After a really great performance against the Dallas Stars that still ended up with a 2-1 loss in the shootouts, the Avalanche need a bounce back to snap their three-game losing streak, and there's no better team than the Chicago Blackhawks.
It was a dominant performance all around: production on the power play, even strength, and 100% on the penalty kill secured the two points and the first team to secure a playoff spot.
Period 1:
It was a great start for the Avalanche, keeping the Hawks on their heels and creating most of the chances early on. A lot of close shots within the crease, nothing too far out. Getting bodies in front of the net to try and get the eyes of Soderblom and slap in the rebounds, but he has been doing a good enough job getting enough on these shots to keep them out.
The Hawks' best chance came from an early breakaway opportunity by Andre Burakovsky, but Mackenzie Blackwood did a great job on the read and the shot and saved it. It's Martin Necas who opens the scoring as he rockets a shot just past the hash marks from a great play from Valeri Nichushkin. It's a forehand-backhand pass to Necas as the shot hits Soderblom's shoulder and bounces in, 1-0.
Dominic Toninato is called for slashing, and the Avalanche capitalize on their first power play of the game as Brock Nelson redirects Makar's slap pass just past the blue line, and hits the top shelf and in, making it 2-0. Jack Drury is called for hooking, but the Avalanche kill off their first penalty kill of the game, ending the period 1-0, and shots 19-5 in the Avalancheâs favour by the end of the first period.
Period 2:
It was another good start to the period for the Avalanche, who continued their pace and forced the Hawks to adjust. The Hawks capitalize on a defensive break as Ryan Greene finds Wyatt Kaisder behind the defense and beats Blackwood five-hole to make it 2-1.
Brock Nelson is called for hooking, but the Avalanche kills off the second penalty kill of the night. Despite another strong period, just keeping the Hawks to six shots on goal in the period, Soderblom is keeping them in the game, despite coming into the game with a .876 SV%, but stopping 32 of the 34 shots he has seen
Period 3:
Ryan Donato is called for tripping, and the Avalanche capitalizes on their power play opportunity once again. Necas finds Nathan MacKinnon right in front of the net, who quickly sends a backhand pass to Nazem Kadri near the right hash marks and blasts it in to make it 3-1.
Sam Rinzel is called for a delay of game as he sends the puck over the glass in his own zone, but the Avalanche canât go three straight on the power play. Though it's going to be Valeri Nichushkin capitalizing on MacKinnon stealing a bobbling puck from Levshunov and quickly shoveling it off Nichushkin to make it 4-1.
Levshunov, not too long after, takes a high-sticking penalty, just two minutes. Still, the Avalanche canât convert on this power play either. Blackwood with another breakaway save, this time on Levshunov.
The Avalanche hold on with the 4-1 lead and secure the victory over the Blackhawks, securing their 100th point and becoming the first team to lock in a playoff spot. Also, with their 100th point this season, it is the fifth consecutive season with a 100+ point season, which set a franchise record.
The Avalanche are back in action on Sunday, March 22, against the Washington Capitals.
Milwaukee Brewers infield prospect Luis Pena throws to first in a double-play drill during spring training workouts Sunday, February 15, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Brewersâ top prospects prevailed in their first Spring Breakout game on Friday evening, as they beat the Seattle Marinersâ prospects by a 7-3 final behind a big homer and a solid day from the bullpen.
With Bishop Letson on the mound, the Mariners got out to a quick lead in the first. Jonny Farmelo started the game with a single before a pair of groundouts â including an impressive play from Cooper Pratt at short â pushed him over to third. With two outs, Lazaro Montes hit a soft tapper in front of the plate, but Letson was unable to field it cleanly, and Montes reached with an RBI single, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead.
Against Ryan Sloan, the Brewersâ top prospects failed to get anything going in the first, as Jett Williams struck out, JesĂșs Made popped out, and Luis Peña grounded out.
Letson stayed in for the second, inducing a flyout before giving up a single and a walk. That marked the end of his day, as Brian Fitzpatrick took over. Fitzpatrick walked the next batter to load the bases with one out, but he got a 4-6-3 double play from Farmelo to escape the jam.
Milwaukee went down in order again in the second, and Bryce Meccage entered for Fitzpatrick in the third. After recording a lineout and a strikeout, Meccage gave up a single, a stolen base, and a walk to put runners at first and second. He wouldnât allow any runs across, though, as Luke Stevenson flew out to end the threat.
The Brewers continued to struggle against Sloan in the third, going down in order for the third straight inning to begin the game.
In the fourth, the Mariners once again threatened on offense. Yorger Bautista hit a one-out triple, but he was cut down at the plate on a 4-2 fielderâs choice one batter later. After a wild pitch by Meccage, he once again got out of the inning unscathed with a strikeout.
After three perfect innings from Sloan, the Mariners replaced him with Kade Anderson. Anderson was much more to Milwaukeeâs liking, as Williams doubled and Made brought him home with a single one batter later, tying it up at 1-1. Peña lined out, Made stole second, and Pratt reached on an infield single to put runners at the corners with one out. Unfortunately, Milwaukee was unable to take the lead, as Pratt was caught stealing and Jeferson Quero struck out to end the inning.
Jett Williams and JesĂșs Made combine for our first run
Seattle retook the lead in the fifth with some help from Milwaukeeâs defense, as Michael Arroyo singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by Williams. He moved over to third on a groundout before coming around to score on a single from Montes, his second RBI of the afternoon. Meccage induced a double play one batter later, but the score was now 2-1 Seattle.
After a leadoff walk by Luis Lara in the fifth, Josh Adamczewski struck out. A passed ball moved Lara to second, and Brock Wilken followed with a walk of his own to put two runners on with one out. A bad-luck liner off the bat of Braylon Payne (it left the bat at 108.1 mph!) turned into an unassisted double play, though, as first baseman Luis Suisbel caught it and stepped on first to end the inning.
