Worldwide Sports News
The St. Louis Cardinals will tangle with those garbage can banging Houston Astros (sorry, but I can’t let it go) in a Spring Training game on Friday, March 13, 2026. According to MLB.com, Kyle Leahy will get his 4th start of the Spring while the New York Mets will send RHP Kai-Wei Teng to the mound.
This is your official game thread for the two World Baseball Classic quarterfinal games that will take place today. Here’s all the info you’ll need.
5:30 p.m. CT: Korea vs. Dominican Republic at loanDepot park, Miami. Pitchers: Hyun-Jin Ryu (LHP) vs. Cristopher Sánchez (LHP). TV: FS2, Fox Deportes. There are also radio broadcasts via Sirius XM (Channel 175) and streaming on MLB Audio. MLB.com Gameday
7 p.m. CT: USA vs. Canada at Daikin Park, Houston. Pitchers: Logan Webb (RHP) vs. Michael Soroka (RHP). TV: Fox-TV, Fox Deportes. There are also radio broadcasts via Sirius XM (Channel 89) and streaming on MLB Audio. MLB.com Gameday
That’s all you should need for tonight’s games. Enjoy, and discuss amongst yourselves. There will be another game thread tomorrow for those quarterfinal games, and for the rest of the games in the WBC.
Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.
You know the drill.
This is now an open thread
Prior to beginning a six-game road trip, the Golden State Warriors will host one more home game on Friday night as they face the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM PT in San Francisco and will be broadcast on Prime Video and NBC Sports Bay Area.
Golden State is looking to regroup after a frustrating back-to-back that ended with a 130-124 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night. The defeat came just one day after the Warriors lost to the Utah Jazz, 119-116, marking two disappointing losses to sub-.500 tanking teams.
Against Chicago, the Warriors appeared to be in control late, holding an eight-point lead with 1:31 remaining. But things unraveled quickly in the closing moments. Bulls forward Matas Buzelis scored five unanswered points, promptingWarriors head coach Steve Kerr to foul up three to protect their lead in the closing seconds.
The strategy ultimately backfired after rookie LJ Cryer missed a crucial free throw to give them just a two-point lead. Moments later, a defensive foul by Draymond Green sent Chicago to the line, allowing the Bulls to tie the game in regulation. Chicago then carried that momentum into overtime, pulling away to secure the victory.
After the game, Kerr took responsibility for the late-game sequence, acknowledging that he put Green in a difficult position after sitting him for much of the fourth quarter.
While the Warriors have had their share of struggles, Minnesota enters Friday’s matchup dealing with problems of their own. The Timberwolves are also riding a three-game losing streak, losing by an average of 22 points during that stretch.
Defensive issues have played a major role in the slide as Minnesota has allowed at least one 30-point scorer in each of those games. In their most recent outing, Kawhi Leonard erupted for 45 points, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 153-128 blowout victory.
While that defensive slump could benefit a Warriors team searching for offensive rhythm, Golden State will still have its hands full with Anthony Edwards. The Timberwolves star currently ranks third in the NBA in scoring at 29.4 points per game.
The Warriors’ defense has generally held up well this season, but containing opposing stars has been a challenge at times. Expect Golden State to make slowing Edwards a major defensive priority Friday night, with Draymond Green likely taking on much of that assignment.
Enjoy the game Dub Nation. GO WARRIORS!!!
Warriors: Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, Gui Santos, Draymond Green, Al Horford
Timberwolves: Donte DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Robert
Who: Golden State Warriors (32 – 33) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (40 – 26)
When: Friday, March 13th, at 7:00 p.m. PT
Where: Chase Center — San Francisco, California
TV and Streaming: Prime Video and NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)
MONCHENGLADBACH, Germany (AP) — Kevin Stöger’s first goal of the season helped Borussia Mönchengladbach beat St. Pauli 2-0 and boost hopes of avoiding Bundesliga relegation on Friday.
Stöger was making his 200th Bundesliga appearance and struck a superb 25-meter free kick over the St. Pauli wall approaching halftime.
Franck Honorat added the second in the second half when he side-footed home a low left-foot drive.
It was a comfortable win for the 12th-placed Gladbach and lifted it four points clear of a packed relegation zone.
Only five points separate Hamburg in 10th place and St. Pauli, which is third from bottom in the last of the relegation places.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
It’s a full day of baseball down in the desert as the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants go up against one another twice in split-squad action at both teams’ home parks.
