At the 2025 NHL trade deadline, the Nashville Predators acquired forward Michael Bunting and a 2026 fourth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Luke Schenn and forward Tommy Novak. Schenn was then quickly flipped by the Penguins to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
The Predators bringing in Bunting was a bit surprising, as they were already out of the playoff race at that point of the season. However, he will also be more than a rental for them, as he is signed until the end of the 2025-26 season, carrying a $4.5 million cap hit. Thus, the Predators are hoping that he can be a key part of their forward group as they aim to turn things around next season.
Bunting's start with the Predators was quiet, as he had just four points in his first 13 games with the Central Division club. However, the 2014 fourth-round pick is heating up with the regular season nearing its conclusion.
Bunting is currently sporting a four-game point streak, where he has two goals, five points, and a plus-5 rating over that span. This includes scoring a goal in the Predators' most recent matchup against the Utah Hockey Club on April 14.
Bunting has shown throughout his career that he can be an impactful offensive contributor when playing at his best, and the Predators are starting to see that. It will be fascinating to see if he can finish the season on a strong note in the Predators' season finale against the Dallas Stars on April 16 from here.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — From the moment they heard their names called out by Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, Paul Skenes and Henry Davis were destined to make history.
When it finally happened on Monday night in Pittsburgh’s 10-3 win over Washington, the first battery comprised of players taken with the top overall pick in the draft just kind of shrugged.
“All records are meant to be broken, right?” Skenes said. “It’s cool.”
And also overdue.
While Skenes, selected first overall in 2023, has been a sensation from the moment he stepped onto the mound at PNC Park for the first time 11 months ago, Davis, the top pick in 2021, remains very much a work in progress.
It’s telling of the wildly different trajectories of their respective careers that the history Skenes and Davis made in front of just over 10,000 fans on a windy spring night was unintentional.
Davis, recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis over the weekend after starting catcher Joey Bart experienced back issues, wasn’t in the initial lineup and only entered the game after Endy Rodriguez sustained a cut on his right index finger just two batters into the top of the first.
Enter Davis, who quickly trotted onto the field, slipped a mask over his head and took a glimpse at the wristband that detailed Skenes’ game plan. It was hardly the first time Davis had caught Skenes, just the first time that it truly mattered.
There appeared to be few hiccups between them. Skenes navigated six innings with relative ease, six days removed from the shakiest start of his still-young career. Mixing and matching a half-dozen pitches, Skenes retired 15 of 16 at one point, including a pair of groundouts against Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews that gave Skenes short-term bragging rights over his former LSU teammate.
Skenes made it a point to credit Davis, whose slow defensive development at one of the game’s most demanding positions has been one of the main reasons why he has spent most of the last two years bouncing between the majors and the minors.
“(Henry) can call a game,” Skenes said after improving to 2-1. “He was prepared. It’s not a surprise. I’ve been with him for the better part of two years now. You want to see why he’s the type of player he is, you don’t have to look very far. For him to come into a tough situation, call the game and catch as well as he did says a lot about it.”
Preparation is never the issue with Davis, who tends to bury himself in his work. Yet that work has not led to results. Davis entered Monday hitting just .188 in 101 games, and his inability to establish himself as an everyday player nearly four years after being drafted is symbolic of a franchise, that for all of its considerable young pitching talent, has been unable to identify and develop position players.
Pittsburgh’s lineup against Washington’s Brad Lord consisted of just three players who the club drafted or signed and then nurtured to the big leagues. And two of them — Andrew McCutchen and Adam Frazier — are on their second tour with the club after spending a portion of their careers elsewhere.
Skenes was paying Davis a compliment when he said most of Davis’ teammates don’t consider him a “1-1,” baseball code for going first overall. Skenes meant that the quiet way Davis carries himself runs in stark contrast to his draft profile.
As if to almost prove the point, while Skenes talked, he wore a suit and addressed a dozen reporters, answering questions on everything from the black-and-gold necklaces McCutchen gifted to the team to the way he channeled his girlfriend — LSU gymnast/influencer Livvy Dunne — while somersaulting to avoid a collision with Washington’s Nasim Nunez at third base.
