Kevin Durant told the Nets that he chose to go to Brooklyn in free agency because he loves the way the team plays, general manager Sean Marks said.

Marks told WFAN on Tuesday that when he first talked with Durant after his announcement, the former MVP said: "I love the system. I love how you guys play. I see how hard you guys play. ... You were never out of games. We could never take you guys lightly."

Marks didn't have any conversations with Durant before he made his choice, but he voiced no concern about that.

"I think we all know what we are getting with Kevin," Marks said. "The talent is undeniable."

Marks found out about Durant's decision the same way most NBA fans did: on the player's Instagram account a few minutes after free agency began the evening of June 30.

"What we knew was we were either getting a teleconference call with Kevin that night or we were going to potentially get a meeting," Marks said. "We'd seen some media reports earlier in the day that Kevin had crossed several teams off his list, and we were still [being considered]. And those reports were there for everybody to read. And then when Kevin posted it on The Boardroom Instagram site, that was news to all of us in the office."

Marks said he knows Durant is going to attack his rehab from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in the NBA Finals "like no other."

Asked when he expected the 10-time All-Star to return, Marks said, "I have no idea. We're certainly not going to rush him back. There's going to be absolutely none of that. We have far too much invested in him, and we owe it to Kevin to get him back to 100 percent."

The Nets' position in the standings won't play any role in when Durant comes back, Marks said.

"This is entirely going to be a Kevin Durant decision," he said.

Marks credited coach Kenny Atkinson with instilling the attitude and relentless style of play that Durant admired. He acknowledged that with elite players such as Durant and All-Star Kyrie Irving now leading the team, the relationship between the hard-driving coach and players might change.

"I think everything has to change slightly. We haven't had that type of talent. Things are going to change, things are going to adapt, they have to," Marks said. "They have to start driving the culture. We have to learn from them. These guys are elite-level players. We have to see what we can learn from them."

But, he said, "I can assure you Kenny is not going to be anything different than who Kenny is."

Marks is looking forward to seeing how a Nets team with Durant and Irving will unfold.

"I'm definitely excited about -- Kevin, for sure, the whole group and really the challenge of getting all these guys together on the same page and watching how it unfolds," he said. "I think that's the magic, and that's the real special piece where you see elite talent want to play together and see who's going to sacrifice what and who's going to bring what to the table and just see how they all mesh."

Frank Robb, who became an overnight celebrity in Chicago when he caught the elusive alligator roaming the Humboldt Park lagoon, threw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field on Tuesday and got a huge hand from the crowd.

Robb, with all his fingers intact, threw a perfect strike.

The Cubs said that when they heard Robb was planning to go to the game against the Cincinnati Reds, they asked him to do first-pitch honors.

Much earlier in the day, Robb caught "Chance the Snapper," the rogue alligator that captured the imagination of the city for the past week. The gator was given the moniker in an homage to Chicago's own Chance the Rapper.

Robb, who said he has been hunting alligators for 24 years, came in from St. Augustine, Florida, on Sunday and caught Chance using something that even cartoon alligators know to avoid: a fishing pole.

"I brought my fishing rod, and it went down pretty fast,'' Robb said at a news conference Tuesday morning.

At about 1:30 a.m. -- about 36 hours into the hunt -- Robb said he "saw his eye shine and caught him on the fishing rod. One cast ... and it was done.''

Chance is a male measuring more than 5 feet and weighing 40 pounds. "Wherever he came from or however he got here, he's a very healthy animal," Robb said.

City officials staged a news conference at the park Tuesday morning for a reveal. Robb opened a big plastic tub and lifted Chance by his tail so the crowd could get a good look. The gator was given a red bow tie collar, which a city official placed around his neck. A thick band of electrical tape held his jaw shut.

Chance was a daily news story from the day he was spotted and photos started popping up online. Investigators don't know why the animal was in the lagoon, but they knew they had to capture it.

That's when Robb came to the rescue.

The Cubs tweeted a photo of Robb throwing out the first pitch, using some of Chance the Rapper's lyrics.

? You don't want no problems, want no problems with me. ?#ChanceTheSnapper pic.twitter.com/xk9aLTEr72

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 16, 2019

"Everybody's got different blessings. This is my blessing," Robb said.

As for Chance the Snapper, he was safely taken to the Chicago Dept. of Animal Care and Control, where he will stay until he is taken to an alligator sanctuary.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Mike Trout remained out of the Los Angeles Angels lineup Tuesday night against the Houston Astros as he continues to deal with a small strain in his right calf.

