Brooklyn Nets (17-53, 13th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Sacramento Kings (18-53, 15th in the Western Conference)
Sacramento, California; Sunday, 6 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Brooklyn looks to stop its six-game slide with a win against Sacramento.
The Kings are 12-25 on their home court. Sacramento is 6-35 in games decided by at least 10 points.
The Nets are 8-27 on the road. Brooklyn has a 2-3 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Kings score 110.8 points per game, 4.5 fewer points than the 115.3 the Nets give up. The Nets average 13.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.2 fewer makes per game than the Kings give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: DeMar DeRozan is averaging 18.5 points and four assists for the Kings. Maxime Raynaud is averaging 18.9 points over the last 10 games.
Nic Claxton is scoring 11.8 points per game with 7.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Nets. Ziaire Williams is averaging 10.3 points and 1.9 rebounds while shooting 48.4% over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Kings: 4-6, averaging 113.5 points, 45.6 rebounds, 27.8 assists, 6.6 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.2 points per game.
Nets: 2-8, averaging 101.4 points, 41.2 rebounds, 23.5 assists, 7.7 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 42.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.8 points.
INJURIES: Kings: Domantas Sabonis: out for season (back), Nique Clifford: day to day (hamstring), Devin Carter: day to day (calf), De'Andre Hunter: out for season (eye), Zach LaVine: out for season (finger), Drew Eubanks: out for season (thumb), Malik Monk: day to day (shoulder), Keegan Murray: out (ankle).
Nets: Noah Clowney: day to day (wrist), Egor Demin: out for season (foot), Day'Ron Sharpe: out for season (thumb), Michael Porter Jr.: out (hamstring), Terance Mann: day to day (illness).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
While No. 1 Duke, No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Connecticut faced unexpected tests in the first round of the Men’s NCAA Tournament, the upsets on Thursday and Friday happened down the bracket, with teams from the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 being upended by double-digit seeds.
Duke made history as the only No. 1 seed to ever trail a No. 16 seed by double digits at halftime before getting back on track for a 71-65 win against Siena.
Michigan led No. 16 Howard 50-46 at halftime before its potent offense took over, turning a nailbiter into a 100-81 win. Connecticut went cold from deep in the first half against No. 15 Furman but steadied things in the second half to win 82-71.
Overall, teams on the top four lines went 16-0 in the first round with an average margin of victory of 24.5 points. Of this group, 12 won by at least 20 points, led by No. 1 Florida’s 114-55 win against No. 16 Prairie View A&M.
Let’s break down what’s happened and get ready for the weekend by examining the biggest winners and losers from the first round:
WINNERS
Nebraska
The No. 4 Cornhuskers are one of the biggest winners after rolling over No. 13 Troy, 76-47, for the program’s first tournament win. Sharpshooter Pryce Sandfort led the way with 23 points for Nebraska, which next takes on No. 5 Vanderbilt in the South region. This has been a long time coming, period, and required the patience to give coach Fred Hoiberg enough time to establish the depth and playing style that have made this the most successful team in school history.
Saint Louis
Late on Thursday night, No. 9 Saint Louis put on a show against No. 8 Georgia to paint the Billikens as a legitimate threat to derail the Wolverines in the second round of the Midwest region. With a frantic pace and aggressive, rim-attacking approach, SLU scored 66 points in the paint and led the Bulldogs by as much as 40 points in the second half of a 102-77 win. This was particularly meaningful for coach Josh Schertz and star center Robbie Avila, who were part of the 2024 Indiana State team that was infamously snubbed as an at-large contender.
No. 9 seeds
It was a good round to be a No. 9 seed. In addition to Saint Louis, TCU beat Ohio State, 66-64, on a late bucket, Utah State beat Villanova, 86-76, and Iowa beat Clemson, 67-61. The last time No. 9 seeds went 4-0 in the first round was in 2019, when Central Florida, Baylor, Oklahoma and Washington did the honors.
Kentucky
You shudder to think about the reaction nationally and inside its home state had No. 7 Kentucky lost to No. 10 Santa Clara – and the Wildcats seemed well on the way to doing just that until Otega Oweh’s buzzer-beating heave from just inside half court tied the game and forced overtime. From there, UK had just enough to score an 89-84 win that should temporarily quiet the frustration over an up-and-down regular season. There’s a lot of stress on the word temporarily: No. 2 Iowa State will eat the Wildcats’ lunch if they don’t step up their game before meeting on Sunday.
LOSERS
North Carolina
The disaster that was North Carolina’s loss to VCU threatens to change the direction of the program, given the recharged sense of unease about the state of affairs under coach Hubert Davis. While Davis did lead UNC to the national championship game in 2022 and an ACC regular-season crown in 2024, the Tar Heels’ latest first-round exit should leave Davis on a very hot seat heading into next season – or even lead to an immediate coaching change. Ahead by 19 points in the second half, UNC took its foot off the gas and allowed the Rams to chip away and force overtime before guard Terrence Hill Jr. nailed a step-back 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in the extra frame for the win.
ACC
UNC isn’t alone amid the ACC’s disappointing start. Duke had a historic struggle but survived. Clemson lost 67-61 to Iowa. In the play-in round, No. 11 North Carolina State lost 68-66 to Texas and No. 11 SMU lost 89-79 to Miami (Ohio). On the other hand, No. 7 Miami beat No. 10 Missouri, 80-66, No. 3 Virginia beat No. 14 Wright State, 82-73, for its first tournament win since 2019 and No. 6 Louisville beat No. 11 South Florida, 83-79. The 4-4 mark so far is well off the pace of the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC, which were a combined 21-6 in the first round.
