EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Kwame Evans Jr. scored 20 points, which included the last nine of the game, and Oregon blew a 21-point lead before the Ducks rallied to beat Washington 85-79 on Saturday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Evans was fouled on a 3-point shot and made the and-1 free throw to give Oregon a one-point lead with 11.5 seconds left. Evans stole the ball from Hannes Steinbach, who quickly fouled, and Washington coach Danny Sprinkle, who thought Steinbach had been fouled, erupted. He was assessed back-to-back technical fouls and was ejected before Evans made 5 of 6 from the free throw line with five seconds left to seal it.
Takai Simpkins scored 18 points and Nate Bittle had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Oregon (12-19, 5-15 Big Ten). Dezdrick Lindsay added 11 points and Drew Carter 10.
The Ducks started 11-of-14 shooting — 7 of 7 from 3-point range — and used a 16-0 run to take a 21-point lead midway through the first half. Oregon shot 58% (15 of 26) and hit eight 3s and had 13 assists in the first half to take a 44-30 lead into the intermission.
Steinbach had 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds for Washington (15-16, 7-19). Steinbach, a 6-foot-11 freshman, has 20 double-doubles this season, tied with Justin Neely of UNC Greensboro for second most nationally behind UNC Greensboro's Delrecco Gillespie (21).
Steinbach scored 13 points in a 29-8 run that gave the Huskies a three-point lead with 24 seconds left.
Up next
Both teams will be waiting for the Big Ten Tournament pairings to come out Sunday to find out who and when they’ll play at Chicago next week.
HOUSTON — For the first four innings of Saturday’s World Baseball Classic game, Team USA struggled to consistently generate offense while trailing Great Britain 1-0. It looked like an upset was brewing, until an unlikely hero stepped up.
The catalyst was infielder Ernie Clement, one of just two players in Saturday’s USA starting lineup who has never been named an MLB All-Star. At the plate with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, Clement connected on a two-strike pitch and put it into play. Great Britain third baseman Ivan Johnson overthrew first base. Clement hustled and was safe at first, cracking the door open just wide enough for the Americans to start a rally.
Clement moved to third base on a Pete Crow-Armstrong double, then scored the USA’s tying run with gutsy baserunning when he slid home on a wild pitch. The door blasted off its hinges.
The USA scored five runs that inning, grabbing a lead it never relinquished in a 9-1 win against Great Britain at Daikin Park.
“To have that little spark – it started with Ernie there, a big hustle play to get to first base,” said Kyle Schwarber, who hit the USA’s go-ahead home run.
Clement, the Toronto Blue Jays utility man, scored three runs and hit 1-for-3 in the win. He took five plate appearances, saw 18 pitches and reached base four times courtesy of an error, a single, and two walks.
A team’s ceiling is often defined by its depth, which is exactly what Team USA manager Mark DeRosa had in mind when he recruited Clement as a plug-and-play infielder to join a roster that constitutes an embarrassment of riches.
“He’s deserving of being in that room,” DeRosa said. “(I) wanted to get Gunnar (Henderson) and him in the lineup. I felt like coming out of Arizona, I felt like everybody was worthy of a start. And wanted to get these guys rolling, and they deserve it.”
Saturday night’s gutsy performance further underscored Clement’s dramatic career transformation – from underproducing fringe player in danger of falling out of the majors to heroic playoff performer to Team USA contributor.
Following a miserable 2022 season in which he batted .184 in 69 games, Clement was not even in consideration for Team USA’s roster for the 2023 WBC. In fact, during the tournament, he was released by the A’s and two days later signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays.
“If you told me back then that I would be doing this, I would be pretty surprised,” Clement said. “But I’ve always believed in myself and I’ve always put the work in, and it’s nice to see it rewarded.”
Clement’s resume looks much different these days. He made his WBC debut coming off a record-setting 30-hit postseason for the 2025 American League champion Blue Jays, a season in which he was also nominated for Gold Glove awards at third base and the utility position.
And yet on paper, Clement was hardly the biggest threat on a USA team littered with league MVPs, Gold Glovers and Cy Young winners.
“You kind of run into, what All-Star is going to be in the lineup?” Great Britain manager Brad Marcelino said before Saturday’s game.
The USA started seven All-Stars. The two exceptions were outfielder Roman Anthony, the former top prospect who made his big-league debut in 2025, and Clement, the veteran two weeks shy of his 30th birthday.
Saturday was Clement’s first start of the WBC. He entered as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning and did not take a plate appearance in the USA’s opening win over Brazil on Friday. Against Great Britain, he started at second base and batted eighth in the lineup.
