INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 23: Myles Turner #3 of the Milwaukee Bucks dribbles the ball while being guarded by Johnny Furphy #12 of the Indiana Pacers in the fourth quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on December 23, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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 Dylan Buell/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Milwaukee Bucks will face the Dallas Mavericks in a battle of two teams with tanking aspirations. This was the rescheduled game from January 25, after winter storms prevented the Mavericks from flying out of Dallas to Milwaukee.
Where We’re At
The Milwaukee Bucks have all but given up, and so have the fans. There are eight games left of the season, and EVERYONE will be glad when April 13th comes around. I don’t know what else to say. The team isn’t good, players are injured, and coaching malpractice continues.
Dallas has been successful in their stealth tanking this season. Part of that is not having two of their three best players healthy for the majority of the season, and another part is playing in a brutal Western Conference. The Mavs are a team in transition, looking to attain the best draft position possible to build around star rookie Cooper Flagg. The Mavs view defense the same way Doc Rivers views accountability: not important.
Injury Report
The Bucks will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo (neck), Thanasis Antetokounmpo (calf), Kevin Porter Jr (knee), and Bobby Portis (wrist). Gary Harris (personal reasons) is listed as questionable, while Kyle Kuzma and Ryan Rollins are listed as probable.
The Mavericks played last night in Minneapolis, so there will be no official injury report until midday. We do know that Kyrie Irving (knee) and Derek Lively (foot) will not play as they recover from their surgeries.
Player To Watch
Cooper Flagg. We are scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to options, but Flagg is an exciting young player worth watching.
How To Watch
7:00 p.m. CDT on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 13, 2026: Andrew Painter #76 of the Philadelphia Phillies prepares to pitch during the second inning of a spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles at BayCare Ballpark on March 13, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Tonight’s Phillies game will feature one of the most anticipated MLB debuts in recent memory, at least for Philadelphia baseball fans. Top pitching prospect Andrew Painter will finally make his long awaited MLB debut, nearly three years after it was originally anticipated thanks to a torn UCL and Tommy John surgery.
The Phillies went into the season planning on Painter being their fifth starter, and so far he has seemed up to the task. He made four starts this spring and allowed three runs on seven hits across 11.2 innings with eight strikeouts and two walks. He suffered velocity bleeding as he went on in one of his starts, something that plagued him last season during his rocky year at Triple-A, but he followed that up with a better start where he held his velocity. His much scrutinized fastball shape slowly improved as the spring went on and he flashed impressive improvement on his secondary pitches, most notably his changeup. Overall, his spring didn’t show any reasons to be skeptical but also didn’t show a major reason for optimism. He mostly performed to reasonable expectations.
Tonight we will get our first look at Painter against a Major League lineup. Granted, Painter and the Phillies could not have asked for a much softer landing for the young righty’s debut, as he will face a Washington Nationals lineup that was a bottom ten offense last season, ranking 20th in runs scored and 23rd in slugging. It’s a new season, but the Nats are once again projected to be one of the worst teams in baseball. However, they did open the season with an upset series win over the Cubs at Wrigley where they scored 18 total runs in three games.
Every inning Painter throws this season will be heavily scrutinized, for better or worse. His first start will not make or break his season, let alone his career, but it is a chance to set the narrative for the rest of his rookie campaign. So, what are you looking for tonight in Andrew Painter’s debut? What do you need to see to feel good about his prospects going forward?
Some of you might have taken note of Owen Caissie’s two-run walk-off homer for the Marlins on Sunday.
The other part of that deal, Edward Cabrera coming to the Cubs, also had a very good game for his new team. Cabrera was dominant over six innings, allowing just a walk and a fourth-inning single (and the latter was immediately erased on a double play). The Cubs offense did their job against Angels rookie Ryan Johnson and the result was a satisfying 7-2 win, evening up the Cubs’ early season record at 2-2.
The Cubs got right to work on Johnson in the first inning… or, rather, Johnson couldn’t throw strikes. He walked three of the first four hitters he faced, loading the bases with one out. Nico Hoerner’s sac fly made it 1-0 Cubs [VIDEO].
Take close note in that clip of PCA running. The ball hasn’t even landed and he is blazing around second base. Eventually PCA scores from first on a bloop single. He’s really been using his speed quite a bit in the early going. That made it 3-0.
Ian Happ is the 20th different Cub since 1901 to hit at least three home runs in his first four games of a season. Gabby Hartnett and Billy Williams did it twice. They are two of the three who hit four homers. The other was Randy Jackson. Happ is the eighth this century, after Sammy Sosa (2002), Derrek Lee (2006), Donnie Murphy (2013), Javier Baez and Jorge Soler (both 2014), Anthony Rizzo (2020) and Seiya Suzuki (2022).
PCA followed that with a single and went to third on a double by Nico.
Had this been later in the year, Craig Counsell might have let Cabrera throw the seventh. But early on, there are still some pitch limits and Cabrera was removed after 80 pitches (49 strikes). Here’s more on Cabrera’s outing [VIDEO].
Rea completed that at-bat by striking out Trout. One out later, though, Jorge Soler singled and Yoan Moncada hit a Rea mistake for a towering home run that might have had a bit of help from the strong wind blowing out.
