Roughly 19 hours after stepping off the ice following a dominant 3-1 home victory over the league-leading Colorado Avalanche, the Winnipeg Jets were right back at it Sunday afternoon.
Taking on the red-hot St. Louis Blues, the Jets came out firing, scoring the game's first two goals in the opening frame before shutting things down in the third period for a 3-2 home win, pulling to within four points of the final wild card playoff spot.
Photo by Danny Truong
"It feels good," said Eric Comrie, who won his fifth-straight game. "Once again, I just try and do my job once my name gets called. Just trying to be ready whenever I get my chance, and I feel good right now. Switching to the white cage has been good so far, so I like that.”
Haydn Fleury found his first goal in 817 days - his first as a member of the Jets - to open the scoring just two-and-a-half minutes in. Picking up the puck and walking into the Blues' zone, Fleury ripped home a wrist shot past Canadian Olympian goaltender Jordan Binnington for the early 1-0 lead.
Then, it was Mark Scheifele, whose solo effort gave the hosts a two-goal lead six minutes later. Picking up the puck off a bobbled play by the Blues on the Jets' blueline, Scheifele cut in to the St. Louis goal and fired his 31st of the year into the net past Binnington for the 2-0 lead.
After Winnipeg saw two unsuccessful power plays in the first period, the teams exchanged minors in the middle stanza, but neither was able to capitalize on the man advantage. The second period as a whole was a whole lot of nothing for either club.
The Blues extended their shot lead to 15-10, but remained trailing the Jets entering the third.
Two of the league's very best teams since the Olympic break (12-3-3 combined), St. Louis entered the third period with a seven-game point scoring streak on the line. And they struck almost immediately, with Dalibor Dvorsky tapping home a three-on-one rush up-ice, to bring the Blues to within a goal of Winnipeg.
But the Jets did not turn over.
It was Kyle Connor - who earlier saw Scheifele score his 31st of the year - who capitalized on a delayed Blues penalty, scoring on a six-on-five on a breakaway feed from Morgan Barron, restoring Winnipeg's two-goal cushion.
With Binnington on the bench for the extra attacker, the Blues found a way to get one back. It was Dylan Holloway who jammed home a net front scramble with 50 seconds remaining in the game.
But that was as close as the Blues would come, dropping their first game in regulation in eight tries.
Comrie played spectacularly in goal for the Jets again, earning another win while turning aside 29 of St. Louis' 31 shots on goal. Binnington made 13 saves for the Blues.
“We're a good team. We have a lot of talent in this room," Comrie said.
"We have maybe the best first line in the locker room. We have an unbelievable d-corps. Morrissey is one of the best defensemen, if not the best defenseman in NHL. We have Scheif, KC, we have the world's best goalie by far in Connor Hellebuyck. We have a really good team in this room. We have a lot of confidence in this room. We have a great coaching staff. We trust everyone in this room. We just know that we're going to go out there and give us the best foot forward. We have a very veteran team, and we're confident that we can get into the playoffs.”
Next up for Winnipeg is the final test of the eight-game homestand, as the Nashville Predators roll into town for a 7:00 PM central affair on Tuesday night. That game will be another battle between Central Division playoff hopefuls, as just one point currently separate the two clubs in the standings.
Aryna Sabalenka snapped her losing streak against Elena Rybakina in a thrilling Indian Wells final on Sunday.
The world No 1 beat Rybakina to win her maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open in 2023 but since then had lost all four finals against the Kazakh, including at the WTA Finals last season and in Melbourne in January.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - MARCH 15: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball in front of Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at Paycom Center on March 15, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The recap from the last game against the Golden State Warriors was titled “Ant’s 42 Stops the Skid.” Well, folks, the skid isn’t over. In fact, your Minnesota Timberwolves are driving on black ice while acting like they’re cruising down Rodeo Drive.
You can see where everything went wrong during this ill-fated matinee (like every other one this season), as Anthony Edwards missed from everywhere, including the free throw line, and Rudy Gobert was — and I say this with as much objectivity as possible — abysmally terrible. Four combined points for Gobert and the supposed third option, Jaden McDaniels, are not ever going to be enough to take down the defending champs.
