Following a polarizing season three debut that sparked controversy over some of its more provocative content, “Euphoria” returned with its second episode on Sunday. The series, created by Sam Levinson and starring Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney, has been a major talking point since its comeback on HBO Max after a four-year break from the airwaves.

This season picks up five years after the characters’ high school days, offering a fresh perspective on their lives. Despite the anticipation, the latest episode, aptly named “America My Dream,” has left many viewers unsettled. Fans are particularly concerned about the portrayal of Sydney Sweeney’s character, Cassie, who seems to be caught in a cycle of being depicted in increasingly explicit and degrading scenarios.

The episode showcases Cassie engaging in bold photo shoots for her OnlyFans account. One of the most talked-about scenes features her provocatively posing with ice cream dripping down her bare chest, a continuation of themes from the previous episode where she dressed as a dog. These scenes have sparked debate over the portrayal of her character and the direction of the series.

In another striking sequence, Cassie dons only a backwards baseball cap while posing in a baseball-themed setting, carefully concealing her body with strategic arm placements. The storyline further pushes boundaries as she adopts an ‘adult baby’ persona, leaving audiences questioning the intent behind these creative choices.

In another daring shot, she is seen wearing nothing but a backwards baseball cap as she poses in a baseball-themed set, strategically using her arms to cover her chest and lower body. Later on she portrays an ‘adult baby’ with her legs up in the air.

‘Somebody save Sydney Sweeney,’ one fan wrote, as many others called the scenes a ‘humiliation ritual.’ 

Euphoria fans were left appalled at Sydney Sweeney being ‘degraded’ in new X-rated fetish scenes on the second episode of season three

Her character Cassie was captured posing for a series of provocative new photos for her OnlyFans account

‘Please god i cant keep seeing cassie degrade herself in the most embarrassing ways imaginable,’ someone else added. 

‘Sydney girlllll say no to some stuff,’ another fan pleaded. 

‘How is Sydney even agreeing to do this season of Euphoria?’ someone else questioned.

‘Why would sydney agree to doing allat… weird.’

‘Seated for sydney sweeney to be typecasted the rest of her career.’

The episode kicks off with Maddy (Alexa Demie) now working at a Hollywood talent agency and navigating the Covid pandemic.

She begins managing Katelyn (Anna Van Patten), and pushes her into the world of digital fetish content, including nearly nude photos and feet content. However her boss forces her to drop Katelyn, saying she is going to cheapen the brand.

Maddy then meets up with Cassie, who is seen having her housekeeper take provocative photos of her to post on her OnlyFans.

‘Cassie was exactly the kinda girl you’d dream of signing. Beautiful, but directionless. So desperate for attention she’s willing to humiliate herself,’ the viewers are told by the narrator.

Cassie looks starstruck as she sees her former best friend, who comes to meet her in a glamorous fur coat.

She tells Maddy that she should have asked for permission before dating her ex Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), to whom she’s now engaged. Maddy then forgives her. 

After a few drinks, Cassie reveals that she is looking for some help with her OnlyFans.

One graphic shot featured ice cream dripping down her nude cleavage

Later on she is seen posing as a baby, with her legs up in the air

She was also pictured in a sheer American flag top 

‘Somebody save Sydney Sweeney,’ one fan wrote, as many others called it a ‘humiliation ritual’

‘The market’s just oversaturated with a lot of girls like you,’ Maddy says.

‘How are all these girls making so much money when I’m way prettier than them?’ Cassie questions.  

Maddy then questions some of her content. ‘Yeah, the doggie video? It’s fun and it’s campy, but it’s not sexy, and it’s not timeless.’

‘But it’s cute though,’ Cassie insists.

‘It just feels a little desperate,’ Maddy tells her. ‘It feels like you’re trying way too hard, instead of just being.’

After asking if Nate is okay with her doing nudes, Maddy finally decides to help Cassie out.

Meanwhile, Rue (Zendaya) finds herself under the thumb of strip club magnate Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and is tasked with helping him scrub any evidence of a fatal overdose involving a young woman named Tish. 

