. "We put a lot of hours in, trying to get myself ready so I could have a chance," he said. "God was good. I was able to go out there and play." Towns didn't just play; he started, had a double-double by halftime, and finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists, his fourth 20-and-10 of the series and ninth of this first postseason as a Knick. "I thought he was very aggressive, and I think that's super important," Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Towns. "I think Jalen, as well." Ah, yes: Jalen, as well. Brunson made his first three shots in the first 89 seconds of Game 5, staking the Knicks to an early edge that they'd never relinquish. New York would push the advantage as high as 22 points in the third quarter before settling in fora 111-94 Game 5 winto cut their series deficit to 3-2, and giving the Pacers plenty to think about on the flight back to Indianapolis ahead of Game 6 on Saturday. The Knicks' superstar point guard came out hot and stayed that way, scoring 14 points and dishing a pair of assists in the first quarter, establishing from the jump that New York would be able to get to its game offensively and was not at all interested in embarking on an early summer vacation. "He was cooking, that's what I saw — I saw him cooking," Towns said. "When he's playing like that and he's hitting shots, obviously it energizes everyone." Two nights after Indiana's All-NBA table-setter energized his team with his shot-making and ball movement, Brunson responded in kind, finishing with 32 points on 12-for-18 shooting to go with 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 34 minutes of work. It's Brunson's 22nd 30-point, five-assist game in the playoffs,tying Oscar Robertson for 15th all-time; he's now averaging 33 points and 5.4 assists per game on 51/36/93 shooting splits in these conference finals, continuing to burnish his reputation as one of the game's elite postseason offensive weapons. "[Haliburton] played phenomenal in Game 4," Brunson said. "I mean, our backs are against the wall. I wasn't thinking, 'I need to play better than him.' I was just thinking, 'I need to help my team win.' And that's my mindset every time I'm on the court — just help my team win." Brunson also carried that mindset over to the defensive end on Thursday, playing like a competitor eager to offer an emphatic response to multiple days of conversation aboutthe success Indiana has had hunting him in this series. When the Pacers worked to put him in actions in Game 5, Brunson played with energy, physicality and tenacity. When he hedged on ball screens and recovered back to his man, he didn't go half-speed with a half-hearted reach; he worked to turn back the ball-handler, sprint back to his man, and keep a body on a body. When he got switched into a mismatch, against Haliburton or Myles Turner, he didn't just concede or commit a bailout foul; he forced the opponent to make plays over the top of him or through him. Sometimes, they did; sometimes, they didn't. That's progress. "That's our guy," said Hart, who chipped in 12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 34 minutes as hecontinued to come off the bench. "We know he's gonna bring it offensively, but I felt like dug in defensively and had great intensity … Sometimes we know it's tough against the pick-and-roll offensively, but the biggest thing when you're getting searched out, at the end of the day, it's about pride. He answered the call, he defended well, he defended without fouling, which is the most important part. And we need that from him again next game." That progress was an important part of the Knicks turning in their best defensive performance of the series — and, given the stakes, arguably their best of the entire season. The Knicks defensive intensity has been so high up this game, this play is after Mitchell's rejection of Haliburton.pic.twitter.com/Djw3EeO4iH — Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA)May 30, 2025 New York held an Indiana team that had been shooting50% from the floor in the playoffs as a teamand scoring a scorching121.1 points per 100 possessions through four conference finals gamesto 40.5% from the field and just96.9points-per-100 in Game 5. That's the first time the Pacers have failed to score at least one point per possessionin the 2025 NBA playoffs, and just the eighth time in 97 combinedregular-and postseason contests. The Pacers made a couple of runs at it, getting within 12 on a 3-pointer by little-used reserve Jarace Walker with just over eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, and cutting the Knick lead to 14 on a driving Haliburton layup with 3:18 to go in regulation. If that combination of time and score made you start to sweat a little, you might be a Knicks fan who's still working through the trauma of the team squandering a14-point lead with 2:51 to go in Game 1. On Thursday, though, Aaron Nesmith wasn't coming out of the bullpen to start chucking lightning bolts. The Pacers forward, still battling through asprained right ankle, played just 16 ineffective minutes in Game 5, missing seven of his eight shots and