Deadspin | Hornets stay hot with 2nd-half surge past Timberwolves Apr 5, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) drives on Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images LaMelo Ball scored 35 points on 13-for-22 shooting and the Charlotte Hornets pulled away for a 122-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday evening in Minneapolis. Miles Bridges added 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Charlotte (43-36), which won its fourth game in a row. Coby White contributed 17 points off the bench. Julius Randle scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Minnesota (46-32). Bones Hyland finished with 18 points off the bench, and Rudy Gobert registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Charlotte shot 48.9% (45 of 92) overall and 42.2% (19 of 45) from 3-point range. Minnesota shot 45.8% (38 of 83) from the field and 36.8% (14 of 38) from deep. The Hornets outscored the Timberwolves 67-48 in the second half to seal the victory. Minnesota led by four points early in the second half after Randle made a turnaround jump shot with 9:25 left in the third quarter. That gave the Timberwolves a 66-62 edge. The Hornets responded with a 9-0 run to seize a 71-66 lead. Ball made a 3-pointer to start the run and Bridges ended it with back-to-back 3-pointers. Sion James joined the 3-point parade with his own deep shot in the final moments of the third quarter. That gave Charlotte a double-digit advantage at 89-79. Charlotte opened the fourth quarter on a 16-6 run to increase its lead to 20 points. Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards missed the game because of inflammation in his right knee. Jaden McDaniels missed the game because of soreness in his left knee. Minnesota led 60-55 at the half. The Timberwolves scored 39 points in the second quarter to seize the halftime lead. Hyland got hot and scored 15 points in the second quarter. He made 4 of 5 shots, all from 3-point range. Charlotte led by eight points at the end of the first quarter. Ball buried a trio of 3-pointers in the first quarter, and Grant Williams made a pair of free throws in the final seconds to give the Hornets a 29-21 advantage. -Field Level Media #Deadspin #Hornets #stay #hot #2ndhalf #surge #Timberwolves

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