Blackhawks legend Stan Mikita died on Tuesday at 78, according to his family, after a long battle with illness. Mikita is one of the most prominent names in Blackhawks lore. He holds Blackhawks records for games played, points, assists and plus/minus. He trails only one-time teammate Bobby Hull for the team record for goals scored at 541.Mikita played 22 NHL seasons, every one with the Blackhawks. He won the Hart Trophy as league MVP twice, in 1966 and 1967, and he won the Art Ross Trophy four times.In the family’s statement, they asked for privacy as they mourned the passing of Mikita.

“With great sorrow, the Mikita family announces that Stan passed away on Tuesday August 7, 2018 at the age of 78,” the statement said, per the NHL’s website. “He was surrounded by his loving family whom he fiercely loved. Details of planned services will be released when they become available. We respectfully ask for privacy at this time.”

Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz also had a statement released on his behalf, which read:

Stan Mikita will be always remembered as a champion, an innovator and a master of the game. He embodied the Chicago Blackhawks. His excellence is illustrated by the team records he still holds today. His passion for the game was proved by the longevity of his playing career. The impact he had on the franchise is proved by fact that Blackhawks fans still wear his jersey to the United Center. On behalf of the Chicago Blackhawks organization and our fans, we express our deepest condolences to the Mikita family and all who mourn Stan’s passing.

“Stan Mikita will be always remembered as a champion, an innovator and a master of the game. He embodied the Chicago Blackhawks.” #ForeverABlackhawk

Mikita was the inspiration for a diner in “Wayne’s World,” the famous “Stan Mikita’s Donuts,” run by an extremely curmudgeony Ed O’Neill. About a year and a half ago, “Stan Mikita’s Donuts” opened up for real for a weekend in Los Angeles.Mikita was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983. The Blackhawks also retired his No. 21 after his retirement in 1980.Mikita was diagnosed with suspected dementia with Lewy Body in 2015, and his health took a turn for the worse. While robbed of his memories, Mikita’s family said in June 2015 that it wouldn’t join any of the concussion and CTE lawsuits being brought against the NHL at the time.

CANTON—The Ravens and Bears honored their great linebackers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher with some defense to make them proud in the Hall of Fame game that opened the NFL’s preseason Thursday night.Oh, there was a little spark of offense, some provided by Baltimore’s first-round draft pick Lamar Jackson in the second half of a 17-16 victory. His 7-yard touchdown pass to fellow first-rounder Hayden Hurst came after the Ravens’ defense recovered a fumble.The Bears put together its best drive in the final minutes and journeyman Tyler Bray connected with Tanner Gentry for a 10-yard score to cap a 92-yard march. But the 2-point conversion pass fell incomplete.Otherwise, D was the letter of the day: there were six turnovers in all, and 12 sacks, eight by the Bears.The teams exchanged tipped interceptions on the first two possessions of the preseason.The Bears moved swiftly downfield only to have Chase Daniel’s pass to Josh Bellamy deflected to safety Chuck Clark at the Baltimore 6. He returned it 15 yards, then the Ravens replicated the turnover.Robert Griffin III, attempting a comeback after sitting out 2017, had his pinpoint throw go off the hands of receiver Breshad Perriman, then off rookie cornerback Michael Joseph. DeAndre Houston-Carson dived to make the pick at the Ravens 34.The Bears soon converted when Michael Burton caught a 4-yard scoring pass from Daniel.Baltimore tied it, sparked by two big gainers by undrafted rookie running back Gus Edwards. Griffin found Maxx Williams for a 4-yard score.Then Lewis’ old unit thrilled him. On the next play from scrimmage, linebacker Kamalei Correa sped 19 yards with an interception to the Bears 9. But Urlacher’s former defense made him smile, sacking Griffin on third down to hold Baltimore to a 31-yard field goal by Kaare Vedvik.Generally, it was a sloppy affair marred by a slew of dropped passes, poor protection for the quarterbacks, and misthrows by those QBs.But something Lewis and Urlacher would approve, the defenses hit hard and tackled well.Matt Nagy, of late the offensive coordinator in Kansas City, made his head coaching debut with the Bears. He has said his new offense is in the early steps of development, and it looked that way all night.Of course, with backups playing it’s nearly impossible to gauge progress.Each of the seven inductees to the hall who were on hand – Terrell Owens is a well-publicized no-show – received a rousing ovation when they were introduced before the game. Lewis replicated his patented warmup dance for a few seconds, and Urlacher slapped hand with every Bears player lined up on the 45-yard line.Also walking along midfield between the lines of Ravens and Bears were Randy Moss, Brian Dawkins, Jerry Kramer, Robert Brazile and Bobby Beathard.Owens did make it onto the cover of the Hall of Fame enshrinement magazine, however.