West Coast Conference
On a mid-major level, no league flopped more than the West Coast. Regular-season and conference tournament champion No. 3 Gonzaga struggled in a defensive battle against No. 14 Kennesaw State but pulled out a 73-64 win. Santa Clara led Kentucky with two minutes to go, again with 1:30 to play and then made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left before Oweh delivered a miracle. And No. 7 Saint Mary’s was just pushed around and never comfortable in a 63-50 loss to No. 10 Texas A&M.
Brigham Young
This entire season was a bit of a flop given the hype around BYU and freshman star AJ Dybantsa, even if Dybantsa matched all expectations with a banner one-and-done year. The No. 6 Cougars’ year ended with a 79-71 loss to No. 11 Texas that pretty much sum that up: Dybantsa scored 35 points and had 10 rebounds, though he did turn the ball over five times and make just 1 of 7 attempts from deep.
INGLEWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 29: Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks dunks the ball during the game against the LA Clippers on November 29, 2025 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. 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 2025 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks (23-47) welcome the Los Angeles Clippers (34-36) to town, as both teams look to get back into the win column.
The Mavericks are coming off a 135-120 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, and the Clippers are looking to get right after consecutive losses to the New Orleans Pelicans. Here are three notes as the Mavericks take on a familiar foe at the AAC.
Have the reinforcements arrived?
The tank is gaining steam at the right time for Dallas. With razor-thin margins in the standings, every game matters for the Mavericks, Pelicans, and Grizzlies, who are separated by 1.5 games, and three weeks left in the season. The Grizzlies took home a surprising win over the Nuggets on Wednesday, and the Pelicans have won six of eight games, including back-to-back wins against these Clippers.
Dallas may be losing, but it’s not for lack of effort. The Mavericks are still playing the best players available, and there have been some silver linings. Most notably, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford have looked more like themselves lately. In the past five games, Washington has averaged 16.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. Gafford has averaged 18.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks.
With Memphis and New Orleans finding ways to scratch out wins, Washington and Gafford won’t be enough to save Dallas as they did in 2024, but it’s good to see them returning to form.
Kawhi Leonard looks like an MVP
Leonard is a lot like a tree – quiet, tall, strong, has rings, and is a model of consistency. Bad joke?
All jokes aside, Leonard has quietly put together an MVP-caliber season. The 34-year-old is sixth in the NBA in scoring this season at 28.2 points per game on 50.4% shooting. He’s also averaging 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.0 steals. This is the most complete Kawhi Leonard we’ve seen since 2021, when he seemingly could not miss a shot and was still in his prime defensively. He’s also been largely available this season (at least by his standards), playing in 54 of 70 games so far.
If the Clippers didn’t take until Christmas to figure out the Thunder own their 2026 first-round pick, starting 6-21, Leonard’s name would be louder in MVP chatter, but the Clippers simply haven’t been good.
Even after reshaping the roster, letting go of Ivica Zubac and James Harden, and adding Darius Garland and Benedict Mathurin, the Clippers haven’t found a solid footing. They’re 10-9 since the trade deadline and stuck solid in the play-in. But Kawhi loves making life hard on the Mavs and wouldn’t be surprised to see him do it again on Saturday.
Can Flagg find his shooting stroke?
Cooper Flagg has been nothing short of spectacular this season. He was the heavy favorite to take home Rookie of the Year honors until a left foot sprain sidelined him for nearly a month. He missed eight games during that span and, since returning to the lineup on March 5, has only shot 41% from the floor. The other parts of his game haven’t missed a step, as he’s showcased his ability to be an all-around player, averaging 18.7 points per game, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists since returning to the hardwood.
Defenses have started to adjust to Flagg’s strengths, giving him more space to shoot and less freedom to attack one-on-one. With this season being a wash, this is Flagg’s trial-and-error time to get more reps on his shots and see other ways he can create offense for himself. To be successful in today’s NBA, you have to be able to shoot. It’s one of Flagg’s only “weaknesses” (if we have to say he has one). One of his strengths is his ability to adapt, and he’ll figure this out, too.
How to watch
The Mavs and Clippers tip off at 7:30 CT from the American Airlines Center. You can watch on KFAA Channel 29, Mavs TV, or NBA League Pass.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 03: Starting pitcher Zac Gallen #23 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches against Team Mexico during the first inning of the MLB exhibition game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 03, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’ve reached the point in Spring Training where I must dust off the keyboard and start stretching my fingers out in preparation for my weekly recaps. Tonight’s contest between the Brew Crew and Snakes was originally scheduled to be an afternoon matchup, but due to the unseasonably warm hot weather, the game was flexed to a nighttime slot. The high temperatures certainly seemed to help the balls jump tonight, which didn’t do any favors for the pair of starting pitchers making their final starts of Spring before they next pitch on Opening Day for their respective clubs.
