PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 7: Mat Ishbia speaks during a press conference announcing Phoenix as the host of the NBA All-Star 2027 on March 7, 2024 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. 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 2024 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia will participate in All-Star weekend at the Ruffles Celebrity Game.
The former Michigan State basketball walk-on — and champion under Tom Izzo — will represent the Suns.
ESPN and the NBA today unveiled the rosters for the 2026 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, taking place at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on Friday, February 13, at 5 p.m. local time on ESPN.
This list has quite a few big names. It would be iconic to see a Shams Charania-Mat Ishbia duel on the hardwood.
Ishbia took to X to post his excitement about hitting the court and representing the Suns. It gives the fans a low-stakes event to look forward to.
This will be fun! I will definitely do my best to compete and play hard like our guys do every single night, and won’t let our Suns fans down! Might be tough at my age 🤷♂️😊 https://t.co/guHoIvEBpx
TORONTO, CANADA - FEBRUARY 4: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket during the game against the Toronto Raptors on February 4, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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 Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The largest single-city losing streak in franchise history is over. It almost wasn’t.
For a Timberwolves team that hasn’t been able to stay out of the trade deadline banter of the last week, with the ongoing Giannis Antetokounmpo saga and recent departure of Mike Conley, it’s a team that has looked the distracted part dating back to Monday’s stinker in Memphis.
Another porous defensive effort looked to be taking shape out of the gate. Posting a 138 defensive rating in Memphis, the Wolves matched that in the first act of Wednesday night, with an identical 138 first-half defensive rating.
At the end of the second quarter, the Wolves had allowed 30 points in eight straight quarters, a defensive threshold that coach Chris Finch called out on Monday night as being a problem.
For three quarters, the Wolves were unable to make much of a dent in the Toronto Raptors’ double-digit lead. Good offensive stretches would come and go much at the behest of Bones Hyland’s 20 points off the bench (8-12 field goals), but the five on the floor were unable to come up with the defensive stops necessary in order to get out in transition and knock out the point differential.
With the Raptors boasting the highest fastbreak point total in the league, it was a point on the scouting report to not get cross-matched too often in transition and allow Toronto to abuse mismatches.
For three quarters, they were able to do that effectively. But then the lineup of Donte DiVincenzo, Hyland, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Rudy Gobert found their groove. They jumped in passing lanes, generated points off turnovers, moved the ball quickly on offense, and flipped the game on its head. Within five minutes, the Wolves went from down 16 points to down three.
It was a ball on a tee for the best clutch player in the NBA.
And man, did he deliver…
TORONTO, CANADA – FEBRUARY 4: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket during the game against the Toronto Raptors on February 4, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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 Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
“Since Bruce Lee Died!”
Battling multiple injuries, including a nagging foot infection, Anthony Edwards admitted after the game that he’s playing a little more hurt than many might think.
Anthony Edwards on the All-Star game: “I’m pretty banged up. I might not be playing. I hope it’s competitive.”
If you watched him in the fourth quarter, it was business as usual.
With just nine points at half, the Wolves frontman seemed to be blending in with the funeral march of an effort being put on in what was shaping up to be a beatdown.
The lead chart from Wednesday night | NBA
His team needed him. Downtrodden by trade news and speculation, and one of the mature leaders of the team now gone in Conley, it was on Edwards to emotionally guide this team through the rest of the game. A rollover after Monday night would have a sulking team coming out on Friday unpredictably.
Thankfully for the Wolves, he answered the call. The aforementioned DiVincenzo – Hyland – McDaniels – Reid – Gobert group parlayed into a vintage Edwards performance.
Prodded by a Toronto crowd hellbent on poking the bear, Edwards played into it. Draining a 3-pointer and waving towards the crowd to ramp up the noise, Edwards would glide up and down the floor, killing the Raptors slowly with each possession down the stretch. Each time touching the ball, another cut to a Toronto team that led for the vast majority of the game.
With 13 fourth-quarter points, all of which came in the final 5:09 of regulation, Edwards grabbed the game by the throat and assured his team that everything was going to be ok.
It was a message they were all looking for, and the franchise player delivered.
