Sports News – Page 2116 – Worldwide Sports News

April 9, 2025

Kings must play ‘right way' in final stretch with NBA play-in looming

Kings must play ‘right way' in final stretch with NBA play-in looming originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – All the math and calculations are over.

The Kings are locked into the No. 9 vs. No. 10 seed game and will be facing the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA play-in tournament bracket. The only question remaining is whether the game will be played in California at Golden 1 Center or in Texas at American Airlines Center.

While Sacramento has two games left on the regular-season schedule, interim coach Doug Christie had an inkling that this would be the way things played out, so he sent assistant coach Will Scott to scout Dallas last week.

The Kings already had a good read on the Mavericks, having won all three head-to-head matchups between the two teams this season. That gives Sacramento the tie-breaking advantage should it come down to that.

It probably won’t.

The Kings finish the regular season with home games against the playoff-bound Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns, who have been in roll-over-and-play-dead mode for a while now.

Dallas closes out against a sub-.500 team in the Toronto Raptors before going on the road to play a hungry Memphis Grizzlies squad trying to improve its own playoff positioning.

Barring a complete meltdown, the Kings will play host to the Mavericks in that 9-10 showdown on April 16 at G1C.

While Christie has his staff already doing some advanced scouting, Zach LaVine said it’s important that the Kings focus more on themselves right now before turning their attention to the Mavericks.

“We understand we‘re going to play them, but we’re more worried about ourselves on how we can get in the right rhythm and continue to play good basketball,” LaVine told NBC Sports California after the Kings’ 124-116 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. “Even tonight with the loss, we played good basketball, gave ourselves a chance. We’re going to see [the Mavericks], we’re going to play them, but these next couple of games, let’s make sure we play the right way.”

In spite of Wednesday’s loss, the Kings left G1C with a fairly positive vibe.

After a rocky first half when it fell behind 66-58, committed six turnovers and allowed Denver to shoot nearly 47 percent from the floor, Sacramento got going after halftime and made the Nuggets sweat out the final few minutes of the night.

“That was a tough one,” Christie said. “We’re gonna have to lick our wounds and come back and be ready to get it it because the Clippers are going to be coming.”

Christie lamented the Kings’ inability to sustain their attack against the Nuggets, so he didn’t get overly excited about Sacramento’s surge in the final minutes.

It basically was lipstick on a pig, and Christie knows it won’t be good enough in the postseason no matter who the Kings line up against.

“There is a level that I’m going to demand that we play at,” Christie said. “The consistency at which you play at that level in this league determines the altitude, how high you fly in this league. If you’re up and down constantly, you’re probably going to take a lot of losses. If you do not reach that level, you’re going to get the hell beat out of you.

“We’re not here for that.”

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April 9, 2025

Winnipeg Jets Trend Upward On The Ice And In The Stands, But There's More To Prove

Alex Iafallo and Mark Scheifele (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)

At this time last season, the Winnipeg Jets faced adversity on and off the ice.

At the box office, Jets owner Mark Chipman told media that a drop in attendance to just under 9,500 season-ticket holders had to be addressed. On the ice, the Jets followed up a season in which they finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference by getting drummed out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in a five-game series loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

This year, though, the Jets look to be having much more success, both in attendance and competitively, setting the stage for a crucial playoffs.

They’ve built the NHL’s best record at 53-21-4, and they’ve averaged 14,322 fans in the 15,225-seat Canada Life Centre – a 94.1 percent seating capacity. Their last six home games are sellouts. In sum, things are going about as well for the Jets as can be hoped.

Winnipeg handed the red-hot St. Louis Blues their first loss in 13 games. Barring a collapse in their final four regular-season games, the Jets will enter the playoffs as the West’s best team and likely the Presidents' Trophy winners.

But don’t take that to mean Winnipeg doesn’t have a ton to prove in the post-season.

To the contrary – as a team and as individuals, the Jets must demonstrate they’re capable of doing big things because their past tells you that people are right to be skeptical of what they can do when it counts.

For instance, Jets left winger Nikolaj Ehlers is a pending UFA this summer, and he’s posted 24 goals and 63 points in 67 games this season – one point away from matching his career high in points.

However, Ehlers only had a pair of assists in five playoff games last year. And in 37 career playoff games, he’s generated just four goals and 14 points. If the 29-year-old Denmark native wants a big payday starting next season, he must show he can step up when the games matter most.

Similarly, superstar goalie Connor Hellebuyck has been the NHL’s very best netminder this season, putting up a 44-12-3 record, a 2.02 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage – his best numbers in both those categories. But in five playoff games last spring, Hellebuyck posted a 5.23 GAA and an .870 SP. Hellebuyck must demonstrate he can succeed in the post-season or be stuck with the loser label for another year.

