Initially, the signing of Deandre Ayton looked to have potentially filled the hole at center for the future. However, as the season has progressed, Ayton has looked less and less like the perfect solution, opening up the search for the long-term answer at the position.
One of the names that could come up in the lead-up to the trade deadline could be Pelicans young center Yves Missi. Drafted four picks after Dalton Knecht, Missi is a young, energetic big man who loves to throw down a lob.
Despite sporting a dazzling 11-36 record, the Pelicans have reportedly made a host of their players, including Herb Jones, untouchable, as a team with the worst record in the league should do. Not included among those players, though, is Yves Missi.
Earlier this week. NBA reporter Jake Fischer wrote about Missi being available and potentially being part of a trade involving Benedict Mathurin from the Pacers.
Combo guard Jordan Poole and the feisty Jose Alvarado are said to feature on that list, but recent first-round pick Yves Missi seems to be generating the greatest interest among the players for which the Pelicans have been testing the market. Along with our reporting last week that Indiana has called on Missi — as part of the Pacers’ ongoing search for front-line reinforcements — I’ve been advised that the Chicago Bulls are a team that covets Missi.
While the Lakers are not mentioned in the piece, there has been previous connections between Missi and LA. Over the summer, Missi was one of the players the Lakers reportedly called about in their search for a center.
After a promising rookie season in which he averaged 9.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game, Missi is averaging just 5.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game this season. After finishing last season with 116 dunks in 73 games, he has 30 in 39 games this year.
A lot of his step back in production feels related to his minutes decreasing and, subsequently, fewer shot attempts. The arrival of Derik Queen has dipped into his playing time, as has the improved health of Zion Williamson.
As a result, Missi is available.
At one point, a swap of Dalton Knecht for Missi was fair value, but those days have long passed. But Knecht’s salary could still be involved to make the math work with other compensation to follow. The biggest question is what that other compensation looks like.
If it’s draft picks, the Lakers are going to run into some problems. There’s the possibility that Pelinka pulls off a trade that nets them more future draft picks, but if that doesn’t happen, then the path to a trade isn’t as clear.
The Lakers don’t really have much in the way of enticing young players to add to the deal. Their best bet is offering some sort of salary relief. New Orleans, though, doesn’t have a bad contract that would make sense for the Lakers to trade for. Which means this is a pretty difficult trade to make work for the Lakers.
To that point, when the competition in the trade market is Mathurin, it’s going to make it a difficult trade for the Lakers to pull off. Mathurin is a much more talented young player than the Lakers have, so their deal would have to be structured differently.
What that solution is, though, is unclear, which might make it unlikely for Missi to be a Laker. But the fact that he’s available and the Lakers have been linked to him at least makes it a possibility.
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey used the 53rd overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft to take Bassey. He appeared in 23 NBA games a rookie, averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes per contest. Bassey had an impressive night in the Sixers’ Nov. 18, 2021 win over the Nuggets, posting 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks against Denver and superstar big man Nikola Jokic.
The Sixers waived Bassey in October of 2022. He’s appeared in 92 NBA games over the last four years and also suffered two season-ending left knee injuries. Bassey has played 10 times this season for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League and averaged 18.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.
As PhillyVoice’s Adam Aaronson detailed, adding Bassey brings the Sixers’ roster to 15 players, which enables Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow to remain on two-way contracts for the time being. If the Sixers hadn’t made any moves, both Barlow and Walker would’ve been ineligible to stay on the roster starting Monday.
Barlow and Walker have each contributed much more than the typical two-way player and appear strong candidates to eventually be converted to standard contracts. The 2026 trade deadline is Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. ET.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Mark Mitchell scored 25 points, including a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime, as Missouri edged Oklahoma 88-87 on Saturday.
Mitchell added 10 rebounds for his fifth career double-double and reached 1,500 career points in the second half for the Tigers (14-6, 4-3 SEC). Trent Pierce hit his only field goal of the game, a 37-foot pull-up 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime.
Oklahoma led 37-36 at halftime and carried that edge deep into the second half before the teams traded leads over the final minutes. The Sooners were up 81-78 with five seconds left in regulation before Pierce’s shot tied it at 81 on an assist from T.O. Barrett.
