MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 19: Bobby Witt Jr. #15 of Team USA fields a ball in the sixth inning against Team Cuba during the World Baseball Classic Semifinals at loanDepot park on March 19, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When you speak of the World Baseball Classic to Royals fans, their most vivid memories will be how two of their most important players heading into the 2023 season – Bobby Witt Jr. and Brady Singer – were participants on Team USA. Bobby and Brady were going to be vital to whatever success the Royals could have in 2023, but things didn’t go well.
Bobby managed only three plate appearances, but he did take a walk and smacked an RBI double. Brady Singer pitched two innings in a single game and allowed four runs. Considering the time they were away from Royals’ camp, it felt like they weren’t getting nearly enough work, and when the season began, they both got off to incredibly slow starts that helped bury the team in its 7-22 start, which snuffed the dim playoff hopes some fans might have had prior to the beginning of the year.
Over that span, Bobby slashed .253/.297/.453, good for a 100 wRC+, but not at all what Royals fans had hoped for his sophomore season. Singer made six starts, posting an 8.49 ERA. Both players improved significantly as the season went on, but by that point, it didn’t matter for 2023. It wasn’t disastrous because the 2023 Royals were, generally, not a good team, and even if they’d been better, things might not have turned out any happier. But the slow starts of those two players in particular were laid at the feet of their lack of playing time in the WBC.
Those two weren’t the only ones to play in that WBC from the Royals, however.
Vinnie Pasquantino was the starting first baseman for Team Italy. As such, he got 22 plate appearances. Pasquantino has developed a reputation for slow starts, but in 2023, he started out the year .279/.375/.500. He was one of the best hitters in baseball for that first month. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after that when he reinjured his shoulder and had to have season-ending surgery.
So while some fans worry about Jac Caglianone playing in the 2026 WBC, I’m excited about the opportunity in front of him. With Vinnie still on Team Italy, Caglianone will likely be their starting right fielder. That means he’s going to get competitive-speed action for a handful of games weeks before many of his peers. If that can’t help jump-start his 2026, I don’t know what will.
And don’t worry about Bobby, Salvy, or Maikel Garcia, either. They’re all almost certainly starters on their teams, too.
What about the pitchers?
Seth Lugo will be pitching for Puerto Rico, while Michael Wacha will pitch for Team USA. But there are far fewer reasons to be concerned about them than there ever were about Brady Singer. First of all, they’re veteran pitchers who have had long careers and a lot of success. They know how to take care of business, and a couple of extra weeks of pitching in the WBC isn’t going to cause them to delay their preparation for the season as it appeared to with Brady Singer, who was entering his fourth season.
But the next reason is perhaps just as important. Brian Sweeney and his staff appear to be infinitely better at preparing their pitchers for success than Cal Eldred and his staff were in 2022. It is easy to forget now, but the Royals’ coaching staff was the butt of many MLB jokes in 2022. Sure, Brian Sweeney was technically the pitching coach for Kansas City by the time the WBC came around in 2022, but Singer likely spent much of that offseason operating under instructions from Eldred or another coach who ultimately wasn’t retained to lead the staff. Lugo and Wacha have had the ability to know who their pitching coach is all offseason and have an exceptionally solid plan in place for how to handle their WBC duties in addition to getting ready for the season.
Regardless, the WBC is important
Honestly, even as a Royals fan, I’d support all of these guys going to participate in the WBC, even if I had real concerns about how they’d perform once they got back. Life is, at its core, a series of experiences. And if you get a chance to experience something like the WBC, you have to do it – even if, as a professional baseball player, you already get to experience things most of us only dream about. We only get one life, and it would be cruel to ask them to throw away a chance like this just because it might make it infinitesimally less likely that we’ll get to watch our team hoist a World Series trophy at the end of the year.
That’s more true than ever this year, as the 2023 WBC was such a classic that this iteration has generated more buzz than any I can remember. With all the nonsense about player insurance and teams telling their players they aren’t allowed to participate for one reason or another, there’s no telling how much longer this event could continue to go on. They’ve got to take advantage of it while they can.
And, to be clear, the WBC should go on. It might be awful to lose a key player to injury before the season even begins because he was participating in the tournament, but if baseball is going to continue to thrive as we push into the second quarter of the 21st century, it’s going to need to gain global appeal. It has a head start over a league like the NFL because baseball is already incredibly popular in many Latin American and Asian countries, but that’s all the more reason to not let that advantage lapse while the NFL continues to expand its own global footprint. MLB needs the WBC almost as badly as the WBC needs it, and I’m excited so many Royals will be participating this time.
TORONTO, ONTARIO - OCTOBER 05: Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees hits a two run double during the seventh inning in game two of the American League Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on October 05, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The list of position players to make the majors in the Yankees’ organization since Aaron Judge’s 2017 rookie campaign that have made such a great impact right out the gate is small.
Miguel Andujar was fantastic in 2018, but that fizzled out when he tried to play through a labrum tear in 2019. Gleyber Torres wasn’t yet 23 years old by the time he became a two-time All-Star in 2019. Despite not overwhelmingly great offensive numbers, Austin Wells was a Rookie of the Year finalist in 2024, and Jasson Domínguez had a memorable first 10 days in pinstripes before undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2023.
Ben Rice is older than all of these guys, turning 27 earlier in February. The former 12th-round pick was a very late bloomer who fell under the radar due to COVID-19 wiping out two entire seasons when he was at Dartmouth, and made his way to the majors in June 2024 after forcing the action with tremendous hitting in the minor leagues. After a rough cup of coffee that barely exhausted his rookie eligibility, Rice put on some muscle and clobbered the ball in 2025, forcing his way into the heart of the order as one of the team’s key bats. And despite the tremendous season he had, this might’ve been just the beginning.
There are 13 batting categories on Baseball Savant’s percentile rankings. Rice was the only qualified player in MLB who was better than the 60th percentile in all 13 categories:
To achieve this, you need to master several different aspects of hitting. You need to be patient, hit for power, display tremendous bat control, make good contact, and make good swing decisions. Rice does all of that, and even if you take off some of the less-important percentiles, he’s still part of a very, very elite class. The fascinating part is that a Savant page that looks this red almost always belongs to an MVP-caliber hitter, not a guy who lost out on a Silver Slugger to Zach McKinstry. That’s why it’s hard to contain excitement over what Rice can become as he enters his athletic prime: he was one of the unluckiest hitters in baseball last season.
Rice’s expected and actual stats slowly moved closer together as the season wound down, but he still underperformed his xwOBA by 36 points, making him the eighth-unluckiest hitter out of 251 qualified bats. For some of these hitters, the gap is between mediocre and average, or average to good. For Rice, the gap is between being great and being an All-MLB caliber hitter.
Why is he so unlucky? Well, he had a 25.2 pulled fly ball percentage, one of the highest in baseball. That, combined with his overall high rate of pulling the ball, does make it slightly easier to defend him due to defensive positioning. Defenses shade to the right side over 72 percent of the time against Rice, one of the league’s highest rates.
But using that as a reason for why Rice is “predictable” and will never be able to close that gap is lazy. Opposing defenses are also extremely sharp when he happens to be in the batter’s box.
Compare that with two Yankees on the opposite level of the spectrum, Aaron Judge (-7 OAA) and Trent Grisham (-9 OAA). Both hit the ball scorching hard, which limits a defender’s margin for error, and thus, yield higher BABIPs, especially in the case of Judge, whose BABIP in 2025 was historically high. Grisham pulls the ball just like Rice and also underperformed his peripherals, but didn’t get this level of defense.
The sky is the limit for Rice at the plate if he replicates that batted ball data. Can we really expect that a player who had a .439 xwOBA, 70.3 HardHit%, and 11.5 Whiff% against four-seam fastballs to only generate a +1 run value again?
The bigger question for Rice is his role and his playing time. The Yankees’ plan is for Rice to be the team’s primary first baseman, who’s also capable of filling in behind the plate. Rice isn’t the strongest framer or blocker (especially compared to Austin Wells and JC Escarra), and has an arm that will be exploited, but he’s far from the worst option to occasionally catch with his offensive tools. There’s a chance Escarra starts the season in Triple-A, and if he does, that’ll mean more reps behind the plate for Rice.
Initially, it seemed that Rice would get significantly more reps against left-handed pitching this year, but the Yankees decided to re-unite with the lefty-killing Paul Goldschmidt, who will certainly eat into Rice’s playing time against tough lefties. This could ultimately be a good idea, but Rice was passable against lefties last season and doesn’t have the level of drastic platoons that Ryan McMahon and Jazz Chisholm Jr. have.
Another potential benefit to bringing back the 38-year-old Goldschmidt is that Rice is still relatively new to first base, and there are worse things in the world than a four-time Gold Glover being a defensive mentor for Rice, who was mediocre defensively at the position last season. He’ll probably be sitting in the dugout late in close games for Goldy, but that shouldn’t cost him too many at-bats.
If he played two weeks less when filling in for an injured Anthony Rizzo in 2024 and Nick Kurtz didn’t exist, there’s a real chance that Rice would’ve been Rookie of the Year in 2025. There are a lot of similarities in the profiles of the Big Amish and Rice, who could both be among the AL’s best first basemen for the next decade. There’s a lot to be excited about with Ben Arroz, and 2026 could be just another step towards superstardom.
