You won’t be hearing “See ya!” on Yankees Opening Day, and Michael Kay isn’t happy about it.
When the Yankees face the Giants in San Francisco on March 25, it will be streamed exclusively on Netflix in a standalone primetime season opener, and Kay expressed his displeasure Wednesday.
Michael Kay and YES Network will only be broadcasting the second game of the year during the opening series against the Giants. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Netflix signed a multi-year streaming rights deal with MLB, which includes exclusive live broadcasts of select events, including the Opening Day primetime game – which just so happens to include the Yankees.
The Yankees will play Wednesday, have an off day Thursday and then play again Friday in a game that will be broadcast on YES, though the network won’t have Saturday’s series finale.
“It doubly sucks because we just have the middle game,” Kay added. “And the third game is a Fox game. So, essentially, I’m flying to San Francisco for one game, and then we go to Seattle after that.”
“It’s not ideal because Opening Day, there’s a special pageantry to it, pomp and circumstance,” Kay continued. “People look forward to pitchers and catchers, that’s number one, and then number two is Opening Day. I guess if I’m Netflix, I’d want the Yankees and the Giants, too, but I know that all of us at YES would rather have it.”
Last year’s Yankees-Brewers game on Opening Day aired on ESPN and was called by Joe Buck, who showed love to Kay during the broadcast.
Netflix purchased games from Major League Baseball. Getty Images
“That was really, really fun and nice,” Kay said. “The good part about it was I was there with my family, which I never get a chance to do. So if I could sit with my son on Opening Day, I’m going to look at that as a plus and that’s what we’re going to do. The kids have never been to California. So we’re going to fly out to San Francisco, I’ll do the pregame, and then I’ll just go in the stands and watch the game.”
The Yankees are the favorites in the American League coming into the season, and most of the games are broadcast on YES Network and the My9 channel with usually over 120 games broadcast locally between those two hosts. Amazon carries a small package of YES-produced Yankees games.
Fernando Tatis Jr. rose to the occasion — and delivered a bat flip as epic as the home run he hit.
The Padres star crushed a three-run home run in the fourth inning Wednesday for the Dominican Republic that put them ahead by four runs over Venezuela, and right after he sent the ball flying over the left field fence, he flipped his bat at the end of his follow through in one smooth motion that matched the energy of the raucous crowd in Miami.
The Dominican Republic went on to win, 7-5, to finish group play 4-0, and they will play Korea in the quarterfinals Friday in Miami.
Tatis, 27, went 6-for-13 with two homers, nine RBIs, six runs, five walks and three strikeouts across the four pool-play games, all while playing with a flair that has been infectious throughout the Dominican roster.
Mets star Juan Soto delivered a bat flip of his own after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning Wednesday.
Soto and Tatis Jr. are part of a stacked Dominican lineup that also includes Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ketel Marte, Manny Machado, Junior Caminero, Julio Rodriguez and Austin Wells.
Dominican Republic’s Fernando Tatis Jr. hits a three-run home run during the fourth inning of a World Baseball Classic game against Venezuela on March 11, 2026. APDominican Republic’s Fernando Tatis Jr. celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run during the fourth inning of a World Baseball Classic game against Venezuela on March 11, 2026. AP
Should the Dominican Republic defeat Korea Friday in Miami, they could face the United States on Sunday night in the semifinals if Team USA defeats Canada Friday in Houston.
Victory cannot be assumed for the U.S. after their disastrous loss to Italy on Tuesday left their fate hanging in the balance during Wednesday’s Italy-Mexico clash.
The Nashville Predators travel to Rogers Arena to face the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, March 12. This marks the third meeting between these two teams this season after splitting the first two.
My Predators vs. Canucks predictions and NHL picks suggest a low-scoring affair between two goal-starving teams, while Vancouver will look to turn the tide on an ugly stretch in which they've won just once in their last 10 games.