To be sure, the challenge for the Jets is clear – nothing less than a lengthy playoff run will be considered a success. If they can’t deliver on that front, Winnipeg fans may again be skeptical about the squad. It could be a vicious cycle for the Jets, and that’s why the stakes are so high for the franchise to build on this positive momentum.

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April 9, 2025

Dodgers snap three-game losing streak behind early burst, seventh-inning rally

Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani hits a single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell) — The Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani hits a single to lead off the game Wednesday against the Nationals. He would score on a triple by Tommy Edman. (John McDonnell / Associated Press)

Dave Roberts had a feeling as he walked around the clubhouse on Wednesday afternoon.

Over the previous five days, his once-unbeaten Dodgers team had lost four times. The night before, they did so embarrassingly on a frigid night in the country’s capital, striking out 15 times in a six-run loss to the rebuilding Washington Nationals.

In that defeat, Roberts was particularly perturbed by the club’s quality of at-bats — or lack thereof.

“The at-bats collectively haven’t been ‘team’ at-bats, and the results are showing,” Roberts said Tuesday night.

"I just don’t think 15 strikeouts with our ballclub should happen,” he reiterated in his pregame media scrum Wednesday.

By then, however, Roberts had noticed a renewed intensity from the group in their afternoon preparation — hopeful that Tuesday’s blowout, and an overall frustrating first trip in which they’d already clinched back-to-back series losses, would serve as the catalyst for a much-needed getaway day win.

“You don’t want to get swept by these guys. That wouldn’t be a good thing,” Roberts said, with the Dodgers having already lost twice this week at Nationals Park. “I think our guys have a good look today. There’s a sense of pride … I think you’ll see a different focus today. I expect us to perform today.”

In a 6-5 win over the Nationals, the Dodgers performed just enough; building, then blowing, an early four-run lead before finally prevailing behind a go-ahead seventh-inning rally.

With the sun finally out, and this week’s freezing East Coast temperatures finally warming up, the Dodgers got off to a blistering start Wednesday.

Shohei Ohtani hit a leadoff single. Mookie Betts put two aboard with a walk. Tommy Edman drove them both in with a triple into the right-field corner. Then Teoscar Hernández left the yard for a two-run shot.

Four batters in, it was 4-0.

The lead, however, wouldn’t last.

Nationals starter Jake Irvin found a groove, retiring 18 of the 21 batters he faced the rest of the way in what turned into a decent six-inning start.

Dodgers starter Landon Knack, on the other hand, faltered in his return to the big-league roster, giving up three runs in the bottom of the first (it would have been more if not for an inning-ending play Betts made deep in the hole at shortstop) then two more while getting pulled in the third.

The Nationals’ 5-4 lead lasted until Irvin exited the game at the start of the seventh — opening the door for the Dodgers to finally answer back.

Andy Pages started the rally by whacking his second home run in two nights, busting out of his early-season slump with a game-tying drive to left in an 0-and-2 count.

Then, Ohtani reached on a booted grounder to second. Edman drew a two-out walk. And with runners on the corners, Hernández lifted a bloop single just over the head of second baseman Luis García Jr. in shallow right field, plating the go-ahead run with his 16th RBI of the season (tied for most in the National League).

The Dodgers’ offense wouldn’t tack on again, finishing the day with nine more strikeouts.

But that was enough on a day the team’s lockdown bullpen combined for 6 ⅔ scoreless innings — avoiding what would have been their first three-game series sweep since last July, and validating Roberts’ pregame confidence.

Freddie Freeman expected back Friday

When the Dodgers return to Los Angeles for the start of a six-game homestand Friday, they’ll get an important boost to the lineup.

As was initially expected, injured first baseman Freddie Freeman is on track to be back on the field Friday night, after missing the team’s last nine games after re-aggravating his surgically repaired right ankle slipping in the shower earlier this month.

Freeman stayed back in California during the team’s trip this week, taking live batting practice at-bats against minor-league pitchers the last several days. More encouraging, according to Roberts, has been the way Freeman looked in baserunning drills the major-league coaching staff watched via video.

"Just looking at his gait running yesterday, I would say that it's better than it was when he started the season,” Roberts said.

“If nothing changes, he'll be in the lineup on Friday."

