img alt="Get a first bet encore up to $800 with the BET99 promo code COVERSNHL" width="100%" loading="lazy" src="https://img.covers.com/promo-articles/bet99nhlcreative2526.jpeg"Get a first bet encore up to $800 with BET99 bonus code COVERSNHL. (not available in Ontario)
Our best NHL player props for Saturday, April 4
Take a look at our best bets and expert analysis below.
Prop #1: Nick Suzuki Over 2.5 SOG
+135 at BET99
Nick Suzuki has been tremendous this season for the Montreal Canadiens, registering 94 points overall. He’s always creating chances as well, averaging 2.26 SOG per game. Suzuki has cashed the Over in three of his last four contests, putting five pucks on net in back-to-back games earlier this week.
The Habs take on the New Jersey Devils tonight, who are 14th in the NHL in most SOG allowed. NJ plays high-octane hockey, which typically results in opponents having a fair amount of chances. Suzuki is also on the top line for Montreal, who produce a lot of offense.
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Sportsnet, TVA Sports, RDS
Prop #2: Jake Guentzel Over 0.5 assists
-110 at BET99
Jake Guentzel is a massive reason the Tampa Bay Lightning are seen as a Stanley Cup contender. The 31-year-old has scored 36 goals and registered 47 assists in 2025-26 and has cashed the Over in four of his last six with four helpers in his last three games.
Across two meetings with the Boston Bruins, he’s collected four assists. Guentzel typically plays with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point and is an elite playmaker on the power play, with 21 assists with the man advantage. Boston is 31st in penalty minutes and 26th in penalty kill percentage.
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: ESPN+
Prop #3: Connor McDavid anytime goal
+110 at BET99
Connor McDavid is killing the competition, ranking third in the NHL with 43 goals this season. After a slow start in front of the goal, he’s really picked it up over the last few months. The three-time Hart Trophy winner has scored in five of his last six appearances.
The Edmonton Oilers take on the rival Vegas Golden Knights this evening, and McDavid has done his damage against them. He’s scored two goals in three meetings with Vegas, who are allowing the 14th most goals per game in the league.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The Vancouver Canucks (22-45-8) only have three more home games before the end of their 2025–26 season, with today’s taking place against the Utah Mammoth (39-30-6). With their 6–2 win against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, the Mammoth put themselves five points above the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference with 84. Vancouver is coming off the second-half of a back-to-back that saw them lose 5–2 to former captain Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild.
With Thursday’s loss, Vancouver officially secured 32nd overall for the 2025–26 season, giving them the best odds to select first-overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. Having also been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention earlier on last week, the Canucks can play out the remainder of their season without the results massively impacting their place in the standings. For a young team like Vancouver, a couple of feel-good wins may help give the locker room a little boost to end the year after the season the team has had.
On the ice, Vancouver’s power play will look to continue their success after scoring in their past four games. They’ve scored nine power play goals in their past 10 games, with two of these matchups featuring multi-power play goal-efforts. With power play success comes success for Jake DeBrusk, who has four of the team’s power play goals through this span.
Today is also expected to be the game that Vancouver celebrates Evander Kane’s 1000th game during. The forward reached the milestone on March 30 against the Vegas Golden Knights, with today being the team’s first home game since then.
Players To Watch:
Tom Willander
Having scored in his team’s loss to Minnesota on Thursday night, Willander has officially taken sole-possession of fifth in scoring by a rookie defenceman throughout the NHL with 20 points in 63 games played. Regardless of his stats, however, the defenceman has been impressive throughout the season despite his experience level. While it is clear at times that he’s still learning, Willander has solidified himself as an ideal long-term presence with Vancouver.
Logan Cooley
Despite his season being riddled with injuries, including one sustained against Vancouver back in December, Cooley is still averaging 0.765 points per game. Part of this has come in part due to a recent run of success he’s faced, including back-to-back two-goal games against the Kraken and the Los Angeles Kings. The forward currently has six points in his past three games and will be looking to increase his current point streak to four games in today’s game.
Mar 16, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Utah Hockey Club forward Logan Cooley (92) handles the puck against the Vancouver Canucks in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Vancouver Canucks (22–45–8):
Points:
Elias Pettersson: 15–33–48
Filip Hronek: 8–36–44
Brock Boeser: 21–22–43
Jake DeBrusk: 18–19–37
Evander Kane: 13–18–31
Goaltenders:
Kevin Lankinen: 9–26–5
Thatcher Demko: 8–10–1
Nikita Tolopilo: 5–8–2
Jiří Patera: 0–1–0
Utah Mammoth (39–30–6):
Points:
Clayton Keller: 22–52–74
Nick Schmaltz: 28–39–67
Dylan Guenther: 37–28–65
Mikhail Sergachev: 10–44–54
JJ Peterka: 23–21–44
Goaltenders:
Karel Vejmelka: 34–19–3
Vitek Vaněček: 5–11–3
Game Information:
Start time: 4:00 pm PT
Venue: Rogers Arena
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: Sportsnet 650
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
DALLAS, TX - MARCH 06: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns (84) waits for the puck to drop during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche on March 6, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The biggest date remaining on the regular season schedule has arrived for the Colorado Avalanche, who have long been the most dominant team in the NHL all year long.
The Dallas Stars, however, won’t stop at nothing to overtake them.
Today, both teams will face each other one last time at American Airlines Center to close out their regular season series, with the winner potentially laying claim to a first place finish in the West.
Colorado Avalanche (49-15-10)
The Opponent: Dallas Stars (45-19-12)
Time: 1:00 P.M. MDT/3:00 P.M. EDT
Watch: ABC, ESPN (US National Broadcast), SNP, SNW, SN+ (Canadian National Broadcast)
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio KKSE-FM 92.5 FM
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche wrapped up their final extended home stand on Wednesday night with an underwhelming 8-6 loss to the last-place Vancouver Canucks. The loss was the second during Colorado’s three game home stand, and while the 4-2 loss to Winnipeg a week ago was disappointing, this most recent defeat was exceptionally glaring: a host of defensive miscues and poor puck management opened the door for Vancouver to run up the score early and often. Mackenzie Blackwood, who gave up six goals on nineteen shots, was pulled with 4:39 remaining in second period in favor of Scott Wedgewood. The Avs then rallied from a 6-2 deficit to tie the game late in the third on Sam Malinski’s second goal of the evening, but Vancouver would reclaim the lead twenty-three seconds later, and iced the game with an empty net tally after Wedgewood was pulled for the extra skater.
Coach Jared Bednar, in what was indisputably his shortest press conference of the season, didn’t hold back. “The reality of it is, is if you want to win in this League, you have to play [the way we played in the third period] for sixty minutes, and we weren’t even close. [It] wasn’t a great first and it got worse in the second and […] if you want to hand out badges for good effort and stuff like that, I think we’re beyond that this time of year, you know? Effort for twenty minutes and doing the right things for twenty minutes isn’t good enough.” He went a step further, saying that there were no positives to be found in their effort.