It’s hard not to feel bad for Julius Randle, who has heard so much slander over the past few weeks, only to put up his best performance since the All-Star break in a lackluster game that fell apart in the second half.
Wolves lose to Thunder. Encouraging to see Randle get going, but Gobert and McDaniels both really struggled and the entire team couldn’t hold on to the ball.
To that end, a game like today’s shows how hard it is for Minnesota to win when Edwards is not succeeding. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to find his typical efficiency on his way to barely keeping his 20-point scoring streak alive, it was Jared McCain taking over the fourth quarter and Isaiah Joe hitting crucial threes down the stretch.
Games like today cause doubts about whether the Wolves can ever really overcome the hump. They have had near-ideal injury luck this whole season. Their opponents today were missing the number two option from a championship team last year. Both superstars were pedestrian, and the Wolves even had the edge in the Robin category.
Instead, it’s another loss in a stretch of many of them.
I can already hear the counterpoints: that you can’t really blame them for today, that OKC is formidable no matter who they have, that these Wolves have always been able to flip a switch. To those optimists, I ask how they will overcome the turnovers, miserable defensive effort, and self-inflicted wounds.
With all that being said, let’s get down to it.
This is going to go down as the Wolves' highest turnover game of the season.
That happening when keeping turnovers down against OKC is such a focus of the gameplan makes you question if this Wolves roster is capable of controlling the ball against them.
Let’s take a break from yelling at the Wolves to make fun of a team that Minnesota has history with, even if everyone from that past is gone.
How the *hell* did the Thunder get Jared McCain from the Sixers? For a mediocre first-round pick and a handful of seconds? In an era where live ball handlers and motion shooters have been *the* swing factor of multiple playoff series over the past few years?
I understand that the answer is largely financial. I understand that Josh Harris is cheap and that Daryl Morey has continuously ducked the tax. I understand that they just took VJ Edgecombe and have Tyrese Maxey in place as the franchise centerpiece.
McCain would’ve been the ultimate injury insurance policy for either of those guards. He would’ve been an ideal Sixth Man of the Year candidate for a bench that has been exceptionally weak over the past decade. He’s younger, better, and under longer team control than Quentin Grimes.
Instead, he is providing that for the title favorite and is quite literally everything the Thunder could’ve ever hoped for. With Lu Dort likely on his way out of town, Alex Caruso will probably be the next man up in the starting lineup. With that move on the horizon, McCain will become the face of this bench unit.
What a moment for him, though.
Few stories are more fun in the NBA than a comeback story. From late first-round pick to rookie of the year frontrunner to season-ending injury to slow return to midseason trade to key playmaker on the best team in basketball, all in two years.
It’s hard not to love basketball and the stories within it. It’s easier to hate those stories when they cause such a low point on what was otherwise a decent Sunday.
Bench Spark Gone Dark
Remember that week after the deadline, when it felt like the complaints of a lack of depth felt overblown? Where Ayo Dosumnu looked like exactly the boost this team needed? Where did Kyle Anderson come back to become the de facto backup point guard?
I remember that moment dearly. And, well, at least one of those things is still true. Ayo Dosumnu was great today. He looks to be every bit of the Nickeil Alexander-Walker replacement he was supposed to be.
The other two bits? Well, Naz Reid couldn’t get anything going, and the Slow Mo gimmick has been exposed as exactly that: a gimmick. The Wolves have never really had the identity of having a “bench mob,” but in a game like today’s, where two bench players won the game for OKC, the problem shone brighter than ever.
Outside of Ayo, the entire Wolves bench had 14 points across 61 total minutes on 17 shots. That’s not good, no matter how you look at it.
It’s also worth noting that Kyle Anderson has re-infected Chris Finch’s subconscious in the exact way everyone was expecting for Mike Conley. A huge story of the 2023 season was quietly how bad Anderson and Gobert paired after a year where they excelled alongside each other. Remember the punches thrown on the bench? Maybe there should be more of those in the locker room tonight.