Chase Burns will toe the rubber in the early game, which will begin at 7:05 PM ET. That one’s on the road in Scottsdale at the Giants complex, and a lineup spearheaded by TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, Will Benson, and JJ Bleday will back him. Top prospect Tyson Lewis is also in the linep as the DH for the evening as that half of the Reds takes on San Francisco righty Landen Roupp.
There’s no televised feed for that one, but you’ll be able to follow along with San Francisco’s radio broadcast through MLB.com if you so choose.
Over in Goodyear, the other half of the Reds will host the Giants in a game set to begin at 9:05 PM ET under the lights. Brady Singer will get the start opposite Giants lefty Carson Whisenhunt, and the Reds defense behind Singer will feature Elly De La Cuz, Spencer Steer (getting a start at 2B), Sal Stewart at 1B, and Noelvi Marte getting some run in CF. Top prospect Alfredo Duno is in the lineup for that one, but he’ll DH as Tyler Stephenson takes the catching duties.
That game, too, will be untelevised. The Cincinnati radio broadcast crew will be following it, however, so you’ll be able to listen in via MLB.com (or you can fire up your transistor radio and catch it via Amplitude Modulation station 700 WLW).
Hat tip to Redleg Nation’s Doug Gray for posting the travel rosters for both games via Bluesky. Steele Hall is among the reserves for the team in Goodyear, while Ivan Johnson is on the bench for the game in Scottsdale fresh off his appearance for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic.
Go Reds! And, go Reds!
Location: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: KBME Sports Talk 790
Online: Rockets App, SCHN+
Time: 7:00 CST
Rockets: Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun
Pelicans: Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III, Saddiq Bey, Zion Williamson, Herbert Jones
The Houston Astros (7-9-3) travel to Jupiter, FL to face the St. Louis Cardinals (10-8-1) in Grapefruit League play.
RHP Kai-Wei Teng gets his first start of the Spring for Houston, opposed by RHP Kyle Leahy of St. Louis.
Game Date/Time: Friday, March 13, 5:05 p.m. CST
Location: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter, FL
TV: MLB Network (HOU blackout)
Streaming: MLB.TV
Radio: KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2
Former Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen and his two children, Ty and Faith, are feeling the NHL's embrace following his wife Hannah's death after a lengthy battle with cancer.
News of Hannah Larsen's passing was revealed publicly by former Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella, who passed along his condolences to his one-time assistant in Columbus and the Larsen family March 12 during an appearance as an ESPN studio analyst. Larsen has battled cancer twice himself, and Hannah played a key role in supporting him each time.
The Blue Jackets, the team Larsen spent almost a decade working for as a coach, issued a statement March 13 through social media offering the club's "deepest condolences" and "warmest thoughts."
During his time with the Blue Jackets, Larsen coached the team's AHL affiliate as assistant and head coach when it was located in Springfield, Massachusetts, before joining former coach Brad Richards' staff in 2014-15. Tortorella kept him on staff for six seasons before leaving the Blue Jackets under mutual terms that paved the way for Larsen to replace him as head coach.
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 13, 2026
Larsen spent two difficult seasons running the bench in Columbus amid a spate of injuries that led to his firing at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Larsen and his family stayed in the Columbus area, and the former NHL coach took a year off from his professional career to work with his son Ty's youth team.
Deepest condolences go out to Brad Larsen and his family following the passing of his wife Hannah. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Larsen family and all of those who knew and loved Hannah.
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 13, 2026
He was hired by the Calgary Flames on June 11, 2024, to restart his career as an NHL assistant, but took an indefinite leave of absence Dec. 8, 2024, to rejoin his family and care for his wife after her condition worsened.
After news of Hannah Larsen's passing was disclosed, condolences from many in hockey were posted on social media, including former Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent, who worked closely with Larsen as an assistant and replaced him for the 2023-24 season.
Yesterday, we received the terribly sad news of the passing of Hannah, wife of my friend Brad Larsen, after a long battle. My heart is broken for Brad, their two children, and all of Hannah’s family. Sending them all my love and deepest condolences.
— Pascal Vincent (@PascalVincent71) March 13, 2026
Vincent is now in his second season as head coach for the Montreal Canadiens' AHL affiliate, Laval Rocket.
"Yesterday, we received the terribly sad news of the passing of Hannah, wife of my friend Brad Larsen, after a long battle," he said. "My heart is broken for Brad, their two children, and all of Hannah’s family. Sending them all my love and deepest condolences."
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets, NHL embrace Brad Larsen after wife's death
After a long and exhilarating group stage, the 2026 World Baseball Classic has seen itself narrowed from 20 teams to eight.