Will Childers took over for Meccage in the sixth inning with the deficit at 2-1, working a perfect 1-2-3 frame with a pair of flyouts and a groundout. In the bottom of the inning, the Mariners replaced their entire defense, and Anderson proceeded to allow each of the first four batters to reach, as Williams and Made both walked before Peña slugged a big three-run homer to right center, flipping the scoreboard to 4-2 Milwaukee. Pratt followed with a walk, and that marked the end of Andersonâs day.
Charlie Beilenson replaced Anderson and didnât fare much better. He started with a strikeout of Quero, but he then allowed a pair of singles to Lara and Adamczewski to load the bases for Wilken. Wilken went down looking, but Payne followed with a walk to make it 5-2 before Williams popped out to end the inning.
Jaron DeBerry replaced Childers in the seventh for the Brewers, and Milwaukee also substituted a good chunk of the defense. After Aiden Taurek led off the inning with a single, DeBerry induced a double play and a strikeout to end the frame.
Mason Peters took the bump for Seattle in the seventh and, after recording a pair of outs to start the frame, he hit Brady Ebel with a pitch before walking a pair to load the bases. Unfortunately, Adamczewski struck out, and the bases were left loaded.
DeBerry worked around a single and a wild pitch in the eighth, and the Crew tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the inning with a trio of doubles by Eric Bitonti, Andrew Fischer, and Daniel Dickinson.
With a 7-2 lead, Ryan Birchard took the ninth inning, and he allowed a solo homer to Bautista but nothing else, as the game ultimately ended on a successful challenge by Brewer catcher Darrien Miller, who got an 0-2 pitch overturned from ball one to strike three.
It was a solid day all around for the prospects, as Milwaukee scored seven runs on nine hits while the pitching staff scattered three runs and 10 hits. No player finished with more than two hits for the Brewers, though five of the nine hits were of the extra-base variety, including four doubles and Peñaâs homer.
On the mound, Meccage lasted the longest, spanning three frames with one unearned run allowed on four hits and a walk while striking out a pair. Childers got the win with his scoreless inning, while DeBerry went two scoreless with three strikeouts.
Bryce Meccage (@MLBPipelineâs No. 21 Brewers prospect) threw three innings in the Spring Breakout game without allowing an earned run.
He talked about adding strength, his New Jersey roots (including a hospital visit with Frank Cairone) and more during a chat before the game. pic.twitter.com/kXGokfMfDJ
The Brewersâ prospects will take on the Aâs prospects in their second and final Spring Breakout game on Sunday afternoon at Hohokam Stadium. First pitch in that one is slated for 3:05 p.m. CT.
The Chicago Blackhawks had their second leg of a back-to-back on Friday night. After a narrow 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night, they returned home to take on the Colorado Avalanche.
Consecutive days with games against two of the top five teams in the NHL is never an easy stretch, but itâs a good measuring stick for the young Blackhawks.
Before the game began, Jeff Blashill announced that Andrew Mangiapane and Louis Crevier would be out with short-term injuries that they suffered in St. Paul against the Wild.
Wearing their black alternate sweaters for the last time in 2025-26, the Blackhawks started Arvid Soderblom in net for the first time since Spencer Knightâs illness ended.
In the first period, the Blackhawks were caved in by the Avalanche. Colorado outshot Chicago 20-5 and took a 2-0 lead into intermission thanks to goals by Marty Necas and Brock Nelson.
At that point, it started to seem like it was going to be a tough night for the Blackhawks against the team that's been at the top of the NHL standings all season.
The second period was somewhat of a different story. The Blackhawks came out and looked like an entirely different team for a while.
After a handful of golden opportunities for the Hawks early in the middle frame, Wyatt Kaiser split the defense, accepted a pass from Ryan Greene, and scored to get his team on the board.
Following the goal, the Blackhawks started to look more like their first-period selves. In the second period, the Avalanche outshot them 15-6.
That's a 35-11 advantage through 40 minutes. Without Arvid Soderblom, they would not have been within one goal at that point.
In the third period, the Avalanche were awarded a power play within the first minute. Nazem Kadri, their last acquisition ahead of the trade deadline, made it 3-1 with the man-advantage. At 11:26 of the third, for good measure, Valeri Nichushkin made it 4-1 in favor of the Avalanche.
The 4-1 score would hold as the final of Colorado. The final shot count was 49-20 Colorado, which is not a recipe for victory from Chicago's perspective.
The Blackhawks relinquished two power-play goals to the Avalanche in the loss. They will wake up on Saturday outside of first place in the penalty kill rankings for the first time in months.
Colorado came in with the 29th ranked power play percentage (despite all of their firepower), but they made easy work of the Blackhawks' PK. It has been more of a struggle to kill penalties since trading Jason Dickinson, Nick Foligno, and Connor Murphy.
In the win, Colorado became the first team in the NHL to reach 100 points in the standings. That was also good enough to make them the first team to clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It's been a good month for the Blackhawks with all things considered, but games like this show how much more development is needed for them to be a legitimate playoff threat.
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WASHINGTON (AP) â Logan Thompson made 30 saves, losing his shutout bid with just 43 seconds remaining, and the Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Friday night.
Ryan Leonard scored midway through the first period, and Aliaksei Protas added an empty-netter with 1:43 remaining.
Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils, extending his point streak with three goals and four assists over his last seven games. Jake Allen stopped 26 shots.
It was the third meeting between the teams and the first that didnât require extra time. The Devils beat the Capitals in a 3-2 shootout win on Nov. 15, but lost 4-3 in overtime on Dec. 27. Thompson and Allen covered the net in all three games. They will conclude their season series on April 2 in Newark.
HURRICANES 4, MAPLE LEAFS 3, OT
TORONTO (AP) â Alexander Nikishin scored 41 seconds into overtime to give the Eastern Conference-leading Carolina a victory over Toronto.
Nikishin fired a shot beyond goalie Joseph Wollâs blocker.
Eric Robinson scored on a penalty shot for Carolina, KâAndre Miller and Jordan Staal also had goals, and Brandon Bussi made 23 saves. Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho each had two assists.
John Tavares, William Nylander and Dakota Joshua scored for Toronto. Woll stopped 32 shots, and Matias Maccelli had two assists.