The death occurred at Alamo’s party after Tish consumed a fentanyl-laced pill.

Because the bad pills came from Laurie (Martha Kelly), Alamo calls her up and demands that Rue work for him instead.

Since Rue was already muling drugs for Laurie to pay off her debt, Alamo takes over her contract as payback for the girl’s death.

Rue is then promoted to help with managing the Silver Slipper strip club.

She later hooks up with one of the strippers named Angel (Priscilla Delgado).

Cassie later meets up with her former best friend Maddy (Alexa Demie) to ask for help with her Only Fans content

‘The market’s just oversaturated with a lot of girls like you,’ Maddy tells her, adding that some of her content feels ‘desperate.’ However she decides to help her 

Eric Dane returned to the screen as Cal Jacobs in the episode, marking one of his final roles before his death from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) at age 53 in February

Cal visits his son – Cassie’s fiance – Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), as viewers are told that the last five years have been ‘humiliating’ for Cal and that he went from being the town’s top real estate developer, to a ‘broke sexual deviant who narrowly avoided prison’

Cal tells Nate that he heard Cassie is selling photos of herself online from a guy at a Sex and Love Addicts meetings. ‘Once you give into temptation, it knows no limits,’ he says

Nate says that what Cassie is doing and what he did are ‘not the same thing’ adding, ‘You’re gay. You’re in denial, and it came out in very weird ways’

‘I’m not gay,’ Cal protests, adding, ‘I was a hedonist.’ Nate tells him, ‘You f****d men in the a**. How is that not gay?’ Cal explains, ‘I was a pitcher, not a catcher’

However, she admits that she misses her ex Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer). She recalls that a few years prior she used to visit Jules in the city while she was in art school.

She says that things were not the same as in high school, as too much had happened between them. Rue then admits that she had a bad relapse.

She leaves a tearful voicemail for her mom, begging to come home. Rue then tells viewers that she hasn’t been sober since.

While at work, Rue hears Angel leave Tish a tearful voicemail, asking her to call her back and that she is worried about her.

Meanwhile singer Rosalia stars as a stripper named Magick on the show.

Rue later meets up with Maddy, and they chat about her getting in touch with Jules.

Meanwhile, Eric Dane returns to the screen as Cal Jacobs in the episode, marking one of his final roles before his death from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) at age 53 in February 2026.

The beloved actor revealed in April 2025 that he had been diagnosed with ALS, but just days later confirmed he still planned to return to the hit HBO drama. Dane quietly completed scenes for the third season of the show before his tragic death.

Cal visits his son, as Rue tells the viewers that the last five years have been ‘humiliating’ for him and that he went from being the town’s top real estate developer, to a ‘broke sexual deviant who narrowly avoided prison.’

Cal tells Nate that he heard Cassie is selling photos of herself online from a guy at a Sex and Love Addicts meetings.

Cal asks his son if he is having financial issues, which he denies.

Meanwhile Cassie shows a friend some of her OnlyFans photos, with one of them depicting her as a baby

Cassie explains that ‘adult babies’ are a huge subculture, and that she keeps getting requests for ‘teething rings,’ ‘bassinets’ and people who want to see her wearing a diaper. ‘That’s sick,’ her friend tells her

Later on Nate confronts Cassie about her OnlyFans account and asks her to delete it, which she does

Hours after, while they’re in bed, Nate tells Cassie he doesn’t want them to have any secrets. Cassie then reveals that Maddy has been helping her and that she has invited her to their wedding

Meanwhile, Rue (Zendaya) finds herself under the thumb of strip club magnate Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and is tasked with helping him scrub any evidence of a fatal overdose involving a young woman named Tish

The death occurred at Alamo’s party after Tish consumed a fentanyl-laced pill. Because the bad pills came from Laurie (Martha Kelly), Alamo calls her up and demands that Rue work for him instead

Meanwhile viewers are shown that Nate is falling into significant debt while trying to keep his father’s real estate business afloat. 

The scene then cuts to Nate and his father discussing Cassie’s OnlyFans again.

‘Once you give into temptation, it knows no limits. I’m speaking from experience,’ his father tells him.