TORONTO, CANADA – FEBRUARY 4: Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors drives to the net against Julius Randle #30 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of their NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on February 4, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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 Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Emptying the Notebook
1). I cannot finish writing this article in good conscience without calling out how poor Julius Randle was defensively. In a recent article by Chris Hine about Randle, he and Chris Finch both described him as a bit moody. In the last few games, I’d wager that has been on full display. With trade rumors circling, it’s been another point in the season in which the former Knick has regressed into his selfish offensive ways that take the flow out of the offense, and seems to give half of the effort on defense to round out a hard product to watch in the aggregate. To pile on, Randle is shooting 31 percent from three in his last 15 games on five attempts. While he’s maintained his effectiveness in getting to the rim, his shot not falling at the same clip is clearly impacting the other end, and it’s a frustrating watch knowing what he can be capable of on that side of the ball.
2). Jaden McDaniels continues to be unshakable. His future in Minnesota is the subject of much speculation around a potential Giannis trade; he stared it in the face and put 19 points up on 8-13 shooting on Wednesday night. Also, a major piece of the lineup that pulled the game within reach, his on-ball defense against Toronto’s crafty perimeter players in Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley were equalizers. He elaborated after the game on his name coming up in rumors, but it didn’t seem to impact him much north of the border. Just awesome stuff.
Jaden McDaniels on trade rumors: "It’s hard to block out. It’s everywhere you go on your phone, you see something. I’ve been through six deadlines and I just keep it the same way every time. Try to play as best as I can throughout the season and if something happens, it happens."
The Wolves will head back to Minneapolis and experience the trade deadline from the comfort of their own homes. They’ll start a six-game homestand that sandwiches the All-Star break, starting with a reacquaintance with the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
The Pelicans have been the subject of a few league-wide chuckles, with rumors circulating this week that their front office believes they have a playoff-caliber roster and will hold pat with their core players at the deadline.
The Pelicans reportedly believe they have a playoff roster and are not interested in trading their core players, per @HPbasketball
“Still, sources around the league has said the message they get from the Pelicans is they believe they have a playoff roster they just need the… pic.twitter.com/6eFmaiLV5V
In a Florida Panthers 5-4 shootout win over the Boston Bruins, rookie Sandis Vilmanis was forced to exit the game with an upper-body injury.
The 22-year-old recorded just 2:35 of ice time, exiting the game in the first period. The Panthers did not announce that Vilmanis wouldn’t return to the game until the start of the third period.
Vilmanis attempted to catch McAvoy with an open ice hit, but he connected with McAvoy’s head in the process. He was assessed a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head and did not play following the hit.
Following the game, coach Paul Maurice mentioned that Vilmanis should be “okay.” That’s good news for the Panthers and Latvia, who Vilmanis will be representing at the Olympics next week.
Maurice also provided an update on defenseman Tobias Bjornfot, who did not play in the third period. Maurice said Bjornfot is unlikely to play tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tobias Bjornfot has scored two goals and three points in 10 games this season. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Bjornfot recorded just 8:27 of ice time, throwing one hit. What injury Bjornfot has sustained hasn’t been revealed yet.
The final update Maurice provided was that there are probably three guys who played tonight who won’t play tomorrow against the Lightning, Jordan McPherson reported.
The Panthers will be in Tampa Bay on Thursday for their final game before the 2026 Winter Olympics.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
TORONTO, CANADA - FEBRUARY 4: Brandon Ingram #3 of the Toronto Raptors drives against Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of their NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on February 4, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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 Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s one of the worst weeks in the NBA calendar… and right as the NBA Trade Deadline is about to expire, the Toronto Raptors have back-to-back games. Lovely.
The Raptors started (and probably ended) their trade action Wednesday afternoon with a small deal to move Ochai Agbaji to Brooklyn in a three-team deal that also brought Chris Paul to Toronto. Chris Paul won’t report, and the move was to offload Agbaji’s salary and bring the team under the tax. A bookkeeping thing. Toronto will either move Paul before tomorrow’s deadline or buy him out after.
This also now means it’s likely the Raptors won’t make another big move. I could be wrong, of course, but it doesn’t seem likely that a trade involving RJ Barrett or Jakob Poeltl will happen.