The Tigers trailed 85-83 with less than a minute left in overtime before Barrett tied the game on a driving layup with 24 seconds to go. After Oklahoma regained the lead on a short jumper by Xzayvier Brown with four seconds remaining, Mitchell buried the winning 3 from the top of the arc over two defenders as time expired.
Barrett scored a career-high 21 points to go with six rebounds and three steals in his first career start for Missouri. Jayden Stone added 20 points and seven rebounds, and Shawn Phillips Jr. grabbed nine boards and posted three blocks as the Tigers finished with a 41-29 rebounding advantage.
Nijel Pack scored 25 points for Oklahoma (11-9, 1-6), making five 3-pointers and adding five assists. Brown finished with 19 points and six assists, and Derrion Reid added 12 points and five rebounds.
The loss was Oklahoma’s sixth straight after opening the season 11-3.
It’s 5º F in Boston, there’s a giant snowstorm coming, there’s an AFC Championship Game involving the Patriots tomorrow…everything is happening!
If nothing else, it’s a nice night to stay in and watch a hockey game. Hopefully the Bruins put forth a better effort than last time they hosted Montreal, but we’ll see.
Boston Celtics (28-16) at Chicago Bulls (22-22) Saturday, January 24, 2026 8:00 PM ET Regular Season Game #45, Road Game #25 TV: NBCSB, Chicago Sports Network, NBA-LP Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 670 AM, Sirius XM United Center
The Celtics complete their 2 game road trip with a visit to Chicago to take on the Bulls in the second of back to back games. This is the 2nd of 3 games between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 115-101 in Boston on January 5. They will meet for the 3rd and final time in Boston on February 11. The Celtics won the series 3-1 last season, with the loss coming in Boston. The Celtics are 138-110 overall, all time against the Bulls and they are 55-69 in games played in Chicago. The Celtics are playing on the second night of back to back games. They are 4-2 so far in the 2nd of back to back games.
Unlike the Celtics, who have 8 new players this season, the Bulls haven’t changed their roster all that much since last season. They made one trade that sent Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers in exchange for Isaac Okoro. They had signed Ball to a 2 year extension in February but traded him in the off season. The Bulls also drafted noa Essengue with the 12th pick in the draft and they chose Lachlan Olbrich with the 55th pick, and signed him to a 2 way contract.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 2 games ahead of 3rd place New York and 4th place Toronto, 3 games ahead of 5th place Cleveland and 4 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 21-10 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 15-9 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.
The Bulls are 9th in the East, 11 games behind first place Detroit, 2.5 games behind 6th place Cleveland, 1.5 games behind 7th place Orlando and 2 games behind 8th place Miami. They are 2 games ahead of 10th place Atlanta and 3.5 games ahead of 11th place Milwaukee. The Bulls are 14-15 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 14-9 at home and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 3 games.
The Celtics had one game at home after a 4 game road trip. They are playing in their 2nd straight game on the road in back to back games. Next, they will then have a 4 game home stand where they will host Portland, Atlanta, Sacramento and Milwaukee. Then, they are on the road at Dallas and Houston before playing Miami, New York, and Chicago at home, taking them into the All Star Break.
The Bulls will host the Los Angeles Lakers next before playing one game on the road at Indiana. They will return home to host Miami before playing Miami on the road in back to back games. They will then complete a 4 game road trip with games at Milwaukee and Toronto. After playing Denver at home they will go on the road at Brooklyn and Boston before the All Star break.
Jayson Tatum remains out for the Celtics as he continues to rehab from the Achilles tear he suffered in last year’s playoffs. Josh Minott is out due to a sprained ankle. Jaylen Brown is probable as he is dealing with hamstring tightness. Neemias Queta is probable with a non-covid illness. For the Bulls, Noa Essengue is out with a shoulder injury, Zach Collins is out with a toe injury and Tre Jones is out with a hamstring injury.