checking out for good with five and a half minutes to go in the fourth. On Thursday, Pascal Siakam wasn't ending every good possession of New York defense with a backbreaking fadeaway, or sprinting the length of the court off of every Knick make or miss for deflating transition buckets. Six days after scoring what Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle called"a quiet 39 points,"the Pacers All-Star forward finished with anactuallyquiet 15 points on 5-for-13 shooting. Pascal Siakam: "They played harder than us." — Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix)May 30, 2025 And on Thursday, Haliburton wasn't getting loose to torture New York with impossible haymakers. In fact, he wasn't really going anywhere. Look at the New York Knicks flying around on defense.pic.twitter.com/Z02jl31bcE — Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20)May 30, 2025 After four games largely spent flailing in his wake, the Knicks defense finally found some success limiting Haliburton's freedom of movement, holding the All-NBA point guard to just eight points on 2-for-7 shooting and six assists — just his second single-digit scoring performance of this postseason, and his fewest helpers in the series. Thibodeau is fond of saying that you don't defend superstar players individually, you guard them with your entire team, and dimming Haliburton's shine on Thursday was a collective effort. Mikal Bridges turned in his best and most committed defensive performance of the series, giving the Pacers a taste of their own medicine by extending his pickup point, applying backcourt ball pressure on Indiana's lead guard, and staying connected to Haliburton all over the court. When other Knicks picked up the assignment — including OG Anunoby, who guarded Haliburton for a stretch in the second quarter, and reserves Landry Shamet and Delon Wright, who continue to make significant contributions now that Thibodeau has actually deigned to go to his bench and lengthen his rotation — they followed suit, staying physical and disciplined to limit Haliburton's easy touches and opportunities to drive into open space. Big men Towns, Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa did yeoman's work moving their feet when drawn out into deep water. The gap help behind the initial defender was on time all night, dissuading Haliburton from making his typical deep forays into the paint. "Sometimes, it was probably a combination of him missing some shots he normally makes," Thibodeau said after the game. "But I thought our guys were tied together, trying to make him work for everything. That's what you have to do. We have to fight to win every possession." That extends to the other end of the floor, too. Thibodeau insisted after the game that New York didn't necessarily make a concerted effort to hunt Haliburton the same way thatIndiana's been hunting Brunson all series long. When opportunities presented themselves, though — a Bridges post touch here, a Bridges-Mitchell Robinson pick-and-roll in secondary action there, some double high ball screens that forced Haliburton to navigate traffic — well, let's just say New York didn't turn them down: Through four games, the Pacers had outscored New York by28 points in 152 minuteswith Haliburton on the court; in Game 5, Indiana lost his minutes by 23. "I feel like we picked up our intensity a little bit, obviously," Brunson said after the game about the defensive improvements, on Haliburton and in general. "I think we paid attention to detail better as a team. The little things go a long way. If we pay attention to the minute things, the things that just don't seem like a huge deal, they really do help." The devil's in the details, the magic's in the work, and the Knicks, still, are in the fight. They've staved off elimination once. Do it again on Saturday in Indianapolis, and they come home for Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. It's a tall task. But Hart's never known this Knicks team to quit, and on Thursday, they sure didn't look like they were ready to start any time soon.

CHICAGO – In a move that was months in coming, theCincinnati Redshave moved on from former All-Star closer Alexis Díaz. The Reds and Dodgers have agreed to a trade to send Diaz to Los Angeles for a minor leaguer, the club announced Thursday, May 29. Diaz had struggled since the second half of his 2023 All-Star season, eventually giving way to veteran Emilio Pagán as the closer this season. Diaz has been in the minors since the club optioned him to Class AAA Louisville on April 30 after command issues persisted into the early season. In six appearances with the Reds this season, he allowed eight runs on five walks and eight hits, including four home runs, in just six innings. He also hit two batters and had just three strikeouts. The Reds received minor league right-handed pitcher Mike Villani in the deal. Villani, who was drafted in the 13th round out of Long Beach State last year, just made his professional debut this week, in rookie ball. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer:Alexis Diaz trade: Dodgers get former All-Star in deal with Reds