VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Vancouver Canucks scored a pair of third-period goals to erase a two-goal deficit then got a shootout goal from Jake DeBrusk to beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Thursday night.
The Canucks trailed 3-1 after two periods, but Marco Rossi scored with 4:05 to play to make it 3-2 and Filip Hronek tied it at 3-all with 1:01 left in regulation.
Brock Boeser also scored in regulation for Vancouver.
Tyson Jost scored twice for Nashville, and rookie Matthew Wood added a goal.
Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators. Nikita Tolopilo stopped 16 shots for Vancouver.
The Canucks opened the scoring at 8:40, when the double-tip of Hronek's point shot — first Marco Rossi and then Boeser — beat Saros. But the teams went to the dressing room tied 1-1 after Justin Barron snapped up a turnover by Tolopilo before Jost scored on the rebound.
In the second, Jost gave the visitors their first lead of the night, corralling the puck after Roman Josi's blast from the blue line went wide of the net, then depositing it past Tolopilo. Wood followed, his centering pass deflecting into the net off the skate of Canucks forward Liam Ohgren.
Rossi snapped a rebound past Saros and with Tolopilo on the bench, Hronek sent the game to overtime.
DeBrusk scored the only goal of the shootout as Tolopilo stopped all three shooters he faced.
Boeser’s goal was his 16th of the year, and fourth in five games. Evander Kane returned to the lineup after missing one game while dealing with upper-body discomfort.
With 17 games remaining, the Predators remain locked in a race for a wild-card spot with three other Western Conference teams. Saros became the second NHL goalie to reach 50 starts this season. Wood has four goals in his last four games.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Big 12 Conference is ditching its slippery new glass floor for a hardwood court for the final two days of the tournament.
“After consultation with the coaches of our four semifinal teams, I have decided that in order to provide our student-athletes with the greatest level of comfort on a huge stage this weekend, we will transition to a hardwood court for the remainder of the tournament," Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement Thursday night. "We look forward to a great semifinals and championship game.”
“Obviously, the floor is a bit slippery," Anderson said. “I think I just kind of mis-stepped or did a movement that caused me to slip,”
The Big 12 announced last month that it would play the men’s and women’s tournaments on the ASB GlassFloor-made court that has been used at the NBA All-Star Game and in Europe but never before during an official U.S. competition.
“I personally didn’t have any involvement (in the decision to go to hardwood),” Kansas coach Bill Self after the No. 14 Jayhawks beat TCU 78-73 on Thursday night in the last game played on the glass floor. “If the other coaches are doing it, (they) have juice and they got more than I got. Because I didn’t have any any involvement with that at all.”
Then he added, “I think it’s the right thing to do.”
The glass floor has an aluminum and steel spring-action design that is supposed to mimic the flexibility of hardwood. The LED panels, which display everything from data-driven graphics to advertising, have ceramic coating and little dots etched into the glass that are supposed to create grip that is consistent with traditional surfaces.
The ball seems to bounce like usual, though with a different “thudding” sound. There are a whole lot more squeaks from sneakers than usual. But the biggest difference has been the traction.
But in take-care-of-business victory, the Lakers’ 142-130 win over the Bulls on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena will be memorable for one reason: Luka Doncic’s first 50-point game with the Lakers.
Luka Doncic scored his season high in points against the Bulls. AP
Doncic led the Lakers with 51 points on 17-of-31 shooting on Thursday night, scoring his 50th and 51st points at the free throw line with “M-V-P” being chanted throughout the Lakers’ home arena late in the fourth quarter.
“It feels very special,” Doncic said.
Thursday was the eighth 50-point game of Doncic’s career, and the first time he scored at least 50 points since scoring a career-high 73 points on Jan. 26, 2024, while playing for the Mavericks.
“I just feel like it’s every game..with him scoring like that,” Deandre Ayton said.
Austin Reaves added 30 points, seven assists and five rebounds during a night the Lakers’ offense was firing on all cylinders.
The Lakers shot 55.6% from the field, including 47.2% on 3s (17 of 36).
Ayton recorded a 23 point-10 rebound double-double to continue his strong run of play.
LeBron James had 18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and a pair of steals after returning from a three-game absence.
LeBron James returned to the lineup after sitting with an injury. AP
Rui Hachimura also scored 15 points, with all of the Lakers starters scoring at least 15 points.
“I like the way we played,” coach JJ Redick said.
What it means
The Lakers moved back up to third in the Western Conference standings with Thursday’s victory.
They’re on a four-game winning streak, their longest run of consecutive wins since late November when they won a season-high seven games to close out the month.
They have a 41-25 record.
Turning point
When Ayton grabbed an offensive rebound at the 1:09 mark in the second quarter that led to the Rui Hachimura free-throw line jumper to tie the game at 62 apiece.
That started a 7-0 run the Lakers closed the first half with, flowing into a 5-0 run to start the third quarter to put the Lakers up 72-62.
The Lakers led by as many as 22 points in the third.
The Bulls cut their deficit to single digits multiple times, but the Lakers led for the remainder of the game.
The Lakers’ two stars dap each other up before the game. NBAE via Getty Images
MVP: Luka Doncic
Doncic gets the nod after having his highest scoring game as a Laker.
He also had 10 rebounds and nine assists for a near 50-point triple-double.