Probable Starting Matchups PG: Derrick White vs Coby White
SG: Payton Pritchard vs Isaac Okoro
SF: Jaylen Brown vs Matas Buzelis
PF: Sam Hauser vs Jalen Smith
C: Neemias Queta vs Nikola Vucevic
Celtics Reserves Anfernee Simons Chris Boucher Xavier Tillman Hugo Gonzalez Luka Garza Baylon Scheierman Jordan Walsh 2-Way Players Ron Harper, Jr Max Shulga Amari Williams
Injuries/Out Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out Josh Minott (ankle) out Jaylen Brown (hamstring) probable Neemias Queta (illness) probable Head Coach Joe Mazzulla Bulls Reserves Jevon Carter Ayo Dosunmo Josh Giddey Kevin Huerter Julian Phillips Dalen Terry
2 Way Players Yuki Kawamura Emanuel Miller Lachlan Olbrich Injuries/Out Zach Collins (toe) out Noa Essengue (shoulder) out Tre Jones (hamstring) out
Head Coach Billy Donovan
Key Matchups Derrick White vs Coby White White is averaging 18.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 45.5% from the field and 35.2% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he has averaged 11.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. In the January 5 game against the Celtics, he finished with 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists while shooting 28.6% from the field and 20% from 3. The Celtics need to defend him on the perimeter because, although he is streaky, he can catch fire from out there.
Neemias Queta vs Nikola Vucevic Vucevic is averaging 16.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 50.4% from the field and 37.3% from beyond the arc. Over his career against Boston, he has averaged 16.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. In the first game against the Celtics this season he finished with 15 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal while shooting 42.9% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards, but they also need to defend him on the perimeter as he is a good 3 point shooter. Honorable Mention Jaylen Brown vs Matas Buzelis Buzelis is averaging 14.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.8% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he averaged 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1 steal per game. In the first game against the Celtics this season, he finished with 26 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block while shooting 75% from the field and 75% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to do a better job of defending him in this game.
Keys to the Game Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics are 12th in the league with a defensive rating of 113.7. The Bulls are 24th with a defensive rating of 116.6. The Bulls are 16 with an offensive rating of 114.4 while the Celtics are 2nd with an offensive rating of 121.3. The Celtics need to get a strong defensive effort from every player on the court and they need to make defense a priority for all 48 minutes with no slacking off. The Celtics need to especially guard the 3 point line as the Bulls attempt 39.4 threes per game (10th) and they make 14.4 threes per game (9th).
Rebound – The Celtics must box out and crash the boards. They can’t score without the ball and it will take extra effort on their part to beat the Bulls on the boards. The Celtics are averaging 45.1 rebounds per game, which is 10th in the league. The Bulls are averaging 45.3 rebounds per game, which is 9th. The Celtics have to put out more effort to get to the rebounds before the Bulls and give themselves extra possessions and limit those possessions for the Bulls. Energy and Effort for 48 Minutes – The Celtics have to start the game with energy and have to play harder than the Bulls from the opening tip until the final buzzer. The Bulls have beaten some very good teams, among them the Pistons, Knicks, 76ers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Lakers and Clippers. The Celtics can’t expect to win with less than 100% effort for all 4 quarters. They have to be the more aggressive team, getting off to a fast start and playing hard right up to the final buzzer with no let up. They will get the Bulls best effort and so the Celtics must work harder than the Bulls with no let up.
Three Point Shooting – The Celtics often shoot 3s at a historic rate but there are times when their shots just aren’t falling. The Celtics are 2nd in the league, taking 42.4 threes per game. The Bulls are 10th, taking 39.4 threes per game. The Celtics make 15.6 threes per game while the Bulls make 14.4 threes per game. The Celtics need to focus on taking good shots and they need to move the ball so as to get open shots. If the 3s aren’t falling, they need to get to the basket or take mid-range shots. They also must defend the perimeter because the Bulls can get hot and put up a lot of 3 pointers if left open.
X-Factors Road Game and Back to Back – The Celtics are playing on the road and will have the distractions of travel and a hotel stay and playing in front of hostile fans in an unfamiliar arena. The Bulls lost the first game between these two teams and will be motivated to avenge that loss in this game. The Celtics are playing on the second night of back to back games and are coming off a double overtime win on Friday and so fatigue may become a factor down the stretch.