After grounding out his first time up, Clement took advantage of Great Britain’s throwing error.
“I’m trying to hustle as much as I can,” he said. “I saw the first baseman jump up and as soon as I see that, usually I try to slide, but it was so bang-bang. I’d already made up my mind.”
He was just as aggressive sliding headfirst to score on Andre Scrubb’s wild pitch that same inning. Leading off the bottom of the sixth, Clement lined a two-strike slider into left field for a single and later came home on Alex Bregman’s sacrifice fly. In the seventh inning, after getting on base with a walk, he scored again on another Bregman sacrifice fly – the final run of the game.
Team USA, and in particular clubhouse leaders Schwarber and captain Aaron Judge, have attempted to create a camaraderie absent of a hierarchy. The goal is to relieve the burden felt by the more experienced (and accomplished) players on the team and simultaneously empower everybody else.
“We don’t want to feel like anyone needs to do something extraordinary because this is a lineup of extraordinary people and a bullpen and a starting staff of extraordinary people,” Schwarber said. “We play for our country and play for our team and that’s all we care about.”
Clement’s background as a utility player who in his MLB career has played at seven different positions – including four games at pitcher, allowing six earned runs across four innings – demanded that he be prepared for a variety of scenarios.
“I’m just kind of going in with an open mind and being ready for anything because in these kinds of tournaments, really anything can happen,” Clement said.
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Joel Farabee scored twice and had an assist to lead the Calgary Flames to a 5-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
Morgan Frost had a goal and two assists for the Flames, who snapped a four-game winless skid. Ryan Strome had a goal and an assist in his debut for Calgary, and Blake Coleman also had a goal and an assist. Dustin Wolf made 25 saves.
Seth Jarvis had a goal and two assists for the Eastern Conference-leading Hurricanes, who lost in regulation for just the second time in their last 16 games (12-2-2). Sean Walker, Alexander Nikishin and Andrei Svechnikov also scored for Carolina.
Brandon Bussi stopped 20 shots, but his nine-game franchise record-tying winning streak ended.
In their first game without No. 1 center Nazem Kadri, who was traded to Colorado on Friday, the Flames got off to a rough start as Jarvis scored 44 seconds in on the game’s first shot.
Calgary bounced back in the second with three goals to take the lead for good. Strome, acquired from Anaheim on Friday, got it started by scoring 19 seconds into the period off a feed from Olli Maatta — who also made his Flames debut after coming from Utah in a trade on Wednesday.
Strome had his first multipoint game since Dec. 7, when he had two assists against Chicago.
Flames defenseman Zach Whitecloud (upper body) left the game in the first period and didn’t return.
The Islanders defeated the Sharks in overtime Saturday.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — It wasn’t pretty, they didn’t find their game until the third period and really, who cares about that.
The Islanders got out of the SAP Center with two points in hand, and that is what matters most after Saturday night’s 2-1 overtime win against the Sharks.
With the Blue Jackets — whose chances of catching the Islanders looked all but done after they fell seven points back just over a week ago — picking up points seemingly every night, there is suddenly a three-team race for the last two Metropolitan Division playoff spots to worry about, and Bo Horvat’s game-winner jolted the Islanders to the top of it, ahead of the Penguins and into second in the Metro.
So, forget pretty. Especially on the road and especially against a Sharks team that had the Islanders on their heels for a lot of this game. Forget that it wasn’t a great second period. What matters is what came next.
“I thought maybe the third was our best period of the road trip,” coach Patrick Roy said. “I thought we simplified our game, we put pucks deep. We had to get our forecheck going, win those battles in the corners, low to high and throw pucks at the net.”
Indeed, it was the best period the Islanders played in California this trip, and by an order of magnitude. Finally, they held onto pucks, established a game down low and created sustained pressure. Finally, the top line, which had not looked quite right all trip, started making a positive impact on every shift.
If there was one less-than-positive piece of those 20 minutes, it’s that the Islanders failed to convert on the power play after Kiefer Sherwood’s roughing penalty handed them a chance to end it at 16:15 of the period, their third scoreless power play in three tries on the night.
The penalty kill that followed when Adam Pelech went for holding shortly after the game returned to even strength, though, was an exercise in grit, with Horvat making a crucial block on Dmitry Orlov and Ilya Sorokin his best save of 30 on the night with a stop on Will Smith that helped send the game to overtime.
Bo Horvat scores the game-winning goal in the Islanders’ 2-1 overtime road win over the Sharks on March 7, 2026. Imagn Images
And, after finishing off the kill in the extra period and suffering through 3:11 of overtime while barely touching the puck with the game at four-on-four, the Islanders finally got their chance at 4:20 of OT, when Matthew Schaefer sprung Horvat on the rush.
