DUNEDIN, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 20: José Berríos #17 of the Toronto Blue Jays poses for a portrait during photo day at the Toronto Blue Jays Player Development Complex on February 20, 2026 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I guess we’ve found out why José Berríos wasn’t allowed to pitch in the WBC. The team is saying he’s heading to Texas to talk to Dr. Keith Meister about ‘right elbow inflammation. We hadn’t been told that there was an issue. He was scratched from his start against the Phillies. This is one of those things that gives Tom a bad feeling in his stomach.
Apparently, an MRI didn’t show anything. I can’t imagine he’ll be on the roster out of spring training.
Beyond that:
Shane Bieber is throwing from flat ground and will continue doing that. In a few days they will decide if he is ready to pitch in a game.
Alejandro Kirk is back in camp. He’s catching tomorrow, when Max Scherzer throws next.
Scherzer has become more important now that Berrios isn’t going to be on the team and Trey Yesavage is a a long shot too, depending on how things go the next few days.
The Jays host the Twins today, 1:00 Eastern. Here’s the lineup. Cody Ponce starts. Use this as the GameThread:
Today’s Lineups
TWINS
BLUE JAYS
Alan Roden – CF
George Springer – DH
Brooks Lee – SS
Daulton Varsho – CF
Matt Wallner – RF
Addison Barger – RF
Eric Wagaman – 1B
Jesus Sanchez – LF
James Outman – LF
Brandon Valenzuela – C
Ryan Kreidler – 3B
Sean Keys – 1B
Tristan Gray – 2B
Rafael Lantigua – 2B
Gio Urshela – DH
Arjun Nimmala – SS
Alex Jackson – C
Carlos E. Mendoza – 3B
Mick Abel – RHP
Cody Ponce – RHP
And tonight we have two WBC quarter finals:
6:30 PM Dominican Republic/Korea
8:00 PM Canada/USA. Logan Webb and Mike Soroka are the starters. I think we’ll have a GameThread up.
AKRON, OHIO - AUGUST 23, 2025: Magnus Ellerts #34 of the Akron RubberDucks throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Canal Park on August 23, 2025 in Akron, Ohio. (Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Guardians have some players who are doing well in Spring Training, so let’s talk about that.
The usual caveat applies here that in-game performance in Spring Training is a dangerous game. You never know exactly what is meaningful, what is not meaningful, and what is somewhere in between. With that said, here are some players catching my eye this Spring:
Pitchers: Slade Cecconi – 3.15 FIP, 9.95/2.13 K/BB/9 – Cecconi has come into camp looking a lot more confident in his new, Guardians-inspired pitching repertoire/pitch shapes than he did last year, and seems primed for improvements across the board.
Cade Smith – 0.96 FIP, 12/0 K/BB/9 – Despite missing the first part of camp with neck soreness, Smith looks absolutely locked in as the team’s established closer for 2026.
Magnus Ellerts – 0.63 FIP, 13.5/0 K/BB/9 – Folks, if Ellerts has corrected at least some of his walk issues he will be in the major league bullpen sooner rather than later because he has electric stuff and can hit 100 mph. He has the highest perceived velocity in Guardians’ camp this spring at 95.9 mph.
Daniel Espino – 0.65 FIP, 13.5/0 K/BB/9 – Ah, if he can only stay healthy… he looked special as always.
Jack Jasiak – 0.20 FIP, 15.43/0 K/BB/9 – Jasiak has been eating hitters alive with his sweeper. Can that continue? I guess we will see.
Peyton Pallette – 0.96 FIP, 21/6 K/BB/9 – Pallette has popped with some great velocity and pitch movement. We’re all rooting for him to make the Opening Day roster and stay with the club.
Erik Sabrowski – 1.38 FIP, 20.25/6.75 K/BB/9 – Sabrowski remains absolutely nasty for no good reason.
Will Dion – 2.05 FIP, 7.11/0 K/BB/9 – With Austin Peterson hurt, it’s important that Dion looks like a potentially viable fifth starter.
Connor Brogdon – 3.05 FIP, 10.29/2.57 K/BB/9 – Brogdon should get a chance to show he belongs with Hunter Gaddis likely building up for the season after experiencing forearm tightness.
Tim Herrin – 3.63 FIP, 10.8/5.40 K/BB/9 – Herrin has been building on some positives late in 2025 to show he belongs back in the bullpen.
Tanner Bibee – 3.15 FIP, 7.82/0 K/BB/9 – Bibee has very obviously been working on throwing strikes and getting his pitch mix right… stop throwing that four-seamer so much, Tanner.
Gavin Williams – 3.38 FIP, 10.13/1.13 K/BB/9 – Williams looks like the Opening Day starter and anchor to the rotation the Guardians need him to be.