NOTES—At halftime, Hall of Famers Ozzie Newsome, the general manager of the Ravens, and Dan Fouts received their ”Rings of Excellence” from David Baker, the hall’s president.The first application of the NFL’s enhanced enforcement of penalties for players lowering their helmet to make a tackle occurred early. Ravens linebacker Patrick Onwuasor was flagged for his hit on Benny Cunningham, earning a 15-yard penalty that helped set up the Bear’s first touchdown.Correa got nailed for the same violation in the third quarter, but he also had a sack that forced a fumble in that period, and three sacks overall….The Bears are at Cincinnati next Thursday night.

Jabari Parker is heading back home. The Simeon Alum and former No. 2 overall pick will be joining the Bulls. The team confirmed the signing on Saturday. The deal is for two years and $40 million. He had been a restricted free agent, but the Milwaukee Bucks pulled their qualifying offer at the last moment, allowing Parker to become an unrestricted free agent and simply agree to a deal with the Bulls. Free agent forward Jabari Parker has agreed to a two-year, $40M deal with the Bulls, league sources tell ESPN. Milwaukee rescinded Parker’s qualifying offer moments ago, making him unrestricted.Parker averaged 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 38.3 percent on 3-pointers last season, but played just 31 games after returning from ACL surgery in February. It was the second time in just four seasons that Parker had to make a return from a torn ACL. The second year of Parker’s deal is reportedly a team option, which, given Parker’s previous injury history, is smart from the Bulls’ perspective. It remains to be seen, however, if the same will be said for signing Parker in the first place. It’s easy to see the allure of signing a former No. 2 overall and hometown kid who still has plenty of talent, and will be boon for the marketing department. However, Parker works best as a power forward, and it seems likely there will now be a logjam in the team’s frontcourt. Lauri Markkanen, the team’s first-round pick last season, is also best suited to play the four, and looked impressive in that role last season. Plus the team has Robin Lopez, Bobby Portis Jr. and this year’s first-round pick, Wendell Carter Jr. The plan, according to a report from K.C. Johnson of the Tribune, is to play Parker at the three alongside Markkanen and one of Lopez and Carter in the frontcourt. That may work on offense, but the defense figures to be quite a problem for the Bulls.

Following attempts to trade up for Marvin Bagley III and Mo Bamba, the Bulls stayed at No. 7 and drafted 6-foot-10-inch Wendell Carter Jr. from Duke.Carter, who impressed the Bulls throughout the draft process, is the type of big who management envisions will fit in today’s NBA and complement Lauri Markkanen. At the NBA draft combine, he talked openly about how his game can expand at the next level after sacrificing for his more heralded Duke teammate Bagley.Carter, 19, averaged 13.5 points and 9.1 rebounds in his lone season at Duke. He’s considered an elite rebounder and has the ability to face up or play with his back to the basket. He also shot 41.3 percent on 3-pointers.Following his workout at the Advocate Center, Carter showed his knowledge of today’s game and also talked about learning under Robin Lopez.
In round two, Chandler Hutchison persisted since he left the NBA draft combine last month, reportedly promised a first-round pick by the Bulls.And indeed, they selected the 6-foot-7 Mountain West player of the year with the No. 22 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft. Hutchison averaged 20 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals in his senior season, the rare four-year player.Hutchison improved dramatically over his career, jumping from 3.1 points per game in his freshman season.

The Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night won NBA Draft Lottery 2018 presented by State Farm, which was conducted at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago.

The Suns will have the first overall pick in NBA Draft 2018 presented by State Farm, which will be held on Thursday, June 21 (7 p.m. ET) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.  The Draft will air live on ESPN and ESPN Radio and stream live on the ESPN App.

The following are the results from NBA Draft Lottery 2018 presented by State Farm:

First Round

1. Phoenix 
2. Sacramento
3. Atlanta
4. Memphis
5. Dallas
6. Orlando
7. BULLS
8. Cleveland  (from Brooklyn via Boston)
9. New York
10. Philadelphia  (from Los Angeles Lakers via Phoenix)
11.Charlotte
12. LA Clippers (from Detroit)
13. LA Clippers
14. Denver 
15. Washington
16. Phoenix (from Miami)
17. Milwaukee
18. San Antonio
19. Atlanta (from Minnesota)
20. Minnesota (from Oklahoma City via Utah)
21. Utah
22. BULLS (from New Orleans)
23. Indiana
24. Portland
25. Los Angeles Lakers (from Cleveland)
26. Philadelphia
27. Boston
28. Golden State
29. Brooklyn (from Toronto)
30. Atlanta (from Houston via LA Clippers)

Second Round

31. Phoenix
32. Memphis
33. Dallas
34. Atlanta
35. Orlando
36. New York (from BULLS via Oklahoma City)
37. Sacramento
38. Philadelphia (from Brooklyn)
39. Philadelphia (from New York)
40. Brooklyn (from Los Angeles Lakers via Toronto and Orlando)
41. Orlando (from Charlotte via Phoenix and Memphis)
42. Detroit
43. Denver (from LA Clippers via New York and Philadelphia)
44. Washington
45. Brooklyn (from Milwaukee)
46. Houston (from Miami via Memphis)
47. Los Angeles Lakers (from Denver via Chicago and Utah)
48. Minnesota
49. San Antonio
50. Indiana
51. New Orleans
52. Utah
53. Oklahoma City
54. Dallas (from Portland via Denver)
55. Charlotte (from Cleveland via Brooklyn and Philadelphia)
56. Philadelphia
57. Oklahoma City (from Boston)
58. Denver (from Golden State)
59. Phoenix (from Toronto)
60. Philadelphia (from Houston)

* * *

BROOKLYN—The rebuilding Brooklyn Nets have finally started to click over the season’s final month.Allen Crabbe is hoping it’ll carry over to next season.Crabbe scored 20 of his career-high 41 points in the first quarter and the Nets beat the Bulls 114-105 on Monday night for their first three-game winning streak this season.The Nets have won seven of 12 games since March 17 after dropping 18 of 21.

”Things are maybe turning that corner that we wanted to get a little early in the season, but it’s better late than never,” said Crabbe, who struggled at the beginning of the season before finding his 3-point stroke. He has a franchise-record 188 3-pointers in his first season with Brooklyn.D’Angelo Russell had 21 points and 11 assists, and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 20 points for the Nets, who had not won three straight since April 1-4, 2017.The Nets swept the three-game season series from the Bulls for the first time since the 2004-05 season. Brooklyn assisted on 32 of its 41 baskets.

”I try to pass the ball to whoever’s open,” said Russell, who also had six rebounds. ”Coach gives me that freedom. The more I’m here, the more the trust will slowly elevate but we got shot-makers around here.”

Former Net Sean Kilpatrick was one of seven players for the Bulls to score in double figures, tallying 16 points. Cameron Payne had 15 for the Bulls, who have lost their last three games.Lauri Markkanen added 10 points and six rebounds to reach 500 boards this season. He’s the first Bulls rookie to since Elton Brand to eclipse the 1,000-point, 500-rebound mark.

”I take a lot of pride. I basically try to do basically as much as I can in rebounding,” Markkanen said. ”I think it feels pretty cool to accomplish that, but I’m not satisfied.”