Horvat, promptly, ended the game and made it 9-0 for the Islanders in games that end at three-on-three.
“It builds us confidence for sure,” Horvat said. “We definitely weren’t at our best the last two games and we knew that. I thought we were a heck of a lot better here tonight.”
The Islanders celebrate after securing an overtime win against the Sharks on March 7. Imagn Images
Brayden Schenn’s debut had its moments, good and bad, and he admitted to having nerves for the first time in a long time. His screen in front helped DeAngelo’s shot to beat Yaroslav Askarov 11:37 into the night, and his hit on Mario Ferraro along the left-hand wall was the hardest of the night for either team. Cal Ritchie appeared reasonably comfortable on the wing, especially early in the night.
“Do I think I had my A-game? No,” Schenn said. “I just tried to buy into the team system and do whatever they asked me to do. I feel like, obviously, I have more offensively to give. But at the same time, I’m just happy to be part of a win.”
Schenn’s line with Ritchie and Ondrej Palat came out of the night with poor numbers, but that was largely a factor of being matched with Macklin Celebrini’s line, which scored against them just 33 seconds into the second period on Celebrini’s snap shot from the slot.
Brayden Schenn delivers a hit during the Islanders’ March 7 game win over the Sharks. AP
Anthony Duclair, who returned to the lineup in place of a healthy-scratched Kyle MacLean, had a solid night on the fourth line, which was solid all night. DeAngelo had one of his better games too.
The trio of stars who didn’t look quite right in Anaheim or Los Angeles — Schaefer, Horvat, Mat Barzal — were much better in this one, though it did take them a while to get going. Once they did, it served as a reminder of why they are so crucial.
“You can tell it’s a special group of guys that play for one another and that’s how you win hockey games,” Schenn said. “They’re all not flashy and pretty and that’s what it looked like tonight. We gutted it out.
There are plenty of potential contenders in the NBA this season.
With about five weeks left in the NBA’s regular season, we have a pretty clear picture of the contenders for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
There have been seven different champions over the last seven seasons.
Will that trend continue and a new team be crowned this season?
Or will the Thunder repeat as champions?
As the regular season winds down, here are the three most likely teams in each conference to reach the mountaintop in June.
Eastern Conference
Knicks
The Knicks shouldn’t be underestimated. They’re seemingly lying in wait to hijack the East when the timing is right. Yes, they’re 0-3 against the Pistons (and 5 ½ games behind them through Friday night). But this team wasn’t expected to reach the Eastern Conference finals last season, and we all saw their spectacular playoff run.
Jalen Brunson is pictured during the Knicks’ win over the Nuggets on March 6, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Knicks, third in the East (41-23), added Jose Alvarado, who’s as scrappy as they come. And Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart want revenge after what happened last season against the Pacers in the penultimate round.
Cavaliers
Cleveland fell short last postseason, folding in the first round against the Pacers as Donovan Mitchell struggled with an ankle injury. They’ve since traded Darius Garland for James Harden and seem as though they’re champing at the bit to bring Cleveland its first championship since 2016.
The Cavs have the talent. The question is whether they can put it all together and be healthy enough to make a strong postseason run.
Celtics
Remember when this team was expected to tank this season after Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles last May and then they lost Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Luke Kornet during the offseason?
Jayson Tatum attempts a shot during the Celtics’ March 6 game. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Well, the joke is on everyone who underestimated Jaylen Brown, who has helped the Celtics become the biggest surprise of the season. They’re in second place in the East (42-21). LeBron James even recently questioned why Brown isn’t getting more consideration for the MVP award. Oh, and guess what, Tatum returned Friday against the Mavericks.
Honorable mention
Pistons
Where did the Pistons come from? Sure, last postseason they took the Knicks to six games in their first-round playoff series, but no one expected them to have the East’s best record this season (45-16) and Cade Cunningham to be an MVP front-runner.
Western Conference
Thunder
Heading into this season, the Thunder were the favorites to win another title. They cemented that narrative by sprinting to a 24-1 start while former All-Star Jalen Williams played in only six games over that period. It seemed as though they weren’t only going to win, they were going to lap the field.
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But a few teams have decided to play the spoiler to that storyline, most notably the Spurs in the West.
While the Thunder remain the front-runners with the NBA’s best record (49-15) through Friday night, they’re no longer considered shoo-ins for the title. Winning back-to-back championships is hard and a lot of teams are nipping at the Thunder’s heels, most notably the Spurs, who have somehow solved the riddle of OKC’s top-rated defense.