About 20 minutes after Skenes left the clubhouse, Davis emerged in a casual grey long-sleeved shirt and green pants, the necklace from McCutchen still in place after one of the better days of his professional career.
He spoke politely in short, measured sentences. Wearing the necklace as “fun.” Being at the ready is something every catcher who’s not in the lineup does. Monday night just happened to be his turn.
“So just being ready to jump in and know what (Skenes) wanted to do and be on his page pretty quickly, that was the goal,” Davis said.
Davis cleared that goal. Now comes another far more important one: take the opening that the injuries to Bart and Rodriguez have created and run with it.
The Pirates are scuffling. Fan unrest and highly visible missteps by the organization off the field have bubbled up in lockstep with a less-than-stellar product on it, creating an environment where it feels like general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton — both in year six — are on the clock.
Pittsburgh bet big on Davis. That bet has not paid off yet. No one is more aware of that than the soft-spoken catcher who is now linked with Skenes in a far more real way than the number next to their name in the draft.
“It was cool to get the opportunity,” Davis said. “Glad we got a win. It’s great.”
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Programming Note: Tune into “Warriors Pregame Live” at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday on NBC Sports Bay Area before the Warriors and Grizzlies tip-off. Immediately after the final buzzer, tune back in for “Warriors Postgame Live.”
Though the Warriors would like to forget the events of May 21, 2021, they would be wise to remember every ugly minute when they take the floor Tuesday night.
They’re facing the same team, Memphis. At the same location, Chase Center. Under the similar circumstances, the NBA Play-In Tournament.
The previous such occasion was a disaster, the Warriors losing in overtime under a flood of turnovers and 35 points from Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant.
Morant will be back in Golden State’s face this time around, and containing him will be a priority. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 6 p.m. with “Warriors Pregame Live,” with “Warriors Postgame Live” immediately following the TNT telecast. Tipoff is scheduled for 7.
The Warriors dropped into the play-in tournament Sunday after a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, whose point guard, James Harden, exploited a rotation of defenders and finished with a game-high 39 points.
Morant isn’t the offensive conductor that Harden is, but he’s appreciably shiftier and more explosive. With Moses Moody (back spasms) listed as questionable, keeping Morant in check will require the best of Brandin Podziemski and Gary Payton II. That group was unsuccessful Sunday.
“He’s an All Star; he’s going to score points,” Podziemski told reporters Tuesday morning after shootaround. “But the things that help him get into a rhythm are the things you try to take away. That’s with any great player, but free throws and transition are where he scores a lot of his points. You try to take one or one or both of those away and it gives us good chance.”
If Morant is having his way against that tag-team duo or trio, it is conceivable that coach Steve Kerr would turn to uber-athletic wing Jonathan Kuminga, who was banished from Golden State’s rotation against the Clippers.
Neither Payton nor Kuminga was available two weeks ago in Memphis, where Morant dropped 36 points, on 14-of-22 shooting from the field, including 5-of-8 from distance. The Warriors pulled out a 134-125 victory behind 52 points from Stephen Curry.
An important development in that win was Golden State’s fourth-quarter defense. The Grizzlies scored 112 points through three quarters but managed only 22 in the fourth, as the Warriors forced Morant into four turnovers, with two steals by Jimmy Butler III and one steal each by Draymond Green and Buddy Hield.
There are other factors in play, most significant being rebounding. The Warriors, the league’s No. 3 rebounding team through the first four months, tumbled to 14th after the All-Star break – coinciding with Kerr’s mostly rewarding commitment to a small starting lineup. Memphis is a strong rebounding team, No. 2 this season and sixth since the break.
But the top goal for the Warriors is to avoid turnovers and prevent Morant from getting into a rhythm, much less taking over the game as he did four years ago.
When asked to name the Boston Red Sox’ biggest strength heading into the 2025 MLB season, NBC Sports Boston’s three-person panel unanimously mentioned the offense, pointing to the addition of Alex Bregman and an influx of young talent like Kristian Campbell and (potentially) Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer.
Through 18 games, however, offense has been one of Boston’s biggest weaknesses. The Red Sox are averaging a pedestrian 4.3 runs per game (14th in MLB), and that’s includinga 13-run outburst against the St. Louis Cardinals in their home opener and an 18-run effort in the series finale.
