LOS ANGELES (AP) — David Martinez scored in the second half and Hugo Lloris made it stand up for a third straight clean sheet to begin the season as Los Angeles FC beat FC Dallas 1-0 on Saturday night.
Neither team scored until Martinez used assists from Stephen Eustáquio and defender Sergi Palencia in the 55th minute to find the net for the first time this season and for the ninth time in the 20-year-old's 49th appearance and 20th start.
Eustáquio has a goal and two assists in his first three MLS matches. Palencia's helper was his first this season and ninth in 86 career matches.
Lloris finished with five saves for LAFC (3-0-0) — off to the best start in its nine-year history with a fifth straight victory in all competitions to begin the season. The club also won its first three league matches for the first time while outscoring its opponents 6-0.
Michael Collodi saved five shots in his third start for Dallas (1-1-1) this season after making nine last year as a rookie. Collodi allowed only eight goals in his nine 2025 starts, making Maarten Paes expendable.
Both keepers had three saves in a scoreless first half.
LAFC leads the all-time series 8-4-3, including a 6-0-1 record at home.
LAFC opened the season at home with a 3-0 victory over defending champion Inter Miami and then blanked the Houston Dynamo 2-0 on the road. The club also posted 6-1 and 1-0 victories over Real España in the CONCACAF Champions Cup to advance to the Round of 16.
Dallas beat Toronto FC 3-2 in its home opener before a playing to a scoreless draw with visiting Nashville SC.
HOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 28: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs and Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the game on January 28, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. 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 Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Tonight the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs complete their season series. San Antonio leads 2-1, and a win for the Spurs would clinch the tiebreaker, not that it’s likely to matter. This is the first of three difficult games in four days for Houston.
To talk about the Spurs, I enlisted the help of my friend, Blaine. He’s a Spurs fan that spent many nights with us in Playback (RIP), and he’s a smart basketball mind and great dude. I asked him some questions and he was kind enough to give some super detailed answers, even when I put him on the spot with San Antonio’s championship chances. I learned a ton, and I hope you do as well.
Armin (AK): By the old Phil Jackson metric, approximately 83% of all NBA champions won 40 games before losing 20. The Spurs are one of three teams that qualify this season. How serious are San Antonio’s chances? What would you consider a successful postseason?
Blaine: Going into this season, I honestly thought we would be happy with the 6 seed. At this point in time, we are probably a year ahead of what I thought our progression would be. Last year, we finished 13th in the West. I figured we would pass Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Memphis Grizzlies. I thought Dallas could be dangerous if they were healthy, but we knew Kyrie Iriving was a long shot this year, and Anthony Davis doesn’t have the best luck. I didn’t love Golden State’s offseason, the LA Clippers were (are) going through an interesting Steve Ballmer/Kawhi Leonard based investigation. That left Oklahoma City, y’all, the LA Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves as teams I thought could stay ahead of us and it still be seen as a potentially successful year of further growth. Y’all lost Fred VanVleet, then Steven Adams, and Dorian Finney-Smith hasn’t been the player I thought he could be for y’all. Denver has had to go without Nikola Jokic for a stretch, Aaron Gordon for longer, and Cam Johnson hasn’t been as big of a factor as I thought he could be for them, but they should be a dangerous team come playoff time. We’ve shown we can matchup well with OKC, beating them 4-1 this season (admittedly, 1 game they basically punted), but they are still the defending champs and current #1 overall seed.
All this is to say that we definitely have a shot, but history says it’s unlikely. The list is short for teams that found postseason success with as little playoff experience as our core has. On the plus side, Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet each have 5 playoff runs and one ring each, but Barnes was 5th in minutes for the Warriors in the 2015 finals, Kornet was 11th for the Celtics in 2024. Outside of them, De’Aaron Fox has one playoff series, that’s it for our top 10 players.
On the plus side, we have a generational talent that is continuing to grow (in talent, but some say he might be taller than he was last year), and the team around him is getting better too. I wrote earlier that I thought we would be happy with the 6th seed going into the year. What I didn’t see that had me setting the lower expectations was not only Victor Wembanyama still clinging to the possibility of hitting the 65 game mark, but that we now have a team around him that doesn’t crumble without him on the floor. I believe we are 10-4 in games without him this season, although we were lucky that many of those came during a somewhat forgiving stretch.