Spurs
Welp, the Spurs’ ascension has been fast. They went from not even making the playoffs last season to being considered real contenders, all because a certain 22-year-old, 7-foot-5 Frenchman is living up to his potential.
Victor Wembanyama recently helped the Spurs win 11 games in a row. They’re peaking at the right time.
Victor Wembanyama reacts after the Spurs’ March 6 win. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
But are the Spurs really ready for the NBA throne? Or will they need another year or two of playoff experience before being able to win multiple best-of-seven series on the NBA’s biggest stage?
This much is sure: Wembanyama’s care factor is through the roof. He became emotional after leading the Spurs back from a 25-point deficit to beat the Clippers on Friday, 116-112, calling it “one of the best games I’ve been a part of in my career.” He’s going to win a title, it’s just a matter of when.
Nuggets
Denver knows what it takes to win after reaching the mountaintop in 2023. Heck, even last season they took the Thunder to seven games in the second round of the playoffs.
Nikola Jokic, who missed 16 straight games due to a left knee hyperextension before returning at the end of January, is arguably the world’s best player.
Nikola Jokic looks to attempt a shot during the Nuggets’ March 6 loss to the Knicks. AP
The Nuggets’ biggest issue now is their supporting cast. Aaron Gordon missed 17 straight games because of a hamstring injury before returning to the lineup Friday. And Peyton Watson has missed 12 straight games because of a hamstring injury.
The Nuggets need Gordon and Watson to play well in the postseason to make it out of the West.
Honorable mention
Timberwolves
Minnesota has underperformed this season. But the T’wolves have a way of coming alive during the playoffs, spurred by Anthony Edwards. So, this team is my dark horse.
They’ve reached the Western Conference finals two seasons in a row and know how to turn up the volume when things count most. (Read: Rudy Gobert looking like Shaquille O’Neal last postseason against the Lakers in Game 5 of their first-round series with a 27-point, 24-rebound performance. Or Edwards regularly drawing comparisons to Michael Jordan during the Timberwolves’ 2024 playoff run.)
Bo Horvat scored with a nifty backhand on a breakaway as the Islanders continued their insane overtime record (9-0) and salvaged a win from their California swing, defeating the San Jose Sharks, 2-1.
Brayden Schenn made his Islanders debut and was a presence for both the regulation goal for and against, settling in next to Ondrej Palat and the center he’s temporarily bumped to wing, Cal Ritchie. Wearing the #10 ceded to him by new #92 Simon Holmstrom, Schenn was credited with winning 6 of his 14 faceoffs, a blocked shot and a check in 17:26 of ice time.
The first two periods were not super eventful, though that in itself is a big improvement over the previous two games. There were a few good saves from both star goalies. Tony DeAngelo broke the ice with a shot through traffic midway through the first period. The Isles were victimized by super sophomore Macklin Celebrini finding space just 33 seconds into the second period to tie it at 1-1.
The rest of the second was a standstill, but the Islanders came out with real jump in the third and logged 11 of the first 13 shots. They couldn’t convert though, and every Celebrini rush provided a scare, just as every Matthew Schaefer counter doused the flame.
With time winding down, the Islanders were perhaps gifted with a power play with under four minutes in regulation, when noted pest(ilence) Kiefer Sherwood took a run at Mat Barzal on the Isles forward’s way to the bench. Barzal got a crosscheck back at him, but perhaps Sherwood’s reputation and prior behavior earned him the only call.
As they always do, however, the Isles completely wasted that power play. There was a TV timeout, and Patrick Roy started the second unit, which promptly skated in offside to burn their 30 seconds.
And worse, the officials gave the Sharks a chance of their own when Pelech held Sherwood’s arm on a counterattack after J-G Pageau failed to get the puck in at the Sharks blueline. The Sharks spent the final 1:28 of regulation on the power play and got a couple of golden chances that required five-star saves from Sorokin.
The power play carried into overtime for about 30 seconds of 4-on-3, but the Isles killed that off with some great anticipatory interceptions by Schaefer.
Horvat’s winner came when things were back to 3-on-3 with a great threaded feed from Schaefer, his 26th assist of the year. He got a step around all three Sharks and slipped a backhand through Yaroslav Askarov’s wickets, which proved a better approach than shooting him in the mask.
It’s Schenn Packing Day as the Islanders finish this road trip Tuesday in St. Louis, where Schenn will get to pick up his things, do a farewell wave and hopefully take two points from his former team.