In Zac Gallen’s final tune-up for the season, things got off to a rough start immediately when he gave a leadoff double and then walked the bases loaded and gave up a 2 RBI single to Sal Frelick before getting out of the first inning. Gallen’s second inning went smoother, recording three straight outs to strand a leadoff single, but then the wheels came off and stayed off. After the D-backs’ offense put up a 6-spot in the bottom of the second, Gallen gave up a pair of solo homers and an RBI triple to trim the lead to 1 run in the third. Then in the fourth, Gallen gave up another solo homer to leave his final line at 9 H, 2 BB, 6 ER and 0 K over 4 IP. It was an outing to forget, but Zac left the game healthy which I suppose is the most important thing here. He did make 66 pitches, so should be able to reasonably get to 80-85 pitches next Thursday.
The Diamondbacks starting lineup was about as close as we’ve seen to a possible Opening Day lineup. Ketel, Corbin and Domo were all in the lineup for the first time together this Spring, then Arenado, Santana, Alek and Lawlar rounded out the rest of the expected regulars with the only missing pieces being Pavin at DH and Gabby/McCann at catcher. Lawlar kept his hot Spring going with a pair of hits and Alek, Domo, Arenado, Tawa each got a hit. Ketel Marte didn’t reach base but he had the hardest hit ball of the game with a 111.7 mph screamer. Corbin Carroll earned 2 walks but also fanned twice. All six runs by the starting offense came in the 2nd inning; 4 of those runs were charged to the Brewers just-named Opening Day starter Jacob Misiorowski.
For the bullpen, Phillip Abner allowed 1 run in his inning of work, but was followed by Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel, Bryce Jarvis, and Andrew Hoffman who all put up zeroes. In fact, those last four relievers, who all figure to be heavily involved in the D-backs bullpen plan this season, didn’t allow a single baserunner.
Most of our starting offense exited after the 6th inning, giving way to Tim Tawa and a slew of youngsters. Pedro Catuy played the hero when he provided the go-ahead hit in the bottom of the 8th He roped a double to left to score Jakey Josepha and Carlos Virahonda and put the good guys up by one run.
Well, the next time I recap a game, it will be the regular season! Congratulations everyone, we made it through the dark winter and have emerged out the other side ready to root on our beloved Diamondbacks in another campaign. See you next week!
Game times and TV assignments for Sunday's second round were announced late Friday night. Here is the schedule for the second day of the second round, as well as what network it will air on.
March Madness bracket update: Second round game times, full schedule
Saturday, March 21
All times Eastern
12:10 p.m.: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 9 Saint Louis, CBS
2:45 p.m.: No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Louisville, CBS (prediction)
5:15 p.m.: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 9 TCU, CBS (prediction)
In a college sports landscape where resume is so important, loyalties don't just lie with teams anymore. They lie with conferences as well, even if it's to push an agenda.
With that in mind, every conference wants to believe it is the creme de la creme. The SEC showed its depth for the second year in a row by sending 10 teams to the Men's NCAA Tournament, the Big Ten fielded nine, and the Big 12 sent eight. The ACC also sent eight teams, whereas the Big East sent just three.
Other multi-bid conferences include the West Coast Conference, the MAC, and the Atlantic 10.
Of course, beyond them are the auto-bid conference tournament winners, the single-bid conferences who annually send one team. How did these teams fare, and who is moving on to the second round? Here's a breakdown of the records across the board for all 31 college basketball conferences.
Power 4 Men's NCAA Tournament records
The SEC is leading the way among the Power 4, with only Georgia and Missouri suffering losses in the opening round. First Four team Texas was able to defeat former Big 12 conference-mate BYU and AJ Dybantsa, while Tennessee unseated regular season undefeated darlings Miami (Ohio).
In the Big Ten, Wisconsin suffered an upset at the hands of High Point, whereas Ohio State lost to TCU to open the tournament. The rest of the conference was able to advance. The Big 12 lost BYU and UCF, while the rest of the conference advanced despite scares to Kansas and TCU. The ACC struggled, with Duke being forced to play all 40 against Siena and North Carolina suffering a devastating loss at the hands of VCU.
Conference
Record
SEC
8-2
Big Ten
7-2
Big 12
6-2
ACC
4-4
Other multi-bid conference records in March Madness
One and only one conference stands undefeated after two days of March Madness: The dreaded Atlantic 10.
Indeed, Josh Schertz's Saint Louis squad completely dismantled Georgia in the first round, while VCU pulled off the aforementioned comeback against North Carolina. The West Coast Conference lost Saint Mary's and Santa Clara in Round 1, while Gonzaga continues to dance, and the MAC dropped Miami and Akron.
While the Big East saw UConn and St. John's move on, Villanova lost to Utah State, capping off the Wildcats' season.
Conference
Record
Atlantic 10
2-0
Big East
2-1
West Coast
1-2
MAC
0-2
Other conferences March Madness records
Beyond the eight conferences to send multiple teams, there were 23 other conferences represented. Of those, the only single-bid conferences to advance to the second round were the Big South's High Point, which stunned No. 5 Wisconsin, and the Mountain West's Utah State, which took down Villanova as a No. 9 seed. That puts them at 2-21 as far as single-bids go.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Alex Killorn broke a tie off a scramble at 9:09 of the second period, Lukas Dostal stopped 29 shots and the Anaheim Ducks beat the Utah Mammoth 4-1 on Friday night to pad their Pacific Division lead.
After the puck was cleared off the goal line behind goalie Vitek Vanecek, the Ducks' Sennecke ended up with it on the left side and slipped a pass to Killorn for a shot before Vanecek was set. Killorn also had two assists.