Officiating – The officiating is always an x-factor. Sometimes a crew will call the game tight and blow a whistle on every play. Other times they will let them play and let the game get physical and then change that midway and tighten it up. Sometimes they will favor one team over the other and other times they will call it even. Sometimes they are just bad. The Celtics need to adjust to the way the game is called and not let missed calls or bad calls affect their focus. If the calls are bad, they just need to play harder to make up for them and not waste time arguing with the officials. Most of all, they need to play hard enough to be far enough ahead that a bad call or two won’t make a difference.
After Saturday's game between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolveswas postponed due to a fatal shooting at the hands of a federal officer in Minnesota, television host and former NBA MVP Charles Barkley offered his thoughts live on Inside the NBA, saying people need to "step up and be adults."
Barkley called the situation "sad" and "scary," and said that "two people have died for no reason."
That was in reference to Saturday's shooting as well as that of Renee Good, who was shot by a federal ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
Barkley expressed that things are "going to end badly. It's already ended badly twice."
Ernie Johnson announces that the Timberwolves-Warriors game in Minnesota, which was scheduled as part of the ABC tripleheader, has been postponed by the NBA.
Per the NBA, the Warriors-Timberwolves game that was scheduled for Saturday will now be played on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Target Center in Minneapolis.
The Buffalo Sabres have endured injuries that have reduced the organization’s blueline depth, and in his first trade since taking over, Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen acquired veteran minor-league defenseman Gavin Bayreuther from the Carolina Hurricanes for AHL winger Viktor Neuchev.
Neuchev was selected in the third round of the 2022 Draft out of the Ekaterinburg Automobilist system, and after a full year in the KHL, the 22-year-old signed his entry-level contract and started in Rochester in a depth role. His role with the Amerks increased as the season progressed, and he ended his rookie season with 28 points (11 goals,17 assists). Last season, he was on pace to eclipse his rookie totals, but suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
In the final year of his ELC, Neuchev has 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in 34 games.
Bayreuther, 31, was an undrafted college free agent signed by Dallas in 2016, and after four years with the Stars, he was signed by Kekalainen in Columbus in 2020 and spent three years shuttling between the Blue Jackets and AHL Cleveland. After returning to the Stars organization for one year and playing in Switzerland last season, the left-handed defenseman signed with the Hurricanes, playing 33 games with the AHL Chicago Wolves.
The Sabres are without defenseman Conor Timmins (broken leg), and lost Jacob Bryson to an upper-body injury in Montreal on Thursday. Defenseman Michael Kesselring has been out four separate times this season, and with Zac Jones recalled to Buffalo, the Amerks needed help on the blueline.
The Dallas Mavericks have managed to put together another injury-laden season, the probability of which seemed low considering just how disastrous 2024-2025 was on the health front. Dereck Lively and Dante Exum are out for the season, having combined to play seven total games (all Lively). Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington have both experienced lower leg injuries resulting in multiple absences. Anthony Davis has been more injury prone than ever before. Then there is Kyrie Irving, nearing a full year since he sustained a March 3, 2025 ACL tear.
Rumors (a generous term) about Irving’s return began around the start of the new year, a by-product of irresponsible click-baiting and/or hopeful optimism, but now we have some meaningful commentary from someone who is actually close to the situation. Dwain Price wrote a piece for NBA.com wherein he collected some tidbits from Mavs’ head coach Jason Kidd.
“It will probably be after the All-Star break but there’s also other plans that could come into play here, too. Being able to get on the floor and play in an NBA game might be just a little bit different than practice.”
A post-All Star break return puts us about a month out from today for the soonest possible return to action. Should Irving get back on the floor before March, it would be an excellent recovery timeframe for the soon-to-be 34-year old.
Kidd does a good job of burying what may actually be the lede here, however. Is there a possibility Irving returns to practice, but not to games? Of course any player coming off this injury is going to have multiple test runs in practice scenarios to ensure no setbacks and to get themselves back into shape. Still, the phraseology used may be indicative of Irving having a longer than usual runway to return to game action, even after returning to practice.