Fox has been great, even though it seems like we are keeping his usage a bit lower than he deserves. He hasn’t been getting near the credit he deserves from Spurs fans, which I hope is due to the excitement of our younger core, I can also be guilty of this. I’m glad he got the all-star nod even if there were arguments for other replacements.
Stephon Castle has taken a nice leap. His 3% hasn’t increased much, but I’m more confident in the attempts than I was last year. His playmaking continues to grow and he is probably the best lobber on the team. He’s also the best point-of-attack defender and has had some really nice putbacks. I believe he is deserving of an All-Defensive Team selection. I see him and Amen Thompson as very comparable players. Castle is a better shooter and maybe slight edge in playmaking, while Thompson still has the advantage on defense and rebounding.
Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson have both adjusted their games to become really useful to us. Vassell as a spark plug on offense, and Keldon as a battery and battering ram. Vassell has had a really good shooting stretch. In a 5 game stretch from 2/23-3/3 he averaged 5 3PMs on 62.5%. Johnson is still in the running for 6MOY, although I think the chances have chilled slightly post all star break.
AK: San Antonio appears so deep right now and is seemingly getting contributions from everyone. Besides playoff experience, what do the Spurs need to get to the next level moving forward? Is internal development enough or do you see the Spurs making a splash in free agency in Wemby’s last rookie contract season? (Note: The Spurs will have something around $35-40 million in space under the first apron this summer)
Blaine: Along with the guys above, Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant are also exciting looks into the future while providing valuable play. Harper plays with a veteran’s level of change of pace and shows real flashes of something special, while Bryant has recently shown flashes of becoming a great 3&D player. They are clear parts of the future so some care needs to be taken that we have money available for them when the time comes.
Kornet is the final player I feel sure will be around for the next 3 years. He’s been a really great back up big, even if it doesn’t always show up in the box score. He does so many of the little things that allow the team to be successful.
Barnes has been a solid vet and has gone through stretches of being a really important floor stretcher for us. Unfortunately, his ironman streak of 364 straight regular season games played was snapped due to a sore ankle, his 3% has dropped over 5% from last year, Bryant is showing growth, and his current contract is too big and runs out at the end of the year. He’d be great to have back, but I don’t know that he would or should take the cut needed for us to make it happen.
Julian Champagnie is currently on one of the best contracts (non-rookie or superstar-on-max edition). We have a team option, but I’m sure we will try to renegotiate for a longer deal while trying to keep it somewhat team friendly.
Looking into next year, we have Atlanta’s pick that will likely be a lottery pick. Depending on where that pick falls could determine if we feel like we luck into another rotational piece or if we use it to package for a different piece or future pick. Looking over a list of upcoming FAs, the number of good fits that I think have a ok chance of moving are fairly slim. Rui Hachimura and John Collins are maybe the best options which aren’t the flashiest moves. Therefore, I think our best chance at a big swing would be to sign and trade Barnes packaged with ATL’s pick. A bigger swing would have to include Vassell or Johnson that, as I’ve stated, have been playing well this season and could be considered the hearts of the team, especially Keldon on the latter.
I think it is more likely that we try to make a Barnes deal work, while extending Wemby and Champagnie.
AK: Fill in the blank: The Spurs are winning a title in the next _____ years.
Blaine: When Tim Duncan retired, I said with full sincerity that I would be satisfied as a fan if we never won another because of the 5 rings he brought to my favorite team, and asking for anything further would be greedy. Well, the 3rd lucky pick of a ping pong ball that gave me a generation big to watch has me feeling like Scrooge McDuck. I stated earlier in the year that I’m still not a big fan of the Cup. Players get more money, good for them, but for me as a fan, I’m not ready to give this midseason tournament any prestige. That being said, it was great for us this year. The OKC and New York Knicks games had a solid playoff-like atmosphere that gives the young core at least a small feel of what to expect come playoffs. I’m trying hard to keep my expectations tempered. Injuries happen, guys playing well lead to them earning contracts that break teams apart, teams struggle at the wrong time, and opposing teams have the opposite happen at the right time for them. We aren’t here for that though, and I’m not backing down from your challenge to actually answer this question that I usually talk my way around. Spurs in 3. Maybe we get lucky this year, we have been playing really well. If we make it to the conference finals this year, I think we can rebound and make it through the next. If we flame out early, I think we do whatever we need to to make it work in the 3rd. There, you got me to say it. You happy?