Feb 22, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Khris Middleton (20) in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
His IQ was described as beyond his years already back in high school. Khris Middleton, one of the new additions to the Dallas Mavericks roster in the Anthony Davis trade to the Washington Wizards, is not just any NBA veteran.
Second star at his peak in Milwaukee, once fighting for the top spot with later NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, battles with multiple serious injuries and the resulting psychological toll, reliable number two on a championship team, averaging more than 20 points in 80 playoff games through his career. Khris Middleton’s story is one of extreme ups and downs.
It includes being one of the best players on the best team in the world for a while, but also being accused of being too fearful and soft for the NBA. The rollercoaster career of the 6’7 forward is important to know if you want to understand the player who just had his first 25 point game as a Mav earlier this week.
Khris Middleton was a super efficient 11/15 from the floor en route to that 25 point performance (along with the 7 boards and 7 dimes noted below) and some of those 11 baskets are in these MavsTV broadcast highlights! Plus his post game visit with @LesleyMcCaslin! https://t.co/MlBAkiQtnspic.twitter.com/H3W5Vn43pW
Back in high school, John Pearson, Middleton’s coach at Porter-Gaud School, favored positionless basketball. He encouraged him to play all over the court, even in the post, Zach Lowe wrote in 2019 in a piece about the second star in Milwaukee.
According to Pearson, however, Middleton resisted. “But I wasn’t going to pigeonhole him,” he said later. It was a strategy that has proven beneficial to Middleton later in his career, and a gift in the NBA.
Another gift, which we see with the new, young franchise player in Dallas, rookie Cooper Flagg, as well, is the incredible mastery of being able to finish with both hands. Almost ambidextrous with a basketball, Middleton was forced to go left as a kid by his dad so often that he sometimes prefers it now. Just like we see with the younger Flagg.
Famously a Texas A&M alumni, Middleton was already a first-round NBA prospect after two years at the historic college, but they convinced him to stay another year. Unfortunately, he tore his meniscus that fall. He returned a month later, but wasn’t the same, his coach at the time, Billy Kennedy, remembered. “He was skittish. He played not to get hurt.”
After this, Middleton’s draft stock fell. Then scouts heard rumors Middleton was soft. The Detroit Pistons ended up picking him at 39 in the 2012 draft. Reportedly, that was nine picks after Middleton and his father stopped watching, because they were upset that he fell out of the first round.
But the Piston’s GM Joe Dumars didn’t see soft, Zach Lowe describes in his piece. He saw something more in Middleton. “I saw a guy who played at his own pace.”
People saw his unhurried style and thought he had a low motor, and he was misunderstood often. But the psychological toll on players after returning from serious injury was still affecting Middleton. He kept playing tentatively in his first summer league, because he hadn’t regained full strength in his knee.
That made Dumars react. “This isn’t college,” Dumars told Middleton. “Turn it up.”
Piston’s assistant coach Steve Hetzel agreed and told Middleton: “Your physicality has to change. You’re playing soft. You’re not making contact plays.”
Middleton couldn’t seem to move beyond the fear of injury. The experiences of getting injured had affected his mental approach. This is how he described the psychological toll of coming back from serious injury later in his career, himself. As reported by Marc J. Spears on Andscape in 2024:
“People say I was scared to play mentally, or whatever the case may be. It was just I wasn’t ready to play physically, mentally. When you go through injuries, when you go through surgeries, you have to make sure physically you feel fine and mentally you’re there. All the way around, you have to be ready to play.”
Opening up about how vulnerable it can feel, Middleton described the anxiety of getting back on the hardwood:
“The toughest day [mentally] was my first day of playing. You have a lot of questions about yourself. You worry about your wind and how you feel. Those type of things. What is going to happen if you take a hard fall or a hard hit?”
It seems like if there’s one thing he has learned through his struggles with multiple injuries, it’s the importance of positive self-talk.
“I tell myself, ‘You got to get yourself through it.’At the end of the day, you’re going to survive and you’re going to be all right.”
The Kidd of it all
In 2013, Khris Middleton was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He spent almost 12 seasons there until leaving for Washington in 2025, which means that he was there for the entirety of Jason Kidd’s tenure in Milwaukee from 2014-18. According to Zach Lowe, Kidd immediately targeted Middleton as someone who could do more.
During a December practice in 2014, Kidd went straight at Middleton in front of the team, telling him he “sucked,” according to both Middleton and Kidd.
“That was our first encounter,” Kidd told Lowe. “You always remember your first encounter.”
But Middleton fired back, which Kidd didn’t mind because he wanted Middleton, who he saw as an introvert, to speak up. An early example of the type of coaching Kidd seems to favor in order to try and push players out of their comfort zone.
But Kidd reportedly sensed that Middleton could take it, and he was spot on in this case. “I loved it,” Middleton told Zach Lowe. “He fired me up.”
And then the hard and intense coaching, which Kidd was known for in Milwaukee, began, which turned out to be exactly what Middleton needed at that point in his career.
He pushed Middleton to get better at everything, they both recalled. Defense, passing, post play, get more comfortable going right again (he may have overdone the lefty thing), shoot more threes. And the experience of positionless basketball in high school had ensured that he was versatile enough to do it all.
Middleton had a great competitive spirit, which came out in a 2015 roster battle. Against none other than the future NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, for alpha status in Milwaukee. Sounds crazy now, but back then, it was a reality. It was still unclear who was the best player: Khris Middleton or Giannias Antetokounmpo.
At that point, Kidd – always aware of these things – sensed tension, as Middleton, Antetokounmpo, Monroe, and Jabari Parker were trying to find their place in the hierarchy, according to the Lowe piece. Kidd wanted the unspoken tension out in the open and interrupted a film session to ask every player on the roster, one by one, who was the best player among them.
“It was awkward,” Middleton said about the episode. Most of the team nominated Middleton, but Antetokounmpo refused to go along. “He was stubborn,” Monroe says.
“Khris was better then,” Antetokounmpo admits.
And then Middleton and Antetokounmpo got more physical on defense toward each other during practice. “We were fighting for that top spot, and we were almost actually fighting,” Antetokounmpo recalls. “I would come home with bruises and scratches.”
Kidd’s firing in Milwaukee
A lot has been said and written about Jason Kidd’s last days in Milwaukee. High expectations, disappointing results, chemistry issues. Players were tired of his confrontational style.
Kidd was apparently not oblivious to this. Two days before his firing, he asked Middleton, “Do you need another coach?” Both Middleton and Kidd recall.
Middleton would do his job regardless, he replied, but you could tell the team was moving away from him, as Middleton put it. “I couldn’t pin it all on him. It is never all one person’s fault. Jason and I had a great relationship.”
That relationship is now getting rekindled, as Khris Middleton has returned to Texas as a Mav and to Jason Kidd as a player. At least for now.
According to Marc Stein, the Mavs are leaving it up to Khris Middleton to decide whether he wants to stay with the team or negotiate a buyout. They have reportedly conveyed to him that he could have a place on next season’s team, if he decides to stay.
And perhaps Kidd could get something special out of Middleton once again. Peak Middleton was a complement to Antetokounmpo on a championship team: a great shooter, who can space the floor, score late in the shot clock, and defend multiple positions. Imagine veteran Middleton doing just some of that next to Cooper Flagg.
And with Middleton, the ceiling is very high still. As his former assistant coach in Detroit, Steve Heyzel, said: “There is beauty in a player who falls, and grows from it.”
Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
As the Olympic season wraps up, the Boston Bruins sit at 57 games played, and the Trade Deadline incoming at them at distressing speeds. The NHL season’s truncated schedule to make room for Team USA and Team Canada’s all-timer tournaments has now created a dead heat of a last two months that will test the Boston Bruins in ways they have only rarely been tested before.
Now, let’s check in with the Boston Bruins, and discuss what they need to do next in this blisteringly paced season.
The Basics
The Boston Bruins are 32-20-6 in 57 games played, have 69 points in the standings, have scored 195 goals and let in 176 goals. Their home record is 17-8-3, their away record is 15-11-3, and at the end of the break they had a 6-3-0 record through their last ten games; their most recent one a controversial overtime loss to the Florida Panthers due to general Panthers behavior of the sort you’d imagine they get up to.
Their leading scorer is Morgan Geekie at 32 goals through 56 games played, and their leader in points is David Pastrnak with 71 points in 52 games.
The Analytics
In terms of offense, The Boston Bruins are 16th in the NHL in Corsi-For per 60 minutes; which is a measurement of shot attempts over the course of a 60 minute hockey game; this sits at 57.55. They are 19th in Fenwick-For per 60 minutes, which is a measurement of unblocked shot attempts over the course of a 60 minute hockey game. This sits at 40.97. They are 22nd in the NHL at Expected-Goals for per 60, which sits at 2.51, and is a measure of what we can call “shot quality”. They are 12th in the league at High Danger Goals-For per 60 minutes, which sits at 1.31.
From this, we can at least determine that while the Bruins do not have the puck very often and are letting the game come to them rather than the other way around, when they do have the puck, they usually score when they’re close to the net. This tracks based on what we can see about finishing data from HockeyViz.com.
