Deadspin | Thunder thump Jazz, move closer to clinching No. 1 seed Apr 5, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) drives to the basket beside Utah Jazz center Oscar Tshiebwe (34) and forward Cody Williams (5) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Chet Holmgren scored 21 points in less than three quarters to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder a step closer to clinching the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a 146-111 home win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday. With four games to play, the Thunder moved three games ahead of San Antonio. Oklahoma City’s magic number to clinch the West’s top spot for the third consecutive season is two. Oklahoma City (62-16) has won five consecutive games and 17 of its last 18. The Jazz (21-57) have dropped eight consecutive games, their longest skid of the season. Any thought the Thunder would take the Jazz lightly in between games against the Lakers went out the window quickly with a 25-9 run over a six-minute span in the first quarter. Oklahoma City went 10 for 13 from the field to start the game, including a pair of 3-pointers from Holmgren. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 10 of the Thunder’s 40 first-quarter points and had four assists, three rebounds and a steal in the opening quarter. He finished with 20 points – his NBA-record 138th consecutive game with 20 points or more. – on 7-of-10 shooting. Jalen Williams had 15 points and seven assists against his brother Cody’s team while Luguentz Dort continued his late-season shooting surge, going 5 of 7 with 13 points. Oklahoma City finished with a season-high 40 assists. Ajay Mitchell joined Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams with seven assists for the Thunder. With the Thunder up by 31 with just more than five minutes remaining in the third, coach Mark Daigneault removed all five of his starters. The Jazz quickly responded with a 12-2 run stopped by Jaylin Williams’ 3-pointer. The Jazz went scoreless for nearly three minutes to end the third as the Thunder kept Utah from climbing back into the game. Brice Sensabaugh led the Jazz with 34 points. Kyle Filipowski added 20 and Svi Mykhailiuk scored 17. Oklahoma City, which swept the four-game season series against Utah, has won its last two games by an average of 39 points. The Thunder’s top two scoring performances of the season have come against the Jazz. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Thunder #thump #Jazz #move #closer #clinching #seed

For many Formula 1 fans, Daniel Ricciardo was the face of their pathway to the sport. The first season of the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive centered on the driver’s surprising decision to leave Red Bull for Renault, and the charismatic driver helped draw many new fans to F1.

So his return to the Red Bull family late in his career offered a chance for a Hollywood ending. But that fell short of hopes and expectations, when he was sidelined at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls late in the 2024 campaign.

However, the driver admits that he was “grateful” that the team made that decision for him.

In a new episode of the Drive podcast with Ford CEO Jim Farley, Ricciardo admitted that he was contemplating his future in the sport when VCARB decided to replace him following the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix with Liam Lawson.

“In the third race in I broke my hand,” he said in the podcacst released by Ford. “It was such a nothing accident, but I missed however many races, I was out for 10 weeks or something.”

Ricciardo suffered the injury after making a shocking return to VCARB midway through the 2023 season.

The driver told Farley that he found himself wondering “[i]s this now a bit of a sign like should I just quit while I’m ahead, nearly. And I was like, no, there’s still unfinished business and I pushed through it.”

Ricciardo returned for the finish to the 2023 season, and started the 2024 campaign as well. But the results did not follow.

“I lasted another year in F1 and then ultimately got let go,” he said. “That was the reality at the time.”

Ultimately, VCARB dropped him after the Singapore Grand Prix.

“Once that happened, I’d been let go twice in the last two years. It had also taken a lot out of me. I’d put a lot of my soul into it and I did feel pretty exhausted by it.

“In reflection, I was grateful that they made the decision for me, because I think it would have been hard to [say]: ‘I’m done’”.

Riccardo also indicated that deep down, he knew it was the end.

“There’s people that love you and will still tell you that you’re great and you can do it. But as much as you love them as well, you need to just close the door and make that decision on your own and be really honest with yourself,” said Ricciardo.

“If I would have got to the end of last year, I think I would have still had a lot of these thoughts and had the conversation with myself because I knew it was becoming harder for me and I had to dig really deep to pull out a result that I was proud of.

“You always want to believe everyone’s looking out for you, and they probably still are, but they don’t know what it’s like to be you and in your situation.”

