Dec 25, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Knicks may have clearer weaknesses than any other team that considers themselves a contender. Their best player is an undersized negative defender, the offense can be stagnant despite posting strong numbers, the outside shooting can abandon them at times, and the starting lineup often digs themselves into deep holes to start out games. But the Knicks also do a lot of things really well. Despite how the season started, their defense has statistically been amongst the best in 2026, they have two extremely talented offensive players with Jalen Brunson being one of the best postseason players in the league, and know how to win dirty.
We’ve seen this play out multiple times in varying ways. The strong fourth quarter against the Cavaliers on Christmas day, the big comeback against the Rockets, the back-to-back comebacks against the Celtics last year, and the close wins against the Pistons in the first-round last season, they’ve been there and done that when it comes to eking out wins with the exception of game one in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
While not everything during the regular season translates the post season, fans can, and likely should feel confident about the fact that this battle-tested group performed exceptionally well when it mattered most. It would be nice to see the Knicks start off games better, and not have to rely on a fourth quarter run or a late-game surge. But this should be one of the core strengths of this team come playoff time.
SAN FRANCISCO — Throughout the last two seasons, JJ Redick has referenced a popular Jay-Z bar to illustrate the ups and downs of an NBA season.
“It was all good just a week ago,” Redick has said a couple of times during his two seasons as Lakers coach, referencing Jay-Z’s “A Week Ago” from his six-time platinum-selling album, “Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life.”
Even though Redick hasn’t made the reference since April started, the sentiment applies now.
Luka Doncic was having an MVP-caliber season, but it was derailed by a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. APHead coach JJ Redick during a time out in the first half against the Dallas Mavericks on April 5. AP
A week ago, the Lakers were one of the league’s hottest teams entering a marquee road game against the Thunder.
And then two more losses to the Mavericks and the Thunder, all while the teams closest to them in the standings soared, with the Nuggets on a 10-game winning streak and the Rockets winning seven straight entering Thursday.
All of a sudden, the Lakers went from third place in the Western Conference standings, with a multiple-game cushion on the teams below them, to uncertainty about whether they’d host their first-round playoff series.
When the Lakers found out about Doncic’s status for the remainder of the season April 3, Redick reassured that the team’s mission was to clinch the No. 3 seed and win a first-round playoff series.
“We’ve got to prepare our team, our group that we’re going to have available to play in the playoffs series,” Redick said. “Finding who’s gonna be able to play in the playoffs for us. The seeding part probably went out the window after the OKC game.”
If the Nuggets, who entered Thursday at No. 3 in the West, win their final two regular-season games against the Thunder and Spurs, they’ll clinch third regardless of how the Lakers finish.
Lakers coach JJ Redick’s team likely is headed for a first-round matchup against the Rockets. AP
The Lakers would need the Nuggets, who won the regular-season series to secure the tiebreaker for postseason seeding, to drop at least one of their last two games to have a shot at reclaiming third place. And more realistically, the Nuggets would need to lose both of their final games for the Lakers to enter the playoffs as the third seed.
It’s why the Lakers are likely headed toward a No. 4 vs. No. 5 first-round playoff series against the Rockets.
It’s all just a matter of who’ll finish fourth and have homecourt advantage for the series.
Neither the Lakers nor Rockets can fall below fifth, with the Timberwolves, whom the Rockets will host Friday, already locked in at No. 6.
The Lakers have the tiebreaker over the Rockets, so if they finish with the same record, the Lakers would be the higher seed and host their first-round series.
The Nuggets also hold the tiebreaker over the Rockets.
The Lakers playing the Rockets or Timberwolves in the first round has been the likeliest outcome for weeks.
And with the Rockets being the likelier matchup, we’re on a collision course for the fourth playoff series between teams led by LeBron James and Kevin Durant, who last played each other in the playoffs during the 2018 NBA Finals when Durant’s Warriors swept James’ Cavaliers.
But last week, with the Lakers falling and the Rockets soaring, changed the complexion of the expected series.