“[The standings] has nothing to do with it… At some point there will be a timeline, but right now there is not a timeline… It’s about for him mentally and physically being able to play at the highest level in his mind, no one else’s.”
Taking Kidd at face value here, the Mavs making either a PlayIn push or taking a nosedive toward a better pick in the NBA Draft will have nothing to do with Irving’s return. This is good any way you cut it. If you are a fan of tanking toward the most beneficial pick this summer (the last pick the Mavs currently have exclusive control over until 2031), Irving being off the floor only helps that cause. If you’re a fan of seeing Irving paired with Cooper Flagg, waiting until he is 100% recovered is certainly the best option. There is nothing to rush back for.
Again though, there is another layer to the wordsmith onion here. The Mavs are clearly not throwing games, but rather making every effort to play hard and get wins. Irving would likely help in that effort, yet Dallas is allowing him to operate on his own level. The Mavs are going to play their games as though Irving is unavailable, and whenever he is good and ready, he will return to action (in some form) regardless of where the Mavs rank in the standings.
The situation surrounding Kyrie Irving remains intriguing. He seems to be a part of the long term plan in Dallas, but the Mavs also need to be thinking about finding his replacement in the upcoming draft stacked with elite guards. Irving’s continued absence will only help the Mavs odds in having a plethora of options in the draft, while time to fully heal will better the odds that Irving returns to his best post-injury form next season.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — JT Toppin had 31 points and 12 rebounds for his 44th career double-double and Donovan Atwell hit consecutive 3-pointers late to put No. 12 Texas Tech ahead to stay in a 90-86 win over No. 6 Houston on Saturday, ending the Cougars' 11-game winning streak.
True freshman Kingston Flemings had a season-high 42 points with six assists for the Cougars (17-2, 5-1 Big 12), who had won their past 16 true road games — all conference games — since a loss at No. 8 Kansas two years ago. That was a school record and the nation's longest active streak.
Texas Tech (16-4, 6-1) had 10 made 3s in the first half when scoring 55 points against a Houston team that coming in ranked second nationally allowing only 60.1 points. The Red Raiders made only two from beyond the arc after halftime, Atwell hitting the go-ahead 3 with 5:55 left and adding another 34 seconds later.
There were eight lead changes and eight ties in the game that Houston led for 18 minutes, 41 seconds, and Tech led 18:12.
Tech is 11-0 at home this season and has won five games in a row overall, and nine of 10 — the loss in that span being 69-65 at Houston on Jan. 6. Tech was the only Big 12 team to beat the Cougars last season, when they were conference champs and national runner-up.
Atwell, who finished with five 3s, and Jaylen Petty both had 18 points. Christian Anderson had 12 points with nine assists.
Emmanuel Sharp had 20 points for Houston.
Toppin's 44 career double-doubles are the second most for active players behind Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg (48). Toppin has 32 in 52 games with Tech since transferring from New Mexico after his freshman season.
Up next
Houston at TCU on Wednesday.
Texas Tech has a break before going to UCF next Saturday.
ROME (AP) — Como routed Torino 6-0 in Serie A on Saturday to follow up its 5-1 rout of the same opponent in November.
Anastasios Douvikas scored twice for Como, and Martin Baturina, Lucas Da Cunha, Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn and Maxence Caqueret added on for Cesc Fabregas’ team.
Como moved up to fifth place and just outside the Champions League places. It's 40 points are already a record in the top flight for the club located on the Swiss border.
Also, mid-table Cagliari won at Fiorentina 2-1, leaving the Tuscan club in the relegation zone; and Lazio was held at Lecce to 0-0.
On Sunday, second-placed AC Milan visits fourth-placed Roma and third-placed Napoli goes to sixth-placed Juventus.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Malik Reneau had a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double, Tre Donaldson and Shelton Henderson each added 16 points, and Miami defeated Syracuse 85-76 on Saturday.
Reneau picked up his sixth double-double of the season, and was 8-for-12 shooting from the floor and 1 for 2 from beyond the arc. He also dished five assists to tie Donaldson for a team-high.