Freeman has played just three games so far this season. He sat out during the team’s season-opening series in Tokyo after feeling discomfort in the same area of his ribs he suffered torn cartilage during last year’s playoffs. And even before his shower mishap, his right ankle had not yet returned to 100% from the severe sprain he played through last October; an injury that led to a December debridement surgery to remove loose bodies.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

April 9, 2025

Massive Big Bash change to attract world’s best cricketers as draft order revealed

The Big Bash Drafts have been brought forward more than two months in an attempt to help the Australian T20 competition attract the world’s best overseas talent.

April 9, 2025

Kvaratskhelia, PSG’s joyous throwback, delivers moment of old-school delight | Barney Ronay

PSG’s winger makes up his own moments – and he scored a beauty to set Luis Enrique’s side on course for victory

It took three minutes of the second half for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, perhaps the most watchable footballer in Europe right now, to confirm the way this game was going.

Unai Emery had sent on Axel Disasi for Matty Cash at the break, with the score 1-1 and PSG hugely dominant on every metric. Cash was effectively doomed in this game from the moment he was booked pulling Kvaratskhelia back, just trying to stop the pain on Aston Villa’s right side, and already facing a case of terminal neck-crick from staring down at those shuffling feet. That was Cash’s fourth foul with just 17 minutes gone. Tick tock.

April 9, 2025

Even In Passing, Shero Leaves Legacy On Penguins Organization

January 31, 2012; Pittsburgh,PA, USA: Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero (left) and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby at a press conference to update the status of Crosby's health before the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the CONSOL Energy Center. (Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE)

It's hard to talk about the Sidney Crosby-era Pittsburgh Penguins without talking about former general manager Ray Shero.

Sadly, Shero died Wednesday at the age of 42. And he leaves behind a legacy in Pittsburgh that won't soon be forgotten.

The organization brought Shero on in 2006, and he made a pretty immediate impact in his first season. His very first draft selection was Jordan Staal (2nd overall), and he took the pieces already in place with Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury to take a lottery team to the Stanley Cup playoffs in year one.

From there, the Penguins only skyrocketed to new heights. The following season, the young team found themselves vying for the top spot in the Eastern Conference leading up to the NHL trade deadline. Wanting to go all-in, Shero took the initiative to approach ownership about accelerating the timeline for the team's "five-year plan."

And, with the blessing of then-majority owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, he did just that. His trade for the biggest name on the market that season - forward Marian Hossa - propelled the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final and set the precedent for all the years to follow with the organization.

Former Penguins GM Shero Passes Away At 62Just days after the Pittsburgh Penguins mourned the loss of former netminder and sports reporter Greg Millen, news broke on Wednesday morning that former Stanley Cup-winning General Manager Ray Shero had passed away at 62.

The Penguins won Shero's only Stanley Cup just one year later in 2009, but his "big move" in 2008 is what catapulted the organization into being the perennial contender that it is. From that point on, the Penguins solified the all-in, win-now approach that they became known for in all the years to follow - something that made them a model franchise for the better part of two decades.

With a very young core, he knew how to balance that youth and inexperience with valuable veteran acquisitions such as Gary Roberts, Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz, Pascal Dupuis, and Petr Sykora. He prioritized development and wanted the Penguins' AHL and ECHL teams to be vying for championships, not simply acting as a farm for the big club.

He put Pittsburgh on the map, and - although he was fired by the Penguins in the summer of 2014 - he was a huge reason why the Penguins had the foundation in place for sustained success, even after he moved on to the New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild.

Ray Shero is synonymous with the Crosby-era Penguins. And his contributions to the franchise - and to hockey - will continue to live on beyond his passing.

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April 9, 2025

Yankees’ Devin Williams ‘still figuring stuff out’ as early-season struggles continue

The Yankees went into the ninth inning of Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers feeling pretty good about themselves.

After the offense was held in check for most of the last three days, the Yankees were three outs away from salvaging the final game of the series after scoring four late runs. Manager Aaron Boone tasked closer Devin Williams with sealing the win, but it didn’t go as planned.

After getting two of the first three batters Williams faced out, the Tigers loaded the bases. A wild pitch and a two-run single later, and the Yankees’ four-run lead was cut to one.

The Yankees skipper, not wanting to risk the win, pulled his closer for Mark Leiter Jr., who got the final out in the 4-3 win, ending New York’s three-game losing streak.

It’s alarming to see Williams, who was dominant last season pitching to a 1.25 ERA in 22 appearances with the Milwaukee Brewers after returning from injury, struggle so mightily.

But the Yankees skipper isn’t concerned with his closer’s performance so far this season.

“I don’t think it’s far off,” Boone said of Williams’ pitches after the game. “I thought we saw more velocity in there when he needed it. It’s just that next level of execution. He’ll get there. Credit to [the Tigers] too for laying off a lot of tough pitches but just being more in the zone.”