Thought there was legitimacy in playing SloMo in a specialized role in the non-Gobert minutes, but didn’t think Finch would fall back into his bad SloMo habits so readily.
25 minutes with Gobert in 5 games (-24.9 net rating) before tonight’s disaster. Just not a good pairing.
Part of all of us just want to call this the curse of the matinee and go on with our afternoons.
And you know what, I think that’s the right approach.
Today was bad, but then again, there have been so many worse moments that have ended with the two runs to the Western Conference Finals that I’m sure no one wants to hear about right now.
Maybe this is yet another era of wasted superstars in Minnesota. Maybe it’s the third or fourth of those, a reliving of the same nightmare all over again. Maybe it’s a stumble that can bear fruit down the line.
All I can promise you is that a random March game that ruined an unspecified weekend is not going to be the moment that decides that. There’s so much more to worry about when the games actually matter. Don’t waste your stress here.
Save it for when you need to bite your nails late in an April fourth quarter.
Have a nice day, Wolves fans.
Up Next
The Timberwolves head back home for a much-needed homestand as they try to get their season back on track. The first of three straight games at Target Center begins on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns. Tip-off is at 7:00 PM CT, with fans able to watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network.
LAVAL, Quebec (AP) — Ella Huber scored 1:33 into overtime to give the Boston Fleet a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Montreal Victoire in a matchup of top teams on Sunday.
With the overtime win, Boston (9-5-2-3) remained in first place in the PWHL three points ahead of Montreal (9-4-1-5). The Fleet trailed by three goals at the start of the third period.
Loren Gabel scored her first of the season, and Megan Keller and Susanna Tapani added goals. Keller and Alina Muller also had two assists. Aerin Frankel made 27 saves.
Abby Roque had a goal and two assists for Montreal. Marie-Philip Poulin scored the opener for Montreal but left the game a few minutes later. Kati Tabin also scored for the Victoire. Ann-Renee Desbiens made 22 saves.
Poulin put Montreal ahead with 5:10 remaining in the first period, tipping Gosling’s shot on the game’s first power play. Two minutes later, Poulin seemed to reinjure her right knee and came off in the middle of the play.
She was replaced by Tabin, who scored on a one-timer past Frankel to extend Montreal’s lead. The goals came in a 2:10 span.
Roque gave Montreal a 3-0 lead with 3:02 left in the second period.
Gabel's goal got the Fleet got on the board 6:01 into the third. Keller made the game 3-2 with 2:34 remaining. With Frankel on the bench for the extra attacker. Boston tied the game with 14.8 seconds remaining when Tapani’s shot beat Desbiens.
Against the Cleveland Guardians it’ll be Wei-En-Lin getting the start, making his first appearance back with the A’s since leaving to go represent Taiwan in the World Baseball Classic.
Speaking of World Baseball Classic – – that’s exactly where you can find the second A’s pitcher. Luis Severino is set to lead the Dominican Republic into battle against USA. The winner of this matchup will go on to the championship, facing whoever comes out on top in the Venezuela / Italy matchup scheduled for tomorrow evening.
Two A’s pitchers starting in one day where a split squad situation isn’t happening? That’s crazy! What’s even crazier is that Mark Kotsay has Zack Gelof penciled in as the leadoff and CENTER FIELDER in today’s lineup!
Check out how the rest of the order will unfold behind our new outfield option…
After the mainstays put on an absolute clinic against the Royals yesterday, it looks like Kotsay’s going to be giving some of the young guns a little moment in the sun.
Which means the legend of Cade Marlowe continues! He and the switch-hitting Leo De Vries stand as the only lefty bat options in the starting nine, in a game against right-hander Tanner Bibee, who went 3+ with 6Ks in his last outing against the San Francisco Giants.
PARIS (AP) — Lyon's winless run in the French league was extended to a fourth straight game by 10-man Le Havre on Sunday.
Despite playing a man down from the 56th minute, the hosts were the better team in the 0-0 draw and Lyon now lags two points behind third-place Marseille in the Ligue 1 standings.
Stephan Zagadou received a straight red card after fouling Endrick. Le Havre, which moved 10 points away from the automatic relegation spots, hit the woodwork twice.