Now, I try not to let internet comments get to me, but some of the stuff people were tweeting in reaction to the Raptors’ moves (or lack of)… we need to talk about. Why are you all so pressed? Chill, fam.
The Raptors were a lottery team literally less than a year ago. While they’ve definitely outperformed expectations this season, they aren’t about to go on a championship run — they were never expected to. Trust the process a bit more. I saw someone say the Raptors are going to be “the saddest 1s round exit” this season… okay? It’s their first playoff appearance in years. What do you expect? Anything more would be a great time, but it’s year one of building up again… they aren’t about to win a ring.
This is all why playing a back-to-back right when the trade deadline is happening is a little weird. It’s a little overstimulating, it’s oddly emotional.
It’s also why people are going to overreact to this Raptors loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves… a lot. After leading by a wide margin, the Timberwolves got a few stops and closed the gap. They got some good shots in, and won 128-126.
Some of the over reaction to tonight is warranted, of course. The Raptors dropped a 15-point lead in the third and fourth quarters to lose a game they should have won. They lack depth in the center position. Their shooting can be hot and cold.
Games like this are just part of the process, though. It’s almost a stark reminder how early on this team is when it comes to building. Is it tough to see them lose a game like that? Yeah, they could have and should have won. Are we going to catastrophize about it though? People will, and it’s a waste of energy.
Back-to-backs have the positive though, of forcing us to forget about things quickly. There is no time to sit here and lament about the loss, what they could have done different, etc. The team itself doesn’t even have time to do that, they won’t even be able to really look at film before tomorrow’s game. All you can do is forget it and move on.
There also isn’t much chance this loss affects what will happen at Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. Can’t wait to forget about that and move on, too. The Raptors are back tomorrow night, against the Chicago Bulls. By the time they tip off, the deadline will have passed, this team will be (mostly) locked in for the season, and we can stop prophesizing and catastrophizing. Maybe. Maybe not.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Brad Marchand scored in the fourth round of the shootout in his return to Florida's lineup after missing two games to give the Panthers a 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins, his former team, on Wednesday night.
Anton Lundell had a goal and two assists for his second three-point game of the season, while Matthew Tkachuk and Uvis Balinskis had a goal and an assist each as the Panthers ended a four-game losing streak. Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves.
Michael Eyssimont scored twice for the Bruins, who have lost two straight games in Florida in a shootout, including Sunday’s NHL Stadium Series game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Mark Kastelic and Casey Mittelstadt also had goals and Joonas Korpisalo had 22 saves.
The Panthers trailed 2-1 after the first period despite taking the lead on a goal from Eetu Luostarinen at 4:22.
Eyssimont scored a pair of goals on breakaways — including one when he came racing out of the penalty box and got Bobrovsky to go down, leaving the net open enough for him to be able to tuck the puck in.
Florida scored three goals on special teams in the second, two on the power play and one short-handed.
Balinskis tied the score 30 seconds into the period. Tkachuk made it 3-2 at 2:22 on a power-play goal and the Panthers made it 4-2 with 1:27 remaining in the second, Sam Reinhart feeding Lundell off the rush while Florida was killing off a penalty.
Boston pulled within one at 4-3 in third on Kastelic's goal and tied it when Mittelstadt collected a rebound off a David Pastrnak shot and lifted the puck over Bobrovsky with 9:30 remaining while on the power play.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson each had a goal and two assists, Samuel Montembeault stopped 36 shots to earn his first win since Jan. 17 and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 on Wednesday night.
Rookie Oliver Kapanen, Lane Hutson and Phillip Danault, also scored for the Canadiens, who are 4-0-1 during a five-game points streak and 6-2-1 in their last nine.
Montembeault, who made his first start since Jan. 24, had given up three or more goals in five of his six previous starts.
Kyle Connor scored for the Jets and Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves.
Winnipeg took an early 1-0 lead when Connor scored his 25th goal on a one-timer during a power play at 6:07 of the first period.
Kapanen, who’s heading to the Olympics for Finland, got his 18th goal 10 minutes later when a rebound went off Jet Cole Perfetti’s stick right to him and he then flipped the puck past a sprawled Hellebuyck.
