Lakers star Luka Doncic celebrates after scoring in front of Charlotte's Miles Bridges during the Lakers' 121-111 win Monday night. (Chris Carlson / Associated Press)
For once, Luka Doncic had to serve the punishment. For not hitting any half-court shots during his pregame warmup, Doncic had to drop to the court and give his coaching staff pushups.
The exercise seemingly powered him up for the two-handed dunk to come.
Doncic dazzled in the Lakers’ 121-111 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday at Spectrum Center, scoring 38 points with seven assists, six rebounds and one emphatic third-quarter dunk to help the Lakers flush the memories of a blowout loss in Atlanta.
Austin Reaves returned from a three-game absence with 24 points and seven assists while Rui Hachimura scored 21 points with perfect three-for-three shooting from three-point range.
Reaves, who was out with a right groin strain, announced his presence by throwing a lob up to Deandre Ayton for the Lakers’ first basket. After Charlotte (3-7) blitzed the Lakers with eight made three-pointers in the first quarter to take a 40-36 lead, Reaves answered by scoring seven of the Lakers’ first 10 points in the second. He gave the team a jolt of energy by racing for a transition layup to beat the halftime buzzer, giving the Lakers (8-3) a two-point lead.
"He's an All-Star-level player,” coach JJ Redick said before the game. “He's, along with Luka, an incredibly dynamic offensive player. I think our depth increases, the lineup optionality increases, so not having him in the lineup really, really hurts us.”
The Lakers went 2-1 in games without Reaves, but the 20-point loss to Atlanta on Saturday was so striking that Redick was left questioning the identity of his team. The Lakers looked lifeless. Redick waved the white flag by the middle of the third quarter after the starting unit let the deficit balloon to 25.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves shoots over Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges during the first half Monday. (Chris Carlson / Associated Press)
With Doncic and Reaves back, the Lakers wouldn’t repeat their third-quarter woes.
The Lakers started the second half with an 11-4 run that forced the Hornets to call a timeout. Reaves then assisted a three-pointer from Hachimura that pushed the lead into double digits. Doncic hit a stepback three to put the Lakers up by 12. Doncic’s assist to Hachimura extended the lead to 17.
A driving, two-handed dunk was the exclamation point, stunning the Charlotte crowd as he hung on the rum and screamed. With two dunks this season, he already doubled his total from last year.
Doncic assisted a Reaves three with 8:01 remaining in the fourth quarter and Reaves put up his arms and threw his head back in relief. He had missed his first seven three-point attempts and finished two-for-10 from three-point range.
Reaves’ return gets the Lakers one player closer to their full roster. LeBron James is scheduled to practice with the South Bay Lakers this week as he progresses through his return from right sciatica.
Rookie Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery) is also nearing his return as Redick estimated the forward could make his NBA debut during this road trip, which continues Wednesday at Oklahoma City and ends with a back-to-back in New Orleans on Friday and Milwaukee on Saturday.
Solo Ball had 23 points and Alex Karaban added 20 points and six rebounds as third-ranked UConn topped Columbia 89-62 on Monday night. Tarris Reed Jr. had 19 points and eight rebounds while Jayden Ross scored 10 points off the bench for the Huskies (3-0). Miles Franklin and Blair Thompson had 10 points each for Columbia (1-1).
Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz was a unanimous choice for American League Rookie of the Year, and Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin won the National League award.
The 22-year-old Kurtz batted .290 with 36 homers, 86 RBIs and a 1.002 OPS in 117 games this year. The first baseman became the eighth rookie since 1901 to finish with an OPS over 1.000 while making at least 400 plate appearances.
A’s teammate Jacob Wilson was second in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America that was announced on Monday night. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony was third.
Baldwin, 24, stepped up for Atlanta after No. 1 catcher Sean Murphy was sidelined by a cracked rib in spring training. While Murphy was limited by injuries for much of the year, Baldwin hit .274 with 19 homers, 80 RBIs and an .810 OPS in 124 games.
Baldwin’s win secured an extra selection for Atlanta after the first round in next year’s amateur draft under the collective bargaining agreement’s prospect promotion incentive.
Baldwin received 21 of 30 first-place votes. Cubs right-hander Cade Horton was second, and Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin finished third. The balloting was conducted before the postseason.
Kurtz and Baldwin each get $750,000 from a pre-arbitration bonus pool, and runners-up Wilson and Horton each receive $500,000.
The Manager of the Year for each league will be announced on Tuesday, followed by the Cy Young Award winners on Wednesday.
