A lot happened last week in the world of AZ Sports, here’s a recap:
Football
Cardinals
Last Thursday, the NFL Draft took place in Kansas City. After being criticized by the media on how prepared the Cardinals front office was going to be after attending Kyler’s statue unveiling, Monti Ossenfort was READY.
Due to a very disappointing season, the Cardinals had the third overall pick for this year’s draft but the Cardinals turned it into new talent to fill positions in need and multiple additional picks for 2024 including the Texans’ first-round pick.
ROUND 1: Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
ROUND 2: BJ Ojulari, DE/LB, LSU
ROUND 3: Michael Wilson, WR, Stanford
ROUND 4: Jon Gaines II, G, UCLA
ROUND 5: Clayton Tune, QB, Houston
ROUND 5: Owen Pappoe, LB, Auburn
ROUND 6: Kei’Trel Clark, CB, Louisville
ROUND 6: Dante Stills, DT, West Virginia
Basketball
Mat Ishbia, Suns and Mercury new owner, announced a new TV deal with local broadcasting channels that will allow members of the Arizona community to watch their teams for free. This move will also include a new direct-to-consumer service available online as well. With the contract with Bally Sports Arizona coming to an end, it will not be renewed allowing the owner to make the change. This move can cause other owners throughout the league to follow suit as it gives access to their teams to more consumers.
Phoenix Suns
After the Phoenix Suns made it out of the first round of the Playoffs with a win against the LA Clippers on Tuesday night, they had their first game of the second round against the Denver Nuggets. Throughout the game, the Nuggets maintained a lead against the Suns and had an answer to any momentum the Suns were having.
Jamal Murray had 34 points leading the Nuggets to victory. After the game, Kevin Durant was asked if was surprised by how the Nuggets were playing where he responded, “Hell no. They’re the number one seed for a reason.” Leading the offense, KD and Booker combined for 58 points while the rest of the starters had 27 points. The bench who had already been a concern throughout the previous round had 24 points.
Phoenix Mercury
With the first preseason game on May 9 against the Seattle Storm, the Mercury’s season is ramping up. While the team started training camp this past Sunday, most of the attention was on Brittney Griner as it was her first time back at training camp since her time in Russia.
The last time she played was during the WNBA Finals against the Chicago Sky in October 2021. Her ability to get back to in-season form is the greatest priority for her and the team. In contrast to last season, the tone throughout training camp was a lot more light-hearted and players on the team all echo the happiness they feel to have her back.
Baseball
Diamondbacks
Unable to pull off the sweep of the Rockies, the Diamondbacks are still 1st in the NL West! Unfortunately, outfielder Corbin Carroll was out of the lineup after suffering a left knee contusion. The team stated that they will be sending him for an MRI on Monday for further testing.
The Diamondbacks also called up Dominic Fletcher to make his debut in Colorado where he doubled in his first at bat! As far as pitching goes, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are averaging a 70 IP and 2.57 ERA and have been bright stars in the pitcher rotation which has had some issues closing games. All in all, the Dbacks have been exciting to watch and you do not want to miss out.
