Game Time Nation (206)

Boston @ Philly TNT 4pm

Lakers @ OKC 6:30 TNT

The Patriots and Welker are still hoping to work out a long-term contract extension. They have until July 16 to negotiate a deal under NFL rules governing franchise players.

Welker led the league with 122 receptions last season, ranking second in receiving yards with 1,569 behind Detroit Lions star Calvin Johnson

“Wes Welker is a remarkable football player for our team and has been a vital component to our offense and special teams since we traded for him in 2007,” the Patriots said in a statement when they franchised Welker earlier this year. “Utilizing the franchise designation allows both sides more time to try to reach an agreement, which is the goal. Wes remains a contractual priority and we are hopeful that he will remain a Patriot for years to come.”

During his time with the Patriots, Welker has caught 554 passes for 6,105 yards and 31 touchdowns.

The Patriots want to lock up Welker with a long-term deal. Welker made $2.5 million last season.

Welker caught 123 passes in 2009.

Only Welker and former NFL wide receiver Cris Carter have generated two seasons with

120 receptions.

City leaders in San Francisco are courting the Golden State Warriors, trying to woo the NBA team back to the City by the Bay within five years Mayor Ed Lee sent a letter on Friday saying the city would work with Warriors executives to bring the team to San Francisco in time for the 2017-18 season.

The note, signed by all 11 city supervisors and numerous business and labor leaders, floats the possibility of building a waterfront arena. It was sent a few days after Lee met with new Warriors owner Peter Guber in Los Angeles.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan responded Monday by sending the team her own letter. Quan says Oakland is committed to keeping the Warriors in the East Bay.

76ers @ Celtics 4pm TNT

Lakers @ Thunder 6:30pm TNT

Video Footage

The boos — most of them directed at the challenger, Rashad Evans — began midway through the third round. Still, they missed the point.Evans was overmatched. Two of the judges actually gave him a round. I saw it like the third judge, a five-round shutout.

“I was a little surprised,” said Jon “Bones” Jones, a little disappointed that the fight went the distance. “First time I went five rounds, though, so I proved something to myself.”

In fact, by beating his former stable mate and sparring partner, Jones proved more than that. To see him perform before a full house — 15,545 on a Saturday night at the Philips Arena — was to see how much the sport has evolved in just a couple of years. Maybe it’s not what fans want. But it represented a higher form of combat now than it had been when Chuck Liddell was throwing eager haymakers in contests that looked too much like bar fights.

Jones offered none of that in UFC 145. Rather, he brought an unaccustomed tactical elegance to a blood-and-guts sport. If the fans didn’t like it, well, that’s too bad.

He didn’t beat a nobody. A record of 22-1-1 qualifies Evans as a great fighter in a division whose champions typically don’t reign for long. Then again, Jones made Evans look typical. Jones, on the other hand, represents something new. At 205 pounds, he doesn’t resemble any of his predecessors. He was unmarked after five rounds. There’s a nimble, spidery quality in his game.

“Give him props,” conceded Evans, who developed a great personal animus for his former partner. “He was creative. He threw some things he didn’t do in practice. He had those sneak elbows. They kept getting in.”

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