Those two games alone have accounted for 39.7 percent of Boston’s total runs this season (31 of 78), and they’re averaging a putrid 2.9 runs per game over their other 16 contests.
The Red Sox’ bats have been especially dormant of late: They’ve scored a total of 15 runs in their last eight games, marking just the second time in the last nine seasons they’ve scored 15 or fewer runs in an eight-game span.
Yes, it’s a small sample size. But the numbers above are still cause for alarm, especially for a team that was expected to compete for the postseason yet is floundering at 8-10 after a 16-1 walloping at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
So, what’s causing Boston’s struggles at the plate? Here are three statistical trends worth monitoring:
Strikeouts galore
Strikeouts are the team’s biggest issue by far — and it’s not a new issue.
The Red Sox lead all of baseball with 179 strikeouts through 18 games after ranking third in MLB with 1,570 whiffs last season. Rafael Devers has been the primary culprit — his 27 strikeouts lead the American League — but he’s certainly not alone.
Red Sox players account for five of the AL’s top 15 players in strikeouts this season, with Trevor Story (22 strikeouts), Jarren Duran (20 strikeouts), Triston Casas and Alex Bregman (18 Ks apiece) rounding out the list.
Poor plate discipline
A peek at some advanced numbers reveals another issue for the strikeout-happy Red Sox: They’re chasing a lot of bad pitches.
Boston has the eighth-highest chase percentage in baseball (29.5 percent) and is tied for the fifth-highest whiff percentage (27.5 percent), per Baseball Savant. Alex Cora’s club makes contact on just 49.2 percent of pitches it chases, the third-worst mark in MLB.
Interestingly enough, the Red Sox rank fourth in baseball in walks to date (65), suggesting a somewhat patient approach at the plate. But when they do swing at pitches outside the zone, the results have (mostly) been ugly.
The first two issues feed into this issue, but Boston simply hasn’t been able to bring runners home this season.
The Red Sox have left an average of 7.4 runners on base per game, second-most in the AL and fifth-most in MLB. They’re hitting just .233 with runners in scoring position with a league-leading 55 strikeouts in those situations.
They’ve also been especially bad in close games, batting .190 with an MLB-leading 27 strikeouts in “Late/Close” situations (seventh inning or later and the score within one run).
Of course, there’s plenty of time for the Red Sox to snap out of their early-season slump. But in a competitive AL East, they can’t afford to have quiet bats much longer.
If you didn't know that already, you could tell from the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings' game on Monday night. The game was long on penalties and short on action, with just 16:48 of the first two periods occurring at five-on-five. The injury-depleted Oilers lost 5-0, officially ceding home-ice advantage to the Kings in their upcoming first-round series.
Five goals on 36 shots is obviously not good, but Pickard was in the trenches all night. The Kings went 2/8 on the powerplay, peering Pickard with at least ten shots in each period. Without him, this could have easily been an 8-0 game by the end of the second period.
Calvin Pickard keeps this a two goal game with this clutch save!
Nurse was fine in his limited ice time, but his night was cut short in the second period when he received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for this hit on Quinton Byfield:
Darnell Nurse was issued a major penalty and a game misconduct for cross-checking Quinton Byfield. pic.twitter.com/J7yFs492ce
With the game already out of hand and just one more remaining in the playoffs, a suspension-worthy hit is the last thing you want to see. Considering the laundry list of injuries on the Oilers' blueline, it's even worse. While it's hard to see the NHL suspending Nurse into the playoffs, I wouldn't put it past them to make an example of him ahead of what will be a heated playoff series.
Oilers' Scratches: A+
They didn't have to play in this mess of a game. Though the referees put their whistles away in the third period, the first two periods were a parade to the penalty box, with 16 minor penalties, two 10-minute misconducts, and Nurse's major-and-game combo. It wasn't the best game I've ever seen; let's put it at that.
Though Monday night was a dud, it does promise a hard-fought, nasty first-round series between these two teams. The Oilers have one more game, in San Jose on Wednesday, before they head to Los Angeles to kick off the playoffs this weekend.
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The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Philadelphia Flyers play the final game of their season series on Sunday. The Jackets are 1-1-1 against the Flyers this season.