Brazil, Czechia, Nicaragua, and Panama—all having finished at the bottom of their respective pools—have been relegated. These four teams will need to re-qualify for the main tournament in 2029. Meanwhile, the United States, Canada, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Japan, Korea, Italy, and Puerto Rico have all advanced to the knockout stage.
These eight remaining teams will play single elimination games tonight and tomorrow as the field is further cleared down to the last two teams standing for March 17th’s championship bout in Miami, Florida.
Venue: loanDepot Park — Miami, Florida, USA
One of three Pool C teams to finish group play with a 2-2 record, Korea knocked out Australia and Chinese Taipei by way of tiebreakers and an incredibly exciting match-up against Samurai Japan. Now Korea is fighting for their first top four World Baseball Classic result since they took home the silver medal in 2009.
Korea will be led tonight by starting pitcher and former MLB star Hyun-jin Ryu. Ryu will be making his second start of the tournament. The 39-year-old lefty worked three innings of one run baseball—off a solo home run—against Chinese Taipei and struck out three batters during the group round.
One of just three 4-0 teams represents a sturdy wall against Korea’s aspirations. The team from the Dominican Republic is absolutely stacked with current and former big league talent on their roster and coaching staff. Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, and Fernando Tatis Jr have been excellent at the plate, backed up by strong pitching that includes current Rockies reliever Juan Mejia and former Rockies reliever Carlos Estévez.
Making the start for the Dominican Republic is 2024 Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Cristopher Sánchez. The left-handed starter wasn’t his sharpest his last time out against Nicaragua, giving up three earned runs on six hits and a walk over 1 1/3 innings. He did, however, strike out four batters in the first inning to escape a bases loaded jam.
First Pitch: 4:30 PM MDT
TV: FS2
Radio: MLB Audio; Sirius XM
Lineups:
LHP Hyun-jin Ryu vs LHP Cristopher Sánchez
Venue: Daikin Park — Houston, Texas, USA
It may sound unlikely, but the powerhouse United States team enters the knockout stage as one of the more controversial teams in this year’s tournament. Despite being one of the most talented rosters on paper, Mark DeRosa’s squad has been accused of not taking the World Baseball Classic seriously this year. From not being aware they were on the verge of elimination, to the manager not knowing who was in his own bullpen, to Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh refusing to shake the hand of MLB teammate and Team Mexico outfielder Randy Arozarena’s hand, the Americans have been in the news for all the wrong reasons.
Thanks to a commanding win by undefeated Italy over Mexico, the United States made it to the knockout stage and will be led on the mound by San Francisco Giants righty Logan Webb. Webb pitched a near-flawless four innings during the group stage against Brazil. He struck out six batters and his only blemish was a single hit—a solo home run off the bat of Lucas Ramirez.
USA’s opponent tonight will be Team Canada, who have made the knockout stage for the first time in the history of the World Baseball Classic as the surprise top seed of Pool A. Even though they’re the top seed, Canada remains the underdog. The squad from America’s hat hasn’t defeated the squad from Canada’s pants since the 2006 tournament. They might have some extra motivation as they seek to avenge Team Canada’s loss in the 2026 Olympic hockey finals.
Arizona Diamondbacks righty Michael Soroka will take the mound for the Maples. He pitched three innings of one run baseball against Colombia his last time out with two strikeouts.
First Pitch: 6:00 PM MDT
TV: Fox
Radio: MLB Audio; Sirius XM
Lineups:
RHP Logan Webb vs RHP Michael Soroka
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The Washington Wizards play the Boston Celtics tomorrow night. Let’s get to the preview.
When: Saturday, Mar. 14 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA
How to watch: Monumental Sports Network, League Pass
Injuries: For the Wizards, Kyshawn George (elbow), Anthony Davis (hand, groin), Cam Whitmore (shoulder), and D’Angelo Russell (not with team) are out.
For the Celtics, Nikola Vucevic (hand) is out. Derrick White and Jayson Tatum are day-to-day.
The Wizards head into Saturday’s game on a 10-game losing streak and the NBA’s worst point differential at 11.1 points. Despite Washington’s losing streak, they are still 1.5 games ahead of the Indiana Pacers, who are on an 11-game losing streak and haven’t lost as many games as the Sacramento Kings, who are 16-51. Washington is 16-49.