“There’s no excuse,” he continued, “If we’re making excuses for that performance, it’s going to be a short [playoff] run.”
The loss prevented the Avalanche from increasing their points lead over Dallas, and as a result, today’s game still carries weight for both clubs. For the Avs, it’s the start of a back-to-back weekend that sees them returning home for an Easter evening matchup against the St. Louis Blues. With four massive points hanging in the balance for the Avs this weekend, here’s where today’s game matters from their perspective:
The Avs come into Dallas as the undisputed leader across the Central Division, Western Conference, and League standings with a total of 108 points. They have eight (8) games remaining on their schedule—two in hand on Dallas—and have forty-six (46) regulation wins on the season. A regulation win for the Avs wouldn’t completely drive the final nail into the coffin for Dallas to catch them, but it would put their chances on life support. A regulation win for the Avs, coupled with a victory on home ice tomorrow, should put first place out of Dallas’ reach.
This is all predicated on the Avs taking care of their own affairs. They control their own destiny, and while they have the tiebreaker advantages over Dallas right now (points and regulation wins), things can flip on a dime, and the last thing they need is giving Dallas any extra motivation with the end of the season in sight.
While this is certainly a huge weekend for the Avs, today’s game also sets a monumental milestone for Brent Burns, as he is slated to skate in his thousandth consecutive game. The forty year old defenseman, who made his NHL debut for the Minnesota Wild after being selected with the twentieth overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, played his first seven seasons with Minnesota before being traded to San Jose prior to the 2011-2012 season. He spent would spend the next eleven seasons in San Jose, where many of his career milestones would take place. The 2014-2015 season saw the first of eleven consecutive seasons of Burns skating in every every regular season game. He made his Stanley Cup Final debut in 2016, set a career high in goals (27) in a Norris trophy-winning campaign in 2017, and set career highs in assists (67) and points (83) in 2019.
Burns was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes prior to the start of the 2022-2023 season, where he spent three seasons before signing with the Avs prior to the start of this season. After surpassing former NHL defenseman Keith Yandle’s mark of 989 consecutive games on March 14, Burns became the all-time leader in consecutive games played among defensemen. Coming into today’s game, he trails only Phil Kessel, who holds the all-time record of 1064 consecutive games among all NHL skaters.
Nathan MacKinnon is the first player in the NHL to reach 50 goals, having broken the mark this past Wednesday. Despite being the NHL’s goal scoring leader, he remains three points behind both Edmonton’s Connor McDavid (121) and Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov (126). Martin Nečas (35) and Brock Nelson (33) rank second and third in team goal scoring, respectively. Cale Makar, who left Wednesday’s game with injury, did not accompany the team to Dallas, and will be re-evaluated next week. Nicolas Roy also did not travel with the team to Dallas, and his status will be re-evaluated next week as well.
While Bednar did not indicate who would start in today’s game, look for Wedgewood to get the nod today.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Gabriel Landeskog – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas Artturi Lehkonen – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin Parker Kelly – Nazem Kadri – Logan O’Connor Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Joel Kiviranta
Defense: Devon Toews – Sam Malinski Josh Manson – Brent Burns Brett Kulak – Nick Blankenburg
Between the Pipes: Scott Wedgewood Mackenzie Blackwood
Dallas Stars
The run that Dallas has been on has made them a darling of hockey circles everywhere. In any other season, Dallas’s 102 points would tie them with Carolina in a race for first place in the League, and with both teams splitting their two game season series, it would come down to the thinnest of margins to decide who would emerge ahead of the other. Add in Eastern Conference mainstay Tampa Bay Lightning and the come-out-of-nowhere Buffalo Sabres, both of whom boast 100 point seasons of their own, and there would be no shortages of storylines heading into the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Dallas featured prominently among them.
A ten game winning streak? Done. A gold medal winning goaltender? Check. A top-rated power play threat? Yep. A stellar record at home and away? You bet. If you’re the Dallas Stars, you rightly believe that success is yours for the taking as the Stanley Cup Playoffs grow closer.
In any other season, but not this season.
For all their success to this point, Dallas is, and still remains, second best. Coming into today’s regular season finale against Colorado, Dallas is still looking up at their division rival. That ten game winning streak? Colorado’s done that twice. Home and away records? Colorado remains the only team in the NHL that has yet to lose more than ten games on home ice (24-8-5) compared to everyone else (Dallas is 23-10-4 at home). As good as Dallas has been on the road (22-9-8), Colorado’s 25-7-5 record is still better than everyone else.
Let’s not stop there: A +49 goal differential for Dallas? Colorado’s +90 is tops in the League. Colorado’s allowed the fewest number of goals (193) compared to Dallas (209), and Scott Wedgewood’s 2.19 goals against average and .916 save percentage leads all active goaltenders. By comparison, goaltender Casey DeSmith’s 2.38 goals against average ranks third among active goaltenders, while Jake Oettinger’s 2.61 ranks fifteenth. DeSmith’s .909 save percentage ranks fourteenth among active goaltenders, while Oettinger’s .900 ranks twenty-third.
There are a couple of bright spots for Dallas. Dallas can hang their ten-gallon hats on a second-ranked power play percentage (29.1%), while Colorado’s 17.9% ranks twenty-fifth. Oettinger also ranks third in wins among goaltenders (31), four more than Wedgewood (27), and ten more than Mackenzie Blackwood (21).
Dallas also leads the regular season series 2-0-1, their most recent victory being a 2-1 shootout decision back on March 18 at Ball Arena. To this point in the season, every game against Colorado has ended in a shootout. In their last meeting at America Airlines Center on March 06, Dallas captain Jamie Benn botched an opportunity to ice the game with Wedgewood on the bench for an extra skater, but his shot attempt banked off the side of the net. Valeri Nichushkin would score the game-tying goal moments later, and provided the shootout heroics alongside Martin Nečas to best Oettinger en route to a 5-4 decision for Colorado. That game would also see the departure of Roope Hintz to injury after getting tangled up with Nathan MacKinnon in the second period.
Since then, Dallas has regained the services of former Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen. He returned to action on March 28 in a 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rantanen, who sustained injury during his play for Team Finland during the Olympics in Italy, had not made a regular season appearance for Dallas since a 5-4 victory over St. Louis on February 04, prior to the Olympic break.
In order to have a shot at first place in the West, Dallas is banking on a repeat performance from Oettinger, who blanked the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 3-0 this past Thursday. The victory was only Dallas’ third in their past ten games. A regulation win over Colorado would pull Dallas within four points of first place, and with four games remaining in the regular season, today’s head-to-head matchup is Dallas’ last, best chance to prevent Colorado from widening the gap between them. Even with a win over Colorado, Dallas would still have to play nearly flawless hockey down the stretch and hope they get some help from Colorado’s remaining opponents.
