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Cubs at Dodgers Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for April 11

Its Friday, April 11 and the Cubs (9-6) are in Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers (10-4).

Matthew Boyd is slated to take the mound for Chicago against Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Los Angeles.

The Dodgers snapped a three-game losing streak Wednesday with a 6-5 win over the Washington Nationals. Teoscar Hernandez continued his strong start to the season cracking his fifth home run and driving in three runs. The veteran is tied for second in the National League with 16 RBIs.

Chicago comes to Tinseltown following a split of their four-game series against the Texas Rangers. Wednesday, they lost 6-2 to the Rangers. Kyle Tucker went hitless for the first time in five games. It was just the fourth game this season Tucker has failed to get a hit.

These teams met for a pair of games in Tokyo to start the season. The Dodgers won both.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Cubs at Dodgers

  • Date: Friday, April 11, 2025
  • Time: 10:10PM EST
  • Site: Dodger Stadium
  • City: Los Angeles, CA
  • Network/Streaming: MARQ, SNLA

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Cubs at the Dodgers

The latest odds as of Friday:

  • Moneyline: Cubs (+165), Dodgers (-199)
  • Spread:  Dodgers -1.5
  • Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Cubs at Dodgers

  • Pitching matchup for April 11, 2025: Matthew Boyd vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
    • Cubs: Matthew Boyd (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
      Last outing: 4/5 vs. San Diego - 6IP, 0ER, 5H, 1BB, 5Ks
    • Dodgers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-1, 1.69 ERA)
      Last outing: 4/4 at Philadelphia - 6IP, 0ER, 3H, 3BB, 5Ks

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Cubs at Dodgers

  • The Dodgers have won each of their 6 home games this season
  • Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed 1 run in 5 innings in Tokyo against the Cubs on March 18
  • The Cubs have won 7 of their last 9 games
  • The Dodgers are 7-7 on the Run Line this season

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Cubs and the Dodgers

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Cubs and the Dodgers:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Los Angeles Dodgers on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Chicago Cubs at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
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High-Priced Suns Need Massive Changes After Missing Playoffs

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns sealed the fate of their miserable 2024-25 season with lopsided home losses to Golden State and Oklahoma City this week, eliminating them from playoff contention with two games left to play. 

Despite Spotrac ranking the Suns at No. 1 in the NBA with a season-ending payroll and tax bill of a whopping $366.6 million, they failed to even qualify for the play-in round in the Western Conference. Considering their big three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal earn $150.6 million, the team is one of the most disappointing in recent NBA history.

“Just no winning habits,” Booker said Tuesday night after his team lost by 38 points to the Warriors on national TV. A 13-point loss to the Thunder the next night brought their losing streak to eight, with all the defeats coming by double-digits.

“I don’t feel good about any of it,” Booker said.

Tuesday’s loss wasn’t their worst of the season. The Houston Rockets beat them by 39 at home on March 30.

Embarrassed?

“Oh, for sure,” Beal said. “Losing by 30 or 40? We might as well not show up.”

The question is what to do about a downturn without a single fix. Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s problems go beyond his lineup; they also include his head coach, Mike Budenholzer, who took over a club that won 49 games last season under Frank Vogel and is currently at 35-45.

Budenholzer said after the debacle was complete Wednesday night that he hasn’t spoken yet to the owner about his future. “It’s raw,” he said. “We just lost. It’s been a tough season. There’s been no conversations.”

Pragmatically, Budenholzer has four years to go on his $50 million contract, and Ishbia is already paying off the final four years of Vogel’s five-year, $31 million deal after his firing last year. He also jettisoned Monty Williams two years ago.

In this era of multibillionaire NBA owners, eating the contract of a coach is not intolerable, said Golden State’s Steve Kerr, who, with San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich sitting out to tend to his health this season, is the de facto longest-tenured active coach in the league.

“We are more expendable,” Kerr said. “There’s so much money in the business now. I don’t think a lot of owners are that concerned with firing a guy and paying him off to go away. This is a business that we chose, and we all love it, but it’s not the most stable profession, that’s for sure.”

Budenholzer’s communication with some players—or lack thereof—became an episodic soap opera throughout the season. He went the month of January without talking to two of them: Beal and Jusuf Nurkić. He openly battled on the court with Booker and Durant, who once slapped the coach’s hand away during a time out.