The Cubs put their final run on the board in the seventh. Nico led off with a walk, stole second (the Cubs now have six steals this year without being caught) and advanced to third on an infield out.
Rea finished things up, but not until allowing two singles in the ninth, at which point Counsell had Daniel Palencia warming up just in case. Rea responded by striking out the last two hitters, including this K of Moncada to end it [VIDEO].
Rea collects a save since he threw three innings, the Cubs’ first save of 2026.
Apart from the Moncada homer, the complaint department is closed again.
The Cubs will go for two in a row over the Angels Tuesday evening (weather permitting). Jameson Taillon will start for the Cubs and José Soriano goes for the Angels. Game time is again 6:40 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
Ole Miss Rebels infielder Will Furniss (36) bats against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Mar. 10, 2026. | Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The annual Kid’s Day Game at Swayze Field is just a special little event if you’ve never been there in person.
Thousands of shrieking children from local schools pack the stands for this one game and getting to skip a day of school to watch baseball is about as American as it gets. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. CT, so you know there will be approximately 5,000 hot dogs and 10,000 sno-cones ate/spilled in just a few short hours.
The Rebels (19-10, 3-6 SEC) are looking to bounce back from a four game losing streak that started last Tuesday. Enter the Ohio Valley’s Little Rock (17-11, 5-1 OVC) for today’s game, and it very well could be a tighter contest than anyone expected in the preseason.
Five Trojans are batting over .300 in this lineup that produces 6.3 runs per game, and with the Rebels ongoing offensive struggles, this could make for a potential upset in the making. Now meanwhile the Little Rock pitching leaves a lot to be desired giving up more than 5.5 runs per game with one huge outlier being one of its games against Memphis where it lost 24-5 in seven innings.
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Ole Miss: LHP Grayson Gibson (1-1, 2.25 ERA)
Little Rock: LHP Nic Bronzini (0-1, 11.57 ERA)
Grayson Gibson will be making his first start as an Ole Miss Rebel today against Little Rock. The freshman out of Tampa, Fla. has been solid out of the bullpen and has shown the ability to go 50+ pitches. His best and longest stint in a game this season was a four inning shutout against Memphis a few weeks back.
Nic Bronzini doesn’t look like a great pitcher on paper with his plus-11 ERA, and his best performance of the year looks to be a 3.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 K outing against Arkansas St. I think the strategy for this opposing pitching staff today is going to be throwing outside of the zone to get some swing and misses to build some pressure on the home team.
If there was a team that ever needed a slumpbuster, it is this Ole Miss squad. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. CT and will be streamed live on SEC Network+. Get at least mildly irresponsible and watch it from work.
If the Montreal Canadiens swept their season series against the Carolina Hurricanes, their results have been far less satisfying against Tuesday night’s opponents, the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the first two duels between the two sides this season, the Habs have been beaten by a combined score of 11-5. Once with Jakub Dobes in the net and the other with Jacob Fowler between the posts.
The Bolts now sit atop the Atlantic Division with 98 points, the same total as the Buffalo Sabres, but the Florida outfit has a game in hand. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are still in third place with 94 points, and they also have a game in hand on the Sabres. Montreal now has a six-point lead over the eighth-place team in the Eastern Conference and an eight-point lead over the ninth-place team, the Ottawa Senators. While the Sainte-Flanelle has yet to clinch a playoff spot mathematically, Moneypuck now gives Martin St-Louis and his men a 99% chance of making the spring dance.
Neither team has confirmed who will be manning their net tonight, but all signs point to Jakub Dobes being back in the crease for the Canadiens. The Czech netminder has started two games against Jon Cooper’s men but has a 0-1-0 record with an 8.80 goals-against average and a .727 save percentage. While these are far from reassuring numbers, the Dobes that is playing for the Habs now is very different from the one who struggled at times this season. Since the trade deadline, he has a 6-2-0 record, a 1.88 GAA, and a .937 SV. Meanwhile, Fowler has a 0-0-1 record with a 3.77 GAA and a .810 SV.
At the other end of the ice, it would be surprising if Andrei Vasilevskiy wasn’t between the posts. The Russian netminder has an excellent record against the Canadiens with a 16-3-2 record, a 2.08 GAA, and a .931 SV. As for backup Jonas Johansson, he’s 4-2-0 when facing Montreal with a 3.79 GAA and a .875 SV.
The Canadiens had a day off yesterday, so there’s no indication as to what their lineup could look like on Tuesday night, but they will hold a morning skate at 11:30. While Martin St-Louis no longer divulges his lineup ahead of games, we’ll at least know if Josh Anderson is over his virus if he is present. The Habs also called up Adam Engstrom on Monday, and he joined the team in the evening. The Canadiens announced on Tuesday morning that Alexandre Carrier would be out for two to four weeks with an upper-body injury, which explains the move. Montreal has now used two of its five available call-ups for the rest of the season. It will be interesting to see who plays between Arber Xhekaj and Engstrom.
Brendan Gallagher is the Canadiens’ most productive forward against the Bolts with 19 points in 39 games, but none of those points came this season. Phillip Danault has 14 points in 28 games, and Nick Suzuki wraps up the top three with 13 points in 20 games. The team’s top scorers against Tampa this season have, however, been Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov, who both notched three points in two games.