AK: What are your thoughts on the Rockets as an outsider?
Blaine: Before the injuries, I really thought this could be y’all’s year. I’ve been telling you since the start of the year that I think y’all are a bad matchup for us. Wemby has more difficulty with Alperen Sengun’s offensive timing, Kevin Durant is still a bucket, Jabari Smith Jr. gives y’all extra size, and I remain a big fan of both Amen and Reed Sheppard.
AK: Got any fun tidbits I didn’t ask?
Blaine: Just for fun, Spurs have some pretty good duo names. Ex Area 51 (Wemby/Castle), Pineapple Express (Castle/Vassell), Slash Bros (Castle/Harper), French Vanilla (Wemby/Kornet), White Castle (Castle/Kornet). Do the Rockets have any fun nicknames?
Also, current situation of Wemby chasing Dream’s block record:
Current Pace (3.48) 936 games to overtake (14.4 65 game seasons)
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) — Alexis Manyoma netted the go-ahead score in the second half and Rafael Navarro added a pair of insurance goals, all after Los Angeles was forced to play a man down, helping the Colorado Rapids pull away for a 4-1 victory over the Galaxy on Saturday night.
João Klauss scored for the fourth time in his first three matches with the Galaxy to tie it 1-1 in the 56th minute. But Gabriel Pec was tagged with a second yellow card four minutes later and forced to exit.
Manyoma made his fifth career appearance and second this season when he subbed into the match in the 68th minute and scored his first career goal in the 76th to give Colorado a 2-1 lead. Navarro provided insurance with an unassisted goal in the 85th minute before taking a pass from Wayne Frederick and scoring again four minutes later for the final margin. Frederick's assist was his first in his 13th career appearance.
Navarro's first two goals of the campaign give him 30 in 78 career appearances with the Rapids.
Nico Hansen totaled four saves in his first start for Colorado (2-1-0) this season after starting 10 times as a rookie last season.
Novak Micovic saved two shots in his third start of the season for the Galaxy (1-1-1) after getting the nod 20 times as a rookie last season.
Darren Yapi, who scored in the 23rd minute to give the Rapids a 1-0 lead, picked up an assist along with Ted Ku-DiPietro on Manyoma's go-ahead score.
The Galaxy lead the all-time series 41-34-13, but fall to 14-23-7 in Colorado.
Up next
Los Angeles: Hosts Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Langston Reynolds scored 21 points and scored the game-winning basket to lead Minnesota 67-66 past Northwestern in the final regular season game of the season for both Big Ten teams on Saturday.
Reynolds was 9 of 13 from the floor and scored the final four points over the last 26 seconds. He turned a three-point Golden Gophers (15-16, 8-12 Big Ten) deficit into a win with a layup with 11 seconds left, and scored 17 in the second half.
Cade Tyson had 15 points, while Isaac Asuma added 14 points and eight rebounds. Bobby Durkin scored 12, made 4 of 8 from behind the arc and had two steals.
The Golden Gophers had a 39-29 lead at the half after opening the game with an 18-2 run fueled by nine points from Asuma.
Nick Martinelli, the nation's sixth-leading scorer (22.7 per game), had 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting and nine rebounds for the Wildcats (13-18, 5-15). Jake West added 14 points and hit 4 of 7 behind the arc, and Tre Singleton scored 10 to go with six rebounds and four assists.
Up next
Northwestern will be the No. 15 seed in the Big Ten tournament and face No. 18 seed Penn State on Tuesday in the opening round.
Minnesota will enter as the No. 11 seed and face No. 14 seed Rutgers in the second round Wednesday. ___
After a severely undermanned Golden State squad eked out an unexpected win over the Rockets to begin its road trip, the Warriors nearly pulled off an even bigger upset against the best team in the Western Conference and presumed title favorites.
Golden State got Kristaps Porzingis back from a six-game absence but still only suited up 10 players and still took the Thunder to the wire Saturday night in a 104-97 loss.
Shai Gilgous-Alexander sank a step-back 3 with 44 seconds left for the last of his game-high 27 points and forced a turnover on the other end of the floor to seal the game.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – MARCH 7: Brandin Podziemski #2 of the Golden State Warriors passes the ball during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 7, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NBAE via Getty Images
The Warriors never held a lead but were as close as two points with less than a minute to play, trailing 99-97 before Gilgous-Alexander’s game-sealing 3. They missed their final six shots of the game.