“We’re competitive individuals,” Durant said at the time. “We both want to see things done the right way.”

There were plenty of ominous signs that a collapse was coming, including a lack of on-court leadership that “goes back to last season,” Beal said in an interview.

Because of NBA salary cap rules, the Suns are above the second apron and can’t easily move any of the big three without receiving players earning similar money in return. The contracts for the trio all go up next season.

The often-injured Beal, who has played in only 105 games in his two Suns seasons because of injury, is almost unmovable. He has two seasons remaining on his contract at $53.7 million and a player option of $57.1 million. Plus, he has a blanket no-trade clause he refused to wave at the last deadline. Beyond that, Beal’s agent is Mark Bartelstein, the father of Suns chief executive Josh Bartelstein. 

Durant, who will turn 37 before next season begins, has one year to go on his contract at $54.7 million. He’s missed 20 games this season, the last five with a left ankle sprain. Considering the circumstances, he’s done for the season and was in street clothes during Wednesday’s game, when the Suns blew a 15-point lead to the Thunder, who demolished their opponents, 43-26, during the third quarter.

Booker has made it clear he’s not going anywhere. He’s the face of the franchise, wants to finish his career here, and has three seasons to go on his max contract worth $171.2 million, $53.1 million for next season.

Considering all of that, the Suns already have $218.7 million committed to players for next season, $30.8 million above the cap. They need a complete restructuring, Beal agreed.

“I think we let things bother us in games,” he said. “When we hit adversity, instead of working our way out of it, we dug a bigger hole and got into a funk. It’s tough because we’d show signs of getting out of it. There are moments where we compete, but there are moments when we don’t compete, too.”

That inconsistency harkens back to an apparent coaching problem that manifested itself before the trade deadline.

Beal, despite the no-trade clause, was the constant focus of rumors in January, when Budenholzer dropped him from the starting rotation to the bench. At the same time, the coach stopped playing big man Nurkić. In hockey parlance he was a healthy scratch for a month and didn’t play a minute in 15 consecutive games.

Nurkić said at the time he had no relationship with Budenholzer and hadn’t talked to him in two months.

Beal said it would have been nice if Budenholzer had explained his benching to him. “He still hasn’t explained it to me,” Beal said back then. “He just told me I was coming off the bench.” 

Nurkić was traded to Charlotte, and Beal was never asked to wave his no-trade clause. Durant sat out the three key games through the Feb. 6 trade deadline for no announced reason. Beal missed four.

Near the deadline, rumors of a Durant return to Golden State also surfaced. When Durant nixed that, the Suns were forced to stand pat.

The damage, it seems, was done. The Suns were 25-25 at the deadline and are 10-20 since then with virtually the same roster, give or take a few fringe players.

Budenholzer scrambled his rotations as hope faded down the stretch: less court time for veteran point guard Tyus Jones, more for undrafted second-year pro Collin Gillespie; a return to favor for Ryan Dunn; an ill-fated gambit to start fan-favorite Bol Bol. Now Bol is back on the end of the bench.

Regardless of who took the floor, the Suns played from night to night with inconsistent energy levels, even from quarter to quarter within the same game, until flaming out completely the past few weeks.

In a postgame media session on Wednesday night, Booker blamed himself, but the team around him quit.

“I don’t think I shot the ball well this year,” said Booker, whose scoring dipped despite a shooting percentage roughly within career norms. “I needed to figure out ways how to win games at all costs and try to power my will on the other team and my team at the same time. Being a leader, using my voice more.

“Pretty much everything has just fallen short.”

The results speak for themselves.

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NBA playoff scenarios: How Warriors can punch ticket Friday

NBA playoff scenarios: How Warriors can punch ticket Friday originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After an up-and-down 2024-25 NBA season with many twists and turns, the Warriors officially can punch their ticket to the playoffs on Friday.

However, they will need plenty of help.

If Golden State (47-33) wins its game against the Portland Trail Blazers (35-45) on Friday at Moda Center, and both the Memphis Grizzlies (47-33) and Minnesota Timberwolves (47-33) lose their respective games to the Denver Nuggets (48-32) and Brooklyn Nets (26-54), the Warriors will secure one of the Western Conference’s six playoff seeds.