AVALANCHE 4, BLACKHAWKS 1
CHICAGO (AP) â Nathan MacKinnon had three assists in Coloradoâs victory over Chicago, helping the Avalanche become the first NHL team to clinch a playoff spot this season.
Martin Necas had a goal and two assists for Colorado, which had lost four of five. Nazem Kadri, Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin also scored.
The league-leading Avalanche (45-13-10) moved four points ahead of idle Dallas for the top spot in the Western Conference.
Wyatt Kaiser scored for Chicago (26-31-12), and Arvid Soderblom stopped 45 shots.
FLAMES 4, PANTHERS 1
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) â Dustin Wolf made 24 saves, Victor Olofsson scored his first goal for Calgary and the Flames beat Florida for their second straight victory.
Olofsson came over from Colorado at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Nazem Kadri back to the Avalanche.
Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato also scored for Calgary, each moving into a tie with Blake Coleman for the team lead with 16.
A.J. Greer scored for two-time defending champion Florida. Daniil Tarasov made 32 saves in losing for sixth time in his last seven starts.
DUCKS 4, MAMMOTH 1
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) â Alex Killorn broke a tie off a scramble at 9:09 of the second period, Lukas Dostal stopped 29 shots and Anaheim beat Utah to pad their Pacific Division lead.
After the puck was cleared off the goal line behind goalie Vitek Vanecek, the Ducksâ Sennecke ended up with it on the left side and slipped a pass to Killorn for a shot before Vanecek was set. Killorn also had two assists.
Ryan Poehling, Cutter Gauthier and Mikael Granlund also scored to help the Ducks â playing without suspended defenseman Radko Gudas â rebound from a 3-2 overtime loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday night at home. They moved three points ahead of Edmonton in the division.
Gudas served the fourth game of a five-game suspension for kneeing Auston Matthews in a loss at Toronto on March 12. Matthews tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season.
They lost Kristaps Porzingis in the first half. They lost control of the ball 26 times. And they lost to the Pistons on Friday night, 115-101, for the ninth time in their past 11 games.
The Warriorsâ Kristaps Porzingis left the game Friday against the host Pistons. NBAE via Getty Images
Both teams played without their best players after Cade Cunningham was diagnosed with a collapsed lung, but Jalen Duren led six Detroit scorers in double figures with 23 points.
The Warriorsâ 26 turnovers set a season high and led to Golden State attempting nine fewer shots than the Pistons. DeâAnthony Melton (14 points), LJ Cryer (3 of 5 from 3) and Brandin Podziemski (15 points) scored in bursts, but no Warriors player found the bottom of the net consistently enough to overcome their carelessness with the ball.
What it means
Itâs looking more likely that the Warriors will have to travel for the 9-10 play-in game. Golden Stateâs last loss dropped it into 10th place behind the eighth-place Trail Blazers and ninth-place Clippers.
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There was never a point where the Warriors played anything resembling clean basketball, so they were done as soon as the opening tip, even though they built a lead as large as nine midway through the first half.
With all their absences, the Warriors had little margin for error against the top team in the Eastern Conference, and they committed a cacophony of them.
The Warriorsâ Brandin Podziemski scored 15 points against the host Pistons on Friday. NBAE via Getty Images
MVP: Brandin Podziemski
All 11 Warriors who saw the floor committed at least one turnover, but Podziemski was only responsible for two despite acting as the primary ball handler for most of his minutes.
Stat of the game: 14
As their injuries piled up, the Warriors went 14 straight games with a different starting five each night. Steve Kerr was finally able to start the same lineup against Detroit as he did in Boston. Only the Grizzlies (16) have a longer streak in the NBA this season, while the last time the Warriors went 14 games in a row without the same starting five was in 2008-09.
It looks like Golden State will have to use another starting lineup Saturday against the Hawks after Porzingis left late in the first half with lower back soreness and did not return.
Up next
The Warriors face Jonathan Kuminga and the Hawks in the second half of a back-to-back on Saturday. Kuminga has missed 11 of 17 games since the Warriors traded him to Atlanta for Porzingis, but he is expected to be available against his former team.
Golden State is also set to provide an update on Steph Curry (knee), who missed his 20th consecutive game but has begun to increase his basketball activities.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are officially headed back to the Calder Cup Playoffs.Â
They needed a point against the Belleville Senators on Friday night to clinch a spot and got two, winning 2-1 in a shootout. Aidan McDonough scored in regulation for WBS before Avery Hayes scored the shootout winner.Â
Hayes had a really nice move in the shootout, going backhand, forehand, tucking the puck under the pad of the Senators' goaltender.
AVERY HAYES WITH A NASTY SHOOTOUT GOAL.
After getting stopped on two breakaways in OT, Hayes makes it count in the shootout.#WBSPens win in the shootout in Belleville to clinch their playoff spot with an !@InsideAHLHockeypic.twitter.com/AhjbCEjLcj
This was his first game back in WBS after the Penguins re-assigned him on Thursday. Hayes has played in 11 NHL games, recording two goals. Both goals came in his NHL debut on Feb. 5 against the Buffalo Sabres.
With the win, WBS is now 38-16-6-2 overall, good for 84 points. They're the second team to clinch a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, joining the Providence Bruins.Â
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) â Tyler Fay pitched Alabama's first nine-inning, complete-game no-hitter in 84 years, striking out 13 in a 6-0 victory over Florida on Friday night.
Fay retired the last 10 batters, getting Brendan Lawson to fly out to left to end the game. Fay, who had never pitched more than seven innings in college, threw a career-high 132 pitches, 85 for strikes.
The redshirt junior from Doniphan, Nebraska, issued a walk in the second inning and another in the sixth against the Gators (19-4, 3-1 SEC), who are ranked as high as No. 17. Fay came into the season as Alabama's No. 1 starter and entered the game with a 3-2 record and 5.43 ERA.
The Crimson Tide (16-7, 1-3) hadn't had a pitcher throw a complete-game, nine-inning no-hitter since Eddie Wocar did it at Mississippi on April 24, 1942.
Florida was no-hit for the first time since Jacksonvilleâs Tom McMillan did it in a seven-inning game June 1, 1963.