Jack Leftwich – 0.90 FIP, 12.270 K/BB/9 – Leftwich is working his way into that long-man role and looking potentially viable there if called upon.
Some underlying numbers also look great for Joey Cantillo and Colin Holderman, they just need to hone in on control and command.
Hitters: Bo Naylor – 258 wRC+, 16.7/16.7 K/BB% (his OPS in the WBC is a shade below .700, which isn’t great but not bad, either).
Chase DeLauter – 188 wRC+, 5/10 K/BB% – If he’s healthy, the kid just HITS.
George Valera – 108 wRC+, 25.9/7.4 K/BB% – This can play vs. RHP.
Petey Halpin – 176 wRC+, 20.8/16.7 K/BB% – No way that Halpin can maintain this walk rate, but if he could cut his strikeouts closer to this and play great defense, he will be an excellent strong-side platoon centerfielder.
Ralphy Velazquez – 155 wRC+, 7.1/7.1 K/BB% – Ralphy definitely opened some eyes this Spring. He is getting steady “First Baseman of the Future” talk, but hopefully will make himself a left-field option.
Kahlil Watson – 213 wRC+, 31.3/12.5 K/BB% – Watson was a camp darling and you can see his approach was “swing the bat” and he made a lot of quality contact… but also had a lot of whiff.
Brayan Rocchio – 144 wRC+, 18.2/12.2 K/BB% – Rocchio has looked quiet, confident and effective at the plate. Him being an above average hitter would be a huge boon to this lineup.
Milan Tolentino – 185 wRC+, 14.3/33.3 K/BB% – Tolentino is not going to be a good major league hitter unless a miracle happens, but he is at least making himself look like he can do a Gabriel Arias approximation if the team FINALLY moves on there.
Jaison Chourio – 144 wRC+, 18.8/0 K/BB% – Good to see Chourio get some solid contact, but he’ll obviously need to take some walks to build back up his prospect status
Angel Martinez – 250 wRC+, 14.8/7.4 K/BB% – Angel has looked more confident in center and his K/BB% is what you want to see, along with – obviously – some good hitting. I think Angel has probably secured the 4th outfielder spot on the Opening Day roster, and good for him.
Juan Brito – 104 wRC+, 29.2/20.8 K/BB% – Just on the edge of missing this list, Brito had a couple terrible games defensively at third base, but has looked fine at second base. Really wish they’d give him a shot at Opening Day there and move Rocchio to short, but it looks like we are getting Arias at short and Rocchio at second for a while. Ah well.
As we’ve said several times, if the Guardians can finish camp mostly healthy, it will be a successful spring training. But, so far, with a couple weeks left, the team has also seen plenty of performances to be encouraged about as far as 2026 is concerned. Which of the names above has you most excited? Let us know in the comments below.
FORT MYERS, FL - MARCH 07: Ketel Marte #4 of Team Dominican Republic poses for a photo during the Team Dominican Republic 2023 World Baseball Classic Headshots at Lee County Sports Complex on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images
While there is still plenty to sort through in the rotation and bullpen, notably the decision of whether or not Kelly will start on the injured list, the D-backs’ position player group has cleared up to a degree with the minor league reassignments of many prospects and dark horse candidates such as outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt and infielder Tommy Troy.
The position player group is not completely settled, but here’s what the Opening Day starting lineup could look like two weeks out — keeping in mind that the Diamondbacks will play the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will likely start a right-handed pitcher based on who’s available.
It was his first taste of the outfield since travel ball, but he played it well enough that with Perdomo at short and the addition of third baseman Nolan Arenado via trade this winter, the Diamondbacks have had him playing center this spring.
Does he enjoy the outfield?
“I enjoy playing every day,” Lawlar said with a smile. “I played all the sports growing up, and it kind of reminds me of like a slot receiver in football — run your route and go track the ball down.”
Former Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Jalen Beeks has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Texas Rangers, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. It is a major league deal, pending a physical.
Beeks, who was one of the D-backs’ most effective relievers in the 2025 season, won’t be returning to Arizona ahead of the regular season, after all.
WBC pool play wrapped up on Wednesday with eight teams left standing. The Diamondbacks’ players and prospects eliminated from the WBC have started heading back to spring training, while those alive in the tournament will take the field in win-or-go-home games starting this weekend.
The 20-team field is down to eight, and while pool play didn’t go the way Team USA would’ve envisioned, the dream team survived thanks to Italy’s extraordinary 4-0 run through Pool B. Now, the top four favorites from our initial World Baseball Classic power rankings still remain standing, but Italy looks capable of taking any team down.
The circumstances were virtually identical — a superstar of the sport delivering an early lead in a critical game — and yet the reactions, and the atmosphere, could hardly have been more different. Here’s another look. And it’s not just the D.R. Listen to how loud it got in San Juan, at a stadium with half the capacity of Daikin Park in Houston, when Puerto Rican pitcher Seth Lugo escaped a jam against Columbia:
There’s no better way to tip off the weekend than with some winning NBA player prop bets, and my NBA predictions have found a trio that are a slam dunk, including Karl-Anthony Towns being purr-fect on the boards against the Pacers.
