CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 20: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the first half of a basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on February 20, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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 David Jensen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Harden broke his thumb in Tuesday’s win over the New York Knicks. Initial X-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture of the distal phalanx. He will not be undergoing surgery at this time and is expected to play through the injury.
However, that won’t be happening on Friday as he’s still struggling to dribble according to head coach Kenny Atkinson.
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“I know this morning he was struggling a little just dribbling,” Atkinson said when asked about Harden’s thumb injury before Friday’s game in Detroit. “If you have a hard time dribbling and catching [it’s tough to play]. Jarrett Allen went through it earlier in the season. We tried to bring him back. He wanted to rush, and then we had to go back and give him some time.
“I know James is different…we got to get the feedback from James. … Theres no tougher guy in the league. No one more available. No one wants to play more.”
The plan was to have Harden go through pregame warmups and see how it goes. However, he didn’t come out for pregame warmups like usual.
Even though he won’t be playing Friday, Atkinson says that he is making progress.
“It was improved from when he first did it,” Atkinson said. “It wasn’t like, man it feels the same. It’s better than it was two days ago, so that’s a positive.
Harden has played seven games with the Cavs this season and is averaging 18.9 points and 8 assists on .494/.488/.867 shooting splits. On the season, he’s averaged 24.5 points and 8.1 assists in 51 games.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JANUARY 04: Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks against Duncan Robinson #55 of the Detroit Pistons during the second half at Rocket Arena on January 04, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be shorthanded again. That isn’t ideal when going against the best team in the conference, the Detroit Pistons.
I’ll be in the comments throughout the game sharing my thoughts. Feel free to join in on the conversation and let your voice be heard in the comments below.
VITORIA-GASTEIZ, Spain (AP) — Carlos Espí scored twice in the dying minutes to give Levante a 2-0 win over Alaves on Friday and a vital three points in its fight to avoid relegation from La Liga.
Espí, who came through the youth ranks at the Valencia-based club, had scored only once all season but tripled his tally with a blistering late show against an Alaves side that played the last half hour with 10 men after Víctor Parada was sent off.
Espí's deflected shot in the 88th minute put Levante ahead and he then sparked jubilant scenes with almost the last kick of the game when his assured finish rounded off a counterattack.
"This has been one of my greatest nights," the 20-year old told broadcaster DAZN. "It's incredible."
The result snapped a four-game losing streak for the home side. It remained second from bottom of La Liga but has cut the gap with the fourth bottom club to four points.
Alaves was 14th but only three points clear of the relegation zone.
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.
PARMA, Italy (AP) — Gaetano Oristanio came on at halftime and scored a late equalizer for Parma against Cagliari in a hard-fought 1-1 home draw in Serie A on Friday.
Oristiano’s goal seven minutes from time earned Parma a point but its poor home form continued. It has won only two of its last 12 home games and has not won two in a row at Stadio Ennio Tardini since January 2020.
Still, it has taken 10 points from its last 12 and moves into 11th place, a point behind Lazio and a point ahead of Udinese.
Michael Folorunsho put Cagliari ahead 18 minutes into the second half with a stunning 30-meter strike.
The midfielder on loan from Napoli missed the last 10 games through injury and was introduced just after the hour mark. Two minutes later, he spied Parma goalkeeper Edoardo Corvi off his line and his dipping shot from near the right touchline flew over Corvi’s head and into the far corner of the net.
The goal was Cagliari’s first since January but leaves it without a win in four games. It sits in 13th spot, six points above the relegation zone.
Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen reacts after closing out Game 1 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Much has been made of the Dodgers’ exorbitant spending, magnified by a pair of World Series titles for the franchise, as Major League Baseball enters the final year of the current collective bargaining agreement.
The Dodgers open 2026 with a record $381 million payroll, while having over $1 billion in deferrals. As if signing Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández and Blake Snell, and extending Tyler Glasnow and Will Smith weren’t enough, the club once again opened up its wallet this winter, spending a combined $309 million on four-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker and three-time reliever of the year Edwin Díaz.