DETROIT (AP) â Jalen Duren scored 23 points as the Detroit Pistons beat the Golden State Warriors 115-101 on Friday night in a game missing two of the NBAâs biggest stars.
The Pistons beat the Warriors in the first matchup of the season between the teams on Jan. 30, but that was the last game Golden Stateâs Steph Curry (knee) has played this season. Now, Detroitâs Cade Cunningham (chest) has joined him for an extended absence.
Golden Stateâs injury situation got worse in the first half when Kristaps Porzingis left the game with lower back soreness.
Daniss Jenkins, starting for Cunningham, had 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Detroit, which has won six of its last seven games. Paul Reed added 15 points for the Pistons, who won despite shooting 23.8% (5 for 21) on 3-pointers.
Golden State, which has lost seven of eight, turned the ball over 26 times, leading to 32 Pistons points. Brandin Podziemski had 15 points to lead Golden State.
KNICKS 93, NETS 92
NEW YORK (AP) â Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 15 rebounds, and New York outlasted the Brooklyn for their fourth consecutive victory.
Jalen Brunson scored 17 points and OG Anunoby finished with 16 for the Knicks, who trailed by 13 points in the first half, then blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Ben Saraf had a chance to win it for the Nets at the buzzer but missed a 45-footer.
The Knicks beat the Nets for the 14th straight time, the longest winning streak for either team in the local rivalry. The Netsâ last victory over the Knicks was on Jan. 28, 2023, shortly before trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Josh Minott scored 22 points and Ziaire Williams added 17 for the Nets, who have lost six straight games.
ROCKETS 117, HAWKS 95
HOUSTON (AP) â Kevin Durant scored 25 points, Jabari Smith Jr. added 23 and Houston snapped Atlantaâs 11-game winning streak.
Alperen Sengun had 15 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for Houston, which was just 4-6 in its previous 10 games and was coming off back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker led Atlanta with 21 points, but the Hawks shot just 42% from the field and 26% (9 for 35) from 3-point range. Houston shot 51% overall and 47% (14 of 30) from deep.
CJ McCollum had 17 points and Zaccharie Risacher had 16 for Atlanta, which was riding its longest winning streak in over a decade that had positioned the team for a play-in berth.
The Rockets outrebounded the Hawks 51-37.
CELTICS 117, GRIZZLIES 112
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) â Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, Luka Garza added a season-high 22 points and Boston used a fourth-quarter rally to defeat Memphis.
Payton Pritchard added 19 points for the Celtics, who have won four straight. The win kept Boston in second place in the East, 1 1/2 games ahead of the New York Knicks who held on for a 93-92 victory over Brooklyn earlier Friday night.
Tyler Burton, who signed a 10-day contract with Memphis on March 12, led the Grizzlies with 23 points, a career-high. Ty Jerome added 16 points and seven assists. Javon Small and DeJon Jarreau finished with 13 points each.
TRAIL BLAZERS 108, TIMBERWOLVES 104
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) â Jerami Grant made a 3-pointer with 22.2 seconds left and Portland escaped with a win over Minnesota.
After a timeout by the Trail Blazers, Grant took an inbound pass from Jrue Holiday and made his fourth 3 of the night from the right corner. Grant grabbed a defensive rebound at the other end and made two free throws to finish with 26 points in Portlandâs third straight win.
Donovan Clingan scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his sixth straight double-double. Deni Avdija added 25 points and eight rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who moved into eighth place in the Western Conference. Holiday had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Rudy Gobert led short-handed Minnesota with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Ayo Dosunmu added 17 points and tied a career high with 10 rebounds.
Julius Randle added 19 points for the Timberwolves, but they lost for the first time in three games without All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, who remains out with right knee inflammation. Center Naz Reid, a top bench player, missed his second straight game with a right knee sprain.
NUGGETS 121, RAPTORS 115
DENVER (AP) â Jamal Murray scored 31 points, Nikola Jokic made a go-ahead jumper with 45 seconds left and Denver held on for a victory over Toronto.
Jokic finished with 22 points and nine rebounds, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 23 points and shot 7 of 10 from 3-point range and Aaron Gordon added 16 points for the Nuggets, who improved to 8-8 since the All-Star break.
Jakob Poeltl scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Brandon Ingram added 19 points and R.J. Barrett had 18.
HOUSTON (AP) â Kevin Durant scored 25 points, Jabari Smith Jr. added 23 and the Houston Rockets snapped Atlanta's 11-game winning streak with a 117-95 victory over the Hawks on Friday night.
Alperen Sengun had 15 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for Houston, which was just 4-6 in its previous 10 games and was coming off back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker led Atlanta with 21 points, but the Hawks shot just 42% from the field and 26% (9 for 35) from 3-point range. Houston shot 51% overall and 47% (14 of 30) from deep.
CJ McCollum had 17 points and Zaccharie Risacher had 16 for Atlanta, which was riding its longest winning streak in over a decade that had positioned the team for a play-in berth.
The Rockets outrebounded the Hawks 51-37.
The Rockets ked 62-54 at halftime then pulled away by outscoring the Hawks 39-22 in the third quarter.
Onyeka Okongwu had three assists including the 600th of his career. He is averaging 3.2 assists per game this season, the most of his career.
Up next
Hawks: Return home to play Golden State on Saturday night.
The Brooklyn Nets were so thoroughly âembarrassedâ last time out (Jordi FernĂĄndezâs word, not mine) that the loss didnât reflect just their own shortcomings, but for many, a spiritual rot at the center of the NBA. Brooklyn scored just 24 points in the first half against the Oklahoma City Thunderâs historic defense, not just a poor output but a disgraceful one.
Hark! The doubtless millions who tuned in to watch the defending champions face an Eastern Conference cellar-dweller with less than a month left in the regular season were rudely treated to a 29-point blowout. What is the NBA prepared to do about it? A question that surely must be asked and debated every day, all the time.
On Friday evening, the Brooklyn Nets didnât just cap off their three-game homestand. They defended their honor, against the New York Knicks no less.