Porzingis played 23 minutes off the bench and scored nine points in his first action since his Warriors debut on Feb. 19 — only the second game he has played dating back to the first week of January.
What it means
The Warriors earned a nice win against the Rockets. They returned to reality against the Thunder, who became the first team in the NBA to reach 50 wins.
Turning point
With the state of the Warriors’ roster, it should have been the moment they entered the building.
But the score was tied at 77 more than halfway through the third quarter after Malevy Leons, one of three active two-way players, drained a 3-pointer with 4:14 left that capped a 19-4 run.
The typically sound Thunder turned the ball over five times in the first six minutes of the third quarter. They coughed it up nine times the rest of the night.
The run came to an end in appropriate fashion for the Thunder — with Gilgous-Alexander getting to the foul line on consecutive possessions. The free-throw artist collected 14 of his points at the line. He baited Nate Williams, another two-wayer, both times.
The Warriors kept it close until the very end but never were able to pull ahead.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – MARCH 7: Gui Santos #15 of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 7, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NBAE via Getty Images
MVP: SGA
The reigning NBA MVP is probably on his way to a repeat win, so it would be silly to select anybody else after he led the box score in scoring and seemed to get a bucket — or free throws — at the moments the Thunder needed it most.
Draymond Green, tasked with guarding him, turned in one of his strongest offensive performances of the season with 16 points on four 3-pointers.
Gui Santos also scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 38 minutes.
But the Warriors just didn’t have enough firepower to overcome a quintessential performance from Gilgous-Alexander, who is now one game away from Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record after scoring 20 or more points for the 125th consecutive contest.
Stat of the game: 15 offensive rebounds
The Warriors kept it close with the defending champions despite missing their two best players and a sizable chunk of their supporting cast. How?
By owning the offensive glass.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – MARCH 7: Nate Williams #19 of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 7, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NBAE via Getty Images
The Warriors cleaned up their misses for a 16-7 edge in second-chance points. They grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, compared to the Thunder’s seven.
Gary Payton II grabbed seven offensive boards by himself with a game-best 12 total.
The Thunder hadn’t converted a single second-chance basket until Andrew Wiggins tipped in a miss from Lu Dort with 4:30 left in the third quarter. It was Oklahoma City’s second offensive rebound of the possession, matching its total to that point in the game.
As for what prevented the Warriors from pulling off the upset?
Look to the foul line, and don’t complain about the whistle.
The Warriors missed key free throws down the stretch and shot 61.1% from the foul line. Oklahoma City only had a six-shot edge in attempts but converted 23 of its 24 free throws, while the Warriors missed seven of their 18 attempts.
Up next
Golden State finishes its three-game road trip Monday night with a date with the Jazz in Salt Lake City. The Warriors will play their third game in four days the following night, the beginning of a stretch of 10 in a 15-day span — just two in San Francisco.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sam Surridge scored two goals — his second multi-goal game this season — and Cristian Espinoza added a goal and an assist to help Nashville SC beat Minnesota United 3-1 on Saturday night.
Surridge has scored 17 home goals — the most in MLS — since the start of last season.
Surridge re-directed a shot by Patrick Yazbek into the net to open the scoring in the 26th minute and his rising shot from the right corner of the 6-yard box in the 47th made it 3-1.
Hany Mukhtar’s shot from just outside the penalty area was parried by diving goalkeeper Drake Callender, but Espinoza was there for the tap-in putback to give Nashville (2-0-1) a 2-0 lead in the 33rd.
Nectarios Triantis scored for Minnesota (1-1-1) in the 35th minute.
CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Yu Sakamoto beat Riley Rayome of North Central (IL) 4-3 to win the 117-pound crown and clinch the team title for McKendree on Saturday night at the inaugural NCAA women's wrestling championships.
After a wild scramble in the final seconds, a challenge by North Central and a review, Sakamoto's win gave McKendree a 167-166 lead over Iowa — which finished with three individual champions and a runner-up, but had no remaining competitors with two matches remaining. The Bearcats finished with 171 points and third-place North Central had 123.5.
Grand Valley State’s Katerina Lange, the No. 1 seed, beat second-seeded Claire DiCugno of North Central 4-1 to claim the 138-pound title and become the first women’s wrestling national champion.