Those and more NBA picks for Friday, March 13, right meow.
Karl-Anthony Towns is the New York Knicks best rebounder, averaging 11.9 boards per game, and he’s taken that to the next level recently.
KAT has hauled down 13.0 rebounds per contest over his last eight games, grabbing 13 or more boards five times during that stretch, and there’s no reason to think he’ll slow down when he faces the Indiana Pacers.
It’s a year to forget for the Pacers and enter this game losers of 11 in a row. Indiana has a lot of issues and rebounding is one of them. The Pacers rank next-to-last in both rebounding rate and opponent rebounds per game.
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: MSG, FanDuel Sports Network Indiana
Prop #2: Kyle Filipowski Double-Double
+150 at bet365
The Utah Jazz are another team that is not-so-subtly tanking at this point in the season. But they’ve been surprisingly scrappy recently, going 4-2 ATS in their last six games.
That’s because the guys who are actually playing for the Jazz are playing for their futures. Including Kyle Filipowski.
The Jazz big man is averaging 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds since becoming a regular starter 11 games ago. He’s also hauled down double-digit boards in four of his last five games, which has me looking at him to record another double-double.
You might not think that Steph Curry being out would affect the Golden State Warriors' rebounding, but that’s exactly what’s happened.
Steph has been out since the start of February, and the Warriors are still taking the fourth-most shots per game, but not surprisingly, they rank 25th in field goal percentage. As a result, the Dubs have surrendered the third-most opponent rebounds per game.
The T-Wolves shooting guard is averaging 4.4 rebounds per game, but his total sits at 3.5. A number he’s topped in four of his last five games and nine of his last 13.
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On this day 72 years ago, the White Sox were part of the first-ever national Spring Training telecast. | Society for American Baseball Research
1934 All-time White Sox playing and managing great Fielder Jones died, at age 62, in Portland. His 32.0 WAR for the club ranks 10th all-time among hitters and places him as the best center fielder in White Sox history. Jones was staggeringly good with the White Sox, never dipping below a 3.1 WAR season and leaving the game after a 1908 season that saw him tally 4.7 WAR, at age 36.
Jones was a player-manager for his final five White Sox seasons (1904-08), never suffering anything close to a losing season and by far the winningest (%) manager in club history. He piloted the White Sox to their first World Series win, over the Cubs in 1906.
1952 One day before celebrating his 31st birthday, southpaw hurler Bill Kennedy was sold to the White Sox by the St. Louis Browns. Kennedy would end up having the best season of his career on the South Side, leading the AL in appearances (47) and putting together a marvelous 2-2, five-save, 2.80 ERA/131 ERA+, 1.4 WAR season.
Eleven months after this purchase, Kennedy was shipped to Boston in a package that yielded the Pale Hose Vern Stephens.
1954 Think today’s streaming madness has made baseball too hard to watch, or the MLB’s blackout rules are an anachronism?
On this day, ABC made an ill-fated effort to televise a Spring Training game featuring the White Sox at the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla. ABC intended the game as a national Game of the Week presentation, while GM Frank Lane of the White Sox felt it would not be shown in MLB cities and the Phillies believed the game was only going to be broadcast back to Chicago.
ABC proceeded with its broadcast prep, which would feature just a single camera, in the stands behind home plate. A hole was cut in the protective screen and the sole cameraman, from a local affiliate in Ft. Lauderdale, donned full catcher’s protective gear in case of foul balls getting through the opening.
The resulting chaos — during the game broadcast, mind you — forced ABC to cut its broadcast off after the third inning, without any explanation for viewers.
The White Sox won the game, 6-3.
1960 During spring training and near this date, the White Sox became the first team in MLB history to wear player names on the the back of their jerseys. The announcement had been made back on January 22. It was another Bill Veeck innovation, only done on road jerseys, met with some resistance from players, but soon adopted across baseball.
2000 White Sox slugger Frank Thomas was again featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. A lengthy story talked about his career, the controversies and his desire to return to the top of the game. The headline stated, “Don’t Question My Desire. Frank Thomas Comes Out Swinging.”
Thomas would have a spectacular 2000, missing a chance to win his third AL MVP after losing in a narrow vote to the A’s Jason Giambi, who’d later admit to using steroids in grand jury testimony. Frank’s numbers in 2000 included a .328 batting average, 43 home runs, 143 RBIs, 112 walks and a slugging percentage of .625 for the team that led the American League in wins with 95. Despite those gaudy figures, Thomas didn’t lead the league in any single category that year.