Wyatt Johnston leads all Dallas skaters in goals (41) and power play goals (25). Jason Robertson ranks second in goals (40), and leads the team in points (89). Miro Heiskanen leads all Dallas skaters in assists (53), while Rantanen is a close second (52). Rantanen also leads all Dallas skaters in penalty minutes (89).
Today marks the second of a five game home stand for Dallas, their final prolonged stretch of games on home ice. Oettinger will likely start in goal to close out the season series against Colorado.
Projected Lineup
Forwards: Jason Robertson – Wyatt Johnston – Mikko Rantanen Jamie Benn – Matt Duchene – Colin Blackwell Oskar Bäck – Justin Hryckowian – Mavrik Bourque Adam Erne – Arttu Hyry
Defense: Esa Lindell – Miro Heiskanen Thomas Harley – Nils Lundkvist Lian Bischel – Ilya Lyubushkin Kyle Capobianco
While many are calling Arizona vs. Michigan the real national championship game, the UConn and Illinois won't care in Saturday's first semifinal of the Final Four.
Expect to see a sea of orange at Lucas Oil Stadium (did you see the showing at Friday's practice?). Champaign's proximity (two hours) and the program's first Final Four trip since 2005 have the Illini faithful energized.
Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star: Illinois 67, UConn 64. These two programs met in the 2024 Elite Eight with UConn winning by 25 points including a 30-0 run from the Huskies. This national semifinal meeting is also a rematch of the Fighting Illini's eighth game of the season. Illinois lost that Nov. 28 game, 74-61 at Madison Square Garden despite 25 points by Kylan Boswell. Freshman phenom Keaton Wagler has been a steady offensive presence, dropping 25 in the Elite 8 win over Iowa. However, Andrej Stojakovic has been the X-factor off the bench. He's averaging 15 points in the NCAA tournament. UConn is back in the Final Four for a third time in four seasons, winning back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024. Huskies senior center Tarris Reed Jr. has been a monster during the Big Dance, averaging 21.8 points and 13.5 rebounds.
Blake Toppmeyer:Illinois. Credit UConn for incredible comeback, but don't overlook Illinois. The Illini looked dominant coming out of the South, and they have enough offense to turn back a clutch UConn team.
John Brice:UConn. How could anyone pick against Dan Hurley’s squad at this point? Hurley’s now 18-1 in his past three March Madness appearances. The Huskies will play for a third crown in four seasons.
Paul Myerberg: UConn. The backcourt play and just enough beef up front to repeat November's 13-point win against the Illini in MSG. And after the miracle comeback against Duke, the Huskies feel like a team of destiny.
Jordan Mendoza: UConn. The Huskies ride the high of the Elite Eight comeback and the 3-point shot returns to advanced to the national championship again.
Eddie Timanus: UConn. I would have to be a complete idiot to pick against UConn at this phase of the Big Dance. We seen ‘team of destiny’ shots in the Elite Eight before, haven’t we?
Matt Glenesk: Illinois. I originally picked UConn, but have changed my mind. There's something about Illinois' offensive firepower and wave of big bodies they can throw at opponents that has me convinced of an All-Big Ten national championship.
John Leuzzi: UConn. When these two met in late November at Madison Square Garden, UConn won by 13. While the margin of victory may not be like that this time around, the Huskies do get their second win of the season against the Illini. Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban continue to have big games, while Braylon Mullins delivers a big-time shot in front of the home crowd. UConn’s defense is looking like a top 5 unit again.
Brent Schrotenboer: UConn. That ending against Duke makes it look like destiny is calling again, at least for one more game.
Craig Meyer: UConn. The Illini haven't just won on their way to their first Final Four in 21 years, but they've been dominant, winning each of their four tournament games by at least 10 points. They've only played one team better than a No. 9 seed, though, and the more battle-tested Huskies will be able to lean on Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban to pull out a close win. One thing to keep in mind with Illinois: no team has ever lost its first conference tournament game, like the Illini did against Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament, and gone on to win the national championship.
Ehsan Kassim: Illinois. UConn has required surviving two scares to reach this point. Illinois on the other hand has been dominant in the South Region. Give me the Illini.
Moneyline: Illinois (-135); UConn (+110)
Spread: Illinois (-1.5)
Over/under total: 139.5
Illinois Final Four bold prediction
Ehsan Kassim: The Illini are going to win the whole thing this year.
Austin Curtright: Illinois loses by double digits to UConn.
UConn Final Four bold prediction
John Leuzzi: Solo Ball has a breakout moment and reminds the country why he was one of the top one of 3-point shooters in the country last season.
Jordan Mendoza: The Huskies lose their first Final Four game in the Dan Hurley era.
Austin Curtright: UConn's 3-pointers start to fall. UConn have only made double-digit 3-pointers in a game once since Feb. 18, but will do it twice in two games at the Final Four.
Illinois road to Final Four
First round: beat No. 14 Penn, 105-70
Second round: beat No. 11 VCU, 76-55
Sweet 16: beat No. 2 Houston, 65-55
Elite Eight: beat No. 9 Iowa, 71-59
UConn road to Final Four
First round: beat No. 15 Furman, 82-71
Second round: beat No. 7 UCLA, 73-57
Sweet 16: beat No. 3 Michigan State, 67-63
Elite Eight: beat No. 1 Duke, 73-72
Illinois basketball stat leaders
SCORING
Keaton Wagler, 17.9 ppg
Andrej Stojakovic, 13.6 ppg
David Mirkovic, 13.5 ppg
Kylan Boswell, 12.5 ppg
Tomislav Ivisic, 10. 2 ppg
REBOUNDING
David Mirkovic, 8.1 rpg
Tomislav Ivisic, 5.6 rpg
Keaton Wagler, 5.0 rpg
ASSISTS
Keaton Wagler, 4.3 apg
Kylan Boswell, 3.1 apg
David Mirkovic, 2.6 apg
UConn basketball stat leaders
SCORING
Tarris Reed Jr.: 14.7 ppg
Alex Karaban, 13.2 ppg
Solo Ball, 12.9 ppg
Braylon Mullins, 11.9 ppg
Silas Demary Jr., 10.4 ppg
REBOUNDING
Tarris Reed Jr., 8.8 rpg
Alex Karaban, 5.2 rpg
Silas Demary Jr., 4.5 rpg
ASSISTS
Silas Demary Jr., 5.9 apg
Malachi Smith, 3.0 apg
Illinois basketball Final Four history; Has Illinois ever won a national championship?
This is the Illini's sixth trip to the Final Four and first since 2005. The school has never won an NCAA national championship in men's basketball.
1949: lost semifinal to Kentucky, 76-47
1951: lost semifinal to Kentucky, 76-74
1952: lost semifinal to St. John's, 61-59
1989: lost semifinal to Michigan, 83-81
2005: won semifinal vs. Louisville, 72-57; lost in final to North Carolina, 75-70
UConn basketball Final Four history: How many national championships have UConn won?
This is UConn's eighth trip to the Final Four, all since 1999. The Huskies have won six national titles in their seven previous trips.
