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New Laker Luka Doncic has the highest-selling jersey in second half of season

Consider it part of the fallout of the shocking trade that sent him to Los Angeles.

Luka Doncic has the highest-selling jersey in the NBA during the second half of this season. Doncic is the first international player to top the most popular jerseys list and the first player other than Stephen Curry or LeBron James to top the list since the 2012-13 regular season (when it was Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony with the Knicks). It shouldn't be a surprise that there was a run on Doncic jerseys, or that Curry and LeBron finished second and third (based on sales at NBA.com the second half of the season).

Considering Victor Wembanyama didn't play much in the second half of the season due to deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, the fact that he was sixth in jersey sales speaks to his popularity.

As expected, Doncic's Lakers also topped the team merchandise sale list.

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Reds place Sam Moll on the 15-day injured list due to left shoulder impingement

CINCINNATI — The Reds have placed left-hander Sam Moll on the 15-day injured list due to left shoulder impingement. The move was made retroactive to April 11.

Cincinnati begins a three-game series against Seattle.

It is the second straight year Moll has landed on the injured list with the same injury. He missed nearly a month at the start of last season with a shoulder impingement.

Moll has pitched in three games out of the bullpen and has a 3.00 ERA. His last appearance was on April 6 at Milwaukee, when he allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning.

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What we learned as Fitz, Yaz homers fuel Giants' win vs. Phillies

What we learned as Fitz, Yaz homers fuel Giants' win vs. Phillies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

PHILADELPHIA — About 20 minutes into Monday night’s game at Citizens Bank Park, the Giants were behind 3-0 and Spencer Bivens was getting loose in a hurry. In the moment, it was easy to think of all of the potential repercussions if Landen Roupp got knocked out in the first inning. 

The Giants probably would be forced into their first roster move of the 2025 MLB season to get a fresh arm for their bullpen. Roupp might spend a sleepless night wondering if his time in the rotation was over after three starts.

At 9:27 p.m. in Philadelphia, the Giants gathered on the mound for their third handshake line in four days on this tough trip. Roupp picked up first win of the year. 

The Giants, who beat the Phillies 10-4, seemingly can do nothing wrong at the moment, and they responded to the three-spot from the Phillies by scoring six in the top of the second. That allowed Roupp to settle in, and he allowed just one more run the rest of the way while throwing more curveballs than most Phillies hitters have ever seen. 

The response to the early struggles was swift. Tyler Fitzgerald hit a three-run homer into the seats in left to give the Giants a 5-3 lead in the second inning, and Willy Adames followed with his first as a Giant.

After Roupp and Randy Rodriguez buckled down to keep runners in scoring position, Mike Yastrzemski hit a two-run moonshot to add insurance runs in the top of the seventh. The blast was Yastrzemski’s first against a lefty since his walk-off Splash Hit against the San Diego Padres’ Ray Kerr on June 19, 2023.

The Giants improved to 12-4 on the season and 3-1 on the trip, which spans 10 days and includes series against three teams with winning records. 

Curved

Roupp is a four-pitch guy now, but with his back against the wall in the fourth, he went to his bread and butter. The right-hander’s curveball is one of the best in baseball, and when the Phillies got a pair into scoring position with no outs, Roupp threw a curve on five of the next eight pitches. There were boos at Citizens Bank Park when he got out of the inning with no damage. 

Roupp opened the fifth by throwing five straight curves to Bryce Harper for a strikeout. After Kyle Schwarber popped up a curve, he threw four curves and a sinker at Nick Castellanos. The Phillies finally caught up, and Castellanos crushed the final one into the left field seats. 

Overall, Roupp threw 56 curveballs, the most in a big league game since Rich Hill threw 59 on May 13, 2016. Roupp and Hill are the only big league pitchers to throw more than 55 curveballs in a game in the last 10 years, and it certainly worked for Roupp on an offense-heavy night. He got 15 of his 20 swinging strikes with his best pitch. 

Roupp was charged with four earned in five innings and struck out eight. He has had two shaky starts and one good one, but the stuff has generally been good. Through 15 innings, Roupp has 20 strikeouts. 