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SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 04: Tatsuya Imai #45 of the Houston Astros pitches against the Athletics in the bottom of the six inning of a major league baseball game at Sutter Health Park on April 04, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The latest news on the Houston Astros and from around MLB:
Astros making roster moves:
Source: OF Taylor Trammell and RHP J.P. France will join the Astros in Seattle tomorrow. Neither is on the 40-man roster, but there's one open spot on the roster. @Chandler_Rome first said France was en route to Seattle.
While it would be franchise malpractice not to put Cristian Javier on the IL after he left his last start after just one inning with shoulder pain, there is some encouraging news:
Through an interpreter, Cristian Javier said he did not know what was next for him, but that initial strength tests performed on his shoulder were encouraging. Javier said he felt tightness in his scapula during the final at-bat of the first inning.
Astros pay their respects to Davey Lopes. The former second baseman and manager passed away at the age of 80 yesterday from complications associated with Parkinson’s disease.
The Houston Astros join the baseball world in mourning the passing of Davey Lopes, who spent two of his stellar, 16-year Major League career with the Astros (1986-87).
Lopes, who appeared in four World Series as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was a member of the 1986 NL… pic.twitter.com/5uqJHRUnZw
The Tigers and Mariners are off to very suboptimal starts:
The Detroit Tigers, heavily favored to win the AL Central, suffer a 4-game sweep to the Minnesota Twins. They fall to 4-9, and are now tied with the Seattle Mariners for the worst record in MLB.
The Athletics pitchers probably can’t wait to move to Las Vegas:
The A’s pitching staff certainly loves life on the road rather than pitching in their minor league park in Sacramento: They are allowing 3.77 runs a game on the road; they are allowing 8.34 runs a game at home in the early-going.
Also, the A’s just shut out the Yankees 1-0. They haven’t shut the Yankees out and won 1-0 in over 46 years.
The A’s first 1-0 victory over the Yankees since 1979, and the first against the Yankees in NY since July 14, 1972, per @SlangsOnSports. https://t.co/Vx0VhpthQo
The Yankees starting rotation is yielding a dazzling 2.14 ERA this season, permitting just 16 earned runs, the fewest in franchise history though the first 12 games of a season.
The Yankees went 11 1/3 innings without a hit until Ben Rice's one-out single off A's starter Jeffrey Springs in the 7th inning today. Yet, they still have not scored a run since the first inning Wednesday. A's 1, Yankees 0 through 7 innings.
World Series losses are hard to get over, even for the nice people North of the Border:
The Toronto Blue Jays appear to still be agitated by at least one thing from last year’s World Series: how long it takes Shohei Ohtani to warm up when he’s on the mound.https://t.co/vGXaRokuC2
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 10: Atmosphere around Washington Square Park on May 10, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
METS
Ketel Marte – 2B
Francisco Lindor – SS
Ildemaro Vargas – 1B
Bo Bichette – 3B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Luis Robert – CF
Adrian Del Castillo – DH
Mark Vientos – 1B
Jose Fernandez – 3B
Marcus Semien – 2B
James McCann – C
Francisco Alvarez – DH
Alek Thomas – CF
Brett Baty – RF
Tim Tawa – LF
Luis Torrens – C
Jorge Barrosa – RF
Tyrone Taylor – LF
E. Rodriguez – LHP
Nolan McLean – RHP
It seems a little odd, to have the game on getaway day start three hours later than the rest of the series. But, due to the rescheduling of the games on Tuesday and Wednesday, here we are. Though at least the D-backs don’t have far to go. Google Maps tells me that Citizens Bank Park and Citi Field are only 111 miles from each other by road – 117 if you want to avoid tolls. Though I think the closest parks, discounting those located in the same city like the Mets and Yankees, might be the Orioles and Nationals. Again per Google Maps, those two are 38 miles apart. There was a lengthy dispute when the Nats relocated, about them encroaching on the Orioles territory.
This is the rubber game of the series, after the teams split the first two, and give the D-backs a chance to climb above .500 for the first time in 2026. It’s the fourth opportunity they have had to do so. But they have gone 0-3 previously and been outscored 29-7 over those three games. The most recent and closest was the opener in New York, where they got walked off, and here we are again. If past form is any guide, they should be optimistic, with starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez yet to concede an earned run this year. Discounting opener types, the record such streak to start the season is four games, most recently by Chris Carpenter and Zack Greinke in 2009.