North Central’s Bella Mir won at 145 pounds, beating No. 1 seed and former teammate Reese Larramendy of Iowa in the first round to avenge her only regular-season loss. The second-seeded Mir — an Iowa transfer and the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir — reversed a takedown attempt, immediately rolled and pinned Larramendy with 34 seconds left.
Iowa's Valarie Solorio, the No. 2 seed, beat fourth-seeded Rayana Sahagun of Grand Valley State by technical fall in the second round to win the 103-pound title. Sahagun beat No. 1 seed Heather Crull on criteria (7-7) in the semifinals.
Lehigh’s Audrey Jimenez pinned Sage Mortimer of Grand Valley State just 1:19 into the first round to claim the crown at 110 pounds.
Quincy's Xochitl Mota-Pettis won at 124 pounds, beating Shelby Moore of McKendree by technical fall (10-0) in the second round.
Cameron Guerin of McKendree beat Alexis Janlak of Aurora on criteria (5-5) to win the championship at 131 pounds in the final match of the night.
Iowa's Kennedy Blades, the No. 1 seed, pinned third-seeded Tiffani Baublitz of East Stroudsburg in 1:19 to claim the 160-pound crown.
Iowa's Kylie Welker outscored Destiny Rodriguez of McKendree 11-0 in the first round to win the 180-pound title by technical fall.
McKendree's Tristan Kelly beat Sabrina Nauss of Grand Valley State by technical fall (11-0) in the second round to secure the national championship at 207 pounds.
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 7: Ace Bailey #19 of the Utah Jazz dribbles the ball during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 7, 2026 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images). | NBAE via Getty Images
The Utah Jazz didn’t have enough to take out the Milwaukee Bucks, who now have Giannis Antetokounmpo back. With Giannis, the Bucks were able to consistently build leads against the Jazz, but would lose those leads in the minutes that Giannis was off the court. It’s a successful end for the Bucks, who win 113-99 and are clawing their way to a potential play-in game.
The Jazz, who are currently 5th in the lottery standings, are inching towards the end of the season as they will very likely keep their pick. They just have to keep their focus as they make sure to stay as close to the top spot in the lottery as they possibly can.
It’s not just losing that is the focus of this team, though. Utah is getting invaluable development time for players that wouldn’t get it otherwise. Cody Williams had the first double-double of his career tonight with 13 points and 11 rebounds. That freedom to develop is giving him a chance to grow in ways he never would if the Jazz were not focused on development. Williams will need to improve his shooting but this season has shown how he can be a contributing player, especially on the defensive end.
Ace Bailey is also receiving much needed development minutes and it’s paying dividends. His percentages weren’t good tonight but he’s also learning to contribute in ways other than just scoring. Bailey had three assists tonight on a random Saturday night in the NBA. In college, Bailey had four total games with three assists. He’s doing things now with regularity that were not happening before. For the season, Bailey is averaging 1.7 assists in 26 minutes per game. In college, Bailey averaged 1.3 in 33 minutes per game. It’s an uptick worth watching and shows that Bailey is playing a more winning style of basketball. The eye test is especially good with Bailey. He looks like a player that is figuring out how to do more and more each night and the freedom to experiment and work on his weaknesses will make him that much better next season.
Finally, we got to see Keyonte Geoge today and it was a tough shooting night, something that seemed to be a recurring theme for everyone on the team. That said, George got to the line all night and took 13 free throws. That ability to get to the line is elite and makes up for when he has bad shooting games like this one. The Jazz have to shoot the ball better next season, and that will likely be the thing that changes lineups the most, but they are figuring out how to do all the other things that help you win games. That experience will pay off in a big way next season when the Jazz become a winning team in the league.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Antoine Lorick III scored 18 points, and top-seeded Tennessee State beat No. 2 seed Morehead State 93-67 on Saturday night for the Tigers' first win in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship game since 1994.
Travis Harper II made five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points for Tennessee State (23-9), which shot 16 of 26 from long range. Dante Harris and Carlous Williams added 16 points apiece. Aaron Nkrumah chipped in with 14 points and six assists. Harris grabbed 11 of the Tigers' 44 rebounds.
George Marshall scored 17 points and shot 4 of 9 from beyond the arc to lead Morehead State (20-13). Anouar Mellouk and Davion Cunningham added 12 points each.