Defensively, the Boston Bruins are quite a far cry from where they were years ago. They are 27th in the league at Corsi-against per sixty with 60.17. Fenwick-against per sixty is 24th in the league at 49.07, and they are 29th in Expected-Goals Against per 60 at 2.9. This suggests they are letting up a lot of shots, many of whom are pretty good ones at that.
Definitely gonna call that a “needs improvement”.
The things that work…
David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie are putting in heroic work!
For a good six weeks last year, the Bruins became the Pasta and Geekie show as they began to rapidly overtake just about everybody else on the depth chart in terms of NHL Scoring. To the delight of fans, that hasn’t gone away; if anything it’s actually improved quite a bit.
Pastrnak has developed a much more rounded playmaking addition to his game game in response to what I am sure is someone making it abundantly clear to him that he is probably the most well rounded player left on the team, and he put his best effort forward into becoming more than just a really good slapshot from the circles, and the team is better off for it.
Meanwhile, Morgan Geekie, of all people, is playing like he’s going to be a Rocket Richard finalist. That’s going to happen. We’re all here to watch that now.
What part of this is playing with great talent, what part of this is the power play being good, what part of this is him shooting like crazy (currently sitting at 24%), it’s hard to assign credit where it’s due on his game, but make no mistake, he is a blast to watch here.
Pleasant surprises abound in the depth!
Part of what’s made the Bruins sudden return to being watchable is that, for the most part, the depth has actually started to come alive!
Lots of flowers go to Fraser Minten, as he was an inexpensive add last year who showed a lot of promise, and has truly flourished in his role on the third line, but he’s hardly the only one! Viktor Arvidsson looks like he belongs after a slow start! Hell, it looks like he’s finally found his scoring touch again! Pavel Zacha has once again found the ability to potentially end up a 20+ goalscorer again! Marat Khusnutdinov has been the perfect chaotic addition to Pasta and Lindholm’s line! Lindholm himself seems to have found twine a little more which helps his case a lot! And hey, even Casey Mittelstadt seems to be finding a scoring touch against the right teams.
This was a hallmark of Marco Sturm teams in the AHL in that yes, they do have obvious stars, but they do tend to have a crop of players who start following in those stars wake to carve some goals out for themselves, and in an NHL this deep across the board it never hurts to have anyone who’s willing to step up.
Sturm’s Team never quits.
Even if the Bruins are not great, and sometimes they can lay an egg through at least 20 minutes of play…they are not out of it. Something in the locker room gets said, the team locks in, and the game changes. Not always for the better, but they do make something happen.
If there is one major positive that Marco Sturm has imparted upon these guys, that I think contributed to some early frustration within the team, is that they know they are never out of it, and relish the opportunity to be something special.
According to MoreHockeyStats.com, a fantastic resource for the kind of niche stat that this is; the Boston Bruins are 9th in the league in winning games in which they are behind by the third period. They’re in a multi-man tie for third if they’re only down a goal! Part of that of course is probably the power play; which is not just good, but actively great at 3rd in the entire league, but it does come down to effort. It makes for a genuinely fun watch even if they’re playing like garbage to start the game because yes; anyone can go be the hero if they want to be, and there are enough talented guys in the NHL now that it doesn’t just have to be Pasta or Geekie.
Given where we started with this team? I will take that one thousand times over. No contest.
…and the stuff that needs improvement.
The Bruins are in dire need of help up the middle.
So there’s two ways to look at this; the non analytics way and the analytics way. In the interest of fairness, I will address both.
From a more surface level side of things, just about every Center on the team is…fine. It’s a little weird that Mark Kastelic has the highest faceoff percentage of all
From an analytical side of things…
Well…It’s a good thing Sean Kuraly and Fraser Minten are having good seasons and Zacha is a fantastic power play guy, because this is kind of a rough place to be right now with your top six centers looking like this.
I’m not gonna hold Pavel Zacha’s draft acumen against him; he’s still a very good player and he’s third in goals on a team that has largely let two guys do all of the scoring for them, and even if he’s not exactly living entirely up to the level of ice time he gets through on-ice impact, results are there. They may be
Lindholm however…Lindholm I no longer feel any passion, fury or concern with. I know what he is, and he is not a 1st line center in the NHL. He might be a good 3rd C! That’d be a good spot for him at this point! But he’s not a 1st liner anymore and he is here for what feels like forever unless cooler heads prevail and the Bruins do something to get him outta here. It is by the grace of god that he gets to play with two players who can mask a lot of the busy nothing he does out there, and that should be cause for concern. This kind of thing becomes painfully apparent in the playoffs, and unless Lindholm has one last masterclass season in him, I think his usage on this team needs to be rethought immediately.
We do need to talk about Mason…
At the beginning of the season, we set what I think was a very reasonable goal for Lohrei to meet; just be A Guy this year.
Do not cause too much trouble and break even on defense this year. This was largely attainable for him; Lohrei’s ranginess, shot, and skating talent are undeniable qualities in his favor as a skater, particularly in a defense corps that still has a lot of trouble trying to leave the zone themselves. When he is at his best, you can absolutely see why the team wants him to remain an NHL skater and on their team.
He has however, largely failed to meet that lofty goal of “be boring”.
What is increasingly a problem for the Bruins is that his play recognition and game “sense” is routinely far behind the rest of his skillset, and it remains a major fault in his game that usually becomes his teammates’ problems in short order. Mason Lohrei has done something at least once in all of the contests he’s been a part of that drew attention to this particular flaw of his game, and usually dragged his defense partner into that boondoggle. It didn’t always end in a goal-against, but Lohrei’s consistent struggles to make good decisions with and without the puck inevitably end up dragging out defensive zone time for a team that already struggles with that.
Lohrei’s ability is constantly hampered by a decision-making that would have him out of the league were it not for the macrophilic tendencies of the organization trying to find something for him to do. This was a recurring problem with his defense partners in the past, and on some level the team tried to mitigate it by ensuring he had stoic partners who wouldn’t screw up nearly as badly, but it is absolutely unacceptable for a player they keep trying to dip into first pairing minutes.
Really, the worst part is that we know good performances for Lohrei are entirely possible and can happen. It is something he can be not just once every ten games but every game if he puts the effort forward and isn’t trying to force plays with the confidence of Icarus turning his wings sun-ward. Mason Lohrei is a good hockey player when he is focused! The problem is that focus seems to wander consistently, and that leads to trouble that people notice. Him getting benched and the team’s ability to at least stay ahead of opponents improving dramatically has only made it
Of course, he’s far from the only one.
…But he’s just the tip of the iceberg of a pretty poor defense.
I really cannot overstate how Lohrei’s large, flamboyant disaster shifts are just the loudest parts of a defense that is in dire need of anyone to recognize what they’re doing. If you are a fan who reconnected with the team back in the 2009-10 season, what you see on the ice feels spiritually incorrect… and yet, here we are, with a defense that is frankly pretty bad all around.
Lohrei’s issues are well known, but there’s a little bit of everything across this lineup when the defense is off it’s game: baffling decision-making with the puck, slow skating in just about every direction, criminal lack of play recognition leading to puck watching, whiffing on checks, over committing on checks, baubling the puck when you have it in the offensive zone…if I pointed at one name as the culprit, two more I didn’t would follow it up by doing the same things. It’s a unique problem that now follows this squad; Everybody’s struggling to get the puck out of their own end at the moment, and it will continue to be an issue until Marco Sturm adjusts something drastically with his staff, or there are adjustments made to the people putting that system into place on-ice.
And let’s not just leave it at the defensemen! Let us make it abundantly clear that the forwards are not helping much whatsoever in this defense and it does not matter who they are in the slightest! Pasta? Already not known for his defense but his impact has lessened, Kuraly? Pure offense guy now. Lindholm? Active liability. Jeannot? Nope. Mark Kastelic? Surely he’s good at this right? Not even close. Everybody shares some blame for this.
Are there positive points? Sure! Charlie McAvoy has once again found his game and while he may not be the most defensively sound player, he’s still getting the puck moving in the right direction! Nikita Zadorov has tried his damnedest into being a reasonable , and has slowly worked himself up into being a sort of ideal 2ndish-1stish pairing defender you can trust with most assignments! Jordan Harris has otherwise been a phenomenally talented player who seems to like playing close to home because he’s one of the very few Bruins defenders who is above water when it comes to possession, and frankly he is sorely missed! Hampus Lindholm when he wasn’t injured definitely seemed like he was a net positive!
But that’s not making up for the fact that this is a unit that needs an overhaul across the board, and it’s not going to
…And some things we still haven’t learned yet.
The Boston goaltending position is…getting there????
So here’s the thing: Both Joonas Korpisalo and Jeremy Swayman have played some strong hockey for the Bruins this year. They have put together genuinely strong games coming into and more than likely out of the Olympic Break. They have also put up some spectacular clunkers that have forced the team to play outside of their comfort zone when they just don’t have it. But if there can be said to be a positive, then having one goaltender who is at the absolute least, slightly above 2025-26’s average SV% must be it.
Jeremy Swayman was due for a return to form. While fans were ready at the drop of a hat to find a reason to get rid of him the minute ink hit paper on his very big contract that he spent a lot of time out with, the reality is that the Bruins #1 goaltender was probably not his 24-25 disaster season; if only by reasoning that there were too many things playing against him; the team’s offense was spluttering, their ability to hold the puck was non-existent, and their defense was an utter nightmare. Now, he has goal support and the defense in front of him has progressed to merely bad, so at the very least we can say that his contract did not in fact sap him of all of his capacity to be a good goaltender.
