Category: NBA

Anthony Edwards is out of the running for any NBA postseason awards. 

The Timberwolves star was ruled out of Thursday’s 113-108 loss to the Pistons, making it impossible for him to reach the 65-game minimum needed to be eligible for awards. 

Edwards missed the game on Thursday due to a right knee injury and an illness. 

The Timberwolves have six games left in the regular season after Thursday, and Edwards, 24, has played in 59 games However, he played just three minutes in one game, a contest for which he was not given credit. 

Edwards would have needed to play in every game the rest of the season after he returned on Monday from a knee issue that kept him out of Minnesota’s six games before that. 

He was certainly headed for a spot on one of the three All-NBA teams this season before he became ineligible. 

He has been averaging 29.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range and nearly 50 percent from the field. 

Edwards had 17 points in the T-Wolves’ 124-94 win over the Mavericks on Monday night. 

Aside from the impact it has on the chance for an individual award, the loss of Edwards comes at a crucial time for Minnesota as it battles for positioning in the standings.

The Timberwolves entered Thursday’s game in sixth in the Western Conference and were a half-game back of the fifth-seeded Rockets. 

The T-Wolves have a game on Friday against the 76ers, and it’s unclear if Edwards will be available for that one. 

Edwards is now one of several well-known NBA stars who will not be eligible for awards due to the number of games they’ve played in. 

That list includes big names like LeBron James and Steph Curry.

All Times EDT

Friday, April 3

MLB

L.A. Dodgers at Washington, 1:05 p.m.

St. Louis at Detroit, 1:10 p.m.

Miami at N.Y. Yankees, 1:35 p.m.

San Diego at Boston, 2:10 p.m.

Toronto at Chicago White Sox, 2:10 p.m.

Cincinnati at Texas, 4:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Minnesota, 4:10 p.m.

Philadelphia at Colorado, 4:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs at Cleveland, 4:10 p.m.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 4:12 p.m.

Milwaukee at Kansas City, 7:45 p.m.

Seattle at L.A. Angels, 9:38 p.m.

Houston at Athletics, 9:40 p.m.

Atlanta at Arizona, 9:45 p.m.

N.Y. Mets at San Francisco, 10:15 p.m.

NBA

Indiana at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

Minnesota at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Atlanta at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.

Chicago at New York, 7:30 p.m.

Boston at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.

Toronto at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Utah at Houston, 8 p.m.

Orlando at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

New Orleans at Sacramento, 10 p.m.

NHL

Philadelphia at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.

St. Louis at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NCAA Tournament - Final Four at Phoenix

No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 1 UConn, 7 p.m.

No. 1 Texas vs, No. 1 UCLA, 9:30 p.m.

NWSL

San Diego at Boston Legacy FC, 7 p.m.

Angel City at Orlando, 8 p.m.

Louisville at Houston, 8:30 p.m.

Chicago at Utah Royals FC, 9 p.m.

PWHL

Montreal at Ottawa, 7 p.m.

_____

You wouldn’t have thought this was the third game in four nights for Detroit given the energy they played with. Minnesota didn’t have Anthony Edwards for this one, but it was still a back-and-forth game until the Pistons were able to pull away late for the 113-108 victory.

The Timberwolves had the unique start of attempting seven straight three-pointers while Detroit focused on getting the ball down low. Jalen Duren had plenty of action early and was unbothered by Rudy Gobert for a quick eight points in the first five minutes. After Detroit took an 18-12 lead halfway through the first, Minnesota settled in and ended the quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 31-30 lead.

They say basketball is a game of runs, and this game was full of them. Pistons kicked off the quarter with one of their own, but a Tobias Harris drive ended up knocking knees with Gobert early in the second. Harris would be ruled out shortly after due to a left knee contusion. Daniss Jenkins stepped up to carry the offensive load and ended up leading the team in shot attempts and points. He and Duncan Robinson both had 10 points at the half of a 54-54 tie game.

Mike Conley led the way for Minnesota in place of Edwards and a had a game-high 14 points. Duren continued his All-NBA play with 13 points and six rebounds, including another midrange jumper that was nothing but net. The announcers of the Amazon Prime broadcast mentioned that he was 8-for-9 on shots outside of the paint this year. As exciting as it may be to imagine him with a jump shot one day, no team has found an answer for him at the rim yet.