Kurtz, 22, starred at Wake Forest University before he was selected by the A’s with the No. 4 pick in the 2024 amateur draft. The 6-foot-5 slugger began this season in the minors, but he hit an RBI single in his first big league at-bat on April 23 against Texas.
It was a sign of things to come.
He hit a solo drive off Dodgers reliever J.P. Feyereisen for his first big league homer on May 13. He belted four more homers in a span of four days that same month, including his first career multihomer game on May 21 against the Angels.
He had his signature performance on July 25 at Houston, becoming the youngest player in major league history and the first rookie to hit four home runs in one game. He went 6 for 6 with eight RBIs while matching an MLB record with 19 total bases.
Kurtz is the 14th unanimous selection for AL Rookie of the Year and the second from the A’s franchise, joining Mark McGwire in 1987. He is the ninth winner for the A's overall, sending most in the AL behind the Yankees' 10.
Baldwin was a third-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Missouri State University. He started on opening day for Atlanta and got his first major league hit on March 29 at San Diego.
Baldwin had one of his biggest days of the season on July 21, driving in six runs in a 9-5 victory over San Francisco. He went deep twice and finished with five RBIs in his first career multihomer game on Aug. 7, an 8-6 win over Miami.
Baldwin is the seventh catcher to win the NL honor and the second from the Braves, joining Earl Williams in 1971. He is the 10th winner from the Braves franchise overall, trailing only the Dodgers with a record 18.
Former Buffalo Sabres goaltender Malcolm Subban is on the move, as he has signed a one-year contract with HC Dynamo of the Czech Extraliga.
Subban was acquired by the Sabres during the 2021-22 season from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for future considerations. He played four games with the Sabres during that season, where he posted a 0-2-1 record, a .871 save percentage, and a 4.85 goals-against average.
Subban also spent the 2022-23 season with the Sabres' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans. In 39 games with Rochester that campaign, he recorded a 20-14-5 record, a .903 save percentage, a 2.94 goals-against average, and two shutouts. This would be Subban's final season with the Sabres organization.
Following his time with the Sabres, Subban made appearances with the Springfield Thunderbirds, Cleveland Monsters, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Belleville Senators. Now, he is set to play for his first international team by signing with HC Dynamo, where he should be a nice part of their roster.
AL rookies who shined in 2025, from top left going clockwise: LHP Noah Cameron, SS Jacob Wilson, OF Roman Anthony, 1B Nick Kurtz (the unanimous ROY), White Sox SS Colson Montgomery and C Carlos Narváez. (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)
This year’s Rookie of the Year ballot came with a new wrinkle, as it was expanded from three to five spots, affording voters the opportunity to recognize a few more rookies from the season that was. (For reference, MVP ballots have long featured 10 spots, and Cy Young ballots expanded from three to five in 2010).
Each award’s electorate is made up of two representatives from each of the 15 chapters of the Baseball Writers Association of America coinciding with the 15 markets in each league, amounting to a total of 30 voters. This year, two of the 30 voters for AL Rookie of the Year were members of our MLB team: Russell Dorsey from the Chicago chapter and Jordan Shusterman from the Cleveland chapter.
While Kurtz’s unanimous award came as no surprise, considering how dominant he was at the plate, there were several other intriguing storylines among AL rookies that made the remainder of the ballot a challenge to fill out. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how Dorsey and Shusterman voted, and what motivated their support for the five players included on their ballots.
Jordan Shusterman’s ballot
1. Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz
2. Athletics SS Jacob Wilson
3. Red Sox OF Roman Anthony
4. Red Sox C Carlos Narváez
5. Royals LHP Noah Cameron
Russ Dorsey’s ballot
1. Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz
2. Red Sox OF Roman Anthony
3. Athletics SS Jacob Wilson
4. Royals LHP Noah Cameron
5. White Sox SS Colson Montgomery
Wow, Nick Kurtz is amazing
It wasn’t just that Nick Kurtz was the best rookie in the 2025 class, which he was. The A’s young first baseman was one of baseball’s best hitters. And while he burst onto the scene with his four-homer game against the Houston Astros on July 25, it was only the tip of the iceberg for the 22-year-old slugger. If you need to know just how absurd Kurtz’s season was, take a look at any advanced metric, including his eye-popping 170 wRC+ in 489 plate appearances. Kurtz joined MVPs Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge as the only players in MLB with an OPS over 1.000 this past season and got additional hardware for his outstanding season in the form of the AL Silver Slugger Award for first base. The A’s slugger showed that debuting in the big leagues less than a year after being the No. 4 overall draft pick was no problem for him. Kurtz capped off his stellar rookie campaign leading all rookies in home runs, runs scored, RBI, walks and OPS. — Dorsey
Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage might have rightfully stolen headlines as the most remarkable story from the 2024 draft class, but what Kurtz did at the plate in his debut season just a year after being drafted deserves ample acknowledgement as historic in its own right. Kurtz’s 1.002 OPS was the sixth-highest ever for a rookie with at least 450 plate appearances in a season, and he finished tied for fifth in the AL in home runs with 36, despite playing only 117 games. Kurtz’s peak came midsummer, when he hit an outrageous .395/.480/.953 across 23 games in July, headlined, of course, by his six-hit, four-homer game on July 25.