With two games left, the Columbus Blue Jackets are still alive in the playoff race due to the Montreal Canadienslosing in OT to the
Chicago Blackhawkson Monday.
We're not going to overcomplicate this preview - The Blue Jackets need to beat the Philadelphia Flyers in regulation on Tuesday. They have plenty of motivation to it. Just get it done.
Blue Jackets Stats
Power Play - 19.1% - 22nd in NHL
Penalty Kill - 76.5% - 23rd in NHL
Goals For - 258 - 10th - 3.23 GPG - 10th
Goals Against - 266 - 25th - 3.33 GPG - 27th
Flyers Stats
Power Play – 14.8% - 30th in NHL
Penalty Kill – 77.8% - 20th in NHL
Goals For - 228 – 23rd – 2.85 GPG – 23rd
Goals Against – 275 – 9th – 3.44 GPG – 28th
Series History vs. The Flyers
Columbus is 11-13-3 on the road and 28-19-7 in 54 all-time games against the Flyers.
The Jackets are 3-1-1 in the last 5 against Philadelphia.
Who To Watch For The Flyers
Travis Konecny leads the Flyers in goals(24), assists(51), and points(75).
Rookie Matvei Michkov has 24 goals on the season.
Goalie Samuel Errson is 22-16-5 with a SV% of .882.
Ivan Fedotov is 6-13-4 with a SV% of .880.
CBJ Player Notes vs. Flyers
Boone Jenner has 20 points in 32 career games against Philadelphia.
Zach Werenski has 17 points in 24 games.
Sean Monahan has 18 points in 21 games against the Flyers.
Injuries
Kevin Labanc (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve as of Feb. 21 and is out for the season (24 Games)
Elvis Merzļikins (upper body) has missed 3 games.
Jake Christiansen (upper body) has missed 2 games.
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 318
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
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Ethan Bamber knows a bit about drama (he is the son of Olivier Award-winning actor David Bamber), so it was no surprise that he finished a thrilling chase with a theatrical six. His 30 not out for Warwickshire against Durham was hardly a bit part, but it was a match in which there were 22 starring roles, county cricket delivering its unique storylines across not three acts, but four days.
The stage was set for the perfect Hollywood script on Monday night for the Montreal Canadiens. Ivan Demidov was making his debut, and the excitation was palpable in the Bell Centre, but the Habs needed to beat the Chicago Blackhawks to qualify for the playoffs, and they failed to do so.
Martin St-Louis said on Monday morning that it made sense to put Joel Armia, a defensively responsible player, on the ice with Ivan Demidov, but with 3:32 left in the first period, there was no Armia and Patrik Laine was with Demidov and Alex Newhook.
By then, the rookie had assisted on the game's first lamplighter and scored his first career goal, becoming the second youngest player in Canadiens history to score in his first game and setting the Bell Centre alight. It’s a small sample, but Demidov didn’t need shielding as he adapted immediately to the North American game. He was only on the ice for 3:25 in the first frame, but he certainly made the most of it.
As for the game's physicality, in his very first shift, he nailed Frank Nazar by the boards, sending the Bell Centre crowd to its feet. He did, however, get his welcome to the NHL moment halfway through the first when Artyom Levshunov caught him in the offensive zone. That was the only time he was caught off-guard, lightyears away from the way Juraj Slafkovsky looked like a deer in the headlights a few times in his rookie season.
On his new player, the coach said:
I think he was great. If there’s one player that wasn’t worried about much and not stressed out it was him, but it’s almost naïve because he just got here, that’s why I wasn’t afraid to inject that kind of talent, he hasn’t gone through what these guys have gone through all year, he comes in and he plays.
- Martin St-Louis on Ivan Demidov
He finished his night with two points, a plus-one rating, three shots and one hit having spent close to 17 minutes on the ice. The sole blemish on his record was that he took a shot which was blocked and led to the Blackhawks' third goal, and he didn't exactly backcheck.