Ryan Poehling, Cutter Gauthier and Mikael Granlund also scored to help the Ducks — playing without suspended defenseman Radko Gudas — rebound from a 3-2 overtime loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday night at home. They moved three points ahead of Edmonton in the division.
Gudas served the fourth game of a five-game suspension for kneeing Auston Matthews in a loss at Toronto on March 12. Matthews tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season.
Poehling tied it with 6:23 left in the first, beating Vanecek with a nifty move on a short-handed break. Poehling took a pass from Killorn, sped down the left side, cut right and shot against the grain to the left.
The Ducks put it away with two empty-net goals, with Gauthier scoring his 36th goal on the first.
Dylan Guenther scored his 34th goal of the season for Utah — at 1:48 of the first of the Mammoth's second shot on goal.
Utah remained six points ahead of Los Angeles for the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
The Mammoth opened a four-game homestand. They had won two straight on the road, beating Dallas 6-3 on Monday night to snap a four-game losing streak and topping Vegas 4-0 Thursday night.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - MARCH 20: Brandin Podziemski #2 of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Detroit Pistons during the third quarter at Little Caesars Arena on March 20, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. 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 Nic Antaya/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors lost to the Detroit Pistons 115-101 on Friday night, in a game that was not as close as that score would suggest. The Dubs were outsized, outmuscled, out-talented, and out-executed.
We’ll get through the grades quickly tonight, because it wasn’t pretty. Frankly, the Warriors did not play as well as the score suggested: it was only that close because of a garbage time run, and because the Pistons had one of their worst shooting nights from distance all season, which was emphatically not due to anything Golden State’s defense did.
As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Friday’s games, league-average TS was 58.0%.
The best thing that Santos did in this game was sub back in after leaving the contest early and heading to the locker room. Thankfully he seemed just fine, and wasn’t hampered for the rest of the game.
He wasn’t the problem for the Warriors in this one, but he wasn’t the solution, either. He had a well-balanced stat line, but that includes a lot of turnovers and fouls. He did some good things on offense, but wasn’t particularly efficient.
In the opening minutes of the game, we were treated to the total 2026 Draymond Green package. On the defensive end of the court, he took a gutsy charge when he stepped in front Jalen Duren, a very, very large human who was moving at a violent pace. Then, on the ensuing offensive possession, he made a truly atrocious pass for a turnover. On the very next possession, he defended brilliantly at the rim and then recovered in time to get the rebound. A few seconds later, he made a disastrous outlet pass for a turnover.
The Warriors chances are reflected in Green’s performances, and it was pretty clear from this one that nothing is going to come of this season.
Grade: D Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.
Porziņģis didn’t play well in this game, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that he left the contest in the second quarter with back pain, and didn’t return. Porziņģis didn’t sound terribly concerned after the game, saying the issue was back spasms and that he was quite stiff. He said he probably won’t play on Saturday against his former team, the Atlanta Hawks, but didn’t rule it out. Unfortunately, given his history, it seems much more likely that he misses a handful of games than that he misses none.
Melton was the only offense the Warriors had early in the game. He scored the first nine points for the Warriors (including the first five scored by either team), and by the time he took a seat on the bench for his first rest, he was the only player on the team to have scored. Unfortunately, things went from good to very bad after that. He stopped scoring, though he didn’t stop shooting. He couldn’t penetrate Detroit’s physical defense, and finished with four turnovers and no assists. His defense wasn’t good. Just a forgettable game for him.
Grade: D Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
It speaks to how poorly the Warriors played that it really felt like Podziemski was a non-factor on offense, and then I looked at the box score and realized he led the team in scoring and was one of the only players to have above-average efficiency. Go figure. Sorry, Podz. My bad.
All things considered, he was arguably the team’s best player, though it still wasn’t a great performance.
Grade: B Post-game bonus: Led the team in points, tied for the team lead in rebounds.
Relative to prior expectations, it’s been an absolute offensive explosion for Payton lately. Where are all these buckets from? He’s scoring so efficiently, because he’s feasting on cuts to get easy buckets at the rim. It’s pretty phenomenal, and a joy to watch. It also might result in him playing himself out of Golden State’s budget for next year. We’ll see.
Cryer returned to the court after a few days off to heal up his hamstring. He instantly helped the offense in his return. His shooting is no joke, and the spark and spacing it provides is critical on a team that is missing Steph Curry and traded away Buddy Hield. He deserves to be on a guaranteed contract next season, whether with the Warriors or with someone else.
Grade: A- Post-game bonus: Tied for the best plus/minus on the team.
Not a very good game for Pat. He tried hard, but just couldn’t get anything going. He did a few good things, but it always seemed to require a whole lot of effort.
Richard had a sneaky good game of the bench. It was a tremendously efficient scoring game, as he was very selective with the shots he took … and then made them. He wasn’t quite as impactful as usual on defense, but he was still very good on that end of the court. Would like to see more rebounds and fewer turnovers, but all things considered, a strong game.
Yurtseven was kind of scattered in this game. It reminded me of pickup basketball … he was all over the place, for better and for worse. He made some interesting shots, but missed a whole lot. He grabbed a ton of rebounds and loose balls but kept turning the ball over. Strong YMCA vibes, in good and in bad.
Grade: C+ Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds, tied for the best plus/minus on the team.