An MRI performed on Monday revealed the strain, and the Angels have listed the superstar as day-to-day.

"It feels good. Obviously, just being cautious," Trout said of the calf before Tuesday's game. "But I feel good. Way better than yesterday. I don't even feel it today. Just being cautious and we'll see how I feel tomorrow."

This is the second straight full game Trout has missed after he was removed to begin the third inning of Sunday's 6-3 win over the Seattle Mariners. He missed Monday's 9-6 win over the Astros.

The 27-year-old is batting .305/.455/.666, and a post-All-Star break surge has put him on a pace to compete for his third MVP trophy. He's 12-for-32 with eight home runs in nine games this month.

Brian Goodwin got the start in center field for the Angels on Tuesday.

NEW YORK -- Benches cleared but no punches were thrown following a shouting match between Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia and Tampa Bay Rays hitter Avisail Garcia during a game Tuesday night.

Sabathia struck out Garcia looking to strand two runners in the sixth inning. Sabathia appeared to say something to Garcia as he walked off the mound, and a surprised Garcia looked up and raised his arms. Sabathia kept jawing from a distance and pointed at Garcia, who began yelling back.

Shortstop Didi Gregorius ran in to hold Sabathia back, and both benches and bullpens cleared. Gregorius led a fired-up Sabathia back to the dugout, and both teams dispersed shortly after.

Sabathia was ejected for plunking the Rays' Jesus Sucre during his last regular-season start in 2018 and has had a few salty run-ins with Tampa Bay this season, including when he threw at Austin Meadows three times and shouted insults during a game in May.

The 38-year-old left-hander has also been excellent against Tampa Bay, entering Tuesday with a 2.36 ERA in seven starts against the Rays over the past two seasons. He left after six innings Tuesday with New York trailing 3-2 before they came back and won 8-3.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SONOMA, Calif. – Matt Smith wrapped up his third NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series world championship with a record-breaking performance on the final day of the 2018 season in Pomona.

But the Pro Stock Motorcycle standout fully believes that championship run was set in motion thanks to his impressive performance at Sonoma Raceway.

Smith won the Mickey Thompson Tire Pro Bike Battle as part of the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, which takes places at Sonoma Raceway, July 26-28. The victory over Eddie Krawiec in the final of the bike battle on Smith’s Denson/Stockseth/MSR EBR netted him $25,000 and provided a huge boost of momentum as he prepared for his title chase. Returning to the facility in the heart of Northern California’s wine country fourth in points, Smith is after a similar spark in 2019.

“It assured us we could really go after that championship last year,” Smith said. “To me, when we beat (Krawiec), it really showed us we could race for a championship and have a chance to win it. Last year was the first time anyone on my team won the bike battle, and it was just great to finally win it. We really appreciate Mickey Thompson doing this for the class. It’s been a good journey and a good fit for the class. So to get that win, it was pretty awesome. If you do well at Sonoma, you know you’re in a good spot come Indy.”

Blake Alexander (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and L.E. Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners at Sonoma Raceway. It is the ninth of 16 races during the Pro Stock Motorcycle season, and marks one of the most important weekends of the year for the riders in the talented category.

The class takes center stage in Sonoma with the Mickey Thompson Tire Pro Bike Battle, a special race-within-a-race on Saturday featuring eight top riders. The field will be set after this weekend’s race in Denver, but Smith has already secured his spot. He’ll try to win the all-star race for a second time, relying on engine that went a record 201.76 mph in Gainesville this year, keyed his bike battle victory a season ago and also led to his record-breaking performance to clinch the title.

“All of our new motors are pretty good, but we have one that just stands out,” said Smith, who has 23 career wins. “That’s the one we ran at the end of last year, and we ran it again at Gainesville and broke the (speed) record again. I put it back in at Chicago and won that race. It’s going back in the bike in Sonoma, and I think it’s going to be fast, so we feel good about it.”

Smith will have to face off against the likes of Krawiec, points leader Andrew Hines, who has an impressive five wins in 2019, Hector Arana Jr. and Angelle Sampey, but the veteran feels confident about the way the three-bike team of his wife, Angie, and Scotty Pollacheck has come on. Angie still has a shot to advance into the bike battle with a strong showing in Denver, while Matt, who won earlier this season in Chicago, believes things are coming together at the right time.

“Sonoma has always been a big bike race and I think we’re in a great spot,” Smith said. “Angie ran really well at Norwalk, and we finally got Scotty’s bike to perform like it should. We qualified all the bikes in the top seven and everyone won in the first round, and I think we’re right where we need to be. With the way the Countdown is, you’ve got to be good at the end of the year.”