Marseille won 1-0 against struggler Auxerre on Friday. Second-place Lens lost 2-1 at Lorient on Saturday, missing the chance to move back to the top of the standings.
Paris Saint-Germain, which did not play this weekend, has a one-point lead at the top and a match in hand. Nantes agreed last month to postpone their scheduled game on Sunday in order to give PSG more time to prepare for the Champions League second leg against Chelsea. PSG is leading 5-2 from the last-16 first leg.
Fernandez-Pardo is scorer and provider
Lille beat Rennes 2-1 away and moved within five points of Marseille.
Matias Fernandez-Pardo scored the opener for Lille and then assisted Hákon Haraldsson early in the second half. Estéban Lepaul was on the scoresheet for Rennes, reducing the deficit from close range.
It was Rennes' first defeat since coach Franck Haise took charge last month.
Two groups of supporters of Rennes and Lille had clashed Saturday night on the eve of the match.
Radio France reported that police used tear gas and that one fan was injured. Between 100 and 150 people were involved in the fight.
Elsewhere, Mario Sauer scored the winner deep in added time as Toulouse heaped more misery on Metz.
Sauer's goal sealed Toulouse's 4-3 win and extended last-place Metz's winless run to a 14th match.
“It was a crazy game,” Sauer said. “We deserved it today, and this win was so important for us.”
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Defender Brayan Ceballos scored two goals in the first half to spark New England to a 6-1 romp over FC Cincinnati on Sunday in the Revolution's home opener.
Ceballos scored in the 25th minute to tie it after Gerardo Valenzuela scored six minutes earlier to give Cincinnati a 1-0 lead.
Dor Turgeman gave New England the lead in the 31st minute before Ceballos scored three minutes into stoppage time for a 3-1 advantage at the half. Ceballos had one goal in 29 appearances as a rookie last season. Turgeman has four goals and two assists in six career appearances dating to last season.
Alhassan Yusuf scored on a header in the 53rd minute for a three-goal lead. Cincinnati keeper Roman Celantano deflected but couldn't corral a shot by Carles Gil and Yusuf took advantage for his first goal this season and his third in 44 career appearances.
Valenzuela was tagged with a red card in the 69th minute, leaving Cincinnati a man down.
Griffin Yow scored in the 87th minute and Peyton Miller found the net two minutes later to complete the rout after the pair subbed into the match in the second half. Yow's first netter of the season is his fourth in 35 career matches. Miller also scored for the first time after two goals in 26 appearances last year.
Matt Turner saved seven shots in goal for the Revolution (1-2-0). Turner is back with the club after making 102 appearances from 2016-22.
Celantano finished with three saves for Cincinnati (1-3-0).
Cincinnati posted a pair of 1-0 victories over the Revolution last season.
It was the first victory for New England coach Marko Mitrović in his first season. The Revs were outscored 5-1 in a pair of road losses to begin the season.
Cincinnati had posted 2-1 and 1-0 victories in its last two trips to Gillette Stadium. The venue had freshly-laid grass in preparation for the FIFA World Cup. The Revs hadn't played on grass at home since they switched to turf in 2006.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 14: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket during the game against the Denver Nuggets on March 14, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 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 Nick Tomoyasu/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
To win a basketball game, it takes a combination of skill and luck. The Lakers had both elements working for them in their overtime victory over the Nuggets.
Austin Reaves missed a free throw on purpose in the closing seconds of regulation, grabbed the rebound and made the shot that sent the game to overtime.
And Luka Dončić won the game for the Lakers with a tough jumper over Spencer Jones.
The NBA’s Last 2 Minute Report revealed that the officials called a foul on Spencer Jones with 9.2 seconds left in the fourth, which was an incorrect decision.
Here is the foul call on Spencer Jones that the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report states was incorrect.
This is the NBA’s statement on the play:
“Jones (DEN) extends his right hand and cleanly dislodges the ball away from Reaves (LAL) after he received the inbound pass.” pic.twitter.com/hkewwtDlzK
Jones (DEN) extends his right hand and cleanly dislodges the ball away from Reaves (LAL) after he received the inbound pass.