Montreal went ahead 3-1 at 6:44 of the second after goals 76 seconds apart by Anderson and Hutson.
The Jets missed a chance to pull closer then they hit a post and Montembeault later snagged a close-in shot by Dylan DeMelo. They were also stymied on four shots on goal during a power play early in the third.
Gallagher’s goal came with 3 seconds left on a power play at 10:57 of the third. Danault put the puck into an empty net with 14 seconds remaining to cap the scoring.
Up next
Canadiens: Host the New York Islanders on Feb. 26.
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Dai Dai Ames scored a career-high 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting and California blew a double-digit lead on Wednesday before the Golden Bears beat Georgia Tech 90-85.
John Camden had 15 points, Chris Bell scored 14 points, and Justin Pippen finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Cal (17-6, 5-5 ACC). Milos Ilic had 11 points and nine rebounds.
Akai Fleming led Georgia Tech (11-12, 2-8) with 19 points, 15 in the second half, and Chas Kelley III scored 15. Jaeden Mustaf and Kam Craft added 14 points apiece and Baye Ndongo had 10 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists. Georgia Tech has lost three in a row and six of seven. Ndongo suffered an apparent non-contact injury to his left leg moments before he fouled out 43 seconds left.
Fleming scored eight consecutive Georgia Tech points — which included two 3-pointers — to cut the deficit to 80-77 with 1:08 to play. The Bears then made 10 of 12 from the free-throw line in the final 48 seconds to seal it.
Ames made back-to-back baskets before Ilic converted a three-point play that made it 7-0 a little more than two minutes into the game. The Bears took a 43-29 lead into the intermission.
Ames hit a 3-pointer 42 seconds into the second half that gave the Bears a 15-point lead, their biggest of the game. Craft then scored eight consecutive Yellow Jackets points in a 20-3 run that game them their first lead when Fleming's layup with 14:37 to play made it 51-49.
Mouhamed Sylla (ankle) and Peyton Marshall (right thumb) did not play for Georgia Tech.
Up next
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets play Saturday at Stanford.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 9: Kyle Tucker #30 of the Chicago Cubs hits a solo home run in the seventh inning during game four of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field on October 9, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’re open for business here at BCB After Dark: the grooviest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. It’s so good to see you this evening. Come in out of the cold. There’s no cover charge. We still have a few tables available. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. The BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic is in the third round and getting close to the end, but you’re always welcome to join in. But you’re free to skip that if you choose. You won’t hurt my feelings.
We lost clarinetist and band leader Ken Peplowski on Monday at the age of 66. Peplowski died doing what he loved, as he was on a jazz cruise ship where he was scheduled to perform when he was found dead. No cause of death was revealed, although the obituary notes that he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2021.
Peplowski played all kinds of jazz, but he was most famous for his work at keeping the big band sound alive. Here’s he keeps that tradition by playing the jazz standard “Body and Soul” with a band, alongside fellow clarinet player Victor Gomes, pianist Dan Nimmer and drummer Marion Felder.
This is from 2018.
You voted in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic and 2001: A Space Odyssey advances to the Final Four with a win over Planet of the Apes. The Kubrick classic will take on Godzilla in the semifinals. Those early hominids are going to need a lot of bones to take down Godzilla.
Tonight we’re picking a third film to go on to the semifinals between Alien and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Alien (1979). Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, and Veronica Cartwright.
Here’s a way that director Scott uses that Hitchcockian definition of suspense, where we the audience knows more than the characters on the screen and are left anticipating the action.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Directed by Nicholas Meyer. Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Ricardo Montalban.
Here’s the scene leading up to William Shatner’s now-famous and much-memed line “Khaaaan!”
Both of these films spawned media empires. Yes, Star Trek existed before TWOK, but this film was expected to be the end to the series. Instead, it’s success led to 11 more feature films, nine live-action television series, two animated series and a whole mess of related other stuff. Alien led to eight more movies and now a TV series. What both of them did, which a standalone film isn’t expected to do, is create worlds for other people to play in. And it seems that the public can’t get enough of either one.
So now it’s time to vote.