“He’s our best player and when he plays like that, we’re tough to guard because of his ability to make shots,” Reaves said of Doncic. “Not just that, but [passing] the ball as well and he picks apart defenses. He needs to continue to do that for us, we expect him to do that. Obviously not score 51 every night. But the type of player he is, he can get hot after seeing one shot go in. And they’ve been going in for him. So we need continue to encourage him to shoot them.”
Stat of the game: 9
That was the number of 3s Doncic made against the Bulls, which tied a career-high that he set on March 31, 2024, while he played for the Mavericks.
After a slow shooting start to the season, Doncic has been scorching from beyond the arc.
He’s shot 39.7% on 3s on 10.5 attempts since Dec. 25, and 43.7% from beyond the arc on 11.3 attempts since the All-Star break.
“He’s been high-volume, high-efficiency for about 2 ½ months now,” Redick said. “It’s so important. It just sets up the rest of his game when he’s making 3s.”
Up next
The Lakers will close out their five-game homestand, which they’re undefeated on so far, against the Nuggets on Saturday.
They hope to have Marcus Smart back in the lineup for that matchup after he was sidelined on Thursday because of a hip contusion.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 10: Bryce Jarvis #40 of the Arizona Diamondbacks throws a pitch during a Spring Training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch on March 10, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Introduction
It’s easy to dismiss Spring Training statistics. There are legitimate excuses about pitchers experimenting with different grips, situations, or just not concentrating as hard as they might during the regular season. If you layer those reasons on top of the typically ridiculously small sample sizes, I can understand why fans might wave away both good or bad results from Spring Training. And while I sincerely doubt that Vance Honeycutt, the owner of a .171/.284/.275 slash line at High-A last year, is going to hit .625 at any level, Spring Training numbers are not completely meaningless either. For instance, Nick Kurtz hit an incredible .261/.452/.522 slash line last spring – including mashing a pair homers before his unanimous Rookie of the Year campaign with the Athletics. Baseball is as much about confidence and psychology as it as about physics and strength in my opinion. Even if the actual numbers don’t matter, the direction of those numbers absolutely matters when it comes to roster construction. So now that we’re almost exactly two weeks away from Opening Day, which D-Backs players have shown the most promise?
Jordan Lawlar – 1.174 OPS
Believe me, I know. I can hear the keyboards of the commenters clacking as I type this. The much-ballyhooed prospect has, to put it mildly, been a disappointment at the major league level to this point with a measly .165/.241/.237 slash line and a woeful 34% strikeout rate in 42 games. But he’s hit the ground running through the first half of Spring Training, posting a .323/.432/.742 slash line in ten games while demonstrating a more patient approach at the plate, collecting six walks to 10 strikeouts so far. He’s also been getting some very positive reviews from the coaching staff on his latest positional change to centerfield. There are certainly some caveats to those numbers – particularly on the opponent quality (as measured by the competitive level the opposing player competed in during the past season). Not including today’s game, Lawlar has faced off against an average of 7.7 opposing quality, which equates to somewhere around a AAA pitcher. We’ve also seen this song and dance before. Last spring, Lawlar put together a solid stint with a .294/.368/.529 slash line before posting another disappointing result with the big league club. But I’d argue this season is a different beast. He’s learning a new position, he isn’t worried about making the big league team out of camp, and he’s likely a more mature person than he’s been in the past. Given how important he could be to the team, I’ll always root for him to finally find some success.
Bryce Jarvis – 1.69 ERA
I wanted to make sure to highlight at least one pitcher finding some success in Spring Training, but it wasn’t an easy exercise. Most of the rotation members have only had a small handful of starts so far and several of the relievers have only entered a few games themselves. Additionally, pitchers are particularly prone to the small sample size problem as a single bad outing can flip your stats upside down. Even with those caveats though, it’s not a pretty picture on the pitching side. Ryne Nelson has struggled to a 5.63 ERA and already given up a pair of dingers in his three starts, Michael Soroka owns an unsightly 9.63 ERA and 2.727 WHIP in his first two starts, and Brandyn Garcia saw his scoreless streak come to an ignominious end this afternoon when he failed to record an out while allowing five earned runs – ballooning his ERA all the way to 11.25 for the spring. But Jarvis is one of the few that have managed to get into a decent amount of action – he currently leads the righty relief corps with 5.1 IP – and posted good results including the above ERA and a 0.938 WHIP. After breaking out in 2024 with a 3.19 ERA and 1.433 WHIP across 44 games, Jarvis looked like a shadow of himself last season, owning a 5.73 ERA and looking much more hittable than he had in the previous two campaigns. Now a non-roster invitee, he’ll need to prove that he deserves a bullpen slot and can return to the form that made him so successful previously – and he’s certainly done that in my opinion.
Luka Doncic, left, is congratulated by LeBron James after making a three-pointer during the second half of the Lakers' 142-130 win over the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
He didn’t miss it this time.
Luka Doncic recorded his first 50-point game of the season Thursday, hitting two late free throws as the crowd at Crypto.com Arena showered him with “MVP” chants in the fourth quarter. Doncic checked out with 1:41 remaining to a standing ovation with 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Lakers to a 142-130 win over the Chicago Bulls.
The Lakers (41-25) jumped into third place in the Western Conference with their seventh win in their last eight games, climbing from sixth in just one week behind Doncic’s brilliance. The NBA’s leading scorer has averaged 40.2 points in the last four games, all wins. Doncic had a chance at 50 points in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in October, but missed a late free throw that forced him to settle for 49 points.
