Category: Sports News

HONG KONG (AP) — Jon Rahm won the LIV Golf Hong Kong event on Sunday for his first individual title since 2024.

Rahm shot 6 under in the final round and finished 23 under for the tournament, three shots ahead of runner-up Thomas Detry. The Spaniard hadn't won a title since LIV Golf Chicago in 2024.

“I’ve been very ecstatic for wins in the past. This one just feels like a big weight off my shoulders,” he said.

Back-to-back defending LIV Golf champion Rahm was tied with Detry and Harold Varner III on 17 under going into the final round at Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling. Thomas Pieters finished third on 19 under.

“I played really good all day," Rahm said. "It was incredible. But I just tried to stay very patient and committed to each shot, knowing that I was doing everything right and things were going to happen.”

Dustin Johnson's 4Aces GC took the team prize.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

The Knicks (41*-23) play the Lakers (38-25) today at crypto.com Arena in a nationally televised contest. The Knicks have won seven of their last ten games, while the Lakers are six and four over the same span. This game marks their second and final matchup of the season. When they last met on February 1, The Knicks won, 112-100. OG Anunoby led the good guys with 25 points. Luka Dončić scored 30 for Los Angeles.

The Lakers profile as a slightly above-average offensive team with a shaky defense and middling results. They score 116 points per game (12th) but give up 115.3 (15th), and are ranked 21st in defensive rating. Their offense ranks ninth (117.7), but the imbalance gives them a dead-middle net rating, and one look at their roster explains why their pace is considered a trot.

Luka Dončić is having his usual elite season. He’s averaging a league-leading 32.5 points along with 7.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field and 36% from yard. At shooting guard, milky smooth Austin Reaves has enjoyed a breakout campaign, posting 23.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game on 50/37 shooting splits.

LeBron James remains productive despite taking a reduced role as he ages out of the NBA; this season he’s averaging 21.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and seven assists per game, but shooting 31% from downtown. Alongside James in the frontcourt, Rui Hachimura has averaged 11.6 points and 3.3 rebounds, while Deandre Ayton contributes 12.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. More on him in sec.

The 17th pick in 2024, Dalton Knecht had a whirlwind rookie season with the Lakers that included an awkward trade-and-rescind to Charlotte. In the current campaign, his shooting has fallen off and he’s mostly fallen out of the rotation. Despite his setbacks, Coach JJ Redick has faith that the sophomore will turn around his career as a grocery bagger.

At least Knecht hasn’t been called soft, lazy, or unserious—Deandre Ayton has that covered. The former first draft pick has played 54 games this season and grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 22 of them. To call himself DominAyton is a bit of a stretch. (For comparison, the 6’5” Josh Hart collects 7.5 boards per game) The seven-footer is dealing with knee soreness but has been cleared to play today.

In their last game, L.A. started Marcus Smart (9.5 PPTS, 2.8 AST), Luka, Reaves, Jaxson Hayes (7 PTS, 4 RBS), and Hachimura. LeBron missed the game due to an elbow injury that also has him listed as a game-time decision today. For the Knicks, only Miles McBride is on the injury report.

UPDATE:

Knicks are listing Landry Shamet as questionable for today’s game at LAL due to a neck sprain.

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) March 8, 2026

Prediction

ESPN predicts a 63% chance for the Knicks to win. That’s slightly higher than we’d go, but cool beans. Any game against Luka can be a challenge for our Knickerbockers. In 13 games against New York, the Slovenian has averaged 30.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 8.8 assists, and although he’s won just six of them, he’s delivered some wicked highlights. 

To win today, the Knicks must protect the paint and limit penetration from Dončić and James, while pushing the tempo against these slowfoots and keying up the defense. Los Angeles ranks 29th in rebounding, so there’s no excuse for the Knicks not to win the glass and generate second looks. It’s an early road game on an unfriendly court in front of a large audience, but we like their chances. Knicks by eight.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks (41*-23) at Los Angeles Lakers (38-25)
Date: Sunday, March 8, 2026
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Place: crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ABC
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky

* Should be one more, but NBA Cup wins dissolve in your hand.