2024 In the first major trade of GM Chris Getz’s tenure, the White Sox shipped superstar starter Dylan Cease to San Diego. The Padres shipped back four players: starting pitching prospects Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte, outfield prospect Samuel Zavala and veteran reliever Steven Wilson.
Cease originally arrived on the South Side with Eloy Jiménez in exchange for José Quintana in 2017. The righty had a brilliant year out west, putting up 4.2 WAR and going 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA/3.10 FIP and 1.067 WHIP, and continued his streak of essentially never missing a start to five seasons. Brilliant beginnings in Double-A by Thorpe (7-1, eight earned runs in his first 10 starts) and Iriarte (one earned run in his first four starts) seemed to grade this speculative deal out evenly from the get-go. But after making their major league debuts later on in the summer, both Thorpe (injured elbow) and Iriarte (wildness) ended the year on softer notes and Zavala had a very down season in High-A ball.
Backlund scored the game-winning goal in the third period—his 229th career tally—to record the 600th point of his NHL career. The milestone further strengthens the veteran centre’s legacy with the Flames, the only NHL team he has played for since entering the league.
The goal also moved the Västerås, Sweden native into a tie for fifth place on the franchise’s all-time goals list alongside former Flames star Kent Nilsson.
Adding another layer to the moment, the milestone goal came against fellow Swede and former Flames teammate Jacob Markstrom, who was in net for New Jersey.
“Feels good to score and help the team win and (finally on) Marky, (and) do it at the same time (as) 600,” expressed Backlund.
May 3, 2022; Mikael Backlund (11) and Jacob Markstrom (25) celebrate the win over the Dallas Stars in game one of the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Saddledome. Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images
Flames head coach Ryan Huska said he was pleased to see the captain reach the milestone—especially with such a meaningful goal.
“Happy for him,” Huska told the media following the game. “That’s a great milestone for a guy that’s given a lot to this organization, so it ’s really nice to see him score that.”
Backlund has been a consistent presence in Calgary’s lineup this season, currently leading the club in scoring with 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points through 65 games. He also carries a team-best plus-11 rating.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators will play two games in Duesseldorf later this year as part of the NHL and NHLPA’s efforts to grow hockey in Germany, the league announced Friday.
The Global Series games on Dec. 18 and 20 at PSD Bank Dome are the second and third regular-season games the league has staged in the country, along with several exhibitions. The Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings played in Berlin in 2011.
Overall, the league has played 42 regular-season games in Europe since 2007.
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly called the commitment to grassroots development in Germany “a critical next chapter for the NHL.”
Rob Zepp, the union's Director of International Strategy and Growth, played several years in Germany and represented the national team as a goaltender during his career and said it “is a wonderful country with an avid, sophisticated hockey audience that is eager to engage with the NHL.”
Senators forward Tim Stützle is expected to be the big star of the event. Stützle grew up just outside Duesseldorf in Viesen and led Germany in goals at the Milan Cortina Olympics with four.
"I think German hockey has been growing a lot, and there are a lot of great players from there,” Stützle said. “Hopefully it gets even more people to play hockey in Germany. It’s really exciting news.”
Germany, with Stützle, 2020 NHL MVP Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers and emerging star Moritz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings, lost in the quarterfinals at the Olympics. The country's team went on an improbable run to the final at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, with now-Boston Bruins coach and retired player Marco Sturm behind the bench.
We’ve got only two games on the NHL betting slate tonight, including a Western Conference clash between the Edmonton Oilers and St Louis Blues.
I’m expecting a bounce back from the Oilers forgetting walloped by the Stars last night.
The Oilers' team goal total will be the feature for Oilers vs. Blues predictions and NHL picks for Friday, March 13.
Oilers vs Blues prediction
Oilers vs Blues best bet:Oilers TT Over 3.5 goals (-110)
If there’s one thing the Edmonton Oilers have done well this year, it’s score goals. Edmonton averages 3.53 goals per game this season, tied for the second-most in the league.
The Oilers’ posted goal total tonight is set at 3.5, which is a number they’ve eclipsed in six of their last eight contests.
After losing an important match to Dallas last night, I’m expecting a bounce back against the St. Louis Blues tonight, a team with an .883 SV% this season, and the seventh-highest GAA in the NHL.
Oilers vs Blues same-game parlay
I'll back Connor Ingram to go over 21.5 saves. The Oilers have allowed 25+ shots against in eight of their last 10 outings.
Lastly, I’ll add Over 0.5 assists for Evan Bouchard. The Oilers defenseman has an assist in seven of his last eight games, and leads all NHL blueliners with 74 points, 56 of which count as assists.