You have until Monday to vote. Up next, the final third-round matchup between Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Back to the Future.
Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.
The talk of most of last season was whether or not the Cubs would re-sign outfielder Kyle Tucker. Obviously the answer was no, as Tucker signed a four-year, $240 million deal with the Dodgers with an opt-out after two and three years. So basically far fewer years that most of us had expected, but for a lot more annual salary, although half of that $60 million a year is deferred. Even with the deferrals, the deal set a record of $57.1 million annual value as MLB calculates it.
Instead of making that deal, the Cubs pivoted and signed third baseman Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million deal. There are some deferrals in that deal as well, so that brings the “present day” value down to around $30.5 million a year. That’s still a record annual deal for the Cubs, even if the total value of the deal falls a bit short of what Jason Heyward got a decade ago.
Despite the differences in money, the latest Steamer projections from Fangraphs have almost no difference in total value between the two of them. Tucker is projected to be a 3.9 WAR player and Bregman is projected at 3.8. So did the Cubs make a clever move here?
Well, maybe, maybe not. For one, other projection systems figure their values differently and some of them have Tucker projected a bit higher than that. But what I’m more interested in is what David Adler wrote about in this article, that Bregman and Tucker reach that value in different ways.
Tucker is projected to be a top-ten hitter in the game with a wRC+ of 139, with 100 being average. Bregman’s projection of 121 wRC+ is quite good, but it’s not elite like Tucker’s is. However, Bregman makes up the difference with defense. Bregman is a third baseman and that’s a more important defensive position than right field. Secondly, Bregman is a very good defensive third baseman. Once upon a time Tucker was a good defensive right fielder, but anyone who saw him play right field last year knows that those days are gone. So Bregman makes up the difference in value with Tucker by playing better defense at a more demanding position.
So putting the terms of the contracts aside, which player would have given the Cubs a better chance to win a title in 2026? Did the Cubs need Tucker’s power and left-handed bat or Bregman’s steady bat and defense more?
There’s also the issue of roster construction to take into account, even if you accept that both players provide equal value. Signing Bregman sends incumbent third baseman Matt Shaw to a bench role where, presumably, he will get fewer at-bats than he did in 2025. There is some cost to that as Shaw was a pretty good hitter in the second half of last year, hitting .258/.317/.522 after the All-Star Break. So when figuring Bregman’s value to the team, you have to subtract the value of all those plate appearances that Shaw won’t be getting in 2026.
On the other hand, Shaw takes over the utility infield position from Vidal Bruján and Willi Castro. I don’t have to tell you that both of those players produced at below replacement level in 2025. You would assume that Shaw would be better than that.
Had the Cubs re-signed Tucker, that would have pushed Seiya Suzuki back into the DH role. That helps because while the defensive metrics did not like Tucker’s defense in right field at all last year, they thought Suzuki was even worse. So there’s a defensive downgrade going from Tucker to Suzuki in right field.
Moving Suzuki back to the DH spot also means that rookie Moisés Ballesteros either spends the season back in Iowa or gets traded to another team. And Steamer projects Ballesteros to put up a wRC+ of 107 this year. That’s almost the same as the 105 wRC+ that they predict for Matt Shaw. So one way or the other, one of these bats would be seeing less playing time.
There’s also the issue of their presence in the clubhouse, which I have no way of measuring. But the Cubs made a big deal about Bregman’s reputation as a positive teammate when they signed him.
So set the contracts aside. Tucker is younger, which is a big reason why he got more money than Bregman. But their respective ages are pretty irrelevant for who will produce more in 2026.
Also set aside what you think Tucker and Bregman will do in 2027 and 2028. Vote only on who makes the team better in 2026. Which player gives the Cubs a better chance to win this year?
Thanks for stopping by tonight. We hope you had a pleasant experience. Please get home safely. Stay warm and dry. Tell your friends about us. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again next week for more BCB After Dark.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s tour of the American League East has reached Beantown.
The former Yankees infielder has agreed to a one-year deal with the Red Sox, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed on Wednesday night.