Costly Penalties
The Habs were up 2-0 when they were assessed their first penalty, and a minute and a half later, their lead was cut in half. While Kaiden Guhle’s hits are often massive momentum makers, that one tonight, without Oliver Moore having touched the puck, started the Canadiens’ downfall. Asked to comment on the play, the bench boss explained:
I think you have to be near the line without crossing it. It was a play with the puck coming to him, but it wasn’t there yet. If he (Moore) had touched the puck, it would have been a good body check, but he never touched it, so that’s a penalty. It happens so quickly that the player is already all in on the play. He thinks the puck will get there faster. Those are the penalties we don’t need, but I understand the action and where he was coming from. It’s just a shame that it cost us.
- The coach on a bad penalty
Then, late in the second period, the Alexandre Carrier-Mike Matheson pairing couldn’t decide who was covering who, and as a result, the former was forced to trip Ilya Mikheyev. Five seconds later, the game was tied.
While Samuel Montembeault had only faced 18 shots by then, the two scored goals couldn’t be put on him. In fact, the Canadiens’ goaltender had to make a few big saves to keep his side in the game.
St-Louis On The Notion Of Urgency
In the final frame, with a playoff berth on the line, the Canadiens didn’t look like the team with something to win in that game. There was no urgency in their play, which was somewhat puzzling. Asked how he would describe his team’s urgency level, St-Louis replied:
I’d say it was a little average, but you know, playing with urgency and executing are two different things. Playing with urgency means being ready defensively and always in the right spot. You can’t daydream on the ice, but when you have the puck, can you be calm in a stressful moment? Because if you’re calm in a stressful moment, you’ll execute much better. Your reading of the game is a lot clearer when you’re calm. If you’re playing with urgency, want to succeed, and are working so hard, the wheel is spinning so fast that your read isn’t as good as when you’re more relaxed. We’ve got a young team right now. We have urgency, but sometimes it interferes with our reading. We know it’s so close, and we can almost touch it. It’s an experience you have to live; you can’t practice that.
- St-Louis on his young team and dealing with urgency
When Slafkovsky tied the game in the third frame, Lane Hutson got the secondary assist he needed to become the sole holder of the franchise’s record for the most points by a rookie blueliner with 65.
While Demidov passed his first test with flying colors, his performance hid the fact that the Canadiens didn’t play a good game. Perhaps the coach is right. However, the moment was huge, and his team is very young. On Tuesday night, the Columbus Blue Jackets will play the Philadelphia Flyers. A win from the Pennsylvania outfit would make Wednesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes a lot less stressful as it would clinch the Canadiens' playoff berth.
We’d like to think our crystal ball has magical powers, but the truth is that the Boston Celtics have simply been so darn good over the past two seasons that it’s pretty easy to make bold predictions about the successes they’ve enjoyed.
You didn’t need to be any sort of seer to know Payton Pritchard was poised for a breakout season. Or that the Celtics would stack up a whole bunch of 3-pointers during the 2024-25 campaign.
Still, it’s comforting that our crystal ball rarely lead us astray. With the playoffs upon us, it feels like another good opportunity to take a gaze and see what it forecasts for Boston’s next championship quest.
Kornet shimmied up to third in the NBA, finishing with a team-best +14.9 net rating. (The next-closest regular on Boston’s roster: Al Horford at +11.5.)
The Oklahoma City Thunder accounted for six of the top seven spots in the league, with Kornet the only outlier. The Celtics were 8.6 points per 100 possessions better with Kornet on the court versus off this season, easily the best differential on the team (next-closest: Horford, +4.1).
Verdict: Hit
2. Drew Peterson gets final roster spot before end of season
Peterson gave the team an unexpected burst early in the season but logged only 77 minutes in 14 appearances over Boston’s final 47 games. The team ultimately elected to reward fellow two-way player JD Davison for his MVP season in Maine by adding him to the parent roster at the finish line of the season.
Offseason roster changes could open pathways to Peterson being a roster player for the Celtics next season.
Verdict: Miss
3. Jayson Tatum finishes 3rd in MVP voting …
4. … And is the Finals MVP
ESPN’s final straw poll of the season had Tatum fourth in balloting. We suspect he’ll leapfrog Giannis Antetokounmpo when voters submit their final ballots, which will feature Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic at the top.
And with Jaylen Brown hindered by a knee injury entering the postseason, we’re further emboldened to suggest Tatum will be the Finals MVP if the Celtics raise Banner 19.