The Warriors heavily are favored (-14.5 points) to beat the Blazers, and while Memphis has a tough game against Denver at 6 p.m. PT at Ball Arena, Minnesota is a whopping -20.5-point favorite over Brooklyn at 6 p.m. PT at Target Center.

This means even if Golden State takes care of business against Portland and Memphis loses to Denver, the Warriors would need the NBA Draft lottery-bound Nets to upset the Timberwolves at home.

That outcome is unlikely, but certainly not impossible …

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

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Mets at Athletics prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, and stats for April 11

Its Friday, April 11 and the Mets (8-4) are in Sacramento to take on the Athletics (5-8) to open a weekend series.

Griffin Canning is slated to take the mound for New York against JP Sears for the Athletics.

The Mets won five of six games on their recently concluded homestand. Pete Alonso feasted on Miami and Toronto pitching over the last six games hitting .381 (8-21) with 7 RBIs.

The Athletics lost two of three earlier this week against the Padres. Tyler Soderstrom is tied for the lead in Major League Baseball with six home runs.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Mets at Athletics

  • Date: Friday, April 11, 2025
  • Time: 10:05PM EST
  • Site: Sutter Health Park
  • City: Sacramento, CA
  • Network/Streaming: SNY, NBCSCA+

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Mets at the Athletics

The latest odds as of Friday:

  • Moneyline: Mets (-136), Athletics (+115)
  • Spread:  Mets -1.5
  • Total: 10.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Mets at Athletics

  • Pitching matchup for April 11, 2025: Griffin Canning vs. JP Sears
    • Mets: Griffin Canning (0-1, 2.79 ERA)
      Last outing: 4/5 vs. Toronto - 4IP, 1ER, 4H, 3BB, 6Ks
    • Athletics: JP Sears (1-1, 3.46 ERA)
      Last outing: 4/5 at Colorado - 6.1IP, 3ER, 6H, 2BB, 2Ks

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Mets at Athletics

  • The Mets loss Wednesday to Miami snapped a 6-game winning streak
  • The Game Total UNDER has cashed in 5 of the Mets' last six games
  • The Athletics have lost 3 of their last 4
  • The Game Total OVER has cashed in 7 of the Athletics' 13 games (7-4-2)
  • Francisco Lindor is riding an 8-game hitting streak

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Mets and the Athletics

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Mets and the Athletics:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Mets on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Athletics at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 10.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
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‘People live to 90 and don’t do half of what I’ve done’: Boxing trainer Joe Gallagher on facing up to cancer

British Boxing’s trainer of the year is resolute in his commitment to the sport despite contending with stage four bowel and liver cancer

“I am a little scared,” Joe Gallagher says quietly as, in a deserted room upstairs at his famous old gym in Moss Side, Manchester, he addresses the stage four bowel and liver cancer that has taken hold of him. Two hours earlier, while giving me a guided tour of the Champs Camp gym where history and sweat seep from the peeling walls, Gallagher had been in roaring flow.

As six of his fighters shadowboxed each other, feinting and weaving in the crowded ring, the 56-year-old had yelled out instructions. Gallagher looked every inch the proud winner of the Trainer of the Year award – which he received last month at the British Boxing awards. But no matter how hard he works, or how cleverly he tries to find a strategy to overcome the odds, Gallagher has entered dark terrain. He loves the company of his fighters and his family, and appreciates the medical experts who urge him to pay more attention to cancer than boxing, but there are moments when he is alone with the disease.

Continue reading...
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Giants at Yankees prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends, and stats for April 11

Its Friday, April 11, and the San Francisco Giants (9-3) are in the Bronx to open a weekend series against the Yankees (7-5).

Robbie Ray is slated to take the mound for San Francisco against Marcus Stroman for New York.