Predators vs Canucks prediction
Predators vs Canucks best bet: Marcus Pettersson o1.5 blocked shots (-140)
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Marcus Pettersson has been a stalwart on a rough blue line. He's blocked 10 shots in his last five games, hitting the Over in four of them.
The Nashville Predators average a respectable 28.4 shots per game despite their lackluster goal-scoring, and Pettersson has logged over 20 minutes of ice time in eight consecutive games.
His 108 blocks this season lead Vancouver, and he's poised to wear some rubber tonight.
Penguins vs Golden Knights same-game parlay
On the topic of Canucks players named Pettersson, I can smell an enticing opportunity regarding their leading scorer, Elias Pettersson. Although a far cry from what he once was, he remains their best offensive weapon and their most-deployed forward, ranking third on the team in ice time.
He's hit the Over for shots on goal in three of his last four games as Jake DeBrusk, their typical volume shooter, battles inconsistency.
Meanwhile, three of the last four and seven of 10 meetings between these teams have hit the Under. Both struggle mightily to score, and Vancouver's 5-4 overtime win on November 3 is an outlier.
Vancouver has won just one of their last 10 games, but two of the last three against Nashville. Find more NHL betting trends for Predators vs. Canucks.
How to watch Predators vs Canucks
Location
Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
Date
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Puck drop
10:00 p.m. ET
TV
Sportsnet Pacific
Predators vs Canucks latest injuries
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With the Western Conference a tight race yet again this season, we will take a look at the standings and games to watch across the league as the Kings look to secure a playoff spot and move up in the standings.
LA is now sitting at No. 5, tied with Seattle for fourth place with 67 points after beating the Columbus Jackets and earning a point in their overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.
The Kings also got help on Tuesday, with Seattle falling to Nashville and San Jose losing to Buffalo, which kept the standings in the Pacific Division tight despite the Kings losing.
This is the most important several weeks of the stretch this season, and if the Kings beat the Islanders again as they did last week and the New Jersey Devils in their back-to-back games coming up, they'll be in a prime position to continue climbing up the rankings.
Here's a look at the current playoff standings in the middle of the Pacific and Central Division:
Pacific Division:
2. Oilers - 37-25-8, 72 points
3. Golden Knights - 29-22-14, 72 points
4. Kraken - 29-25-9, 67 points
5. Kings - 26-23-15, 67 points
6. Sharks - 30-26-6, 66 points
Central Division:
4. Mammoth - 34-26-5, 73 points
5. Predators - 29-27-8, 66 points
All seven of these teams are bunched up together in the Pacific and Central divisions, respectively, and only four teams will likely qualify for the postseason. So, let's take a look at the big games to watch around the league for the next couple of days and who you should be rooting for.
Thursday
Sharks at Bruins - The San Jose Sharks are just one point behind the Kings and Kraken, so a loss against the Bruins will take the pressure off Los Angeles for that final postseason spot. San Jose has also been in a slump recently, posting a 3-5-3 record in their last eight games and currently on a three-game losing streak, while the Bruins have been one of the hottest teams, especially at home, winning 13 consecutive games at TD Garden. The last time San Jose won on the road was on Jan. 27 when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks.
Avalanche at Kraken - This is another big game that will help the Kings if Seattle loses, because both teams are currently tied at that fourth spot in the division, so a Seattle loss and a Kings win will put Los Angeles in sole possession of the fourth seed. Colorado has arguably been the best team in the league this season and is 8-2 in its last 10 games, continuing its dominance on both sides of the ice, while Seattle is on a three-game losing streak.
The Kraken are also not a good team at home, with a 16-12-5 record this season at the Climate Pledge Arena; meanwhile, Colorado is one of the best road teams, posting a 20-6-5 record away from home.
Oilers at Stars - Once again, Kings fans are gonna root for their heated rival team to lose. Dallas has been playing excellent hockey in their last 13 games, 12-1, going undefeated in the month of February, and before losing in that heavyweight matchup against the Avalanche in a shootout, they had won 10 straight, so the Oilers hands are gonna be full here, especially with this game being in Dallas.