Relief pitcher Blake Treinen, one of the longest-tenured players on the Dodgers heading into his seventh season with the team, did not mince words when asked about how outsiders view the organization.
“Perception is built from the media and maybe owners that don’t like what the Dodgers are doing because they would have to do something similar,” Treinen said earlier this week. “And I say to that, ‘Maybe you’re in the wrong business.'”
Treinen thinks more teams should spend the way that the Dodgers do.
“Is it a bad thing that the people who pay our checks and our salaries want a winning product?” Treinen said. “If you’re going to complain about a team willing to do what it takes to win, then I think you’re in the wrong business. And, if you win, to say that you lose money by winning is a wild statement, so I think the perception is more or less if you don’t like what the Dodgers are doing, either take a look in the mirror or look at the people who aren’t putting a product on the field.”
Treinen went on to say that teams don’t necessarily need to be lavish spenders in order to compete, pointing to how the Milwaukee Brewers posted baseball's best record a season ago, with the 22nd-highest payroll. The Brewers bested the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central by five games, despite having a payroll nearly $100 million lower than their rival, and reached the National League Championship Series.
“You don’t always have to spend money to be great, look at the Brewers,” Treinen said. “But to say that you can’t compete — like they did — is a wild thing, because [they had] the best record in baseball last year. Draft and development is a big deal, a lot of teams have leaned into it. So, if you either invest heavily in one or the other, and the Dodgers have done a great job of doing both and that’s why players sign here. If you don’t like it, then maybe find a new business model.”
How the Dodgers operate has garnered some praise — the Padres' Manny Machado and the Phillies' Bryce Harper weighed in on the subject early in spring training — but the front office wasn't really seeking it out.
“We’re not looking externally for validation,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said earlier this month at Camelback Ranch. “The validation is winning championships and putting out as good a team as we can each and every year, and all we’re trying to do is get a little bit better each and every season, with the goal of winning championships. [Our] coaching staff, our players I think view it as that. Good, bad or indifferent, the external stuff is something we can’t worry about.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, speaking at Cactus League media day earlier this month, said the fixation on the money spent makes people miss the things they do well.
“It does get lost, the things that we do well,” Roberts said. “Scouting and player development, I think we do as well as anybody in baseball … to get superstars to play well every night, to put out a good product every single night, I think we do a good job at that.”
“That’s why the biggest conversation should be that instead of a payroll question,” Roberts added. “Why are we good for baseball? Because our players play the game the right way."
Yoshinobu Yamamoto makes final start before WBC
Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants on Friday. (Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)
Six days after Roberts mistakenly wished his ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto luck in the World Baseball Classic, the reigning World Series MVP took the mound one last time before departing for Team Japan against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on Friday.
Yamamoto threw 52 pitches while completing three innings, giving up five hits and two runs — including a solo home run in the first — while striking out four.
"Overall, I was feeling good physically," Yamamoto said via interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda after his outing. "Early on, my command was a little off in the first inning. But once I got into the second inning, the feel came back."
Roberts said the Dodgers are on the same page as Team Japan is regarding Yamamoto’s workload in the WBC.
“Yoshinobu knows when he’s going to pitch for Team Japan,” Roberts said before Friday's game. “And we’re aligned as far as our organization, our pitching guys, he’s comfortable with it.”
WOLVERHAMPTON, England (AP) — João Gomes scored his first Premier League goal of the season and Rodrigo Gomes added a second in stoppage time to give bottom club Wolverhampton a shock 2-0 win over high-flying Aston Villa on Friday.
It was only the second win in the league for a club that remains six points adrift at the bottom of the table and is almost certain to be relegated.
However, there was no hiding the joy felt by the home players and fans who were ecstatic at beating their Midlands rival.
“You have to be pretty good to get a result like that against them,” coach Rob Edwards said.