The Tigers scored a Division-I program-record 55 points in the first half for a 21-point lead. Harris scored 16 points and shot 4 of 7 from deep. Harper added 15 points on five 3s. Marshall scored 12 first-half points for Morehead State.
TSU entered having won a program-best 15 conference games. The Tigers won back-to-back tournament titles in 1993 and 1994.
The teams split the regular-season series, each winning at home. Tennessee State won the first meeting 105-100 in overtime. Morehead State won the second 94-86.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Nijel Pack scored 23 points, Xzayvier Brown added 21 points, and Oklahoma beat Texas 88-85 in overtime in the final regular season game of the season for the two Southeastern Conference sides.
Pack was 7 of 14 from the field and 3 of 7 behind the arc. He scored nine points during a 14-2 second-half run that turned a tie game into a 12-point lead for the Sooners (17-14, 7-11) with fewer than seven minutes remaining. Brown was 8-of-18 shooting with four steals and led with 12 in the first half. Tae Davis added 14 points and nine rebounds.
The Longhorns (18-13, 9-9) held a 40-36 lead at halftime. They were led by Jordan Pope's 30 points on an inefficient 8-of-25 shooting but was 7 of 18 from behind the arc. Dailyn Swain added 18 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Tramon Mark had 17 points. Matas Vokietaitis had 14 points and six rebounds.
The Sooners led by six with 36 seconds to go in regulation, but fouled Mark twice, including on a 3-point attempt that followed a turnover. Mark made all five free throws to make it a one-point game with 15 seconds left.
A pair of free throws from Davis put the Sooners up three. But Brown fouled Pope on a 3-point attempt, and Pope made all three free throws to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Pope had five in overtime and Mark three for the Longhorns, but Derrion Reid's five points for the Sooners, including a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, put the game out of reach.
Texas lost four of their final five games to finish as the No. 10 seed in the SEC tournament.
Up next
Oklahoma will head to the SEC tournament as the 11 seed to face No. 14 seed South Carolina in the first round on Wednesday.
Texas faces No. 15 seed Mississippi on Wednesday. ___
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - MARCH 7: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball in front of Brandin Podziemski #2 of the Golden State Warriors during the first half at Paycom Center on March 7, 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 Golden State Warriors lost to the reigning defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder tonight on the road, 104-97. They also missed seven free throws, egads!
You can sit with that math however you want. But here’s what I refuse to let that number erase: a shorthanded Golden State team, without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, walked into the building that is currently the most dangerous home court in the Western Conference and made the best team in basketball sweat for 48 minutes.
That counts for something.
Gui Santos dropped a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds on the best defensive roster in the conference. Draymond Green shot 6-of-10, hit four threes, and looked like a man who has been here before because he absolutely has. Brandin Podziemski ran the offense with 17 points and 6 assists against one turnover, the kind of quiet competence that championship rosters are built around. The Warriors outrebounded the Thunder 47-42. They generated 28 assists. They even won the turnover battle -3 against OKC’s pesky defense. The Dubs came back from double digits down in the third quarter and made it a genuine game when nobody outside the locker room expected them to.
Really strong effort again from the Warriors — but they don't have enough talent to close down the stretch against SGA. Santos finishes with a career high 22 points and 11 rebounds. Podz had 17. Draymond had another solid all-around game. Porzingis has 9 pts in 23 min in return.
The missed free throws hurt. Going 11-of-18 from the line against a Thunder team that went 23-of-24 from the charity stripe is the difference between a loss and a moment Dub Nation would have talked about for weeks. But I’ve watched this franchise long enough to know the difference between a team that is broken and a team that is building toward something through the fire. Tonight looked like the latter. The fight was real. The competitiveness was real. The youth on this roster absorbing a playoff-caliber environment against a 50-win team, without their stars, and still finding a way to make the fourth quarter interesting? That is something to build on.
Oklahoma City earned their 50th win. They are legitimate contenders to go back-to-back and tonight confirmed it again. But the Warriors made them work for every possession, and when Curry gets back, when this group remembers what full strength feels like, tonight will be one of those games they point to.