Kiner-Falefa’s deal, which was first reported by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, is worth $6 million.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who spent two seasons with the Yankees, is set to join his third AL East squad after reportedly agreeing to a deal with the Red Sox. MLB Photos via Getty Images
The soon-to-be 31-year-old split last season between the Pirates and Blue Jays, serving as a versatile bench piece down the stretch for the AL champions.
Kiner-Falefa was involved in one of the most talked-about plays of the World Series after pinch-running for Bo Bichette in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7.
With a conservative secondary lead at third base, he was thrown out at home by Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas — who made a diving stop — on a ground ball hit by Daulton Varsho, coming inches away from scoring the winning run of the World Series. Toronto fell in extra innings.
“They told us to stay close to the base,” Kiner-Falefa told reporters after the instant classic. “They didn’t want us to get doubled off in that situation with a hard line drive. They wanted a smaller lead and a smaller secondary, so that’s what I did.”
Between Pittsburgh and Toronto, the 2020 AL Gold Glove winner at third base slashed .262/.297/.334 with two home runs and 40 RBIs in 138 games.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa came within inches of scoring the winning run in Game 7 of the World Series last season. Getty Images
Kiner-Falefa, who has experience at every position outside of first base, gives Boston added flexibility after losing All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency to the Cubs.
He previously spent two uneven seasons with the Yankees from 2022-23 after being acquired alongside Josh Donaldson in a blockbuster trade with the Twins.
During his time in pinstripes, “IKF” — who began his tenure at the team’s starting shortstop — hit .253/.311/.333 with 10 home runs and 85 RBIs in 255 games.
Kinfer-Falefa departed The Bronx for a two-year, $15 million contract with Toronto ahead of the 2024 season, only to be traded to Pittsburgh at that year’s trade deadline.
After the Yankees toyed with the idea of a reunion at last year’s trade deadline, the Blue Jays were the ones to re-acquire Kiner-Falefa as a late-August waiver claim.
The Florida Panthers took the ice on Wednesday for their final home game before the NHL Olympic break.
Desperate for every point they can get, Florida welcomed the Boston Bruins to Sunrise for a matchup of Atlantic Division rivals.
The Bruins were fresh off Sunday’s deflating defeat at the 2026 Stadium Series in Tampa when Boston took a 5-1 lead only to lose 6-5 in a shootout.
This time, Boston was the team making the comeback and forcing the game to a shootout, but the Panthers persevered and picked up the 5-4 win.
Florida actually took a 1-0 lead on twice on Wednesday night.
First it was Sam Bennett lighting the lamp on a goal that was challenged and overturned due to the play being offside at the Boston blue line.
A couple minutes later, Eetu Luostarinen jumped on a turnover just inside that same blue line, skated the puck between the circles and wired a wrist shot over the glove of Joonas Korpisalo to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead at the 4:22 mark.
The lead would be short lived though, thanks to a pair of goals by Michael Eyssimont five minutes apart, giving the Bruins a 2-1 lead after the first period.
The Panthers started the second period on the power play, and it didn’t take long for Florida to cash in.
Matthew Tkachuk found himself with some time and space in the corner next to Korpisalo, and after Sam Bennett moved toward the net and opened up some space behind him, Tkachuk made a perfect pass to Uvis Balinskis coming down from the point.
A quick wrist shot by Balinskis for his fifth goal of the season knotted the score at two just 30 seconds into the period.
Another Panthers power play a couple minutes later led to another Cats goal.
This time it was Tkachuk lighting the lamp, taking a pass from Anton Lundell at the side of the net and banking a shot from below the goal line off Korpisalo’s arm and into the net.
Despite being called for consecutive penalties late in the period, the Panthers were able to double their lead and keep momentum squarely on their side.
Directly off a faceoff win in their own end, some quick, pretty passing between Lundell and Sam Reinhart spring the pair on an odd-man rush. After moving into the Bruins zone, Reinhart laid a saucer pass across the zone that landed right at the blade of Lundell’s stick, and his quick one-timer easily beat a sprawling Korpisalo to send Florida into the intermission with a 4-2 lead.
A fluky deflection about eight minutes into the third period would bring the Bruins back within one. Charlie McAvoy’s long slapshot went off the stick of Aaron Ekblad and the arm of Mark Kastelic before fluttering past Bobrovsky.