Oilers vs Blues SGP
Oilers TT 3.5 goals
Connor Ingram Over 21.5 saves
Evan Bouchard Over 0.5 assists
Oilers vs Blues odds
Moneyline: Oilers -155 | Blues +136
Puck Line: Oilers -1.5 (+157) | Blues +1.5 (-180)
Over/Under: Over 6.5 (-115) | Under 6.5 (-105)
Oilers vs Blues trend
The Under is 7-3 in the last 10 contests between the two teams. Find more NHL betting trends for Oilers vs. Blues.
How to watch Oilers vs Blues
Location
Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
Date
Friday, March 13, 2026
Puck drop
8:00 p.m. ET
TV
Hulu
Oilers vs Blues latest injuries
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Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas will have a disciplinary hearing on Friday, March 13, for his knee-on-knee hit that injured Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.
Matthews, who was also the captain of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team, left the game after the hit at 15:47 of the second period on Thursday night. He was unable to put weight on his left leg.
Gudas received a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube called it a "dirty play" and said Matthews would be looked at on Friday.
Yes, the NHL has scheduled a hearing for the Ducks captain and will factor in his disciplinary history. It's a phone hearing, so the maximum would be five games.
Jaylen Brown isn’t a fan of what’s going on in the NBA.
The Celtics star, who scored 34 points in a 104-102 loss to the league-leading Thunder on Thursday night, spoke to reporters for the first time since his ejection for arguing a non-foul call earlier in the week.
“I don’t know, maybe it all works in the end, but I just don’t foul bait,” Brown said. “I’m not looking to flop or anything like that, but it’s almost like you got to. It’s almost like, because there’s a couple of plays in the fourth quarter where I felt like I drove strong, went up strong, and I didn’t get the benefit of the doubt. But maybe if I would have flopped, maybe I would have been able to sell that call. And those decide games.”
Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort. AP
In a road loss to the Spurs on Tuesday, Brown argued with officials after San Antonio’s Stephon Castle bumped him out of bounds while he was dribbling, but failed to get a call.
In Thursday’s matchup with the reigning NBA champions, Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record with his 127th straight game with at least 20 points.
His 35-point effort was aided by hitting seven of his eight free-throws.
The 2024-25 MVP has drawn the second-most fouls this season and is often derided by fans as a “free-throw merchant” for his penchant for getting calls.
Thursday’s loss came on a pair of free throws by OKC center Chet Holmgren, who drew a foul on Boston’s Sam Houser with 0.8 seconds remaining.
Brown did not address the the call on Houser or Gilgeous-Alexander’s game specifically, but pointed to the larger problem he’s seeing.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives to the basket during the game against the Boston Celtics. NBAE via Getty Images
“It’s like, we commend players for playing the game the right way, but we give the benefit to those who necessarily are trying to manipulate the game into their advantage,” Brown, who has drawn the sixth-most fouls this season, said. “I just don’t think it’s basketball. Let’s just play basketball. All the foul baiting, I think it’s whatever for me.”
Brown hit 13 of his 14 free throws on the night.
After Thursday, the Celtics sit in second in the Eastern Conference with a 43-23 record, 4.5 games behind the top-seeded Pistons and 1.5 games ahead of the Knicks.
They’ll face the Thunder, winners of seven straight, again in 12 days with a shot at revenge.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 17: (ALTERNATE CROP) Josh Smith #8 of the Texas Rangers poses for a portrait during photo day at Surprise Stadium on February 17, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for March 13, 2026 against the Colorado Rockies.
Texas heads to Scottsdale to take on the Rockies of Colorado. Sam Haggerty is playing second base and Josh Smith is at third, as Josh Jung continues to be unavailable. Jacob Latz is starting.
Deandre Ayton knew what he was doing wasn’t working.
With the Lakers in the midst of a push for playoff seeding, and the collective sense of urgency of the team rising, the 7-foot big man knew he needed to pick it up.
Being left behind wasn’t an option.
And not only has Ayton “caught up with the team,” as he put it after the Lakers’ win over the Bulls on Thursday, but he’s delivering in the ways the Lakers are needing.
Hustling on the glass.
The Lakers big man had 23 points versus Chicago. NBAE via Getty Images
Setting physical screens.
Rolling to the rim hard after pick and rolls.
Taking advantage of favorable offensive matchups inside of the paint.
Being a presence as the last line of defense.
“[I] felt like I picked up my energy and my focus,” Ayton said on Thursday night. “And I finally caught up with the team. That’s about it.”
The difference in Ayton’s play and the impact on his counting stats were easier to see when the Lakers hosted the Bulls.
He finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for his 12th 20-10 game of the season.
Over half (six) of Ayton’s rebounds came on the offensive glass, which tied a season-high,
But the difference in the way Ayton played over the last three games and the way he was playing the week before sitting out of the March 6 home win over the Pacers is different.
He’s chasing rebounds and rolling to the rim harder. There’s a greater intensity and sense of urgency to his game.
“If something’s not working, you’re gonna fix it,” Ayton said. “Just gotta get up and fix it. That’s all. There was nothing that led to it.”