If the call were correct, Austin Reaves would not have gone to the free throw line. Instead, the Lakers would have inbounded the ball again, down by three. Given how close this game was, this is admittedly a bad call that hurt Denver.
However, all things considered, the officials only getting one thing wrong during a game this tight is pretty good. Sure, Nuggets fans might be upset about this call going against them, but it still would’ve been Lakers ball. Even if the call had been correct, there’s no telling whether it would’ve changed the game’s outcome.
During an 82-game season, good and bad breaks happen and it generally evens out in the end.
This error helped LA, but there have been moments this year where blown calls have hurt them in losses.
In February, the officials missed a controversial travel call on the Suns’ game-winner against the Lakers, which was never addressed or explained.
Overall, the Lakers have won these tight games regardless of the officiating. On the season, they are 18-6 in clutch games, the best record in the NBA.
In this Lakers-Nuggets matchup, LA led most of the way, executed better down the stretch and had a little luck on its side. That sounds like all the ingredients needed to have success in a fierce Western Conference.
When does 2026 March Madness start? NCAA Tournament schedule
The 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament will take place over the next three weeks, which will end with the Final Four and the national championship game in Indianapolis.
Here’s a rundown of the schedule for the 2026 NCAA Tournament:
TORONTO, CANADA - MARCH 13: Jalen Green #4 of the Phoenix Suns looks on against the Toronto Raptors during the first half in their NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on March 13, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The week closes with the Phoenix Suns walking away 2–1, which on paper sounds perfectly respectable. A winning week, a positive record, another step forward. Yet it still feels like something was left on the table.
If you zoom out and look at the past two weeks together, Phoenix is 5–2. A strong stretch of basketball. Still, part of your brain keeps drifting back to the same thought. This could have been 7–0. The losses to Chicago and Toronto linger. Those are the ones that stick in your mind when you glance at the Western Conference standings and see how tightly packed everything remains. Every game carries weight in that traffic jam.
But this is not the “what if” business. The record is the record. The standings are the standings. Phoenix sits at 39–28, eleven games over .500, which in most years would feel comfortable. In this conference, it still places you in the middle of the knife fight. That is life in the Western Conference. In the East, this exact same record would have Phoenix sitting in the fifth seed. Instead, they continue to battle for position and attempt to climb out of the Play-In conversation.
Oh well. No sense living in the land of what if.
It was an interesting week for Phoenix while they were out on the road, because it came with a noticeable scoring surge from both Devin Booker and Jalen Green. And let me say this up front, this is a good thing.
Jalen Green looks like himself again. The confidence is back. The rhythm is back. You can see the upside talent that made him such an intriguing addition in the first place. Coming off the hamstring injury, there were some rough nights, the type that make you stare at the box score and wonder when the burst will return. Over time, it has. He now sits at 17.4 points per game on 41/31/76 shooting splits, which is a healthy step forward from where things began.
The more interesting element now is the dynamic between him and Devin Booker.
Both have started to figure out how to operate alongside one another, and the scoring reflects it. When those two get rolling, the offense can look explosive. This week, through the lens of offensive rating, was the best the team has posted all season. The Suns had an offensive rating of 125.3 in Week 21.
The Phoenix Suns posted an offensive rating of 125.3 in Week 21, their highest offensive rated week of the season pic.twitter.com/kDHyZXANnn
At the same time, there is a delicate balance that every team in the league wrestles with. When two players dominate the scoring load, the rest of the group can drift to the edges of the offense. The ball finds fewer hands. The rhythm of the other players can cool. That balancing act shows up every night in the NBA.
Still, I will take this version over the alternative every time. I would rather see confidence and scoring aggression than watch a talented player wander through possessions searching for his rhythm. Green has found his groove again. Now the next challenge is consistency. And balance.
Green averaged 23 shot attempts per game this past week. His career average sits around 16.5, which tells you he probably lived seven shots above his natural range. It is a strange thing to analyze because those shots were falling, and when they fall, the offense hums. Yet those attempts have to come from somewhere. A handful of them can flow to other players in the system, most notably Collin Gillespie, who has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season when the offense runs through him in spurts.