That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his specific concerns.
I have dubbed this the “Swayman thing”, because calling an effort thing is wrong and calling it a quirk cheapens it’s impact on games, and here it is; he is usually due for at least two goals against. They’re going to make you slap your head in exasperation. They’re gonna be awful. And then he locks in; that third goal-against becomes a herculean task that requires sustained pressure and a real great shot to beat him that third time. Most of the time, Swayman gives the Bruins a chance to win with that thing. It’s a big part of what made him so valuable to the team in the first place. But in a season where the defense is so routinely awful, even he has his limits, and the thing goes from cute but annoying to actively aggravating. It’s hard to put the most blame on either the defense in front of him or Swayman himself, but it’s something that the team desperately needs to get control of. When he’s on, he’s great! But that can be changed at the drop of a hat.
Joonas Korpisalo has also seen a lot of improvement which started at “effectively unplayable unless you were actively looking for a shot at the Mathew Schaefer sweepstakes” and is now just barely under the League’s average SV% of .893. He’s even got a shutout to his name! The problem of course, is that if you’re putting up .893, the real issue is consistency, and even between him and Swayman, the rubber-band results are kind of hard to ignore. There are some games back to back that make you wonder if he’s finally turning a corner…and then boom, sub-.800 SV%.
All of this leaves the Bruins goaltenders in a weird spot. We know the defense is bad. We know that both of these guys surely can’t be as bad as their previous season, but just how much better when your eccentricities are single-handedly geared towards making your team look bad and you look worse even if long-term you can probably win with them if you support them? What happens if you genuinely improve the skaters in front of them and they just stay like this or get worse? Are you really in a position to try and fix it when you keep giving out talent to other teams at this position, even if they themselves may never do this again?
The goalies, like they always are, remain an enigma. A frustrating one.
What the hell is the Atlantic Division and the NHL in general this year?
It seems the big word for sports in 2025 and going into 2026 is “uncertainty”.
Go take a look at the standings. Really. Go look at them.
Vegas and Edmonton are in a heated battle for the Pacific with just about half their division. The Pittsburgh Penguins, those Pittsburgh Penguins, are in a dead heat to try and catch the Hurricanes. The Stanley Cup champions are down with New Jersey and NYR at the bottom of the eastern conference. The only bastion of normalcy this year has been the Central Division, and even then the Colorado Avalanche have begun faltering, allowing Minnesota and Dallas a chance to catch up.
Like we all expected, right?
Parity has at long last hit the NHL like a bomb and I regret to inform you that it has genuinely produced some pretty solid hockey. It has also produced at least three divisions that are absolutely rife with the inability to truly seize a spot in the wildcard, and it’s meant checking the standings has gone from a thing maybe two teams maximum do to something just about everybody does in rapid succession because they now change that fast. Sure, there are some true dorks who want to know who’s “really good” and all that, and I say “That’s what the playoffs are for” and “Didn’t you say you don’t care about made-up numbers?”, but right now I can say with delight that the NHL season is truly unpredictable now.
Does that mean I don’t think it can hurt Boston any? Oh my, no.
If anything, I think we can agree that Boston may be one of the most vulnerable teams in this rat race because they are only just in the playoffs at this point. Sure, 69 points looks pretty nice now, but are you gonna count on the Jackets beefing it enough to get some distance? You really think the Caps are gonna stay in this weird mushy middle period before one of those russians decides to go on a heater? You think the Islanders are gonna be third in the Metro forever? There are a lot of teams looking for space in this wildcard right now, and the only one I think who has a good shot right now of keeping it is the goddamn Buffalo Sabres of all teams. The Sabres! And I could be totally wrong about that because this season has had nothing but shocking swerves!
This position they’re in is one they need to put a good foundation under quickly or they’re gonna find out how fun it is to float a house.
Do you stay the course on a steady re-tool? Or go and add big-time in pursuit of more of “The Juice”?
The Bruins were probably not supposed to be here this year.
But give ‘em credit! They’re healthy-ish, the stars are meeting the moment most nights, they acquired players who found specific niches for themselves, and made some decent bets that have for the most part paid off. Being back in a wildcard spot after last year? That feels like you’re well ahead of schedule!
Yeah, funny thing about that. Sometimes you can get so ahead of yourself you forget the details. Like hit the train in front of you.
They still need to put a lot of work into meeting the Lightning, the Red Wings, and the Habs where they are right now. That will take time, and it will take extremely careful adjusting of the roster to get there. They still need to get younger, they definitely need to get faster, and they need to get deeper. Nothing less will do. The teams around them are already there. They need to play catch up and fast.
But…“The Juice” beckons.
This phrase; “The Juice”, haunts this team like a wraith.
Ever since Jim Montgomery correctly identified that he didn’t have nearly as good a team as he wanted using that phrase, and that coaching could only get you so far without this one phrase; a heady mix of talent and want-to that he tried his damnedest to get out of the roster…I really think he pissed off somebody above him in a way that feels distinctly personal. Just about every single decision made at the beginning of the year and offseason felt like it was in direct service to proving Montgomery wrong. In fairness? It has started to show some fruit!
But they do need more. This isn’t close to enough and I think the team is aware of that…but I do fear that somebody, can’t say who, couldn’t pick who they are out of a lineup, who gets to make decisions about this team, is still fuming about that comment. The rumors of Justin Faulk and Rasmus Ristolainen reek of that kind of nonsense; looking for a “fire” in the room where talent won’t be given a wick to light.
Spite can become poisonous if left too long in the bloodstream. I’m a little concerned it may force them to do something rash.
…So, what do they do?
Well, let’s just say the taking stock period is either well underway or actively coming to a close. We have at least some idea of what this team is, and its issues are pretty clear.
Were it me in charge, I think the goal looks like this:
Get a 1C
Admittedly more a long term goal and one that maybe Hagens or Letournneau can fill as they’ve been having excellent seasons in college puck, but for the here and now it’s clear that top 6 center talent is going to need to be a priority going forward.
Make a painful decision on defense.
Somebody you like is probably gonna have to go alongside someone you don’t if the B’s want to improve their game on the blueline. Might mean Lindholm, may end up being Aspirot, could even mean Zadorov, but we can’t sit here and act like this is ignorable. Something needs to give, and in order to get something you’re gonna have to hold your nose and think about a championship future and defensemen are something the Bruins have at least a few of.
Just please don’t get Rasmus Ristolainen or Justin Faulk; we’re not cavemen and this team doesn’t need another old guy or a big guy who hits but doesn’t defense well; they have enough of those.
Weaponize your reputation.
Sweeney’s best deal of last deadline was explicitly using the Boston Bruins brand against a GM and staff who didn’t do the reading, and got a pick and Fraser Minten out of it. As such, it is the solemn duty of both the team and the coach to gin up a player in just such a way that a GM who is Not Intelligent buys it hook, line, and sinker. Unfortunately due to the way the Leafs are playing, that is unlikely to be Brad Treliving a second time. You may have to move on to Patrik Allvin.
Keep getting draft picks.
They’ve already got a pair of firsts for 2026 and 2027. James Hagens and Will Zellers are coming alive, and Dean Letournneau is starting to show the promise of his 25th overall selection in the 2024 draft. That’s a good start. Your cupboard went from last to about middle of the pack to close to the top ten in under a few years, but the B’s should not take this lightly. Even one graduation to the league next year would be a boon for them now, but take a name out of their prospect pool; something that is still quite thin. Whatever you do this deadline season, make sure an early round pick is thrown in for it.
The season will go by faster than you think, and with this retool moving much faster than anticipated, we can only hope now that the Bruins are seeing this year with clear eyes, and see that the future has needs that must be met here in the present.
But until then? Let’s see how far we can take this.
Perhaps he's simply trying to further ingratiate himself to Chicago Cubs fans, or draw the attention of boo birds when he heads back home.
But Pete Crow-Armstrong – an L.A. dude to his core, the son of actors and the product of one of SoCal's preeminent baseball factories – went well out of his way to bash Los Angeles Dodgers fans this week.
Crow-Armstrong, an All-Star center fielder at 23 last season, initially defiled fans of the two-time defending World Series champions in the proverbial "wide-ranging interview" with Chicago magazine, saying that Cubs fans "give a (expletive). They aren't just baseball fans who go to the game like Dodgers fans to take pictures and whatever. They're paying attention. They care."
Given a window to blunt the edges of those remarks Wednesday, Feb. 25, Crow-Armstrong instead doubled down in an appearance on Foul Territory, apparently referencing the tragic beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow and mildly castigating the vibes of a place that drew an MLB-high 4 million fans last season, though perhaps too many that aren't PCA's type.
"I grew up going to Dodgers games when they weren’t always good," he told the popular vodcast. "When they had Mannywood pop up. But it’s like they go in phases. I remember … putting the Giants fan in the coma. That stuck with me as a kid. Just little things. Sitting in the stands, just nasty stuff goes on. I didn’t always experience that at other ballparks."