‘I didn’t start by having sex with men,’ Cal says, ‘My first affair was with a very sexy woman.’

Nate says that what Cassie is doing and what he did are ‘not the same thing.’

‘You’re gay. You’re in denial, and it came out in very weird ways,’ Nate told him.

‘I’m not gay,’ Cal protests, adding, ‘I was a hedonist.’

‘You f****d men in the a**,’ Nate tells him.

‘So?’ Cal questions.

‘How is that not gay?’

‘I was a pitcher, not a catcher,’ Cal explains.

At one point Rue hooks up with one of the strippers named Angel (Priscilla Delgado), who it turns out was best friends with Tish

‘She OD’d,’ Rue finally tells her. Angel doesn’t take the news lightly, as she breaks down crying in the bathroom, and later starts to spiral at work

Rue then intervenes on Angel’s behalf, and Alamo says he will pay for her rehab. Angel has a meltdown when she hears about the rehab idea, but eventually Rue persuades her to go

Meanwhile Rosalia stars as a stripper named Magick on the show

The next scene shows Rue having a confrontation with Angel, who is worried about Tish and acting out violently.

‘She OD’d,’ Rue finally tells her.

Angel doesn’t take the news lightly, as she breaks down crying in the bathroom, and later starts to spiral at work. 

Rue then intervenes on Angel’s behalf, and Alamo says he will pay for her rehab. 

Angel has a meltdown when she hears about the rehab idea, but eventually Rue persuades her to go.

Meanwhile Cassie shows a friend some of her OnlyFans photos, with one of them depicting her as a baby.

‘Why are you dressed as a baby?’ her friend asks.

Cassie explains that ‘adult babies’ are a huge subculture, and that she keeps getting requests for ‘teething rings,’ ‘bassinets’ and people who want to see her wearing a diaper.

‘That’s sick,’ her friend tells her.

Later on Nate confronts Cassie about her OnlyFans account and asks her to delete it, which she does. 

Hours after, while they’re in bed, Nate tells Cassie he doesn’t want them to have any secrets.

Cassie then reveals that Maddy has been helping her and that she has invited her to their wedding.

Meanwhile Rue drops off Angel at rehab, while Alamo drops off a large pig at Laurie’s house, as punishment for calling him a pig.

At the end of the episode Rue reunites with her ex Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer) after admitting that she missed her

Jules invites her up to her large luxury apartment and reveals that it belongs to her boyfriend, as Rue pokes fun of her being a sugar baby

The episode ends with Jules inviting Rue to keep her company as she takes a bath

Jules is shown at the end of the episode, as Rue surprises her with a visit.

Jules invites her up to her large luxury apartment and reveals that it belongs to her boyfriend, as Rue pokes fun of her being a sugar baby.

The episode ends with Jules inviting Rue to keep her company as she takes a bath. 

The season three premiere left viewers horrified over ‘nasty’ scenes involving Zendaya swallowing bags of fentanyl and Sweeney engaging in fetish work. 

Ahead of its premiere the third season was also torched with early reviews, with the show being labeled as an ‘unhinged disaster’ yet ‘pretty uneventful.’

It also held a 46% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes before the first episode became available on the streaming site.

Lauren Samer from the New York Post labeled the third season – which has a five-year time jump – as ‘Breaking Bad meets Looney Tunes.’

‘In the first two seasons, the show’s strength was how it dug into these characters’ lives. The plot got wild, but it was anchored by human drama.’

Samer added, ‘Now, as we find them as adults, it would be more compelling to see them struggle because of their flaws. Instead, many of them struggle because random criminal henchmen are after them.’

The BBC’s Caryn James gave the first three episodes two out of five stars.

James also wrote that ‘Euphoria has become a series with very little to say, none of it very audacious or compelling.

‘Based on the three episodes, of eight, that HBO made available in advance, it is a strained attempt to make the closed circle of friends it follows, now in their early 20s, somehow the same only different.’

The new season premiered under the cloud of the tragic untimely deaths of two major players in the cast, Dane and Angus Cloud.