So Week 21 accomplished something important. Jalen Green looks confident again. He is playing with energy, attacking the rim, and knocking down shots. His efficiencies are climbing, and that is good news for Phoenix. Now comes the next step. Harness that confidence. Spread it across the roster. Let the ball breathe a little more.
Because a good offense has multiple cooks working the stove, not two guys trying to run the entire kitchen.
Week 21 Record: 2-1
@ Milwaukee Bucks, W, 129-114
Possession Differential: -2.0
Turnover Differential: -5
Offensive Rebounding Differential: 0
The Suns opened their road trip in Milwaukee like a team that remembered how to score again, dropping 129 on the Bucks and winning their third straight. Giannis did his usual freight train routine, whistles and all, but Phoenix leaned into its identity when it mattered. Defense.
The Suns held Milwaukee to 17 points in the fourth while three players topped 20 for the second straight game. A couple of weeks ago, this team struggled to reach 80. Now they’re stacking wins and rhythm. Meanwhile, in NBA chaos, Bam Adebayo dropped 83. Basketball is weird.
@ Indiana Pacers, W, 123-108
Possession Differential: +0.7
Turnover Differential: -4
Offensive Rebounding Differential: 0
On a night in Indiana against the league’s worst team, the Suns finally saw the vision come to life. Devin Booker dropped 43, Jalen “Guac” Green poured in 36, and the backcourt combo served up 79 points of offensive spice. Green’s fourth straight 24+ performance showed the efficiency Phoenix has been waiting for, while Booker orchestrated the chaos like the veteran conductor he is.
@ Toronto Raptors, L, 122-115
Possession Differential: +1.4
Turnover Differential: +2
Offensive Rebounding Differential: -2
The Suns spent most of Friday night looking like a team with things under control, cruising with a lead until the Raptors decided the paint belonged to them. Toronto shot 14-of-22 in the fourth, dropped 36 points, and bullied Phoenix inside while the Suns stuck with a small lineup that suddenly looked like a bad idea at the worst possible time. Devin Booker and company had the game in hand until the final 2:34. Then it slipped away.
Inside the Possession Game
Weekly Possession Differential: +0.4
Weekly Turnover Differential: -8
Offensive Rebounding Differential: -2
Year-to-Date Over/Under .500: +11
Time for your weekly graph!
It is funny when you stare at the graph long enough. Lines go up. Lines go down. Turnovers spike one week. Offensive rebounds dip the next. Possession differential swings around like it is riding a roller coaster through the desert. There are plenty of things to analyze when you track a team for 21 straight weeks.
Yet there is really one line that matters. That pink line.
For the most part, the Suns have done a solid job winning the possession battle throughout the season. You can see the moments when injuries hit, and the roster turned into a rotating cast of new combinations. During those stretches, the possession numbers dipped. The team lost that battle more often. The graph shows it clearly.
Still, that pink line keeps creeping upward. Slowly. Quietly. One step at a time.
And that is the one that counts, because that line represents cumulative games over .500. When the week closed, the Suns sat at +11, which happens to be their highest mark of the season at the end of any week. So yes, we can dig into turnover differential. We can debate offensive rebound rates and possession swings until our eyes cross. But when the dust settles, the only number that really matters is that pink line continuing to climb.
Week 22 Preview
Are you ready for a busy week? Because the schedule is about to hit full speed for the Phoenix Suns. After three games away from home, they will still manage to squeeze in two games back in Phoenix before the week is over.
It starts tonight at TD Garden against the Boston Celtics. You know the Celtics. The same team that had no problem handling the Suns the last time these two met. That was a Boston team missing both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and both of those guys are healthy and back in the lineup now. This version of the Celtics is a different challenge. Although, to be fair, the Suns were without Devin Booker. Tomato, potato.
The schedule does not slow down either.
Tomorrow night, the Suns head to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves. It is the first of two back-to-backs this week. The game carries some weight in the standings, although the head-to-head element is already settled. Phoenix has beaten Minnesota twice this season. The road trip wraps up Thursday in San Antonio against the Spurs. Phoenix leads the season series 2-1, although the most recent meeting was not exactly pleasant. The Spurs handed the Suns a 27-point loss on February 19.