The Mannywood-Stow era of 2008-2010 would certainly dovetail with Crow-Armstrong's boyish fandom era - he was roughly 6 to 9 years old then. Though perhaps the "go in phases" bit was lost on him – the Dodgers franchise was shortly thereafter plundered by former owner Frank McCourt, who was forced to sell the team by Major League Baseball amid a messy divorce.
Yeah, the fans didn't like that. And perhaps the finer points of sports business were lost on a young PCA, as the Dodgers returned to the limelight only after a sale to Guggenheim investments; the team essentially hasn't missed the playoffs since while re-setting the game's upper salary structure.
A structure Crow-Armstrong will eventually benefit from once he, too, is a free agent. So perhaps the bad memories of traffic jams on the way from Harvard-Westlake School – where tuition now retails for $55,000 – to Chavez Ravine stuck with him. (Was it the 134, the 101 or Sunset that was the culprit?) Maybe the music's too loud.
Or perhaps he wants to generate a faux rivalry between the Cubs and Dodgers. Either way, the Dodger lifestyle PCA seems to deride might look a little better come 2030 – when he's eligible for free agency.
The Montreal Canadiens and the New York Islanders finally resume their respective seasons as they meet on Thursday, February 26, at Bell Centre. This marks the first meeting of 2025-26 between these two Eastern Conference teams.
My Islanders vs. Canadiens predictions and NHL picks suggest that Nick Suzuki will continue his torrid offensive pace after a solid showing in Milan with Team Canada, while Noah Dobson makes his mark in his first game against his former club.
Islanders vs Canadiens prediction
Islanders vs Canadiens best bet: Nick Suzuki 1+ assists (-155)
Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki scored the biggest goal of his career in Milan, so it's easy to forget that assists account for 73% of his point total this season.
He ranks 11th in the NHL in helpers, and had 11 in his last 10 games before the break.
Suzuki's racked up a helper in nearly every game against a Top-10 defense since January 1, including the Stars, Wild (twice), and top-ranked Avalanche.
He's eighth in assists since January 4. The 26-year-old won't miss a beat and should still lance through a solid New York Islanders defense.
Islanders vs Canadiens same-game parlay
For the first time in his career, Noah Dobson will suit up against the Islanders.
He's riding a five-game point streak (one goal, seven points) and is on pace for his second-best offensive season.
The last 10 meetings between these teams have an average of 5.6 goals per game. Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes entered the break winning eight of his last 10 starts and hasn't lost in regulation since December 9.
He and Ilya Sorokin should limit the scoring tonight.
Each of the last four meetings between Montreal and New York has required extra time. Find more NHL betting trends for Islanders vs. Canadiens.
How to watch Islanders vs Canadiens
Location
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
Date
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Puck drop
7:00 p.m. ET
TV
MSGSN, TSN2
Islanders vs Canadiens latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The Atlanta Hawks will be looking for a second straight victory against the Washington Wizards tonight. The tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena.
Dyson Daniels is dropping dimes lately, and I’m eyeing him to do so again tonight in my Wizards vs. Hawks predictions.
Read more in my NBA picks for Thursday, February 26.
Wizards vs Hawks prediction
Wizards vs Hawks best bet: Dyson Daniels Over 6.5 assists (+100)
Dyson Daniels has been one of the Atlanta Hawks’ top playmakers this season, averaging 6.1 dimes, and with Trae Young gone, his passing has become even more important.
Daniels has cashed the Over in two straight, and he just dished out seven assists against the Washington Wizards earlier this week. The forward also registered eight dimes on Sunday against the Nets.
The 22-year-old is averaging 6.3 assists at homecompared to 5.9 on the road, and he already picked apart Washington. Daniels will replicate that performance.
Wizards vs Hawks same-game parlay
Onyeka Okongwu has been dominating on the boards, cashing the Over in three of his last four outings, grabbing at least 10 rebounds in each game.
CJ McCollum is averaging 2.6 makes on 6.8 triples per game for a 38.2% clip this season. While he was 0-for-6 in Tuesday’s revenge game, CJ did cash the Over in three straight contests before that.
He will bounce back tonight and find a rhythm from deep. With Nickeil Alexander-Walker questionable due to a foot sprain, that could also mean even more shots for McCollum.
Wizards vs Hawks SGP
Dyson Daniels Over 6.5 assists
Onyeka Okongwu Over 8.5 rebounds
CJ McCollum Over 2.5 threes
Our "from downtown" SGP: Downtown train
Okongwu has cashed the Over in triples in two of his last three, and was 2-for-7 from deep on Tuesday against Washington.
Wizards vs Hawks SGP
Dyson Daniels Over 6.5 assists
Onyeka Okongwu Over 8.5 rebounds
CJ McCollum Over 2.5 threes
Onyeka Okongwu Over 1.5 made threes
Wizards vs Hawks odds
Spread: Wizards +10 (-110) | Hawks -10 (-110)
Moneyline: Wizards +400 | Hawks -550
Over/Under: Over 235.5 (-110) | Under 235.5 (-110)
Wizards vs Hawks betting trend to know
The Atlanta Hawks have hit the Game Total Under in 19 of their last 30 games (+6.90 Units / 21% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Wizards vs. Hawks.
How to watch Wizards vs Hawks
Location
State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Date
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Tip-off
7:30 p.m. ET
TV
Monumental SN, FDSN SE Atlanta
Wizards vs Hawks latest injuries
Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
There is no doubt that New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton will be depended on if the Bronx Bombers want to win their first World Series since 2019.
Stanton has been plagued by injuries in recent years, and his elbow issues limited him to just 77 games last season.
The now 36-year-old Stanton still hit .273 with 24 home runs and 66 RBI when he did play but, even after an offseason of rest, was asked during spring training this week if his elbows would heal.
“That’ll never be the case,” Stanton said (via NJ.com). “Not while I’m in this line of work. “You have your good days and bad days, just like your mood and everything.”
The five-time All-Star then made a stunning admission on how useful his elbows are.
“I can’t open a bottle,” he said. “I can’t open a bag of chips … a bag of anything. That’s the way it is.”
Stanton said he wants to play a full season, though he hasn't played 140 games or more in a campaign since 2021. He will mostly be a designated hitter in 2026, but plans to get some outfield reps as his health allows.
“That’s not going to be fixed in surgery, and I don’t care what any doctor says because they don’t know what’s going on,” Stanton said. “What’s written (about my elbows) is what me and the Yankees give you.”
Stanton is the active MLB home run leader, with 453. He has two more seasons on a 13-year, $325 million contract he signed as a member of the Miami Marlins in 2014, before a 2028 club option — which contains a $10 million buyout — has to be decided.
We continue our trip throughout the diamond with a stop at the hot corner. Officially, the Astros are likely to have three players on the final 26 man roster that can play third base. However, we profiled Isaac Paredes at first base since he is likely to get more time there and Nick Allen will be profiled at shortstop. That leaves Carlos Correa as the primary third baseman, but we will also profile Shay Whitcomb since he is likely to be one of the first guys up in case of injury.
In this series, we are looking at some internal numbers that experts typically look at when they are trying to predict what a hitter might do. Obviously, teams have their own internal numbers and we will likely never have a chance to see those, but Fangraphs.com provides terrific information on each player that can keep us sustained for days or even weeks.
I have selected five such metrics to look at in order to predict what likely might happen in each players’ case. In particular, each number has its league norms as I will profile below, but I like to use three year intervals because it demonstrates a trend in each metric. Those trends are often more important than the league average itself. In Shay Whitcomb’s case we will be looking at his minor league numbers since he has not had enough big league exposure.
Chase rate: This is the percentage of balls a player swings at outside of the zone. The league average normally lives around 30 percent, but we will be looking at three year intervals and we should notice trends more than where a player is in relationship to the league average.
Hard hit percentage: This is simply the percentage of balls that a player hits hard. Hard hit balls become hits and extra base hits more often than softer contact. Typically 35 percent is around the league average in this category.
BABIP: This is batting average on balls in play. Home runs are obviously excluded since they are not in play. The league average tends to hover around .300 but it will largely depend on hard hit percentages and breakdowns between groundballs, flyballs, and line drives.
Contact percentage: This is the percentage of swings that turn into contact. Typically 75 percent is around league average.
HR/FB percentage: This is the percentage of flyballs that result in home runs. Ten percent is typically around the league average.
Carlos Correa
Chase
Hardhit
BABIP
Contact
HR/FB
2023
26.7
45.9
.272
77.3
13.7
2024
24.0
44.5
.343
81.4
14.7
2025
26.9
45.9
.328
79.9
10.6
Aggregate
25.9
45.4
.314
79.5
13.0
At this point in Correa’s career it is fair to expect to start seeing some rot. What we can see is that most of the numbers have remained constant except for the pure power numbers. It is fair to ask whether that is a predictor of things to come or whether that was a blip on the radar. Correa has always seemed like a guy that should hit more home runs than he does and when you look at the hard hit rate that partially explains it. He hits the ball hard routinely. He is not in the very top in the league in that category, but he is easily in the top 20 percent.
When you hit the ball hard you will typically have a good BABIP. This is particularly true if you are hitting more ground balls and line drives than flyballs. Correa is what happens when a player is decidedly above average at every single skill. That has a way of compounding and making a player sneakily good. Believe it or not, seeing a player that does each of the four skills (recognize strikes, hit the ball hard, make consistent contact, and hit for power) at an above average rate. Most players have a hole somewhere.
