Apr 30, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies left fielder Jordan Beck (27) celebrates with center fielder Brenton Doyle (9) and outfielder Mickey Moniak (22) after the game against the Atlanta Braves at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
“The Rockies are in the midst of changing everything, and that’ll take time. The projections adore both center fielder Brenton Doyle and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, despite relative down seasons for each, and Hunter Goodman provided roughly average catcher defense, which is harder than it sounds. The expected improvement comes from the departure of first baseman Michael Toglia, who rated as among baseball’s weakest defenders, and the expectation that new outfielder and elite speedster Jake McCarthy might help shift Mickey Moniak into more of a DH role. Keep an eye out for third baseman Kyle Karros, who rated well in limited time last year and should get a larger opportunity this season.
So, the Rockies improved by subtraction.
I’ll turn the floor over to the Purple Row night owls: Will the Rockies see improved defensive numbers in 2026, and where will those improvements come from?
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Cotie McMahon racked up 21 points and dished five assists as No. 14 Mississippi cruised by Arkansas 80-57 on Thursday night to reach 20 wins for the fifth straight season.
McMahon scored 20 or more points for the fourth straight game and has scored double figures in all but one outing this season.
The Rebels (20-5, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) bounced back from a 64-63 loss at then-No. 21 Alabama last Thursday to comfortably get back into the win column in their first home game in over a month.
Latasha Lattimore added 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season, and Denim DeShields tacked on 12 points for Ole Miss.
Ole Miss took the lead for good just 2:25 into the first quarter on a Lattimore layup and built a double-digit lead before the end of the first frame. They kept the lead the rest of the way, with a 40-27 lead at the half stretching to 20 points after a 7-0 run to open the second half.
For the Razorbacks (11-15, 0-11), Taleyah Jones led in scoring with 16 points, and Bonnie Deas had 14 with eight rebounds. Arkansas struggled at 34% and 19% shooting from the field and beyond the arc, respectively.
"It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Pirates Hall of Famer Elroy Face, a beloved member of the Pirates family," Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. “I was fortunate to get to know Elroy personally, and I will always be proud that we had the chance to honor him with his induction into the Pirates Hall of Fame."
Nicknamed "The Baron of the Bullpen," Face was a groundbreaking pitcher, performing in a role that evolved into the modern-day closer. Face holds the National League record for wins in relief (96). Face also holds Pirates franchise records for appearances (802) and saves (188). His NL record for saves was not broken until 1982, when Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter surpassed Face's total.
It was Face's 1959 season that was his finest. He went 18-1 with a 2.70 ERA over 57 appearances, finishing seventh in NL MVP voting. During his career, he was a three-time league leader in saves and twice led the league in games pitched.
Face spent 15 seasons with the Pirates before pitching briefly with the Detroit Tigers and Montreal Expos to close out his storied career.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Elroy Face, an All-Star reliever for the Pittsburgh Pirates who saved three games in the 1960 World Series to help them upset the New York Yankees, has died. He was 97.
In a news release Thursday, the Pirates announced they confirmed Face's death. Team historian Jim Trdinich said the club was contacted by Face's son, Elroy Jr., and informed the former pitcher died earlier in the day at an independent senior living facility outside Pittsburgh in North Versailles, Pennsylvania.
No cause of death was provided. Face was eight days shy of his 98th birthday.
“It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Pirates Hall of Famer Elroy Face, a beloved member of the Pirates family,” team chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement.
“Elroy was a pioneer of the modern relief pitcher — the ‘Baron of the Bullpen’ — and he played a critical role in our 1960 World Series championship."
Selected to six All-Star teams, Face went 104-95 with a 3.48 ERA in 16 major league seasons with Pittsburgh (1953-68), Detroit (1968) and Montreal (1969). He pitched in 848 games, starting only 27, and compiled 191 career saves — although saves didn't become an official statistic until 1969.
The 5-foot-8 right-hander holds the National League record for wins in relief with 96 and the major league mark for relief wins in one season after going 18-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 1959.
He topped the National League with 68 appearances and 61 games finished in 1960, when the underdog Pirates stunned Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and the mighty Yankees on Bill Mazeroski's famous home run that won Game 7 of the World Series at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.
Face made four relief appearances in the Series, posting a 5.23 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. He closed out Pirates wins in Games 1, 4 and 5.
Inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2023, he is the club's career leader in appearances with 802. And the team noted that if saves had been an official stat before 1969, he also would hold that franchise record with 188.
Face was born in Stephentown, New York, on Feb. 20, 1928. He is survived by his three children, Michelle, Valerie and Elroy Jr., and his sister Jacqueline, the Pirates said.
The 6-foot-6 Serbian had been unavailable after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in October and undergoing chemotherapy.
He received a standing ovation from the home crowd at Paycom Center after checking into the game with 1:55 left in the first quarter.
Topić was the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Thunder. He played in just one preseason game before having surgery and undergoing chemotherapy.
The amazing story of Nikola Topić.
He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October last year.
Now, four months later, he receives a standing ovation as he makes his NBA debut. pic.twitter.com/qmM1KRv9GK
The prevalence of gambling has yet to create serious issues for the NFL. For the NBA, it's a different story.
Widespread talk of multiple teams tanking in the hopes of landing high in the coming draft lottery has resulted in an uptick in "load management," with healthy players not playing in games.
The NBA has taken action on the issue. Via ESPN.com, the league has fined multiple teams for compromising the integrity of games by sitting players who could have played.
Specifically, the NBA fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000.
"Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games," Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "Additionally, we are working with our Competition Committee and Board of Governors to implement further measures to root out this type of conduct."
The move comes at a time when some are questioning whether it's time for Silver to go. He succeeded David Stern 12 years ago.
The failure of teams to at all times put their best players on the field undermines both the integrity of the games and the integrity of the wagers on the game. It also creates a new vein of inside information, with those who know that certain players won't play in certain games possessing knowledge that can be leveraged into winning bets.
Part of the problem is that the NBA plays 82 games. The non-contenders are known well before the regular season ends. For the NFL, which plays (for now) 17 games, there are fewer opportunities to overtly tank.
Still, isn't that what the Raiders did by shutting down defensive end Maxx Crosby and tight end Brock Bowers with two games to play? Crosby was livid, to the point that he may truly not want to remain with the team.
The decision of both the NBA and the NFL to welcome millions in sponsorship dollars from sportsbooks raises the stakes. The possibility of a reckoning hovers over both sports. And with the NBA already embroiled in a full-blown gambling scandal, it needs to be vigilant if/when teams aren't trying their best to win.
Even then, it feels like it's just a matter of time before the shit fully hits the fan for both leagues. The problem is that both leagues seem to be content to continue cramming gambling money into their pockets until the consequences come.
CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 11: Cincinnati Reds Chief Operating Officer Phil Castellini pumps up the crowd before The Budweiser All-Star Concert, Part of the Pepsi Concert Series at Paul Brown Stadium on Saturday, July 11, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Preston Mack/MLB via Getty Images) | MLB via Getty Images
Somewhat lost in the news circus today was that Phil Castellini, son of majority Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini, was officially approved to succeed his father as controlling owner of the club. Charlie Goldsmith, formerly of The Enquirer (and now of his Charlie’s Chalkboard newsletter) relayed the news on Twitter earlier Thursday, noting that the AP had quotes about it from a Rob Manfred interview.
The AP reported today from a Rob Manfred press conference that Phil was approved to succeed Bob as the controlling owner. pic.twitter.com/dLwEPCKrcK
This comes at the same time as the 20 year mark of the Castellini family being principal owners of the Reds, and it’s hard to put a defining word, phrase, or even moment on the field alongside that era.
A 20 year old copy of the email sent to Cincinnati Reds fans upon Bob Castellini taking ownership of the team.
It remains to be seen whether the club will fundamentally change with Phil under control. You’ll notice the Williams name in the above copied image, and that’s the same Williams family where former GM Dick Williams came from, too. So, while the first names gradually change when it comes to who’s in charge of this endeavor, always remember that it’s been a consistent family affair during one of the most mediocre stints in the franchise’s otherwise successful history.
The 2025 season could have been a big year for Jasson Domínguez. The long-heralded next big thing in the Yankees outfield was well-positioned to earn a starting role following Juan Soto’s crosstown departure, and had finally recovered from the litany of injuries which plagued his previous two seasons. But while the 22-year old had his moments here and there, he was clearly the team’s fourth-best outfielder; merely adequate at the plate and unreliable in the field.
This offseason, in a concerted effort to run it back, the Yankees have welcomed Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger back to the Bronx, meaning Domínguez is once again looking at a reserve role in 2026. But the dream of a dominant Martian is not yet dead. If he can find his power stroke more consistently, flatten out his stark platoon splits, and take a step forward on defense, Domínguez could finally escape the clouds and reach his galactic potential.
I’ve wanted to discuss Jasson for a while, since he represents one of the bigger wild cards on a team loaded with veterans and known commodities. He is a flawed player, no doubt. For one thing, the prodigious power he has always possessed was in short supply last year—just 10 homers for a guy like him came as a big surprise to me. The main culprit seems to be an inability to generate lift against fastballs. A hitter like Domínguez, possessed with freakish bat speed, should be able to drive heaters a long way, but a mere .399 slugging percentage (and .364 xSLG) against the harder stuff limited his thump.
The switch-hitter was also woeful from the right side, managing a pithy .569 OPS against left-handed pitchers. This made him effectively a platoon bat for most of the year, as the Yankees had too little margin for error in the postseason race to let Domínguez figure it out down the stretch. Since his lefty production was not spectacular either—Bellinger and Grisham simply outhit Jasson from that side of the plate—his opportunities became fewer and fewer as the season progressed.
Then came the outfield lowlights. Domínguez just couldn’t seem to figure out the right angles in left field, where he played the majority of the time. His -9 Outs Above Average ranked in the third percentile among qualified outfielders. Jasson is not lacking for speed, but he takes a shockingly long time to track the baseball and make up lost ground. Of course, Yankee Stadium is not the friendliest ballpark to a left fielder, but an OAA figure that low does not suggest his troubles are limited to his home turf.
Those are three big black clouds surrounding the longtime top prospect, but of course, time and youth are still on Domínguez’s side. Having just turned 23 a few days back, it’s far too early to write him off as a Joc Pederson-lite; though I may have grumbled something to that effect a time or two in the middle of last year. And ultimately, Domínguez was still statistically above-average at the plate with all those factors weighing against him. Posting a 103 wRC+ while not playing every day is hard to do; just recall how Trent Grisham scuffled without regular playing time in 2024.
The first issue we discussed—subpar power production—feels like by far the easiest fix. It may just take one tweak to attack angle or a stance alteration to get Domínguez firing on all cylinders in the power department once again. I also think it’s not out of the question that he improves a bunch on defense—maybe not to the point of being above-average, but competence should be the goal. If he does, he’ll get more opportunities to try his hand in the other two outfield spots, which would only increase the amount of options Aaron Boone has at his disposal.
The platoon splits are going to be a tougher challenge; since the Yankees will be jockeying for position with the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and the potentially resurgent Orioles for divisional superiority, there will, like last year, be little wiggle room for Domínguez to get the live reps he might need to start to improve as a right-handed hitter. The solace is that he would be taking the majority of his PAs from the left side anyway, but it limits his ability to settle into a full starting role in the future—and was likely a driving factor behind the Yankees’ decision to bring back Bellinger and Grisham this winter.
The ultimate X-factor for Domínguez is injuries: both for himself and for his stablemates in the outfield. Jasson is the next man up if any of their starting triumvirate—who all played at least 140 games last year—hits the shelf for an extended period. The inevitable Giancarlo Stanton injury absence would create an opportunity at DH as well. The Yankees have often started seasons with little depth beyond their starters, leaving them exposed if anybody got hurt. As Michael detailed earlier today, they’ve consciously adopted a different strategy in 2026, and Jasson is a big part of that depth. Of course, if he himself gets injured, it would just be another treacherous bend in what just a few years ago seemed to be an open road to stardom.
FanGraphs’ Depth Charts projections has a very pessimistic outlook on Domínguez’s overall playing time share in 2026—supposedly because of the possibility he starts the season in Triple-A. I’ll believe that when I see it. The ZiPS projections agree, penciling Domínguez in for a more believable 471 plate appearances; while the .246/.323/.399 triple slash it prescribes would be disappointing, it’s important to remember these systems are conservative by nature. There’s not yet a precedent for Domínguez slugging higher than .400 in a full MLB season, but we humans understand that a SLG of at least .450 can be a reasonable goal for him.
With the majority of the players on this Yankees team, you know more or less what you’re going to get. But the concrete has not yet settled on this young man. As far as 2026, the Yankees just need him to be a reliable extra option in their outfield; anything extra is gravy. But if the opportunity presents itself, Domínguez has the talent to enter the stratosphere. It’s true that he has been part of the future for going on six years now, but that possibility should still excite us.
NBA All-Star Weekend is far more than just the All-Star Game itself — that is just the culmination of a whole weekend of on-the-court and off-the-court entertainment.
There are skills highlighted — like the 3-Point Contest and the Dunk Contest — and an HBCU college game, not to mention musical artists performing all weekend, such as Ludacris on All-Star Saturday night. There are the game's biggest names — young, old and retired — just walking around Los Angeles. And there are things you don't fully see on television, such as fan fests and activations with shoe and apparel companies all across the city.
It's a packed schedule, so we're here to help. Here is the full schedule for the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend and where you can watch everything happening.
This year, the NBA All-Star Game returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock — and it falls right in the middle of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. That was a perfect setup for the first-of-its-kind All-Star Game format, a USA vs. World showdown that fans and players have been asking for.
The 24 All-Star players have been divided into three teams, two USA teams — USA Stripes and USA Stars — and one World Team. Those three teams will compete in a round-robin tournament of four 12-minute games, each team playing at least two games.
At the end of the round-robin, the two top teams will play a championship game (the fourth 12-minute game of the day) for the title. (If there is a tie it comes down to point differential.)
The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Eastern, an earlier time than in previous years, leading into more coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Every moment of All-Star Weekend — the Rising Stars challenge on Friday. (Feb. 13), All-Star Saturday Night with the 3-Point Contest and Dunk Contest (Feb. 14), as well as the All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15 — will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
The 75th NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 5 p.m. Eastern, a time earlier than in previous years, leading into more coverage of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Peacock NBA Monday will stream up to three Monday night games each week throughout the regular season. Coast 2 Coast Tuesday presents doubleheaders on Tuesday nights throughout the regular season on NBC and Peacock. On most Tuesdays, an 8 p.m. ET game will be on NBC stations in the Eastern and Central time zones, and an 8 p.m. PT game on NBC stations in the Pacific and often Mountain time zones.
Check local listings each week. Both games will stream live nationwide on Peacock. NBC Sports will launch Sunday Night Basketball across NBC and Peacock on Feb. 1, 2026. For a full schedule of the NBA on NBC and Peacock, click here.
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NBA on NBC 2025-26 Schedule
Click here to see the full list of NBA games that will air on NBC and Peacock this season.
Mason Miller February 10, 2026 at Padres spring training complex in Peoria, AZ | Getty Images
It’s not impossible that San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller will use the quality and quantity of his bullpen to acquire needed roster pieces before the season begins but he has stated his reluctance to weaken the team’s biggest strength.
The inflated player prices this offseason have made it more difficult for Preller to round out the Padres roster. The budget constraints of the organization seemingly imply that the biggest expense was re-signing starter Michael King. With what is left, the bargain bin is the most likely place to find the rotation help and another bat that Preller has repeatedly said he is looking to sign before the season.
The real question is if there is enough cash left in the budget to sign these additions without losing anyone from the current roster. So far, Preller has stayed true to his statement at the GM meetings where he voiced a desire to not lose any of his bullpen in the trade market.
The Padres 2025 bullpen finished the season with the best ERA in baseball at 3.06. The loss of closer Robert Suarez should not seriously affect this group as Mason Miller, ranked the No. 2 reliever in baseball by MLB Network, assumes that role. Jason Adam, with his 1.93 ERA last year, served as the setup man for much of the season and should again be considered the leader for that role when he returns from his season-ending ruptured quad tendon.
Behind those two dominant pitchers, the Padres have an embarrassment of riches in their bullpen. Assuming they go into the 2026 season with five starters and eight relievers, there are only six spots available to fill out the rest of the bullpen.
Options for six spots
From the current roster, both the 40-man and the non-roster invitees who are in camp, the Padres have at least 18 pitchers to fill those six roles. From that group, only Ron Marinaccio is out of options and will have to be placed on waivers if he doesn’t make the 26-man roster.
The Padres signed RHP’s Sean Boyle, Evan Fitterer and Justin Yeager to minor league contracts with invites to Spring Training. Yeager is a confirmed reliever but both Boyle and Fitterer could be used as starters and have starter histories. Of the system’s minor league relievers invited to camp, RHP Manuel Castro, RHP Francis Pena, RHP Ethan Routzhan and RHP Ryan Och all showed the stuff that got the attention of the organization and earned them an invite to major league camp. Both Castro and Pena could be close to being added to the roster during the coming season. All of these are probable to start the season in the minor leagues.
RHP Logan Gillaspie, who was a minor league pickup in 2023, has had an inconsistent career with four different organizations and was re-signed to a minor league contract with the Padres in 2024. Between injuries and poor performances, Gillaspie has stayed with the organization and gets another chance this season to take a step forward. He got a spring invite after being retained following the end of 2025.
Who makes the 26-man roster?
On the 40-man roster there are 13 relievers to compete for those six slots in the bullpen. RHP Jhonny Brito will not be ready to start the season due to his Tommy John surgery last season. He is likely to be available by mid-season. Whether he is brought back as a starter or reliever has not been discussed to this point.
The Padres signed right-handers Ty Adcock and Daison Acosta to major league contracts during the offseason. Acosta was with the Nationals organization last season but has not made his major league debut. Adcock, who pitched in three games and three innings for the Mets last season, signed with the Padres and pitched for Estrellas Orientales (Dominican Winter League) during the offseason.
RHP Garret Hawkins was added to the roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft during the offseason and is most likely starting the season with San Antonio or El Paso and would be a depth piece for the bullpen during 2026.
That leaves long-man/swing-man Bryan Hoeing to come back after an injury-riddled 2025 to reclaim his spot. His competition could be Adcock or Marinaccio who was a limited contributor last season but had a 0.84 ERA in his 10.2 innings pitched. Lefty Kyle Hart will begin by competing for a starting job. If that role does not go to him, he would also be a competitor for the long-man role with Hoeing, Adcock and Marinaccio.
The five remaining spots will be a battle between Jeremiah Estrada, Alek Jacob, Yuki Matsui, Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta, David Morgan and Bradgley Rodriguez. Adcock, Hoeing, Hart or Marinaccio could also be in competition as only one of them can win the swing-man or long-man job.
Estrada, Morejon, Morgan and Peralta have all pitched in high-leverage situations while Matsui, Jacob and Rodriguez can cover the middle innings. Rodriguez also has the potential for a late-inning role with his stuff. MLB Network recently listed their top 10 relievers in baseball. The Padres had Miller, Morejon and Adam all make that list. It would seem a lock for Morejon to keep his spot as a high-leverage reliever along with Adam and Miller.
Spring Training will tell the tale
Many say that six weeks is too long for Spring Training. That could be true for hitters, most of whom say that three to four weeks is plenty to get ready for a season. The six weeks is for the pitching staff to be ready. With the big decisions that this organization has to make with its pitching staff, both starters and relievers, the next six weeks will be fascinating to watch. Add to that the time that the World Baseball Classic cuts into the preparation, and those decisions will be even more interesting.
Look for all the borderline pitchers to get lots of looks during spring games. Matsui, Peralta and Miller will be gone for the duration of their WBC teams’ participation in the tournament. Miller for Team USA, Matsui for Samurai Japan and Peralta for the Dominican Republic.
Figuring out who makes this bullpen will be a great challenge for the staff. The fans can play along and see how close we get.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 15: Francisco Lindor #12 of the new York Mets greets Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 95th MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Truist Park on July 15, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This post is part of a series of daily questions that we’ll ask the community here at Amazin’ Avenue throughout the month of February. We hope you find the questions engaging and that our prompts can spark some fun conversations in the comments. We’ll see you there and plan to have staff chiming in, too.
What’s your National League East standings prediction?
Utah has been the talk of the league because its latest tanking strategy was both blatant and seemed to find a loophole in the league's system. Utah's two biggest stars — Lauri Markkanen and the just-acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. — qualify as stars under the league's Player Participation Policy. So, the Jazz made sure they participated — the stars played 25 minutes in the first three quarters of games against the Magic and Heat, and in both games the Jazz built up a lead. Then they benched the stars the entire fourth, no matter what happened (Utah blew the lead to Orlando, held on against Miami).
The NBA was not amused and on Thursday fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 for "conduct detrimental to the league."
The NBA also fined the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for "violating the Player Participation Policy in connection with the team's game against the Utah Jazz on Feb. 3." Indiana sat star Pascal Siakam for that game, but the league determined he was healthy enough to play.
"Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "Additionally, we are working with our Competition Committee and Board of Governors to implement further measures to root out this type of conduct."
Jazz owner Ryan Smith disagreed.
agree to disagree … Also, we won the game in Miami and got fined? That makes sense … https://t.co/sHQrggB2Xa
We won't exactly see this again because Utah’s Jackson is now out, likely for the rest of the season, following knee surgery.
With 10 teams — a full one-third of the league — actively trying to lose games for the rest of the season, heading into what is considered one of the best and deepest drafts of the last couple of decades, tanking has become THE story around the NBA. While Utah and Indiana were fined, plenty of other teams are tanking but can dodge the league's official ire because they don't have any players who meet the league's criteria for a "star player" (an All-Star or a league award winner in the past three years).
The NBA's problem is that there is no good answer. The fact of the matter is that landing the No. 1 pick (or a high pick) can completely change a franchise's fortunes (Cooper Flagg in Dallas, Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio, Cade Cunningham in Detroit, Anthony Edwards in Minnesota, and those are just recent examples). Taking short-term losses to increase the odds of a better lottery pick and potentially landing a player like that is worth it.
Expect the league to take some small measures this offseason. The most likely option is to limit draft pick protections to only 1-4 or the lottery, because this season both Utah and Washington are incentivised to tank because they have top-eight protected picks.
But that doesn't get at the core problem of incentivising teams to lose because of the potential of what a top pick can mean (even if the NBA Draft Lottery odds are flattened). While there are suggestions that would completely remove those incentives (all lottery teams have the same odds, or a pre-set cycle of when and where teams draft, commonly referred to as "the wheel) that strips hope from the fan bases of struggling teams. The league and United States sports fans in general like the idea of parity and giving the worst teams a chance if they are well managed and coached, and these systems remove that.
For now, the Jazz and Pacers are paying out of pocket for getting caught at what a third of the league is doing.
Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA sent a forceful message on Thursday about tanking, hitting the Utah Jazz with a $500,000 fine and handing the Indiana Pacers a $100,000 fine for recent game management and roster decisions, the league announced.
Utah's fine was related to a Feb. 7 game against the Orlando Magic and Feb. 9 game against the Miami Heat.
"During those games, the Jazz removed two of the team's top players, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., before the beginning of the fourth quarter and did not return them to the game, even though these players were otherwise able to continue to play and the outcomes of the games were thereafter in doubt," the NBA said.
Utah entered the fourth quarter of its Feb. 7 game with a 94-87 lead but scored just 23 points in the final frame and lost 120-117. It won the game against Miami, 115-111, and won Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings to move to 18-37 on the season, third-worst in the West.
The Pacers, the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference at 15-40, were found to be in violation of the Player Participation Policy for a Feb. 3 game against the Jazz, per the league statement.
"Following an investigation, including review by an independent physician, the NBA determined that Pascal Siakam, a star player under the Policy, and two other Pacers starters, neither of whom participated in the game, could have played under the medical standard in the Policy, including by playing reduced minutes. Alternatively, the team could have held the players out of other games in a way that would have better promoted compliance with the Policy," the NBA said.
The league's statement on the fines was capped by a strong message directly from Silver.
"Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games," Silver said. "Additionally, we are working with our Competition Committee and Board of Governors to implement further measures to root out this type of conduct."
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Yarden Garzon led with 19 points, four other Terrapins scored in double figures, and No. 20 Maryland took down Penn State 81-62 on Thursday night.
Oluchi Okananwa (15 points), Addi Mack (13), Saylor Poffenbarger (10), and Mir McLean (10) each chipped in for the Terrapins (20-6, 8-6 Big Ten), who won their third straight game.
Poffenbarger hauled in 11 rebounds and had five assists in her third double-double of the season, and Okananwa dished six assists and tied her career-high with six steals.
Maryland led 38-34 at the half, shooting 46% fro the field but just 17% from beyond the arc. An 11-0 run early in the third quarter put them up double figures, and the Terrapins opened the fourth with a 13-3 run that put the game out of reach.
Kiyomi McMiller racked up 30 points on 12-of-26 shooting for the Lady Lions (8-17, 1-13), her third straight game with 30 or more points.
Maryland joins No. 2 UCLA, No. 7 Michigan, No. 8 Ohio State, and No. 13 Michigan State as 20-win teams in the Big Ten.
Up next
Penn State hosts Northwestern on Sunday.
No. 20 Maryland visits No. 8 Ohio State on Sunday.
WACO, Texas (AP) — Olivia Miles poured in career highs with 40 points and 10 3-pointers to lead No. 17 TCU 83-67 over No. 12 Baylor on Thursday.
Miles scored 10 points in the first half before an outrageous, 23-point third quarter in which she went 7 of 9 from behind the arc, and accounted for all but two of the Horned Frogs' 25 points.
She turned a four-point halftime lead into a 13-point advantage by the end of the third, scoring the most points in a single quarter by any Division-I player since Caitlin Clark on Feb. 15, 2024.
Miles is also the first Division-I player in the last 25 years to make 10 3-pointers on the road against a ranked opponent, per ESPN.
She hit her 10th 3-pointer with 5:31 left in the fourth quarter. It's her second-straight game with 31 or more, in a season in which she's never scored fewer than 12 points in a game.
Marta Suarez also added 27 points to go with six rebounds for the Horned Frogs (22-4, 10-3 Big 12).
Taliah Scott led the Bears (21-5, 10-3) with 22 points on 5-of-10 shooting, and crossed the 1,000-point threshold for her career. Jana Van Gytenbeek had 14 points to go with six assists. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs scored 14 to go with five rebounds and two blocks.