The 17-52 Nets were the more physical team from the jump, more engaged on defense than theyâve been in weeks. The visitors underestimated their opponent, yes. But Brooklynâs multiple efforts were no less impressiveâŠ
Knicks seem (understandably) taken aback by Nets' physicality/effort to start this one pic.twitter.com/szkflIPP7q
After a successful first half, Ziaire Williams told YES Networkâs Meghan Triplett: âWe owe them one. They whooped on us last time we played âem, this oneâs a little more personal. Weâre just getting after it.â
Williams spoke no lie. This was not going to be another 120-66 win for the âBockers. The Knicks scored a season-low 14 points in the first quarter. This marked quite a role reversal for Brooklyn, who took a 50-44 lead into the break, much to the dismay of the majority blue-and-orange Barclays Center crowd. Brooklyn defended Jalen Brunson particularly well, trapping his ball-screens and showing aggressive help when he had a one-on-one matchup. The Knicks captain shot just 7-of-19 in this one while ex-Net Mikal Bridges (boy that feels like ages ago) scored just nine points .. one point for each of the assets the Knicks gave up for him. Instead, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns took the offensive lead.
Dare I say it almost felt like a rivalry? Perhaps the Knicks were just pissed about their sluggish start, but Mitchell Robinson and Ziaire Williams got double-techs in the first half after Robinson took great offense to a Nolan Traore foulâŠ
Nic Claxton and OG Anunoby continued the fun in the second half, picking up double-techs after refusing to keep their hands to themselves.
Sadly, it was not Brooklynâs first-round rookies that kept them in this one. At least offensively. Danny Wolf, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, and Ben Saraf combined to shoot 9-of-33. Traore, at the very least, had seven assists (to four turnovers) while Powell and Saraf applied noteworthy ball pressure on Brunson.
Brooklynâs rangy wings led them in this one. Ziaire Williams scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, two of them coming on this pick-sixâŠ
Said FernĂĄndez: âSometimes we gotta let Ziaire be Ziaire, right? His energy is contagious, and a lot of times itâs not going to be perfect, but he just makes up â sometimes heâll make mistakes and he makes up for them with, like, that extreme energy.â
Josh Minott, age 23, led the team with 22 points, making a career-high six threes. Once again, it was his best game in a Nets uniform, perhaps the best game of his career. He also recorded a couple blocks and a steal, even hitting OG Anunoby with a nasty pump-fake and score at the end of the first quarterâŠ
âPlayed really, really, really hard,â said FernĂĄndez. âAnd then you see his line right ⊠heâs playing very well, took advantage of his minutes. And you know, itâs good to see, you know, continuing to evaluate these guys going into the summer.â
Yet again, it was the bench outplaying the starters, and they were rewarded with major second-half minutes. It appeared the Knicks were finally running away with it toward the end of the third quarter, taking their first double-digit lead of the game.
Then, out of nowhere, Chaney Johnson, Malachi Smith, Ochai Agbaji, Saraf, and Minott lead an 11-0 Nets run to make things tight once againâŠ
It was nail-biting time. Unsurprisingly, neither Claxton nor Williams ever returned to the game, but tank or no tank, the reserves truly earned the opportunity.
Per FernĂĄndez, the veterans even urged their head coach to keep rocking with the two-ways and 10-day: ââTheyâre rolling, theyâre rolling, stay with them,â and it was good to see. Itâs good how they support each other and how they see that we have a chance to win.â
Brooklyn took an 87-84 lead with just over three minutes to go. They were really about to do it. This was beyond tanking â the deepest part of Brooklynâs roster was outplaying the nonchalant Knicks. Alas, it was not to be. Brunson hit a pull-up, KAT continued to bulldoze his way to the line, as he shot more free-throws than the Nets by himself.
Postgame, FernĂĄndez hinted but did not explicitly say that poor refereeing really killed his team: âIt comes down to the free-throw line and some of those things we cannot control. You know, 32-to-10, itâs absolutely â if you do your math, itâs 22 free-throws of difference. Yeah. Right there is the game, but the guys played the right way.â
KAT, however, missed his final two attempts, giving the Nets one last chance to pull off the stunner. But their first sideline-out-of-bounds play was deflected, and all they could muster was a Ben Saraf half-court heave that fell ten feet short. That may be for the best in the long run, and this will go down as just another loss, same as the 54-point blowout they experienced in MSG.
But it sure didnât feel that way.
Final Score: New York Knicks 93, Brooklyn Nets 92
Milestone Watch
As previously mentioned, Minott made a career-high six 3-pointers against the Knicks, and his 22 points, marks the second-most in his career. Additionally, his six 3-pointers tie Ziaire Williams as the most 3-pointers by a Net off the bench this season.
Josh Minott Speaks
Yes, this one deserved its own category.
Postgame, a passionate Josh Minott sat at the podium and cursed, a lot. Normally, we censor that sort of thing on NetsDaily, but given that it might be the best quote any Net has given in years, Iâll make an exception for Minott, who was asked what his first taste of the crosstown rivalry meant to him.
âI wanted that shit so fucking bad,â he beganâŠ
Josh Minott had a passionate response when asked about tonightâs tight loss in his first Nets-Knicks matchup:
âI wanted that shit so fucking bad. Ever since weâve been here, itâs like every gameâs an away game. Tonight was just the night to really just stick it to everybody.⊠pic.twitter.com/RDyYkYf55u
Yes, Minott went there, touching on the âawayâ crowd that dominates most games at Barclays Center, particularly when the Celtics (his former team) or the Knicks pay a visit. But man. Itâs tough not to root for Minott â particularly as a Nets fan â after Friday night.
âItâs just all about trying to just help the team win. Like I said since Iâve been here, we have such a good group of people, itâs easy to like them. I know weâre all young, but Iâd say that damn near adds to us ⊠I feel like itâs so easy to just click with everybody. I mean, theyâve welcomed me, theyâve uplifted me since I got here. And itâs like, you just know right there. So Iâd say tonight, it was a demonstration of what we have moving forward.â
Injury Report
Pregame, Jordi FernĂĄndez provided a couple updates on injured Nets, including one for Michael Porter Jr.