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There’s a playoff atmosphere at Rocket Arena between two Eastern Conference heavyweights when the Boston Celtics visit the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Today’s clash will be played at a snail's pace, and my Celtics vs. Cavaliers predictions and NBA picks expect a low-scoring playoff-type contest. 

Celtics vs Cavaliers prediction

Celtics vs Cavaliers best bet: Under 224 (-105)

The Boston Celtics rank near the bottom of the NBA in pace and allow about 109 points per game, but they also boast an elite defense, allowing the fewest points per game in the Association.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers are also a Bottom-5 team in pace and, when they're healthy, like they are today, boast an above-average defense of their own.'

We’re looking at a game with about 198 possessions between two Eastern Conference teams with championship aspirations. Expect a playoff atmosphere and a low-scoring affair at Rocket Arena. 

Celtics vs Cavaliers same-game parlay

Jaylen Brown has failed to score at least 26 points in three of his last five, while James Harden will likely become more of a playmaker with Donovan Mitchell expected to return to the Cavs lineup. 

Celtics vs Cavaliers SGP

• Under 224
• Jaylen Brown Under 25.5 points
• James Harden Under 19.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Spida's victorious return

The Cavaliers have won seven straight games at Rocket Arena, and Mitchell’s return should give the Cavs the scoring boost they need to sneak past Boston for the first time in three tries. 

Celtics vs Cavaliers SGP

• Under 224
• Jaylen Brown Under 25.5 points
• James Harden Under 19.5 points
• Cavaliers moneyline

Celtics vs Cavaliers odds

• Spread: Celtics +1 | Cavaliers -1
• Moneyline: Celtics -105 | Cavaliers -115
• Over/Under: Over 224 | Under 224

Celtics vs Cavaliers betting trend to know

The Cavaliers have won 17 of their last 22 games for +11.05 units and a 18% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for Celtics vs. Cavaliers.

How to watch Celtics vs Cavaliers

Celtics vs Cavaliers latest injuries

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A few weeks ago the Minnesota Timberwolves were sitting in the six seed, hovering in that uncomfortable place where you’re good enough to believe something bigger might happen, but close enough to the Play-In line that every loss feels like slipping on black ice.

After a strong stretch to finish February and begin March, the Wolves find themselves tied for the three spot. That’s a pretty impressive climb considering how crowded the West has been all season. But before anyone starts planning hypothetical second-round matchups or debating which playoff opponent would be “most favorable,” it’s worth remembering one simple truth about this Western Conference:

Nothing is safe.

Despite their recent strong play, the Wolves didn’t exactly sprint their way into the three spot. February set the table for them beautifully. The schedule was relatively forgiving. There weren’t many heavyweight matchups. It was the kind of stretch where a focused team could have ripped off a monster run and put some real daylight between themselves and teams like the Rockets or Nuggets.

Instead, the Wolves did what the Wolves tend to do. They dropped games they shouldn’t have. They coasted through moments that demanded urgency. They didn’t quite stack the avalanche of wins that the schedule offered them. But to their credit, they largely turned things around, allowing them to gain ground and, for a brief moment, hold sole possession of that coved three seed.

The real question now isn’t how they got there.

It’s whether they can stay there.

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Wolves Fans Are Optimistic

We recently asked the Canis Hoopus faithful where they think the Wolves will ultimately finish in the standings, and let’s just say Minnesota fans are feeling pretty good about things.

The overwhelming majority of respondents believe the Wolves will ultimately hold the three seed. A smaller chunk expects them to slip slightly to fourth. A very tiny percentage sees them landing in fifth.

And the sixth seed? The Play-In?

Not a single vote.

Now that’s confidence.

Whether it’s justified or not remains to be seen, but it does reflect something real about this team. The Wolves have earned a certain level of trust over the past two seasons. They’ve built a reputation for getting stronger late in the year, building momentum heading into the postseason, and then delivering when the lights get bright. Two straight Western Conference Finals appearances have a funny way of doing that.

Still, optimism is one thing. The math of the Western Conference standings is another.

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What It Will Actually Take

Obtaining the three seed is going to require navigating a closing schedule that looks a lot less friendly than February’s.