Jenkins was the spark to the Pistons offense early in the third quarter as they got off on another 7-0 run. Detroit looked like they were going to push their lead after back-to-back threes from Kevin Huerter and Javonte Green, but Minnesota always had an answer. Marcus Sasser and Bones Hyland got into some extracurricular activities and received double technical fouls – it would be Detroit’s 54th of the year, most in the NBA.

The Timberwolves held a 80-79 lead heading into the final quarter, but it wasn’t long until Little Caesars Arena would have the loudest moment of the night. Detroit reclaimed the lead with eight minutes left after a Jenkins and-one and a lefty spinning layup by Ausar Thompson.

Thompson got his career-high ninth assist by finding Ron Holland for an impressive drive and slam in the middle of the Minnesota defense. Duncan Robinson followed that up with a transition lob to Ausar who threw down a two-handed flush right on top of Donte DiVincenzo that almost blew the roof off of LCA. You could see Jarrett Jack and Cade Cunningham celebrating together on the bench with a chest bump, just for Jack to quickly apologize to Cunningham due to his injury.

That alley-oop gave Detroit a seven-point lead, but Duncan Robinson put the dagger in the Wolves’ back with a movement three to put Detroit up 103-92. The Pistons would knock down their free throws late and go on to win 113-108.

This was a complete game by Daniss Jenkins to finish with 26 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. He has been fantastic sliding into the starting lineup during Cade’s injury and has been a huge part of Detroit’s success this season. He was a great find by Trajan Langdon and it’ll be interesting to see if he doesn’t make in JB Bickerstaff’s playoff rotation.

Jalen Duren had 22 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and three stocks in 36 minutes. It is all but a forgone conclusion that Duren is going to get paid this summer, and it’s rightfully so. He has most likely earned himself an All-NBA nomination with his play after the All-Star Break. He has taken over as the #1 option during Cade’s injury and has helped keep Detroit as the top team in the East.

Ausar Thompson has the most Ausar Thompson-like stat line ever with seven points, nine rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and three blocks in 31 minutes. His athletic gravity is felt no matter where he is on the court and I’m not convinced he isn’t able to fly. Duncan Robinson did Duncan Robinson things and Kevin Huerter does a great job of doing Duncan Robinson things off of the bench.

I’d like to officially enter Naz Reid into the bucket of potential offseason acquisitions for Trajan Langdon. Caris LeVert’s expiring contract is enough to get a deal done this summer and Reid has 3+ years left on his deal at roughly $25 million per year. You could slot him in as the starting PF and ask Tobias Harris to take the sixth-man role off the bench. But, that’s an article for another time.

The Pistons will travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers Saturday night.

Go Stones.

The Minnesota Timberwolves crushed the Dallas Mavericks in Anthony Edwards’ return and behind Ayo Dosunmu’s impressive triple-double. The welcome-back party for Edwards has been short-lived, as he was ruled out for knee injury management and an illness for this Thursday night matchup against the Detroit Pistons. With this missed game, Ant will not be eligible for postseason awards as he will not meet the 65-game requirement. Opposing stars both being dinged by a questionable rule is a bummer for the NBA as a whole.

The Pistons started off the game playing smash-mouth basketball and using their strength and size to dominate the paint. Jalen Duren was flexing his muscles early on and taking it right at Rudy Gobert for 10 points on 5-6 shooting.

The Timberwolves responded with some hot 3-point shooting and forced some Pistons turnovers to get back into the game. A Kyle Anderson circus tip-in ended the response to an early Detroit lead to take a 31-30 lead at the end of the first. Julius Randle’s three was dropping, and he played well in the first with 10 points and two threes.

THIS JU SEQUENCE. 😤 pic.twitter.com/cX3yvK8rUB

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 2, 2026

The second quarter was all over the place in a back-and-forth affair. Detroit started on a 7-0 run that was immediately answered by a Timberwolves 9-2 run. Terrence Shannon Jr. had a great stretch in the second quarter, getting out in transition and finishing at the rim.

The game remained close until Mike Conley caught fire for a few threes to open up a seven-point advantage. The Pistons closed the gap and were able to tie the game 54-54 at halftime. Mike Conley led the team in scoring with 14, while Jalen Duren was right behind him for the Pistons with 13 of his own.