Regardless of the reason, Ayton is putting together a level of consistency in how he plays that hasn’t been seen since the early couple of months of the season.
“As a team, we have been trying to find and build towards consistency – that’s the individual, that’s the group,” coach JJ Redick said. “We know what DA is capable of. I think Austin [Reaves] said this recently: he is an X factor for us, if not the X factor. Because him playing at a high level raises our ceiling. It changes the makeup of our team.”
Ayton’s status as the Lakers’ X factor was already known – evident by the fact they’re 27-8 when he grabs at least eight rebounds. They’re 24-9 when he takes at least eight shot attempts.
And when Ayton has at least eight rebounds and eight shot attempts in the same game, the Lakers are 22-6.
But why is he the team’s X factor?
Ayton is putting together a level of consistency in how he plays that hasn’t been seen since the early couple of months of the season. AP
Because for as athletic and an ideal fit that backup Jaxson Hayes may be alongside Luka Doncic, who likes playing with rim-running centers, Ayton has the talent, size and strength to neautralize team’s other big men, like Ayton’s done to Rudy Gobert when the Lakers played the Timberwolves this season, sweeping the regular season series, 3-0.
Because when the Lakers’ best players aren’t in a rhythm as scorers, he can create offense for himself in ways most of them don’t: rolls to the basket, quick seals on smaller plays or crashing the offensive glass.
“He saw a small guy and he was just playing bully ball down there,” Doncic said of Ayton against the Bulls. “Kind of fed him a couple times. He’s been doing an amazing job.”
Ayton adds layers to the Lakers, diversifying the way they can win sequences of a game.
Like he did during the first quarter with his interior play against the Knicks on Sunday. Or the second quarter of Tuesday’s win over the Timberwolves, when he had 12 points and five rebounds in the quarter. Like he did throughout the win over the Bulls.
Doncic, Reaves and LeBron James may be the driving forces for the Lakers’ success. But Ayton and the determining factor of much success the team will ultimately achieve in a Western Conference filled with talented big men.
It’s one of the biggest reasons the last several days have been so encouraging for the Lakers.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 9: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on during the game against the Denver Nuggets on March 9, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t mean to define an all-time great NBA career with a throwaway line after a regular season win two years ago. It just worked out that way.
“My whole life is consistent,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in front of ESPN’s cameras following a March 2024 win over the Miami Heat. “Everything I do. From what I eat, to when I sleep, to my recovery, to my loved ones, everything is consistent. It’s a routine for me at this point.”
Gilgeous-Alexander’s comment became a meme as his teammates began hooting and hollering in the background. At the time, he was just starting to enter the MVP race, and the Thunder were in their first year as an elite team. While that season would end in disappointment in the second round of the playoffs, SGA and OKC would both get the salvation they were looking for the next year: his first MVP award and the franchise’s first NBA championship.
It’s easy to think back to Gilgeous-Alexander’s suddenly infamous quote after he broke an impossible NBA record on Thursday night. As the Thunder beat the Boston Celtics in a possible 2026 NBA Finals preview, SGA scored 20 or more points in his 127th consecutive regular-season game to break the NBA record held by Wilt Chamberlain. While basically no one was aware of Chamberlain’s record before SGA threatened to break it, it’s a remarkable feat from a remarkable talent who feels suddenly feels like he’s surpassed Nikola Jokic for the mythical title of Best Player in the World.
How wild is Shai’s record? Consider this:
Michael Jordan’s longest streak of scoring 20+ is 72 games.
LeBron James’ longest streak of scoring 20+ is 49 games.
Kobe Bryant’s longest streak of scoring 20+ is 63 games.
In fact, Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t even needed all four quarters to get to 20 points in the vast majority of his games. About 89 percent of the time, SGA has reached 20 points before the fourth quarter.
The craziest part about Shai passing Wilt tonight is that Shai had 20 points by the end of the 3rd Quarter in 113 of the 127 games.
Gilgeous-Alexander is peaking at an all-time high level at 27 years old, and he’s about to force some uncomfortable conversations. He’s lapped Jokic in my preferred all-in-on advanced metric EPM (which estimates a player’s total impact on team performance per 100 possessions): SGA leads the league at +9.6 right now, Jokic is second at +8.9, and Victor Wembanyama is third at +7.6.
That’s just the start of it. SGA is the best player in the world right now, but he’s also quickly becoming one of the best guards of all-time. Here’s how SGA rates against some of the greats by DPM, which again measures a player’s impact on team performance per 100 possessions. He’s the blue line in this graph, and only trails Steph Curry:
Gilgeous-Alexander’s peak has clearly surpassed Kobe and James Harden, and just about lines up with Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade, who I didn’t include for the sake of clarity. Play with the tool yourself here.