On The Board

Everyone involved has been hesitant to say Adames has been pressing. He’s seemingly as laid-back as any Giant, but there’s a natural desire to try and live up to a massive contract, and Adames certainly hasn’t looked like his old self through two weeks. He entered the night with a .186 average and no homers, and he hasn’t even been particularly unlucky.

With the ballpark still reeling from the Fitzgerald blast, Adames jumped on a middle-middle cutter from Taijuan Walker and hit a soaring solo shot to right. The homer was Adames’ first in 135 plate appearances, the longest drought of his career. With Adames and Fitzgerald (who finished a single shy of the cycle) now on the board, Patrick Bailey is the only Giants regular still looking for his first blast of the year. 

Miller Time

The bottom of the seventh might have been the strangest scoreless inning of Erik Miller’s career. With the Giants holding a four-run lead and two runners on, J.T. Realmuto hit what looked to be a three-run homer, but the ball curled just foul. Realmuto then thought he had drawn a walk to load the bases for Max Kepler, who already had two hits, but he was rung up by home plate umpire Tony Randazzo on an outside slider. 

It was a hell of a frame job by Bailey, the game’s best framer, but still a huge break for the Giants. It went down as the eighth scoreless appearance of the year for Miller, who was taken in the fourth round by the Phillies in 2019 and is a reminder that the prior regime really did do some good work. Miller was acquired in a 2023 swap for Yunior Marte, who had a 6.92 ERA last year and is now pitching in Japan. 

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Yankees’ Aaron Judge to be U.S. captain at 2026 World Baseball Classic

NEW YORK — Aaron Judge will be the U.S. captain at next year’s World Baseball Classic, the same role the two-time American League Most Valuable Player fills with the New York Yankees.

Mark DeRosa made the announcement after he was appointed U.S. manager for the second straight WBC.

Judge takes over from the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout, who was captain at the 2023 tournament. The U.S. lost the 2023 championship game to Japan 3-2 as Shohei Ohtani struck out Trout, his then-Angels teammate, to end the game.

Judge, who turns 33 on April 26, is the first player announced for the U.S. roster. The outfielder is hitting .357 with a major league-leading 20 RBIs and six home runs, tied for the big league high.

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Penguins' Rakell Is One Point Shy Of Franchise Record

Rickard Rakell - Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell, born in Sundbyberg, Sweden, set a new career high with his 35th goal on Sunday against the Boston Bruins. 

With his latest tally, Rakell tied fellow Swede Tomas Sandström, who scored 35 during the shortened 1995-96 season. In 58 games that season, Sandström set the franchise record for most goals (35) and points (70) by a Swedish-born skater in Penguins history. 

Heading into the season finale, Rakell has 35 goals and 34 assists for 69 points, one shy of tying Sandström's record. Against the Washington Capitals, the Penguins' next opponent, Rakell, has scored four goals with ten assists for 14 points in 23 career games. 

Last season, Rakell became only the second Swedish player to record a 60-point season, scoring 28 goals and 32 assists. Now, with 69 points, he becomes the only one from the Scandinavian country to record two 60-point campaigns.

 

Rakell Sets New Career-High In 'Slow' 4-1 Loss To BruinsRakell Sets New Career-High In 'Slow' 4-1 Loss To BruinsHeading into a Sunday matinee matchup with the Boston Bruins, the Pittsburgh Penguins hoped to take advantage of a team in free fall and sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

As mentioned, Sandström owns the franchise record for most goals in a single season among Swedish players with 35. Meanwhile, Erik Karlsson owns the top totals regarding assists. During his first season in Pittsburgh, 2023-24, he recorded 45 assists to surpass Dick Tärnström, who had 36 in 2003-04 to break Sandström's top total of 35. 

Karlsson is up to 42 assists with one game left this year, becoming the only Swedish player with more than one 40-assist season in a Penguins sweater. 

At this time, Rakell (179 points) is the second-highest-scoring Swede in franchise history, chasing two-time Stanley Cup champion Patric Hornqvist, who had 264 points in 407 games. Meanwhile, Karlsson already ranks fifth with 109 points in 163 games. 

Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule: Remaining Games & Statistical NotesPittsburgh Penguins Schedule: Remaining Games & Statistical NotesThe Pittsburgh Penguins are winding down their 2024-25 season and will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season, a first in Sidney Crosby's 20-year career. However, there is plenty to play for in the final weeks.
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Five Golden Knights Players Return To Practice

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) is congratulated by defenseman Nicolas Hague (14) and right wing Victor Olofsson (95) after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo, Nicolas Hague, Victor Olofsson and Ilya Samsonov all returned to the Vegas Golden Knights' practice today.

Every rostered player besides Adin Hill participated in practice today. Hill was in goal on Saturday during the Golden Knights' 5-3 win over the Nashville Predators. The 28-year-old is likely taking a maintenance day to rest after playing in his 50th game this season. 

Eichel has been day-to-day with an upper-body injury, missing the previous three games. The 28-year-old has set new career highs in assists and points, looking to be on track to return for the playoffs. 

Pietrangelo has had a difficult month, sustaining an injury before returning and dealing with an illness. The Golden Knights have been patient with his health, wanting to give the 35-year-old every opportunity to rest and return for the playoffs as close to 100% as possible.

Hague and Olofsson have been affected by the same illness as Pietrangelo, forcing them to miss several games. The pair of depth pieces will be important to the Golden Knights' success in the playoffs, albeit in different ways. Olofsson will attempt to provide depth offence, and Hague will need to use his size to be a strong defender. 

Samsonov has been out since Mar. 29, last playing on Mar. 23. His injury is an upper-body ailment, and the Golden Knights will be hoping to get him into a game before the beginning of the playoffs, just in case his services are needed. 

The Golden Knights have two games remaining, and both will be played on the road against the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks. With the Pacific Division locked up, the Golden Knights will likely use load management to their advantage, and it's why Jonas Rondbjerg joined the team at practice today. 

Stay updated with the most interesting Golden Knights stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News to never miss a story.

Cassidy Has Good Reason To Consider Load Management For Certain Knights In Last Two Games Cassidy Has Good Reason To Consider Load Management For Certain Knights In Last Two Games LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights are Pacific Division champs, they'll host a Wild Card team starting Easter Sunday and barring a casualty in the first round, will host a second-round series, too. Kolesar, Hill, Howden Honored With Annual Team Awards After Home FinaleKolesar, Hill, Howden Honored With Annual Team Awards After Home FinaleLAS VEGAS -- Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar was honored with his first team award in his fifth NHL season with the franchise.
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Fans outside Michigan area barred from buying Knicks-Pistons playoff tickets at Little Caesars Arena

If you're a Knicks fan looking to purchase tickets to any games during New York's first-round playoff matchup against the Pistons that are taking place in Detroit, you're going to need a credit card billing address in the Michigan area -- or help from someone who has one.

The Pistons have restricted purchases for all possible home games of the matchup (Games 3, 4, and 6) to those who have a credit card billing address located in "Michigan and in certain parts of Ohio, Indiana and Ontario, Canada."

Knicks fans are notorious for traveling well, and have recently made some road arenas sound like Madison Square Garden, including during last season's first-round games against the 76ers in Philadelphia.

The ploy the Pistons are implementing -- though a team spokesperson asserted to The New York Post that they're not intentionally trying to keep Knicks fans out of the arena -- has become common for playoff games across the four major American sports.

The Carolina Hurricanes do it regularly, and even the Yankees have done it recently.

As far as the Knicks and Pistons, this is their first playoff matchup since the 1991-92 season, when the Knicks prevailed in five games in what was then a best-of-five first-round series.

While certain fans will be restricted from purchasing directly from the team/Ticketmaster, there's seemingly nothing preventing them from scooping up ducats on the secondary market.

Game 1 of the Knicks-Pistons series tips off at Madison Square Garden on Saturday at 6 p.m.

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Warriors receive great injury news before play-in game vs. Grizzlies

Warriors receive great injury news before play-in game vs. Grizzlies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area


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.”

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors ended the 2024-25 NBA regular season not only with a tough 124-119 overtime loss Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers, dropping them to the play-in tournament game as the No. 7 seed, but also injury worries to their three veteran stars, Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. 