1999: won semifinal vs. Ohio State, 64-58; won final vs. Duke, 77-74
2004: won semifinal vs. Duke, 79-78; won final vs. Georgia Tech, 82-73
2009: lost semifinal vs. Michigan State, 82-73
2011: won semifinal vs. Kentucky, 56-55; won final vs. Butler, 53-41
2014: won semifinal vs. Florida, 63-53; won final vs. Kentucky, 60-54
2023: won semifinal vs. Miami, 72-59; won final vs. San Diego State, 76-59
2024: won semifinal vs. Alabama, 86-72; won final vs. Purdue, 75-60
Is Andrej Stojakovic related to Peja Stojakovic?
Yes, Peja is his dad. Peja Stojakovic played 13 seasons in the NBA, primarily for the Sacramento Kings, and was a three-time All-Star.
Andrej played at Cal and Stanford before transferring to Illinois.
How many Europeans are on Illinois' team? Why does Illinois have so many Europeans on its roster?
David Mirkovic is from Montenegro
Andrej Stojakovic lists Thessaloniki, Greece as his hometown
Tomislav Ivisic is from Croatia
Zvonimir Ivisic is from Croatia
Mihailo Petrovic is from Serbia
Toni Bilic is from Croatia
"Geoff Alexander, Orlando Antigua deserve most all of the credit in terms of building the relationships in Europe," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. "It's taken years. NIL has obviously helped enhance our abilities to attract some of the best players in Europe. But they're a great fit for us. It's not for everybody. I enjoy coaching 'em. They fit our university. We're a diverse university with a lot of international students, so it's a perfect fit for them.
"Basketball-wise it's a great fit for me, and I like coaching them. The way we're playing with positional size and shooting, it's just — it's a great marriage and a great fit. So we'll continue it. I would think others will continue to migrate over there and keep trying to recruit those guys."
UConn freshman Braylon Mullins' game-winner vs Duke gives him a homecoming
No. 1 Duke was leading the Huskies by two when Silas Demary Jr. deflected a pass by Cayden Boozer with six seconds left.
Braylon Mullins scooped up the ball around halfcourt and dished to Alex Karaban, who gave it right back. Mullins then drained the 35-footer with 0.4 seconds left to beat Duke and send UConn to its third Final Four in four years.
“That moment is over. It's an incredible moment. You'll have that moment the rest of your life. But we came here for rings, not watches,” Hurley said.
Mullins, the 2025 Indiana Mr. Basketball who played at Greenfield-Central, will be playing in front of plenty of friends and family this weekend. Greenfield is 30 minutes east of Indianapolis.
“It's unbelievable to be in the position I am,” Mullins said. “I think it just makes everything a little sweeter knowing that I’m playing in front of family and friends. I can't wait to see everybody in open practice tomorrow and see everybody at the game.”
Illinois' Jake Davis gets to play at home for Final Four, too
The Illini forward is from McCordsville, Indiana, a suburb northeast of Indianapolis, and played at Indy's Cathedral High School. He began his college career at Mercer before transferring to Illinois after the 2024 season. At Cathedral, Davis was known as "the guy who takes charges."
Illinois forward Ben Humrichous is also from Indiana, from nearby Tipton, about an hour north. He began his college career at Indiana's Huntington University (NAIA) and then transferred to Evansville.
Brad Underwood says Illinois will 'turn Indy orange', 'kick everybody's ass there'
On Sunday, Brad Underwood addressed a crowd of fans on campus:
"We had a huge group in Houston. I know we're going to turn it out in Indy. That's the story. We're going to turn Indy orange.. and blue. And kick everybody's ass there."
Keaton Wagler 2026 NBA Draft mock draft prediction
Atlanta Hawks, pick No. 7.
Kalbrosky's Analysis:
After trading away Trae Young, the Hawks could find their point guard of the future in Illinois standout Keaton Wagler using a first-round pick they received from the Pelicans. The 19-year-old guard scored 46 points while shooting 9-of-11 on 3-pointers against No. 12 Purdue on Jan. 24. He projects as one of the best 3-point shooters in this class, shooting 41.0 percent from beyond the arc as a freshman this year. The Big Ten Rookie of the Year is a cerebral basketball player who is also averaging 4.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game this season.
"I don't think so," was what Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said when The Hockey News asked if the 30-year-old blueliner would be traveling.
Roy will talk at 5:35 on Saturday, so we'll get an official answer then.
DeAngelo, 30, is working his way back from a lower-body injury sustained early in the Islanders' 4-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on March 24. He has been skating on his own for the last few days, but has yet to join a team skate.
The Islanders have missed DeAngelo's presence in the lineup, going 2-4-0, including the Blackhawks loss, being outscored 23-17 over that span.
DeAngelo, who is in the final season of a one-year extension worth $1.75 million, has 33 points (five goals, 28 assists) in 72 games, averaging 19:03 minutes per game.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 31: Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros hits a RBI double in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Daikin Park on March 31, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For the first couple of games, the Astros offense looked like it was trying to force everything.
The swings came early, the contact was weak, and too many innings ended before the opposing starter ever felt uncomfortable. It had that familiar early-season look of a lineup still searching for rhythm.
But the last few games have felt completely different.
The at-bats are longer. The counts are deeper. Opposing starters are being forced to throw stressful innings much earlier in games, and by the middle innings you can already start to see the pressure building on the other dugout.
That’s the part that should stand out most to Astros fans.
This doesn’t feel like a random hot stretch built on bloops or timely luck. It feels like a real philosophical shift in how this lineup is attacking pitchers.
The Astros are forcing labor-heavy innings, creating more traffic, and putting their best hitters in better run-producing spots.
More importantly, it feels like something that can actually hold over 162 games.
The Astros’ plate approach can realistically hold up over 162 games
This is the biggest reason the early success feels sustainable.
Houston’s drop in swing rate from 36.5% in 2025 to 31.8% in the early part of 2026 is not random variance. It reflects a lineup-wide commitment to a more disciplined identity.
— Crawford Chronicles (@CrawfordChron) April 1, 2026
Unlike batting average spikes or bloop-hit luck, plate discipline tends to stabilize over time because it is rooted in decision-making and preparation.
Across a 162-game season, forcing pitchers to throw “one more pitch” every at-bat adds up to:
more mistakes in hitter’s counts
more middle-relief exposure
more late-game scoring opportunities
more crooked innings by the 5th and 6th
This is the kind of offensive identity that doesn’t disappear when the weather changes or the schedule tightens.
It should actually get stronger.
1. Tip of the cap to Soriano today. He was dealing. 2. Plate discipline is a gift, not something you can just "train." It's a special skill. 3. When no one’s getting on base, there’s not much a manager can do. 4. This is the outcome most of us expected. #Astros#ChaseTheFight
Better patience makes Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker even more dangerous
This may be the most exciting long-term effect. A patient offense protects its stars. When the entire lineup is committed to deep counts, hitters like Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker see better versions of every plate appearance. Why? Because every hitter is protecting the next.