Brooklyn hit 18 3-pointers in its first game since falling one shy of the NBA record with 24 in a rout of the Hawks on Saturday.Crabbe celebrated his 26th birthday by going 8 of 11 from deep Monday. He scored 14 straight points during his first quarter outburst and finished the first half with 29 points, including 6 of 6 from deep. The Nets led 62-55 at the break.During his last three games, Crabbe has made 18 3-pointers and averaged 28.7 points.

”I shook his hand after the game and it was still hot, still cooking,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. ”He’s really finishing the season the way we’re asking the team to finish, on a strong night.”

The Nets led by 11 points during the third quarter before the Bulls cut the lead to three on Kilpatrick’s 3-pointer with five seconds left.The Bulls got within four points on Kilpatrick’s basket with 4:14 left in the fourth quarter, forcing the Nets to call a timeout.Russell then hit a jumper at the elbow over Kilpatrick to start 6-0 run capped by his driving layup with 1:36 to play. That extended the lead to 112-102.Markkanen made a pair of 3-pointers. The 20-year-old from Finland is two shy of tying Kirk Hinrich’s franchise rookie record of 144 set during the 2003-04 season. … David Nwaba had 11 points and 10 rebounds.Forwards Joe Harris (sprained left ankle) and Caris LeVert (right foot tendinitis) were held out. DeMarre Carroll was also a scratch due to a left hip strain.The Bulls conclude the season at home Wednesday night against Detroit.

LYNCHBURG—In the battle of Flames, Tarkus Ferguson scored 16 points and UIC beat Liberty 67-51 on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the CIT.UIC closed the first half on an 8-3 run for 28-24 lead and held the first double-digit lead of the game at 40-29 on Godwin Boahen’s 3-pointer. Michael Diggins started a 14-0 run with a 3-pointer, Boahen’s 3 capped it for a 56-37 advantage and UIC led by at least 14 the rest of the way.Boahen finished with 13 points, Marcus Ottey had 12 and Tai Odiase 11 for UIC (20-15), which has won nine consecutive road games for the first time in program history.UIC will play for the title on Friday night at Northern Colorado.Lovell Cabbil scored 13 points for Liberty (22-15) and Myo Baxter-Bell added 10. Liberty was held to 33 percent shooting, including 5 of 20 from distance.

ATLANTA—Loyola has captured the hearts of college basketball fans everywhere this March, and now it will have a chance to compete for a national championship on the game’s biggest stage after beating Kansas State 78-62 to be crowned as champions of the South Region. Senior guard Ben Richardson scored a career-high 23 points to lead the Ramblers, who will play Michigan in the Final Four. Arguably the toughest corner of the bracket, the one with the overall No. 1 seed and four conference tournament champions, has been where we’ve found this year’s most unlikely outcomes, from the first-ever 16-over-1 upset to a mid-major from the Missouri Valley Conference making a Final Four run as a No. 11-seed. On the court Loyola packed all of the thrills, beating the third-place team in the ACC (Miami), the SEC regular season co-champions (Tennessee) and the Mountain West champions (Nevada) by a combined four points. Off the court Loyola introduced the rest of the country to Sister Jean, a kind-hearted and noble face of the NCAA Tournament after a season mostly defined by scandal tied to an ongoing corruption investigation by the FBI. Loyola’s team fits the model of what so many love about college basketball and this tournament as well. This group doesn’t wow you with size or speed when they get off the bus, but the ball moves faster than any player and no one passes the ball better as a team than the Ramblers. There isn’t a bad passer on the team, and any one of the rotation players has the potential to to be the team’s primary offensive threat on a given night. It’s one of the things that makes Loyola so good in the closing moments of these close games: opponents can’t turn their attention to any one player because anyone on the floor could potentially be the go-to guy of the moment. The unusual way the region unfolded gave Loyola an Elite Eight foe different from the top seeds that George Mason and VCU had to beat in 2006 and 2011. After beating a No. 6, a No. 3 and a No. 7, the last test was No. 9 Kansas State. The way the game unfolded broke the mold from previous tournament wins as well, with Loyola leading by as many as 21 in the second half and then holding on for the program-defining win in the final minutes.

