Real Madrid clinch LaLiga title with tenth win in a row

Real Madrid continued their stunning run on Thursday to beat Villarreal and clinch the LaLiga title.

Two goals from Karim Benzema helped Madrid secure a tenth win in a row, securing their 34th LaLiga crown.

According to iSports football API, it is the 11th trophy in total the club have won with Zinedine Zidane in charge.

Sergio Ramos and Benzema in particular have been crucial during the run-in, scoring five goals apiece in the nine fixtures since Spanish football returned last month.

The title is just the second for Los Merengues in the last eight LaLiga seasons, as per iSports API football data.

Attention will now turn to the return of the Champions League, with Madrid 2-1 down heading into their last 16 second leg against Manchester City in August.

Elsewhere, rivals Barcelona suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at home to 10-man Osasuna.

All football stat collect from isports API, for more details, please visit www.isportsapi.com.

Brandon Ingram and the top NBA free agents to watch in the bubble

When the NBA resumes on July 30, there will be millions of dollars on the line for the 2020 free agents taking the court, according to iSports basketball API.

More than 150 players participating in the NBA restart are on track to hit free agency in October, and one misstep could prove costly for a player looking for a new deal. Last month, Washington Wizards forward Davis Bertans opted out of playing in the bubble so he could maximize his earning potential and avoid risking injury.

And it's not just the players hitting free agency this fall who are worried. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in June that several top stars from the 2017 draft class who will be extension-eligible this fall, such as Boston Celtics wing Jayson Tatum and Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, talked to the National Basketball Players Association about possible insurance allowances.

But for most players -- like New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram -- participating in Orlando is a risk they are willing to take, as per iSports API. Here's a look at what's at stake, the decision-making process for players and teams, and the 10 most interesting free agents to watch in Orlando.

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Sacramento Kings' De'Aaron Fox out at least week after spraining ankle

Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox suffered a left ankle sprain in practice Wednesday and will be reevaluated in seven-to-10 days, the team announced.

Fox was the Kings' leader in points (20.4), assists (6.8) and steals (1.4) prior to the NBA's suspension of play in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, as per iSports NBA data. He recently said that his speedy playing style could help Sacramento surprise some teams in the restart.

Fox's injury was the latest development in what has been a snakebitten restart for Sacramento, which has had four players -- Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Jabari Parker and Alex Len -- test positive for COVID-19 before training camp. A fifth player, center Richaun Holmes, inadvertently left the campus perimeter in Orlando, Florida, and had to go back into quarantine for 10 days.

The Kings play their first of three scrimmages on July 22 against the Miami Heat. They play their first of eight "seeding" games July 31 against the San Antonio Spurs.

According to iSports basketball API, after going 7-3 in its last 10 games before the March hiatus, Sacramento is 3½ games back of the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. At the conclusion of the seeding games, the team that is in ninth place can force a play-in with the eighth-place team so long as the No. 9 team is within four games. The No. 9 team would have to beat the No. 8 team two games in a row to earn a first-round playoff berth. The No. 8 team would have to win just once to keep its place in the postseason.

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Marcus Rashford to make history with honorary degree

Marcus Rashford is enjoying an excellent season on the pitch but has become even more influential off of it in recent months.

The Manchester United and England forward has been working to feed some of Britain’s most vulnerable people during the coronavirus pandemic, according to iSports football API.

As well as working with FareShare to help distribute 3.9 million meals, it was pressure from Rashford that saw the British government overturn a decision not to feed disadvantaged kids over the summer.

Food vouchers redeemed during the school year were set to stop over the summer holidays, until Rashford spoke up.

His efforts are now set to be recognised by the University of Manchester, it was announced on Wednesday.

Just 22, Rashford will become the youngest  ever recipient of an honorary degree from the university, as per iSports API football data.

Rashford will follow in the footsteps of United legends Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton in receiving his honorary degree from the city’s university.

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Nuggets star Nikola Jokic clears quarantine in NBA's Orlando bubble

It took longer than the Denver Nuggets were expecting, but All-Star center Nikola Jokic cleared quarantine and joined his team to watch Tuesday night's practice in Orlando, Florida.

Jokic still has to undergo physical testing by the Nuggets before he is cleared to practice, as per iSports API basketball data. But while talking to reporters for the first time since the season came to a halt in March, the Nuggets' franchise player was in a light-hearted mood, clearly excited to be in Orlando.