Boston, on the other hand, has lost two games in a row, most recently to the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road last night. Stranger things have happened in basketball, like …. the 83-point game by some player on the Miami Heat earlier this week. And perhaps the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks’ 31-0 start before losing to UMass last night in the MAC quarterfinals. But it will be hard to see the Wizards upsetting the Celtics tomorrow night. That said, it’s all about the lottery balls now, right?
A natural hat trick from Raphael Lavoie powered the Henderson Silver Knights to a wild 7–6 overtime victory over the Tucson Roadrunners on Wednesday night at Tucson Arena.
Lavoie delivered the decisive moment just 90 seconds into overtime, completing his hat trick and capping one of the most chaotic games of the season for Henderson. The forward’s three-goal performance headlined a back-and-forth contest that featured 13 total goals and multiple momentum swings.
The Silver Knights are now winners of 7 of their last 10 contests.
Henderson struck first when Lavoie opened the scoring at 3:14 of the first period to give the Silver Knights an early 1–0 lead.
The Roadrunners quickly flipped the script.
In a stunning stretch that lasted less than two minutes, Tucson rattled off four consecutive goals to seize control of the game. Austin Poganski started the surge before Scott Perunovich, Cameron Hebig, and Ty Tullio followed in rapid succession to build a 4–1 Roadrunners lead.
Henderson began to claw its way back midway through the period when defenseman Jaycob Megna cut the deficit to 4–2 at the 8:11 mark.
Tucson regained breathing room late in the frame when Julian Lutz found the back of the net with 3:30 remaining, sending the Roadrunners into the intermission ahead 5–2.
Henderson wasted no time reigniting the comeback.
Just 11 seconds into the second period, Lavoie scored his second goal of the night off a setup from Tanner Laczynski, cutting the lead to 5–3. The assist marked the 100th of Laczynski’s American Hockey League career.
Momentum continued to swing toward Henderson midway through the period. Matyas Sapovaliv converted on the power play to bring the Silver Knights within one.
Moments later, rookie forward Trevor Connelly completed the rally by tying the game 5–5.
The Roadrunners briefly regained the lead when Poganski netted his second goal of the night less than a minute later, restoring Tucson’s advantage at 6–5.
But the Silver Knights refused to go away.
With just 45 seconds remaining in regulation, Connelly struck again, finishing a play set up by Alex Holtz and Kai Uchacz to force overtime.
Overtime lasted only a minute and a half.
Lavoie completed the hat trick with the game-winning goal 90 seconds into the extra period, sealing a dramatic 7–6 victory and completing Henderson’s comeback effort.
The Silver Knights will continue their road trip north of the border with a pair of games against the Abbotsford Canucks before concluding the trip against the Calgary Wranglers.
Fans can follow the Silver Knights throughout the road trip by tuning in on 1230 The Game or streaming the broadcast on FloHockey.
Almost three hours later, the play was fresh in coach JJ Redick’s mind. How the Lakers started their win over the Chicago Bulls felt like the blueprint for success.
The Lakers ran a movement set on the opening play Thursday, and using a screen from Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic found LeBron James in the corner. Ayton rolled toward the basket. James then made the extra pass. Austin Reaves splashed a three.
Working in perfect unison, the Lakers showed every component they spent the season searching for: Doncic powering the offense, Reaves finishing it, Ayton’s motor and, at the center, James’ selflessness.
With one month left of the regular season, James is prepared to continue sacrificing for the Lakers if it means they can get closer to contending in a crowded Western Conference playoff race.
"I know what I'm capable of still doing as an individual," James said after he scored 18 points to go with seven rebounds and seven assists against the Bulls in his first game back from a three-game absence. "But what's important for this team, I'm able to adapt to what's important for this team. And that's the only thing that matters. And the win is the only thing that matters.”
Read more:Luka Doncic scores 51 points as surging Lakers rout Bulls in LeBron's return
The Lakers (41-25) have won seven of their last eight games, climbing from sixth in the West to third before Saturday’s 5:30 p.m. game against Denver (41-26) at Crypto.com Arena. The critical conference game will decide the head-to-head tiebreaker between the teams that are separated by half a game in the standings.
During the week since their last loss to the Nuggets on March 5, the Lakers have reasserted themselves into the postseason conversation despite not having James. He injured his elbow and hip late in the Denver loss on a hard fall. But the Lakers didn’t appear to miss the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
They started this five-game homestand with three convincing wins without James, including two of their most significant of the season. Consecutive wins over New York and Minnesota, teams with records above .600, made the Lakers look like they were peaking at the right time.
Fitting James, Reaves and Doncic on the court together this season hasn’t been seamless. The Lakers are 12-7 in games the three play together. They’re 22-9 in games with only Reaves and Doncic.