Then the Suns return home.
On Saturday, they face the Milwaukee Bucks, the same team Phoenix defeated earlier this week. The homestand continues Sunday against the Toronto Raptors, a team the Suns also saw recently when they met on Friday the 13th.
Add it all together, and you get five games in seven nights. The only breathing room comes on Wednesday and Friday.
Grueling is a fair way to describe it. The schedule is compressing as the regular season winds down and the playoff picture begins to take shape. Where Phoenix lands in that picture will be influenced heavily by what happens over the next seven days. With less than a month left in the season, every result starts to carry a little more weight.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 08: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics yells to a teammate during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on March 08, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Celtics will be near full-strength when they face the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. Jayson Tatum, who returned to action on March 6th, will play in his fifth game of the season and appears to continue to be trending upwards.
Additionally, Derrick White (knee contusion) and Baylor Scheierman (sprained ankle) are both not on the injury report after appearing on it ahead of Saturday’s game against the Washington Wizards. White missed one game with the knee injury — a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last week — but he did not appear compromised on Saturday.
But Nikola Vucevic will miss his fifth straight game as he recovers from a fractured right ring finger. Vucevic was on the sidelines for Saturday’s game, with a large wrap around his hand. The Celtics said on March 7th that he was expected to be re-evaluated in 3 to 4 weeks, meaning he’s effectively out for the rest of the month.
Nikola Vucevic is here a week after having a procedure for a broken right ring finger
After taking Thursday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder off, Jayson Tatum played 32 minutes in Sunday’s game, eclipsing 27 minutes for the first time.
“I knew that my minutes would go up a little bit this week, and that’s just kind of the progression,” Tatum said. “I was playing 27 minutes the first three games, they go up a little bit for a week or so, see how you respond. Obviously, I’ve been responding really well and feeling great the next day and after the games. And we just go from there.”
For the Suns, Dillon Brooks continues to be sidelined after breaking his hand, while Mark Williams is out with a left foot stress fracture.
How the Celtics, Suns stack up
The Celtics are 44-23, owners of the East’s second-best record. They have the league’s third-best net rating (+7.8), its second-best offense (119.6 rating), and its fifth-best defense (111.7 rating).
The Suns are 39-28, and have the West’s 7th-best record. They have the NBA’s 14th-best net rating (+1.3), its 18th-best offense (114 rating), and its 9th-best defense (112.8 rating).
The Suns have been led by Devin Booker (25.4 points, 6 assists), Jalen Green (17.4 points), Grayson Allen (17.3 points, 4.2 assists), and Collin Gilespie (13.2 points, 4.8 assists).
The two teams have faced off once this season, on February 24th, with the Celtics coming away with a 97-81 win in Phoenix.
The Celtics are coming off a 111-100 win over the Washington Wizards; the Suns are coming off a 122-115 loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Celtics-Suns will tip off at 7:30pm ET on Monday night at TD Garden.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Capitals signed 19-year-old defenseman Cole Hutson to a three-year entry-level contract with an average annual value of $975,000.
The Capitals drafted Hutson in the second round in 2024, and he had 10 goals and 22 assists in 35 games for Boston University this season. He also represented the United States in the world junior championships in 2025 and 2026. When the U.S. won gold in 2025, he had three goals and eight assists, becoming the first defenseman to lead the tournament in scoring.
Hutson could represent the future of the Washington blue line after the Capitals, with their postseason hopes dwindling, traded John Carlson before this year's deadline.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 26: Hayden Birdsong #60 of the San Francisco Giants warms up during the fifth inning of the spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at Scottsdale Stadium on February 26, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hayden Birdsong’s tough spring just took a turn for the worse. The San Francisco Giants’ 24-year old right-hander entered camp hoping to earn a bullpen role as well as the job of next-man-up in the rotation, but his first two outings of the spring were a disaster, and far too reminiscent of his collapse during the 2025 season.