In four appearances this season, Williams has allowed four earned runs in just 3.0 innings pitched. We had the nail-biter on Opening Day when he allowed one run on two hits and a walk before ultimately completing the save.

And then we had the series finale in Pittsburgh this past Sunday when he allowed the ghost runner to score the winning run in the 11th, before nearly blowing the save on Wednesday.

Williams admitted he is still figuring things out this season and there’s nothing physically wrong with him, but he's still "figuring stuff out," and just needs more game reps and to better execute his pitches.

"I haven't felt like 100 percent myself up to this point, but I would say I'm getting closer," Williams told the media including the NY Post’s Greg Joyce after the game.

Entering Wednesday, Williams has a career 3.03 ERA in the months of March and April, by far the highest for any month in his career.

Boone pointed to Williams’ recent absence when he went on the paternity list as a part of his closer’s early-season struggles and thinks once the team gets into a “flow” the Williams of old will emerge.

“I’m confident this is going to be a distant memory as we continue to move forward,” Boone said. “He’s not far off. Just a little better strike-throwing. Once he starts doing that and dictating counts, then you’re going to see it because his stuff is not far off. This is his fourth outing. He’ll be fine, he’ll get through this. Just early part of the season."

The Yankees return home after a 3-3 road trip and will host the San Francisco Giants in the Bronx this weekend starting Friday.

Perhaps returning home, in warmer weather than Detroit, will help Williams come out of hibernation.

April 9, 2025

Yankees’ Bellinger says he won’t eat chicken wings for years after suspected case of food poisoning

DETROIT — New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger is swearing off chicken wings.

“I will not eat wings for five years,” Bellinger told reporters on Wednesday, a day after he was scratched from the lineup with a suspected case of food poisoning.

Bellinger said he had chicken wings at the team’s hotel in the Motor City while watching the NCAA men’s basketball championship game on Monday night and had an adverse reaction.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Bellinger started dealing with an upset stomach after the Yankees lost the series-opening game in Detroit, and the ailment lingered long enough that he didn’t play Tuesday.

Bellinger was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in New York’s 4-3 win against the Tigers that avoided a three-game sweep.

April 9, 2025

Nashville Predators Sign Goalie To Multi-Year Extension

Matt Murray (© Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

The Nashville Predators have announced that they have signed goaltender Matt Murray to a two-year, two-way contract extension. At the NHL level, he will carry a $775,000 cap hit.

Murray, 27, signed a one-year deal with the Predators this past off-season. Now, with this extension, he will continue to be a part of the Predators' goalie depth.

Murray has spent the entirety of this season down in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals. The St. Albert, Alberta native has been excellent for Milwaukee, posting a 25-10-5 record, a .930 save percentage, a 2.15 goals-against average, and two shutouts in 40 appearances. He was also named to the AHL All-Star Classic because of his strong play.

With numbers like these, it is understandable that the Predators wanted to keep Murray around. Overall, there is no risk in the Predators signing Murray to this extension, and he will continue to be a key part of the Admirals' roster from here.

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April 9, 2025

White Sox dealt another early blow with outfielder Andrew Benintendi placed on 10-day injured list

CLEVELAND — Andrew Benintendi was placed on the 10-day injured list by the White Sox before Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians because of a left adductor strain, a blow in what has been another rough start to Chicago’s season.

Benintendi said before the game that he might have been able to play in a couple of days but wanted to give the injury more time to heal because it is early in the season. Benintendi left Sunday’s game at Detroit during the fifth inning.

The 30-year-old outfielder thinks the injury occurred during the first inning of Saturday’s game when he made a leaping catch into the left-field wall to rob Jake Rogers of a hit.

The IL move was retroactive to Monday. Chicago recalled Greg Jones from Triple-A Charlotte to take Benintendi’s spot. Jones was claimed off waivers from Colorado on March 26.

Benintendi is leading the White Sox in many offensive categories, including batting average (.290), total bases (15) and RBIs (six). He also is tied for the team lead in home runs with two.

“He’s a big part of our offense. I mean, he’s right there in the heart of our order every day,” manager Will Venable said. “He’s a guy that I think everyone looks to and has that kind of stability and presence in our lineup that we’re definitely going to miss.”

The White Sox (2-8) dropped six straight going into Wednesday’s game and were batting .199, the second-lowest average in the majors.

“I think right now you’re seeing some quality at-bats and we’re just not having the results,” said Venable, who is in his first season as manager. “There’s a process in play here that we’ve gone through. We’re really happy about some of the underlying stuff. We look forward to that bringing results on the field with runs and wins.”