Doncic, who scored 51 points Thursday, leads the NBA in scoring at 32.9 points per game and, despite a calf injury that sidelined him for more than a month, Reaves is in the midst of a career season with 23.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. James, averaging 21.4 points and seven assists, has a career-low usage rate.
While James was sidelined over the last week, he and Redick further discussed the approach necessary for the team to continue its recent success when he returned.
“He understands how important it is for Luka and AR to have time on the ball,” Redick said. “The realistic thing is that when they're on the court together, that's going to take away time on the ball from him.”
James didn’t take a shot in the first quarter against the Bulls. He didn’t score his first points until 54 seconds left in the second quarter. But he had three assists in the first half before he and Doncic combined for 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the third quarter. James was a perfect five for five from the field during the third quarter, then Reaves took over in the fourth, scoring 13 of his 30 points in the final quarter to eclipse 5,000 points for his career.
The trio was plus-25 together on the court against the Bulls, tied with Doncic, Reaves and Rui Hachimura for the best plus-minus rating of any three-man combination in the game.
“He’s one of the smartest guys to ever play the game of basketball,” Reaves said of James. “So his ability to adapt and to figure out what the game needs is second to none. … When you’ve got a player of that stature who’s willing to play the way the game needs him to play, it just shows how selfless he is.”
The Lakers needed all of James’ versatility with backup big men Jaxson Hayes (back soreness) and Maxi Kleber (lumber back strain) sidelined. Hayes got imaging on his back Thursday, but Redick did not have the results before the game. Redick expects Kleber to “be out for a little bit” after a previous back injury flared up again. Guard Marcus Smart, who missed Thursday’s game because of a hip injury that was lingering for several games, could return Saturday, Redick said.
James recognized he would have to set more screens, be more active on the glass and roll toward the basket more with the shorthanded frontcourt. Smart’s tenacity was a key ingredient to the defensive effort that locked down the Knicks and Timberwolves, and James, revered by coaches and teammates for his defensive communication, stepped up to anchor the defense too.
He and Doncic each had one block against the Bulls and combined for five of the Lakers’ nine steals.
“Greatness fits in with anything,” Ayton said. “That's LeBron James.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Another NBA jersey is going up on the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ wall, as former guard Malachi Smith is signing a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.
Smith averaged 14.4 points on 52 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent from three-point range, 5.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game with the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League team.
That now marks 34 players from the Pacific Northwest college basketball program who have played in the NBA. 13 of those are competing in the NBA right now.
Smith started his collegiate career with the Wright State Raiders from 2018-19, transferred to the Chattanooga Mocs from 2020-22, before making his way to Spokane, Washington, for his final season of eligibility. He was named the West Coast Conference Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 before going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Since then, he’s had stops with the G League’s Rip City Remix, Wisconsin Herd, Memphis Hustle, and Long Island Nets over the last three years.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
Well, it appears no reinforcements are on the way for the Sixers any time soon.
Joel Embiid will miss his seventh straight game with a right oblique strain when the Sixers host the Brooklyn Nets Saturday afternoon. Head coach Nick Nurse told reporters in Detroit Thursday that Embiid would be reevaluated on Friday. As of this posting, there’s been no update provided by the team.
Centers Adem Bona and Andre Drummond, who both sat out the blowout loss to the Pistons, are considered questionable with respective back issues.
With Tyrese Maxey (pinky), Kelly Oubre Jr. (elbow) and Paul George (suspension) all set to miss the next couple weeks at minimum, Embiid is the Sixers’ only real hope of getting any type of relief. Alas, it does not appear as if Embiid will be available for the team’s home back-to-back this weekend.
The glass half-full outlook is that the Sixers will play three of their next six games against teams that are openly tanking. The glass half-empty outlook is that the Sixers have even struggled with tanking teams in their current state.
In addition to being down Embiid Thursday night in Detroit, the Sixers were missing Bona and Drummond. That meant Dominick Barlow started and played most of the minutes at center while being backed up by Jabari Walker. It’s going to be awfully tough to win games if that arrangement continues.
The Sixers host the Nets Saturday afternoon and are right back at it against the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday night. After that, they go on a three-game road trip out West beginning with a St. Patrick’s Day matchup against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
The Sixers currently sit at 35-31, ninth in the Eastern Conference. They went from being pretty securely in the top-six to free falling to the bottom of the Play-In. They’re 2.5 games up on the 10th-place Charlotte Hornets.