Mike Conley pull-up 3 pic.twitter.com/u6tUTL5KLA

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 3, 2026

The Timberwolves came out a bit looser with the basketball in the third after a very clean first half in that area. Early in the quarter, Julius Randle used bully ball And-1s to keep the Wolves offense afloat. The Pistons responded with a few threes to take a slight lead halfway through the quarter. While Detroit’s defensive intensity kicked up, which got the crowd into it, the Timberwolves kept after it.

Bones Hyland showed a little fight (that was slightly less dramatic than the last altercation between these two teams) while Naz Reid took the offensive baton from Julius down the stretch. Minnesota closed the quarter with a one-point advantage in a back-and-forth affair heading into the fourth.

The game stayed close for the first part of the fourth quarter before the Detroit Pistons imposed their physicality on the game. They forced tough half-court possession after tough half-court possession for the Timberwolves offense. Detroit hit some key shots and took control of the game late, going on an 18-3 run and taking a double-digit lead.

Julius Randle cutting dunk, assisted by Kyle Anderson pic.twitter.com/nWZNpjTSml

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 3, 2026

Detroit Imposing Physicality

The Pistons’ calling card all season has been their physical play style. They grind you down into dust over the course of a 48-minute game. While the Timberwolves did put up a good fight for much of the game, Detroit squeezed just hard enough to get Minnesota to break.

They tightened things up defensively and worked hard to get good shots on the offensive end against a team lacking scoring firepower. The Timberwolves fought in what was. a very good and close game, but could not come out on top.

Half Court Offense Dries Up

With Anthony Edwards (and Jaden McDaniels, for that matter) out, the half-court offense will always be a question mark. The way that Minnesota has juiced its offense in these situations is with fast-break points and points off turnovers.

They were able to muster a good amount of offense using that method, but when the Pistons tightened up defensively, so did the transition offense for the Wolves. Julius Randle played very well in this one, but they struggled to find consistent half-court offense, which spelled their demise in the fourth quarter.

Mike and TJ Out of the Woodwork

Despite the loss, two unlikely players stepped up and played well to keep this game close. Mike Conley scored 14 points and hit four threes in this one and looked closer to the vintage Mike we all know and love. Even with L, it was nice to see a few drop for him from downtown. Terrence Shannon Jr., who has also been having a difficult season, stepped up as well.

Every time he got the ball, he was launched like a rocket the other direction. He had some nice finishes, including a right-handed lay-in, and I loved his attention to pushing the ball up the court.

TJ Shannon transition driving dunk pic.twitter.com/m09L0MTLLt

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 3, 2026

---

Up Next

The Timberwolves are back in action tomorrow night for a road back-to-back. It’s another 6 PM CT start against the Philadelphia 76ers. The game will be on their standard FanDuel Sports North.

Highlights

Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much.

The Spurs will play their last back-to-back of the season in the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, against Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. The eighth place Clippers are really interested in a win tonight, as the Trail Blazers are only half a game behind them, and they could be in danger of falling to ninth, which would require two wins in the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs, instead of one win and you’re in for the seventh and eighth place teams.

The Clippers are healthy and have a rest advantage over the Spurs having had a night off last night after losing to the Blazers by 10 on Tuesday night. The Spurs cruised to a 127-113 win over the Warriors last night over a Golden State team missing nine players and most of their stars. Tonight will be a tougher test, especially since Victor Wembanyama will sit out the game for injury management for a sore ankle. After tonight’s game, the Spurs will have five more games to play in the regular season, and Victor will have to play in at least three of them to be eligible for player awards, which he has said that he really wants.

The good news is that Luke Kornet is back in the lineup after sitting out last night, and he should be fresh tonight after taking a rest in the last game. The Spurs need to keep piling up wins to have a shot at catching the Thunder for the first overall seed, even though that seems to be a bit of a long shot. The Thunder face the Lakers tonight, who have won 13 of their last 14 games, and have a shot at making the Thunder sweat a bit tonight in their home arena, and again on the 7th when they play again in LA. Go Lakers g__ … OW, that hurts.

OK, GO SPURS GO!!! Beat the Clippers!

Game Prediction:

Kawhi Leonard will tell a joke in the pregame interview. No one will get it.

San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers
April 2, 2026 | 9:30 PM CT
Streaming: NBA League Pass
TV: FanDuel Sports Southwest
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) — Lauren Coughlin showed her familiarity with Shadow Creek by opening with a 5-under 67, putting her in a three-way tie for the lead Thursday with Nasa Hataoka and Women's British Open champion Miyu Yamashita in the Aramco Championship.