Though the most famous such is probably Fernando Valenzuela in 1985. He didn’t allow an earned run until the ninth inning of his fifth game – and two of the preceding ones were complete game shutouts. That gave him a 41-inning scoreless streak to start the year, before a Tony Gwynn home-run ended it, also giving Valenzuela a 1-0 loss. For the D-backs, E-Rod’s 12 innings is the longest by a starter to open the year since Merrill Kelly went 14.1 innings to kick off the 2022 campaign. Though for relievers, Shelby Miller went 13.2 without an earned run out of the bullpen last year. We’ll see how far Eduardo can go today!
Chase Meidroth leads off again tonight, hoping to get on base and cross home plate a few times. | (Getty Images)
The White Sox will get a first look at division rival, the Royals, and at a (hopefully) good time. Kansas City just dropped two of three against the Guardians, losing 10-2 yesterday.
Chicago made several moves ahead of this series. Two pitchers, Duncan Davitt and Brandon Eisert, have been recalled. The team also added Chris Murphy to the 15-day injured list with left elbow impingement syndrome.
After celebrating his first major league strikeout and introducing his entire family and pregnant wife (who missed work for Wednesday’s loss), Tyler Schweitzer was sent back down to Charlotte.
Anthony Kay is on the mound tonight for the visitors. Kay’s starts haven’t been awful, but they also haven’t been great. He maintains an ERA of 4.00, with five strikeouts, four earned runs, and six walks over nine innings. Chase Meidroth, who has been an on-base machine lately, remains at the top of the lineup.
Seth Lugo will start for the Royals. Lugo has one win under his belt so far, with 10 strikeouts over 11 innings. The lineup stays consistent, with plenty of big hitters ready to go.
You can watch the game on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000. First pitch is 6:40 p.m. CT.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 28: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors talks during the game on February 28, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco, 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 Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Tonight was supposed to mean something more.
We’re talking the Los Angeles Lakers vs the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Stephen Curry and LeBron James, the two most important players in the last two decades of NBA basketball, sharing the same floor one more time. Except they won’t tonight, folks. Steph Curry is out tonight on the front side of a back-to-back, and just like that, the basketball gods closed the window on the one matchup that still moves the needle for casual fans and die-hards alike.
Zero Steph vs. LeBron games this season!
Steph Curry is now out tonight vs the Lakers on the front side of a back-to-back. Warriors are in Sacramento tomorrow night. That means zero Curry against LeBron James games this season.
Look at what we missed. During their long rivalry they’ve traded highlights and crazy box scores. Per Basketball Reference, in the regular season head-to-head data LeBron is averaging 30.2 points on 20.9 field goal attempts across 27 games. Steph is answering with 24.9 points and 6.5 assists across those same 27 matchups. That’s two legends still going to work every single time they see each other. And this season, we didn’t get one chapter of it.
The playoff numbers are even more absurd. LeBron at 31.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 8.5 assists per game across 28 playoff matchups between these two. Steph at 25.6 points and 6.5 assists. Four championships worth of pressure, four Finals between these franchises, and a Western Conference playoff battle too boot.
That history is the whole reason tonight stings.
The Warriors are sitting 10th in the West at 37-42, trying to survie their way into the Play-In. The Lakers are 4th at 50-29. But strip away the standings and what you really had scheduled for tonight was probably one of the last (if not the last) meetings between these two legends who carried the torch for their sport. LeBron is 41 and Steph turned 38 in March. The runway on seeing these two go head-to-head with genuine stakes attached is not getting longer.
Steph Curry is out tonight against the Lakers 💔
We won’t get a Steph vs LeBron matchup this season.
And the Warriors lost to the Lakers twice already this season, 105-99 in February and 129-101 in late February. Golden State took the first meeting back in October, 119-109, with Jimmy Butler dropping 31. That was the game where the season felt full of possibility before the injuries started stacking up like unpaid bills.
Now Steph is managing his workload on a back-to-back and we’re all sitting here doing the math on what’s left of this era.
The answer is not much. And tonight just reminded us how fast it’s actually going.
ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 08: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves looks on in the fifth inning during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ryan Sun/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
How are we all faring on this first off day? Bored yet?