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 7: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 7, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer season standings: Tyrese Maxey – 22 Joel Embiid – 9 VJ Edgecombe – 9 Paul George – 6 Jared McCain :’( – 3 Kelly Oubre Jr. – 3 Dominick Barlow – 2 Andre Drummond – 2 Jabari Walker – 1 MarJon Beauchamp – 1 Adem Bona – 1 Justin Edwards – 1 Quentin Grimes – 1 Trendon Watford – 1 15th roster spot – 1
Well, the shorthanded Sixers put forth a much more spirited effort than recent blowout defeats to Boston and San Antonio, but the usual third quarter woes reared their ugly head, and Philadelphia moved down into Play-In Tournament territory with a 125-116 loss to Atlanta. With the win by the Hawks, they completed the season sweep of the Sixers, which could come into play as a tiebreaker later with the two clubs bunched together in the standings. More crucially, Tyrese Maxey suffered a collision in the closing seconds of the game, suffering what looked to be an injury to his shooting hand, with later reporting revealing something may have happened to his finger.
I’m told Tyrese Maxey will receive additional testing tomorrow on his right finger. Nothing conclusive tonight
It goes without saying, but with Philadelphia already missing several starters due to injury and suspension, losing Maxey for any significant period of time would be a true cause to panic. We’ll cross that doomsday bridge if and when we come to it. For now, let’s focus on the positives from Saturday’s defeat with our Bell Ringer nominees.
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 7: Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 7, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Early on, Maxey looked like a guy determined to put the team on his back Greg Jennings-style, scoring 15 points in the opening quarter and 22 overall in the first half. In addition to his usual self-creation off the dribble, the Sixers did a nice job working Tyrese off the ball, getting him a couple open looks from three and running him off screens to allow him to start running downhill towards the basket. Maxey made great reads with the ball in his hand, finding Kelly Oubre with an over-the-shoulder cross-court pass for a triple, and finding a rolling Adem Bona down the lane for a bucket. He also made some key defensive plays, showing active hands at the top of the zone to force a couple steals. Hopefully, all’s relatively well with the hand/finger, and we’ll be seeing Tyrese right back among the Bell Ringer options real soon.
The Hawks went on a run, but Tyrese made a big triple to stop it and the Sixers go into the half with 73-66 lead pic.twitter.com/FM8MyydZ0f
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 7: Quentin Grimes #5 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 7, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After slumping for a few games, Grimes had his second straight positive game on the offensive end, this time getting going from beyond the arc with a trio of triples. He also displayed an aggressive attacking mentality, finishing through contact around the rim on numerous occasions; his seven free-throw attempts marked his third-highest total on the season. Grimes got chippy with Onyeka Okongwu as the pair each got the better end of each other on some forays by Quentin to the cup. It was great to see some fire from Grimes and keep carving in there to great success. I really enjoyed their little tete-a-tetes in the painted area. With so many absences, the Sixers need contributions from everybody, and this was a really nice performance from Grimes.
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 7: Kelly Oubre Jr. #9 of the Philadelphia 76ers passes the ball during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 7, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Kelly Oubre returned from missing a couple games due to illness and certainly looked more rested than drained in stepping back on the court. It was a solid all-around performance from Oubre. He hit Adem Bona perfectly down the lane with a pass out of the pick-and-roll for a dunk (remember when four assists seemed like a pipe dream from Kelly?). He clean picked Jalen Johnson’s pocket on one play, leading to a run-out bucket for Maxey, and he worked hard on the offensive glass — three o-boards all led to second-chance points. At his heart, though, Kelly gets buckets, and he did so very efficiently Saturday, shooting 10-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three. In particular, I liked when he recognized his size advantage against the defender, and muscled his way into the lane to can some short jumpers. Great to have you back, Kelly; the team certainly needs you.
Kelly Oubre Jr. makes the most of his own miss with a nasty slam on Jock Landale pic.twitter.com/Zb3BdZAR04
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Defender Kalani Kossa-Rienzi scored two minutes into the second half and Andrew Thomas made it stand up as the Seattle Sounders edged Sporting Kansas City 1-0 on Saturday night.
Kossa-Rienzi subbed in for Yéimar Gomez Andrade in the 23rd minute before scoring in the 47th to give the Sounders the lead. Jesús Ferreira notched his third assist in three matches and his 39th in 198 career appearances. Kossa-Rienzi found the net for the first time this season after scoring three times in 22 appearances as a rookie last year.
Thomas finished with five saves in posting his second clean sheet of the season and his fifth in 15 career starts for the Sounders (2-1-0).
Roman Bürki stopped three shots in his 92nd start, all with St. Louis City. Thomas had three saves and Bürki two in the scoreless first half.