Coughlin played 127 holes last year at Shadow Creek when the tournament was match play, with every match going at least the distance. She wound up as the runner-up to Madelene Sagstrom.

The Aramco Championship is co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour, which has leaned on Saudi Arabia’s state oil company to sponsor the Aramco series that often attracts LPGA players wherever it plays around the world. The total purse this week is $4 million and the tournament shifted to stroke play.

“I feel like I know this place really well. Been in a lot of the places that you don’t want to be, so I feel like ... I just know the spots that I need to land it to a lot of the pins, where to miss if you have to,” said Coughlin, who didn't drop a shot until her final hole on No. 9.

“Yeah, it was nice to not play seven rounds hopefully in five days like last year,” she said.

Nelly Korda and Hyo Joo Kim are side by side, again, at least on the scoreboard. Korda made eagle on the par-5 18th for a 68, while Kim made bogey on her opening hole and didn't drop another shot the rest of the way for a 68.

Kim has won the last two weeks on the LPGA Tour, both times with Korda as the runner-up. There haven't been players who finished 1-2 in consecutive weeks on the LPGA in 25 years.

Shadow Creek has been part of the LPGA schedule since 2021, but the last five years have been match play. Now it's an Aramco event, and the fabled course attracted every player from the top 20 in the women's world ranking.

“It's great,” Coughlin said of the strong field. “And we have a really great golf course that tests every bit of your game.”

Kim won the Founders Cup at Sharon Heights in northern California, and then last week the Ford Championship in Arizona. The 30-year-old South Korean is trying to win a third straight week. The last player to do that was Korda in 2024 during her streak of winning five straight starts. Her third week in a row winning that year also was at Shadow Creek.

Jin Yang also shot a 68 to trail by one shot. As tough as the course could be if players got out of position, 10 players managed to break 70.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Lars Eller broke a third-period tie and the Ottawa Senators prevented Buffalo from wrapping up a drought-breaking playoff spot Thursday night, beating the Sabres 4-1.

Buffalo will have to wait to end its NHL-record 14-season postseason skid, the second-longest active futility run in North America’s four major sports behind the New York Jets and their 15-season slide.

Eller deflected defenseman Artem Zub's shot from the point past goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at 5:55 of the third.

Buffalo defenseman Mattias Samuelsson opened the scoring at 8:49 of the second with a long wrist shot. Dylan Cozens tied it with 4:42 left in the second on a tip-in. He has 26 goals this season.

Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto added empty-net goals.

Linus Ullmark made 21 saves for Ottawa. The Senators — in the second wild-card spot in the East — opened a five-game homestand.

Luukkonen stopped 20 shots for Buffalo.

Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven left in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. The team has become increasingly thin on defense, missing Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, Nick Jensen and others.

Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk fought Logan Stanley late in the first period.

Up next

Sabres: At Washington on Saturday night.

Senators: Host Minnesota on Saturday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris was denied in his bid for a preliminary injunction as he seeks a seventh season of eligibility.

Morris had filed a lawsuit in Charlottesville (Virginia) Circuit Court last month seeking the injunction after the NCAA denied his medical redshirt waiver and appeal. A circuit court judge ruled against Morris on Thursday.

“The NCAA is pleased by the court’s decision today, which protects the integrity of collegiate competition," the NCAA said in a statement. "As additional lawsuits challenging common-sense, academically-tied eligibility rules are filed, the NCAA will continue to defend against attempts to rob high school students across the nation of the opportunity to compete in college and experience the life-changing opportunities only college sports can create.

"The NCAA and its member schools are making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes, but the patchwork of state laws and inconsistent, conflicting court decisions make partnering with Congress essential to provide stability for all college athletes.”

Morris' case is one of 71 eligibility lawsuits that have been filed. Of those cases, 33 preliminary injunctions have been denied and 13 have been granted. Twelve eligibility lawsuits are still pending in lower courts and 13 have been voluntarily dismissed prior to a decision on a preliminary injunction.

The dispute surrounding the 25-year-old Morris involves his 2022 season with TCU and whether it should count against his eligibility. Morris suffered a knee injury that season and applied for a medical redshirt, but the NCAA denied that request after Morris made limited appearances in three games later that season.

Morris, the son of Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris, has thrown for 9,185 career yards while playing at Oklahoma (2020), TCU (2021-23), North Texas (2024) and Virginia (2025).