“I’m really proud. Nights like this is why I came here. To connect with the supporters like that. I know we are in a difficult position but I love football. I love it on nights like that."
The result was a bitter blow to Villa’s Champions League aspirations and a slap in the face for coach Unai Emery, who was bidding to record his 100th victory in charge of the Birmingham club.
“Now is the moment to be together and understand how the season is going," Emery said. "We need to understand the moment we are in. We were already recovering because we drew two and won one but today we didn’t get the result we needed. It is still in our hands to reach the ambitions in the top positions.”
Both sides struggled in a dour first half but Wolves seized the initiative 16 minutes into the second period when Gomes gave it a surprise lead.
Adam Armstrong deftly cushioned a long pass right into the path of the onrushing Gomes and his superbly struck shot gave Emiliano Martínez no chance.
Villa pushed forward as the game went on and it was caught out in stoppage time when Wolves doubled its lead on the break, Rodrigo Gomes doing the damage.
Villa has won only one of its last five league games. The result leaves it 10 points behind leader Arsenal and five behind second-placed Manchester City, having played a game more than both.
Its next two matches are against the clubs immediately below it in the table, Chelsea and Manchester United.
“We need to keep playing how we are," Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers said. "We are in third for a reason, we need to not forget that. The run lately hasn’t been the same, sometimes you have to come back down to earth as you are playing good teams which you could win or lose. That is the Premier League. We need to stay focused and get back to what we know.
“We didn’t do anywhere near enough to create chances and score goals. “We controlled the game so it isn’t all doom and gloom. They took their chances and we didn’t create enough.”
PEORIA, Ariz. — Padres reliever Yuki Matsui’s will not pitch for Japan in the World Baseball Classic and the left-hander’s status for San Diego’s season opener in a month also is unclear because of a left groin strain.
Matsui was still throwing off flat ground Thursday, a week after cutting short a batting practice session because of the groin.
“Right now, I’m just continuing the throwing progression, getting intensities and distances of (playing) catch back up,” Matsui told reporters through a translator. “Once it’s good enough, then I’ll start throwing off the mound. But as to when, we don’t know yet.”
The 30-year-old Matsui, who is 7-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 125 appearances in two seasons since signing a five-year, $28 million with the Padres, also said he wasn’t sure yet about opening day. San Diego’s opener is March 26 at home against Detroit.
Defending WBC champion Japan opens against Taiwan on March 6 at the Tokyo Dome. Matsui was replaced on Japan’s roster by left-hander Yumeto Kanemaru of the Chunichi Dragons.
“I was looking forward to playing with them,” Matsui said. “I think the Tokyo games, because of the time differences, I don’t think I can watch in real time. But I believe they’re going to make it to the round in Miami. And I think that’s when I’ll be able to watch live, and cheer for them.”
Before the 5-foot-8 Matsui joined the Padres, he had a 2.40 career ERA, 236 saves and a 1.11 WHIP over 10 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. He was the youngest pitcher in the Japanese major leagues to reach 200 saves,. He made his Japanese big league debut at age 18 in 2014 and became a five-time All-Star for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, leading the Pacific League in saves in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
Home plate umpire Bruce Froemming gestures for a strike on a Detroit Tigers batter during the second inning of play against The Los Angeles Dodgers at Holman Stadium in Vero Beach on Friday March 10, 2006.
ERIC HASERT/TCPALM/ERIC HASERT/TCPALM / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Bruce Froemming, a major league umpire for 37 consecutive years who worked the third-most games in big league history and a record 11 no-hitters, died Wednesday, his son said. He was 86.
Froemming fell just after midnight Tuesday and hit his head on the hardwood floor at his home in Mequon, Wisconsin, and was taken to Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee, according to Froemming’s son, Steven.
He had brain bleeding that medical personnel could not stop because Froemming was on blood thinners, leading to his death.