And while that epic showing was the apex of his rookie campaign, Kurtz hardly fell off afterward, demonstrating that his red-hot July wasn’t much of an outlier. From his four-homer game through the end of the season, Kurtz hit .271/.394/.530, good for a 154 wRC+ that ranked 11th in MLB over that span. While his sky-high strikeout rate and struggles against southpaws represent moderate red flags, this version of Kurtz is doing more than enough damage to warrant the whiffs and platoon splits. And considering he’ll turn just 23 before Opening Day next year, it’s entirely reasonable to think Kurtz will improve upon his current weaknesses and unlock an even higher offensive ceiling in short order, establishing himself as one of the game’s most feared sluggers for years to come. — Shusterman
The Red Sox missed Roman Anthony's presence late in the season and in October. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
G Fiume via Getty Images
Jacob Wilson vs. Roman Anthony for second
After a dreadful first half, the Red Sox surged to the second AL wild-card spot after Roman Anthony arrived on June 9, going 57-38 from then on. And with Boston looking for offensive consistency, baseball’s No. 1 prospect provided that spark. Anthony’s .396 on-base percentage jumps off the page, but the rookie phenom’s well-rounded game was impossible to deny, as he sported a .292 batting average and .463 slugging percentage before his season ended early due to an oblique strain.
What was tough about my second-place vote is that it was impact vs. body of work. Jacob Wilson was as consistent as any player in this season’s rookie class, and there was a time before Kurtz’s arrival when he was likely going to claim the Rookie of the Year Award. But what ultimately led me to vote for Anthony second and Wilson third is that I don’t believe the Red Sox make the postseason without Anthony’s spark and instant impact in the lineup. You could see that in the fact that the Red Sox weren’t the same after his injury. Wilson had a phenomenal campaign, but he didn’t raise the level of play for the A’s like Anthony did for the Sox. — Dorsey
The Red Sox indisputably played their best baseball with Anthony in the lineup, and they sorely missed him down the stretch and into October. And if we’re choosing which American League rookie I’d want on my team for the long haul, I’d take Anthony over Wilson, considering his significant offensive upside, and I’d even consider choosing him over Kurtz.
Ultimately, this award is about which players had the most outstanding rookie seasons, and I considered the playing time and positional difference to be a wide enough gap to give Wilson the edge over Anthony on my ballot. Wilson started 124 games at shortstop, while Anthony started 32 games in right field, 17 games in left and another 17 at DH. Even if Wilson’s glove didn’t grade out especially well and might eventually fit best at second base, that pure workload as a rookie at a premium position was meaningful, especially with Wilson also boasting a fairly compelling offensive résumé.
He finished tied with Bo Bichette for second in the American League with a .311 batting average, and his 13 home runs far outpaced both my and many evaluators’ expectations for his slugging output. Wilson might not hit the ball hard, but he has already demonstrated a knack for translating his elite contact ability into extra-base hits in a way that lends optimism that he can be an all-around offensive threat in the majors. Given their wildly different skill sets, Wilson and Kurtz are a tremendously fun duo for the Athletics to build their lineup around. — Shusterman
Don’t forget about Noah Cameron
In a down year for rookie starting pitchers, Royals rookie left-hander Noah Cameron separated himself from the rest of the pack this season. Cameron got an opportunity to pitch every fifth day in a Kansas City rotation that was beat up for most of 2025, and he made the most of his chances. In his first 13 starts, Cameron allowed more than three earned runs just three times, showing that he was more than capable of sticking in the rotation. While Cade Horton got much more love on the National League side for his contributions to the Cubs’ success, Cameron, who finished fourth in the ROY race with three second-place votes, deserves similar love for his body of work in ‘25. — Dorsey
In the wild-card era, before 2025, 18 pitchers threw at least 130 innings in their rookie season while recording an ERA under 3.00, including just four in the American League. All 18 received Rookie of the Year votes, with five winning the award outright and another seven finishing runner-up. Enter Cameron, whose 2.99 ERA in 138⅓ innings across 24 starts helped stabilize an injury-ravaged Royals rotation all summer — a large enough sample of stellar run prevention to warrant inclusion on my ballot.