He passed for 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns with nine interceptions, while also rushing for 245 yards and five touchdowns at Virginia last season.

Virginia ended last season 16th in the AP Top 25 after posting an 11-3 record that included a 27-20 overtime loss to Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and a 13-7 victory over Missouri in the Gator Bowl.

The Cavaliers’ 11 wins set a school single-season record. The Gator Bowl marked Virginia’s first bowl appearance since 2019.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Phoenix guard Collin Gillespie set the Suns’ franchise record for 3-pointers in a season on Thursday night.

Gillespie set the mark in the second quarter of the Suns' game against the Charlotte Hornets. He hit his 227th 3-pointer the wing, surpassing the record of 226 3s, set by Quentin Richardson in the 2004-05 season.

Also in the game, Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel set the Hornets’ franchise record for 3-pointers in a season.

Knueppel needed four 3s entering Thursday night’s game and, after missing two wide open looks in the fourth quarter, Knueppel finally hit his 261st 3-pointer off an assist from Grant Williams.

The 20-year-old Knueppel beat the previous franchise mark of 260 3-pointers set by Kemba Walker in 2018-19.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

The Cleveland Cavaliers wrap up their brief three-game road trip as they take on the Steph Curry-less Golden State Warriors.

Share your thoughts as the game unfolds. If you aren’t a member of the community, sign up so you can talk to your fellow Cavalier fans and make your voice heard!

Go Cavs!

By the end of the night, the NIT will have its championship game matchup set. So, who's heading downtown to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the chance of winning a postseason title?

The first team from the original 32-team bracket to punch its ticket to the title game was No. 1 seed Tulsa, which willed its way through some second-half offensive struggles and a late push from No. 1 seed New Mexico to defeat the Lobos 74-69 in the first of two semifinal games at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday, April 2.

The difference-maker for the Golden Hurricane proved to be Tylen Riley, who scored nine of Tulsa's final 15 points of the game.

REQUIRED READING: NIT semifinal live updates: Scores, highlights for Thursday's semifinals

The second team to punch its ticket to the title game will be the winner of the No. 1 seed Auburn vs. No. 4 seed Illinois State semifinal, which will tip off shortly at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Here's an updated look at which teams have advanced to the NIT championship including updated brackets, matchups and schedules:

Who's in NIT championship? Updated NIT bracket

Tulsa was the first team to advance to the NIT championship with a win over New Mexico. The Golden Hurricane are now looking for their third NIT crown after winning it first in 1981 and then again in 2001. Tulsa is the only one of the four remaining schools in the NIT to win the NIT.

Here's a look at who has moved on to the NIT championship:

• No. 1 Tulsa

NIT championship schedule, game times, TV info, championship location

All times Eastern

The NIT championship will be held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Sunday, April 5

• Time: 8 p.m.
• TV channel: ESPN
• Streaming options: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

NIT bracket 2026 update

Here's a look at how the 2026 NIT bracket has played out:

Auburn Region

First Round

• No. 1 Auburn 78, South Alabama 67
• No. 2 Nevada 89, Murray State 75
• Liberty 77, No. 3 George Mason 71
• No. 4 Seattle 67, St. Thomas 52

Second Round

• No. 1 Auburn 91, No. 4 Seattle 85
• No. 2 Nevada 73, Liberty 63

Quarterfinals

• No. 1 Auburn 75, No. 2 Nevada 69

Albuquerque Region

First Round

• No. 1 New Mexico 107, Sam Houston 83
• No. 2 California 91, UIC 73
• Saint Joseph's 69, No. 3 Colorado State 64
• George Washington 79, No. 4 Utah Valley 78

Second Round

• No. 1 New Mexico 86, George Washington 61
• Saint Joseph's 76, No. 2 Cal 75

Quarterfinals

• No. 1 New Mexico 84, Saint Joseph's 69

Winston-Salem Region

First Round

• No. 1 Wake Forest 82, Navy 72
• No. 2 Dayton 80, Bradley 66
• UNC-Wilmington 68, No. 3 Yale 67
• No. 4 Illinois State 79, Kent State 58

Second Round

• No. 4 Illinois State 78, No. 1 Wake Forest 75
• No. 2 Dayton 80, UNCW 61

Quarterfinals

• No. 4 Illinois State 61, No. 2 Dayton 55

Tulsa Region

First Round

• No. 1 Tulsa 89, Stephen F. Austin 84 (OT)
• No. 2 Oklahoma State 84, Davidson 80
• No. 3 Wichita State 74, Wyoming 70
• UNLV 75, No. 4 UC Irvine 72