LeBron James returned after missing three games because of elbow and hip contusions he sustained against the Denver Nuggets on March 5. He finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Austin Reaves had 30 points and seven assists, surpassing 5,000 points for his career. Center Deandre Ayton held down a short-handed big man rotation with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
The Lakers were without starting guard Marcus Smart (right hip contusion) and backup centers Jaxson Hayes (back soreness) and Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain). Smart has been playing through the injury for several games, but with a six-game road trip starting next week, “we need it to calm down,” coach JJ Redick said. The coach expected Smart to be available Saturday when the Lakers play the Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers gave up a 12-3 run to end the first quarter and led the struggling Bulls (27-39) by only five at halftime. James helped give them the breathing room going into the locker room as he scored his first points of the game with 54 seconds left in the first half. His three-point play sparked a quick five-point run to end the half, which ended with a dunk from Rui Hachimura.
Lakers star LeBron James, center, drives between Chicago's Rob Dillingham, left, and Matas Buzelis during the second half Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
James came alive in the third quarter, beginning with his dunk off a hit-ahead pass from Doncic. He returned the favor by diving out of bounds for a steal on the next possession and the save led to a three-pointer from Doncic.
Doncic made nine of 14 three-point attempts as the Lakers made 17 of 36 shots from beyond the arc, their best three-point percentage in a game since Feb. 20.
After not taking a single shot in the first quarter, James had 11 points, three rebounds and two assists in the third quarter as the Lakers’ lead grew to 22 points.
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 12: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a three point basket during the game against the Chicago Bulls on March 12, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena 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 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Lakers push their win streak to four with a 142-130 win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. They now have sole possession of the 3rd seed in the Western Conference.
The game began with LA scoring seven in a row. Austin Reaves put the first points on the board with a triple. He also picked up a steal and a block. LeBron James was the only starter not to score yet in the quarter.
Matas Buzelis converted on a layup to give the Bulls their first points of the night.
Rui Hachimura put up five points. Luka Dončić began to surge, draining two 3-pointers. Buzelis was leading Chicago with seven points. At the 3:05 mark, the Lakers were up by six.
Luka entered double figures with 12 points. He was also a rebounding machine, grabbing seven. Chicago then went on a 9-0 scoring run to make it a tied game at the end of the first.
The Lakers took control of this game early, and led by 9 late in the period, but Chicago ended the quarter on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 26.
The second period began just as the first did, with a triple by Reaves. The Bulls responded with five straight points. Deandre Ayton then scored four in a row to put the Lakers up by two early. LeBron James had a slow start for Los Angeles, taking only two shots, both of which he missed.
Buzelis put Chicago back in the lead with a 3-pointer.
LA was shooting 41% from the field, while the Bulls were shooting a hot 87%. Ayton, Reaves, and Luka were the first Lakers in double figures with 12, 10, and 17, respectively.
Deandre Ayton is having another solid game. He has 10 points on 5-7 shooting in his 12 minutes of play.
Buzelis and Luka had some friendly chatter amongst themselves, leading to Luka pushing his point total to 20.
At the 4:04 mark, the purple and gold were down by four. Los Angeles went on a 9-2 scoring run to retake the lead. LeBron finally put some points on the board, converting on a three-point play with 54 seconds left in the half.
The Lakers had four of their five starters in double figures entering halftime, leading by six.
LeBron started the second half with an emphatic dunk, and it was followed by a Bulls turnover that turned into a 3-pointer from Luka on the other end. Chicago called a quick timeout. Out of the break, Buzelis was fouled and converted on both free throws.
The Lakers erupted for a 14-2 scoring run that expanded their lead to 18.
Hachimura drained his third triple of the night. He was shooting a red-hot 74% from behind the arc. Luka notched two more 3-pointers, marking seven for the game so far out of 11 attempts. LeBron eventually entered double figures with 11 points.
Coming into this game, Luka Dončić was shooting 41.3% from 3 after the All-Star break on 11.0 attempts per game, and that's not counting his 7 for 10 tonight.
At the 4:55 mark, the lead was 21 for Los Angeles.
Chicago cut the deficit to 14 after they went on a 9-2 run. Josh Giddey was up to 15 points for the Bulls and was four for six from behind the arc. At the end of the third, the Lakers were up by 10, after they had once led by 22.
LeBron started the final frame with a midrange jumper. On the other end, Nick Richards completed a three-point play. Luke Kennard finally got a triple to fall after four attempts. At the 8:45 mark, LA was up by single digits.
Reaves then scored a quick five in a row to push the lead back to double digits.
With six minutes left, Los Angeles continued to have a good lead, led by the efforts of Reaves, who was up to nine points in the quarter, and Ayton, who was up to six. Luka swished two 3-pointers in a row.
With 3:19 left, the Bulls were down by 17.
Chicago tried a small comeback, but failed after Luka converted on two free throws for his 50th and 51st points.
Key Player Stats
Luka finished with 51 points,10 rebounds, nine assists and three steals. Reaves ended with 30 points, five rebounds and seven assists. LeBron scored 18 points with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
Ayton had another dominant game, scoring 23 points with 10 rebounds. Hachimura notched 15 points in 40 minutes.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at 5:30 PM PT.
MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 12: Khris Middleton #20 of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 12, 2026 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. 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 Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks continued their season-long road trip, taking on the Pelicans win on Wednesday night. With the Grizzlies entering Thursday’s action with two more wins than Dallas and one more win than New Orleans, these games carry importance relative to how things may shake out in respect of draft odds, following Dallas’ 120-112 victory.
Let’s get to the grades!
Naji Marshall: C-
5 PTS / 6 REB / 3 AST / 1 STL / 0 BLK – 23 MIN
It can be puzzling to see Marshall struggle when he so often hits 50-plus percent from the floor. This was not that game. He was 2-for-7 and had a mind-blowing six turnovers. Maybe his worst game of the season.
Max Christie: C-
13 PTS / 0 REB / 0 AST / 2 STL / 1 BLK – 25 MIN
Christie was 5-for-12 from the floor, including another corner three-pointer that hit the side of the backboard. Overall, there were aspects that were better, but his five turnovers would be utterly shocking had he not been outdone by Marshall.
Cooper Flagg: C+
13 PTS / 5 REB / 7 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 33 MIN
Flagg is either hitting the rookie wall (it doesn’t really seem like it) or still nursing his injured foot. He’s struggling with his shot (6-for-16) and picked up three fouls before you could say his name. Nonetheless, he did what he has done even in his less than ideal games – contributed in almost every aspect of the game.
P.J. Washington: B+
12 PTS / 10 REB / 1 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 28 MIN
A double-double with a sprinkle of defense was nice to see from Washington, who has been struggling recently. It wasn’t his most efficient shooting night (5-for-12; 0-for-3 from downtown) but it was a solid well-rounded game compared to most of his games lately.
Daniel Gafford: A
22 PTS / 14 REB / 1 AST / 0 STL / 1 BLK – 27 MIN
After a long season, it appears Gafford is back to being the player Mavs’ fans enjoyed watching when the team was competing for a championship. He was 9-for-12 and basically went beast-mode all night, doing his double-double damage in less than 30 minutes of action.
Brandon Williams: B+
10 PTS / 8 REB / 6 AST / 2 STL / 2 BLK – 28 MIN
Williams hit 4-for-8 from the floor despite going 0-for-3 from deep. He had three fouls and two turnovers, but played very good defense as shown in his stocks and rebounds. Solid game breaking down the defense and doing some damage.
Khris Middleton: A+
35 PTS / 3 REB / 0 AST / 2 STL / 0 BLK – 25 MIN
Middleton single-handedly took over the game after the Grizzlies rallied back to tie things up. He had the highest-scoring quarter (in the final frame) of any Maverick this season, which was also the highest scoring quarter of his career. This was also his first 30-point game in nearly three years. He was a scorching hot 10-for-17 with an even more impressive 8-for-10 from deep. He had zero turnovers and zero fouls, hit all seven of his free throws and even had two steals. Oh, he did all of that in 25 minutes of play. This was just plain epic.
Final Thoughts
For the first time in a long, long while, the Mavs whooped an opponent for most of the game, ultimately getting the win. Granted that opponent is not especially good and was only able to roll out eight players, but the Mavs were starved for a win and finally got one. Although it hurts them in terms of the tank-a-thon, the road ahead remains rough and breaking the skid has to be good for morale as the season winds down.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
After taking a two-goal lead in the second period, the Nashville Predators gave up a pair of goals in the third period and went scoreless in the shootout, falling to the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3, on Thursday at Rogers Arena.
Ryan O'Reilly, Filip Forsberg and Steven Stamkos all failed to score as Jake DeBrusk scored the lone goal in the shootout.
It's Nashville's first shootout loss of the season and just the Canucks fourth win of the 2026 calendar year. The Predators have also lost five straight overtime/shootout games.
Tyson Jost scored twice for Nashville, recording his first multi-goal game since May 13, 2021, when he had two goals as a member of the Colorado Avalanche in a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. He also has three goals in the last two games.
Matthew Wood scored his 14th goal of the season, shooting the puck from the left corner, and it deflected off of Vancouver's Liam Öhgren and into the net. That score gave Nashville a two-goal lead.
Marco Rossi scored off a rebound to cut the Predators' lead down to one with five minutes left in the third period. With a minute left in the game and the extra attacker on, Filip Hronek scored to tie the game.
Despite picking up the loss, Juuse Saros had a massive performance, making 24 saves on 27 shots. The Predators were outshot 12-5 in the first period with Saros making a handful of big saves to prevent Vancouver from expanding its lead.
A victory would've tied the Predators with the San Jose Sharks for the final Wild Card spot in the West, with 68 points; however, the Sharks would've had the tiebreaker over them in wins.
Sitting at 67 points, Nashville is in a three-way tie with Seattle and Los Angeles. With the most losses and more games played of the three, the Predators don't have the tiebreaker.
The Predators will look to keep pushing for the playoffs on Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers at 7 p.m. CST.
At least Lenyn Sosa brought a little energy to the group tonight. | (Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
The White Sox and Giants kept the game low-scoring and close all evening, which in turn made it harder for me to keep my eyes open. And all for nothing, as it ended in a tie. Here is the breakdown for a mostly uneventful game:
The first run Trevor McDonald has allowed this spring went to Lenyn Sosa, giving the Good Guys an early lead.
Jonathan Cannon stepped in for Ryan Borucki in the second, after Borucki had only fired off seven pitches. The Giants put Cannon to work with long at-bats, and he managed to give up a walk and a hit in the second.