The Hurricanes (16-4, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) snapped a two-game skid after winning their first four games of conference play.
Miami got off to a hot start, opening on a 9-0 run and building a double-digit lead. They took a 41-36 lead into halftime after Syracuse rallied back, but held the lead for all of the second half to win comfortably.
Tru Washington chipped in with 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting and the Hurricanes turned in a stellar shooting performance, making 61% of their shots from the field and 54% from beyond the arc. They had 20 of 33 made shots off assists.
Miami entered the contest leading the ACC in field-goal percentage and third in assists per game.
For the Orange (12-8, 3-4), Donnie Freeman led with 14 points, and Kiyan Anthony and Naithan George each had 13 points. Syracuse shot 49% from the field and 29% from deep.
Japanese star Yu Darvish signed a six-year, $126 million deal with the Cubs before the 2018 season, with escalators that could have brought that deal to $150 million. You all likely remember the “Daily Darvish” posts I made here in early 2018 in anticipation of Darvish’s signing.
Injuries and ineffectiveness ruined his first year with the Cubs. After a slow start in 2019 he went on an 11-start run with a 2.44 ERA and 0.784 WHIP and in that span he walked six (!) and struck out 93. Then the Cubs pen failed him in his last two starts, where he walked one and struck out 25 in 15.1 innings, and the Cubs collapsed out of a playoff spot. In the pandemic season, Darvish was great. He posted a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts, striking out 93 and walking just 14 in 76 innings, and finished second in Cy Young voting.
Then, as you know, the Cubs salary-dumped Darvish to the Padres (along with Victor Caratini, insisted on by the Padres as Darvish’s personal catcher) for four prospects, only one of whom, Owen Caissie, ever played in the major leagues. (Zach Davies was also included in the deal coming to the Cubs, but he had an awful season, one of the worst ever by a Cubs starter.)
Today, Darvish told the San Diego Union-Tribune that he is walking away from three years and $43 million remaining on his deal, after having elbow surgery in October:
“The way my rehab is going now, I am focused on getting right, not on coming back,” he said late last month. “Right now I’m not really thinking too much about the future. Just knowing the way I think, I’m sure I will one day want to throw again. All I’ve thought about in my life is baseball.”
Darvish missed half of the 2024 season due to elbow issues and a personal matter but came back to pitch exceptionally well in the playoffs. When he and Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller spoke after that season, it was with the understanding that Darvish would likely need elbow surgery at some point. Darvish said he made it clear at that time he was considering “getting rid of” his contract.
“As far as leaving lots of money,” Darvish said in a recent interview, “I look at it as that was never mine to begin with, especially considering the money I haven’t physically earned yet.”
Darvish had one really good year in San Diego in 2022, posting a 3.10 ERA and 0.950 WHIP and finishing eighth in Cy Young voting. Overall in five years with the Padres, he posted a 3.97 ERA and 1.100 WHIP in 115 starts. He made 51 starts with the Cubs in three years in blue pinstripes with a 3.60 ERA and 1.106 WHIP.
As you might recall, the Cubs were in on the bidding when Darvish was posted prior to the 2012 season, but the Texas Rangers won that bid and he played five years there, along with half a season with the Dodgers in 2017, where he stymied the Cubs in Game 3 of the NLCS.
Presuming this is it for Darvish, his final MLB game will be Game 3 of the 2025 Wild Card Series against the Cubs last October at Wrigley Field, where he threw a scoreless first inning, then the Cubs had four straight batters reach against him in the second. The last batter he faced was Pete Crow-Armstrong, who hit an RBI single [VIDEO].
I know many of you will note the salary dump of Darvish by the Cubs as a key moment in that part of Cubs history, and you’re certainly right about that. I’ll also note that with the trade of Caissie to the Marlins for Edward Cabrera, the Cubs still have a chance to get something out of that trade tree. Here’s hoping.
Overall, Darvish made 297 MLB starts and posted 33.6 bWAR. He had a 3.65 ERA, 1.138 WHIP, 2,075 strikeouts and 115 wins. Add to that 93 wins and a 1.99 ERA in 167 games (164 starts) with 1,250 strikeouts in seven years with the Nippon Ham Fighters in NPB and there’s a borderline Hall of Fame argument for Darvish.