April 9, 2025

Flyers beat Rangers in high-scoring game at MSG, improve to 4-1-0 under Shaw

Flyers beat Rangers in high-scoring game at MSG, improve to 4-1-0 under Shaw originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW YORK — The Flyers topped the Rangers, 8-5, in a back-and-forth game Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Tyson Foerster, Garnet Hathaway, Travis Sanheim, Jakob Pelletier, Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett all scored goals for the Flyers.

Foerster had a hat trick. His second turned out to be the game-winner. His third was an empty-netter.

“He’s a real diligent young man, a real pro, mature beyond his years,” interim head coach Brad Shaw said. “It shows in his game and I couldn’t be happier for him to get that hat trick tonight.”

Tippett added an empty-netter, as well. Twelve differed Flyers recorded at least a point. Nick Seeler had three assists.

“This building’s pretty sweet to play in,” Foerster said. “Anytime you can score a bunch of goals, it’s obviously nice.”

Couturier scored a go-ahead 5-4 marker off a rebound from a Matvei Michkov shot. Pelletier netted the game-tying 4-4 goal after New York surged ahead with back-to-back goals in the third period.

Hathaway put the Flyers ahead, 2-1, with a shorthanded marker in the second period before Artemi Panarin answered under two minutes later. Sanheim gave the Flyers a 3-2 lead early in the third period, but the Rangers quickly erased it.

The Flyers (32-37-9) are 4-1-0 under Shaw and have scored 25 goals. They have four games to go.

“I don’t know if it’s just the situation, that we’re not in the [playoff race] anymore, but guys seem to be a little more loose, aren’t afraid to make plays,” Couturier said. “The only thing that’s important when you play like that, you’ve got to make sure that you’re accountable for yourself, your teammates. When you turn pucks over, you’ve got to backcheck, work hard to get it back. But it’s nice to see guys not being afraid to make plays and getting rewarded.”

The Flyers went 2-1-0 against New York this season. The Rangers (36-35-7) have had a significant drop-off after winning the Presidents’ Trophy last season.

• A promising development for the Flyers has been Foerster putting up back-to-back seasons of 20 or more goals.

He has 22 this season after putting up 20 as a rookie.

There’s still a ton of upside with the 23-year-old winger. You’ve got to think next season the Flyers would love to see him push for 25 to 30 goals.

• Aleksei Kolosov made just his second start since the calendar turned to 2025 and his first since Jan. 2.

The 23-year-old rookie surrendered three goals in the third period. Kolosov hung in there over the first two periods. The Flyers gave him six goals of support in the final stanza.

He finished with 24 saves on 29 shots.

Panarin scored in close late in the second period to draw New York even at 2-2. After killing off a penalty, the Flyers appeared to have a bad line change, which left them with four in coverage.

Shaw wanted the Flyers to make the first period “as least chaotic as possible” for Kolosov.

“I’m hoping our guys can play smart in the first five, 10 minutes,” Shaw said pregame. “Minimize the shots and the quality of them so that he can sort of work his way into the game.”

The Flyers did not help Kolosov ease back into things. He had to face a penalty shot just 1:15 minutes into the action and then faced a shorthanded breakaway from Vincent Trocheck. The Rangers’ center buried his opportunity to hand the Flyers a 1-0 deficit at first intermission. Kolosov faced 12 shots in the opening stanza.

“I thought Koly was great in the first period,” Shaw said. “I talked about limiting chances against him and we give him a penalty shot and two other point-blank breakaways, so it wasn’t ideal. But maybe it was good for him to get right into the game like that. I thought he held us in, kept it 1-0 after one period where we were kind of struggling and kind of stuck in the mud a little bit. He gave us a chance to regroup and end up with the win.”

Rangers netminder Jonathan Quick stopped 22 of the Flyers’ 28 shots.

• With the win, the Flyers moved ahead of the Bruins via the tiebreaker of fewer games played. They now have the fifth-best odds for the 2025 NHL draft lottery. They entered Wednesday at No. 4.

The Flyers are one point back of the Kraken and three back of the Sabres, Ducks and Penguins.

“Credit to the group, I don’t think this locker room is ever going to quit and give up,” Sanheim said. “We show up every night, we’ve got a job to do. Our main goal right now is just to try to finish the season strong and end on a positive note.”

• The Flyers have a back-to-back set this weekend as they host the Islanders on Saturday (12:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP) and visit the Senators on Sunday (1 p.m. ET/NBCSP+).