Derek Hill interrupted what was likely a wonderful interview with Ryan Walker with a solo home run to further insult McDonald’s decent Spring Training run.
Cannon battled with his command and issued back-to-back walks in the third, but got Rafael Devers to ground into an inning-ending double play with the White Sox up 2–0. During the extended frame, Brooke Fletcher shared an update on Brooks Baldwin.
Will Venable told me Brooks Baldwin got imaging on his elbow and there’s some inflammation there. He’s still being evaluated and is day-to-day. They’re having several specialists to look at it to get more information. Will went on to say that it’s similar to what he felt last…
The Sox had some luck with a walk and a single after two quick outs in the fourth, but Tristan Peters ended the small rally with a ground out. Matt Chapman singled to center field to kick off the bottom of the inning, and with one out, Bryce Eldridge drew a walk. Jared Kelley came in with two on and two outs, only to immediately give up a hit to Will Brennan, cutting the lead in half and putting runners on the corners. Thankfully, Casey Schmitt was called out on strikes to prevent further damage.
Matt Gage replaced McDonald for the fifth. After two quick outs, Luisangel Acuña beat out a throw to first for a single, but Miguel Vargas struck out after losing a challenge to end the inning.
Cannon was back on the mound for the bottom of the fifth. With two strikes, Victor Bericoto opened with a knock, and with a White Sox blooper in center field, Harrison Bader singled. The Good Guys tried to make up for it with a double play, but Chapman drove in the second run for the Giants, making it 2-2. The RBI single chased Cannon out of the game again, with Eric Adler replacing him. While Willy Adames worked up a full count, pinch runner Christian Koss got picked off to end the inning.
Sosa continued his hot night with a two-out single, but was caught stealing for a quick top half of the sixth. Jedixson Paez stepped in to pitch for the Sox in the Giants’ half of the inning. The righthander secured back-to-back Ks working a battle leading to a full count with Daniel Susac, who picked up a walk in the fight. Paez bounced right back when Jerar Encarnacion flew out to right.
With one out in the top of the seventh, Peters managed a triple, Hill walked, and William Bergolla Jr. singled on a soft bunt to plate Peters. The Good Guys took the lead back, 3-2, right before Acuña promptly hit into a double play.
Darren Baker, the son of Dusty Baker, worked a full-count walk to open the ninth and quickly swiped second and third. Another Baker — Dru (no relation) — followed with a walk and stole second as well. Josh Breaux then drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Unfortunately, in the most White Sox fashion, Mario Camilletti bounced into a rally-killing double play to strand them all.
In the bottom of the frame, Eric Haase walked and was replaced by Jared Oliva, who promptly stole second and third. A sac fly from Jerar Encarnacion tied the game at 3-3. With two outs, Parks Harber was hit by a pitch, but McCray ended the game with a ground out.
No winners, no losers, just an anticlimactic tie. But just like Spring Training, this game is meaningless, and the points don’t matter.
A Shai Gilgeous-Alexander streak that started on Nov. 1, 2024, reached record levels on Thursday when, with a jumper from the top of the key over Baylor Scheierman, SGA passed the legendary Wilt Chamberlain for most consecutive 20+ point games with 127. With all eyes on him, Gilgeous-Alexander started slow against the Celtics and didn't score for the first half of the first quarter, but by the end of 12 minutes, he was at 10 points, and his setting the record seemed inevitable.
It isn't just the 127 games number that is impressive. In 35 of the games, Gilgeous-Alexander didn't play in the fourth quarter because the Thunder were winning by so much.
"He puts the work behind it, does it consistently," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said pregame. "He's a perfectionist when it comes to his craft. He's got an unbelievably high bar for himself, and yet, he's incredibly empathic with his teammates."
Chamberlain's streak only came to an end because he was ejected early in what would have been his 127th game. After that, he went on to score 20+ points in his next 92 consecutive games.
Gilgeous-Alexander would go on to finish with 35 points, leading the Thunder to a dramatic 104-102 victory that felt like a potential NBA Finals preview. Jaylen Brown scored 34 to lead the Celtics, but it was two Chet Holmgren free throws with 0.8 seconds left that got Oklahoma City the win.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 12: Mitch Marner #93 of the Vegas Golden Knights scores a goal against Arturs Silovs #37 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at T-Mobile Arena on March 12, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Zak Krill/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins use the same lines and lineup as the last game, Arturs Silovs gets back in the net.
The Vegas Golden Knights get captain Mark Stone back in the lineup for his first game since getting injured against these Penguins back on March 1st.
First period
Vegas gets the first goal, tough sequence for Parker Wotherspoon who has to retreat while dealing with a bouncing puck, by the time he settles it and spins to clear it the attempt hits the linesman’s skate and is there for the taking. Braeden Bowman makes a nice pass over for Colton Sissons to finish. 1-0 Golden Knights early.
Connor Clifton makes a late play on a player who doesn’t have the puck, Vegas gets the first power play. The Pens kill it off.
Vegas gets going in transition again, Tommy Novak gets a piece of a player pulling up on him and trips him, giving the Knights a second power play near the end of the period.
Shots are 6-6, not too much happening for the Penguins who find themselves down 1-0 after the first.