Yu Darvish was a fun player to have on the Cubs while he was a member of the team. It’s unfortunate he spent much of that time injured, and was salary-dumped when he still could have helped the club. I wish him well in retirement.
UPDATE: After the article in the San Diego Union-Tribune was published, Darvish put this on social media. So we’ll see.
You may have seen an article, and although I am leaning towards voiding the contract, there’s still a lot that has to be talked over with the Padres so the finer details are yet to be decided. Also I will not be announcing my retirement yet. Right now I am fully focused on my…
NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Tucker scored twice and Alex Lyon stopped 26 shots and tied a Buffalo record with his ninth straight victory as the Sabres beat the New York Islanders 5-0 Saturday.
Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch also scored as the Sabres won their third straight and for the fifth time in seven games. Ryan McLeod and Mattias Samuelsson each had two assists.
Lyon, who signed with the Sabres in July after two seasons with Detroit, recorded the sixth shutout of his career and tied the Buffalo record of Gerry Desjardins (1976-77) with nine consecutive wins.
Buffalo improved to 18-3-1 in its last 22 games.
David Rittich made 16 saves for the Islanders, who were playing their first home game after a seven-game trip in which they went 3-3-1.
Rittich, who last started on Jan. 17 against Calgary, entered the game with a 4-2-2 record 2.46 goals-against average versus Buffalo. He slipped to 11-7-3 this season.
Zucker opened the scoring 33 seconds into the second period, scoring on a wrist shot, off a rebound of a shot by Jack Quinn. Thompson extended the lead to two goals, scoring past a sliding Rittich at 19:47 of the second.
Zucker’s second goal of the game, 25 seconds into the third, stretched the lead to 3-0. Dahlin scored into an empty net at 14:02 of the period and Tuch completed the scoring approximately 30 seconds later by tipping a shot from Samuelsson by Rittich.
Bo Horvat was back on the ice with the Islanders after being sidelined for nine games due to a lower-body injury.
Yu Darvish, amazing, magical pitcher who Rangers fans were fortunate enough to watch during his best years, is retiring, per multiple reports. A buyout is being negotiated between Darvish and the San Diego Padres in regards to the final three years of his deal, but reports indicate that he will be forfeiting the bulk of what he is owed by the Padres.
It is an unfortunate end to the career of one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen, and one of the best pitchers to wear a Texas Rangers uniform. Watching him retire 26 batters in a row at Minute Maid Park with a bevy of LSB-ers is one of the most memorable moments in my Rangers fandom.
(ed. note — Yu Darvish has released a statement saying that he hasn’t decided yet whether he is retiring.)
I could recite his stats and try to describe to you his greatness, but instead, I’m going to just drop this here:
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Britt Prince scored 20 points, Logan Nissley and Jessica Petrie each scored 15 points and 24th-ranked Nebraska held off Illinois 81-75 on Saturday.
Reserve Petra Bozan scored 11 points for the Cornhuskers (15-5, 4-5 Big Ten) who shot 49% (27 of 55).
Cearah Parchment scored 25 points, Berry Wallace scored 22 points, Destiny Jackson 13 and reserve Maddie Webber 11 for Illinois (15-5, 5-4).
Prince's short jumper not a minute into the second half gave Nebraska its largest lead of the game at 43-24. The Illini got within 56-44 at the end of three quarters, but not until late in the fourth did they become a threat.
Jackson made two foul shots with 2:30 left to get Illinois within double figures for the first time since early in the first. Parchment made 1 of 2 foul shots and Jackson made two more to make it 71-65 with 1:45 left but the Illini couldn't get any closer.
Amiah Hargrove's 3-pointer with 5:18 left in the first quarter gave Nebraska a 9-7 lead and started a 10-0 Cornhuskers run. They led for the remainder.
Nebraska led 19-11 at the end of the first and 41-23 at halftime.
Nebraska leads the series between the two teams 22-8. The Huskers lead 10-2 in Lincoln.