Jorge Polanco | (Photo: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images)
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reports that Jorge Polanco is getting the night off in the team’s series finale against the Diamondbacks, as the 32-year-old’s Achilles didn’t feel great after he played yesterday.
Billed as the Mets’ new first baseman when the team signed him to a two-year, $40 million contract in December, Polanco played the first two game of the season at the position before his Achilles issue arose. Since then, he’s served exclusively as a designated hitter, and he’s appeared in ten of the Mets’ twelve games thus far.
In 45 plate appearances, Polanco has hit .200/.289/.275 with no home runs and a 70 wRC+. Mendoza mentioned that the Mets might have to put him on the injured list at some point, but clearly the organization hasn’t made that decision quite yet.
For now, Francisco Alvarez will serve as the Mets’ DH in the series finale, while Luis Torrens gets the start at catcher. And Mark Vientos, who has gotten off to a stellar start at the plate this year, gets the start at first base for the fifth-straight game and the seventh time in the team’s past eight games.
The WNBA and NBA Board of Governors on Thursday formally approved new expansion teams coming to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.
The initial announcement of expanding to those cities, totaling to 18 teams, came on June 30, 2025. The movement was subject to the approval, which is now formal.
Cleveland will begin play first in the 2028 season, with Detroit following in 2029. Philadelphia will be last in 2030.
All three cities have NBA teams in the Cavaliers, Pistons and 76ers, respectively.
The league will have two expansion teams beginning in the upcoming 2026 season: the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo. Both cities also are home to NBA teams in the Trail Blazers and Raptors, and the new teams participated in an expansion draft to set up their respective rosters.
Those cities are awaiting formal approval, which would take the NBA to 32 teams. The league would likely realign the teams in the Western and Eastern Conferences, too, to fit two new cities out West.
More details on this trio of WNBA expansion franchises will come at later dates.
Two Tigers outfielders were involved in a scary head-to-head collision Thursday, leaving one bloodied before he was carted off Minnesota’s Target Field.
With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning of a 1-1 game, Twins slugger Josh Bell lifted a fly ball to left-center field as Riley Greene and Parker Meadows both chased down the potential out.
Meadows could not stop his momentum running from center field toward Greene — who made the catch — and collided with the Tigers’ All-Star.
Greene briefly fell to one knee, but Meadows collapsed to the grass on his back and stayed on the ground for several minutes as Greene and the medical staff, including athletic trainer Ryne Eubanks, checked on him.
Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows is helped off the field after a collision with left fielder Riley Greene during the eighth inning of baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, April 9, 2026.
AP
A streak of blood could be seen down Meadows’ left cheek.
Meadows, 26, remained on his back for several minutes before he sat up and was assisted into a golf cart, appearing dazed after the collision.
Meadows had gone 0-for-3 in three plate appearances before the injury.
A streak of blood could be seen down Meadows’ left cheek after the head-to-head collision. Getty Images
Parker Meadows is carted off the field after a nasty collision in the outfield with Riley Greene pic.twitter.com/5DCBp95WK9
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Meadows would remain at a Minneapolis hospital overnight and revealed that he bit his lip during the collision, per MLB.com.
“Obviously we’re going to get him checked out for everything, but this one worries me,” Hinch said.
Veteran Javier Báez moved from shortstop to center field in the wake of Meadows’ injury, while prized rookie Kevin McGonigle entered the game at shortstop.
Later in the eighth inning, Twins shortstop Brooks Lee delivered a go-ahead two-run single as the Twins defeated the Tigers 3-1.
Sep 23, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (81) pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images
For every move there is a corresponding one, and for the first time in this 2026 season, the Yankees will have to mess around with their 26-man roster, completing a move that had been on the cards ever since the start of the season. Luis Gil will join the starting rotation, marking the end of the four-man rotation. The presence of multiple off-days and the lack of a particularly encouraging spring training from Gil led the Yankees to this decision that paid off about as well as it could have, with the pitching staff as a whole starting the year in outstanding form.
To add Gil, the Yankees will need a corresponding move, removing one of their bullpen arms, raising the question of who that reliever will be. Although the answer seems pretty obvious in Cade Winquest to the point that it’d be surprising if he wasn’t the odd man out, that selection in and of itself opens up the door for an interesting conversation — how the Yankees have utilized their first Rule 5 pick in over a decade.