The win nudges the Islanders into 2nd in the Metro, a point ahead of Pittsburgh, which lost in extra time (as did Columbus). Both have two games in hand on the Isles.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 7: Trayce Thompson #28 of Great Britain makes a catch in the outfield during a World Baseball Classic Pool B game between Great Britain and the United States at Daikin Park on March 7, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Will Smith played a part in the United States’ 9-1 win over Great Britain Saturday night to improve to 2-0 in Pool B in the World Baseball Classic. But he was also on the wrong end of a couple of nice defensive plays that prevented an even bigger night for the Dodgers catcher.
Smith walked twice and threw out a baserunner trying to steal second base against Great Britain. But he was also robbed of a solo home run in the second inning, when former teammate Trayce Thompson made a leaping catch over the right field wall to bring it back.
Early leader for catch of the World Baseball Classic?! 😤
Smith also tattooed a ball 104.1 mph in the sixth inning with the bases loaded, but left fielder Kristian Robinson tracked it down in the gap, making Smith settle for a sacrifice fly instead of extra bases. Smith had another hard-hit flyout to Thompson in the eighth inning.
Old friend Hyun-jin Ryu, two and a half weeks shy of his 39th birthday, was back on the mound for Korea for the first time in the World Baseball Classic since 2009. The former Dodgers left-hander allowed a solo home run in the second inning and worked around two singles and two steals to get through three innings with just the one run allowed with three strikeouts against Chinese Taipei.
In a back-and-forth contest in which no team ever lead by more than one run, Chinese Taipei scored in the 10th inning to outlast Korea 5-4.
Ryu, who returned to the KBO the last two years after pitching over a decade in MLB, talked with Michael Clair at MLB.com about his history in international play, including winning an Olympic gold medal in 2008 and finishing as the runner-up in the 2009 WBC:
“As a young guy back then, I remember a lot of good veterans were there for me. So, I try to do the same thing. We have a much younger pitching staff compared to years ago with the national team. I just try to be there. I think one thing I want to do for them is not only care about my baseball here now, but try to think for the young kids, so they can grow. Just being there really, but I’m also getting a lot of energy and things to learn from those young kids, as well.”
Hyeseong Kim walked in the eighth inning and scored the tying run from first base on a double.
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 8, 2026
With the tying run on third base and one out in the 10th, Kim laid down a squeeze bunt but the runner was out at home. Kim stole second to get into scoring position, but he was stranded to end the game.
After throwing a scoreless inning on Friday, Edwin Díaz did not pitch for Puerto Rico on Saturday. Puerto Rico erased deficits in the ninth and 10th innings to stun Panama and improve to 2-0 in the tournament. Daniel Hernaiz delivered the walk-off blast for Puerto Rico in front of his home fans with one of the most joyous celebrations you’ll ever see on a baseball field.
Bo Horvat played hero, beating San Jose's netminder Yaroslav Askarov five-hole on a backhand breakaway try at 4:20 of overtime, an extra frame that began with the Islanders killing off the final 32 seconds of Adam Pelech's penalty.
Tony DeAngelo got the scoring started at 11:37 of the first period, a wrister that beat Askarov from the point. Then, Macklin Celebrini tied the game just 33 seconds into the second period.
That was the lone scoring in regulation.
Brayden Schenn, whom the Islanders acquired at the trade deadline, played 17:26 minutes, recording a shot, a hit, and a block. He went 6-for-14 in the face-off dot (43%).
The Islanders wake up on Sunday morning in second place in the Metropolitan Division.
UP NEXT: The Islanders conclude thier four-game road trip (1-2-0) against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night at 7:30 PM ET.
A UTEP fan got into a heated exchange with members of the Jacksonville State men's basketball team following Saturday's game between the two schools.
Jacksonville State earned a 64-61 victory over UTEP (Texas-El Paso) in a Conference USA game in El Paso on Saturday night.
The game was tied 61-61 when Mostapha El Moutaouakkil, the conference's scoring leader, made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the corner to secure the win. He finished the game with 23 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes played.
An altercation involving the UTEP fan happened after the game, while the players were in the handshake line.
A fan was seen on video briefly holding up a chair while having a verbal exchange with members of the Jacksonville State team.
A UTEP fan picked up a chair amid an exchange with Jacksonville State players on Saturday 😳
The fan and players were quickly separated before the incident got out of hand.
Conference USA and the two schools are expected to review the incident.
"We are reviewing the incident in conjunction with both (athletic directors), but we do not have a statement at this time," a Conference USA spokesperson told ESPN.
UTEP AD Jim Senter told ESPN the school "will take appropriate action as needed."
LOS ANGELES (AP) — David Martinez scored in the second half and Hugo Lloris made it stand up for a third straight clean sheet to begin the season as Los Angeles FC beat FC Dallas 1-0 on Saturday night.