#Daniel #Ricciardo #opens #exit">

Daniel Ricciardo opens up on F1 exit For many Formula 1 fans, Daniel Ricciardo was the face of their pathway to the sport. The first season of the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive centered on the driver’s surprising decision to leave Red Bull for Renault, and the charismatic driver helped draw many new fans to F1.So his return to the Red Bull family late in his career offered a chance for a Hollywood ending. But that fell short of hopes and expectations, when he was sidelined at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls late in the 2024 campaign.However, the driver admits that he was “grateful” that the team made that decision for him.In a new episode of the Drive podcast with Ford CEO Jim Farley, Ricciardo admitted that he was contemplating his future in the sport when VCARB decided to replace him following the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix with Liam Lawson.“In the third race in I broke my hand,” he said in the podcacst released by Ford. “It was such a nothing accident, but I missed however many races, I was out for 10 weeks or something.”Ricciardo suffered the injury after making a shocking return to VCARB midway through the 2023 season.The driver told Farley that he found himself wondering “[i]s this now a bit of a sign like should I just quit while I’m ahead, nearly. And I was like, no, there’s still unfinished business and I pushed through it.”Ricciardo returned for the finish to the 2023 season, and started the 2024 campaign as well. But the results did not follow.“I lasted another year in F1 and then ultimately got let go,” he said. “That was the reality at the time.”Ultimately, VCARB dropped him after the Singapore Grand Prix.“Once that happened, I’d been let go twice in the last two years. It had also taken a lot out of me. I’d put a lot of my soul into it and I did feel pretty exhausted by it.“In reflection, I was grateful that they made the decision for me, because I think it would have been hard to [say]: ‘I’m done’”.Riccardo also indicated that deep down, he knew it was the end.“There’s people that love you and will still tell you that you’re great and you can do it. But as much as you love them as well, you need to just close the door and make that decision on your own and be really honest with yourself,” said Ricciardo.“If I would have got to the end of last year, I think I would have still had a lot of these thoughts and had the conversation with myself because I knew it was becoming harder for me and I had to dig really deep to pull out a result that I was proud of.“You always want to believe everyone’s looking out for you, and they probably still are, but they don’t know what it’s like to be you and in your situation.” #Daniel #Ricciardo #opens #exit

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For many Formula 1 fans, Daniel Ricciardo was the face of their pathway to the sport. The first season of the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive centered on the driver’s surprising decision to leave Red Bull for Renault, and the charismatic driver helped draw many new fans to F1.
So his return to the Red Bull family late in his career offered a chance for a Hollywood ending. But that fell short of hopes and expectations, when he was sidelined at Visa Cash App Racing Bulls late in the 2024 campaign.
However, the driver admits that he was “grateful” that the team made that decision for him.
In a new episode of the Drive podcast with Ford CEO Jim Farley, Ricciardo admitted that he was contemplating his future in the sport when VCARB decided to replace him following the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix with Liam Lawson.
“In the third race in I broke my hand,” he said in the podcacst released by Ford. “It was such a nothing accident, but I missed however many races, I was out for 10 weeks or something.”
Ricciardo suffered the injury after making a shocking return to VCARB midway through the 2023 season.
The driver told Farley that he found himself wondering “[i]s this now a bit of a sign like should I just quit while I’m ahead, nearly. And I was like, no, there’s still unfinished business and I pushed through it.”
Ricciardo returned for the finish to the 2023 season, and started the 2024 campaign as well. But the results did not follow.
“I lasted another year in F1 and then ultimately got let go,” he said. “That was the reality at the time.”
Ultimately, VCARB dropped him after the Singapore Grand Prix.
“Once that happened, I’d been let go twice in the last two years. It had also taken a lot out of me. I’d put a lot of my soul into it and I did feel pretty exhausted by it.
“In reflection, I was grateful that they made the decision for me, because I think it would have been hard to [say]: ‘I’m done’”.
Riccardo also indicated that deep down, he knew it was the end.
“There’s people that love you and will still tell you that you’re great and you can do it. But as much as you love them as well, you need to just close the door and make that decision on your own and be really honest with yourself,” said Ricciardo.
“If I would have got to the end of last year, I think I would have still had a lot of these thoughts and had the conversation with myself because I knew it was becoming harder for me and I had to dig really deep to pull out a result that I was proud of.
“You always want to believe everyone’s looking out for you, and they probably still are, but they don’t know what it’s like to be you and in your situation.”

#Daniel #Ricciardo #opens #exit">Daniel Ricciardo opens up on F1 exit