When Jose Altuve works a six-pitch at-bat, when Isaac Paredes forces a full count, when Cam Smith takes a momentum walk, pitchers lose margin for error.
By the time Yordan or Walker step in, the pitcher is often:
behind in the count
revealing sequencing patterns
less willing to nibble
more likely to challenge with a get-me-over fastball
That’s exactly where elite power hitters thrive. This is why the Astros’ power ceiling feels more realistic this season. The lineup is no longer depending on stars to create everything alone. It is creating the environment for stars to do maximum damage.
That’s sustainable offense.
Strong Astros pitching takes pressure off the offense
The other hidden reason this approach can last is the pitching staff. As Houston’s starters continue to settle in, the offense no longer has to play with the feeling that every inning must produce runs.
When Hunter Brown, Mike Burrows, and the rest of the rotation are giving quality innings, the lineup can stay loose and trust the long game. That changes hitter behavior.
Instead of pressing for instant damage, hitters can stay balanced:
This is where you start to see examples like Jose Altuve taking more walks, something that naturally increases when a team is not playing from offensive panic.
Loose hitters make better swing decisions.
Better swing decisions create traffic.
Traffic creates RBI opportunities.
That’s the cycle Houston is starting to build.
And when the pitching continues to hold games steady, this offense should become even more dangerous as the season matures.
All in all from what we are seeing, the Astros still have a high ceiling, the question in 2026, as it is with prospect scouting, is how high is the floor for the Houston Astros? Only time will truly tell, but I do believe this team has given us a glimpse of what they are capable of this season. It is only 7 games, and other teams may not be where they will be once everyone is in midseason form. I am looking forward to seeing what this lineup does in their first test on the road.
Please follow me and my thoughts on the Houston Astros all season long on Locked on Astros:
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 03: Chris Martin #31 of the Texas Rangers pitches in the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Globe Life Field on April 03, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Reds 5, Rangers 3
A let down home opener.
For the second year in a row, the Rangers went into the ninth in the home opener with the game tied, then allowed a home run in the top of the ninth that resulted in a loss.
That’s a trend I’d just as soon see the Rangers get away from.
MacKenzie Gore pitched pretty well in his start. A pair of homers accounted for all three runs he allowed, but Gore struck out nine in six innings and didn’t walk anyone.
In fact, Rangers pitchers didn’t issue any walks in the game. Good job there, guys.
Although in retrospect, Chris Martin walking the first two batters he faced would have been a good thing.
Martin, who was going to retire after last season, was expected to be the stabilizing influence in the pen. He was the most expensive bullpen arm the Rangers went and got this offseason.
He’s now had three rough outings in four appearances this year, with the one good outing consisting of three pitches to one batter.
Its early, don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but it it not an encouraging start.
Offensively, I think it felt like the Rangers should’ve scored more than three runs. Six of the eight hits they recorded were of the extra base variety. None of them were homers, though, which would have been better.
Brandon Nimmo continues to rake, going 2 for 4 with a triple and a walk. Wyatt Langford had a double and a triple, pushing his OPS up above 500.
The 3 through 6 spots were an issue, totaling 1 hit in 16 plate appearances. Corey Seager struck out three times, which makes me sad. I don’t want Corey Seager to strike out a bunch in one game.
Joc Pederson was hitless in his two plate appearances, making him 0 for 10 to start the year.
There was a sequence in the bottom of the sixth that stuck with me. Jake Burger doubled to start the inning. Andrew McCutchen, pinch hitting for Joc Pederson once the Reds brought lefty Sam Moll into the game, grounded out to third, with Burger unable to advance. After a Josh Smith ground out, Moll threw four pitches to Josh Jung that were nowhere near the strike zone, seemingly pitching around him to get to Evan Carter.
Carter saw three pitches from Moll. The first two were breaking balls he was bailing on that ended up strikes. The third pitch Carter swung helplessly at.
Carter had a double in the game and scored a run. But that plate appearance against Moll highlighted how overmatched he is against just about any decent lefthanded pitcher.
MacKenzie Gore reached 97.9 mph with his fastball, averaging 95.7 mph. Cole Winn topped out at 94.8 mph with his fastball. Jakob Junis’s sinker touched 92.8 mph. Chris Martin’s fastball maxed out at 95.4 mph.
Wyatt Langford had a 109.0 mph fly out and a 107.8 mph fly out. Joc Pederson had a 108.0 mph ground out. Corey Seager had a 107.0 mph ground out. Evan Carter had a 106.5 mph double. Jake Burger had a 104.2 mph double. Danny Jansen had a 103.3 mph double. Josh Jung had a 101.9 mph single.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 03: Fans enter the stadium before the home opener between the Cleveland Guardians and the Chicago Cubs at Progressive Field on April 03, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians won their home opener and aim to play again today, weather-permitting.
Nick provided our recap here. Another big day for Chase DeLauter and the Guardians starting pitcher, this time Joey Cantillo.
Zack Meisel provided a cool diary of the game for the Athletic. Terry Pluto wrote a nice piece about the ballpark.
Around MLB:
The Tigers, Twins and White Sox won while the Royals were postponed. Byron Buxton got hit by a pitch and left the Twins’ game.
Mets left fielder Juan Soto, who has been one of the most durable players in the sport over the course of his career, is set to have an MRI this morning after leaving the team’s game last night in the first inning because of right calf tightness. Soto appeared to feel the calf issue as he ran from first to third on a single in the top of the first.
And now everyone holds their breath, as the Mets’ rocky start to the season would feel much worse if Soto’s diagnosis reveals anything significant. The 27-year-old is in the second year of his massive fifteen-year deal with the Mets, and he was outstanding at the plate last year with a .263/.396/.525 with 43 home runs, 38 stolen bases, and a 162 wRC+.
The Mets’ lineup had been ice cold since Opening Day until their ten-run barrage last night. It was encouraging to see a player like Marcus Semien, who couldn’t have been much worse at the plate in the team’s first seven games, have a big night. If Soto needs to spend any time out of the lineup, the Mets will need more performances like that to mitigate the loss.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 14, 2026: Eduardo Quintero #85 of the Los Angeles Dodgers prepares to bat during a minor league spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch on March 14, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The minor league season is now underway in full, with all four Dodgers affiliates playing games on Friday night for the first time this year.
Most of the big prospect names are accounted for on the various rosters. Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, and Adam Serwinowski are in Double-A Tulsa. Eduardo Quintero, Mike Sirota, Charles Davalan, Zach Root, and Christian Zazueta are with High-A Great Lakes. Emil Morales, Joendry Vargas, Landyn Vidourek, and Chase Harlan are in Class-A Ontario.
James Tibbs III is piling up extra-base hits alongside Zach Ehrhard in the Triple-A Oklahoma City outfield, and River Ryan is set to start for the Comets on Saturday. Alex Freeland is in the majors, platooning at second base.