But after throwing a few sim games in Minor League camp, Birdsong returned to Cactus League play with a stellar showing in his third and final game of the spring, which featured the hardest-thrown pitch of his career, just a few ticks off of triple digits.
And now, after that upswing, things have gone quite downhill. The Giants announced on Saturday that Birdsong was dealing with forearm discomfort, which is never a good sign. And on Sunday they revealed the results of his MRI: a Grade 2 UCL sprain and forearm strain in his pitching arm.
Needless to say, that’s not good news, especially for a pitch.
Birdsong is headed for a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, and then he and the Giants staff will decide what course of action to take. Tony Vitello said that nothing is certain until they see what Meister has to say, but that the likely discussion is whether to have Birdsong head for surgery, or to have him rehab for a few months and see how his body responds. It seems overwhelmingly likely that we don’t see Birdsong until the summer at the earliest, and quite possible that he’ll be shelved for all of 2026.
It’s the unfortunate reality for pitchers, especially in the modern era, where everyone is taught to throw as hard as possible (it’s certainly a bit ironic, and perhaps not coincidental, that Birdsong’s injury popped up right after hitting his highest velocity). And while there’s no good time to be sidelined, it’s an especially painful timeline for Birdsong. According to Evan Webeck, pitching coach Justin Meccage had just told reporters that he thought Birdsong had put it all together following his recent outing.
Hopefully the second opinion results in good news for Birdsong, but sadly it looks like we won’t be seeing him for quite a while.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Taryn Barbot scored 23 points, twin sister Taylor added 16, and top-seeded Charleston defeated 10th-seeded Hofstra 68-56 on Sunday to win the Coastal Athletic Conference Tournament and reach women's March Madness for the first time.
The Cougars held each of their three opponents in the tournament under 60 points.
Grace Ezebilo scored 10 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Cougars (27-5) and Taryn Barbot hit four 3-pointers, as did Jami Hill, who finished with 14 points. Taylor Barbot had eight assists and four rebounds.
Emma Von Essen scored 13 points off the bench, Chloe Sterling 12, Alarice Gooden 11 and Nevaeh Brown 10 for Hofstra (11-22). Sandra Magolico collected 10 rebounds.
An 11-0 run toward the end of the first quarter helped Charleston take an 18-11 lead into the second quarter. Hofstra stormed back in the second quarter and outscored Charleston 22-12 for a 33-30 lead at halftime.
Charleston's 14-0 run to open the second half included 10 points in a row from the Barbot sisters. The Cougars outscored Hofstra 21-7 in the third quarter and led 51-40 heading to the fourth.
Taryn Barbot scored seven points in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter and the Cougars pushed their lead to 63-46. Hofstra hit a couple of 3-pointers in an 8-0 run to get within 63-54 with about three minutes remaining but the Pride would get no closer.
CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Halli Poock scored 33 points, Shamecce Currie-Jelks added a double-double and top seed Murray State beat Evansville 91-70 on Sunday to win a second straight Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Racers (31-3) head to the main event on a 15-game winning streak under coach Rechelle Turner, who is in her ninth season. Murray State's only previous appearance before winning back-to-back championships came in 2008.
Poock made 12 of 19 shots from the floor, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Currie-Jelks finished with 12 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.
Haven Ford hit four 3-pointers and scored 18 for Murray State, and Keslyn Secrist added 12 points.
Mireia Mustaros scored 16 off the bench to lead the 10th-seeded Purple Aces (10-25), who dispatched second-seeded Belmont in the quarterfinals and third-seeded Illinois State in the semifinals. Sydney Huber and Breaunna Ward scored 15 apiece. Camryn Runner scored 12.
Ford and Poock sank 3-pointers and Murray State used a 13-0 run to take a 16-4 lead in the first 5:15. Poock hit another 3 and had 13 points by the end of the quarter for a 21-10 advantage.
Currie-Jelks had the first two baskets and Ford followed with a 3-pointer as Murray State used a 7-0 run to up its advantage to 28-10 less than two minutes into the second period. The lead was 46-27 at halftime.
Murray State outscored the Purple Aces 24-17 in the third quarter to make it 70-44.