If we are hoping for growth from Correa then it would come in the power department. It will be interesting to see what happens now that he is in Daikan Park for a full season. Minnesota is not the easiest park in the league for home runs and obviously that short porch in left field might give Correa a boost. He’s not likely to go nuts, but maybe 15 to 20 home runs is in the offing.
Shay Whitcomb
Chase
Hardhit
BABIP
Contact
HR/FB
2023
39.0
41.9
.287
70.1
23.6
2024
29.2
42.5
.320
74.5
21.2
2025
26.9
42.7
.316
72.8
23.1
Aggregate
31.7
42.4
.308
72.5
22.6
At some point, we will need to get Jimmy Price on the line for some of these guys, because I will be fascinated to hear the opinion of someone more connected to the scouting world. Whitcomb is another Astros farmhand that seems to be missing the contact tool. The chase rate in 2023 only includes his AAA at bats because Fangraphs does not track AA and below. So, it is likely that his actual rate was below that.
A reader asked a question about ballpark effects and he was talking mainly about minor league parks. That is the missing piece here. We see some pretty stark home run rates there at the end and that probably is not sustainable at the big league level. He might live between 10 and 15 percent even if he adjusts to big league pitching. That makes Whitcomb suddenly look a lot more normal.
All that being said, no one considers Whitcomb to be a huge prospect, so he is just a good guy for organizational depth. One could imagine the profile above actually working in a lesser MLB city where the stakes aren’t so high like the White Sox, Rockies, Marlins, Nationals, or Angels. Maybe one of those teams have a middling bullpen arm or lottery ticket further away from the big leagues. He could also be a throw in come July. What do you expect from the Correa and Whitcomb this season?
PEORIA, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 25: Michael King #34 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the first inning of a spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Peoria Stadium on February 25, 2026 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Michael King - Getty Images
San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King was dominant through the first two innings of his Spring Training debut. He made a mistake to start the top of the third inning, allowing a leadoff home run to Christian Moore, but he struck out two of the next three batters and finished 2.2 innings with one run allowed on two hits with four strikeouts. King is hoping the solid debut is a sign of good things to come, adding that he hopes to get back to the pitcher he was during the 2024 season. The Padres offense took some time to get going but after taking the lead with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, San Diego never looked back en route to a 7-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
Padres News:
Walker Buehler signed a minor league deal with the Padres and seeing him in brown and gold still seems strange, but he is a big-league pitcher with postseason and World Series experience who could be a benefit to the rotation. Gaslamp Ball asked its readers if they would be rooting for Buehler to make the team. Results of the poll will be revealed later in the week.
According to a report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Sung-Mun Song appears to be completely healed from an oblique injury he sustained earlier in the offseason. With that being the case, he has to get to work quickly to adjust to pitching velocity in MLB. Manager Craig Stammen and hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. have a plan to get him where he needs to be and they believe he will get there. In the same article Acee mentions the Padres are receiving calls on their relievers. They have an abundance of bullpen arms and limited roster space, which could mean a trade occurs sometime before the end of Spring Training.
Ethan Salas missed all but 10 games of the 2025 season due to a stress reaction in his lower back. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune learned that although Salas could not learn through reps on the field last season, he learned by talking with a host of former catchers in the Padres system.
Baseball News:
Harrison Bader of the San Francisco Giants hit a home run that left a dent in a food truck. He did the only thing a player can do in that situation – he signed it.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor had the stitches removed from surgery on his left hand following surgery to repair a hamate injury and is on track to return by Opening Day.
Arizona Diamondbacks Opening Day starter Merrill Kelly is dealing with discomfort in his back and it has yet to be determined what the cause is. He may not be ready for opening day according to MLB Trade Rumors.
Feb 25, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) shoots against Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) during the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Bucks notched back-to-back wins against Eastern Conference playoff teams, taking down the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were without James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley, in a tightly contested 118-116 finish. The victory also breaks Cleveland’s seven-game winning streak over Milwaukee, dating back to January 26, 2024. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.
Kenny Atkinson called out Rollins’ improved passing pre-game, and he was proven correct. Made some exceptional reads and came up with a couple of clutch layups near the end.
This is the best KPJ has looked as a Buck. He was crashing the glass; he isn’t turning it over as much, and he’s becoming a late-game closer. That mid-range jumper to put Milwaukee up two with 20 seconds to go was exceptional.
The real AJ Green finally stood back up. Doc Rivers told us pre-game that he got after Green for not taking a shot in the first half against Miami, and clearly the message got across. Green took the first shot of the game for the Bucks and was aggressive from there on out.
Kuzma has found a rhythm from beyond the arc in his last two games. Shooting 32.5% from range this season, he’s shot 8/17 (47.1%) against Miami and Cleveland. Not saying this is sustainable, but the Bucks will take these types of performances from Kuz.
Despite scoring nine of his 15 points in the first half, Turner was not playing well. He was getting beaten on the glass by Allen and just looked slow. He seemed to find his legs in the second half, grabbing all three of his rebounds.
While it’s a lower-scoring output than Tuesday night, this was still a solid Bobby game. He didn’t force any bad shots and helped clean up the defensive glass.
Thomas had very similar games in this back-to-back. He had a nice scoring run when he first checked in, but didn’t find the bottom of the basket after that. Also, it was a bad look when Thomas appeared to complain about being taken out in the fourth quarter.
I was wrong when I said on Sunday that the Sims hype train was over. Every time he came into the game, the Bucks looked much better on the glass. Just a fantastic game for Sims.
It was a fairly quiet night for Dieng. He had a three-pointer and had a nice pass to Myles Turner for a dunk. Outside of that, it was a game to forget.
Grade: C-
Doc Rivers
Credit has to go to Doc for running with Sims as much as he did. I would’ve liked to see more of Sims and Turner together, but he made some solid adjustments, limiting the Cavs to 37 shot attempts in the second half (they had 50 in the first).
Grade: B-
DNP-CD: Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Gary Harris, Gary Trent Jr., Andre Jackson Jr., Pete Nance
Inactive: Alex Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Taurean Prince
Bonus Bucks Bits
Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and James Harden all sat this one out for Cleveland. Harden has a broken thumb. Despite playing on Tuesday night, Mitchell missed due to a right groin strain, and Mobley—who also played Tuesday—was out due to left calf injury maintenance.
Two of the Bucks’ major sticking points this season have been total rebounding and getting to the free-throw line, as they rank 27th and 29th in those areas, respectively. Tonight was no different, as they were out-rebounded by the Cavs 44-36 and outshot at the charity stripe 27-5. Doc credited their three-point shooting as the difference, with the Bucks going 19/45 (42.2%) and the Cavaliers shooting 12/40 (30%).
Ryan Rollins has continued to level up his game since he set foot in Milwaukee. Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, who was an assistant in Golden State when Rollins was drafted there, talked about how much he’s grown since then:
“He’s really become a good passer and decision maker. He’s much more of a pure point guard than when I first saw him; he was just kind of speed and downhill. But now, I really like his feel watching him. These guys are so young and not used to the professional lifestyle, all that stuff, but I loved the talent, I loved his demeanor, tough as nails. I was just more pro Ryan Rollins, and now to see the passing and playmaking. Doc and them, development-wise, have done a great job with him. They have to recognize it here too, right? Guys like that sometimes, are you going to give them a chance? Are you going to give them an opportunity? You gotta give Doc and that group a lot of credit for saying, here you go.”
Jericho Sims is playing some of the best basketball of his career during the Bucks’ recent run of good form. In the last 10 games, he’s fourth on the team in minutes per game (26.5) and is averaging 7.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 2.3 APG. Doc talked pre-game about Sims’ development as of late, with the help of assistant coach Jason Love, specifically:
“J-Love is phenomenal, and that’s another guy when you look at where he’s (Sims) at now to where he was at the beginning of the year, his passing, his rolling, his catching, and making the secondary decision making has been fantastic. That’s taxing work. Who wants to roll 50 times in a practice, catch it, and then try to read over and over? You gotta want to do that stuff, (and) give Jericho credit, but give J-Love credit because they do it every day. They watch film every day, on when it doesn’t work and when it works, and he enjoys doing it.”
Myles Turner officially crossed the 1,500 block threshold in the first quarter after swatting a shot away from Dean Wade. He becomes the 41st player in NBA history to break into the 1,500 club, and is 17 rejections away from Caldwell Jones.
Up Next
The Bucks will wrap up their four-game homestand with another top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, as the New York Knicks come to town. The tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central time and can be watched on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.
The San Antonio Spurs bring a 10-game winning streak to Barclays Center when they visit the Brooklyn Nets.
The Bottom-5 Nets defense will have its hands full tonight, and my Spurs vs. Nets predictions expect a high-scoring contest.
Read on for my NBA picks for Thursday, February 26.
Spurs vs Nets prediction
Spurs vs Nets best bet: Over 224.5 (-110)
This bet isn’t about the Brooklyn Nets suddenly becoming an offensive juggernaut, because they aren’t.
It’s about their Bottom-5 defense and how the San Antonio Spurs are scoring at an elite clip, averaging a league-best 124 points per game during their 10-game winning streak.