Boston tied the game soon after on their fifth consecutive power play when Casey Mittelstadt jumped on a rebound and slammed it past Bobrovsky with 9:30 to go.
That’s how the score would remain through the end of the third period and a five-minute overtime session in which Florida actually outshot Boston 3-2.
Goals by Lundell and Brad Marchand in the shootout propelled the Panthers to a massive win that they can hopefully build on tomorrow night.
Feb 4, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) scores the winning goal against Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) during a shootout at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
WACO, Texas (AP) — Tounde Yessoufou scored 27 points, and Baylor rolled to an 86-67 win over Colorado on Wednesday in Big 12 play.
Baylor (13-9, 3-7 Big 12) dominated the first half, jumping out to a 45-21 lead behind hot shooting and a barrage of early 3-pointers. Yessoufou went 10 of 16 from the field and added seven rebounds as the Bears shot 53% overall and 42% from behind the arc.
Cameron Carr and Obi Agbim each scored 19 points for the Bears, combining for six 3-pointers. Carr added eight rebounds and six assists, while Agbim finished with six assists. Baylor made 20 of 25 free throws and outrebounded the Buffaloes 32-26.
Colorado (13-10, 3-7) never cut the deficit to single digits in the second half despite a late push from its bench. Ian Inman scored 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Jalin Holland added 12. Barrington Hargress scored 11, and Isaiah Johnson finished with 10 points and four assists.
The Buffaloes shot 40% from the field and 41% from 3 but outscored the Bears 46-41 after halftime. Baylor answered every run, stretching the margin to 70-41 on a Carr jumper with 8:27 remaining and maintained control the rest of the way.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 20: Framber Valdez #59 of the Houston Astros walks onto the field prior to the game against the Seattle Mariners at Daikin Park on September 20, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB Rumors: Framber Valdez and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to terms on a three year, $115 million deal, per reports. The deal includes a $20 million signing bonus, deferrals, and an opt out after year two.
Valdez, 32, was the last big time free agent who was still unsigned. There had been rumors in the last day or so that the Pittsburgh Pirates were in on him, though it was speculated that there was the possibility that the Pirates’ interest was being used to squeeze another suitor.
Since the start of 2020, Valdez has a 3.23 ERA, 3.36 FIP and 128 ERA+ in 973 innings. The addition of Valdez gives the Tigers a quality #2 starter to slot behind Tarik Skubal, who is in his final year of arbitration-eligibility after winning the Cy Young Award the past two seasons. Skubal and Valdez are both lefties, which would present a particular challenge in a postseason series for a team with a lefty-heavy lineup.
HOUSTON (AP) — Kingston Flemings had 18 points and six assists, Chris Cenac Jr. added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 8 Houston beat Central Florida 79-55 on Wednesday night.
Cenac and Flemings combined for 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting in the first half as Houston (20-2, 8-1 Big 12) took a 33-19 lead into halftime. The duo finished 15 of 25 from the field.
Milos Uzan scored 12 points for the Cougars, who shot 55% from the floor despite going 3 for 19 from 3-point range. Houston had a 40-29 advantage in rebounds and outscored the Knights 42-14 in the paint.
The Cougars won their 17th straight at home and have won 50 of their last 51 home games. Houston also won its 11th straight over UCF.
The victory gave the Cougars their 11th straight 20-win season under coach Kelvin Sampson.
Riley Kugel had nine points for UCF (17-5, 6-4), which had won three in a row. The Knights shot 31% and were 6 of 21 on 3-pointers.
The Knights fell to 2-3 this season against ranked teams and 4-5 in Quad 1 games as they look to shore up their NCAA Tournament resume.
Leading by one, Houston went on an 18-5 run over an eight-minute span to open a 27-13 advantage on Cenac's jumper with 3:50 left in the first half. UCF shot 2 for 13 during the Cougars’ spurt.
Houston's lead never dipped below double digits the rest of the way.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Aden Holloway scored 20 points, Latrell Wrightsell Jr. hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with about a minute left, and Alabama outlasted Texas A&M 100-97 on Wednesday night.