Friday
Oilers at Blues - The Oilers have to play Dallas, then end their four-game road trip against an easier opponent in the Blues. Depending on how the game against the Stars goes, this could be a trap game for the Oilers, especially if they get tired against Dallas. Despite the Blues being 4-1 in their last five games, this will still be a tough one for them to beat Edmonton.
Saturday
Sharks at Canadiens - The Canadiens have been on the road in 8 of their last 11 games, and they will finally head home to take on the Sharks, where they're 18-11-2. Montreal will also have three days off before this game, while San Jose will be playing their third game in five nights, so Montreal will have a very good chance of winning.
Penguins at Mammoth - Utah currently has 73 points and is sitting in fourth place, a seven-point lead over the Predators in the Central Division. This will be a tough one for the Penguins to win. Despite sitting at No. 2 in the Metropolitan Division, they're currently 32-17-15, right at .500, and have a tough road schedule coming up, playing the Golden Knights on Thursday before taking on the Mammoth on Saturday. Pittsburgh is an average team on the road this season, with a 16-8-7 record away from home, so it will most likely be a loss.
There are still a lot of games that the Kings will be monitoring over the next few days and weeks that aren't mentioned here, but these are the biggest games to have your eyes on. It will certainly be a very exciting end to the regular season, from tomorrow through April 16, for fans waiting to see who gets in and who is out. Stay tuned for more updates.
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Mar 5, 2026; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Dylan Moore (25) hits a 2-RBI single during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
We have reached the endgame, friends. This will be the week where the cuts are made, where some options are picked up, where some decisions are made and the Phillies’ initial roster of 2026 is created. Some of these possibly logjams have been taken care of already thanks to decisions to ingest things against the rules, but some decisions still loom. Here is the final projection for said roster and what it will look like when the Texas Rangers roll into town next week.
I wrote last week about the ludicrous notion that Garrett Stubbs would make the roster as the 26th man/third catcher, which seems an odd topic to write about. Surely no manager would keep a light hitting catcher on the roster just because he took a few groundballs at third base or shagged a few fly balls during BP, right?
Right?
Infield – Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa, Otto Kemp, Dylan Moore
The first six players? We know they’re all making it.
And then there is Dylan Moore.
There isn’t much that Moore has done this spring that would single him out as the one to get the last spot on the roster. As of Wednesday, he was 4 for 19, a few RBI sprinkled here, a few stolen bases sprinkled there. Nothing to get excited about. Yet he fits the profile of what the team is always on the hunt for: versatility. In his career, Moore has played more or less everywhere but pitcher and catcher. In a pinch, his right handed bat can come in if Justin Crawford is struggling. He can handle other positions as well.
He’s pretty much Whit Merrifield, who made the roster at the end of spring training in 2024. I’m not sure he’s the best candidate for the job, but I would be shocked if he wasn’t the final person called into Rob Thomson’s office to get the good news.
It’s quite odd to put only three outfielders on this team and it’s possible that that won’t happen. Maybe in the end, the allure of Bryan de la Cruz is too much for Rob Thomson to ignore. Maybe the idea of only have three real life outfielders is a bridge too far. If the team opted for an outfielder like de la Cruz over keeping Dylan Moore, I’d be fine with it.
I just don’t see that happening.
Designated hitter – Kyle Schwarber
Again, easiest call here.
Starting rotation – Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker, Andrew Painter
The same five we thought would start the season will likely actually start the season.
I’m kind of interested in Taijuan Walker for some reason. Zack Wheeler is probably closer to returning than anyone thinks, which means someone is going to have to move from the rotation. The team is usually not fond of running out six man rotations early in the season, making Walker the likely candidate to move. However, what if Andrew Painter is struggling and Walker is just doing Walker things? Would the team consider a different approach then?