Brooklyn is allowing over 50% shooting in its last 10 games and offers very little defensive resistance. San Antonio has given up 110 PPG in that stretch, and Brooklyn has enough shot-makers to help push this one past the game total.
Spurs vs Nets same-game parlay
De’Aaron Fox has made at least two triples in three of his previous five games, and Nets guard Egor Demin is knocking down at least two made threes in five of his past nine contests.
Spurs vs Nets SGP
Over 224.5
De'Aaron Fox Over 1.5 made threes
Egor Demin Over 2.5 made threes
Our "from downtown" SGP: MPJ helps lift the total
Michael Porter Jr. averages over 24 PPG and has scored at least 23 points in two of his last five.
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Feb 25, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jordan Walsh (27) and Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas (17) battle for a loose ball during the first half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
#1 – A second behind
Sometimes in life, you feel like you’re a step behind. Nothing big, but yet, it creates a difference between where you should be and where you are, and this small difference has consequences. Well, that’s how it felt looking at the Celtics’ off-ball defense last night.
This first bucket from the Nuggets is a great example of the Nuggets being a step ahead. The screen from Cam Johnson causes a bit of chaos as Derrick White and Jaylen Brown don’t switch, leaving a lot of space for Jamal Murray to cut to the rim. A few possessions later, it’s Brown again who is half a second late when Johnson starts moving, and that’s enough for the Nuggets to punish the Celtics.
Denver is a very smart, very well coached team. It isn’t a surprise they involved Jordan Walsh’s matchup in the screen because the young wing has a tendency to overpressure off-ball. Therefore, with all the screens and movement the Nuggets are creating, it is hard for him to keep up.
This game was a great example of what makes a team like Denver so good. They can find a breach in a great defense by targeting players’ tendencies. Like the Celtics, they scout, they learn, and they adapt their approach to the opponent, and it worked out pretty well, even in garbage time.
On offense, the Celtics lost the ball on more than 15% of their possessions. When this happens, the Celtics have a 50% win rate. Taking care of the ball is one of the foundations of that team, and they couldn’t deliver last night. Led by Bruce Brown and Spencer Jones, the Nuggets put a lot of pressure on the Celtics’ ball-handlers.
They also didn’t hesitate to bring a second defender to force a quicker decision and generated some mistakes from Boston. With that appetite for steals and the domination on the offensive glass, the Denver Nuggets were able to generate 10 more field-goal attempts than the Celtics. And when the Celtics lose the possession battle, it becomes a lot harder to compete against the best teams in the league.
#3 – Jokic deep-drop
It was a different sight than usual on defense for the Denver Nuggets. We are used to seeing Jokic hedging on the pick-and-roll to force a pass and put pressure on the ball-handler, but this wasn’t the case last night. The guards put a lot of pressure while the Serbian was commanding from the back.
It was an interesting way to take away the paint from the Celtics while showing bodies beyond the three-point line. While Jokic was in the paint behind the pick-and-roll, the Nuggets’ closest defender next to the screen would come to disrupt the action.
Thanks to that, Jokic had less effort to expend on defense and could compensate on offense. In some possessions, Jokic would come up to surprise the ball-handler and create some chaos, like here:
But overall, the 3-time MVP remained in a drop position, and this explains why the Celtics had so much trouble getting to the paint last night.
#4 – Denver daring Ron Harper Junior to shoot
The young wing is discovering the NBA and what it is like to be scouted by the best teams in the world. After a standout performance against the Suns, he was back on the bench to start the game. Yet, like every other player on the roster, the Nuggets scouted him and had a plan in mind for when he would come onto the court.
As the defensive plan was to protect the paint at all costs, they decided to leave him alone beyond the line to make sure the Celtics touched the paint as little as possible.
The Celtics tried to get him involved in the screening action, hoping he would draw some attention from the defense, but the Nuggets couldn’t care less about his shooting threat.
In the end, that approach worked out pretty well for Denver as Harper shot one for seven from deep in 10 minutes. This also took away part of his offensive impact, and the Celtics had to adapt their rotation.
#5 – Double-big again
Because the Nuggets were willing to leave non-shooters open, the Celtics tried their double-big lineup again. If the opponent isn’t going to respect your shooters, you might as well play big. And the idea makes sense.
Because the Celtics played with two bigs and the non-shooter of the two is Neemias Queta, Vucevic was matched up with a smaller player. Therefore, it was easier for him to get a mismatch in the post. However, it was also easier for Jokic to come help from behind because of Queta’s presence in the paint.
To make this work on offense, I think the Celtics need to work on high-low offense with more movement from the off-ball players around the two centers. Defensively, it brought more rebounding stability and rim protection. The Celtics could target non-shooting threats like Christian Braun so the paint remained stacked.
If the Celtics can build some offensive synergy between Queta and Vucevic, things could be really fun and bring a great balance against big teams like Denver.
#6 – Spread actions
Because Denver was so aggressive when it came to protecting the paint, the Celtics decided to start their actions from the half-court line to stretch the Denver defense.
Here, a zoom action for Derrick White starts from half court, with Sam Hauser screening at the logo and Queta handing off at the three-point line. Because of that space and the distance of the screen, Jones has more difficulty containing White. This created a little bit of chaos in the defense and worked pretty well.
Yet, starting from deep isn’t enough, and using screens correctly remains one of the most important parts of off-ball actions. Here, look how easy it is for the Denver Nuggets defenders to stay connected to their matchup despite the various screens.
The idea was great, the execution not so much. Yet, it gives some perspective on how the Celtics offense can adapt when the spacing is missing.
#7 – More volume for White?
Looking at the stats from cleaningtheglass.com, I’m left with a couple of questions.
First, why didn’t White have more opportunities with the shot? He was really efficient with 1.25 points per shot attempt, created chaos with his speed and passing, and yet his usage was pretty average.
In the meantime, Jaylen Brown’s usage was once again close to 40% despite really low efficiency. When the defense shrinks the space like last night, I would like to see more possessions for White to unlock Jaylen Brown off-ball.
Against such a smart defense, isolation and drives in a crowded paint won’t work as much as usual, and the Celtics need to readjust how JB plays against elite teams to make sure to maximize him next to a great connector like Derrick White. The former Colorado guard scored 18 points in the second quarter but couldn’t get anything going after that.
#8 – More minutes for Hauser?
A second question I would have asked is why Sam Hauser didn’t get more minutes. As we saw earlier, the Nuggets were willing to leave a shooter open to protect the paint – even if that shooter was Sam Hauser.
So, when Sam was the guy next to the ball on the pick-and-roll, it created great things for the Celtics because the help defender couldn’t fully commit. And if he did, the Celtics could swing the ball to the wing.
Even if he didn’t make all the shots, the added value in spacing was so crucial that it was vital for the Celtics to keep him on the court to have the best chance on offense.
It took seven games for someone to raise the question – let’s be patient. And also let’s take a step back and remember that Vucevic isn’t the Celtics’ savior. He never has been an efficient scorer, never been a great interior defender. But he is a smart player with great passing for a 7-footer.
If you are expecting Nikola Vucevic to reach Kristaps Porzingis’ numbers in rim protection and scoring efficiency, well, be prepared to wait for a while because it never was the case. However, Vucevic can bring a push in the possession battle while providing spacing and great secondary passing once he gets more comfortable in the Celtics offense.
Let’s be nice, let’s be patient, this roster isn’t changing anytime soon.
#10 – Out of gas, out of air
Three games in four days, the last one 5280 feet above sea level, and the Celtics were out of gas and out of air.
This month, they played six games on the road, a lot of time away from home. March should be far more comfortable with nine games at TD Garden.
Might be the perfect timing for Jayson Tatum to come back (and for me to book a ticket from France to cover some games from the ground).”
Feb 25, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jordan Walsh (27) and Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas (17) battle for a loose ball during the first half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
#1 – A second behind
Sometimes in life, you feel like you’re a step behind. Nothing big, but yet, it creates a difference between where you should be and where you are, and this small difference has consequences. Well, that’s how it felt looking at the Celtics’ off-ball defense last night.
This first bucket from the Nuggets is a great example of the Nuggets being a step ahead. The screen from Cam Johnson causes a bit of chaos as Derrick White and Jaylen Brown don’t switch, leaving a lot of space for Jamal Murray to cut to the rim. A few possessions later, it’s Brown again who is half a second late when Johnson starts moving, and that’s enough for the Nuggets to punish the Celtics.
Denver is a very smart, very well coached team. It isn’t a surprise they involved Jordan Walsh’s matchup in the screen because the young wing has a tendency to overpressure off-ball. Therefore, with all the screens and movement the Nuggets are creating, it is hard for him to keep up.
This game was a great example of what makes a team like Denver so good. They can find a breach in a great defense by targeting players’ tendencies. Like the Celtics, they scout, they learn, and they adapt their approach to the opponent, and it worked out pretty well, even in garbage time.
On offense, the Celtics lost the ball on more than 15% of their possessions. When this happens, the Celtics have a 50% win rate. Taking care of the ball is one of the foundations of that team, and they couldn’t deliver last night. Led by Bruce Brown and Spencer Jones, the Nuggets put a lot of pressure on the Celtics’ ball-handlers.
They also didn’t hesitate to bring a second defender to force a quicker decision and generated some mistakes from Boston. With that appetite for steals and the domination on the offensive glass, the Denver Nuggets were able to generate 10 more field-goal attempts than the Celtics. And when the Celtics lose the possession battle, it becomes a lot harder to compete against the best teams in the league.