Those 16 players were all ranked among the Dodgers’ top 10 prospects entering 2026 by at least one of Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, ESPN, and The Athletic. The other two mentioned on top-10 lists are pitcher Jackson Ferris (fifth at BA, ninth at ESPN, 10th at The Athletic) and outfielder Ching-Hsien Ko (eighth at The Athletic), and both are currently in extended spring training, per Jim Callis at MLB.com.
Another notable prospect also at extended spring training, per Callis, is shortstop Kellon Lindsey, the speedster drafted in the first round in 2024 and ranked as high as 12th in the system by Baseball Prospectus and The Athletic. Lindsey played 28 games for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2025 before going on the injured list in May. Outside of four rehab games in the Arizona Complex League, Lindsey didn’t play after July 10 last year. He played in one major league game this spring, on March 21, the last day of camp in Arizona.
“He looked like a major-league starter, and not a guy that’s cutting his teeth,” Roberts said of the way Sheehan finished. “It’s a tough lineup in the sense for a right-handed pitcher, there’s a lot of left-handed hitters. … I do think it was a step in the right direction.”
PORTLAND, ME - JULY 05: Mikey Romero #2 of the Portland Sea Dogs walks to the dugout before the game between the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Portland Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field on Saturday, July 5, 2025 in Portland, Maine. (Photo by Tyler Rodriguez/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Red Sox drafted a plethora of blue chip prospects over a four-year stretch, with Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel among others. But you may forget that Anthony wasn’t the first selection for Boston back in 2022. That would be Mikey Romero.
The rise of the “Big Three” kept the spotlight away from the former first-rounder, though his bat brought back some intrigue about his game in recent years.
Romero smacked the first home run of the season for Triple-A Worcester olast weekend against the Syracuse Mets. The infielder left the yard with an exit velocity over 100 MPH on an encouraging swing.
#RedSox No. 13 prospect Mikey Romero launched his first homer of the season in Saturday's win over Syracuse. pic.twitter.com/heb930Q3tE
The WooSox saw Romero play 45 games in Triple-A last season with a .745 OPS. With a return to a now-familiar environment in spring training and now in Worcester, Romero has a base under him to take off.
“I think it was good,” Romero told OverTheMonster.com on Media Day. “Came up, obviously a young guy, didn’t really know what to expect. Obviously struggled at the start. Being in a new clubhouse, being around guys who had show time, kind of everything, playing against better competition. I think just getting up here, getting my feet wet, it made the transition coming into this year super easy, just because I’m pretty comfortable. I know what to expect. I know all these guys, I was in camp with them, which I wasn’t in last year. And I think just the success I had last year is gonna help me kind of go into this year. I know that I’m more than good enough to compete at this level, and I’m excited to get going.”
The Red Sox added veteran infielders in a remake around the diamond this offseason, including Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Romero leaned on him for his defensive development this spring.
“In spring training, I was next to Kiner-Falefa, and me and him talked a bunch about playing second base, just because I kind of came up as a shortstop, played third for the majority of last year, so I’m at second base,” Romero explained. “But at this camp, I played only second base. And it was new in the sense of learning how to turn double plays a little quicker, make sure I’m in the right spot at the right time. And he’s been a big help.”
Nick Sogard, who blasted two homers Tuesday night, shows Romero a constant reminder of the opportunities that versatility provides. The Red Sox kept him on the playoff roster in New York last October where his hustle helped Boston scratch across extra scoring chances.
“I talk to him plenty about third base, second base,” Romero explained. “Just kind of everything like I lean on him a lot. I like the way he plays the game and it’s good to just have guys around that I can bounce ideas off of.”
The same can be said for Romero and Mayer, who joined the Red Sox system a year apart. Mayer won the second base job for the big league club. Romero looks to him as another brain to pick in the same age bracket.
“I grew up with Marcelo,” Romero said. “Him and I are obviously great friends. So like I know that he’s always in my corner. I can always talk to him about defense, offense, whatever it may be. His story, you know, he’s been another guy that’s been really open to, you know, just always talking to me, answering my texts, you know, sitting and having breakfast at the field. He’s a really good guy to talk to. He’s been playing the game, obviously, for a while. He does a lot of baseball left and he’s done that at a high level.”
Years of offensive progressions and productive defensive conversations with teammates equipped Romero well entering 2026. Now, it’s up to him to translate all that information into his game. Particularly at the plate, he identified room to grow and attack early.
“The big focus was really just getting the chase down a little bit,” Romero shared. “… But in spring training, I did a really good job. Like I chased at a really low rate. I think it was around 20 to 25 percent, which is a big improvement from last year. I know I’m going to slug. I know I’m going to hit home runs. I know I’m going to hit doubles, get RBIs. I think the biggest thing is just having good at-bats, making sure I’m getting the right pitches to hit. Because when I’m getting pitchers in the zone, I usually do damage. So I think it’s just about maturing in that way for me is like being okay with maybe taking a couple of pitches that are strikes but aren’t in the heart of the zone and capitalizing on the mistake that the pitcher will make eventually.”
Romero entered 2026 as Boston’s No. 13 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. There’s no reason he can’t play his way into infield reps at some point when inevitable injuries arise and Boston needs reinforcements. It’s a crowded group of veterans and young players, but there’s a lane for Romero to play his way to Fenway Park with an offensive surge.
PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 27: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks looks on during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 27, 2026 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
By now you’ve likely seen our first three parts (Part I, Part II, Part III) covering the NBA’s attempt to curb tanking. In this, our fourth and final part, we’ll take a look at the last of the proposed changes being brought before the Board of Governors.
For ease of reference, here are the basics of the current rules that we’ve included in each of the prior parts. As it stands, the 14 teams that do not make the Playoffs are eligible for the lottery. Don’t confuse making the Play In Tournament with making the Playoffs – they are not the same. 16 teams make the Playoffs when all is said and done, with 14 heading to the lottery. Lottery odds are flat (14%) for the three worst teams, with the odds decreasing from there down to the 14th worst team (0.5%). The team with the worst record can receive no worse than the 5th pick, as the lottery only determines picks 1-4 with the rest of the draft order following inversely of a team’s record.
Option 3 – Five-by-five, dual-lottery
Key aspects of the proposal include:
18 teams in the draft lottery (10 that miss the Playoffs outright plus 8 that make the Play In Tournament).
Each of the 5 worst teams have the same lottery odds, with other teams having worsening odds inversely with their record.
The first 5 picks would be determined by a lottery drawing.
After the first 5 picks are determined, the remaining 13 picks would be determined via yet another lottery drawing.
If any of the worst 5 teams fall outside the top 5 picks, they can fall no lower than the 10th overall pick.