Neither team scored until Martinez used assists from Stephen Eustáquio and defender Sergi Palencia in the 55th minute to find the net for the first time this season and for the ninth time in the 20-year-old's 49th appearance and 20th start.
Eustáquio has a goal and two assists in his first three MLS matches. Palencia's helper was his first this season and ninth in 86 career matches.
Lloris finished with five saves for LAFC (3-0-0) — off to the best start in its nine-year history with a fifth straight victory in all competitions to begin the season. The club also won its first three league matches for the first time while outscoring its opponents 6-0.
Michael Collodi saved five shots in his third start for Dallas (1-1-1) this season after making nine last year as a rookie. Collodi allowed only eight goals in his nine 2025 starts, making Maarten Paes expendable.
Both keepers had three saves in a scoreless first half.
LAFC leads the all-time series 8-4-3, including a 6-0-1 record at home.
LAFC opened the season at home with a 3-0 victory over defending champion Inter Miami and then blanked the Houston Dynamo 2-0 on the road. The club also posted 6-1 and 1-0 victories over Real España in the CONCACAF Champions Cup to advance to the Round of 16.
Dallas beat Toronto FC 3-2 in its home opener before a playing to a scoreless draw with visiting Nashville SC.
Aaron Boone put the 20-year-old at shortstop Saturday in a 3-0 loss to the Nationals and said he planned on starting him at third base Sunday against the Mets in Port St. Lucie.
The part that needs more development is Lombard’s offense, although he has given the Yankees reason to believe that’s not far away with his home run against Boston’s Garrett Crochet earlier in the spring.
Boone also said he thought Lombard might have had another one Friday against Tampa Bay lefty Ian Seymour if the wind hadn’t knocked it down.
On Saturday, he walked in the first before being picked off to end the inning.
George Lombard Jr. hits a single during the Yankees’ Feb. 27 Grapefruit League game. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Despite making an error at short against Washington, what continues to wow the team — and opposing scouts — is his glove work.
“He’s mature, he’s a pro, he’s physical [and] he’s prepared,’’ Boone said. “He’s played really well. He’s swung the bat well, but also played phenomenal defense wherever.”
Despite that ability to play numerous infield positions, Boone said it’s clear where Lombard’s future is.
Asked about showing his versatility, Boone said, “I don’t know how important it is because he can really play short.”
Still, it’s a nice luxury to have and Lombard excels at the other spots, as well.
“The fact he plays the other ones with the ease with which he does, that’s what’s impressive to me,” Boone said. “Wherever I put him — even going back to last spring — he makes a play every time that you’re like, ‘Dang, not a lot of people make that play, even if they’re familiar with the position.’ He’s pretty special on the defensive side.”
And his bat is developing.
“He’s just impressive physically,’’ Boone said. “As a young man, he keeps filling out and you notice another level every year.. He gives you a really good at-bat, knows the zone and is very disciplined and focused. The last thing for him is to continue to develop the hit tool to finish off the player.”
Jake Bird has looked like a different pitcher this spring compared to what the Yankees saw after they acquired him from the Rockies at the trade deadline last season — at least until Saturday, when he gave up a pair of runs and retired just two batters.
The right-hander had a rough introduction to the Yankees last season, allowing multiple runs in two of his three outings following the trade before being sent to the minors.
He had also been shaky in his final month with the Rockies and wasn’t much better with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Boone said Bird might have been impacted by a heavy workload prior to the trade, as he appeared in 45 of Colorado’s first 106 games before the Yankees picked him up and “hit a little bit of a wall physically.”
Now, Boone said Bird is “one of the guys very much in the mix” for a spot in the bullpen.
“We got him last year for a reason,’’ Boone said. “He’s had a good bit of success at this level. He had a really good winter and shown well [here].”
Didier Fuentes looked absolutely dominant on Saturday, drawing 7 whiffs on just 25 pitches and pumping up to 99 MPH with his fastball. He did so, however, throwing only two pitches and throwing his four-seamer 80% of the time. It will be interesting to see what additional pitches he adds to his arsenal this season, if any. It’s difficult, as we know, to succeed as a starter with only two pitches. Fuentes looked nasty though and looked the part of an absolute weapon who could handle up to one time through the order, but I would be skeptical of his success seeing hitters multiple times with that pitch mix, even if the fastball is looking like it did today.
HOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 28: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs and Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the game on January 28, 2026 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. 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 Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Tonight the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs complete their season series. San Antonio leads 2-1, and a win for the Spurs would clinch the tiebreaker, not that it’s likely to matter. This is the first of three difficult games in four days for Houston.