As for Cole Caufield, he has seven points in 14 duels with Tampa, but he is on fire right now and is eyeing the 50-goal mark and perhaps even a Rocket Richard Trophy win. The sniper now has 46 goals on the season and only trails Nathan MacKinnon by three goals since the Colorado Avalanche superstar added a 49th goal to his tally in the Avs’ 9-2 triumph over the Calgary Flames on Monday night.
Meanwhile, Victor Hedman leads the Lightning with 51 points in 52 games against the Canadiens, but he stepped away from the team for personal reasons on March 25, and he has yet to return. Nikita Kucherov is not far behind with 48 points in 40 games, but he has missed the last two games with an illness. Should he be unable to suit up, the Canadiens certainly wouldn’t complain, as he also has four points in two games against them this season. Brayden Point comes in third with 27 points in 31 games, and the top line center is healthy and ready to go.
The Bolts are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and are on a two-game winning streak, while the Canadiens are 7-3-0 and have a five-game regulation winning streak going. The Bolts have won seven of the last ten games between the two sides, including the last three tilts, and the Canadiens’ last win in Tampa dates back to December 29, 2024.
The game is set for 7:00 PM, and you can catch it on The Spot, TSN2, and RDS. Jean Hebert and Brandon Blandina will officiate, while Jonny Murray and Jonathan Deschamps will be the linemen. The Habs and Bolts will meet one last time this season on April 9 in Montreal.
Mar 30, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) talks to a fan in the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
San Antonio is now 25-2 since February 1st, with a good chunk of those wins being blowouts (or at least blowout-adjacent). This latter outcome has been especially common recently, as the Spurs’ schedule has been laden with hapless teams more interested in collecting ping pong balls than wins. The stereotype is that conditions like this breed complacency, often resulting in a disappointing loss to an underqualified opponent.
I never actually thought that Chicago would win last night’s game, but the first quarter at least raised the specter of this cautionary tale. Outside of some spectacular play by Wemby, the Spurs felt a bit disconnected, inconsistent, and bored (I love puns!) during that period. However, by the start of the second everyone seemed to get on the same page, and San Antonio was off to the races. This game ended up being a pretty vanilla blowout in which the Spurs earned several respectable but unspectacular box score margins. Even so, there were a number of notable highlights:
This was yet another dominant rebounding performance from the Spurs, with TRB and ORB differentials of +20 and +9, respectively. San Antonio has now had at least 20 more rebounds than its opponent in four of the last five games, and amassed a five-game TRB differential of +97. This is the highest 5-game TRB margin that any team has produced in the regular season dating back to the start of 2012-2013. The previous record was held by the Houston Rockets, who achieved a TRB margin of +96 across five games ending on March 17, 2025.
Although not as spectacular as their performance against Milwaukee, the Spurs put together another excellent foul differential in this game, with six fewer fouls than Chicago. On average over the last 13 seasons, this would have translated to a FTA margin of about +11; however, the Bulls’ fouls appear to have been pretty well-timed, as San Antonio only had three more free throw attempts. With both teams having essentially the same FT%, the Spurs’ extra volume translated to a FTM differential of +2.
The Silver and Black finally managed to outscore a team from distance for the first time since their win over the Kings on March 17th, albeit by the narrowest margin possible. As in the Milwaukee game, this happened because the Spurs’ significant edge in 3P% (+11.63 percentage points) was largely negated by the Bulls’ advantage in 3PA (+10).
Even so, the Spurs did manage to pull away using a solid edge in FG% (+4.81 percentage points), which – together with an advantage in FGA (+3) – helped them log six more made baskets than Chicago.
What are Team Graded Box Scores?
Very briefly, these box scores grade winner-loser differentials for basic box score statistics, with the grade being based on the winning team’s differential relative to other NBA winners during a defined reference period. Think of it like a report card for understanding how a given winner performed relative to other winners. The reference period used runs from the start of the 2012-2013 season to the latest date of play, including only games in the same season category (i.e., regular season and playoff games are not compared to each other).
Data Source: The underlying data used to create these box scores was collected from Basketball Reference. In all cases, the data are collected the morning after the game is played. Although rare, postgame statistical revisions after data collection do occur and may affect the results after the fact.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MARCH 29: Miles McBride #2 of the New York Knicks guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the game on March 29, 2026 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The few hours surrounding the Knicks’ Sunday night loss to the Thunder couldn’t have been more of a rollercoaster. We all received word leading up to the game that Deuce McBride, a fan favorite and a pivotal piece of the Knicks’ puzzle, would be returning after missing two months with a sports hernia injury. And as if his return wasn’t enough, we saw McBride lock up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the first half, and remind fans just how impactful his presence alone could be.
But as Knicks fans are painfully aware, things don’t always stay great forever. While the Knicks, thanks in part to McBride’s play, were engaged in a close back-and-forth battle with the Thunder, McBride went down while diving for a loose ball. And Knicks fans’ hearts all skipped a beat collectively. As fans repeatedly refreshed their social media timelines, hoping for even a modicum of good news, they were forced to go to sleep wondering if we had all seen the last of McBride’s 2025-26 season.