Thoughts on the proposal
This proposal is probably the best indication that the NBA has a lot of lawyers running things. It seems this proposal is the most likely of the three to confuse fans. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea, but it doesn’t mean it’s a good one either. It matches the first proposal in terms of the number of lottery teams, but pairs it with a level of complexity that echoes the second proposal in terms of variables. A dual lottery is intriguing, but flat odds for the five worst teams doesn’t move the dial all the much from where things currently stand (flat odds for the three worst teams). It also may result in plenty of teams still looking to tank, just maybe slightly less so. The second lottery for picks 6-18 is where things get even more interesting. Is the prospect of being in a second lottery enough to incentivize teams to make the Play In Tournament? A Play In team with a good chance to jump to the number 6 pick is certainly enticing.
What it could mean for the Mavericks
Dependent upon when the changes take place, this could potentially benefit the Mavericks. If a reasonable expectation is for them to be a Play In team that quickly becomes a lock for a top-six Playoff team, it could put the Mavericks in position to move up in the draft just as they are breaking through the Play In Tournament phase of their growth. As with all of these scenarios, there are a ton of variables and timing concerns that would greatly change things for Dallas. With the number of picks swaps going against them in the coming years and how little control they have of their picks in general until 2031, their best outcome would be getting good quickly and hoping these changes are not imminent. The latter seems unlikely, so it’s possible Dallas could get some good draft luck that serves only to benefit another team.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep-down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1: Throughout the season, fans have voiced many doubts as to whether Devin Booker and Jalen Green could successfully play together. What are your thoughts on this pairing now?
Diamondhacks: While acknowledging Booker as the more accomplished player, both careers have been characterized by questionable shot selection. Curtailing their threes off the dribble is one identifiable change that could make them a very formidable offensive pair. They’re both too talented with the ball, even more so in concert, to settle for that relatively low % shot as often as they do. Catch and shoot 3s, yes. Off the dribble, not so much.
Ashton: Not much.
Yes, Green showed his potential in March, but I am still just not seeing the play-making and assists that should come from good to elite guards. Even if one just looks at offense and who has the ability to take a game over. I remain unconvinced in that area with both players.
So, put me in the doubter club? But I really wonder if this is so much of a pairing as it is to both players’ limitations.
OldAZ: It depends on how long we as fans are willing to wait and on our ability to remember that Jalen Greene is still a young player at only 23 years old. It is fair to recognize that by 23 Devin Booker was an All-Star and had leveled up his assist numbers and shooting percentage. However, now that Green and Booker are on the same team, we can hope that Green emulates some of his game around what Booker does, although with an additional dose of athleticism. We have seen some incredible passes from Green at times and we have seen effort given on the defensive end. Neither of these are consistent at this point, but this was also true of Book in his younger career.
Suns fans been skeptical of playing “point Book” and recall all those times when the Suns played without a true point Guard, but if Green can develop into something close to the same level of facilitator while still being an offensive threat like Booker, then there is a chance this backcourt pairing can be very effective. We have seen it in flashes, but are we willing to wait for consistency?
Rod: While I don’t think it’s perfect, I do like the way their strengths don’t overlap. Green’s speed and quickness getting to the rim are a welcome addition that complements Book’s mid-range game. I wish both of them were better distributors, but neither is shabby in that respect. The real question that has yet to be answered is if they can function together as the only guards on the court. I’d love to see a lineup of those two plus Brooks at SF, Fleming at PF, and Williams at C, a lineup with some size to it, just to actually see how well it works. No matter how well Book and Green can play together in small-ball lineups, that’s not going to be a good enough excuse to keep the two of them together in the long run.
Q2: Rookies Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach are finally playing meaningful and productive rotation minutes. Do you believe this is because Jordan Ott brought them along slowly or in spite of it?
Diamondhacks: People sometimes confuse playing time with development. Any lottery coach can pencil in a high draft pick for 20 minutes a night and call it ‘development’. But that’s playing time, and I’m not sure any two draftee teammates have tangibly improved more from their respective draft day projections than Maluach and Fleming have.
If development is defined as learning and getting better, then Rasheer and Khaman are developing fast, not slow. Both played a lot in the G-League, and Rasheer has played more NBA minutes than about 2/3 of second rounders. I suspect they’ve been ‘brought along’ methodically and effectively, assimilating valuable standards and skills as they go, on a non-lottery team.
Ashton: I do not think Ott had a choice with the injuries that occurred. I believe the plan was to bring the rookies slowly along, and that seemed to be working, but with Mark Williams and Brooks sidelined with injuries, they were both pressed into play.
This question was asked before the Orlando game, and KM really did not get meaningful minutes in that game. Sheer did fine. This is one of those running questions where we see if the equation changes against the Hornets (before my submission), but in no way do I put this on the coach.
Would Izzo do it differently with the MSU Suns? I think he would have played the player minutes the same way.
OldAZ: I have said many times this season that the rookies should be made to earn their minutes, which justified the lack of playing time early this season. I could also be generous and say that Ott had a master plan to avoid the rookie “wall” by limiting their early minutes. Their recent play and contributions would justify all these efforts if that was really what was going on. Unfortunately, the last few weeks I am not inclined to be this generous in my interpretation of Ott’s motivations.
It is clear that he trusts veterans far more than younger players, and only the very high IQ Oso has worked himself into continuous meaningful minutes. Even after Fleming has shown to have the potential to be a major contributor, and KM has proven to be competent when they were down to only 2 centers Ott continues to only play veterans down the stretches of games, despite mounting evidence that having only one or no bigs on the floor in the 4th quarter also correlates to anemic offensive output and a massive disadvantage on the boards. I do still think that their success has been in large part to being brought along slowly, but Ott loses a little more credit for this every game as he fails to utilize them in a bigger way.
Rod: I really think Ott made the right decision in sending them to the Valley Suns early on and not throwing them directly into the fire of the NBA early on. Maluach still looks as though he needs more seasoning, but he started out so raw that it’s understandable. Fleming looks NBA-ready, something I didn’t see in him even during early-season garbage minutes. Maluach’s offense still needs some polish but his defense seems to have come along nicely.
Would it have worked as well (or better) if they were gifted more meaningful NBA minutes early in the season? Perhaps but it also could have backfired and hurt their confidence. And one thing that’s for certain is that they haven’t been pushed hard enough to slam into that “rookie wall” that comes from the extended NBA season. For Fleming especially, I’m glad that he’s relatively fresh at this point of the year instead of running on fumes.
Q3: What would you say are the keys to the Suns having any chance of getting past the 1st round of the playoffs?
Diamondhacks: First round? You mean the Clippers or OKC/SAS?
Neutralizing Darius Garland is a key to beating the New Improved Clippers, and a “healthy Jordan Goodwin” might be the best man for that job. If that’s even a thing at this point. Poor guy.
Outside of major injuries, I can’t offer a key or ‘secret’ to beating OKC/SAS in a meaningful series. The Suns don’t match those rosters’ top-end talent, depth, or experience.
Ashton: Go for the jugular here, Rod. Let’s just get it all on record. I can’t wait to read your response.
I have spent the month of March looking for Cinderella (I am married btw) and have not found it yet. The projected playoff brackets look as chalky as the NCAA, but in the month of April.