To talk about the Spurs, I enlisted the help of my friend, Blaine. He’s a Spurs fan that spent many nights with us in Playback (RIP), and he’s a smart basketball mind and great dude. I asked him some questions and he was kind enough to give some super detailed answers, even when I put him on the spot with San Antonio’s championship chances. I learned a ton, and I hope you do as well.
Armin (AK): By the old Phil Jackson metric, approximately 83% of all NBA champions won 40 games before losing 20. The Spurs are one of three teams that qualify this season. How serious are San Antonio’s chances? What would you consider a successful postseason?
Blaine: Going into this season, I honestly thought we would be happy with the 6 seed. At this point in time, we are probably a year ahead of what I thought our progression would be. Last year, we finished 13th in the West. I figured we would pass Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and Memphis Grizzlies. I thought Dallas could be dangerous if they were healthy, but we knew Kyrie Iriving was a long shot this year, and Anthony Davis doesn’t have the best luck. I didn’t love Golden State’s offseason, the LA Clippers were (are) going through an interesting Steve Ballmer/Kawhi Leonard based investigation. That left Oklahoma City, y’all, the LA Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves as teams I thought could stay ahead of us and it still be seen as a potentially successful year of further growth. Y’all lost Fred VanVleet, then Steven Adams, and Dorian Finney-Smith hasn’t been the player I thought he could be for y’all. Denver has had to go without Nikola Jokic for a stretch, Aaron Gordon for longer, and Cam Johnson hasn’t been as big of a factor as I thought he could be for them, but they should be a dangerous team come playoff time. We’ve shown we can matchup well with OKC, beating them 4-1 this season (admittedly, 1 game they basically punted), but they are still the defending champs and current #1 overall seed.
All this is to say that we definitely have a shot, but history says it’s unlikely. The list is short for teams that found postseason success with as little playoff experience as our core has. On the plus side, Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet each have 5 playoff runs and one ring each, but Barnes was 5th in minutes for the Warriors in the 2015 finals, Kornet was 11th for the Celtics in 2024. Outside of them, De’Aaron Fox has one playoff series, that’s it for our top 10 players.
On the plus side, we have a generational talent that is continuing to grow (in talent, but some say he might be taller than he was last year), and the team around him is getting better too. I wrote earlier that I thought we would be happy with the 6th seed going into the year. What I didn’t see that had me setting the lower expectations was not only Victor Wembanyama still clinging to the possibility of hitting the 65 game mark, but that we now have a team around him that doesn’t crumble without him on the floor. I believe we are 10-4 in games without him this season, although we were lucky that many of those came during a somewhat forgiving stretch.
Fox has been great, even though it seems like we are keeping his usage a bit lower than he deserves. He hasn’t been getting near the credit he deserves from Spurs fans, which I hope is due to the excitement of our younger core, I can also be guilty of this. I’m glad he got the all-star nod even if there were arguments for other replacements.
Stephon Castle has taken a nice leap. His 3% hasn’t increased much, but I’m more confident in the attempts than I was last year. His playmaking continues to grow and he is probably the best lobber on the team. He’s also the best point-of-attack defender and has had some really nice putbacks. I believe he is deserving of an All-Defensive Team selection. I see him and Amen Thompson as very comparable players. Castle is a better shooter and maybe slight edge in playmaking, while Thompson still has the advantage on defense and rebounding.
Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson have both adjusted their games to become really useful to us. Vassell as a spark plug on offense, and Keldon as a battery and battering ram. Vassell has had a really good shooting stretch. In a 5 game stretch from 2/23-3/3 he averaged 5 3PMs on 62.5%. Johnson is still in the running for 6MOY, although I think the chances have chilled slightly post all star break.
AK: San Antonio appears so deep right now and is seemingly getting contributions from everyone. Besides playoff experience, what do the Spurs need to get to the next level moving forward? Is internal development enough or do you see the Spurs making a splash in free agency in Wemby’s last rookie contract season? (Note: The Spurs will have something around $35-40 million in space under the first apron this summer)
Blaine: Along with the guys above, Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant are also exciting looks into the future while providing valuable play. Harper plays with a veteran’s level of change of pace and shows real flashes of something special, while Bryant has recently shown flashes of becoming a great 3&D player. They are clear parts of the future so some care needs to be taken that we have money available for them when the time comes.
Kornet is the final player I feel sure will be around for the next 3 years. He’s been a really great back up big, even if it doesn’t always show up in the box score. He does so many of the little things that allow the team to be successful.