Knicks are listing Miles McBride (pelvic/core muscle surgery) as questionable for tomorrow’s game at Houston. McBride returned on Sunday from a two-month absence following the core muscle surgery but appeared to reinjure the area vs OKC. Landry Shamet (knee) remains out
Throughout most of Monday, we received no updates. But, in the early evening, reports started surfacing that McBride was listed as just questionable for tomorrow’s matchup against the Rockets. A questionable listing usually isn’t a reason to celebrate. But, with him being seen grabbing the same area he had surgery on last night, and lip readers speculating that he had said, “I can’t walk”, this can be seen as good, maybe even great news.
Now, the Knicks have been somewhat mischievous with injury reports in the past. It wasn’t too long ago that they were very quiet about updates on Julius Randle and OG Anunoby’s injuries, which ended up missing much more time than initially expected. That could leave fans suspicious of the Knicks and their injury reports. Fans may not be completely out of the woods just yet. But it still seems doubtful that McBride suffered the type of injury that would keep him out for the entirety of the playoffs. Just how long he’ll actually be out remains to be seen, but fans can, and should, be able to exhale a bit.
ELMONT, NY -- On Monday night, in the New York Islanders' first game of their back-to-back, starting netminder Ilya Sorokin was chased from his goal after allowing seven goals on 29 shots in an eventual 8-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He played 47:54.
The loss was a damning one, given that the Islanders could have padded their lead for second place in the Metropolitan Division to three points with seven games to go.
Instead, the Islanders watched the Penguins leap over them in the standings by one point and a game in hand, dropping them to third place, with the Columbus Blue Jackets just one point back in the second wild-card spot.
Sorokin had only been pulled once this season, in the finale of a three-game road trip, a 7-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, March 21.
He allowed six goals on 26 shots through 50:47 minutes.
That game was also the first of a back-to-back, with Roy citing that pulling Sorokin was to keep him fresh for a pivotal Sunday night game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The move paid off as Sorokin stopped all 26 shots that came his way for a critical 1-0 shutout win.
Will Roy do the same against a Buffalo Sabres team that has just one win in their last four games?
That's likely -- but not confirmed.
"We're going to talk about this one and see where we're at," head coach Patrick Roy said postgame. "I mean, I haven't talked with Sergei (Naumovs) or even Ilya after the game just to see how he feels and what their thought are. We'll let you know tomorrow who will play against Buffalo."
If the Islanders had beaten the Penguins, one would think David Rittich would have received the start for Buffalo, potentially his last start of the season, with Sorokin getting both games of the back-to-back -- Philadelphia on Friday at home and then Carolina in Raleigh on Saturday.
This Buffalo game is a tremendous opportunity for the Islanders to rebound from what was an atrocity of a second period at UBS Arena. That includes Sorokin, who probably doesn't want to sit three days before getting another crack at it.
"We know what we did. We know what's wrong. We know what we need to do to play the right way. And that's regrouping mentally for tomorrow," Ryan Pulock said postgame. "That's all that matters right now, is regrouping for tomorrow. Understand what went wrong. Understand what we did. I feel like that's not us. Obviously, it was a big game, and we didn't do it the right way, but tomorrow's a chance to make up for it."
We'll be talking with Roy at 5:35 to get the latest on his starting goaltender and any lineup changes ahead of their 7 PM ET puck drop.
The Islanders are 9-3-1 on the second legs of back-to-backs this season. Sorokin is 5-1-0 and has not faced the Sabres this season.
Lamar Odom became a celebrity as much for his celebrity lifestyle as his NBA achievements. Photograph: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
There’s a version of the Lamar Odom story that ends in a Nevada brothel. It’s not hard to imagine the grand finale – the TMZ bulletin relating his fatal drug overdose, followed by emotional tributes to what was lost: a radical basketball prodigy of the New York tradition, a two-time NBA champion with the Kobe Bryant Lakers, a glittering career that spanned coasts and eras before caving under the weight of addiction. A cautionary tale of incandescent fame, with Odom’s celebrity wife Khloé Kardashian cast as a man-eater to eclipse her more notorious older sister, would have been the epilogue cemented in a thousand think pieces.
But by living to tell the tale, Odom has instead become the latest fallen star to prove a core truism of Western mythmaking: heroes who don’t die young are doomed to live long enough to become the villain in their own tale
“There is a way of understanding Lamar where everything in his life is kind of in reaction to death hunting him since he was a kid,” says Ryan Duffy, executive producer of Netflix’s Untold sports docuseries. “Then it catches him, he somehow wiggles out of it and is still here. Shit, I’d be pretty sideways if that was the case for me, too.”
For the latest installment of Untold, The Death & Life of Lamar Odom, Ryan Duffy (who previously chronicled the scandals of Manti Te’o and Johnny Manziel) returns to the director’s chair to revisit the moment in 2015 when Lamar Odom was found unresponsive at a Nevada brothel – a breaking-news jolt that marked the most spectacular sports downfall since Tiger Woods slammed into a fire hydrant. (You’d have to think the Untold team is strongly considering their own deep dive on the golfer in light of recent events.) That was the year Odom topped the Google Trends list for living people, a tidy measure of how fully his saga consumed the public.
Reportedly on a cocaine binge in the days before the brothel incident, Odom suffered kidney failure, multiple heart attacks and 12 strokes. He was placed in a medically induced coma for several days, with doctors initially giving him little chance of survival without significant and lasting brain damage. All the while, his stunning crash-out was framed in the tabloid press as the culmination of a mushrooming substance abuse problem. Odom had nearly wrapped up a three-year probation sentence following a 2013 DUI arrest, and Kardashian was waiting for a judge to sign off on her divorce request. That delay would turn out to be an extraordinarily lucky break for Odom.