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Carlin has announced that self storage company SmartStop Self Storage will join the team once again as a primary partner at the Iowa 300 with NTT IndyCar Series driver Sage Karam piloting the No. 31 SmartStop Self Storage Carlin Chevrolet.

“We were very impressed with Sage’s steady progression throughout the Toronto race weekend and his willingness to learn and adapt. The fact that he hadn’t been on a street course since 2015 and was still able to come right out of the gate confident and constantly improving every session was extremely impressive,” said Team Principal Trevor Carlin. “The SmartStop Self Storage Chevrolet looked great out on track and their group has been a pleasure to work with, so we couldn’t be more pleased to have them back this weekend in Iowa. Sage has done really well in Iowa in the past, so hopefully we can use his experience and our past success at Iowa Speedway to come away with a good result for the team and our partners at SmartStop Self Storage.”

Karam will make his third start of the NTT IndyCar Series season, and second with Carlin, this weekend at the Iowa 300. In his five starts at Iowa Speedway dating back to 2010, Karam has never finished outside of the top three, recording four wins (USF2000 – 2010, Indy Pro 2000 – 2011 and 2012, Indy Lights – 2013) and scoring his first NTT IndyCar Series podium in 2015 with a third-place finish.

“I’m really excited to be back again this weekend with Carlin and SmartStop Self Storage for the Iowa 300. Iowa Speedway has always been a good track for me in the past, so I’m really looking forward to getting back to work there,” said Karam. “Coming off of a very productive weekend in Toronto, I’m looking forward to applying everything I’ve learned and continuing to work with the team to get the best results possible. A huge thank you to everyone at Carlin and SmartStop Self Storage for a great opportunity to race at one of my favorite tracks.”

AVON, Ind. – The biggest winged sprint car race of the season will feature one of the most famed father-son pairings in the sport.

Announced Wednesday afternoon, Sammy Swindell will pilot the No. 39 Swindell SpeedLab sprint car for Kevin and Jordan Swindell during the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway, Aug. 7-10.

The news comes after the recent announcement that the pairing will compete together during this weekend’s Kings Royal, July 17-20 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

“It’s kind of an honor that Kevin called me about doing this,” the elder Swindell said. “We talked about it maybe a month or so ago. It will be special. If we wound up winning this it’d be really special. Not too many father and sons get to do that.”

Sammy Swindell has impressive statistics throughout his career at the Knoxville Nationals.

The three-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion has made 34 A-main starts – only one behind Steve Kinser for the most all time – during the prestigious event, including winning it in 1983.

He has also recorded eight podiums, 14 top fives and 20 top 10s since his first Knoxville Nationals A-main in 1976.

Sammy Swindell also ranks sixth in career Nationals laps led, with 89, and he’s one of only six drivers to earn the pole position at least three times.

“I was able to be there a few weeks ago,” he said of racing at Knoxville Raceway. “We had a good car and the results didn’t show what the car was capable of. Some things went wrong during the night that messed us up. I thought that the car drove really well there.

“That car is the same car as Kevin, has so it’s something we can compare notes on and go from there.”

The Swindell SpeedLab team is fresh off its first win of the season, which came with Christopher Bell behind the wheel at Pennsylvania’s Grandview Speedway on July 3.

“We’re looking forward to racing with (my) dad,” Kevin Swindell said. “We ran the Kings Royal finale together and made the A-main last year, and we ran a race together the previous year. I think we have all the pieces to be strong from the start.”

The Ottawa Senators acquired center Artem Anisimov from the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday for left wing Zack Smith.

Anisimov, 31, appeared in 78 games, finishing with 15 goals and 22 assists, last season, his fourth with the Blackhawks. He has scored at least 20 goals four times in his career, including his first three seasons in Chicago.

Smith, also 31, has played his entire 11-season NHL career with the Senators and has been an alternate captain since the 2017-18 season. He appeared in 70 games last season, finishing with nine goals and 19 assists.

Anisimov and Smith and both signed through the 2020-21 season with their contracts carrying an average annual value of $4.55 million and $3.25 million, respectively.

"Artem is a big, competitive center with excellent hands and playmaking ability," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in a statement. "He plays a 200-foot game and will contribute to our depth on both special teams. We're acquiring an experienced player who can score and at the same time is responsible in his own zone. We really like how he will fit with the makeup of our team."