#3 – Jokic deep-drop
It was a different sight than usual on defense for the Denver Nuggets. We are used to seeing Jokic hedging on the pick-and-roll to force a pass and put pressure on the ball-handler, but this wasn’t the case last night. The guards put a lot of pressure while the Serbian was commanding from the back.
It was an interesting way to take away the paint from the Celtics while showing bodies beyond the three-point line. While Jokic was in the paint behind the pick-and-roll, the Nuggets’ closest defender next to the screen would come to disrupt the action.
Thanks to that, Jokic had less effort to expend on defense and could compensate on offense. In some possessions, Jokic would come up to surprise the ball-handler and create some chaos, like here:
But overall, the 3-time MVP remained in a drop position, and this explains why the Celtics had so much trouble getting to the paint last night.
#4 – Denver daring Ron Harper Junior to shoot
The young wing is discovering the NBA and what it is like to be scouted by the best teams in the world. After a standout performance against the Suns, he was back on the bench to start the game. Yet, like every other player on the roster, the Nuggets scouted him and had a plan in mind for when he would come onto the court.
As the defensive plan was to protect the paint at all costs, they decided to leave him alone beyond the line to make sure the Celtics touched the paint as little as possible.
The Celtics tried to get him involved in the screening action, hoping he would draw some attention from the defense, but the Nuggets couldn’t care less about his shooting threat.
In the end, that approach worked out pretty well for Denver as Harper shot one for seven from deep in 10 minutes. This also took away part of his offensive impact, and the Celtics had to adapt their rotation.
#5 – Double-big again
Because the Nuggets were willing to leave non-shooters open, the Celtics tried their double-big lineup again. If the opponent isn’t going to respect your shooters, you might as well play big. And the idea makes sense.
Because the Celtics played with two bigs and the non-shooter of the two is Neemias Queta, Vucevic was matched up with a smaller player. Therefore, it was easier for him to get a mismatch in the post. However, it was also easier for Jokic to come help from behind because of Queta’s presence in the paint.
To make this work on offense, I think the Celtics need to work on high-low offense with more movement from the off-ball players around the two centers. Defensively, it brought more rebounding stability and rim protection. The Celtics could target non-shooting threats like Christian Braun so the paint remained stacked.
If the Celtics can build some offensive synergy between Queta and Vucevic, things could be really fun and bring a great balance against big teams like Denver.
#6 – Spread actions
Because Denver was so aggressive when it came to protecting the paint, the Celtics decided to start their actions from the half-court line to stretch the Denver defense.
Here, a zoom action for Derrick White starts from half court, with Sam Hauser screening at the logo and Queta handing off at the three-point line. Because of that space and the distance of the screen, Jones has more difficulty containing White. This created a little bit of chaos in the defense and worked pretty well.
Yet, starting from deep isn’t enough, and using screens correctly remains one of the most important parts of off-ball actions. Here, look how easy it is for the Denver Nuggets defenders to stay connected to their matchup despite the various screens.
The idea was great, the execution not so much. Yet, it gives some perspective on how the Celtics offense can adapt when the spacing is missing.
#7 – More volume for White?
Looking at the stats from cleaningtheglass.com, I’m left with a couple of questions.
First, why didn’t White have more opportunities with the shot? He was really efficient with 1.25 points per shot attempt, created chaos with his speed and passing, and yet his usage was pretty average.
In the meantime, Jaylen Brown’s usage was once again close to 40% despite really low efficiency. When the defense shrinks the space like last night, I would like to see more possessions for White to unlock Jaylen Brown off-ball.
Against such a smart defense, isolation and drives in a crowded paint won’t work as much as usual, and the Celtics need to readjust how JB plays against elite teams to make sure to maximize him next to a great connector like Derrick White. The former Colorado guard scored 18 points in the second quarter but couldn’t get anything going after that.
#8 – More minutes for Hauser?
A second question I would have asked is why Sam Hauser didn’t get more minutes. As we saw earlier, the Nuggets were willing to leave a shooter open to protect the paint – even if that shooter was Sam Hauser.
So, when Sam was the guy next to the ball on the pick-and-roll, it created great things for the Celtics because the help defender couldn’t fully commit. And if he did, the Celtics could swing the ball to the wing.
Even if he didn’t make all the shots, the added value in spacing was so crucial that it was vital for the Celtics to keep him on the court to have the best chance on offense.
It took seven games for someone to raise the question – let’s be patient. And also let’s take a step back and remember that Vucevic isn’t the Celtics’ savior. He never has been an efficient scorer, never been a great interior defender. But he is a smart player with great passing for a 7-footer.
If you are expecting Nikola Vucevic to reach Kristaps Porzingis’ numbers in rim protection and scoring efficiency, well, be prepared to wait for a while because it never was the case. However, Vucevic can bring a push in the possession battle while providing spacing and great secondary passing once he gets more comfortable in the Celtics offense.
Let’s be nice, let’s be patient, this roster isn’t changing anytime soon.
#10 – Out of gas, out of air
Three games in four days, the last one 5280 feet above sea level, and the Celtics were out of gas and out of air.
This month, they played six games on the road, a lot of time away from home. March should be far more comfortable with nine games at TD Garden.
Might be the perfect timing for Jayson Tatum to come back (and for me to book a ticket from France to cover some games from the ground).”
DENVER, COLORADO - FEBRUARY 25: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics dives for a loose ball against Cameron Johnson #23 of the Denver Nuggets in the first half at Ball Arena on February 25, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Boston Celtics could’ve secured a four-game road trip sweep over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night, had it not been for their second-half tumble. Defensive lapses, a no-show from the reserve unit, and countless missed opportunities doomed the Cs.
But instead of sulking in the aftermath, Jaylen Brown took a different, more constructive approach to digesting the team’s 103-84 defeat in Denver.
“I think we’ll be pleased by how many open looks we had,” Brown told reporters, per CLNS Media. “It’s not like our offense didn’t create the advantages we were looking for. We got a bunch of great shots, it felt like. It just didn’t go down tonight.”
Boston fell victim to a collection of factors that snowballed into a storm greater than the blizzard they avoided back in New England this past weekend. Even so, there was a bright side worth pinpointing, as Brown did. The Celtics consistently generated quality looks throughout the second half, which made the result all the more frustrating. Shot creation wasn’t the issue. Shot conversion, however, was.
They finished 12-of-43 from 3-point range (27.9%), with Brown, Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, and Payton Pritchard — all reliable perimeter threats — accounting for 13 of those misses. Of those attempts, 10 came on quality or wide-open looks. Over time, those misses dug a deeper divot, eventually forcing Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla to pull the plug and sit his starters on the bench for the final 5:33 of the fourth quarter.
DENVER, COLORADO – FEBRUARY 25: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets drives against Ron Harper Jr. #13 of the Boston Celtics in the first half at Ball Arena on February 25, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Brown doesn’t believe any of that is worth overanalyzing as the team heads back home.
“It’s a long season. It’s a journey,” Brown told reporters. “One game doesn’t make or break us. Tonight, we could’ve played better, we could’ve converted a little bit more — second night of a back-to-back. We don’t hang our heads, though. We move on to the next.”
Leaving regret in the rearview mirror has become one of this season’s greatest strengths for the Celtics. It’s a principle that Mazzulla has preached since the start of the campaign, and one the team has consistently embraced. Whether during their most dominant performances and their ugliest slip-ups, the Celtics have continued to put that short-term memory into practice — pragmatically.
Boston won’t dwell on a single play, no matter how costly, but that doesn’t mean that details are ignored. Film gets reviewed. Mistakes get addressed. There’s a balance, and everyone in the locker room understands it.
Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić finished scoring 30 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, but it was far from pretty. Jokić opened the night 4-of-11 in the first quarter, and nearly half of his 28 shot attempts came from beyond the arc. The three-time league MVP wasn’t the sole difference-maker responsible for dragging the Celtics and tilting the game, even though his double-double suggests it.
For the most part, Boston’s defense held its own against Jokić.
“I think we did a pretty good job on him,” White told reporters, per CLNS Media. “… He’s really good and does a little bit of everything for them, so I think our big did a pretty good job on him.”
The Celtics have 24 hours to unwind and reassess before hosting the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. Until then, they’ll roll with the approach that’s brought them this far in moving on from their Denver collapse. They’ll search for whatever opportunities remain in place to improve, make use of their miscues against the Nuggets, and establish the best way to strategize. It’s a collective effort.
“It would’ve been great to finish out strong in the road trip with a win,” Brown told reporters. “But 3-1 on a West Coast swing, coming straight out of the All-Star break, is not half bad. So, we just got to continue to get better little by little. I like where we’re at as a group. I think we’re playing some really good basketball. I think our guys have developed in areas that we continue to push along, so we just got to keep that up.”
Boston still owns the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, with a one and a ½ game lead over the New York Knicks. The race for the top spot also remains within reach, as the Celtics trail the Detroit Pistons only by five games. So while their 20th loss of the season was a tough one to stomach in real time, Boston remains in a favorable position worth highlighting.
“I like where we’re at as a group,” Brown told reporters. “I like where we’re at as a team.”