Over the course of the documentary’s 90 minutes, Odom steers the conversation with charm and vulnerability. But before dismissing this sports biography as yet another exercise in self-guided legacy shaping, viewers should know that Odom bucks the athlete co-producer trend. Not only does he keep things unflinchingly real, he lets the uncomfortable truths lie without a positive spin. He accepts that he was a bad father, a worse partner.
“I know cocaine isn’t the way to go,” he explains in a wistful aside about his past drug use, “but it’s a high that feels so good, you wish you could capture it and put it in a bottle so you can have it the next day.”
As his daughter, Destiny, points out in the documentary, Odom would sooner move on with his life than spend too long considering his misfortunes and missteps before plotting a fresh course. It quickly becomes clear that this isn’t just a defense mechanism; it’s the survival instinct of a man who couldn’t afford to dwell on losses. His father, a heroin addict, has largely been a background character in Odom’s life, and his mother died of colon cancer when he was 10. His relationship with his high school sweetheart, Liza Morales, another prominent voice in the documentary, fell apart when their six-month-old son died of sudden infant death syndrome in 2006 while Odom was partying with friends.
Odom, now 46, processes these tragedies with deadpan candor, much like Rick James reflecting on his rock’n’roll past in those old Chappelle Show skits – unbowed and unrepentant. He doesn’t make excuses for throwing away what could have been an all-time great NBA career, one that surely would have earned him more credit for helping usher in the current era of positionless basketball. That lack of pretense is a quality hardcore fans have always respected about Odom, who agreed to come off the bench after LA acquired him in a blockbuster trade and went on to become the NBA’s top reserve.
In the documentary, Phil Jackson fondly remembers Odom as a selfless player who saw his teams as family – but then winces at his former player’s attraction to fame (as if Jackson wasn’t dating team owner Jeanie Buss when Odom’s whirlwind romance with Kardashian was in full bloom).
“Getting on that plane and going up to Montana to see him was personally thrilling,” Duffy says of meeting Jackson, the 13-time NBA champion that sportswriters dubbed the Zen Master. “Like, going to see the oracle at the road and have his wisdom bestowed upon me.”
Jackson, who has been out of basketball since his disappointing tenure as New York Knicks president, would have been the major get for this project if Kardashian hadn’t agreed to sit down at the last minute.
“It happened late enough in the doc that I was telling my editor [Freddie DeLaVega]: ‘We can probably plug her in here or there,’” Duffy says. “But after she gave us two hours of her time, I was like: ‘Freddie, I have bad news: we’re starting over.’”
The Kardashian interview is the element that separates Untold’s Odom treatment from the other docs he’s sat for over the years. She pulls back the curtain on their paparazzi romance – how she met Odom while working a $5,000 hosting gig for a party celebrating Ron Artest’s 2009 Lakers signing, how they married a month later, how he took an immediate interest in her family’s budding reality TV empire and pushed for a spin-off featuring just the two of them. She remembers Odom’s drug use and serial philandering quickly snowballing into a monstrous situation that had her searching for him in alleys, paying off hotel maids to keep stories out of the press and even frantically pumping his stomach when he overdosed.
“I felt such a responsibility to cover this up, hold it together and protect him,” she says, viewing herself as more of an enabler of Odom’s addiction in hindsight.
When an intervention in 2013 didn’t work, she filed for divorce, with both parties signing off in July 2015. Three months later, Odom was discovered unconscious at the Love Ranch – a legal brothel roughly equidistant between Las Vegas and the Mexican border.
“The drive itself was illuminating,” says Duffy, recalling how initial reporting of Odom’s medical emergency placed him in Las Vegas. “It was all double-wide trailers and fucking meth labs. Like, you are in dire straits if you find yourself out here. It gave me a better appreciation for the depths he had fallen to.”
Kardashian claims Odom’s estranged father would have pulled the plug on his son if she hadn’t intervened at the hospital – which still recognized her as his next of kin with their divorce unfinalized – and bought him off Odom Sr with $100, a pair of Nikes and a night’s hotel stay. She also suggests their marriage might have survived if Odom hadn’t continued to use drugs behind her back – the final straw coming when she caught him smoking crack months after being discharged.
Odom neither pushes back against Kardashian’s version of events nor shows much appreciation for the considerable efforts she made to save his life and reputation, sealing a twist in the tale. She transitions from reality-TV foil to hero, while he flips from sympathetic protagonist to unmistakable villain. Or at least that’s before considering the grip of addiction and its role in this story. Odom jokes about partying in Vegas and “marrying somebody” as the documentary wraps. Earlier this year, he voluntarily entered a 30-day rehab program for marijuana use after pleading not guilty to a DUI. (His case is set for a July trial.) Odom still seems to think like a user. But that’s not to suggest he’s irredeemable.