Barnes has been a solid vet and has gone through stretches of being a really important floor stretcher for us. Unfortunately, his ironman streak of 364 straight regular season games played was snapped due to a sore ankle, his 3% has dropped over 5% from last year, Bryant is showing growth, and his current contract is too big and runs out at the end of the year. He’d be great to have back, but I don’t know that he would or should take the cut needed for us to make it happen.
Julian Champagnie is currently on one of the best contracts (non-rookie or superstar-on-max edition). We have a team option, but I’m sure we will try to renegotiate for a longer deal while trying to keep it somewhat team friendly.
Looking into next year, we have Atlanta’s pick that will likely be a lottery pick. Depending on where that pick falls could determine if we feel like we luck into another rotational piece or if we use it to package for a different piece or future pick. Looking over a list of upcoming FAs, the number of good fits that I think have a ok chance of moving are fairly slim. Rui Hachimura and John Collins are maybe the best options which aren’t the flashiest moves. Therefore, I think our best chance at a big swing would be to sign and trade Barnes packaged with ATL’s pick. A bigger swing would have to include Vassell or Johnson that, as I’ve stated, have been playing well this season and could be considered the hearts of the team, especially Keldon on the latter.
I think it is more likely that we try to make a Barnes deal work, while extending Wemby and Champagnie.
AK: Fill in the blank: The Spurs are winning a title in the next _____ years.
Blaine: When Tim Duncan retired, I said with full sincerity that I would be satisfied as a fan if we never won another because of the 5 rings he brought to my favorite team, and asking for anything further would be greedy. Well, the 3rd lucky pick of a ping pong ball that gave me a generation big to watch has me feeling like Scrooge McDuck. I stated earlier in the year that I’m still not a big fan of the Cup. Players get more money, good for them, but for me as a fan, I’m not ready to give this midseason tournament any prestige. That being said, it was great for us this year. The OKC and New York Knicks games had a solid playoff-like atmosphere that gives the young core at least a small feel of what to expect come playoffs. I’m trying hard to keep my expectations tempered. Injuries happen, guys playing well lead to them earning contracts that break teams apart, teams struggle at the wrong time, and opposing teams have the opposite happen at the right time for them. We aren’t here for that though, and I’m not backing down from your challenge to actually answer this question that I usually talk my way around. Spurs in 3. Maybe we get lucky this year, we have been playing really well. If we make it to the conference finals this year, I think we can rebound and make it through the next. If we flame out early, I think we do whatever we need to to make it work in the 3rd. There, you got me to say it. You happy?
AK: What are your thoughts on the Rockets as an outsider?
Blaine: Before the injuries, I really thought this could be y’all’s year. I’ve been telling you since the start of the year that I think y’all are a bad matchup for us. Wemby has more difficulty with Alperen Sengun’s offensive timing, Kevin Durant is still a bucket, Jabari Smith Jr. gives y’all extra size, and I remain a big fan of both Amen and Reed Sheppard.
AK: Got any fun tidbits I didn’t ask?
Blaine: Just for fun, Spurs have some pretty good duo names. Ex Area 51 (Wemby/Castle), Pineapple Express (Castle/Vassell), Slash Bros (Castle/Harper), French Vanilla (Wemby/Kornet), White Castle (Castle/Kornet). Do the Rockets have any fun nicknames?
Also, current situation of Wemby chasing Dream’s block record:
Current Pace (3.48) 936 games to overtake (14.4 65 game seasons)
Feb 13, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) works out during spring training practices at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
New York Post | Mark Sánchez: After yet another bullpen session on Saturday, Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodón got some good news. He is set to face hitters next week, for the first time since going under the knife to remove loose bodies from his elbow in the offseason. Rodón is healthy, but the Bombers have been slow with his ramp-up process in order to avoid any setbacks. He said his range of movement improved considerably, so he is still ‘trying to figure out how everything moves again and just find the [pitch] shapes.’
SNY | Philip Martinez: Right-hander Will Warren extended his spring dominance on Saturday night vs. the Washington Nationals, pitching four quality frames in which he surrendered just one unearned run, lowering his Grapefruit League ERA to an impressive 0.87. He allowed two hits and walked a pair, striking out three. The talented but inconsistent hurler stretched out to 50 pitches and looks ready for the start of the season. He has a chance to prove he can improve his command and take the next step.
New York Post | Greg Joyce: On Friday, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole completed his third live batting practice session of the spring, and it went as well as you can expect. He completed two innings, threw 30 pitches, and reached 97.5 mph with his heater. He also included some breaking balls and looked excellent, just like he has all spring. “It actually felt good,” Cole said. “The second inning felt really good.” The team and the pitcher are both taking things really slow because he didn’t pitch at all last season, but it’s hard not to feel excitement at the prospect of a healthy Cole dominating in October.