Ahead of its premiere on Sunday, the third season was torched with early reviews, with the show being labeled as an ‘unhinged disaster’ yet ‘pretty uneventful’

Cloud starred on the teen drama as the drug dealer Fezco aka ‘Fez,’ who emerges as a voice of reason of sorts to the other characters.

The actor was just 25 years old when he died in July 2023 of a combined overdose of fentanyl, meth, cocaine and benzodiazepines.

Following the tragic passing of the actor, the show opted to explain his absence by revealing Fez is doing a lengthy stint in prison. 

Season one of Euphoria initially premiered back in 2019, with the second season following three years later.

The eight-episode third season will roll out on a weekly basis, with the finale set to air on May 31. 

BOSTON (AP) — The legendary ride of Paul Revere is scheduled for a reenactment on Monday, with a few contemporary twists: instead of midnight, the event will occur in daylight, accompanied by a police escort for both horse and rider.

Back on April 18, 1775, Revere, a silversmith and express rider, embarked on his famous journey to Lexington. His mission was to alert Revolutionary figures Samuel Adams and John Hancock about the British forces’ plan to arrest them. Afterward, he rode towards Concord to warn of imminent raids on military supplies.

Revere arrived in Lexington around midnight, closely followed by William Dawes, who traveled a separate path to deliver the same urgent news.

Their warnings mobilized local militiamen, armed and ready, to confront a significantly larger force of British soldiers on the Lexington Battle Green. This encounter resulted in the British being driven back to Boston, where they were besieged by militias for nearly a year, a period known as the Siege of Boston.

“The significance lies in meeting the British troops,” explained Nina Zannieri, the executive director of the Paul Revere Memorial Association, which manages The Paul Revere House. “It marked a pivotal moment. Had there been no resistance on the green, the British might have marched unchallenged. But instead, they faced opposition.”

The reenactor, dressed in Colonial costume and accompanied by another horseman, will roughly trace the route taken by Revere 251 years ago. The ride will start in Boston’s North End and head to Charlestown, Somerville, Medford and Arlington before finishing in Lexington — all communities where Revere alerted militias about British movements.

Some aspects of the historic night will not be part of the event, such as Revere taking a boat to Charlestown before starting his ride.

Nor will there be Revere’s brief detention by a British patrol on his way to Concord after leaving Lexington. Revere was ultimately let go without his horse after convincing the British that hundreds of patriots were waiting for them, and he returned to Lexington to see the end of the battle.

“It’s basically important that he leaves Boston. He rides. He’s alerting people. Other people are out,” Zannieri said. “He starts a chain reaction, and he accomplishes his mission even though he gets stopped and held. He’s lucky he wasn’t killed.”

While Revere dodged patrols and contended with rutted and muddy roads, his 21st-century counterpart will have it easy, traversing pavement the entire way and passing through a world of stoplights, car dealerships and bustling downtowns that Revere never could have imagined. The 2026 Boston Marathon takes place at the same time, though the routes will not overlap.

Michelle DiCarlo-Domey, who organizes the ride each year for the National Lancer, the state’s historic mounted cavalry unit, said thousands come out to see history come alive and show their patriotism. The National Lancer has been holding the Revere and Dawes ride for over 110 years.

“Whenever you can interact with the riders and the horses, it can help carry history on,” DiCarlo-Domey said. “Kids can relate to what they learn in school. And where else do you see two horses running down the street?”

Chilling footage captured by a body camera has revealed a tragic incident where a Chicago police officer accidentally shot and killed his partner. The video showcases a devastating moment that has since sparked controversy and legal action.

The incident unfolded on the night of June 5, 2025, when Officer Carlos Baker and his partner, Krystal Rivera, age 36, were in hot pursuit of a suspect through an apartment complex in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood. In a heartbreaking turn of events, Baker mistakenly shot Rivera, an act that police officials have labeled as an unfortunate accident.

However, Rivera’s family challenges this narrative, filing a wrongful death lawsuit against both Officer Baker and the Chicago Police Department. The lawsuit claims that Baker neglected his duty to assist Rivera immediately after the shooting. It also highlights a purportedly tumultuous history between the two officers, who had reportedly been romantically involved, suggesting that the department was aware of these dynamics.