Untold shows him attempting to repair his relationship with his adult children. His son Lamar Jr shares a heart-rending story about Odom jilting them for the Lakers’ 2009 championship parade while Destiny recalls a post-emergency tour that took Odom everywhere – most notably Bryant’s farewell game – but never to therapy. Odom often harkens back to a recurring dream in which he sees Bryant again and is told “the afterlife is not what people make it out to be.” Worryingly, Odom appears curious enough to test his late teammate’s “message” – again. “He just acted like the coma thing never really happened,” Destiny says.
In an alternate telling, Odom’s survival story would be a profile in courage and clarity. The version he offers through Untold – raw, rough and bracingly real – delivers a far more authentic lesson. “When you make these docs, especially with athletes who are pretty well media trained and have been in the spotlight, they understand documentaries,” Duffy says. “We’ve been in this sports documentary boom for the better part of a decade now, so they understand them and usually work really hard – whether it’s true or not – to tie things in a tidy bow: ‘Yeah, look, I did have these struggles, but they’re gone. I overcame them. Here I am, the fully realized version of me that you always wanted.’ Lamar, to his credit, didn’t do that. As much as I’m sure that is a tax on the people around him, I appreciated the sheer honesty and vulnerability of that.
“The guy’s perspective is: ‘I survived this night in Nevada – where, by all accounts, I should be dead. There was divine intervention involved in my survival. And that means I need to do something. I need to find some meaning.’ But he doesn’t know what the fuck that is. Where he is now is in a place of just searching. And he’s comfortable with that uncertainty.”
Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver’s most recent 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Canucks struggled to generate scoring chances in this game. At even-strength, the Golden Knights held a 34-11 scoring chance advantage while also winning the high-danger scoring chances battle 11-9. Ultimately, it was the Kevin Lankinen show for Vancouver as he kept his team in the game until the end.
The heat map from this game shows Vegas' willingness to fire pucks from all over the ice. The Canucks big issue was the second period, where they were outshot 14-6 at even strength. It is hard to explain why the second period has been such an issue for Vancouver this season, as the Canucks are giving up goals in the middle frame almost every night.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Vegas Golden Knights, March 30, 2026, Natural Stat Trick.
To wrap this game up, Tom Willander led the team with an xGF% of 51.55. Vancouver also held an 11-8 shots advantage during his 21:01 of even-strength time. Willander is making the most of his opportunities late in the season and is showing he can develop into a solid top-four defender in the NHL.
The Canucks will start a back-to-back on Wednesday when they take on the Colorado Avalanche. These teams have played twice already this season, with the Avalanche picking up two victories. Game time is scheduled for 5:30 pm PT.
Mar 30, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen (32) makes a save against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 25: A general view of American flags being displayed during the national anthem before a MLB game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants on March 25, 2026 at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA. (Photo by Trinity Machan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
Today, I wanted to check in to see how everyone is feeling after the first series of the year for the San Francisco Giants, in which they were swept by the New York Yankees. Yes, I know they will have technically started the second series by the time you’re reading this, but you’re just going to have to live in the past with me because these are pre-written to post at the crack of dawn.
This is one of those seasons where I really have to laugh at myself. I start to get so excited for Opening Day to finally arrive after a long, cold, miserable winter. And I start to let myself get a little bit optimistic, despite knowing better.
And then the Giants actually start the season and it’s like we never even left the previous season. It’s like a weird form of a time loop, but instead of living out the same day over and over again, we’re cursed to live out the same mediocre baseball season forever and ever until the end of time.
But you know what, I’ll take it. Having baseball is still better than not having baseball. Even if the baseball in question isn’t good, or fun, or particularly entertaining. And, of course, it’s only the first three games. Literally anything could still happen this year so it’s silly to read too much into anything right now. But that’s never stopped us!
How are you feeling about the rough start to the season?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants continue their series against the San Diego Padres tonight at 6:40 p.m. PT.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 29: Kyle Karros #12 of the Colorado Rockies steals third base against the Miami Marlins during the seventh inning at loanDepot park on March 29, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yesterday, The Athletic published their yearly survey of MLB fandoms and where they are on the “Hope-o-meter.” (Gift link here.)
The Colorado Rockies finished 27th, ahead of the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels, and Minnesota Twins. Some 25.3% of fans said they felt “optimistic.”
(Surprising no one, Los Angeles Dodgers fans are 99.7% optimistic.)
Here’s how the Rockies number have trended since 2022:
2025: 8.8 percent (29)
2024: 4.6 percent (30)
2023: 1.8 percent (30)
2022: 17.2 percent (23)
So, this year’s 25.3% marks a substantial upward shift.
Staff from The Athletic selected four representative fan replies to represent the sample, going with three positive comments (mostly about the rebuild finally happening) and one negative one (the team is beyond fixing).
This survey arrived in my inbox at just the right time as I’d been pondering the Game Thread comments following the Rockies being swept in Miami and wondering if I needed to revise my thinking about the 2026 season.
If the Purple Row Site traffic is any indicator, Rockies fans are engaged and eager to see what this team can do. (I’m not sure the national media fully understands this yet.)
Yesterday, Sam Bradfield wrote about some overreactions to the opening series, and I guess I needed to remind myself that this is, in fact, a rebuild, and rebuilds take time. We are going to see some lows — like last weekend — and some highs — like last night.
And I appreciate my fellow Rowers reminding me that we are embarking on a climb that’s going to take time and be pretty awful on occasion. I mean, a best-case scenario is that the Rockies lose just under 100 games, and that still means a lot of losing waiting around the corner for us.