Winners of eight of their last ten, the Giants sit 0.5 games out of first in the National League West. Mike Yastremski leads the Giants with a .344 batting average. The Yankees are percentage points ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays atop the American League East. Paul Goldschmidt is off to a fast start in New York. The veteran first baseman is hitting .383.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Giants at Yankees

  • Date: Friday, April 11, 2025
  • Time: 7:05PM EST
  • Site: Yankee Stadium
  • City: Bronx, NY
  • Network/Streaming: NBCSBA, YES

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Giants at the Yankees

The latest odds as of Friday:

  • Moneyline: Giants (-103), Yankees (-117)
  • Spread:  Yankees 1.5
  • Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Giants at Yankees

  • Pitching matchup for April 11, 2025: Robbie Ray vs. Marcus Stroman
    • Giants: Robbie Ray (2-0, 3.18 ERA)
      Last outing: 4/5 vs. Seattle - 6IP, 1ER, 4H, 5BB, 2Ks
    • Yankees: Marcus Stroman (0-0, 7.27 ERA)
      Last outing: 4/5 at Pittsburgh - 4IP, 4ER, 3H, 3BB, 3Ks

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Giants at Yankees

  • The Yankees are 6-3 against National League teams this season
  • San Francisco is 8-4 on the Run Line this season
  • The Yankees have failed to cover the Run Line in 4 straight games
  • Paul Goldschmidt is riding a 6-game hitting streak (13-27) for New York

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for Friday’s game between the Giants and the Yankees

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Giants and the Yankees:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Yankees on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the San Francisco Giants at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
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Red Sox at White Sox Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for April 11

Its Friday, April 11 and the Red Sox (6-7) are in the Windy City to take on the White Sox (2-9) in Game 1 of a weekend series.

Sean Newcomb is slated to take the mound for Boston against Davis Martin for Chicago.

The Red Sox salvaged the final game of their series against the Blue Jays with a two-run rally in the bottom of the tenth inning. David Hamilton scored from third when Andres Gimenez could not field a Trevor Story ground ball cleanly and Boston won, 4-3.

The White Sox have not yet won a game in April. They were swept earlier this week by the Guardians losing the finale Thursday, 6-1. Chicago mustered a mere five hits and Jonathan Cannon gave up six runs in 5.1 innings in the loss.

Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.

Game details & how to watch Red Sox at White Sox

  • Date: Friday, April 11, 2025
  • Time: 7:40PM EST
  • Site: Rate Field
  • City: Chicago, IL
  • Network/Streaming: NESN, CHSN+

Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.

Odds for the Red Sox at the White Sox

The latest odds as of Friday:

  • Moneyline: Red Sox (-169), White Sox (+142)
  • Spread:  Red Sox -1.5
  • Total: 8.0 runs

Probable starting pitchers for Red Sox at White Sox

  • Pitching matchup for April 11, 2025: Sean Newcomb vs. Davis Martin
    • Red Sox: Sean Newcomb (0-1, 5.19 ERA)
      Last outing: 4/6 vs. St. Louis - 4.2IP, 1ER, 6H, 3BB, 5Ks
    • White Sox: Davis Martin (0-1, 5.73 ERA)
      Last outing: 4/5 at Detroit - 5IP, 7ER, 9H, 2BB, 2Ks

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Red Sox at White Sox

  • The Red Sox scored 8 runs in their 4-game series against Toronto
  • Despite being just 2-10, The White Sox are 7-5 against the spread
  • It has been 4 games since the Red Sox last covered the Run Line
  • The White Sox have lost 8 in a row
  • Boston's last 4 games have gone UNDER the Game Total

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Red Sox and the White Sox

Rotoworld Best Bet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Red Sox and the White Sox:

  • Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Boston Red Sox on the Moneyline.
  • Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Chicago White Sox at +1.5.
  • Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.

Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
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Why Young believes Daniels, not Draymond, is most deserving of DPOY

Why Young believes Daniels, not Draymond, is most deserving of DPOY originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young believes his teammate Dyson Daniels should win the 2024-2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year over Warriors forward Draymond Green.

Young shared his thoughts on why Daniels is more deserving of the annual award given to the league’s best defensive player.

“Obviously, Dyson for Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved too, he should get those two awards,” Young told NBA insider Chris Haynes. “He’s been playing great this year. I think Draymond is in the running right now. I love Dray to death, but he’s not Dyson this year as far as what he’s been doing on defense. On the ball every game, he’s getting three, four, five steals. Just picking them by himself, no help.

“He’s doing stuff that no guard, no defender has ever done before.”

Daniels emerged as a revelation on defense, with 226 steals this season, the most since Gary Payton had 231 in 1995-96. His stalwart play is one of the main reasons the Hawks are in contention for a postseason spot.