Amidst the ongoing legal battle, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability made a pivotal decision to release the footage from Baker’s body-worn camera. This release, which took place on Friday, provides a visual account of the moments leading up to the tragic shooting.

The video documents Baker and Rivera as they exit their vehicle, racing towards a man near the apartment building. The officers can be heard commanding the suspect to stop and raise his hands, shortly before the fatal shot was fired.

But the man instead ducked into the building and bounded up the stairs, with Baker and Rivera pursuing close behind.

As Baker made his way up the stairs, with Rivera on his tail, the suspect – who was later identified as Adrian Rucker – ducked into an apartment.

Baker then kicked down the door as the suspect proceeded to flip over the couch.

At that point, another man –  later identified as Jaylin Arnold – could be seen exiting a room with a long gun in hand.

Baker appeared to quickly react, turning and firing one shot – and Rivera fell to the ground. 

Chicago Police Officer Carlos Baker is facing a wrongful death suit in the case

Meanwhile, Baker ran up the stairs, where he caught his breath before asking: ‘Krystal are you OK?’

When he did not receive an answer, Baker could be heard calling for an ambulance and asserting: ‘I can’t get my partner!’

He also asked another resident of the building to call 911. 

But about two minutes later, Baker could be seen going to check on his partner before additional units arrived on the scene to transport her to a local hospital. 

Colleagues brought Rivera, a mother-of-one, to University of Chicago Medical Center in a squad car that crashed and caught fire because of a malfunction, according to Police Superintendent Larry Snelling. 

She was then transported in another squad car, and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

An ensuing autopsy found that the fatal shot pierced Rivera’s skin and traveled through both her lungs, wedging itself in her ribs, the Chicago Tribune reports.

When he was later questioned about what happened that night, Baker told investigators: ‘I thought I was about to die in that doorway because action – as we’re taught – action beats reaction.

‘I dove out of the way and that was when I heard a “pop,”‘ he said according to a transcript of the interview obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. 

Baker also claimed he only realized he was the one who shot Rivera when he checked his service weapon at police headquarters and noticed a bullet was missing.

‘I was lost and confused. I was in denial that I even fired my gun,’ he recounted.

Baker’s body-worn camera showed him and Rivera chasing a suspect, who ran into an apartment building on the night of June 5, 2025

The suspect ducked into an apartment, where a second man was seen holding a long gun

The cop then insisted he was ‘best friends’ with Rivera and that he ‘would never’ intentionally shoot her, saying he was willing to risk his life for Rivera and remembered thinking: ‘I will die for her, that I had to get to her.’

‘I just want to speak to Krystal and say “I love you” and that “I miss you,”‘ he said. ‘”I will never forget you… I won’t let you down, I promise.” That’s it.’ 

Officers who reviewed the footage said it appeared Baker acted appropriately.

‘I mean, if they saw the individual, they had a good description, they were in direct pursuit of the individual, then you don’t want to wait because you don’t know who else you’re putting in jeopardy in that building,’ said ABC 7 Police Affairs Consultant Bill Kushner, who worked as a tactical officer in the same district as Baker and Rivera.

He noted that it appeared the two officers had entered a ‘fatal funnel.’

‘Those buildings are literal, just kill zones,’ Kushner said. ‘Every, every, every staircase is a kill zone and there’s no good way to get into any apartment or chase anyone in there.’

John Catanzara, head of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, also defended Baker’s actions as he encouraged the cop to consider filing his own lawsuit against the firm representing the Rivera family.

‘Many officers would have run down the… stairs possibly right away, subjecting themselves to then get shot,’ he argued. ‘And then you’d have two shot officers on the staircase if the offenders were still in the apartment.’ 

Rivera, a mother of one, was pronounced dead at a local hospital 

An autopsy found that the fatal shot pierced Rivera’s skin and traveled through both her lungs, wedging itself in her ribs. She is pictured left

But attorneys representing Rivera’s family in their wrongful death suit have claimed there is more to the story. 