After eleven games, Winquest is the only Yankee pitcher on the active roster not to have appeared in a game yet, hence the high likelihood that he’ll return to his former team. However, the lack of appearances from Winquest is a byproduct of two things, neither of which has a lot to do with him necessarily: number one, the outstanding work by the starting rotation that often limits the number of innings the bullpen is asked to cover; and number two, the production from the relievers themselves. In order for Winquest to move up the leverage ladder, opening the year on the low end of the totem pole, someone must come down, and the candidates were few and far between.
From the outside looking in, perhaps one of the easiest candidates to create an opening, Brent Headrick, who came into this season looking to prove that the success he had in a short sample in 2025 was sustainable, has been outstanding, yet to allow a run in seven appearances, the most in baseball. The worst-performing reliever early on is Camilo Doval, who’ll earn a lot more rope as he tries to settle in, coming into this season slated to be one of the primary setup men behind Bednar. Fernando Cruz is a strikeout machine, Tim Hill is your lefty specialist, and both Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn are able to provide a bit more length as needed. Jake Bird’s numbers might not look great, but they’re all a product of one terrible outing against the Marlins; he’s otherwise been excellent.
As much as the argument might be that the Yankees could’ve made better use of this final roster spot over Winquest, there haven’t been many opportunities in which this team has missed an extra reliever. For all we know, the Yankees may still like Winquest enough after getting him in the building, but there haven’t been that many opportunities to get him in there — perhaps even in certain emergency scenarios. He’ll be on the chopping block out of necessity, but the decision to take a shot on him wasn’t a costly one and had its merits.
The Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas got a head start on all the other San Diego Padres minor league affiliates, playing their first game the day after the parent club. The Double-A San Antonio Missions, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps and Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm didn’t get started until either April 2 or 3.
On April 2, San Antonio and Lake Elsinore kicked off their seasons with Fort Wayne joining on April 3. The Missions roster features top prospects catcher Ethan Salas, pitchers Miguel Mendez, Luis Gutierrez, Victor Lizarraga and Jagger Haynes as well as first baseman Romeo Sanabria who distinguished himself during the spring.
Lake Elsinore features many of the 2025 draft class, including top pick LHP Kruz Schoolcraft and two catchers, Ty Harvey and Truitt Madonna. Shortstop Jorge Quintana, outfielder Kale Fountain and outfielder Ryan Wideman are other top prospects playing with the Storm.
Fort Wayne will feature LHP Kash Mayfield atop their rotation after his debut season last year with the Storm. Both pitchers Kannon Kemp and Jaxon Dalena will be with the TinCaps but start the year in Arizona, dealing with injury issues. RHP Clark Candiotti, formerly a starter last year with the Storm, has been put in the bullpen to start this season. Catcher Lamar King Jr. will catch as well as play first and DH. Physical standout Alex McCoy will man the outfield with Kavares Tears and Kasen Wells.
El Paso Chihuahuas
The Chihuahuas went 2-2 over their first four games and played six games total versus the Tacoma Rainiers from March 31 thru April 5 with a rainout that was made up as a doubleheader. They moved on to the Albuquerque Isotopes on April 7. Through the week they went 3-4 and played host to multiple Padres players on rehab assignments. Matt Waldron, Jason Adam, Yuki Matsui, Griffin Canning and Sung-Mun Song are all working with the Chihuahuas for their rehabs.
Waldron turned in the best pitching performance as a starter, throwing seven innings over two starts with five hits and no runs allowed. He has no walks with nine strikeouts. Reliever Ethan Routzahn has a 2.08 ERA in 4.1 innings pitched for El Paso.
Outfielder Samad Taylor leads the team with a .333 batting average and has a .843 OPS. Outfielder Jase Bowen is slugging .722 with three homers and seven RBI and a 1.020 OPS.