With respect to Leons, the most notable part of his game was a hilariously on-brand for Steve Kerr move: after Porziņģis left the game, Leons entered the starting five in the second half … despite not playing in the first half, and finishing with the fewest number of minutes on the team (other than Porziņģis). Zaza Pachulia would be proud!
Anyway, Leons played pretty well, I thought.
Grade: B+
Friday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, Seth Curry, Steph Curry, Al Horford, Moses Moody, Quinten Post, Nate Williams
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz looks on against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Kia Center on February 07, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. 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 Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Utah Jazz are closing in on the end of the final tanking season of what has been an up-and-down rebuild. With just 12 games left, the Utah Jazz have some interesting injuries to deal with as well as a few new signings and releases.
Lauri Markkanen injury update
According to Sarah Todd, Lauri Markkanen will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Jazz's Lauri Markkanen wasn't on the most recent road trip (neither was Keyonte George). Markkanen has been out since 2/26. The latest is that he will again be re-evaluated in two weeks. That technically puts us ahead of the end of the season…but we'll see.
Two weeks would be with a few games left in the season, and it’s not likely the Jazz want to risk Markkanen for meaningless games, nor do they want any unnecessary wins to finish the season. They’re already struggling enough to lose games with Ace Bailey and Cody Williams finding their stride.
Utah Jazz sign Kennedy Chandler to 10-day contract
According to Shams Charania, the Jazz have signed the G-League assist leader, Kennedy Chandler.
The Utah Jazz are signing NBA G League assists leader Kennedy Chandler to a 10-day contract out of the NBA G League, agent Ryan Davis of WME Basketball tells ESPN. Chandler returns to the NBA after playing his 2022-23 rookie campaign in Memphis as a second-round pick.
In the 2025-26 G-League season, Chandler has averaged 15.3 points, 8.9 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 33.9 minutes per game. He’s 23 years old and stands 6’0” with a 6’5.25” wingspan. That size will likely be the thing that holds him back, but you never know, Chandler could potentially impress the Jazz with these few games left.
Longtime Yankees announcer and ESPN Radio host Michael Kay pushed back strongly against criticism directed at USA captain Aaron Judge following his lackluster performance in the World Baseball Classic.
Kay called out fans who questioned the star outfielder’s effort and production on the international stage, namely in the championship game, when he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
Aaron Judge walks back to dugout during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Championship between Venezuela and United States at loanDepot park on March 17, 2026 in Miami, Florida. Getty Images
Kay addressed the backlash during his radio show, taking issue with what he described as an overreaction to a small sample of games.
“We can go up and down that All-Star-laden-Hall-of-Fame-to-be lineup, and they all crapped the bed. Every single one of them except for Harper,” Kay said this week. “But the one guy who’s going to get villainized and scrutinized and criticized, the one guy that everybody decides, ‘I’m going to pile on this guy,’ is Aaron Judge, who if you look at his numbers in the WBC, probably had as good a WBC as anybody that played on Team USA.”
Judge went 6-for-27 with two homers and five RBIs in the tournament.
Michael Kay during the New York Yankees Old Timers Day on August 24, 2024 at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
He hit .222 with an .845 OPS — outside of the team’s top five in each category.
“Derek Jeter has five World Series championships and he’s called overrated,” Kay said. “Aaron Judge has no World Series championships, and he’s called overrated. The haters are out there in full force. That’s just the way of the world right now.”
Kay added, “As I said this [Wednesday], I blame Yankee fans that try to find the warts on this guy. Those are the people I don’t get,” Kay said. “And I know you’re starved for another championship. I get it. [It’s] been since 2009. I understand. But you’re Yankee fans and you see what he does to get you into the postseason on a yearly basis.”
Judge and the Yankees are the favorites to win the American League for the second time in three years this coming season.
The soon-to-be 34-year-old is a career .236 playoff hitter with an .822 OPS.
When mom promises you pizza rolls if you hit a grand salami | Getty Images
So it turns out having a fully staffed team makes spring training games a little more fun to watch. The Mariners made Cleveland pitching miserable tonight, stacking a 10-run inning in the second that featured three home runs en route to a 20-8 victory, with most of those Cleveland runs coming in garbage time. If this is a preview of Opening Day, when Seattle will welcome Stephen Vogt and his Guardians to town, it’s safe to say most Mariners fans will take it.
As much as I love our Seattle announcers, I love being lazy more, and so I listened to the Cleveland broadcast team rather than dig out the radio and try to sync things up, and I am glad I did just this once because it was interesting to hear an outside perspective on the Mariners. The Cleveland crew was impressed, to say the least:
“This seems like an offense with a ton of answers.”
“This is what this club can do to you. You don’t bring your A-game against Seattle, you become a punching bag.”
“Canzone and Robles would be starters on other teams. That’s just how deep Seattle is.”
“This offensive machine for Seattle just keeps on clicking.”
“There’s just not a weakness on this club. Top to bottom, there might not be a better ballclub in the American League than Seattle.”
It is thrilling to hear other analysts cooing over the Seattle Mariners – thrilling in the true sense of the word, both exciting and scary – and still a little bit unbelievable, like: the Seattle Mariners? The Seattle Mariners, the baseball team? Our Seattle Mariners?