In a lengthy statement following the release of the footage on Friday, lawyer Antonio Romanucci said ‘this is NOT all of the body-worn video footage from the event.

‘What has been released is a curated narrative meant to invent a false truth,’ he said, arguing, ‘All body-worn footage is essential to the public understanding the full scope of this tragedy.’

Romanucci added that his firm will conduct a full forensic video audit and analysis to investigate the released footage, saying: ‘We do not have confidence that this investigation is being handled in a fair and objective manner.

‘We call for an independent investigation into Krystal’s death and the CPD conduct that has followed,’ the lawyer said. ‘Indeed, we are suspicious of why the videos are released while the investigation is underway.’

COPA is not commenting on the allegations, but sources told ABC 7 Rivera’s body-worn camera was cut off to maintain dignity in her final moments. 

Still, Romanucci argued that ‘Carlos Baker was unfit to be a Chicago Police Officer and that CPD put Krystal at risk by giving him a badge and a gun.

‘Moreso, he failed in his duty to render life-saving aid to his Krystal after he shot her.’

Baker had been the subject of more than a dozen misconduct complaints by the time he shot and killed Rivera

Baker had been the subject of more than a dozen misconduct complaints by the time he shot and killed Rivera, the Sun-Times reports.

He accrued five of those complaints when he was a probationary officer, when he could have been summarily fired because he had few union protections.

At that time, Baker was accused of flashing a gun at a woman he had met online while she was on a date with another man. But the woman refused to cooperate with authorities, and Baker faced no disciplinary action in that case.

He then applied to the Gresham District’s tactical team in March 2024, but Patrol Chief Jon Hein quashed his promotion, citing his disciplinary history.

Baker then ran into even more trouble before applying for the position once again.

He failed to activate his lights or sirens as he chased a stolen car in June 2024 that ultimately went flying into the air and wrecked six other vehicles.

Baker then accidentally fired his Taser while chasing the driver over a fence. As a result of the crash, Baker was docked two days of pay.

But he reapplied for the tactical team in January 2025, after getting the backing of district commander Michael Tate, who has since been promoted to street deputy, a high-ranking position responsible for responding and commanding the scene at major events citywide. 

Officer River, pictured alongside her friend Officer Lindahl, had reportedly been in an on-and-off relationship with Baker for two years

After becoming partners, Rivera’s family said the two were in an on-and-off relationship for nearly two years, Fox 32 reports.

But when Rivera found out that Baker was living with another woman while dating Rivera, she threatened to tell his live-in girlfriend about their relationship, her mother alleges in the lawsuit.

It further claims that Baker showed up uninvited at Rivera’s home the day before he shot her, and that following the shooting, he failed to provide medical aid or acknowledge he was the shooter.

Baker, though, told investigators he and Rivera had ‘no more than’ three intimate encounters and denied they were ever in a ‘relationship.’

He said even suggested they continue to work as partners on the tactical team and said they kept hanging out after they were in separate relationships.  

The cop, who was relieved of his duties last summer following reports that he battered another 29-year-old off-duty cop and allegedly attempted to interfere in the internal investigation into that complaint, also claimed he didn’t ‘have time to render aid.’

‘It wasn’t going to work.  I knew she had to get to a Level 1 trauma center to surgery, effective immediately,’ he insisted.

When he was later asked about his decision to climb the stairs away from where the gunfire came from, Baker said he was shielding himself from what he thought was ‘the line of fire, where the rifle was initially pointed at me.’

When he was then asked how long he stayed at the top of the stairs, Baker replied: ‘The whole night felt like seconds.

‘It all felt like it happened in a second. So I don’t recall. I don’t know.’ 

Rivera’s family claim in a wrongful death suit that Baker failed to attend to his partner as she lay on the ground bleeding out

Officers are seen holding hands at a prayer vigil in Rivera’s memory

In a previous statement to the Tribune, Baker’s attorney, Tim Grace, expressed grief and sympathy to Rivera’s family, but placed the blame for her death on the suspect they were chasing.

He said at the time that the then-unreleased body camera footage would refute the Rivera family’s claims.