Shai is better than ever this year, too. Long known as a mid-range assassin with a special ability to get to the foul line, he’s now added a newly improved step-back three that makes him even harder to guard. He’s had multiple three-point daggers to win games this year, including one earlier this week to beat the rival Denver Nuggets.
Some fans like to reduce SGA’s success to flopping, but that’s crazy talk. Yes, he gets a lot of free throws, but so does every all-time great. Luka Doncic averages one more free throw per game than Shai, but he doesn’t get called a flopper nearly as often. If you go by free throw attempts per 36 minutes, SGA is tied with Deni Avdija. Yes, he does regularly exaggerate contact to get to the line, but that’s not why he’s so great.
This is a guard in complete mastery of his game: his handle is extremely tight, his mid-range game is money every time, and he’s a solid defender. At 6’6 with a 7-foot wingspan, Shai has the same measurements as Michael Jordan, and it gives him a shot that’s extremely hard to contest when he rises and fires. Like MJ, SGA is also sneaky strong and can discard defenders when he needs to. Like MJ, he’s quickly becoming known for a push-off.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA’s Joe DiMaggio with this streak, but he’s even more than that. He’s becoming one of the best we’ve ever seen, and that will be more apparent if OKC can break the NBA’s parity era to become the first team to win back-to-back championships since Kevin Durant’s Golden State Warriors in 2017-2018.
There’s no reason to diminish what SGA is doing right now. It should be celebrated at the highest level. If Wilt Chamberlain was playing against plumbers and milkmen when he set the streak in 1961-1963 — which isn’t true, either — what SGA is doing at an average NBA height is just absurd, historical stuff. Appreciate his greatness while you can.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 10: Trendon Watford #12, Joel Embiid #21, and Tyrese Maxey #0 of the Philadelphia 76ers sit on the bench during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Xfinity Mobile Arena on March 10, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Meaningless basketball is back in Philadelphia.
Watching the 76ers lose to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night felt like a harkening back to the Process days of yore. With nearly the entire roster injured or suspended, the Sixers rolled out a group against the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons that contained rookie VJ Edgecombe, Quentin Grimes and nine guys who were originally undrafted, on a two-way contract, playing in Europe a month ago, or more or less a coach. Oh yeah, and the Sixers literally had no centers, ironic for a franchise that we once joked could start an entire lineup of centers.
A debate has broken out in Sixers circles about whether or not the team should tank. Folks, they don’t need to. This broken-down roster will take care of things for itself. They may catch the stray Cam Payne heater here and there to beat a tanking team like Memphis, but the losses are coming.
However, unlike true tanking days when we fans had to wait until the NBA Draft Lottery to see the fruits of the team’s labors, the Play-In Tournament now looms as the next meaningful moment for the franchise. With 16 games remaining, the Sixers are 2.5 games back of the sixth-seeded Heat, and 7.5 games ahead of the 11th-seeded Bucks, so they are almost assuredly Play-In-bound.
The Play-In seems a fitting place for Philadelphia, a nexus of not-quite Playoff Basketball that represents a ‘can’t lose’ proposition for Sixers fans. In one scenario, the Sixers could be defeated in the Play-In Tournament, and everyone can root for the something like four percent chance that the ping pong balls will bounce our way and get this organization back on track after this back half of the season has been completely derailed. That’s very familiar ground, and honestly, probably the best hope for the franchise long-term, even if it’s a long shot.
In another scenario, the Sixers could revert to the team from the first half of the season. Tyrese Maxey’s pinky heals just fine. Joel Embiid finds another pocket period of reasonably good health. Paul George will be back from suspension (which, by the way, I feel like people should have carte blanche to pursue mental health by whatever means necessary while being in the orbit of the Sixers organization). They could very plausibly have the normal roster back, win the necessary game or two in the Play-In Tournament, and once again become the team ‘nobody wants to face’ in the first round. If nothing else, playing against that Pistons group with a full roster would make for a fun two weeks. Imagine all the Tobias Harris jokes we could get off!
So yes, this last month or so of the season will likely be very meaningless. It’s perfectly reasonable to use the time to get outside or reconnect with family rather than grind film from blowout losses to determine whether MarJon Beauchamp deserves a standard NBA contract (and if that’s your thing, that’s cool too!). But unlike prior years when meaningful basketball was at best returning in the fall, we only have to wait until mid-April.
(Original Caption) Frank "Home Run" Baker (left), who was once as bright a star with a bat as Mickey Mantle is today, poses with Mantle at the Yankee Stadium as the old-timers had their inning today. Former stars of the Yankees and the Chicago White Sox donned their uniforms and enjoyed the roar of the crowd once again before the game between the Yankees and the Chisox. The Mantle bat is a special job.