Second Round

• No. 1 Tulsa 77, UNLV 66
• No. 3 Wichita State 96, No. 2 Oklahoma State 70

Quarterfinals

• No. 1 Tulsa 83, No. 3 Wichita State 79

NIT semifinals

• No. 1 Tulsa 74, No. 1 New Mexico 69
• No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 4 Illinois | Approximately 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NIT championship teams: NIT bracket, schedule updated

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel set the Hornets’ franchise record for 3-pointers in a season.

Knueppel needed four 3s entering Thursday night's game against the Phoenix Suns. After missing two wide open looks in the fourth quarter Knueppel finally hit his 261st 3-pointer off an assist from Grant Williams as the home crowd erupted in cheers.

The 20-year-old Knueppel beat the previous franchise mark of 260 3-pointers set by Kemba Walker in 2018-19.

Also in the game, the Suns' Collin Gillespie set the team's franchise record for 3-pointers in a season with his 227th basket from long distance, surpassing the mark of 226, set by Quentin Richardson (2004-05).

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham is set to join the growing list of NBA players who are ineligible for postseason awards.

A player becomes ineligible if they miss 18 or more games. Cunningham, who has played 61 games this season, suffered a collapsed lung that has kept him out since March 17. He will be re-evaluated in one week, the Pistons said Thursday.

More: Anthony Edwards ineligible for NBA awards after missing Timberwolves vs Pistons

Cunningham suffered the injury after a collision with Tre Johnson while diving for a loose ball in the first quarter of a game against the Washington Wizards on March 17.

Cunningham was once considered an MVP contender this season. Entering Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Pistons had a 55-21 overall record and sat in first in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons will play three more games before Cunningham's latest evaluation.

He has averaged 24.5 points, 9.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game in 61 games played this season.

Which star NBA players are ineligible for awards?

• Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
• LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
• Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers
• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
• Jimmy Butler, Golden State Warriors
• Anthony Davis, Washington Wizards
• Trae Young, Washington Wizards
• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
• Josh Giddey, Chicago Bulls
• Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
• Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
• Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cade Cunningham injury update, status for Detroit Pistons

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City catcher Carter Jensen was removed from the Royals’ starting lineup for Thursday game with the Minnesota Twins after he overslept.

“I didn’t wake up to my alarm. Slept through it," Jensen told The Kansas City Star and other outlets. "Don’t really have an excuse — nor should I. It sucks. It happens. I feel like I let teammates down, coaches down. Just learn from it and just know it won’t happen again.”

Jensen eventually arrived, but not early enough to prepare adequately to start the game. He did end up coming in as Kansas City’s catcher in the ninth inning of the Royals' 5-1 loss.

Salvador Perez, who was expecting to be Kansas City’s designated hitter Thursday, ended up catching the first eight innings.

“First and foremost, I’m glad Carter’s OK,” Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino told reporters. “I mean, that was kind of the initial thought when you’re trying to get a hold of his parents and everything like that — just make sure he’s OK.”

Pasquantino said Jensen, a 22-year-old rookie, needs to learn from this experience.

“There are some things that cannot happen, and that’s one of them,” Pasquantino said. “So he’s going to have to wear it on the chin — same way anybody would have to. It can’t happen, and hopefully it doesn’t happen again. But it’s one of those things that you just can’t afford mistakes like that in this game. Just got to move forward the best that he can. I know he feels really bad.

“I know it was not his favorite drive to the field this morning, but it wasn’t our favorite morning either, trying to figure out what was going on. He’ll learn from it, grow a little bit. We’re here for him, though. It’s not like anybody’s mad at him. Things happen. But you’ve got to learn from mistakes like that — and maybe get another alarm clock or something.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

The Los Angeles Lakers have secured their spot in the playoffs. Now, with six games remaining in the regular season, they have a chance to solidify their claim to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.

LA's path is relatively simple: four wins, or four Denver Nuggets losses, or a combination of two Lakers wins and two Nuggets losses would keep them in the third seed at the end of the season. With two tanking teams in the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz, that should be more than feasible -- but getting at least a split in an upcoming two-game series against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder would be crucial for the Lakers, and for Luka Doncic's MVP campaign.