Cameron was a delight to watch do his thing in 2025, a crafty lefty with two distinct breaking balls that graded out as elite pitches per run value, including a curveball that rated as one of the best of its kind across the league. While his modest peripherals and velocity indicate he might not have much more upside than what he demonstrated, Cameron still showed enough to suggest that the Royals could feature a terrific trio of left-handers in 2026 if Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic can return fully healthy. — Shusterman
Russ’ final pick: Colson Montgomery
The fifth spot on my ballot came down to two players who both deserved recognition. One was Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez, and the other was White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery. Narváez had the body of work on his side, and while being the starting catcher for a playoff team is one hell of an argument, Montgomery’s power production was hard to deny. The White Sox rookie hit 21 homers in just 255 at-bats and finished the season with a very respectable .841 OPS.
Montgomery’s season is in many ways similar to Gary Sánchez’s 2016 rookie campaign, in which he burst on the scene with 20 homers in 53 games. Sánchez owned a ridiculous 1.032 OPS and did it over the last two months of the season. Sánchez finished as ROY runner-up that season, and while that was too high for Montgomery in this year’s class, there’s precedent for a similar body of work being recognized. Also, while not known for his defense, Montgomery finished the season as a well-above-average defender at shortstop, with plus-seven defensive runs saved and plus-six outs above average putting him top-10 among shortstops in both categories. — Dorsey
Jordan’s final pick: Carlos Narváez
Montgomery’s power production, plus his surprisingly stout defense at shortstop, were difficult to overlook, and yes, he played the same number of games as Anthony (71), so the sample size on its own was not necessarily disqualifying. But in the end, I opted to vote for a catcher in Narváez who made an impact on a playoff team, emerging as one of Boston’s more unlikely key contributors after he arrived via a rare trade with the rival Yankees last winter.
Russ rightly pointed out how much better Boston played once Anthony joined the lineup, and Narváez had a similar effect over the entirety of the season: The Red Sox went 67-40 — a .626 winning percentage — in Narváez’s 107 starts behind the dish and just 22-33 otherwise. That’s mostly a reflection of his work as a defender, with Narváez rating as a plus blocker, plus framer and nearly unrivaled at controlling the running game while regularly receiving praise from his pitching staff as a worthy field general and game-caller.
And while his second-half decline at the plate resulted in a mediocre 99 wRC+ (.241/.306/.419) by the end of the season, even league-average production with a plus glove at catcher amounts to an immensely valuable player. In a season that began with substantial hype surrounding Boston’s top three prospects in Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, it was Narváez who emerged as Boston’s second-best rookie in 2025 and snagged a spot on my ballot in turn. — Shusterman
Oct 25, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Buffalo Sabres center Jiri Kulich (20) in the face-off circle against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gerry Angus-Imagn Images
Gerry Angus-Imagn Images
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Sabres forward Jiri Kulich is out indefinitely because of a blood clot, coach Lindy Ruff announced following practice on Monday.
Ruff didn’t provide any further details except to say it’s “pretty serious,” and that the second-year player will miss “significant time.” The coach said the team will have a better idea on Kulich’s status within three to four weeks.
Kulich had already missed three games with what the Sabres described as an illness.
The 21-year-old has three goals and five points in 12 games for Buffalo this season, and coming off a rookie campaign in which he had 15 goals and 24 points in 62 outings. He’s from the Czech Republic and was selected by Buffalo in the first round of the 2022 draft.
The Sabres are 1-2-4 in their past seven and travel to play at Utah on Wednesday.
Former Buffalo Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt is going to miss some time, as Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm shared that he is going to be out week-to-week due to a lower-body injury.
With Mittelstadt being one of the Bruins' top forwards, they are undoubtedly going to miss him while he is sidelined. Based on Sturm's update, the former Sabre will be missing a decent amount of time, too, as he is considered week-to-week.
Mittelstadt has recorded four goals, five assists, and nine points in 15 games this season with the Bruins. This was after he posted 15 goals, 25 assists, 40 points, and a minus-29 rating in 81 games split between the Colorado Avalanche and Bruins this past season.
Mittelstadt was selected by the Sabres with the eighth-overall pick of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. In 339 games over seven seasons with the Sabres from 2017-18 to 2023-24, he posted 62 goals, 124 assists, and 186 points. This included him scoring 15 goals and setting career highs with 44 assists and 59 points during the 2022-23 season with Buffalo.
Mittelstadt's time with the Sabres ended when he was traded to the Avalanche during the 2023-24 season in exchange for defenseman Bowen Byram.