I doubt the Suns get out of the play-ins, much less the playoffs. Just so many inconsistencies on defense and offense on a season that was unreasonably full of hope and well done on a 40-plus win season. But they are fading in the stretch, and that is where it matters.
OldAZ: This is a continuation of the last question for me. They simply have to get away from playing only one player with size at a time. Even before Williams got hurt, they would often leave him on an island with 4 smaller players and when Brooks was out this led to some brutal results as average power forwards would feast on the Suns diminutive front line. I think Ott has got to recognize that as of late, the younger players are bringing more energy and effort that is lacking from his all veteran, small ball units.
Earlier in the season, the Suns won many games because they out hustled the other team. Now, as teams ramp up their intensity for the playoffs the Suns have not been able to match that when an older and undersized lineup is on the floor. It is an interesting mix, because most of the Suns youth consists of taller, longer players while the vets are mostly guards and smaller wings. This should work to their advantage “IF” Ott would put at least 2 of the bigger bodies on the floor for most of the minutes. Brooks and Goodwin would be far more effective if the other “forward” on the floor was not really an out of position guard.
For example, Brooks as the PF with Dunn at SF and either center, or Fleming and Goody with the other center make for a nice balanced front line that would compliment ANY combination of the Suns talented guards. I realize this limits O’Neale’s minutes, but in reality he should only play longer minutes if he is on fire shooting during the few minutes he would be left with. This would put at least 2 bigger players on the floor at all times and significantly increase the Suns athleticism on the defensive end.
We have all seen that when the Suns play better defense this season, their offense magically clicks as the ball moves faster and they get more early buckets. Unless this change is made, I see a quick and early exit for the Suns, which has the double downer of not giving those young players any significant playoff experience for the future. However, if he does mix them in more the value of this experience will be worth it AND I believe they would probably win an extra game or two in the process.
Rod: The way they’ve been playing lately, IF they actually get past the play-in games, I don’t see them having much of a chance of even winning a single game against either OKC or the Spurs in a 7-game series. Maybe they might win one game at most if they have one of those nights where everyone’s shots are falling, but that would be more luck than anything else to win that way.
They’ve just seemed so out of sync over the past few weeks that I have little hope/faith that they can somehow get their stuff together between now and the end of the regular season. If they can somehow do that, I could see them throwing a bit of a scare into a 1st round opponent by winning a game or two but that’s about it. I think they could do better than that if all the things that have gone wrong lately suddenly start to go right again, but I don’t think we can count on that happening.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Quotes of the Week
“Everything is on the table. We’re trying to figure this thing out on the fly and that’s what I just said. We’ve got to expedite it. There’s no excuse. We just have to figure it out.” – Jordan Ott
“Us being a first-year team, we just need some consistency. It hasn’t been that this year due to injuries and that’s just part of it.” – Devin Booker
“I think what the Suns take advantage of is just the energy that he (Jordan Goodwin) brings on and off the court. He’s a really good person and a good teammate. He really wants to see everybody do well.” – Ryan Dunn
“He (Collin Gillespie) is the definition of coming in here, getting your work in every day, sticking with it, and he’s definitely showing that it pays off.” – Devin Booker
“I’m extremely grateful to my teammates, coaching staff put me in great opportunities, but would’ve liked to get a win. That was the main thing.” – Collin Gillespie on beating the Suns’ single season 3-point record
Suns Trivia/History
Jordan Goodwin has 35 games this season with multiple steals, the fifth most in the NBA this year, behind only Kris Dunn, Ausar Thompson, Cason Wallace, and Dyson Daniels. The last time a Suns player had that many was in the 2018-19 season when Mikal Bridges had 40.
On April 6, 1993, the Suns entered the 4th quarter up 98-81 over the LA Lakers. They extended their lead to 20 points before going cold and allowing the Lakers to take a 2-point lead with just 1.6 seconds to go. The Suns had possession and inbounded the ball to Dan Majerle, who made a 33-foot three-point basket for a 115-114 win. Following the shot, Majerle jumped on the scorer’s table to celebrate as cheers from the home crowd lasted for several minutes. It was the Suns’ first-ever season sweep of LA.
On April 6, 1994, Suns point guard Kevin Johnson had a career high 25 assists in a 107-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. The entire Spurs team had just 1 assist more than KJ’s total for the game. KJ’s 25 assists in this one is also the Suns’ franchise record for most assists in a single game.
On April 7, 1969, as a new expansion franchise, the Suns took part in their first-ever NBA draft. The draft is mostly remembered because Phoenix lost the historic coin toss between them and Milwaukee, which gave the Bucks the right to draft Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) with the first pick. What is not widely known is that the Suns went on to draft a total of 22 players in that draft! The last player they selected was Jim Plump in the 20th round with the 216th pick of the draft.
On April 9, 1990, the Suns made an NBA record 61 free throws (out of 80 attempts) in beating the Utah Jazz 119-115 in overtime. A total of 121 free throws were attempted by both teams. Kevin Johnson was sent to the line 24 times and made 23 on his way to leading the Suns in scoring with a total of 37. Tom Chambers was just behind him with a total of 36 points and was 17 of 22 from the line. The Jazz were 29 of 41 at the FT line and had four players foul out of the game, two others finished with five fouls, and another four had four fouls each. Two players, Mark West and Dan Majerle, fouled out for the Suns. The Suns’ 61 made FTs is still the NBA record for the most FTs made in a single game. The 121 total FT attempts by both teams is not an NBA record, however. That record was established during the NBA’s first season on Nov. 24, 1949, when the Syracuse Nationals and the Anderson Packers combined to attempt a whopping 160 free throws in a 86-74 5-OT win for Syracuse.
This Week’s Game Schedule
Sunday, April 4 – Suns @ Chicago Bulls (12:30 pm) Tuesday, April 7 – Suns vs Houston Rockets (8:00 pm) Peacock Wednesday, April 8 – Suns vs Dallas Mavericks (7:00 pm) Friday April 10 – Suns @ LA Lakers (7:30 pm)
Important Future Dates
April 12 – Regular season ends (All 30 teams play) April 13 – Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2026 (3 p.m. ET) April 14-17 – SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament April 18 – NBA Playoffs begin
Every page these days has some form of advertising. {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series. Thanks for reading.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 31: Willy Adames #2 of the San Francisco Giants celebrates after hitting a double against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at Petco Park on March 31, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
We’ve officially had our first full week of San Francisco Giants baseball this season, so it’s time to pick our Player of the Week!
I think it will come as no surprise that my pick for this week is none other than Willy Adames! Sure, the majority of his numbers for the week came from one game, but it was a heck of a performance! Four hits (including a leadoff home run), two runs, and two RBI? Yeah, that’s gonna get you Player of the Week.
Who is your pick for this week’s Player of the Week?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants continue their series against the New York Mets tonight at 6:05 p.m. PT.
Suzuki Over 2.5 SOG 
Guentzel Over 0.5 assists
McDavid anytime goal 