Second period
Pittsburgh kills off the carryover penalty from the first period and get their own power play soon after when Rasmus Andersson sideswipes Ville Koivunen for no reason away from the play. The Pens don’t get a shot on it, and worse, Vegas scores on the next shift. Pavel Dorofeyev shouldn’t be a hard player to find since he’s right to the side of the net but Ilya Solovyov got lost in traffic and the Knights got the puck to their leading scorer and he showed his skill by firing a puck over the shoulder of Silovs for his 31st of the season. 2-0.
It takes a while for the Pens to get a shot on goal in the second period, once they break the ice and put a little pressure on, they score. Bryan Rust whips a puck to the net with traffic in front, puck goes in with Rickard Rakell able to get a piece on the way. 2-1 game now.
That goal didn’t deter Vegas, Mitch Marner makes a great play to get the puck around Silovs and tucks it in. Another tough look for Solovyov to give the puck right to Marner then completely lose him once Marner got the pass back. Lead extended back to two just 56 seconds after the Pittsburgh goal.
Pittsburgh gets a power play, it looks like Novak mostly falls but Marner gets rung up for the trip. Not much comes of it.
The Pens get one back, Anthony Mantha enters the zone and makes a wonderful cross-ice pass that finds Ben Kindel driving the net. Kindel is able to direct the puck in for his 16th goal of the season. 3-2 game with 3:38 to play.
Even period for total goals, the Pens find a way to keep hanging close after 40 minutes.
Third period
The Pens keep pushing but get a little sloppy and get burnt. Wotherspoon swoops into the offensive zone deeper than Koivunen and leaves the puck for him. Koivunen gets muscled off of it and Vegas is off on an odd-man rush. They convert on it, thanks to their best two players of the night when Marner finds Dorofeyev, who unleashes a great shot to the top corner. 4-2 game.
The Pens get a power play with 7:39 to go and pull the goalie to make it a 6v4 situation, ‘cuz hey, why not. They get a lot of zone time but can’t score. Pittsburgh leaves the goalie pulled to keep plugging away, it takes until 58 seconds left before the Golden Knights can finally hit the open net to set the 6-2 final score.
Some thoughts
In some ways it could be said the Penguins are missing Sam Girard out of the lineup almost as much as they are Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. OK, that sounded better as a thought in my head than it looks written out on the screen, so maybe it’s better to phrase it that the Pens are really missing Girard. I think Solovyov’s had a couple of rocky games in a row and big mistakes as a defender can be costly, often time ending up in the back of the net. Solovyov’s play on the second and third Vegas goal was not pretty to say the least. Not sure if Girard can be healthy enough to play by Saturday or the team would resort to giving the recently called up Alex Alexeyev a game but they certainly have to consider whatever it takes to get Solovyov out of the lineup.
Going back to last game the Penguins had three straight goals generated by Bryan Rust throwing a puck on net. Not a bad strategy at this point to try and get bodies and traffic in front, fling it on and see what happens.
The top power play needs a tweak. It’s nice to see Egor Chinakhov out there but he’s positioned himself too often in space, drifting near the blueline where he’s not a threat even when he gets the puck. He never heads to the net, even when there’s a lane and the puck is on the other side. He’s also been awkward to receive passes and hasn’t been able to create. Koivunen on the second pair plays that position a lot more active and better. All things considered, the Pens might as well put the right shot Ben Kindel on that left side or at least adjust the coaching to get Chinakhov more cohesive within that unit.
I think Dorofeyev might be the idealized finished product for Chinakhov to turn into (even though they’re basically the same age and experience). What a wicked shot he’s got.
The stat-line won’t do Silovs any favors but there can’t be a lot reasonably put on him tonight. Would you have liked to see a stop on Eichel’s third period goal? Yeah, maybe. Stuart Skinner made a great save in the third period while losing 4-2, but at some point that can’t be a realistic place to be. The Pens were a little too sloppy and were made to pay.
Can’t say there was any quit in the Penguins, they pulled the goalie and played their big dogs heavy down the stretch. From the time the third period was at 7:39 to play down to 2:43 (4:56 of game time), Rakell played 3:48 of it. From the time there was 8:42 left in the game down to the ENG at 58 seconds (7:44 of game time), Kris Letang played 6:56 of it. Erik Karlsson played even more, taking a 3:58 shift and only was off the ice for 55 seconds in between the 7:42 mark down to the ENG. We’ll see about the wisdom of that potentially draining older players who still have a lot of hockey games coming up in the near future, but it can’t be said that the Pens didn’t do everything possible to make a comeback, even though at the then score of 5-2 with limited time, a three-goal comeback was incredibly bleak.
The Pens fall to 2-6-0 all-time in Las Vegas. The Golden Knights have had some quality teams over these past nine years, Pittsburgh has never been able to get much going at T-Mobile Arena.
There was some good news on the out of town scores, Detroit, Boston and Columbus also all lost tonight (CBJ picked up a point with an overtime loss). Never a bad thing when both the teams currently in the Wild Card spots lose in regulation to potentially create another playoff path for Pittsburgh beyond the cut-and-dry finish within the top-3 of their division.
The Golden Knights get their payback on the Pens for the 5-0 shutout game earlier in the month, Pittsburgh leaves town to head over to Salt Lake City for a game on Saturday night. If nothing else, at least Crosby, Malkin (and Girard!) are one game closer to coming back.