The top six in the Western Conference are pretty close to set, with the current sixth seed, the Minnesota Timberwolves, holding a 4.5-game lead over the Phoenix Suns entering Thursday. The Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Nuggets are all locked in, along with the Lakers. The Houston Rockets can clinch on Thursday night with a Suns loss.

Here's a quick rundown of possible first-round playoff matchups the Lakers may face, ranked from most to least desirable.

Phoenix Suns

This is an unlikely matchup as the Suns trail the current sixth-seed Timberwolves by 4.5 games and are almost certainly bound for the play-in.

Phoenix has had LA's number this season, winning three of their four matchups, but the Lakers have been a different team over the last month, while the Suns have scuffled down the stretch, losing seven of their last 10 games, including a six-game skid from March 13-21. Ranked 13th in USA TODAY Sports' latest NBA power rankings, the Suns have been stuck in the middle of the pack in the West for months now. Part of it is due to injury -- longtime LeBron James pest Dillon Brooks was having a breakout year individually, putting up a career-high 20.6 points on 43.8% in 30.4 minutes per game.

That, along with his usual physical style of play on defense helped him emerge as a key contributor in Phoenix until he fractured his left hand on Feb. 21 and missed 18 consecutive games before returning last Tuesday in a 115-111 loss to the Orlando Magic that handed the division to the Lakers. The Suns (42-33) went 9-9 in Brooks' absence.

Houston Rockets

When the Rockets traded for Kevin Durant last summer, it was supposed to take them from a fun team of young up-and-comers to the upper echelons of the Western Conference. That looked to be the case early in the season, but they eventually middled out as they dealt with growing pains and another KD burner account scandal.

Houston (47-29) currently has a half-game advantage over the Timberwolves in a heated battle for the fifth seed. The Rockets have size and athleticism, two things that have proven to be matchup nightmares for the Lakers in the playoffs the last few years, but this Lakers squad got two big wins over them on March 16 and 18, so they've shown that this is a team they can handle.

FINAL 3:19 LUKA MASTERCLASS Lakers vs Rockets last night. pic.twitter.com/qc6N8avtXM

— NBA Replays (@NBAReplays_) March 19, 2026

Minnesota Timberwolves

This is who the Lakers would face if the season ended today, and it's also the one with the most question marks.

The Wolves swept the Lakers in the first round a year ago (see: size and athleticism), but the Lakers swept the season series this year. Last year, the Lakers were horribly outmatched with no bona fide center to stop Rudy Gobert as Jaxson Hayes was basically unplayable. Hayes has improved by leaps and bounds this season with a full year of playing next to Doncic, not to mention this is why Rob Pelinka signed Deandre Ayton, who seems to have finally bought in and has been key in the Lakers' late-season surge.

One more thing to keep an eye on: Minnesota ruled Anthony Edwards out of Thursday's game against the Detroit Pistons with an illness and right knee injury management, putting him below the 65-game threshold and making him ineligible for end-of-season awards. There could now possibly be a scenario in which the Timberwolves shut down Edwards for the remainder of the season, giving him a chance to enter the playoffs rested and as close to 100% as possible.

Denver Nuggets

For the last few years, Lakers-Nuggets games have felt like the myth of Sisyphus. The Lakers would get out to a quick start, build a big lead and look to be well on their way to victory until Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray make some insane shots that defy logic and all of a sudden, Denver wins and the rock rolls all the way back to the bottom of the hill.

But two weeks ago, fate seemed to finally go the other way when the Lakers rallied against Denver for what felt like their biggest win of the season when Austin Reaves got his own putback from a missed free throw with 1.9 seconds left to tie the game at 118 and force overtime, where Luka Doncic eventually hit an 18-foot stepback fadeaway over Spencer Jones to take a two point lead with 0.5 seconds left to seal the game.

LUKA HITS THE GO-AHEAD JUMPER TO WIN IT FOR THE LAKERS IN OT 🚨 pic.twitter.com/CIkuCBvExv

— NBA (@NBA) March 15, 2026

The Lakers are 2-1 against Denver this season (2-0 when Doncic plays), so they're not nearly as outmatched as their recent playoff history might suggest. The Nuggets are also currently the fourth seed in the West, so a first-round meeting probably won't happen unless they crash and burn over their remaining five games. Either way, this still would be the worst of their hypothetical first-round matchups.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ranking LA Lakers best playoff matchups as postseason looms