Relief pitching –Jhoan Duran, Brad Keller, Jose Alvarado, Jonathan Bowlan, Tanner Banks, Kyle Backhus, Seth Johnson, Zach McCambley
The first six look set in pen right now. Johnson and McCambley are probably short term fixes until the two players projected to return from the injured list actually return.
Hot take: by season’s end, this will be a top five bullpen by WPA.
Injured list – Zack Wheeler, Orion Kerkering
Wheeler is probably close. Kerkering might not have enough time to be ready for the season opener. Best idea might be to slowplay his return and letting them keep McCambley or Johnson in the big leagues for now before they have to make a decision on either.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 10: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros at bat against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning of a spring training game at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on March 10, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
You certainly won’t complain about two World Championships since 2017, but it feels like for the villain status the Houston Astros have accrued since that time that they would have more. The Dodgers may have eclipsed the Astros in 2025 as the chief bad guys of MLB, but I’ll always appreciate that Houston seemed to lean so easily into playing the heel. Not only are the no longer the top evildoers, they may not even be the top in their own division — the Mariners eventually ran them down last season after the ‘Stros finished first in the AL West every year since ‘17, save that strange 2020 campaign. Indeed, it was the first time since 2016 that a postseason occurred without the pesky Astros.
2025 record: 87-75 (2nd, AL West) 2026 FanGraphs projection: 81-81 (3rd, AL West)
Yes, that’s an 81-81 projected record, something that would be borderline unthinkable given the specter Houston has cast over the American League—and particularly the Yankees—over the last near-decade. They’ve moved from the unstoppable force to a club that needs quite a few things to go right in order to challenge the Mariners, at least on paper. Hunter Brown is as good a starter as you’ll find in baseball, following up his breakout ‘24 with a Cy Young-finalist season last year, worth nearly five wins and now expected to lead the rotation.
Following Brown is a guy I’ve always liked, but is one of the ur-examples of “boy this has to go right.” Cristian Javier has thrown just 71 innings since 2023, undergoing Tommy John surgery midway through the 2024 season. He wasn’t terrible in limited action upon his return last year, but his fastball’s down a full tick from his pre-surgery self and if a few more fly balls — which he gives up a lot of — leave the park, you can see his statline starting to get pretty ugly. Tatsuya Imai, an NPB import that I wanted the Yankees to sign, will fill out the potential top three of the rotation, and while I do think he will adjust well to MLB, there will have to be an adjustment.
Offensively, the team starts to look a little old. Cam Smith, the org’s top prospect last year, is currently projected to spend the full year in right field, and Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Peña is still just 28. On the other hand, both Jose Altuve and Christian Walker are on the scary side of 34 and both seemed to take major, age-related steps back last year, while Carlos Correa will turn 32 this season and was barely above league average at the plate last year. They also have an odd infield logjam that is only somewhat “remedied” by Peña beginning the year on the IL with a broken finger; Isaac Paredes is still on the team and still tailor-made for the Crawford Boxes. But owner Jim Crane’s inability — or perhaps unwillingness — to delve into the big pool of free agency has meant that the once-great core of this team is starting to slow down.
Over the last decade, I’ll absolutely have taken the Astros’ success over the Yankees’ lack thereof, but the cracks are finally starting to show. There may be one more run left in this roster as currently constructed, but they’re very clearly not as good as Seattle on paper, and FanGraphs projects them to be slightly worse than the Rangers. Houston also ended 2025 with the second-worst-ranked prospect system, so if this roster is going to get any better midseason, Crane has to find some way to open up the pockets.
More Pinstripe Alley MLB team season previews can be found here.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 24: Corey Seager #5 of the Texas Rangers looks towards first base during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Globe Life Field on August 24, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the 2025 Texas Rangers season having come to an end, we shall be, over the course of the offseason, taking a look at every player who appeared in a major league game for the Texas Rangers in 2025.
Today we are looking at shortstop Corey Seager.