British No 1’s title defence ends with 6-1, 7-5 loss in quarters
Carlos Alcaraz beats Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 to reach last four
Jack Draper was controversially ruled to have caused a hindrance to opponent Daniil Medvedev as his Indian Wells title defence ended in the quarter-finals. The 24-year-old Briton, looking understandably weary from his exploits in beating Novak Djokovic less than 24 hours earlier, went down 6-1, 6-4 to the former world No 1.
The decisive moment came at 5-5 and 0-15 in the second set when umpire Aurelie Torte decided to award Medvedev a point following a video review after Draper had raised his arms at a disputed line call and was deemed to have distracted his opponent, with Medvedev going on to seal a crucial break.
The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night. This was Chicago’s second straight game against Utah, and their third matchup in the last 12 days. To say that these division rivals are familiar with each other would be an understatement.
Chicago defeated Utah in each of the two post-Olympic matchups coming into this one. Their most recent, Monday night at the United Center, was a Frank Nazar overtime winner.
Although this was two straight against them for the Blackhawks, there was a game for the Mammoth on Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota won the match 5-0.
It seemed, based on the morning skate, that Arvid Soderblom was going to start in goal for Chicago, but at the last minute, it became known that Spencer Knight was going to go. This was his first start after missing three games with an illness.
After no scoring in the first period, a tough turnover by Andre Burskovsky led to Logan Cooley making a great pass to Dylan Guenther, who made it 1-0 Mammoth. Guenther’s 31st of the season was the only goal scored for either team through 40 minutes.
After being awarded a power play early in the third period, Tyler Bertuzzi cashed in thanks to a brilliant pass through the crease from Connor Bedard. Bertuzzi now has a team-leading 28 goals.
Frank Nazar, who also assisted on the Bertuzzi goal, stayed hot with a goal of his own at 9:17 of the third. He is a double-digit goal scorer for the second year in a row. That’s three goals in his last four games, and he looks like the second-line center that the Hawks need him to be right now.
At 13:45, JJ Peterka tied the game for the Mammoth. The Blackhawks were presented with another opportunity to win a close game late in the match. Once the game reached overtime, their second straight overtime against Utah, they knew they had a chance.
After Spencer Knight made some outstanding saves in the overtime period, Connor Bedard scored the sudden-death winner by putting home a rebounded puck sitting at the side of the net following Alex Vlasic’s post shot. It was Nick Lardis who set up Vlasic’s shot on goal.
Knight wasn’t just brilliant in the extra frame. He made big-time saves throughout regulation, as well. He made 29 saves on 31 shots in his first appearance back from illness. Every game that Knight starts is a chance for the Blackhawks to win, and he seems to be getting better every day.
The Blackhawks completed a 4-0-0 season sweep of the Mammoth with this victory. This is their first time sweeping a division rival since they swept the Dallas Stars in 2016-17.
For being another rebuilding year, they have certainly found ways to beat teams from their division who are going to end up in the playoffs. These games against the Mammoth are ones to be proud of.
Wyatt Kaiser was injured toward the end of the game. After it ended, Jeff Blashill had no update. He believes he will know more on Saturday. That is the only dark cloud over what turned out to be an impressive night for the Blackhawks.
Watch Every Chicago Goal
Tyler Bertuzzi notches his 1⃣1⃣th power play goal of the season for a new career high!🚨 pic.twitter.com/WHkHN7FqzP
The Blackhawks will be back in action again on Saturday night when they will close out their quick two-game road trip with a match against the Vegas Golden Knights.
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SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 9: Keyonte George #3 of the Utah Jazz handles the ball during the game against the Golden State Warriors on March 9, 2026 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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 Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
According to Tim Bontemps, Keyonte George has a grade two right hamstring strain.
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George has a grade two right hamstring strain, sources told ESPN. He’s expected to be reevaluated in two weeks.
George has had a breakout season in his third year in the NBA for the Jazz, averaging 23.6 points and 6.1 assists in 54 games for Utah.
A quick Google search reveals that a grade two hamstring strain can take somewhere between three to eight weeks. With the season nearing the end, it doesn’t seem likely we’ll see Keyonte George again. Not only does it benefit the Jazz to lose these games to keep their picks, but it also does no good to put George in harm’s way. Hamstring injuries are tricky at the best of times. On top of that, Utah is not making the playoffs at this point in the season. With Keyonte George’s incredible breakout this season, he’s a core part of the team going forward.
Now, the Utah Jazz have an opportunity to experiment with different players who wouldn’t get playtime normally. Will we see Cody Williams get more experience at the point? Will we have Ace Bailey initiating even more offense? Very likely.
Mar 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Boston Celtics guard/forward Jaylen Brown (7) shoots over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The Boston Celtics continued completed 3-game road trip on Thursday night, with a final stop in Oklahoma City to take on the reigning champs. In what was a brilliant game of basketball, Payton Pritchard had a game winning attempt for three fall short as the C’s dropped a heart breaker in OKC, 104-102. Jaylen Brown had 34 points, Pritchard 14 points and the Boston bench came up big on the road, but it just wasn’t enough.
Roster-wise, Jayson Tatum was ruled out prior to the game due to a scheduled rest night; Derrick White and Nikola Vucevic were also out for the game. That opened the door for Payton Pritchard to return to the starting lineup alongside Brown, Sam Hauser, Baylor Scheierman, and Neemias Queta for Boston. Chet Holgren, SGA, Ajay Mitchell, Lu Dort, and Cason Wallace started for the home team. Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Branden Carlson were all unavailable for OKC.