As Mario pointed out, this rebuild should have started years ago, and the delay has put the Rockies in the deep hole in which they fine themselves now.
It’s also a weird time in the season when we just don’t have enough data to know much of anything, so it’s not yet possible to determine if there’s progress. There’s just the losing with an occasional blowout and the waiting to see what happens.
So here are some things that I’m going to be watching for when I start to feel some purple despair (because I’ll forget how awesome that first game against the Blue Jays felt).
Let me start with this reminder from Jason Collette:
Yes, that’s Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman on that list. The first games of the season are not indicative of a player’s potential.
Second, as a teacher, I know better than anyone that improving at anything takes time, and that’s going to be true of where the Rockies are right now. Let’s see what they look like next month and the month after that and the month after that with the understanding that the Rockies have a tough starting schedule by any measure.
Plus, it’s going to be a learning season not just for the players but for the front office as well. President of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes are going to be learning, too, as is the coaching staff. Look, you can’t say of a pitching philosophy “Everything is on the table,” and not expect some failure. Solving problems means accepting and learning from failure. As a fan, I have to remember that.
And we are going to see incremental improvements both with the Rockies and on the farm.
But we need to prepare for a lot of lows and enjoy a few highs.
On top of all of that, I need to remember to be thankful for the Purple Row community. We all have our moments of overreacting, but I feel like we also help each other see multiple perspectives. We’re a community, and one can’t just do better than being part of a great learning community.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MARCH 30: Pitcher John Schreiber #46 of the Kansas City Royals reacts as the Royals defeat the Minnesota Twins 3-1 to win the opening day game at Kauffman Stadium on March 30, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If you missed anything about the Home Opener yesterday, everyone’s got you covered.
There was a wide range of emotions — from jubilation to heartwarming moments. The Royals honored late outfielder Terrance Gore with his family in attendance. His son, Zane, threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and it was a perfect strike.
“You know, I didn’t know Terrance at all,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said, “(but) these guys all knew him. And just to see his family, they were in Atlanta as well. I mean, super nice kids. Just to see his son tearing up there at the video, and then he goes out there and throws a laser to Gordo, that made me feel good. Very moving.”
The Royals faithful — all 39,320 in attendance — erupted with applause. And the moment set the stage for what became a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
Six years ago, Kris Bubic made his Major League debut on July 31, 2020, which also happened to be the Royals’ home opener in that pandemic-shortened season.
He pitched that game in an empty stadium in front of cardboard cutouts. “Eerie” is the way he described it.
“Today, obviously a different story,” Bubic said.
Blair Kerkhoff covers the amazing start Salvador Perez has had in the ABS era.
Heading into Monday’s games, including the Royals’ home opener against the Minnesota Twins, Perez was a perfect 4-for-4 in challenging the home plate umpire’s ball-strike call.
Three occurred in the first game last Friday, a loss at the Atlanta Braves, and in the fifth inning with consecutive batters. In all three cases, Perez challenged a “ball” call by home plate umpire Doug Eddings, who originally ruled the pitches from Cole Ragans below the strike zone.
In each case, Perez was proven correct, a couple by tenths of inches.
The perfect streak ended in the Royals’ 3-1 victory on Monday. Perez went 1-for-2; a ball called by home plate umpire Alex Tosi was upheld.
John Sherman spoke about the stadium situation prior to the game. There’s not much to glean. AP News also covered that here. The phrase “sense of urgency” was written again, which I feel like they said 3 months ago?
What’s the latest on the search for a new stadium?
In short, as team owner John Sherman replied this time, same as he has for a while now: It’s to be determined.
But Sherman offered a bit more detail Monday on exactly what needs to be determined before the Royals announce where they plan to pursue a move when their lease expires in 2031.
“I think we would want to have site control and certainly the public financing in place before we announce it,” Sherman said when asked by The Star what needs to fall in place before making a decision. “There will be work still to do, but those two things are important.”
The NFL is moving to hire and train replacement referees because they did not learn any lessons from 2012’s replacement referee fiasco. I learned that the idea of using replacement referees was hilarious and I would relish the opportunity to see more nonsense while Mahomes “continues rehab” and the Chiefs games don’t matter.
It’s time for another LeBron James temperature check. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
He has embraced being the Lakers’ third option. The Big Three has figured things out. And the team is a contender.
It begs a question: If he returns for another season, is he more likely to play for the Lakers now?
While no one knows the answer except James, one thing is obvious. There’s a different feeling in the locker room now than there has been all season.
James went from saying “we’re not” a championship team after falling to the Thunder in January, to calling the Lakers “very resilient ” after a win over the Nets on Friday.
He went from acknowledging during All-Star break that one of the biggest questions for the team was “how much chemistry we can build,” to spending his off-days golfing alongside his teammates on a recent road trip during which the Lakers went 5-1.
Austin Reaves and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers practice their golf swing before the game. NBAE via Getty Images
He went from lamenting that the Big Three hadn’t had enough time together to jell, to embracing being the team’s third option so they could become one of the most formidable offenses in the league.
Now, the Lakers have won 15 of their last 17 games, including going on a recent nine-game winning streak.
All of the sudden, a return to Los Angeles seems much more likely for James than it did just a short while ago.