When you see someone dubbed with the nickname “Home Run” and then compare that to their career total of 96 homers, you might think that was an ironic title. Maybe it was a joke like when a big guy gets nicknamed “Tiny.” However for his time Frank “Home Run Baker” was a prolific slugger, leading the league in homers on four occasions. It’s just that his era was directly before and then overlapping a certain Babe Ruth, who proceeded to blow Baker and everyone else’s tallies out of the water.
However, Baker was very rightly a star of his era and was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame, for his work with the Yankees and the then-Philadelphia Athletics. Today is also his birthday, so let’s look back on the man dubbed “Home Run.”
John Franklin “Home Run” Baker Born: March 13, 1886 (Trappe, MD) Died: June 28, 1963 (Easton, MD) Yankees Tenure: 1916-19, 1921-22
Baker was born in 1886 in a town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, not far from the Chesapeake Bay. He was born into a farming family, and spent many years of his youth working the farm. Doing all that hard work on the farm helped Baker develop into a muscular young man, who first started to make waves on the baseball field while playing for his high school.
In high school, Baker was a pitcher and an outfielder, and caught some scouts’ eyes. He was signed by a local semipro team, where he was moved to third base, which would become the only defensive position he would ever play in the major leagues.
After a couple seasons playing semipro ball, Baker received a tryout with the then-minor league Baltimore Orioles of the Eastern League in 1907. While a run with Baltimore wasn’t on the card, Baker did sign professionally for 1908, joining the Reading Pretzels of the Tri-State League. Putting up a .299 batting average and a .417 slugging percentage, Baker was noticed by Philadelphia Athletics legendary manager Connie Mack. With Hall of Famer Jimmy Collins nearing the end of his career, Mack was looking for a young third baseman to take his place, and gave Baker a try, purchasing his contract from Reading in September. In eight games at the end of 1908, Baker hit just well enough for Mack to not only keep him around, but to install him as the regular third baseman for the A’s in 1909.
In Philadelphia, Baker would become a star and one of the key cogs in the A’s dynasty of the early years of the World Series. In seven seasons from 1908-14, he put up 40.9 fWAR and 42.2 rWAR, including a 1912 season that was worth 9.1 and 9.3 respectively. He led the league in home runs every year from 1911-14. It’s just that, again, the highest of those totals was 12 as it was the Deadball Era. The A’s won four AL pennants in that time and won the World Series title in 1910, 1911, and 1913. In all three of those victories, Baker OPSed over 1.000 for the series. Had the World Series MVP Award existed then, he would’ve had an especially good argument in ’11, as he hit a couple crucial home runs (the real spark for his amusing-in-hindsight nickname), including one in their clinching Game 6 win that ended up providing the series-winning runs.
After a World Series loss in 1914, Mack began to sell off several of the pieces from the previous championship teams. While he attempted to keep hold of Baker, the slugger was looking for a pay raise, having been one of the heroes of the A’s recent successes. However on the other side of the negotiating table was the notoriously stringy Mack. Both sides were also quite stubborn and stuck to their guns. In the end neither side budged, and Baker ended up sitting out the entire 1915 season. Eventually, AL president Ban Johnson put some pressure on Mack to try and resolve the situation of one of the league’s stars, which ended with Baker being sold to the Yankees ahead of the 1916 season.
In New York, Baker hit the ground running, putting up a 130 wRC+ in 1916, even with having sat out the entire previous season. He continued to be a very steady bat for them over the next several seasons, as the Yankees turned from a cellar dweller in the early 1910s to a contender by the end of the decade.
Tragedy struck in 1920, as during that offseason, Baker’s wife passed away after a scarlet fever outbreak. Devastated, Baker sat out the entire season, which was also Babe Ruth’s first in the Bronx. Towards the end of that year, he eventually began to get the itch again, and eventually rejoined the team for the 1921 season.
However this time, taking an entire season off led to some rust. The now 35-year old Baker was a below average hitter for the first time in his career, although he did help the team to their first ever AL pennant in 1921. Despite his previous postseason heroics, Baker struggled this time around, recording just two hits as they lost to the Giants. He returned to the Yankees the following year, but in more of a bench role. He again helped the Yankees to the World Series, but got just one at-bat in another series loss.
After that season, Baker decided to hang it up, just narrowly missing the Yankees finally getting over the hump in 1923. Still, he had been a major part of the team building up to get in position to win the championship. Over his six seasons in New York, he put up 19.2 fWAR and 20.6 rWAR. Following his playing career, he returned to his native Maryland and spent some time as a minor-league manager, including giving a pro debut to future Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx and helping connect him with Mack, his old A’s skipper. He was later voted into the Hall himself, by the Veterans Committee in 1955. He eventually passed away in 1963.
It’s somewhat funny that someone got the nickname “Home Run” immediately before there was a huge jump in homers, making his record look paltry. Make no mistake though, for his era, Home Run Baker was absolutely a feared slugger.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Karl-Anthony Towns