Jokic had to go through quarantines in Serbia and the United States, had multiple tests to produce negative results and endured travel issues after testing positive for coronavirus while he was in Serbia.

Jokic said the positive test came as a surprise, since he was feeling asymptomatic at the time, in late June, when he tested prior to when he was scheduled to fly back to Denver.

Jokic did not fly with the Nuggets on their team flight to Orlando because of travel issues. Once at the Walt Disney World Resort, players have to quarantine for up to 48 hours and test negative two more times if they fly privately to Orlando, per NBA mandate. If a player flies commercially to Orlando, he must have three consecutive negative tests before resuming basketball activities.

The Nuggets remain short-handed as Malone said the team is awaiting two negative tests on some members of the team travel list who did not accompany the team to Orlando.

But the Nuggets have their biggest piece with them. Jokic raised eyebrows during the NBA hiatus when photos of his leaner physique went viral. He said he is in the same shape -- give or a take three to five pounds -- that he was in when the Nuggets last played, on March 11.

Jokic -- who averaged 25.1 points, 13.0 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.1 steals in the playoffs last season to help the Nuggets fall one win short of making the Western Conference finals -- said he is not allowed to reveal his current playing weight due to team policy.

According to iSports basketball API, last year during his breakout postseason, Jokic said he preferred his playing weight at about 275-280 pounds so that he can bang inside against big centers.

Opponents might not be laughing if a leaner and lighter frame means a more potent Jokic. As per iSports NBA data, Jokic is averaging 20.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.2. steals for the third-place Nuggets (43-22).

All basketball stat collect from isports API, for more details, please visit www.isportsapi.com.

Former United defender Antonio Valencia offered to Flamengo

Flamengo have a reputation of bringing in the big names and a former Manchester United defender has reportedly been offered to the South American champions.

According to various livescore sources in Brazil, Antonio Valencia’s representatives have been in touch with Flamengo, Corinthians, Internacional, São Paulo, and Palmeiras.

According to iSports football API provider, the 34-year-old is now a free agent after terminating his contract with Ecuadorian giants LDU Quito earlier in the month.

Valencia only joined LDU Quito last summer after spending a decade at Manchester United, winning nine trophies including the 2011 and 2013 Premier League titles and the 2017 Europa League crown.

There have been no official offers for the player, who can be utilised anywhere on the right side of the pitch, though he still mainly plays right-back.

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Manchester United open to selling 6 players in the summer transfer window

Manchester United will certainly be busy players in this summer’s transfer market and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will do everything he can to have a bloated transfer kitty this summer.

According to iSports football API, United consider Alexis Sánchez, Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones, Jesse Lingard, and Diogo Dalot dispensable and will listen to offers for the players.

There’s no doubt that Solskjaer and United’s number one priority this summer is Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho and there have been several reports that have indicated United’s net spend this summer will be around £50m.

Offloading Alexis Sánchez will be critical to United’s summer business as they will attempt to bring in €20m (£18m) for the player and, more importantly, getting rid of a weekly wage of roughly £500,000-a-week (Inter are believed to be paying 40 per cent).

So far, as per iSports football database, Inter have only been willing to cough up around €10-12m (about £9-11m) for Alexis, who has impressed as of late, contributing a total of two goals and seven assists in just 574 Serie A minutes.

Meanwhile, United have also placed the same €20m (£18m) asking price on Smalling, who has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts at Roma and is a fixture in Paulo Fonseca’s starting XI.

Recent reports have claimed Roma have offered United €14m (including bonuses) for Smalling and have also attempted to extend the 30-year-old’s loan by a further 12 months.

Rojo has been on loan at Estudiantes in his native Argentina and his agent claimed last week he has likely played his last game for United, with Estudiantes and Boca Juniors keen on a permanent deal.

Dalot has only featured for 65 minutes in the Premier League this season, according to iSports livescore API, and has become their third-choice option at right-back, just two years after his £19m arrival from Porto.

Lingard’s demise has been well documented and it’s no surprise he’s on this list, while Phil Jones, despite signing an extension until 2023 last February, is clearly out-of-favour and has made just two PL appearances all season.

Last week, the Independent claimed that David Moyes is interested in reuniting with Jones and Lingard with West Ham, should the Hammers survive relegation.

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