Brooklyn announced on Thursday that an MRI revealed a left hamstring strain for their leading scorer, scheduled to be re-evaluated in two-to-three weeks. The regular season, of course, has just over three weeks left. It would be quite the surprise if Porter Jr. plays in another game this season, though FernĂĄndez wouldnât commit to that.
âTwo-to-three weeks, but obviously thereâs ramp-up to get back to a competition level,â said FernĂĄndez. âSo, you know, we cannot predict [if he will play again], but it will be close. So we go through these two, three weeks, and then put the work in and so forth. And then weâll see where we are.â
The head coach also revealed that Noah Clowney will miss at least one more game â the Nets travel to Sacramento on Sunday â with the sprained right wrist he suffered on Wednesday evening.
Next Up
<p>Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images</p><br>
We have one hell of a tanking battle on our hands. The 17-win Nets travel to Sacramento to face the 18-win Kings in their first of two meetings this month. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET. At the moment, the Nets hold the third best odds for the overall No. 1. That puts them two games behind the Kings and a half game behind the Wizards with 12 to go.
Meanwhile, the Nets have opened a four-game gap over the Jazz. Absent an unlikely Nets win streak and season closing losing streak by Utah, it seems increasingly likely that the Nets will finish the season with a top four pick.
DETROIT, MI - MARCH 20: Duncan Robinson #55 of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket during the game against the Golden State Warriors on March 20, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 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 Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors entered Friday nightâs road game with the 16th-best offense in the NBA, a number that has dropped to 23rd during Steph Curryâs prolonged absence. Their opponent, the Detroit Pistons, entered the game with the leagueâs second-best defense.
It wasnât a fair fight, though the broadcastâs frequent mentions of how long Detroit had gone since winning 50 games or a playoff series â 18 years in both cases, though they reached the 50-win plateau yesterday â served as a reminder that the recently-dynastic Dubs wonât be getting sympathy points from any team or fanbase. They had their run in the sun, and now theyâre subject to other teamsâ. Somewhere out there, John Tesh is making a synth-heavy remix of The Lion Kingâs âCircle of Life,â and itâs quite lovely.
The Warriors caught the Pistons during a bad stretch, which is to say that MVP candidate Cade Cunningham has a collapsed lung and is sidelined for the foreseeable future. But once Cunninghamâs All-Star running mate Jalen Duren was cleared to play, shortly before tip-off, the outcome of the game became somewhat predetermined.
Golden State â sans Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler III, Al Horford, Quinten Post, and Moses Moody â would surely struggle to both score on Detroitâs dynamic, athletic, Bad Boys V3.0 defense, and struggle to contain their large and hyper-athletic squad. And wouldnât you know it â sometimes basketball makes sense. Sometimes the square peg fits in the square hole and it all works, even when you donât want it to. And so it was that the Pistons beat the Warriors 115-101 in a game that went precisely as you expected it to.
Well, almost precisely. It took a detour at the start, as the Warriors tried to make the Pistons the latest team that they shocked with a March Madness underdog-inspired upset. The Dubs matched Detroitâs defensive pace early, with a tremendous amount of energy, effort, and aggression. It made for an atrociously ugly game in the early goings, but it was fun: it was physical and sloppy, which was compounded by poor officiating and separate incidents of players flying off the court that resulted in a spilled drink and an overturned candy container. Five minutes in, the score stood a 1990s-esque 7-7, with all of Golden Stateâs points coming courtesy of DeâAnthony Melton (he would net their first nine, and take a breather before a single teammate had scored).
The Warriors were scrappy on offense, but not good. They were accomplishing things through sheer will, in spite of their poor execution. Their defense, on the other hand, was good, if unconventional. Steve Kerr kept things from getting predictably by running a zone late in the quarter, which silenced Detroit, and suddenly the Warriors took the lead. Despite having seven turnovers in the opening frame, they ended things on a 12-1 run, and led 26-21.
Things got even rosier when the second quarter began. Two-way contract LJ Cryer, back after a few absences due to a hamstring injury, wasted no time impacting the game, with a pair of threes in the first few minutes, pushing the Warriors lead to 38-29, and forcing a Pistons timeout.
Whatever J.B. Bickerstaff said in that timeout worked. It was as if the Pistons magically remembered that theyâre an elite defensive team, and suddenly Golden Stateâs offense went flatter than a frat keg on a Tuesday morning. And as it did, Detroit started to find their rhythm on offense, and began cutting away at the nine-point deficit. With just over four minutes, the Pistons finally tied the game, and shortly after they retook the lead. The Warriors were leaking oil, yet somehow staying right with the Pistons ⊠they didnât look as good as their counterpart, but the scoreboard certainly didnât reflect that (in part because the Warriors were red-hot from deep, while Detroit couldnât buy a bucket beyond the arc).
Inside of a minute remaining in the half, the Warriors trailed by just two points. But then came a game-shifting sequence of events. The Pistons had the ball, and were playing for a two-for-one, which they executed perfectly. Duncan Robinson drained a three, and on the other end, the Warriors could only hoist a shot-clock beating circus shot. As the prayer went up, Robinson leaked out, and after a quick outlet, he had an easy transition layup right before the halftime buzzer.
Just like that, the Pistons had landed what felt like â and proved to be â the knockout blow, and took a 57-50 advantage into the break.
Things went from bad to worse before the second half even began. Kristaps PorziĆÄŁis, who had subbed himself out of the game late in the first, was nowhere to be found on the court or in the bench, with Malevy Leons taking the court in his stead. The Warriors announced that PorziĆÄŁis â who had finally been healthy â was ruled out for the game with lower back soreness. The slim chances of winning the game grew slimmer still and, more importantly, PorziĆÄŁisâ future for the final 12 games of the season now hangs in doubt.
From there, it just kept getting worse. The Warriors could not get anything going on offense, as the Pistons completely suffocated them. Possession after possession, the Warriors looked like they were playing five-on-six against their big brothers. Not only was every shot contested, but every pass, every cut, and every dribble. It was a truly swarming defensive effort, and if you havenât watched Detroit much this year, it left you tipping your cap to a team that has it truly figured out on that end of the court. Add in the sheer physicality, and you can bet that Bill Laimbeer and Ben Wallace are grinning every time they turn on a game.