Corey Seager had a great season for the Texas Rangers in 2025. He raked. He played really good defense. I did a post late in the 2025 season about Corey Seager and how good he had been in 2025 because I was so mad that someone called him “mid.” The only issue one can really take with Corey Seager’s 2025 season is that he was missed too much time due to injury. He had a pair of stints on the i.l. due to a hamstring strain early in the season, then missed the final month due to an appendectomy. As a result, he played in just 102 games in 2025.
At this point, I think we recognize that Corey Seager is going to miss some time in any given season due to physical issues. And Corey Seager is good enough that we can live with that. We can just assume he’ll miss two-three dozen games each season due to a hamstring issue or something similar.
Its part of what makes him having appendicitis so frustrating, though. Corey Seager is not an iron man. He’s cracked the 135 game mark three times in his career. The Baseball Gods shouldn’t punish us — shouldn’t punish him — by having him have to undergo an appendectomy during he season. The Baseball Gods should have had appendicitis strike once the season is over.
Especially given that Seager had been on a heater prior to then. Seager finished the season with a .271/.373/.487 slash line, good for a 151 OPS+ and 138 wRC+. From July 1 until his season was cut short, though, he slashed .301/.405/.552. Another month of hitting like that doesn’t just boost the Rangers offense and possibly alter their fortunes in September, it also potentially puts him in the MVP race.
When you look at Corey Seager’s 2025 Statcast page, you see a bunch of dark red. 98th percentile xwOBA, 95th percentile hard hit rate, 93rd percentile average exit velocity, 92nd percentile barrel rate. Seager’s walk rate of 13% was a career high, and placed him in the 93rd percentile. In regards to his batting profile on Statcast, the only areas where he is below 50% are launch angle sweet spot (46th percentile) and whiff percentage (27th percentile).
Corey Seager has been a Ranger for four years. He’s 14th in team history in bWAR, at 22.1. A 4 bWAR season in 2026 would move him up to 10th, passing Rusty Greer, Josh Hamilton, Alex Rodriguez and Michael Young. Most of the players ahead of him on the list currently played at least 1000 games for the Rangers — Seager is at 495 games played for Texas, just 10 more than ARod.
At the end of 2026, Corey Seager will be halfway through the 10 year, $325 million deal he signed after the 2021 season. So far, that deal doesn’t just look like a bargain — it rivals the Adrian Beltre deal as the best free agent signing the Rangers have ever made.
I am not going to pretend I don’t have concerns about Seager going forward. The problem with injury-prone players is that they tend to get injured a lot, and that doesn’t generally get better as a player ages. Maybe Seager can follow the path of Paul Molitor, another guy with a great bat who struggled to stay on the field in his 20s. Molitor managed to put that behind him for the most part in his 30s, ultimately earning a plaque in the Hall of Fame.
I believe that Corey Seager will end up in the Hall of Fame. He’s crossed the 40 WAR mark in both the f and b flavors, and will still just be 32 this season. He’s coming off a three year stretch where he’s averaged over 6 bWAR per season despite playing in just 70% of the regular season games. He has a pair of legendary World Series performances under his belt.
Corey Seager had a great 2025 season. I’m hoping for several more of those from him before it is all said and done.
Feb 28, 2026; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider (99) throws a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Let’s just get this right out of the way right out of the gate: As long as all five Opening Day starters don’t hit the 60-Day IL at some point during this season like they did during the 2025 season, this rotation should be fine and will be improved over what we saw last season. Assuming there isn’t another catastrophic rash of injuries, that fact alone should help the Braves improve upon the disappointment of 2025.
With that being said, there’s a very open question on what the ceiling looks like for this rotation. They’re already missing three potential candidates to start, as Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both had to undergo elbow surgery that’ll keep them out for a significant period of time and Joey Wentz will miss the entire season due to a torn right ACL. So right out of the gate, the organizational depth is already being challenged and Schwellenbach will surely be missed from the primary group of starters as this season progresses.
While there are questions concerning this starting rotation, there’s still reason to believe that this rotation could be a solid and reliable one heading into the upcoming season.