Monday’s injury report ahead of Tuesday’s play-in game, in which the Warriors will host the Memphis Grizzlies, brought good news. None of Curry, Green or Butler are listed on the injury report, nor are any other Warriors players. 

Curry in the Warriors’ previous game, a blowout road win over the Portland Trail Blazers, jammed his right thumb early and showed clear discomfort. He even received X-rays during the win before returning to the game. Imaging came back negative, and Curry ended with 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting and was 2 of 8 from 3-point range in 27 minutes on Friday. 

His thumb was taped and padded when Curry returned Friday. He was questionable going into Sunday’s regular-season finale, but played and again tried to protect his right hand as much as possible while playing through a problem that first popped up as far back as December. Though he scored a team-high 36 points, 21 of them came in the fourth quarter and overtime, plus Curry committed a season-high eight turnovers. 

When asked about his right thumb after the loss, Curry was short and coy in his answer. 

“It was fine,” Curry said. “I try not to think about it too much … yeah, just keep playing.”

A few minutes into the first quarter Sunday, Green tried to save a poorly placed pass from Curry but paid the price. Green was clobbered in the back of the head by Norman Powell’s left hip and immediately began grabbing at his neck. 

Green returned from the Warriors’ locker room with a little under two minutes left in the first quarter. He played 38 minutes and was a minus-5 with 14 points, three rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocked shots. So much happened in the Warriors’ loss that Green wasn’t even asked about any concerns to his head and neck area afterward. 

Instead, he assured everyone that fatigue won’t be a factor for the 37-year-old Curry, as well as himself and Butler – both 35 – having to play so many minutes in a loss that still led to the play-in tournament for a quick turnaround. 

“We’ll be fine,” Green said. “… We’re not senior citizens. We’re high-level basketball players.” 

If Green’s injury scare was somewhat lost in the shuffle, Butler’s wasn’t. 

Playing a game-high 48 minutes, Butler rose to the occasion. Butler battled Kawhi Leonard all day and had his first 30-point game since joining the Warriors at the NBA trade deadline a little more than two months ago. Butler’s 30 points came on 12-of-20 shooting, but he was visibly limping near the end of the game. 

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Butler told him he’d be good to go for Tuesday, and the same message was relayed by Butler in the locker room. 

“I’ll be all right,” Butler said. “Go home and play some dominoes, drink some coffee. That’ll help me feel better.” 

Butler said he took a knee from Leonard to his thigh under the basket. Was he worried in the moment?

“No,” Butler responded. “I mean, it hurt. But I’m not too worried. I know I’m going to be good to go. [Longtime personal trainer Armando Rivas] is going to take great care of me.” 

The health of the Warriors’ three stars is what can lift them into the NBA playoffs and propel them for a deep run, or bring their season to a crashing end if something goes wrong. 

Going into Tuesday’s play-in tournament game against the Grizzlies, with a chance to move on and face the Houston Rockets in the first round, the injury report is on the Warriors’ side – in spite of nursing obvious bumps and bruises. 

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Blue Jackets Faces Elimination For Playoff Contention For Third Time This Season

© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Another day, another elimination scenario for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Tonight marks the third time the Blue Jackets could be knocked out of playoff contention — this time if the Montreal Canadiens win their game against the Chicago Blackhawks. But the key detail here is that Montreal must win in regulation. An overtime or shootout loss won’t be enough to clinch.

If the Canadiens fail to close it out tonight and Columbus beats the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, the Blue Jackets will move within just one point of Montreal for the final Wild Card spot in the East.

That would set the stage for a thrilling final game of the regular season on Thursday against the New York Islanders.

Jet Greaves Named As One Of The NHL's Three StarsJet Greaves Named As One Of The NHL's Three StarsJet Greaves is on fire! Blue Jackets Sweep Weekend Series Against Washington; Stay Alive In Playoff RaceBlue Jackets Sweep Weekend Series Against Washington; Stay Alive In Playoff RaceZach Werenski(22), Adam Fantilli(28, 29), and Dmitri Voronkov(22) scored the goals for Columbus, while Jet Greaves was fabulous, stopping 29 Washington shots. 
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Oilers Injury Update: Ekholm and Kane's Playoff Status

Mattias Ekholm. (Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images)

The playoffs are so close you can taste it.