ATLANTA—With Loyola’s captivating NCAA Tournament run hanging in the balance, it was Marques Townes’ turn to deliver another memorable finish.Townes had scored only a combined 15 points in Loyola’s first two NCAA Tournament games, but that didn’t concern Ramblers coach Porter Moser. Townes had the ball in front of the Loyola bench in the final seconds Thursday night and the shot clock about to expire.With Loyola clinging to a one-point lead and only 6.3 seconds remaining, Townes nailed the decisive 3-pointer to help clinch a 69-68 win over Nevada in the NCAA South Regional semifinal.

”He was a warrior,” Moser said.
Townes, who had 18 points, charged down the court, pumping his fist, following the shot.

”I’ll probably remember it for the rest of my life,” Townes said. ”I mean, it doesn’t really get any better than that.”

Following a timeout, Nevada’s Caleb Martin answered with a 3, but this time the Wolf Pack couldn’t extend their string of second-half comebacks in the tournament.

”Got to give so much credit to Nevada, they never quit,” Moser said. ”Those guys keep coming at you, coming at you. … I was blessed we made a couple of plays at the end, got a couple of stops.”

The win leaves the No. 11th-seeded Ramblers, the biggest surprise in a regional that has lost its top four seeds, one victory from a Final Four appearance. Loyola (31-5), which has won three tournament games by a combined four points, awaits Kentucky game in Saturday’s regional final.Not bad for a program that hadn’t been in the Sweet 16 in 33 years.On a team that shares the spotlight, this was Townes’ moment. He made each of his two 3s and led Loyola with five assists. He said he was fine after banging knees with Nevada’s Jordan Caroline at the end of the game.

”I think Marques Townes is the best player on the court tonight,” said Loyola guard Clayton Custer. ”I don’t even think it was close, either. … This is unbelievable. Feels like a dream.”

Martin led Nevada (29-8) with 21 points. Twin brother Cody Martin had 16. Jordan Carolina added 19.

”We get a stop on the 3 they shot at the buzzer and maybe we’re sitting up here with a win,” said Nevada coach Eric Musselman.
Caleb Martin bemoaned his missed defensive opportunity before Townes’ big 3.

”I should have denied the catch,” Martin said of Loyola’s pass to Townes. ”I just got lost and it was costly.”

Loyola trailed by 12 points, at 20-8, midway through the first half but stormed back to lead 28-24 at halftime. Loyola closed the half with a 20-4 run as Nevada didn’t score in the final 7:55 before the break.Loyola pushed the ball in the paint on almost every possession. The Ramblers’ first 10 points came on layups.Loyola’s relentless attack on the basket continued as it stretched its lead, one layup at a time, in the second half.

NOTES—Loyola showed strong poise by sticking with their game plan to attack the basket, even when the Wolf Pack collected five blocks in the first half. Loyola took a 46-34 advantage in points in the paint…..Four members of Loyola’s famous 1963 NCAA championship team had front-row seats: Jerry Harkness, Les Hunter, John Egan and Rich Rochelle. In the final minutes of the game, Harkness could be heard saying, ”We need a stop. We just need a stop.”….Also attending the game was Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, Loyola’s 98-year-old team chaplain who has become a celebrity during the tournament. ”It was getting pretty bad. I thought I might have to resort to my nitro (nitroglycerin), but I didn’t have to do that,” she said after the win. She also had a word of caution for Loyola’s next opponent: ”Here we come, next team, whoever you are.”…..Nevada’s experience in second-half comebacks paid off. After Loyola’s layup by Custer gave the Ramblers their last 10-point lead at 57-47, the Wolf Pack charged back. Cody Martin’s basket started a 12-2 run, and his layup tied the game at 59-all with 4:06 remaining.This time, however, Nevada couldn’t regain the lead…..The Ramblers will face Ks State-Kentucky regional semifinal in Saturday’s regional final.