Verdict: TBD
5. Celtics defeat Magic, Knicks, Cavaliers to win East …
6. … Then outlast the Thunder in the NBA Finals
If higher seeds win out, then we’ll nail the path. Still, we’re intrigued to see if Orlando’s offense can hang with Atlanta in a one-game showdown during Tuesday night’s play-in game.
The Knicks should have their hands full with Detroit in Round 1 but we suspect they’ll still advance. Cleveland and Oklahoma City appear poised to build off their strong regular seasons.
Verdict: TBD
7. Jaylen Brown lands on All-NBA, All-Defense teams
The late-season knee woes left him short of the 65-game threshold to qualify for award eligibility. Even if he had hit the mark, that balky knee ultimately might have prevented Brown from making a strong final case for those spots.
9. Celtics set an NBA record for most 3-pointers made in a season
Boston obliterated this record, connecting on 1,457 3-pointers to leave the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors (1,363) deep in the rearview mirror.
Verdict: Hit
10. Payton Pritchard wins Sixth Man of the Year
Just send the award to the Auerbach Center.
Verdict: TBD (likely hit)
11. Joe Mazzulla wins Coach of the Year
Too many teams overachieved (Cleveland and Detroit chief among them) for voters to right their wrong after ignoring Mazzulla last season.
Verdict: TBD (likely miss)
12. Celtics don’t lose more than two games in a row … for second straight season
It’s absurd that the 2024-25 Celtics had only two losing streaks, both of only two games: December 23 to 25 (Orlando, Philly) and February 26 to 28 (Detroit, Cleveland).
That’s two straight seasons without losing more than two games in a row, and they only did that six total times over the course of 164 games.
Verdict: Hit
13. Celtics win 62 games and repeat as NBA champions
OK, we missed by one win. We don’t think we’ll whiff on on the second half of that prediction.
Verdict: Near miss/TBD
In fact, here are six more bold postseason predictions to bring us to a tidy 19 season predictions before Banner 19:
1. The Kornet Game is coming
Every playoff run has at least one instance where a bench presence leaves an indelible mark on a postseason win. Think Leon Powe in Game 2 of the 2008 Finals, or the “Shrek and Donkey” game that Glen Davis and Nate Robinson tag-teamed during the 2010 Finals.
Kornet is going to play an even bigger role than he did last postseason (10.2 minutes per game in 13 playoff appearances) and his energy is going to tilt at least one game.
2. Tatum is East Finals MVP, too
If we suspect that we’re steamrolling towards a Celtics-Cavaliers showdown, then Tatum is key to Boston’s chances of getting to the Finals. His averages in four regular-season meetings with Cleveland: 33.5 points, 10 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 40.5 percent beyond the 3-point arc.
If we had to pick a sneaky dark horse to snag any MVP other than Tatum, keep an eye on Porzingis.
3. Jrue Holiday finds his 3-point powers
In 15 games after returning initially from his mallet finger ailment, Holiday shot 39.1 percent (27 of 69) beyond the 3-point arc. He seemed to regain his corner superpowers, routinely busting out his new Dr. Evil pinky finger celebration.
4. Brown’s defense is key for a second straight year
All eyes are on Brown’s knee, and the Celtics absolutely need him to leave a mark on the postseason journey the way he did last year.
We suspect Brown’s biggest impact will be on the defensive side, with a willingness to grind through the knee pain to defend the likes of Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, and Gilgeous-Alexander on the biggest stages.
That trio accounted for three of Brown’s top nine most frequent matchups during the regular season and represented some of his toughest covers.
5. Tatum averages 7.5 assists per game in postseason
Tatum averaged 4.9 assists per game during the 2023-24 regular season, and that mark spiked to 6.3 in the postseason. In 2024-25, his regular-season assist average spiked to 6.0 helpers per game, and we suspect that number will pop again in the postseason.
Whether it’s just more opportunity with bigger minutes, or all the attention he’ll draw generating quality looks for others, the triple-double watch is going to be a nightly event with Tatum.
6. The path will be bumpier … but the Celtics will not be denied
The Celtics made Banner 18 look easy while posting a 16-3 mark in the postseason. We all know it wasn’t as breezy as they made it look, particularly the four-game sweep of the Pacers in the East finals. But the East is undeniably better, and Boston is going to be challenged if opponents are healthier than they were a year ago.