For the Edmonton Oilers, that means it's decision time. With so many players injured, it's been hard to get a handle on their playoff lineup. They got some clarity on that front on Monday morning, as Kris Knoblauch issued a slew of injury updates after the morning skate. Buckle up, this one's a doozy.

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The big one concerns defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who reaggravated his nagging injury on April 11th against Dallas. Knoblauch confirmed that Ekholm is ruled out for the first round of the playoffs and could be out for quite a while longer. 

"Mattias will be out for a while, and he won't be returning any time soon," Knoblauch told the media. By all appearances, it seems Ekholm may not return at all during the playoffs.

The other news wasn't quite so grim. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will return to the lineup on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings after missing the past three games with an illness, while Troy Stecher will be out after leaving Sunday's game with an injury.

Connor McDavid, after picking up nine assists in three games since returning from injury, will also sit out on Monday for precautionary reasons. 

"With us playing three games in four days and a back to back, we feel there's too much to lose there, so we're playing that extremely safely," Knoblauch said on Monday.

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Everyone else--Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Jake Walman, and Trent Frederic--is officially day-to-day. Draisaitl and Walman are questionable for the final game of the regular season on Wednesday and ready for game one of the playoffs, while Hyman is likely in the same boat as a precautionary measure. Frederic, meanwhile, is questionable for the start of the playoffs as his timetable continues to get pushed back.

Finally came the big event: Evander Kane's first media availability since the beginning of training camp. Kane, who's been skating with the team for weeks now, seems ready to go for sometime in the first round, which will be his first game action since game two of the Stanley Cup Final. 

"I'm really excited to get going here," Kane said. "As soon as we get to 100%, which should be pretty soon."

Kane also opened up about his recovery journey, describing the January knee surgery that kept him out for longer than expected. Kane's absence was originally due to a double hip adductor surgery he underwent in September.

"It was very weird. Probably ten days after surgery, I just felt [my knee] was stuck, it was sticking every day," Kane said on Monday. "So we got an MRI, and there was a benign mass kind of wrapped around my ACL and PCL, and we were able to get that removed."

The Oilers play against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night and close out their regular season on Wednesday in San Jose. The Stanley Cup Playoffs start on Saturday, April 19th.

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"I'm Honored To Be Here": Ryan Greene Will Make NHL Debut With Blackhawks

Image

Now that the home portion of the Chicago Blackhawks' schedule is complete, they have two more road games before they call it a year. That starts with a visit to the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night. There is some excitement surrounding this game for both sides. 

For the Blackhawks, this will mark the NHL debut for Ryan Greene. After losing the National Championship with Boston University, they got him signed up to his entry level deal and now he’s ready to start his pro career. 

"The fact that it's here, it's pretty nerve-wracking," Greene said of making his NHL debut. "But it's also just really exciting. Even being in the locker room with a lot of these guys is so cool. I'm honored to be here."

Greene is going to start on a line with captain Nick Foligno and Oliver Moore. Like Greene, Moore signed his ELC after being eliminated from college, so they have that in common. Playing together with an elder statesman like Foligno may be a great experience for them.

Ahead of the game, interim head coach Anders Sorensen said that Greene is a "really good skater" and "really reliable defensively". Those two attributes are what an NHL coach looks for the most. With the step that Greene took offensively at BU this year, he's set up to be a solid pro right away. 

The rest of the lineup will look like this:

Donato - Bedard - Mikheyev 

Teravainen -Nazar - Bertuzzi

Foligno - Greene - Moore

Slaggert - Veleno - Reichel

Vlasic - Rinzel

Murphy - Crevier

Kaiser - Levshunov

Once again, the Blackhawks have an incredibly young defensive core. Murphy is the only true veteran among them. Sam Rinzel continues to play with Alex Vlasic on the top pair, which is a duo who will be hard to play against for a long time coming. 

All of the forwards listed here are guys who will be competing for a job next year. Some of them are more locked in than others, but everyone wants to finish strong so they can feel good about their game going into 2025-26. 