‘The facts are clear that Officer Baker breached the door on that fateful night and was facing the lethal end of a rifle,’ he said. ‘While moving to seek cover and unbeknownst to him, his weapon unintentionally discharged, striking Krystal.

‘The true facts will reveal that Carlos immediately called for EMS, carried Krystal to safety and ensured she was being transported to the hospital. He then re-entered the apartment to apprehend the offenders.

‘The body-worn camera videos will support these facts and challenge the accuracy and veracity of the allegations made in the complaint,’ Grace said.

A hearing on the nine-count wrongful death suit is scheduled for early June.

In the meantime, the offenders in the case – Rucker and Arnold – face an array of narcotics charges in connection with the shooting – but neither face a count of murder.

They remain in the Cook County Jail as their cases remain pending. 

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks chose to maintain their composure and refrained from escalating the situation.

When given the opportunity to respond to CJ McCollum’s claim that Brunson feigned an injury to prompt a technical foul against McCollum, Brunson remained reserved and declined to comment extensively.

“I have no reaction,” Brunson stated following the team’s practice on Sunday. “No comment.”

The incident in question occurred during the second quarter of the Knicks’ 113-102 victory over the Hawks in Game 1 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. McCollum was handed a technical foul for kicking Brunson in the midsection during a jump shot attempt, a play that also resulted in a travel call against him. Brunson lay on the court in apparent pain for a few moments before recovering and continuing the game.

McCollum, however, felt that Brunson exaggerated the impact of the contact.

“I shot a jumper and Jalen thought we were at a Broadway show,” McCollum said after the game. “He acted it out until they reviewed it. It’s a normal jump shot. Nothing there. Unnecessary and I look forward to getting my $2,500 [fine] back.”

Brunson after the game said he didn’t think it was purposeful. On Sunday, coach Mike Brown said he didn’t even see McCollum’s comments.

“A lot of guys are gonna say a lot of things throughout the course of the playoffs,” Brown said. “So whatever people want to say, that’s up to them. But I didn’t see it.”

OG Anunoby (left ankle sprain) is listed as probable for Game 2 on Monday at MSG. He briefly exited after rolling his left ankle in Game 1 — the same one that forced him to exit the penultimate regular-season game.

He practiced Sunday, Brown said.

Onyeka Okongwu (right knee inflammation) is questionable for the Hawks.

Brunson will not repeat as the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year. He was not named one of the three finalists Sunday.

Anunoby was not one of the three finalists for Defensive Player of the Year. Earlier this month, he shared his belief that he should win it, a rare bit of expression from the normally quiet Anunoby.

In a recent statement, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright indicated that American drivers might have to wait until next year to see gas prices drop below $3 per gallon. Currently, the national average hovers just below $4.05 per gallon, and while there’s been a slight decrease in Illinois to $4.31 per gallon, this relief is minimal.

Despite this slight dip, drivers are feeling the pinch at the pump. More motorists are opting to fill only half their tanks, a testament to their growing frustration over the escalating costs. According to AAA, while the prices may have slightly decreased, the trend does not yet signal a significant downward shift.

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Complicating matters further is the situation overseas, where uncertainty continues to loom. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for oil transport, has added pressure on oil futures, which remain on an upward trajectory both in the U.S. and globally. This ongoing tension creates an unpredictable environment, making it difficult to forecast when drivers might see substantial relief in gas prices.

As drivers navigate these challenging times, it appears that patience will be key, as the path to lower fuel costs remains uncertain and fraught with international complexities.

Oil futures are reacting to the Strait of Hormuz remaining closed with no clear path ahead for a resolution. U.S. and global oil futures are rising.

Gas Buddy reports the nationwide average gallon of regular is at about $3.99, but they say there could be notable jumps in the next two days with rising oil prices.

An Indiana resident named Trac was forced to fill up some gas in Chicago on Sunday, where prices are much higher than she’s used to across state lines.

“I think I’m gonna have to start riding my horse or a bike, because we can’t afford to keep driving at these prices,” Tracy said. “Hopefully we’ll make it back to Indiana and fill up the rest there.”

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