San Antonio Missions
The Missions started their season versus the Tulsa Drillers for three games, losing two of three. RHP Victor Lizarrage started the first game with Miguel Mendez and Ian Koeing following. Mendez allowed three hits and a run over 3.2 innings
The Missions started a series versus the Corpus Christi Hooks with LHP Luis Gutierrez throwing four innings with two hits and a run getting five strikeouts in a loss. LHP Jagger Haynes only lasted 1.2 innings with three earned runs in a loss in the second game.
Closer Michael Flynn has pitched 1.2 innings over two games without allowing a hit.
Infielder Carson Tucker was signed by the Padres in the offseason after leaving the Cleveland Guardians system. A former first-round pick, the 24-year-old was released due to a significant injury history. He and infielder Luis Verdugo are leading the Missions with batting averages over .400 and an .OPS of 1.200 and 1.323 respectively.
Fort Wayne TinCaps
The TinCaps started their season against the Great Lakes Loons, going 1-2 for the three games. They were rained out on Saturday and played a doubleheader on Sunday. They are 1-4 overall.
LHP Kash Mayfield heads the rotation and pitched in the season opener for three innings with no runs allowed and 4 strikeouts. RHP Isaiah Lowe piggybacked with Mayfield and allowed one run in 3 innings of work. RHP Andrew Parra also only allowed a hit and a run in 4 innings in the first game of the doubleheader.
The next series against the Lansing Lugnuts began with a 4 inning performance from Maikel Miralles with one hit and 9 strikeouts in another loss. Reliever Braian Salazar has appeared in three games with one run allowed.
Catcher Carlos Rodriguez is hitting .364 with a .871 OPS. Outfielder Alex McCoy leads the team with two doubles and two RBI in a struggling early season offense.
Lake Elsinore Storm
The Storm started their season against the new team in the division, the Ontario Tower Buzzers. They won the first game with a good outing by Bryan Balzar over four innings and one run allowed with seven strikeouts. They lost the next two games with lefty Schoolcraft only lasting 1 inning in the second game and allowing four hits and six runs in 51 pitches with four walks. The Storm is 2-3 overall in the young season.
RHP Winyer Chourio started the series opener against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes with four innings and three hits with one run and six strikeouts. They won their second game against the Quakes with a bullpen game.
Jose Verdugo, 18, is making his US debut after playing last season in the DSL. He is hitting .385 with a .928 OPS. Catcher Ty Harvey leads the team with two doubles and four RBI.
The Padres minor league system saw three players retire before the start of the season. Pitchers Jared Kollar, Riley Pint and Carter Loewen all announced that they were leaving baseball.
Padres pitchers Humberto Cruz, rehabbing from ACL surgery, and Emmanuel Pinales have both been removed from all rosters due to legal issues involving them.
Alex Verdugo, the former major leaguer and minor league signee who began spring camp playing with the affiliate teams, has been placed in extended spring/Arizona Complex League for further work but could be in El Paso by mid-to-late April.
Catcher Blake Hunt, outfielder Tirso Ornelas and infielder Will Wagner all started the season on the IL.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 08: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors dribbles as he is chased by LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 104-101 Lakers win in game four of the Western Conference Semifinal Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on May 08, 2023 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. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Golden State Warriors play their final home game of the regular season in tonight’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM PT in San Francisco and will be streamed on Prime Video.
Golden State snapped a four-game losing streak with Tuesday night’s 110–105 win over the Sacramento Kings. It marked the Warriors’ second game with Steph Curry back in the lineup, and they responded with noticeable energy — particularly in the second quarter, where they outscored Sacramento 41–27 to take a 13-point lead into halftime.
Still, the Kings — despite their 21–59 record — made things interesting late. It took timely shot-making from Curry (17 points) and Brandin Podziemski (20 points) to close it out down the stretch.
Tonight’s matchup against the Lakers was initially shaping up to be the first meeting between Curry and LeBron James this season. However, the Warriors announced Curry will sit out the front end of the back-to-back as he continues ramping up from the knee injury that sidelined him for 27 games.
Steph Curry is now OUT for tonight’s Warriors game against the Lakers @NBCSWarriors
No Steph, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford or Will Richard for the Warriors
With both teams dealing with injuries to key players — including the Lakers being without leading scorers Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for the remainder of the regular season — the focus shifts to role players on both sides.