The Wolves will face a handful of heavyweight Eastern Conference games against the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics. Those games don’t directly impact the Western Conference race in terms of knocking rivals down a peg, but they still matter. Lose those games and suddenly you’re handing free ground back to the teams chasing you.

But the real swing games lie closer to home.

The Wolves still have a final showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers, the same team they bounced from the first round of the playoffs last season. That game carries some symbolic weight, but more importantly it’s another opportunity to create separation from a Western Conference opponent that would love nothing more than to pull Minnesota back into the standings traffic jam.

The most crucial dates remaining on the calendar are the two games against Houston, which might ultimately determine the entire race for the three seed. If the Wolves drop one of those matchups, they hand the Rockets the tiebreaker, potentially giving Houston a clear path to leapfrog them in the standings. But if Minnesota wins both? Suddenly the Rockets start looking a lot smaller in the rearview mirror.

Those games are essentially four-point swings in the standings. Win them and the Wolves gain ground while Houston loses it. Lose them and the opposite happens.

And hovering in the background, as always, is Denver. The Wolves have already played all four games against the Nuggets this season, and unfortunately for Minnesota the results didn’t go their way. Denver took three of the four meetings, which means they hold the tiebreaker. That matters. In a Western Conference where the standings are packed tighter than rush-hour traffic, those tiebreakers can become incredibly valuable.

The Wolves can’t change the head-to-head results now. That ship has sailed. The only way to keep Denver at bay is the old-fashioned way: Stack wins.

It’s not glamorous. It’s not complicated. But it’s the reality of the situation.

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The Road Trip That Could Decide Everything

If there’s one stretch of games that could determine whether Minnesota climbs the next run to the three seed or slides back into the standings chaos, it’s the upcoming road trip.

It’s a brutal one.

First comes that matchup with the Lakers, a team Minnesota has yet to beat. Then the Wolves face two teams that have given them problems at times this season, the Clippers and the Warriors. Both have proven capable of knocking Minnesota off on nights where the Wolves drift or lose focus.

And then, just to keep things interesting, the road trip concludes with the fourth and final matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. No explanation needed there.

If the Wolves stumble through that four-game gauntlet, they could very easily find themselves sliding back toward the fifth or sixth seed. But if they hold serve and walk away with three wins out of four? Suddenly the standings start looking much more stable.

That’s the difference between surviving March and truly owning it.

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Can the Wolves Grab the Three Seed?

The potential is there. The roster is deep. Anthony Edwards is playing at a superstar level. The defense still has Gobert anchoring the paint. The supporting cast has proven capable of stepping up when needed.

But potential only matters if it translates into wins.

The Western Conference isn’t going to hand Minnesota anything. The Rockets are staring them down. The Nuggets are lurking. The Lakers are a team with the potential to go on a random heater at any moment.

.And if that playoff race alone isn’t enough excitement for you, well… there’s always another way to add a little adrenaline to the ride. You can always head over to FanDuel Sportsbook, where fans can wager on Wolves games.

Because if this Western Conference race has taught us anything, it’s this: The next few weeks are going to be must-watch basketball.

This isn’t new for Jaxson Hayes.

It was only last year when Hayes, now the Los Angeles Lakers’ backup center, was the team’s full-time starting big man after the franchise traded Anthony Davis to the Mavericks for current franchise centerpiece Luka Dončić. 

And with the trade for Mark Williams that was rescinded, Hayes received the most significant playing time for the best team he had been on up to that point of his career.

He delivered, for the most part. 

Which is why, along with his improvements from the end of last season through three-fourths of this season, the Lakers have confidence in him if they need to rely on him more in light of starting center Deandre Ayton being day to day with left knee soreness. 

“Jaxson’s had a really good season,” coach JJ Redick said. “And I know [this because] I played with him his first two years — he’s a better basketball player. He’s gotten better. He’s making touch shots around the rim. He’s making great pocket decisions. 

“He’s a good basketball player. He consistently injects energy into the group when he runs the floor, blocks a shot or he gets those dunks.”

Ayton’s status for Sunday’s home game against the Knicks wasn’t known as of Saturday afternoon.