Arvid Soderblom will make his final start of the 2024-25 season. It was a breakout year for him. Coming into camp, he thought that he'd be splitting time in Rockford. Instead, injuries led to opportunity, and he ran with it. Being Spencer Knight's backup in 2025-26 is a real possibility for him, thanks to how he played. 

Greene isn't the only player making his NHL debut in this match. You may remember when the Blackhawks had the number two overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. There was a solid debate as to whether they should draft Artyom Levshunov or Ivan Demidov.

They went with the defenseman over the forward. Demidov ended up falling to the Montreal Canadiens at five, mostly because of his KHL situation. Well, Montreal's risk has paid off. Now he's with them in the NHL. 

It is fitting that Demidov will make his debut against the Hawks, the first team to pass on him. He will skate as a trio with Alex Newhook and Joel Armia, which is a perfect line for him to start on. 

Demidov is a wildly talented forward who can make big plays using his shiftiness, speed, and skill. It will be entertaining to see him go at the NHL level. 

Montreal can clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a win over Chicago in any fashion. They would be locking up the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by doing so. For being game 81 for both sides, there is a lot of intrigue. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

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Why former NBA players believe ‘sneaky' Kings can escape play-in

Why former NBA players believe ‘sneaky' Kings can escape play-in originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Programming Note: Tune into “Kings Pregame Live” at 6:30 p.m. PT on Wednesday on NBC Sports California before the Kings and Mavericks tip-off. Immediately after the final buzzer, tune back in for “Kings Postgame Live.”

Two former NBA players are convinced the Kings will walk away victorious on Wednesday night – and potentially could be one of the playoffs’ surprises. 

Ahead of Sacramento’s 2025 Western Conference play-in game against the No. 10-seeded Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center, Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams each signaled why interim coach Doug Christie and Co. could cause havoc if they get past their first must-win bout. 

“And by the way, the Kings are sneaky,” Parsons said to host Michelle Beadle and Williams on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” on Monday. 

“The Kings win this game, and they can go and win the next game and get the [No. 8] seed. The Kings are rolling.”

After all, the Kings won all three regular-season matchups against Dallas, who on roster and injury fronts, experienced a lot of turbulence throughout the 2024-25 NBA season.

“I think they beat them one more time,” Parsons added. “I think Dallas without Kyrie Irving, they have a huge hole to get out of. 

“Anthony Davis, we don’t know if he’s completely healthy. They just went through so much this year, and the Kings, right now, are playing so good.” 

Like Dallas, Sacramento underwent a rollercoaster season of its own, characterized by the dismissal of 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown after 31 games and the departure of star guard De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs shortly after. 

Parsons, however, points to the Kings’ offensive force and their roster depth as to why Sacramento will move on to play the winner between the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors and No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies in hopes of a first-round showdown against the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder.

“[DeMar] DeRozan is rolling. Zach LaVine is rolling. Sabonis. They’re just a better team,” Parsons concluded. “They’re just a deeper team. I think they get this game.” 

Williams echoes the former Mavericks forward’s perspective. 

“I’d agree. One thousand percent. Like, I won’t even make it difficult,” Williams said. “I just think they have the healthier team. They’re poised to win this basketball game.”

“They’re at home. And the Mavs have just been banged up all year. I don’t think they have enough manpower to get over that hill.”

Surely, Sacramento will take any support ahead of the season-defining clash — especially if it’s coming from a pair of proven former players.

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Marsh ‘putting a lot of pressure on himself,' sits in series opener against Giants

Marsh ‘putting a lot of pressure on himself,' sits in series opener against Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

If you hear 162 games and think it’s a long season — you’d be right, because it is.

It’s still very early in the Phillies’ 2025 campaign but Rob Thomson isn’t wasting time tinkering with the lineup to find something that works.

We’ve seen three different leadoff hitters for various reasons: Trea Turner against a left-handed pitcher, Kyle Schwarber against a righty and Bryson Stott to protect Bryce Harper.

He’s flipped Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm in the order — a way to acknowledge Castellanos’ early success while allowing Bohm to work through his current struggles.