Pritchard hit the first shot of the game on a mid-range pull-up over Wallace; Dort hit his straight-on triple as both teams eased into the contest. Pritchard nailed his second shot of the night with a step-back over Holmgren — he looked aggressive to start this game after missing the big San Antonio clash.
Hauser got in on the mid-range act; he hit his first shot and would have 5 points after one quarter. Ron Harper Jr. had another nice showing in the first quarter; off the back of his fantastic San Antonio game, he had 5 first-quarter points on 2-3 shooting.
Rookie Hugo Gonzalez played a solid quarter for Boston with 6 points in five and a half minutes. Brown had 8 points, 3 assists, and 2 boards in the first quarter as Boston led 28-27 after the first quarter of play.
Mar 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Boston Celtics guard/forward Jaylen Brown (7) shoots over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Boston scored the first six points to start the 2nd quarter, Jordan Walsh and Luka Garza providing the spark as Boston went up 35-27. Walsh laced a triple as Boston whizzed the ball around the court with a series of fine passes. Boston’s bench was up and rowdy, as they had combined for 21 points of the team’s 38 early points.
Scheierman and Pritchard hit back-to-back shots as Brown watched on from the bench with Celtics up 43-36 on an entertaining start to the game. Brown returned to the game and swung a pass out to Scheierman in the corner; he hit his first triple of the game in front of the Boston bench.
JB was whistled for his third foul of the night, sprinting back on D to attempt a shot block on Wiggins. SGA rattled in his second three-pointer of the game, and he had 13 points with three minutes to go in the first half. Brown crossed over Dort and drove to the bucket; he was fouled with three OKC defenders in his airspace. JB would go 1 of 2 from the stripe; the score is now tied at 47 apiece.
Luka Garza played the role of a stretch big and nailed a big three-pointer. Boston swung the ball to the corner once more and found Hugo for his first triple of the night on the shorter three-point line. Scheierman hit a relocation three as SGA was left flat-footed, the road Celtics hitting the Thunder hard in the first half. A signature Payton Pritchard three at the buzzer of the half saw the C’s up 59-56 thanks to a stellar bench performance after a half of play.
Boston’s bench had 27 points in the first half; the team registered 15 assists on 23-49 shooting. As a team, Boston was 43% from beyond the arc after 24 minutes of play.
JB grabbed a board over Holmgren to start the third and converted on the putback, was fouled, and hit the extra shot. With Vooch out for Boston with a finger injury, Luka Garza was playing well for Boston on both ends. Hauser hit a wide-open three-pointer for the C’s, the team’s eleventh of the night.
Brown took on Ajay Mitchell and rose over him at the free throw line to hit a pull-up jumper. He went to the foul line for two shots on the next play and hit his sixteenth point of the game. SGA hit his 21st point of the game, overtaking Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most consecutive 20+ point games in NBA history. Wilt held the record for a staggering 63 years until tonight.
Scheierman continued his fantastic road trip shooting-wise; he hit his third three of the game from way downtown, giving a thumbs up in recognition of his recent injury. Queta took the smaller OKC players inside and dunked home an emphatic two-hander; Gonzalez stripped Ajay Mitchell in the key during a good third-quarter stretch for Boston, up 79-75.
Mar 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) reaches around Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Jordan Walsh entered the game at the end of the third and immediately grabbed a defensive rebound and dived on the floor for a loose ball. Gonzalez blocked a three-point attempt from Williams; the C’s young bench was providing a spark on the third night off the road trip.
Hugo dumped off a bounce pass to JB in the dunker spot; he rammed home an emphatic dunk for Boston. Hugo crashed into the defensive glass and was fouled by Isaiah Joe on the loose ball gather. Boston would take a three-point lead into the final quarter, 83-80, both teams playing some tremendous ball after three.
Brown dunked home his 27th point of the game on a solo breakaway to start the 4th quarter. OKC levelled the game at 87 points as SGA converted on a finger roll layup with 9 minutes to go. OKC took a two-point lead as Boston recorded a series of scoreless possessions. Garza had an illegal screen on Dort as Boston had 10 turnovers in the 4th quarter.
Boston had a call overturned as Williams grabbed a piece of Pritchard’s jersey as he rolled to the basket. Joe Mazzulla and the coaching staff with the great challenge scores tied at 91-91. Both teams combined for just 7-28 from the field at the 5 minute mark of the 4th quarter. Brown was fouled by Dort beyond the three point line he would hit all three attempts to take back a slim one point lead.
SGA drilled a jumper at the foul line for the Thunder to take a four point lead after the C’s had a pair of blown plays. Boston entered the bonus after the Thunder received their 5th team foul, Queta hit both free throws to cut it to 2 points. Pritchard drilled a tough shot over SGA to tie things up at 98-98. Dort was whistled for a trip on Brown, after the refs missed a similar play in the first half, Brown leveling the scores at 100 with 30 seconds to go.
Both teams were out of gas to end it, Boston digging deep with two starters out on a tough road trip. Gilgeous-Alexander hit another mid range jumper for 35th point of the game, OKC up a pair with 29 seconds to go. JB nailed a tough turnaround to even the scores at 102-102. Holmgren hit two free throws with Boston needing a 2 to tie it and a three to win with 0.8 seconds on the clock. Pritchard came up short on the final play of regulation, just short of the game winning three-pointer.
The Boston Celtics now travel home to host the Washington Wizards on Saturday at 6 pm EST.