For Los Angeles, head coach JJ Redick recently made headlines for publicly challenging his team’s supporting cast following a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
JJ Redick CALLED OUT the entire roster 😭
On Rui: “He wasn’t doing his job so I took him out.”
On Vando: “It was a confluence of things he did wrong.”
Meanwhile, the Warriors may have found a spark in big man Charles Bassey. Signed as a late addition due to frontcourt injuries, Bassey recorded a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double against Sacramento. He provided energy as a rim runner and lob threat, and with Golden State still thin up front, his role could continue to grow as the regular season winds down.
The Los Angeles Lakers were baking one hell of a cake in the second half of the season, only to have injuries drop that sucker on the floor just before the party.
With no Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves, Los Angeles is left scooping crumbs, frosting, and championship hopes off the hardwood in these final days of the regular season.
The Lakers are grasping for the No. 4 seed in the West and praying for the best when the postseason begins, leaning on veteran star LeBron James to keep them on track.
LeBron and L.A. are underdogs in the Bay Area tonight, and our Lakers vs. Warriors predictions see James jacking up his share of shots from beyond the arc.
My NBA picks take the King to top his 3-point prop on Thursday, April 9.
Lakers vs Warriors prediction
Lakers vs Warriors best bet: LeBron James Over 1.5 made threes (+110)
LeBron James is as adaptable as they come. When Luka Doncic is out of the lineup, he picks up his playmaking, and we see his assist tallies soar. And when Austin Reaves is sidelined, James’ activity from outside increases.
LeBron is learning to live without either of his Los Angeles Lakers co-stars in the home stretch. While we have a small sample of games without Doncic and Reaves, James did fire up six 3-point attempts in the loss to Dallas on Sunday.
Looking at his last 19 games without Reaves in action, James has averaged 4.6 shots from beyond the arc, connecting for two or more in nine of those. For comparison, when Luka and Reaves were both healthy during L.A.'s red-hot run in March, LeBron was taking only 2.4 triples and making less than one of those long-range looks an outing.
Tonight's game script has L.A. playing from behind versus the Golden State Warriors, and the rest of the Lakers lineup has provided spotty production, leaving head coach J.J. Redick to blast several players during this current stretch.
James was a one-man wrecking crew vs. Dallas and will have the green light against a Golden State defense that has slipped when it comes to protecting the perimeter. The Dubs have allowed foes to shoot 37% from distance since the All-Star break, and that’s blown up to 39% over the past 10.
LeBron has faced the Warriors twice this season, going 4-for-6 and 2-for-7 from downtown in those matchups. His projections for tonight range between 1.4 and 2.4 makes from 3-point land, with the bulk of those forecasts calling for two triples and his attempts as high as seven 3PAs.
Lakers vs Warriors same-game parlay
Los Angeles can at least keep it close against a Warriors roster that could protect players in this first game of back-to-back outings. The Lakers are desperate not to fall back in the West standings, as they’ll need all the help they can get in the postseason.
Deandre Ayton has been ripped by Redick for his recent efforts, but with the L.A. lineup hurting for offense, he’s capable of putting up points against a small Golden State frontcourt. His projections sit as high as 13 points.
Lakers vs Warriors SGP
Lakers +4.5
LeBron James Over 1.5 made threes
Deandre Ayton Over 11.5 Points
Our "from downtown" SGP: Royal Flush
LeBron went nuclear on the Mavericks, scoring 30 points, dishing out 15 assists, and hauling in nine rebounds. He sat out Tuesday’s matchup with OKC, so the 41-year-old has fresh legs for this trip to Golden State.
Lakers vs Warriors SGP
Lakers moneyline
LeBron James Over 24.5 points
LeBron James Over 9.5 assists
LeBron James Over 7.5 rebounds
Lakers vs Warriors odds
Spread: Lakers +4.5 (-110) | Warriors -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Lakers +160 | Warriors -190
Over/Under: Over 225.5 (-110) | Under 225.5 (-110)
Lakers vs Warriors betting trend to know
The Over is 9-2 in the last 11 matchups between the Lakers and Warriors. Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Warriors.
How to watch Lakers vs Warriors
Location
Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
Date
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Tip-off
10:00 p.m. ET
TV
Prime Video
Lakers vs Warriors latest injuries
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