And now, after the club’s 2-4 road trip and going 0-for-14 during that stretch, Thomson made the call to sit Brandon Marsh in Monday’s series-opener against the Giants — for reasons outside of the opposing starting pitcher. Here’s what Monday’s lineup looks like:

Bryson Stott (L), 2B
Trea Turner, SS
Bryce Harper (L), 1B
Kyle Schwarber (L), DH
Nick Castellanos, RF
J.T. Realmuto, C
Max Kepler (L), LF
Alec Bohm, 3B
Johan Rojas, CF

Marsh hasn’t hit since the season-opening series in Washington and his average is down to a team-low .108.

“He’s thinking about it quite a bit right now and everybody goes through it at some point,” Thomson said Monday. “I just thought maybe give him a day or two off and just let him watch for a minute. …

“I think he’s really thinking about (his lack of offense). He really feels like he’s letting his teammates down. He’s putting a lot of pressure on himself to do well. When you get to that point I think it’s time just to relax for a minute.”

The two days may turn to three, given the Giants’ rotation for the series. They’ll face lefty Robbie Ray Wednesday, who is currently 3-0 with a 2.93 ERA. More notably, he’s only allowed two hits to left-handed hitters.

Marsh is available off the bench for this next stretch but it seems highly unlikely he’ll be used outside of an emergency situation.

“The game is very, very tough,” Marsh said Monday. “It’ll bring you down, break you down and bring you up when you least expect it. Just got to keep a positive mindset and really just keep your head in the work.

When reporters began filtering into the dugout for Thomson’s pregame availability, Marsh was already in the cage taking an early batting practice.

“I’m usually not out here this early for hitting,” Marsh said. “Not being in the lineup today, I wanted to take advantage of my time and get the body right. … Just clearing the mind and going out there and playing ball.”

The current slump certainly isn’t for lack of effort.

Marsh isn’t the only concern offensively for the Phillies, though. The club was shutout twice in the weekend series against the Cardinals and they haven’t hit a home run since Thursday’s series finale against the Braves.

“I think they’re just trying to do too much,” Thomson said. “If you look at our ground ball rate as of late, it’s probably gone way up, especially on the pull side. They have to get back to doing what we were doing earlier in the year and getting good pitches to hit and controlling the strike zone and using the entire field.”

They’ll look to get back on track during their seven-game homestand.

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Jets' Connor Hellebuyck Named NHL's Third Star Of The Week

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) celebrates on the ice after getting the shutout win over the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been named the NHL's third star of the week.

The 31-year-old posted a 3-0-0 record, as well as a .931 SV% and a 1.62 GAA. He recorded his eighth shutout of the season against the Dallas Stars and was stellar when the Jets defeated the red-hot St. Louis Blues. 

He currently leads the NHL in wins (46), save percentage (.924), goals against average (2.02) and shutouts (8). 

Hellebuyck will likely win back-to-back Vezina Trophies but may also find himself very high on the Hart Trophy ranking, expected to receive a fair share of first-place votes.

Here's what NHL.com had to say about Hellebuyck's extraordinary week.

"Hellebuyck went 3-0-0 with a 1.62 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and one shutout the help the Jets (55-22-4, 114 points) clinch their first Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history. He denied 14 shots as Winnipeg halted the St. Louis Blues’ franchise-record 12-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory April 7. Hellebuyck then earned his League-leading eighth shutout of the campaign with 25 saves in a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars April 10. He finished the week by stopping 28 shots, and turning aside two of three shootout attempts, in a 5-4 triumph versus the Chicago Blackhawks April 12. The 31-year-old Hellebuyck, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, paces the NHL (minimum: 25 GP) in wins (46), goals-against average (2.02), save percentage (.924) and shutouts (8) through 62 total appearances this season. Only four goaltenders in League history have recorded more wins in a single campaign: Martin Brodeur (48 in 2006-07 w/ NJD), Braden Holtby (48 in 2015-16 w/ WSH), Bernie Parent (47 in 1973-74 w/ PHI) and Roberto Luongo (47 in 2006-07 w/ VAN)."

Finishing ahead of Hellebuyck as the NHL's first star of the week was Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Jet Greaves, posting three wins, a shutout and a .962 SV%, and Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid, recording nine assists in three games. 

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