The Mariners scored the majority of their runs in the second, racking up 10 runs on three homers. It started with a titanic Cole Young solo shot as he continues his hot hitting this spring:
The Mariners then small-balled another pair of runs on a double by Brendan Donovan, a beautiful deep drive to the gap that it’s not hard to imagine overlaid in T-Mobile Park, scoring Andrew Knizner and Leo Rivas, each aboard with singles. Guardians starter Logan Allen then walked Julio Rodríguez, triggering the mid-inning ejector button from manager Stephen Vogt, who brought in Tyler Thornton, who…really struggled with the zone. He hit Randy Arozarena, earning himself a powerful [glaring in Cuban] and loading the bases for Dominic Canzone, who got this pitch and did not miss it:
“You simply cannot throw him that pitch” was the trenchant commentary from LL’s Ryan Blake and I have to say, there’s a reason he’s a SABR-nominated analyst, folks.
Thornton then issued back-to-back walks to Connor Joe and Cole Young, up for the second time this inning and officially fulfilling “batting around” by however you determine it (but does it count if the tenth man walks and thus does not have an at-bat? Much to think about), which set up Victor Robles for his first homer of the spring:
It’s been nice to see Robles’s bat waking up over these last few games of the spring. It’s probably just that he’s past the shoulder stiffness he was dealing with earlier in the spring, but I like to believe he truly is powered by the power of friendship and was sad while all his friends were gone.
The Guardians actually got out to an early lead in this one against Gabe Mosser, who gave up a two-run blast to José Ramírez in the first. The Mariners’ 10-2 lead was imperiled briefly in the bottom of the second when Mosser gave up another two-run shot, this time to Angel Martinez. But the Mariners offense quickly re-established the length of their lead in the third.
Per spring training rules, Logan Allen was able to re-enter the game in the third, and while he didn’t give up a bunch of homers this time, the Mariners cruelly decided to torture him with death by a thousand cuts, racking up four straight singles against Allen to open the inning, making the game 12-4. Young and Robles then teamed up again for back-to-back doubles to stretch the lead to 15-4 and knock Allen out of the game for a second time, as Jay Driver cleaned up the mess.
I have never thought of Stephen Vogt as a cruel man, but bringing Logan Allen out for a third time to start the fourth inning is forcing me to reconsider. Allen was roughed up again in the inning, giving up a two-run homer to Julio, who you know had to get in on the homer parade with his first of the spring, scoring Brendan Donovan, who had singled. Donovan was on base four times with three hits and a walk, and the one out he made was a sac fly in the fifth that scored the Mariners’ 18th run of the game. Oh, but sorry, you probably wanted to see Julio’s first spring dinger:
Meanwhile, Mosser was cruising until the fourth, when with two outs he seemed to get either fatigued or just lost his handle on the zone. He lost a challenge on a close pitch that resulted in a walk to Austin Hedges, then gave up a double to C.J. Kayfus and walked Steven Kwan on five not-particularly-close pitches to load the bases, prompting Dan Wilson to bring in UW alum Stefan Raeth to try to extricate the Mariners from the jam. Raeth fell behind Brayan Rocchio 3-0 but was able to battle back with two well-located fastballs, getting Rocchio to ground out harmlessly on the second one to quell the threat.
Matt Brash had the fifth inning and…the command is still a work in progress at this point. With two outs and one on, he walked Gabriel Arias on four pitches, nibbling a little more than we would like to see, but also our Canadian friend looked mildly uncomfortable in the 98-degree heat. The desert is not his milieu! He managed to get out of the inning without damage, though, getting Angel Martinez to ground out. Now get him onto an air-conditioned flight back to Seattle, please and thank you. Also on that flight, I hope: José A. Ferrer, who pitched a solid scoreless inning with a walk and two strikeouts.
Cole Young pushed this game even further into laugher territory with his second homer of the game in the sixth, scoring Canzone, who had singled for his third hit of the game [he would go on to have four because he played all nine in this one]. This home run came courtesy of former Mariner Matt Festa and if Statcast is to be believed, traveled 478 feet. I’m not sure about that, but I do believe it came off the bat at 109 because that sucker was flying. Tom Hamilton, the Cleveland announcer, was audibly relieved when Young got pinch-hit for in the eighth – “Cole Young’s night is finally done” – and that’s just a wild world to live in. I’m not well-versed enough in non-Mariners young players to know: has anyone had a bigger sophomore spring than Young?
Casey Legumina, mopping up with the Mariners up 20-4, got touched up for three runs to make the game 20-7, and Carlos Vargas pitched the bottom of the eighth and mowed down the Guardians min0r-leaguers, with two groundouts and a strikeout, needing just 11 pitches. He was so efficient Dan Wilson had to bring him back out in the ninth, where he wasn’t as sharp, walking the first man he saw before striking out Luis De La Cruz and ceding the mound to Peyton Alford. Alford let in another run – although it wasn’t totally his fault, as Will Wilson (whose defense seems to actively be getting worse as spring goes on? What’s going on with my defensive loadbearing third baseman?) threw the ball away on what could have been a groundout or at least an infield single – but recovered to strike out his last two hitters and deliver the Mariners a very satisfying palate-cleansing big win. On to Opening Day!
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Dustin Wolf made 24 saves, Victor Olofsson scored his first goal for Calgary and the Flames beat the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Friday night for their second straight victory.
Olofsson came over from Colorado at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Nazem Kadri back to the Avalanche.
Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato also scored for Calgary, each moving into a tie with Blake Coleman for the team lead with 16.
A.J. Greer scored for two-time defending champion Florida. Daniil Tarasov made 32 saves in losing for sixth time in his last seven starts.
Trying to avoid becoming the first Cup-winning team to miss the playoffs the following season since Los Angeles in 2014-15, the Panthers remained 13 points behind the final wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.
Greer was ejected with 8:46 left in the third period after hooking Connor Zary and shoving him head-first into the boards.
Zary remained down for a few minutes before slowly skating off accompanied by the club’s trainer. Greer was assessed a hooking minor, an interference major and a game misconduct. Frost and Coronato scored on the extended power play to put the game away.
After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, Calgary took the lead for good at 7:44 of the second period when Farabee’s shot deflected in off the stick of Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola.
Late in the third, Mikkola sustained what appeared to be a serious injury when he locked knees in an accidental collision with Calgary’s Ryan Strome, who was looking the opposite direction. Mikkola was down on ice writhing in pain as he clutched at his left knee.
Calgary has won seven straight home games against Florida. The Panthers’ last victory in the Scotiabank Saddledome was Feb. 17, 2018.
Sep 19, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers first baseman Rowdy Tellez (44) reacts after hitting a two-run home run during the tenth inning against the Miami Marlins at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
It was reported Friday evening that the Atlanta Braves inked a minor league deal with first baseman Rowdy Tellez. The 31-year-old is set to enter his ninth MLB season. He split the 2025 campaign between the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, where he combined for a .228 batting average.
In his career, Tellez owns a .234 average and has logged 4,523 innings at first base, posting a .995 fielding percentage defensively.
It’s not a headline-grabbing move for Atlanta, but Tellez provides some experienced depth at first base and could prove to be a serviceable option if needed.
More Braves News:
The camp roster now stands at 36 after several reassignments on Friday. Most notably, prospect JR Ritchie was reassigned to minor league camp.
Chris Sale was named the Opening Day starter for the matchup with the Kansas City Royals next week.
Austin Riley homered in Friday’s 8-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
MLB News: Major League Baseball announced that Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been placed on unpaid non-disciplinary leave following a sports betting investigation.
How good is an SEC baseball team without a closer?
The No. 2 Texas Longhorns have a burgeoning back-end problem because Dylan Volantis is no longer walking out of bullpen gates and that’s been a major factor in head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s team blowing a second consecutive ninth-inning lead on a Friday night, with the latest coming in a 4-3 walk-off defeat to the No. 5 Auburn Tigers at Plainsman Park.
A second solo home run from Texas junior center fielder Aiden Robbins broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the inning before the Horns took advantage of a walk, throwing error on a pickoff attempt, balk, and a throwing mistake by the Tigers third baseman trying to cut down senior right fielder Jayden Duplantier at home plate thanks to some slick infield grass in Auburn.
After junior left-hander Haiden Leffew worked out of a jam created by starter Ruger Riojas in the seventh inning and his own jam in the eighth inning, Leffew started the ninth by allowing a full-count double to right center and then issued a four-pitch walk to put runners on first and second.
That was the point at which Schlossnagle and pitching coach Max Weiner made a surprising decision — instead of going to junior right-hander Thomas Burns, the flame-throwing, ostensible closer for the Horns who was unable to close out last Friday’s home meltdown against Ole Miss, it was soft-tossing redshirt junior left-hander Ethan Walker called to the bump.
And it wasn’t just for one batter, either. Walker was able to recover from throwing three straight balls to start his outing to force a grounder into the hole on the left side of the infield that sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez was unable to handle cleanly, but did keep the run from scoring from second base.
Still in the game after a right-handed batter, Walker got a big strikeout looking on a 2-2 pitch with the bases loaded before throwing an 82-mile-per-hour pitch over the middle of the plate on his first offering to Auburn center fielder Bristol Carter, who stayed in the middle of the field by hitting a liner to dead center field.
Trying to field it quickly to keep the game-tying run from scoring from second base, Robbins mishandled it instead, allowing the runner at first to close the plate with the walk-off victory.
Heading into the ninth, it was a classic Friday SEC pitcher’s duel between Riojas and Auburn left-hander Jake Marciano.
For Texas, Riojas didn’t have it early as the Tigers opened the game with a double down the right-field line before following with another to take a 1-0 lead before the Longhorns ace recorded his first out. But after that Riojas was able to find his command, forcing 11 groundouts and striking out six batters over the ensuing innings.
In the seventh, Riojas got into a jam again, allowing two singles sandwiched around a full-count walk, forcing Leffew to escape the one-out, bases-loaded situation, which the Wake Forest transfer accomplished by inducing a double play started by Rodriguez.
In the eighth, Leffew allowed a one-out infield single to shortstop before issuing a five-pitch walk, but recovered by striking out the next two batters.
At the plate, the Horns had a second straight poor outing, struggling to time up Marciano, whose fastball wasn’t overpowering in terms of velocity, as Schlossnagle indicated on Thursday, but the whippy action of the Hokies transfer clearly made it difficult to time as Marciano recorded nine strikeouts with the help of his secondary pitches to keep Texas off balance.