As the quarter went on, the Pistons used their elite defense to generate easy offensive opportunities, either through transition buckets or clear mismatches. The deficit grew to double digits, and then ballooned into the high teens. The Warriors tried to find opportunities on offense, but every bucket felt like a chore, and they trailed 87-73 at the end of the quarter.
Whatever closeness they had entering the final frame was immediately lost. The Pistons scored before the quarter even began, on a free throw courtesy of a between-quarters technical foul on Gary Payton II. Duren followed that up with a layup. Leons turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, and then Duren sank a pair of free throws. Ămer Yurtseven turned the ball over, and then Duren finished an alley-oop with emphasis. The Pistons scored the first 10 points of the quarter, and Kerr called a timeout before Golden State have even made a bucket. It took more than three minutes for the Warriors to score in the fourth, and nearly four-and-a-half minutes before they made a field goal.
By then, the outcome was long concluded, and all that was left was to see what the final score would be. It wasnât as close as the 115-101 outcome, but a little garbage time preening will have that effect on a scoreboard.
The Warriors dramatically outshot the Pistons from deep, going 12-for-33 (36.4%) compared to Detroitâs 5-for-21 (23.8%). But everything else was one-sided. Detroitâs advantage in the paint was sizable â literally and figuratively â and led to a chasm separating the two teamsâ marks from inside the arc. Golden State shot 53.5% (23-for-43) on twos, while the Pistons shot an absurd 61.5% (40-for-65).
Detroit scored an eye-popping 74 points in the paint, while the Warriors had just 44. Despite how much they played like an old-school, bruising, back-to-the-basket squad, they held an equally dominant advantage in fastbreak points: 19-5. And any chance that the Warriors had to keep things close evaporated with their 26 turnovers (which just 23 assists), while forcing 15.
Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 15 points, and also led the way with six rebounds (a mark that Yurtseven matched). Melton and Gary Payton II contributed 14 points, while Gui Santos had a well-balanced 13-5-5 line. Draymond Green led the playmaking with six assists, but was held scoreless against his hometown team.
The Warriors, who fell to 33-37, now get to face Jonathan Kuminga and the Atlanta Hawks in the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday night. Itâs the penultimate game of the six-game road trip, and tips off at 5:00 p.m. PT.
MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) â Hyo Joo Kim doubled her lead to four strokes Friday in the Fortinet Founders Cup, capping a late afternoon rally with a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth.
A day after holing out for eagle on the par-5 18th hole for a 9-under 63 and a two-shot lead, Kim shot 70 in her afternoon round at tree-lined Sharon Heights.
Gabby Lopez was second at 7 under after a 70 in the morning session, with top-ranked Jeeno Thitikul and Nelly Korda in the group another shot back.
Playing the back nine first Friday, Kim bogeyed Nos. 11 and 17, then rebounded with birdies on 18, 1 and 3 and 8.
âThe golf course is a bit hard,â Kim said. âThe tee shots are hard to play and the shape of the course is a little tricky. I try my best to just try to do what I need to do.â
The South Korean player, ranked eighth in the world, won the 2015 Founders Cup in Phoenix for the second of her seven LPGA Tour titles.
âItâs been so long.â Kim said about the 2015 victory. âI think I won my rookie year. It was an unforgettable memory because it was my first win as a LPGA member.â
Coming off a third-place finish last month in Thailand, Kim is the defending champion next week in Arizona in the Ford Championship at Wild Horse Pass.
Lopez, from Mexico, had three front-nine birdies and dropped a stroke on the par-4 16th.
Thitikul rebounded from an opening 72 with a 66 in the afternoon. She opened with a bogey and birdied five of the next seven. On the back nine, she birdied 12 and 18.
âYou have to be on the fairway first,â Thitkul said. âFind the fairway. The rough was rough.â
Korda, who skipped the Asia swing after winning the season opener in Florida, had a 68 in the morning to get to 6 under. She had late birdies on the Nos. 7 and 8.
âItâs tricky. You really have to shape it out here,â Korda said. âSome of the trees are a little bit intimidating and the greens are tough, too. Not only are they really undulated, but sometimes theyâre a little bit harder to read, too.â
Minjee Lee (70), Aditi Ashok (66), Karis Davidson (68). Hye-Jin Choi (70) and Jin Hee Im (72) also were 6 under. Lee closed with a bogey after making four straight birdies.
âA little bit of things to clean up, but I think Iâm in a pretty nice position going into the weekend,â Lee said.
The tournament began as a tribute to the 13 founders of the LPGA. It began in Arizona in 2011 and last year was the second event of the season and played in Florida. It has attracted eight of the top 10 players in the world ranking and kicks off a four-tournament stretch in the West ahead of the first major of the year.
Earlier this season, Florida basketball 7-9 center Olivier Rioux became the tallest player to play in an NCAA basketball game.
He broke the mark of Manut Bol, who was 7-7 and played at Division II Bridgeport.
Rioux has appeared in 10 games this season, averaging 0.5 points and 0.4 rebounds a game in 14 total minutes.
Rioux made his on-court debut Nov. 6 in the final minutes of Floridaâs 104-64 win over North Florida, the Gators student section began chanting for the redshirt freshman giant to enter the game and got its wish.
Floridaâs student section chant for 7-foot-9 Oliver Rioux to get a chance to play in the game.
After a few moments, Florida coach Todd Golden simply turned to his player and gave in to the crowd.
âTodd just looked at me,â Rioux said. âAnd I just (pretends to take shirt off) with my t-shirt."
âIt felt great. The support from everybody was amazing. Even on the bench and even with the fans. Everybody supported me. Iâm very grateful.â
Riouxâs moment came with 2:09 left in the game, which officially made him the tallest player in college history and left the official crowd of 10,065 erupting.
âItâs another day, I guess,â Rioux replied, what it meant for him to own that record.