The 7-foot Ayton, who has started in all 54 games he’s played this season, sat out of Friday’s home win over the Pacers after being limited to 4-and-a-half minutes in Thursday’s road loss to the Nuggets.

But if Hayes, 25, needs to play more against the Knicks, like he did against the Nuggets or Pacers, the Lakers know he’ll be up to the task.

“We have the utmost confidence in Jaxson,” LeBron James said. 

Hayes had 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting and five rebounds in 27 minutes against the Nuggets. He finished with nine points and four rebounds in 25 minutes against the Pacers. 

When asked to play more minutes as a starter, he’s stepped up, with averages of 11.4 points (81.6% shooting), 4.5 rebounds and two assists in the eight games he’s started, with the Lakers going 6-2 in those games.

“That’s my job,” Hayes said. “That’s what they pay me to do is stay ready. Even if I wasn’t in the rotation, they pay me to stay ready. That’s all NBA players’ job is just stay ready and get better every day. I’m gonna just do whatever the team needs me to do.”

Ayton, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, is considered a more talented player than Hayes. And there are several areas — such as 1-on-1 scoring, midrange shooting and defensive rebounding — that Ayton is better at than Hayes.

But there are some areas in which Hayes excels, making him more equipped to help the Lakers against a Knicks team that’s won 16 of its last 21 games.

Hayes has been just as good, if not better, as an interior defender over the course of the season. 

He’s a more forceful roller out of the pick and roll, which will be especially important Sunday if the Knicks hedge and recover on pick and rolls with Doncic as the ball handler like they did significantly in the Feb. 1 matchup at Madison Square Garden, which the Knicks won 112–100.

Hard rolls from an athletic center who can provide vertical spacing opens up lob opportunities, which Doncic is one of the best at delivering.

“Him and Luka have a really good connection right now,” Luke Kennard said. “They’re playing really well and playing off each other.”

Factor in Hayes’ improved playmaking out of the short roll and the Knicks will have to ensure they don’t give Hayes too much of a runway while also trying to contain Dončić. 

“I love playing with Jaxson,” Dončić said. “This year, his improvement is unbelievable. He understands, I think this year even more, how to play with me. We’ve been working on that. So playing with him is very special for me.”

Hayes arguably had a career year last season.

And he’s following it up with another one. 

“Maturity, the way he approaches the game day to day,” Austin Reaves said in the ways Hayes has grown the most. “He does what he needs to do in his off time around the gym, gets his work in, takes care of his body and then just the preparation that he puts into it, you can tell he’s grown in those aspects, and that’s just made him a better player. 

“We can probably all agree that this is some of the best basketball he’s played in his career. I’m happy for him. We need him to continue to do that. He’s a big part of what we’re going to do.”

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Going into the week, there was some uncertainty revolving around the Phoenix Suns’ starting wings as Dillon Brooks remains out. With Devin Booker returning from injury, Jalen Green or Ryan Dunn was destined for the bench. Jordan Ott and his coaching staff decided with keeping Green in the starting lineup and bringing Dunn of the bench, but fans think Green should be starting games with the second unit.

Considering how inconsistent Green has been on offense and his lack of size, I’m not surprised that nearly two-thirds of fans want him to come off the bench. He’s had two of his strongest games this season this week, with his 20-point, 44% shooting game against the Kings, and 25-point, 47% shooting performance playing the Pelicans on Friday, but he had another inefficient game Thursday, when the got upset against the Bulls, and he shot 25% from the field on 20 shots.

The fifth-year guard has had a hard time adjusting to the Suns’ offense as he’s been working back from his hamstring injury. His inefficient three-point shooting (Green is shooting a career-low 27% of his threes) has hindered the team’s deep shooting. When Green is playing, the Suns are shooting 34.8% from three, when he’s not, they’re shooting 36.3% from behind the arc.

Yes, the Suns have still been winning games of late. While they dropped a game they were more than 10 point favorites in to the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix has won three of four, and are still firmly in the race to finish with a top-six seed.

According to FanDuel, the Suns’ Win/Loss total is set at 45.5, meaning their line is 9.5 games more than the amount they won a season ago.