In a game that saw 28 lead changes and 13 ties, Wrightsell's 3-pointer gave the Crimson Tide a 97-95 lead with 1:11 remaining. Holloway’s layup made it 99-95 with 22 seconds left.
Later trailing 100-97, the Aggies had one last chance to tie, but Rylan Griffen missed a 3-pointer as time ran out.
Labaron Philon scored 17 points, Wrightsell 16, Amari Allen 12 and London Jemison 10 off the bench for Alabama (15-7, 5-4 SEC).
Rashaun Agee led Texas A&M with 21 points. Marcus Hill scored 18 points and Griffen added 17 for the Aggies (17-5, 7-2), who fell into a first-place tie with Florida, their next opponent.
Both teams rely heavily on the 3-pointer and there were 79 attempted 3s in the game. Alabama made 16 of 48 and Texas A&M hit on 13 of 31.
Jemison scored seven points in Alabama's 12-2 run that gave the Crimson Tide a 28-19 lead midway through the first half. The Aggies responded with two dunks by Jamie Vinson and 3-pointers from Griffen and Zach Clemence to take a 29-28 lead with seven minutes remaining in the half.
There were four lead changes in the next couple of minutes then Texas A&M went up by six on a 3-pointer by Vinson. Alabama hit three 3s in the final 3 1/2 minutes, the last from Wrightsell at the buzzer to tie the score at 46.
Up next
Texas A&M: The Aggies host No. 17 Florida on Saturday.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide visit Auburn on Saturday. ___
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 24: Toronto Blue Jays Infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa (7) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the MLB regular season game between the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays on September 24, 2025, at Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Who is he and where did he come from?
He’s Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The former Ranger also spent time with the Yankees before signing a 2-year, $15 million deal with the Blue Jays in 2024, who then traded him to the Pirates at that year’s trade deadline, only to take him back a year later after he was cut by Pittsburgh. He’s best known as the man who failed to take a secondary lead and got picked off at the plate as a pinch runner in the World Series. If this all sounds familiar, it’s because I conditionally passed on him on a smash or pass piece back in November. In that article, I pleaded for Craig Breslow to get the Alex Bregman deal done to avoid having to resort to players like IKF. No such deal came to fruition, and, now, after months of questions about who will be playing second base this season, Kiner-Falefa, who turns 31 in March, joins the Red Sox as a right-handed bat to balance a lefty-heavy lineup and add some defensive versatility.
Is he any good?
Kiner-Falefa is a serviceable player in this league, depending what you’re looking for. He committed just nine errors in 2025 and is versatile in the field, playing second, third and short. He was a Gold Glover in 2020, even though many may say that season doesn’t really count, does it?
What IKF brings to the club in defense, though, he lacks profoundly at the plate, which is discouraging given that he’s being pencilled into an infield that held one (or, really, two) All-Star caliber players twelve months ago. Kiner-Falefa was in the lowest tenth percentile in slugging percentage, exit velocity, barrel rate and walk rate last year. When he does hit the ball, there’s not much thump to it, as he had an isolated power of .072 in 2025. He also doesn’t walk much, being in the lowest second percentile there. He’s slashed.262/.311/.349 for his career.
Tl;dr, just give me his 2025 stats.
138 G, 9 E, .262/.297/.334, 2 HR, 77 K, 17 BB
Show me a cool highlight.
Kiner-Falefa is quick in the field and can get to the ball, such as when he made this play at third to prevent a surefire hit.
What’s he doing in his picture up there?
Maybe he just sacrificed a guy over? He likely wasn’t celebrating after hitting an extra base hit, that’s for sure.
What’s his role on the 2026 Red Sox?
It’s hard not to be upset at a scenario wherein the Red Sox lineup, already near the bottom half of baseball in power at the plate, loses both Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman while gaining a guy who has hit only 36 home runs in about a thousand career games. And that’s even with the addition of Willson Contreras to compete with Triston Casas, who’s far from a sure thing. But Kiner-Falefa can be used at three positions and is defensively sound at all of them, which gives the team some added lineup flexibility. Errors have been a liability for this team for a long time, and IKF will undeniably help there. Depending on how he’s used (i.e., not that much), this could be a good depth move, but it feels like a half-measure right now.