Before this month, the Lakers were mired in drama and dysfunction.
James had to answer questions about his relationship with Lakers’ governor Jeanie Buss in January after an ESPN story alleged she had a myriad of frustrations with him and even privately pondered trading him.
The Big Three had only played 11 games together before the All-Star break because of injuries. And after the Lakers improved to 10-2 when Doncic and Reaves played without James, a narrative sprang up that the Lakers were better without the megastar.
James dribbles against Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams during the first half at LA’s Crypto.com Arena. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
For arguably the greatest player of all-time, whose name sits atop nearly every NBA record, why did he need all of that drama?
It seemed as though his time with the Lakers was coming to an end.
The Lakers had made it obvious that their top priority was building around Doncic. And James just seemingly wasn’t fitting into that equation.
Adding fuel to the rumor mill, James teared up during his return to Cleveland in January while watching a tribute video. If he didn’t retire, it seemed as though there was a real chance he’d want to finish his career where it all began.
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Now James has morphed his game to fit alongside Doncic and Reaves and the Lakers are soaring. After James had a 19-point, 15-rebound and 10-assist performance against the Heat on the second leg of a back-to-back on March 19, James, unprompted, took a dig at everyone who doubted him.
“I mean it sells papers a lot easier and clippings and podcasts if you say ‘LeBron, that their team is better off without him,'” James said. “A lot of people will try to like view it. So, I get it. But they’re absolutely wrong.”
James reacts after a play against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Over the last nine games, the narrative that the Lakers were better without him has been completely shut down.
He’s looking to pass first and fill in the gaps. He has become perhaps the best role player ever. He has opened up the court for Doncic to have scoring explosions and Reaves to shine. Oh, and the team’s third option just happens to be a four-time MVP who’s in a two-horse race with Michael Jordan for the GOAT title.
Good luck to the rest of the league in the playoffs.
At this stage in James’ career, the things that are important to him are obvious.
James wants a real shot at earning his fifth ring. That’s happening. The Lakers are in third place in the West and have found their stride with the playoffs around the corner.
And James wants to enjoy his time alongside his son, Bronny.
That’s happening, too.
James and Bronny James take on the Indiana Pacers, March 25 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana. NBAE via Getty Images
Last week, Bronny further silenced his detractors by playing meaningful minutes in two games. James and Bronny even made history with the first father-son assist in NBA history.
James is now enjoying himself. And that’s very important.
Recently, James revealed how he wants his NBA career to end.
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - MARCH 30: GG Jackson #45 of the Memphis Grizzlies goes to the basket against Royce O'Neale #00 of the Phoenix Suns during the second half at FedExForum on March 30, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee. 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 Justin Ford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I’m not gonna lie, there was a little bit of anxiety creeping in on Monday night as the Phoenix Suns battled through the first three quarters against the Memphis Grizzlies. Devin Booker was cooking. He was hyper-efficient, dropping 36 points through three quarters without taking a single free throw. Jalen Green looked right there with him, adding 21. Together, they had 57 of the Suns’ 91 points.
Devin Booker scored 36 points tonight without 1 free throw attempt. How many times has SGA scored 30+ without a FTA? Never. pic.twitter.com/bgyIfmMDFx
So yeah, that is where the concern set in. Not about how they were playing, but about how it would be perceived. Because you know how it goes. People check the box score, see the scoring totals, see the narrow lead, and the first reaction becomes that the offense is the problem. Too much isolation, not enough ball movement, not enough guys involved. We have seen that narrative before when both Booker and Green go off and the team still comes up short.
But that was not the story here.
The offense was fine. It was flowing, it was producing, it was doing exactly what it needed to do. The issue was on the other end. Defense, or more specifically, what was happening in the paint.
With Oso Ighodaro at the five, you are going to give some of that up. He brings a lot to the table. Connectivity, playmaking, switching. But rim protection is not his calling card. That is part of the equation, and Memphis knew it. Their plan was simple, and it is one we have seen teams lean into against Phoenix. Beat the initial defender, get downhill, and attack the interior. Over and over again.
Through three quarters, it worked. The Grizzlies had 46 of their 89 points in the paint, living at the rim, forcing rotations, and keeping the game tight despite the offensive output from Booker and Green. That is what kept it close. Not the shot diet, not the scoring distribution. It was the inability to consistently deter what Memphis wanted to do inside.
The fourth quarter saved everyone from that conversation, at least for a moment. The Memphis Grizzlies showed their hand, drifted away from what was working, stopped living in the paint, and the game flipped. At the same time, Collin Gillespie found his stroke, the Phoenix Suns found their rhythm, and suddenly it was a 40–16 quarter that turned a tight game into a 26-point win.
It matters. Win number 42 locks in a winning season. No matter what comes next, another small milestone in a year built on progress.
But it circles back to the original concern. There are times when frustration with the offense is warranted. That is part of the deal. More often than not, though, when things tighten or slip away, it traces back to what is happening inside. Interior defense, rim protection, and the ability to deter those downhill attacks. That is the pressure point.
And as the postseason gets closer, that is where the focus will be. Because once the games matter a little more, teams will lean into that weakness until you prove you can stop it.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
Jalen’s efficient night against the Jazz moves him up the standings.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 75 against the Girzzlies. Here are your nominees:
