Fansided

Siakam soars for the finish and 9 other things you missed this weekend

By Brendon Kleen

TORONTO, ONTARIO - JUNE 02: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors dunks the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the second half during Game Two of the 2019 NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena on June 02, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - JUNE 02: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors dunks the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the second half during Game Two of the 2019 NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena on June 02, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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It’s a great time of year for basketball, and we have you covered on highlights from the 2019 NBA Finals and more from this weekend.

Dig into the spiciest plays from a great sports weekend, featuring a heavy dose of men’s and women’s hoops.

1. Liz Cambage returns for Aces to face her arch nemesis

https://twitter.com/DefPenHoops/status/1134650139807817728

Cambage, who was recently traded to Las Vegas from the Dallas Wings, joined her new team just in time to spar with the 6-foot-8 Brittney Griner in a playoff-like matchup that could go a long way in deciding the WNBA playoff picture.

2. Brittney Griner takes it home

Despite Cambage’s return, the center was only able to play 14 minutes, ceding the spotlight to Griner, whose 10 second-half points catapulted Phoenix to a 86-84 win at home — their first of the season.

3. Kyle Lowry takes it home

Of all the guys to get a loud, proud “BANG!!!” from GOAT announcer Mike Breen in Game One of the NBA Finals, perhaps the least likely heading into the postseason was Lowry. The ever-cautious shooter and playoff underachiever nevertheless slayed the Warriors in the first contest of the NBA’s championship round with a massive pull-up 3 dagger.

4. Nobody’s stopping Courtney Vandersloot

As the Chicago Sky look to find their way back to the playoffs behind a fantastic starting five and exciting young core, it will be Vandersloot whose splendid play as a floor general dictates much of the team’s ultimate achievement in 2019. So far, so good.

5. You’ll remember where you were when you saw Joshua fall

Who had the bigger moment — DAZN or Andy Ruiz Jr.? The sports streaming platform’s partnership with Anthony Joshua gives the boxer a padded cushion of income to make every fight a little easier to stomach, but that won’t make this loss OK. The fearsome fighter went down to the underdog with the dad bod Saturday night in a loss for the ages.

6. Verlander passes Cy Young on the K board

One of the greatest pitchers of his generation, Justin Verlander, passed one of the greatest pitchers of any generation, Young, and moved up to 21st place on the career strikeout leaderboard in MLB history.

7. A little guy with a big bat

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1135282516846415873

No one necessarily expected Ketel Marte to dole out the weekend’s biggest smash, but as a Diamondbacks fan, I won’t say I’m complaining. Any time someone hits it into that outfield walkway at Chase Field, you can bet your bottom dollar the thing was really crushed.

8. Siakam is on his NBA Jam stuff

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1135344609553453056

The surprise hero of the NBA Finals thus far didn’t have the same production in Game Two as he did in Game One, but he still gave us the play of the series by momentarily turning into an airplane for this fast-break dunk.

9. All about that spin move

The Bruins easily took Game Three of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night. The goal of the evening goes to this one, featuring some nice handling before the easy, empty-net goal.

10. Garcia shuts the whole damn thing down

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1135287024238432256

This Pac-12 battle fell into the hands of Rachel Garcia when, after pitching 10 scoreless innings for UCLA, Garcia came up to bat with two runners on and her team in a tight spot. What happened next? Look right up there. You already know. She mashed. They won.