Green has powered the Warriors’ defense this season, with plenty of lockdown performances in arguably his best year since 2017, when he won his first DPOY award. Still, he has struggled with consistency throughout the season, particularly when he’s forced to guard larger players around the rim.

With Golden State and Atlanta still in the hunt for playoff positioning over the final two regular-season games, expect both Green and Daniels to put forth their best defensive efforts.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

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Celtics make smart decision with Jaylen despite NBA award implications

Celtics make smart decision with Jaylen despite NBA award implications originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

With the Boston Celtics already locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, there aren’t many intriguing storylines as the regular season winds down.

But Jaylen Brown and his nagging knee injury is one of them.

The Celtics ruled Brown out for Friday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday afternoon, more than 24 hours before tip-off. The decision ensures that Brown, who has appeared in 63 games so far this season, won’t reach 65 games played, as Boston has just one regular-season game remaining after Friday (Sunday afternoon vs. Charlotte).

That’s notable because 65 games is the minimum threshold for players to be eligible for end-of-season NBA awards like the All-NBA and All-Defense teams, Defensive Player of the Year and more. After Friday night, Brown will be officially disqualified from those awards.

Whether Brown realistically would have made All-NBA is a separate discussion, but for a few days, it looked like the Celtics were attempting to give him a chance.

The league requires requires players to log at least 20 minutes those 65 games to be award-eligible, and Brown played 21 minutes in Boston’s rout of the Washington Wizards last Sunday despite looking slightly hobbled. He then labored through 21 minutes of Tuesday’s matchup with the New York Knicks before sitting out the entire fourth quarter and overtime of a close game.

Even when Brown didn’t play on the second night of a back-to-back in Orlando on Wednesday, it was worth wondering if he’d suit up Friday and Sunday to hit his minutes minimum before heading to the bench.

“Even though my team visibly can see maybe I’m in a bit of pain,” Brown said after the Celtics’ April 2 game against the Heat, “they trust me to go out there and I can control my body and still be able to make plays and mentally, be able to push through it.”

While there’s some value in learning how to manage pain, there’s more value in rest, and it appears Brown and the Celtics have made that calculation with two games left in the regular season. Assuming Brown doesn’t play in Sunday’s season finale, he’ll have had at least nine days of recovery time before Boston begins its first-round playoff series next Saturday (April 19) or Sunday (April 20).

How close the All-Star wing is to 100 percent by Game 1 remains to be seen, and it sounds like he’ll still have to manage the injury throughout the postseason. But the team’s decision leaves no doubt that he and the Celtics are prioritizing the playoffs over the opportunity to earn individual recognition.

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Giants' roster continuity stands out most two weeks into MLB season

Giants' roster continuity stands out most two weeks into MLB season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Before the fourth game of the 2024 season, the Giants DFA’d catcher Joey Bart and added right-hander Daulton Jefferies, who started later that day and then was immediately optioned back to Triple-A. Bart was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Jefferies later joined him there — but only after being recalled and optioned two more times in early May.

A year earlier, a trade for veteran Matt Beaty in the hours before the opener at Yankee Stadium led to Bryce Johnson and Sean Hjelle surprisingly being left off the Opening Day roster after strong springs. Brett Wisely had been told the night before the opener that he was being optioned, but he ended up returning after the roster shakeup.

“I’m honestly still in a little bit of shock,” Wisely said the last time the Giants visited New York. 

Two days later, he was optioned and Johnson was added to the roster. Hjelle arrived the next day. 

That’s just the way things were in the clubhouse for a few years, starting in 2019, when Farhan Zaidi acquired Connor Joe and Michael Reed at the end of his first spring in charge and plugged them right into the lineup. In 2022, the Giants used a franchise-record 66 players, and it became the norm to go through 50-60 players a year.

As the Giants headed back out on the road Wednesday night, the same 26 players who were in Cincinnati two weeks ago boarded the flight. There are a lot of important numbers from the first 12 games, nine of which have been wins, but the one that stands out the most might be zero. 

Through two weeks, the Giants haven’t made a single roster move. They’re one of just four teams in the big leagues with their original 26-man roster intact. 

“There will be moves that are made this year, but also I think it’s important to read the room,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said on Thursday’s “Giants Talk” podcast. “These guys are close already and they’ve created a pretty cool atmosphere in that locker room. We are off to a nice start, so I think we take all of those things into account when myself, Zack (Minasian), Jeremy (Shelley) and Bob (Melvin) are considering some of these decisions. It’s not that we won’t make moves, but consistency is important to me as well.”