Milwaukee forward Taurean Prince is out indefinitely and is expected to miss significant time after an MRI revealed a herniated disc in his neck, the team announced Monday.
Medical Update: Taurean Prince underwent an MRI last week that revealed a herniated disk in his neck. Prince will be sidelined indefinitely as the team’s medical staff and external specialists determine the best treatment plan.
Prince came off the bench for 21 minutes a night across Milwaukee's first eight games, averaging 6.1 points a night, but sat out the last two games due to an injury. Prince started 73 games for the Bucks last season, averaging 8.1 points per night, although his primary skill has been his defense and switchability on that end of the court.
With Prince out, look for Kyle Kuzma and Amir Coffey to get more run behind starters A.J. Green and Gary Trent Jr.
Instead of simply pushing for a limited number of automatic qualifiers in the next version of the College Football Playoff, leaders in the Southeastern Conference are now suggesting they don’t want any at all.
Southern California should have been assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during its game against Northwestern for having a reserve quarterback who executed a fake punt wear the same number as the Trojans’ regular punter, the Big Ten announced.
Here's the latest Mets free agency and trade buzz during the 2025-26 MLB offseason...
Nov. 10, 4:26 p.m.
While the Mets are expected to be aggressive in their pursuit of starting pitching this offseason, one of their current rotation arms is already receiving some outside interest.
According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, right-hander Kodai Senga is considered a buy-low trade target among some teams, although it's unclear if the Mets are legtimately open to moving him.
The report also notes that Senga's contract no longer includes a full no-trade clause -- he can now block deals to only 10 clubs.
The 2025 season was a confounding tale of two halves for Senga, who resembled an ace for the Mets through June and ultimately lost a big-league roster spot by September. In between his peaks and valleys was a summer hamstring injury that required rehab starts and caused mechanical headaches.
Still, he posted a solid 3.02 ERA with 109 strikeouts across 22 outings (113.1 innings).
There's reason to believe that Senga can re-channel that Cy Young-caliber version of himself, and his contract is by no means an albatross to the reported suitors. The 32-year-old is set to make just $28 million combined over the next two seasons, with a club option for 2028.
Since joining the majors from Japan in 2023, Senga owns a career 3.00 ERA with 209 strikeouts over 52 starts (285 innings). He also placed top-10 in NL Cy Young voting as a Rookie of the Year runner-up.
Bruce Bochy and the San Francisco Giants are reuniting after all, with the club’s beloved former manager taking on a special advisor role on both the baseball and business sides following 28 seasons on the dugout’s top step.
President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey is turning to his old skipper to help guide a new regime and direction for the club following a fourth straight season without a playoff berth. The club announced Bochy’s hiring.
Posey hired Tennessee coach Tony Vitello for his first job in professional baseball. Bochy should provide a strong sounding board for the first-time manager.
The 70-year-old Bochy guided the Giants to World Series championships in 2010 — the franchise’s first title since moving West in 1958 — ‘12 and ’14. He recently parted with the Texas Rangers following three seasons as manager, including their first championship in 2023.
“I couldn’t be more excited to reconnect with the Giants organization and so many familiar faces,” Bochy said. “This organization and city mean a lot to me and my family, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute in any way I can.”
From the beginning, Posey ruled out Bochy as a candidate to become San Francisco’s manager to replace Bob Melvin. The Giants fired Melvin after two seasons.
“Having Boch back in the organization means a great deal to all of us,” Posey said in a statement. “His experience, leadership, and feel for the game are unmatched, and his perspective will be invaluable as we continue building towards sustained success.”
Bochy left the rival San Diego Padres to become Giants manager in 2007, the year home run king Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s all-time record, and stayed with the club through 2019. He then worked as a special advisor for the Giants from 2020-2022 before taking the Rangers job.
This past season, the Giants finished 81-81 for one more victory than in Melvin’s first year. They haven’t reached the postseason since winning the NL West with a franchise-record 107 victories to edge the rival Dodgers by one game in 2021 under then-skipper Gabe Kapler.
Bochy’s 2,252 career managerial wins rank sixth in baseball history, while his 4,518 games managed put him at fourth. He notched 951 victories with San Diego and another 1,052 for the Giants, second-most by a Giants manager behind Hall of Famer John McGraw. Those totals make him the only manager in MLB history with 900 or more wins with multiple franchises.
“We are thrilled to welcome Boch back to the Giants family as a Special Advisor to Baseball Operations,” Giants President and CEO Larry Baer said. “Few people in baseball have his depth of knowledge, insight, and lived experience of the game. He shares a rich history with our organization and fans, and it’s special to have him back in orange and black.”