Here's a video of Olivier Rioux dunking
Does he have to jump?
With this dunk, Olivier Rioux (7' 9") is the tallest player to EVER make a FG in Men's college basketballđ @GatorsMBKpic.twitter.com/DRUQhEcCwu
Jalen Brunson and the Knicks were a misfiring mess all night, but apparently itâs never too late to get off the struggle bus against the pathetic Nets.
An inexcusable defeat Friday night was only averted because Brooklyn couldnât generate a potential game-winner at the buzzer â instead mismanaging an out-of-bounds play that left rookie Ben Saraf launching an airball â allowing the Knicks to escape Barclays Center with a 93-92 win that was more shameful than respectable.
âThey brought the fight to us. They came out, obviously they wanted to prove a point,â Knicks center Mitchell Robinson said. âOur approach got to be better. We canât just look at their record and say, âWeâll whoop their ass.â We just got to be better altogether. Until we figure that part out, then itâs going to be a long rollercoaster.â
Brunson, who missed the previous game with a neck strain, scored just 17 points on 7-for-19 shooting overall, including 1-for-6 from beyond the arc. But he finally awoke in crunch time, dropping two of the nightâs biggest buckets â a go-ahead pull-up jumper with 2:20 remaining and another one less than a minute later.
He and Karl-Anthony Towns couldâve then put the win away, but they combined to miss three of four free throws in the final 10 seconds.
So the Knicks (46-25) were lucky the Nets, who shot under 40 percent on the night, couldnât score. And they left with two winning streaks intact â five straight victories overall, and 14 consecutive against the Nets.
Jalen Brunson looks to pass during the Knicksâ March 20, 2026 win over the Nets. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
But it was ugly.
âJordi [FernĂĄndez, the Nets coach] outcoached me,â Mike Brown said. âThey outplayed us in a lot of areas. And we were just able to find a way to get a win.â
For the Knicks, whoâve had problems starting games, Friday night brought another discouraging first quarter. They managed a pitiful 14 points in that opening period and trailed by eight, saved only by Brooklynâs ineptitude.
Karl-Anthony Towns fights for possession during the Knicksâ March 20 win over the Nets. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
On Sunday night, Brown ranted about his teamâs lack of focus and energy immediately after tipoff. He was so upset after a nail-biting win over the short-handed Warriors that he stopped the tradition of awarding a defensive player of the game.
But the message didnât sink in for the crosstown game, and the Knicks seemed shocked by Brooklyn playing harder than usual.
âThis is probably the most physical they got with us,â Robinson said. âSo you canât take their record and say, this is an easy one. Theyâre grown-ass men just like us. Theyâre in the NBA just like us. So our approach got to be better and more respectful.â
It got feisty in the second quarter, when Robinson, clearly upset with a previous possession, stepped over Brooklynâs Nolan Traore under the basket. Robinson stood over Traore â a universal basketball sign of disrespect â and Brooklynâs Danny Wolf stepped in before all parties were separated.
New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (L) and teammate New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson reacts during their teams game against the Brooklyn Nets during the first half at the Barclays Center in New York, New York, USA, Friday, March 20, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Robinson was given a tech. So was Brooklynâs Ziaire Williams. Then in the third quarter, OG Anunoby and Nic Claxton were whistled for techs after a shoving exchange.
âYou get physical back. Thatâs how itâs got to be,â Robinson said. âGot to stand on business about that.â
The Nets are operating with a talent deficit and under a front office prioritizing ping-pong balls over victories. Still, the Nets played as if pride were at stake Friday.
Not only are the Knicks the crosstown rivals who entered Friday with a lengthy winning streak in head-to-head matchups, they also punked the Nets in a 54-point victory at the Garden in January.
âThe last one when we played at the Garden, it was embarrassing,â Wolf said. âSo, itâs just a little bit of added extra motivation. And obviously I would like to say this isnât how we wanted the season to go in terms of wins and losses, but each game weâve got to prepare the same way. But obviously tonight thereâs definitely some extra motivation to try to get this one.â
Karl-Anthony Towns dunks the ball during the Knicksâ March 20 win over the Nets. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
Still, a tanking roster with tanking strategy can only hold off its destiny for so long.
And, not coincidentally, the Nets had rookies, a 10-day contract and two two-way contract players on the court down the stretch when they gave up the game, like they usually do.
DETROIT, MI - MARCH 20: Daniss Jenkins #24 of the Detroit Pistons plays defense during the game against the Golden State Warriors on March 20, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 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 Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Detroit Pistons are officially heading back to the playoffs. It is the first time the franchise has gone to the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 2009. The clinching victory came at the hands of an undermanned Golden State Warriors team, 115-101.
Cade Cunningham missed his second consecutive game with a collapsed lung, and Jalen Duren once again led the team to victory. He scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting and added six rebounds. Daniss Jenkins, who has really been struggling with his offense lately regained a bit of his scoring punch. Starting in place of Cunningham, Jenkins scored 22 points, dished eight assists, and secured seven rebounds.
The Pistons dominated in their typical phases of the game. They had a 30-point edge in the paint (74-44), almost quadrupled them in fastbreak points (19-5) and forced (or were gifted) 26 Golden State turnovers. Ausar Thompson led the way with seven swipes. Detroit was down nine midway through the second quarter, but then they turned on the pressure, started to get out and run, and never looked back. They led by a smany as 24 in the second half.
Paul Reed continued his stellar showing in place of the injured Isaiah Stewart with 15 points off the bench, while Tobias Harris had 13 and Duncan Robinson and Ron Holland also had double figures with 11 apiece.
Next up for the Pistons is hosting the white-hot Los Angeles Lakers, who have won eight games in a row.
Cale Makarâs Historic Chase Adds Fuel to Tight Norris RaceAs Cale Makar closes in on the 500-point milestone, his historic pace is colliding with a surging Norris Trophy race led by Zach Werenski and Evan Bouchard.
Gabriel Landeskog Inches Closer to Avalanche ReturnGabriel Landeskog is closing in on a return for the Colorado Avalanche, giving the team a major boost as they fight through a tough stretch and gear up for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 