While it may not be a longterm solution, Green coming off the bench could give him more of an opportunity to utilize his playmaking abilities. He’d assuredly be spending less time playing alongside Devin Booker, Phoenix’s lead playmaker, so Green would have more opportunity to do what he’s best at, alongside Grayson Allen, who is making the most threes per game of his career by more than half a triple per game. Green clearly needs more room to operate as he continues to work his way back from his long absence.

Additionally, with Mark Williams out for the next few weeks, adding Green to the bench would not be disrupting any bench chemistry, as Oso Ighodaro has moved to the team’s starting center with Williams sidelined. The second unit is already dealing with change.

Did the fans get this one right? You decide.

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Before a single possession takes place on the court, the Toronto Raptors are already expected to beat the Dallas Mavericks at home on Sunday. 

At least that’s what the Raptors fan base believes, especially after being held hostage by exceeded expectations and a timeline that’s regrettably ahead of schedule. 

Simply put – the NBA’s lone Canadian franchise isn’t very good against competitive teams. 

Fine then. 

But that means the Raptors can’t drop games against the bottom dwellers of the league. Their fragile lead over the play-in team is in danger of slipping away. With the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets awaiting them later this month, the Raptors desperately need to take care of business against lower-ranked teams.

That begins with defending home court against the Mavericks, even if Cooper Flagg overcomes his questionable tag before the 6:00 p.m. EST tip-off on Sportsnet.

The last time the Raptors dropped a game to a team below .500 was in a 121-117 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 16. Former fun guy Kawhi Leonard sat the game out with a right ankle sprain, but James Harden bullied the Raptors defence and finished with 31 points and 10 assists. When adjusting the bar to a slightly lower level, the Raptors haven’t lost to an opponent currently in a playoff or play-in spot since falling 138-117 to the Washington Wizards on Dec. 26. 

Since their last meaningful victory over a playoff staple – a 103-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder back on Jan. 25 – the Raptors have struggled mightily in the second half. Toronto is 3-5 in the third and fourth quarters against playoff teams during this stretch. Often, it’s a disastrous third quarter that leads to a comfortable final frame for the opponent, or it’s a Raptors meltdown in back-end of the fourth quarter. 

For most supporters who have followed the team this season, it’s a script that’s repetitive in the worst possible way. It feels like the Raptors are destined to lose in the opening round of the post-season. It’s like Toronto is on a collision course that can be seen before the car leaves the driveway. 

But despite the doom and gloom, there’s still basketball to be played, and the Raptors aren’t necessarily firing on all cylinders (yet).

Centre Jakob Poeltl’s minutes are back to where they should be. The Austrian big man is averaging 27.4 minutes in his last five games. However, there’s still ample room for improvement. Poeltl is often good for a double-double in roughly half the games he appears in. Still, he only has one double-double in seven games since returning from injury on Feb. 11. With Collin Murray-Boyles already ruled out due to a thumb sprain, it’s imperative that Poeltl quickly works his way back to full strength. The rookie performed admirably in the veteran’s presence, and Poeltl returning the favour would go a long way in sustaining the Raptors’ lifeline. 

With Brandon Ingram listed as questionable, it’s important for Scottie Barnes to summon the aggression he showcased earlier in the 2025-26 campaign. Barnes’ February numbers (and his two-game sample size in March) are down across the board in comparison to his season averages. His three-point shooting is the most glaring downward spiral, but that’s been a concern since early January. The bigger red flag is the rebounding totals. Since the All-Star break, Barnes has averaged 3.3 rebounds against playoff teams. That’s a drastic dip from the eight boards he averages on the season. Understandably, it’s also affecting his assist numbers since he’s initiating fewer breakouts. 

Historically, Barnes is the type of player that goes as his team does. The best version of Barnes have arguably come during his rookie season, when he was surrounded by championship-level auxiliary players, and earlier this year when the Raptors were one of the hottest teams in the NBA. But when the Raptors struggle, Barnes does as well. If he can eventually tap into a state where he can consistently will Toronto to victories, it’ll help the team stay afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff race.