Froemming was a semipro baseball player and started his umpiring career in the minor leagues in 1958 at age 18. He worked his way up and joined the National League staff in 1971. He shifted to the unified major league staff in 2000 and retired in 2007 having worked 5,163 games, second at the time to Bill Klem’s 5,373. They were both surpassed by Joe West, who worked 5,460 games before retiring in 2021.
Froemming started his umpiring career at a minor league game in Waterloo, Iowa.
“I thought I was in heaven — on the ballfield, professional athletes, I was starting my professional career,” he told The Associated Press days before his retirement. “But never did you dream at the time, ever even think of going to a big league ballpark, because you had so far to go through the minor leagues to even get a chance.”
He concluded that being a good umpire required “probably being patient with yourself. ... You’re going to make mistakes early on.”
Among the most famous of the no-hitters he worked was on Sept. 2, 1972. Milt Pappas of the Chicago Cubs retired his first 26 batters and went to a 1-2 count on pinch-hitter Larry Stahl before walking him. Pappas then retired Garry Jestadt on a popup.
Froemming was behind the plate for three other no-hitters, by Ed Halicki (1975), Nolan Ryan (1981) and José Jiménez (1999). He worked five World Series.
When he retired, Froemming became a special assistant to MLB’s vice president on umpiring,
He is survived by his wife, the former Rosemarie Loch, whom he married in 1957; two sons, Steven and Kevin; sister Cathy Seizer; half-brother Johnny Froemming; and two grandchildren.
Max Scherzer’s 8-year-old daughter wanted her father back with the Blue Jays so much she wrote a letter to the team in December expressing her hope for his return to Toronto.
After the three-time All-Star agreed Wednesday to a one-year, $3 million contract, the pitcher’s wife, Erica May-Scherzer, posted a copy of the handwritten note by Brooke. May-Scherzer said her daughter wrote the letter, dated Dec. 15, and asked her parents to mail it to the team.
“Dear Blue Jays,” the note began, “I am so sorry that you didn’t win the World Series. I hope that you win next time. I hope my dad is back on the team. My whole family loves spending time in Toronto with our dad. We loved the aquarium, the (CN) Tower and of course the stadium. I am looking forward to come back next season. Love, Max Scherzer daughter”
An eight-time All-Star, Scherzer is a 41-year-old right-hander with a 221-117 record and a 3.22 ERA for Arizona (2008-09), Detroit (2010-14), Washington (2015-21), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2021), New York Mets (2022-23), Texas (2023-24) and Toronto (2025). He ranks 11th on the career list with 3,489 strikeouts — 20 behind Hall of Famer Walter Johnson.
He was went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts and 85 innings for the Blue Jays last season, and he made three starts in the postseason, beating Seattle 8-2 in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. He started Games 3 and 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
JUPITER, Fla. — The New York Mets plan to put newly acquired ace Freddy Peralta on the mound against Pittsburgh on opening day.
New York traded two prospects to Milwaukee last month for the two-time All-Star.
“When we acquired him, it was pretty clear that he was going to be pitching at the front of our rotation,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday before Peralta had three strikeouts in three innings against St. Louis in a spring training game. “He earned it. I’m excited. We’re all excited.”
New York opens March 26 at home.
The 29-year-old right-hander gives the new-look Mets a frontline starter after their rotation struggled in the second half of a disappointing 2025 season. They also signed free agent infielder Bo Bichette and acquired center fielder Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with the Chicago White Sox.
Peralta was 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 33 starts last season, when he led the National League in wins and finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting. He struck out 204 in 176 2/3 innings and earned his second All-Star selection.
Peralta is set to make $8 million this season and can become a free agent following the World Series. He is 70-42 with a 3.59 ERA and 1,153 strikeouts in 931 innings over eight major league seasons, all with Milwaukee.
STRASBOURG, France (AP) — Lens missed a chance to top Ligue 1 after it fought back from a goal down to draw at Strasbourg 1-1 on Friday.
Argentine striker Joaquin Panichelli scored for the third game in a row to put the home side ahead after 18 minutes at Stade de la Meinau.
Panichelli's 14th goal of the season tied him with Mason Greenwood at the top of the Ligue 1 goalscoring chart.
Lens fought back to equalize 17 minutes into the second half through Mamadou Sangare. A corner kick was cleared to Sangare’s feet and his first-time drive flew through a forest of legs and into the bottom corner.
It was only the second draw in the league for Lens, which was the better team in the second half but found Strasbourg goalkeeper Mike Penders in top form.
A win would have taken it a point clear of league leader and reigning champion Paris Saint-Germain but remained a point behind in second, having played a game more. PSG is at Le Havre on Saturday.
Strasbourg, meanwhile, climbed into seventh. It has lost only two of its last 14 matches in all competitions.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 29: Cole Anthony #50 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on January 29, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. 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 Sabina Shysh/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Phoenix Suns mildly shook things up at the February trade deadline by sending Nick Richards and Nigel Hayes-Davis away in exchange for Amir Coffey and Cole Anthony. On the surface, it was a deal that made sense. Phoenix needed to get off some money to get under the luxury tax line, and both Richards and NHD were the expendable assets to do so. Both players seemed to fit the Suns’ style: gritty, tough, disruptive.
Reports surfaced immediately that the team had no intention of keeping Anthony long-term, however.
Still sticking with this. I expect at some point the Suns waive Cole Anthony. He will not play for Phoenix. https://t.co/jkPQphwJNt
The reasoning was simple. The Suns already had Jamaree Bouyea on a two-way contract, and the front office views him as the right fit for that specific role. Bouyea has taken advantage of the opportunity allotted to him, and while nothing is official as of yet, I would not be surprised if this were the next roster-related domino to fall.
While he played in 35 games for the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 6.7 points on 42/30/62 splits, Anthony has consistently appeared on the injury report with a “not with team” designation.
That situation reached its conclusion today. The Suns are officially waiving Cole Anthony.
The Phoenix Suns have waived guard Cole Anthony, sources tell ESPN. Anthony averaged 6.7 points in 35 games for the Bucks before being moved at the NBA trade deadline.
As Arizona Sports Suns insider John Gambadoro notes, the team was looking to see if a buyout was possible. A buyout would save the team some money if a deal could have been reached. Ultimately, that did not occur, so the organization opted to waive him.
Now that Cole Anthony has been waived (were just waiting to see if a buyout was possible) Suns will turn their attention to converting Jamaree Bouyea to a standard contract by March 4th then adding a player on a two-way contract.
This move allows the organization to convert Bouyea to a guaranteed deal while also freeing up a two-way roster spot. It remains to be seen if the Suns will fill that final opening immediately, but their track record with player development suggests they likely will.
As for Anthony, he now enters the market looking for his next opportunity on either a standard or two-way contract.
AUGSBURG, Germany (AP) — Rodrigo Ribeiro scored for the second game in a row and Alexis Claude-Maurice added a second with the last kick of the game as Augsburg beat Cologne 2-0 in the Bundesliga on Friday.
Six days after he scored in a 3-2 win over Wolfsburg, Ribeiro's cute backheel from a cutback by U.S. defender Noahkai Banks broke the deadlock in the 55th minute.
Claude-Maurice made sure of the win deep in stoppage time when, with all of the Cologne players in the opposition box for a last-gasp corner, he charged forward and rolled the ball into the empty net.
Augsburg’s fifth win in six games left it in ninth place, tied on points with Eintracht Frankfurt, the team above it.
Cologne was missing four players with muscle injuries, a rash of absences that coach Lukas Kwasniok said was the worst he had ever faced.
The visitor was the more physical of the two sides in a hard-fought first half and was unfortunate not to go in a goal up at the break after Eric Martel’s header came back off the crossbar.
But Augsburg — wearing a one-off shirt designed to highlight the city’s history — took its chances in the second half as it roared to a club-record-equalling eight consecutive matches unbeaten at home in the Bundesliga.
Cologne has won only one of its last six league games and remained in 12th place.