First-year coach Yoann Damet is still searching for his first victory with St. Louis City (0-2-1). Damet spent three seasons as an assistant under former Columbus Crew head man Wilfried Nancy.
Seattle bounced back from losing a fifth straight road opener — 2-1 to Real Salt Lake — and improved to 6-1-0 all time versus St. Louis City.
Up next
St. Louis: At Los Angeles FC on Saturday.
Seattle: At San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday in the third of five straight road matches for the Sounders.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Anders Dreyer scored late in the first half and rookie teenager Duran Ferree posted his third straight clean sheet to begin the season, leading San Diego FC to a 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.
Dreyer used assists from Onni Valakari and 19-year-old Luca Bombino in the 39th minute to score for the second time this season. Valakari notched his second assist after collecting 11 last year, his first in the league. Bombino's first of the season comes after he had four assists in 26 appearances as a rookie last year.
Dreyer became the second fastest to reach 20 goals and 20 assists in regular-season play in league history last week, needing 36 matches. Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi set the record at 26. Dreyer is the reigning newcomer of the year.
Ferree, 19, saved three shots for San Diego (3-0-0), which has outscored its opponents 8-0.
John Pulskamp finished with four saves for Sporting KC (0-2-1). He made a save on a penalty kick by the Columbus Crew's Wessam Abou Ali in the 87th minute to preserve a 2-2 draw last week.
Mikey Vargas has San Diego off to another hot start after his club finished first during the Western Conference regular season as an expansion side last year.
MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 7: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket during the game against the Utah Jazz on March 7, 2026 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images). | NBAE via Getty Images
In the first half of a weekend back-to-back at Fiserv Forum, the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a four-game losing streak, taking out perhaps the most unabashed tankers in NBA history, the Utah Jazz. In his most extensive action since returning Monday from a calf strain (27 minutes), Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in a game-high 27 for the victors. Keyonte George paced the visitors with 22.
A jumbo starting lineup, including Ousmane Dieng and Kyle Kuzma, began this one on a 10-3 run. Giannis’ initial shift was his longest since January at just under eight minutes, and in that time, he got to the line seven times. It was 23-8 when he subbed out at 4:35, but the second unit couldn’t extend what was then a 13-2 run any further. In fact, Milwaukee didn’t score a point for over three-and-a-half minutes as Giannis sat, though Utah couldn’t get closer than 10. They’re that bad: the Bucks went ice cold, and all the Jazz managed was five points. With a quarter in the books, it was 24-13 Bucks. Gripping stuff.
The Jazz finally started to find nylon in the opening stages of the second, amid the Bucks’ continued offensive struggles. A 10-2 Utah run made it a two-point game just over three minutes in, and Giannis re-entered perhaps sooner than anticipated. Still, the Milwaukee offense remained sluggish as Utah tied it at 35 just past the midpoint. It wasn’t until the last three minutes that they strung together some makes and re-established the double-digit lead, ironically after Giannis checked back out. The home team went to the locker room ahead 51-44.
Much like in their Wednesday defeat, the Bucks opened the second half poorly. Two early turnovers shrank the Bucks’ halftime advantage to one, and thanks to early foul trouble, they barely managed to stay in front—by no more than six—for the next few minutes. Once Giannis exited, Utah grabbed their first lead of the game inside the five-minute mark. Basket-trading followed, including AJ Green’s first three of the night (he had been 0/4 overall prior), then another shortly after. That, plus a Jericho Sims fastbreak dunk, seemed to break Milwaukee out of it a bit. Closing the period on a 9-2 run, they led 83-76 through three.
Bobby Portis took matters into his own hands with a pair of early buckets as the Bucks soon went up 11. He even added a block to his six quick points. That bought some more time for Giannis, who was reinserted with 7:30 left, up six. Utah closed within one, though, and it appeared the usual Jazz tanking mass exodus wasn’t coming. Giannis went to work with a personal 6-0 run, but Milwaukee struggled to stop Utah on the other end without fouling. It was 97-95 inside five minutes, but then the Bucks finally got serious and put the game away as the Jazz misfired just enough. They finished on a 16-4 run.
Stat That Stood Out
The Bucks were just brutal at the line, and it made this game a lot closer than it needed to be: 16/28 at the charity stripe is just 57.1%. Until Giannis made a few as they made their closing run, Milwaukee was under 50% for the game.