There are reasons beyond personal preferences for the lack of roster churn. The Giants had two off days over their first eight days of the season, and they somehow escaped Cincinnati without dealing with any of the usual weather issues that can lead to another pitcher or two being added. Their starting pitchers are giving them quality innings, and it’s certainly easier to be patient with slumping hitters when you’re winning.

There’s also the fact that the Giants have been remarkably healthy going back to the start of the spring. Tom Murphy and Jerar Encarnación went on the IL before the opener, but nobody has gone down since the season started. 

But a big part of this is personal preference. The front office and coaching staff want clubhouse continuity, and there’s no doubt that the vibes within that room are significantly better this season.

“We’re trying to establish a little bit more of a set type of lineup,” Melvin said. “Now look, lineups change as it goes along — we’re going to have subtle moves with lefties and righties (pitching) — but I think Buster is trying to just create some stability here. So far, so good.

Melvin has used his Opening Day lineup five times through 12 games, with the only notable shift being a two-spot drop for Patrick Bailey, who is off to a slow start. LaMonte Wade Jr. has a .146 on-base percentage but remained atop the lineup Wednesday, with Willy Adames (.465 OPS) right behind him. Melvin scoffed when asked about making big changes after back-to-back shutouts, noting that it was just two games and he still likes the composition of his lineups. 

At some point, the Giants will adjust with players who are slow to come around, but the focus early on has been on patience. That’s been particularly important with young players. 

Casey Schmitt had a rough debut at first base last week, but when he was thrown back out there Tuesday, he cut off a run with a heads-up play on a squeeze. He also had two hits, and afterward, Melvin was asked if Schmitt might get more time at second base. The manager said he has faith in Tyler Fitzgerald, who has a .546 OPS through 10 games.

Fitzgerald’s rookie season was a great example of the importance of giving some leeway to young players. He got picked off in the ninth inning of a tie game against the Dodgers last May 13 and was put on ice for a full week before getting optioned back to Triple-A. When the Giants gave him an everyday shot later in the summer, he flourished. Fitzgerald mentioned several times this spring how much trust he has in the staff right now.

“You saw what happened last year,” Melvin said. “He was moving around a little, got sent down, now we make a move at short (with releasing Nick Ahmed) and he gets to play short every day and it was a lot better. I think for young players, it certainly helps to know that it’s probably not going to be knee-jerk.” 

Fitzgerald is one of three young right-handed-hitting infielders on the roster, along with Schmitt and Christian Koss. The Giants are short on left-handed bench options, but they’ve used just eight total pinch-hitters so far. They also have just one left-handed reliever, but that hasn’t bothered Melvin late in games yet. He views Tyler Rogers as someone who can neutralize tough lefties, and the submariner has started his year with seven straight scoreless appearances. 

With an extra spot in the bullpen, the Giants have been able to stick with Hayden Birdsong, who didn’t appear in the first five games of the season. Birdsong threw three sharp innings Tuesday and has seven shutout frames over the past seven games. The Giants eventually will stretch him back out, but with their rotation looking strong early, they’re going to use Birdsong as a multi-inning threat right now.

“We monitor his workload, but look, Hayden Birdsong is a baseball player. When I say baseball player, he wants to do whatever he can to help the team win,” Posey said. “I do see him long-term as being a great big league starter but he has taken to his role in the ‘pen. I’m not surprised with how well he has taken to it so far.”

The flight to New York on Wednesday kicked off a three-city, 10-game trip against teams off to good starts, and also marked the start of 17 consecutive games without a break. At some point over the next two and a half weeks, a roster move will be required. There will be changes to the lineup and fresh arms for the bullpen. But for now, the clubhouse is enjoying the continuity, and crediting the closeness for some of this early success.

“It’s about as much fun as I’ve ever had on a baseball field,” Mike Yastrzemski said after his walk-off homer on Wednesday. “It’s an unbelievable group. Even when things got tough the last two days when we’re not scoring any runs, we’re still having fun, smiling, we’re not letting it affect us. I think these are learning curves even for veteran guys. It’s a nice reminder to just keep fighting.”

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