Still, it’s hard to see any team taking four games out of seven against this team. Health will be key but the Celtics are poised and hungry for another title.
Programming Note: Tune into “Warriors Pregame Live” at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday on NBC Sports Bay Area before the Warriors and Grizzlies tip-off. Immediately after the final buzzer, tune back in for “Warriors Postgame Live.”
How Draymond Green stacks up against his fellow NBA Defensive Player of the Year candidates on the court is up for debate, but there is no question he has one advantage over the competition off the court.
The Warriors forward, along with Cleveland forward Evan Mobley, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Lu Dort and Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels likely will be the finalists for the award, and Cavaliers star point guard Darius Garland explained on Friday’s episode of FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” why his teammate is most deserving of the honor.
"Draymond Green has a cheat code with his podcast."
“Evan really deserves it,” Garland said of Mobley. “A young guy in the league that’s really starting to come into his own. And defense, that’s his mindset, trying to stop the best defenders, try to protect the paint, trying to protect the rim as much as he can. If you guys watch the games, you see what his abilities are, you see how he affects shots and other defenders …
“We really have to advocate for him a lot since he’s so quiet. There was no shots are Draymond, that’s my bro. But Evan Mobley definitely deserves Defensive Player of the Year.”
The off-the-court advantage that Green has, is his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show With Baron Davis,” where he continuously has campaigned for the award. And, as Garland believes, rather successfully.
“I think we’re just going to go the media route, have the media just do what they do,” Garland said about campaigning for Mobley. “We’ve been tweeting it a little bit, we’ve been putting it out there just on our end. I mean, Draymond really has a cheat code with his podcast, he can really go on there every day, which is super cool and it’s really working.”
Green currently is the betting favorite to win his second career award on a number of gambling sites, and only has strengthened his DPOY case in recent months since the Warriors’ blockbuster trade for star forward Jimmy Butler on Feb. 5.
However, Garland and the Cavs’ campaign for Mobley might just be heating up …
April 15 will forever be a special day for baseball.
On this day 78 years ago, Jackie Robinson made his MLB debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke the sport’s color barrier. Twenty-eight years ago, commissioner Bud Selig announced that Robinson’s No. 42 would be retired across the league.
On Tuesday, however, Robinson’s number will once again be on the back of every player.
Jackie Robinson Day was first held on April 15, 2004. Five years later, a new tradition was born when every player, manager and coach began wearing No. 42 for the celebration.
That custom will continue on Tuesday, with all organizations are sporting No. 42 in Dodger blue regardless of their regular uniform colors. Players, managers, coaches and umpires will also wear a “42” patch on the side of their hats.
All 30 MLB teams will be in action on Tuesday, with Robinson’s Dodgers hosting the Colorado Rockies in Los Angeles.
MLB is also planning a league-wide pregame tribute video produced by MLB Network and featuring former pro softball player AJ Andrews.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and Robinson’s widow, Rachel Robinson, will be at the Jackie Robinson Museum in New York to welcome participants from local Nike Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities programs.
Down in Florida, MLB’s Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach will host a minor league game between the Clearwater Threshers and the Palm Beach Cardinals at historic Holman Stadium, where Robinson once played. The game will raise money to support vital programs and services in Indian River County.
Predators Call Up Promising Prospect DefensemanThe Nashville Predators have announced that they have recalled defenseman Ryan Ufko from their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. In addition, the team announced that Ufko will make his NHL debut during the Predators' April 14 contest against the Utah Hockey Club.
Predators Top Prospect Is Heating Up In AHLNashville Predators prospect Joakim Kemell is considered one of the team's most promising youngsters. The 20-year-old forward is continuing to develop his game at the American Hockey League (AHL) level with the Milwaukee Admirals and is in the middle of a solid season that saw him play in the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic.
Predators Sign Tough Guy To Contract ExtensionThe Nashville Predators have announced that they have signed forward Navrin Mutter to a one-year, two-way contract extension for the 2025-26 season.
Former Predators Forward Done For The SeasonPittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has announced that former Nashville Predators forward Tommy Novak will be out for the rest of the season. 