Of the two hits allowed by Marciano, one was the solo home run by Robbins in the fourth inning, a 422-foot bomb at 110 miles per hour off the bat.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 20: Julius Randle #30 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 20, 2026 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Two steps forward, one step back. That’s been the story of the season for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On a beautiful Friday night in downtown Minneapolis, the Timberwolves took on the Portland Trail Blazers, looking to go for the 3-0 sweep of the homestand. The Wolves were again without both Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid, making the game against a Portland squad still trying to win games far from a gimme.
Without Edwards, the Wolves’ offense struggled to find consistent offense in the first half as they shot 20/48 (41.7 percent) from the field. With Mike Conley no longer in the rotation, the Timberwolves do not have a lack of ball handling in their rotation, which only gets worse with Edwards unable to play.
“We don’t have a primary handler right now,” Chris Finch said pregame. “We’re really defusing that through pace and just early movement, and it tends to feed itself. We’ve seen that all season long. The faster we play, the quicker we make decisions, the more the ball moves.”
Following an 0-7 stretch from beyond the arc to start the third quarter, the Wolves found themselves down by 18 points late in the second quarter. With the game potentially teetering out of control, Minnesota was finally able to remove the lid from the basket.
Minnesota made three straight 3-pointers, including two from Bones Hyland and one from Ayo Dosunmu, to close the half on an 11-2 run, cutting the Portland lead in half going into the break.
The offensive success continued into the third quarter as the Wolves made 15 of their first 20 shots in the quarter as the Wolves played with a near-perfect combination of pace and ball movement to take an 83-81 lead, their first lead since they were up 12-11.
Minnesota’s defense was a large reason for the turnaround as well. Despite giving up 68 points in the first half, they completely shut down Portland’s third-quarter offense, limiting them to 7-20 (35 percent) from the field while forcing six turnovers.
As we’ve seen too many times this season, though, the Wolves were not able to sustain that level of play the rest of the game. This time, it was the offensive side of the ball that fell apart late in the game. As the game slowed down over the final 15 minutes of the game, the Wolves’ offense made just six of their final 28 shot attempts, including nine straight misses immediately following taking their largest lead of three points.
“Looking back, I probably should have not tried to execute anything because we weren’t very good at trying to do that,” said an exasperated Finch postgame. “I thought we were playing well and then lost our head in transition a bunch. Quick shots, sloppy turnovers. It kind of let [Portland] re-stabilize the game.”
Despite the poor offensive stretch, the Wolves were able to keep the game close and took the lead back with less than a minute left as Randle used his patented bully-ball moves to get into the lane and hit a jumper to put Minnesota up by one.
On the subsequent defensive possession, the Wolves’ defense forced a pair of missed shots from Jerami Grant and Deni Avdija, but each time the Blazers were able to grab the offensive rebound, their 17th and 18th offensive rebounds of the game.
“It’s been that way for a while; it’s just not good enough,” Finch said of the Wolves’ poor rebounding. “We knew our guards needed a rebound. Ayo did a good job on the defensive glass. Rudy did a good job, but after that, we gotta have more rebounds. Julius has three defensive rebounds. That’s not good enough. It’s just not good enough.”
After a Portland timeout, Grant drained the dagger 3-pointer when Randle got caught up on a screen, leaving his man wide open.
The Wolves were unable to respond on the other end and lost by a final score of 108-104. They now sit in sixth place in the Western Conference following wins tonight from both the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets.
Randle led the Wolves in scoring with an inefficient 19 points on 6-16 shooting from the field. Dosumnu was sensational the entire game, coming up just two assists shy of a triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Rudy Gobert was again great on both ends of the floor, greatly limiting the Trail Blazers’ offense while putting up 18 points and 15 rebounds.
The loss by itself isn’t a terrible one. Being without both Edwards and Reid made offense tough to come by, and the Trail Blazers are still a team trying to win basketball games, which at this point in the season makes a big difference. In the context of the season at large, though, it’s a tough pill to swallow, especially when the same issues continue to pop up over and over again.
“The start of the game, it’s been the same the last few games. We’ve got to find a way to start the game more fired up,” Gobert said. “I think it’s just being mentally ready to start the game. We were warmed up, it’s not physical. It’s just mentally being a little sharper.”
Effort and mental focus have been common refrains throughout the season, but 71 games into the season, that explanation feels like a mask for larger, more deeply rooted issues with this Timberwolves roster in terms of both fit and quality.
The Wolves have been one of the healthiest teams in the entire NBA this season. While they were missing Edwards and Reid tonight, there have been plenty of games earlier in the season where the Wolves’ opponent was missing significant firepower, and they were unable to capitalize on it with a win. Every team goes through injuries, and those injuries play a big role in the result of games, but in a long NBA season, how a team deals with those night-to-night injuries shows a lot about who that team is at full strength.
In tonight’s game, the Wolves came out flat on the defensive glass, by the admission of their starting center, and were not able to execute down the stretch of the game, and just plain weren’t good enough, according to the coach, to get this game across the finish line.
This Wolves team has an incredibly high ceiling. They can beat anyone on any given night, but have not been able to consistently play high-level basketball. Their longest win streak this season is just five games, a fairly small number for a team with championship aspirations.
With now just 11 games left in the season, the inconsistency is just who these Timberwolves are.
Up Next
The Timberwolves now head out east for a matchup with the Boston Celtics, who recently added Jayson Tatum back into the lineup following his Achilles injury during last season’s playoffs. The game tips off at 7:00 PM CT this Sunday, airing nationally on NBC and Peacock.