Chris Sale
Sale will be entering his age-37 season and as usual for Atlanta’s current head of the rotation (and for the rest of the team, really) the key will be health. As long as Sale stays on the mound, he should be effective. Assuming he doesn’t have a complete capitulation to Father Time, Sale should be good for something in the neighborhood of 11 strikeouts per nine innings, something around two walks per nine innings while also making sure to keep the vast majority of any fly balls inside of the ballpark as well.
As of right now over at the FanGraphs Depth Chart for the Braves, Sale is currently projected to finish with a 3.15 ERA and a 3.06 FIP for 4.0 WAR. If that’s the case then the Braves should be very happy with what he’ll be delivering to them in terms of production. They also seem to be pretty confident that he’s got it in him as well, as he’ll be entering this season fresh off of signing a big contract extension that’ll keep him around through 2027 and possibly even 2028 if he keeps it up since the Braves added a club option onto his contract extension like they’re wont to do.
I’d feel pretty confident in that as well. The velocity on his pitches have been pretty steady, as his heater has been sitting near 95-mph for the past two seasons and his slider has also been in the realm of the high-70s and low-80s for some time as well. Those are the two pitchers he relies on the most and they’ve been very reliable for him in that regard. As long as that holds up and he avoids a freak accident on the field then Sale should provide another season of steadying performances at the top of this rotation.
Spencer Strider
Questions surrounding Strider’s velocity have been the talk of the town for what feels like the entirety of spring training. I’ll say that in Strider’s case, this is a double-edged sword. The good news is that he won’t be out there throwing 92 or 93-mph during the regular season like he was to start out spring training so anybody panicking over that particular bit of information can calm down. The bad news is that if you’re anticipating the version of Spencer Strider who was throwing 98-99 and even reaching triple digits on the radar gun, then you may as well let those dreams go because it appears that the one whose fastball was at 95-96 and whose slider was at 84-85 is the one who’s here to stay.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing because it’s not as if Strider appears to be lost in the lurch without that high level of velocity. Instead, Strider is trying to adjust to this new reality in order to find an effective mix of pitches that can work for him going forward. He’s clearly been working on mixing things up since he can no longer rely upon simply blowing his four-seamer and slider past any batters. If 2025 was about simply getting back on the mound and working things out, this past offseason and spring training is about making sure that whatever he figured out in the past will translate into something that can bring him back to a level that justifies his current position near the top of the rotation.
A lot of the struggles that he dealt with in 2025 had to do with that adjustment period, in my opinion. Assuming he can work things out when it comes to his location and command, it’s very easy to see Strider becoming a an effective pitcher for the Braves going forward. Will he be as electric as he was in the past? Probably not but if he can at least get his strikeout rate back up to a “respectable” number for his standards then that’ll be a fine result. The FanGraphs depth chart currently figures that Strider could deliver a 10.6 K/9 rate alongside a 3.1 BB/9 rate, which would work out just fine for him and the Braves.
Reynaldo López
The question for López is the same question that he had heading into what ended up being a doomed 2025 season for him: Can he be effective and productive over the course of a full season once again? López’s 2024 was exciting to see but it was also the first time he’d cleared 100 innings in a season since 2019. While his unfortunate shoulder issues robbed him of having a chance to answer those questions, it’s still fair to be concerned about what López can deliver heading into this coming season.
López’s velocity was certainly a concern when you consider that he’s coming off of a shoulder injury but it’s at least encouraging that his four-seamer velocity appears to be back to where it was back in 2024. He’s been ramping up and in his last start (that we’ve seen — López took part in simulated game at the Braves facility in North Port on Wednesday), his velocity on that fastball was at 93 and 94-mph and he even reached back and hit 96-mph with it at one point. With that being said, he’s been focusing on his breaking ball usage and that appears to be what he’s been spending most of his time working on so far in spring training.
That stuff appears to be in the same neighborhood of what he was throwing back in 2024 when he was healthy, so that’s an encouraging sign. In fact, it’s been mostly good news coming from Braves camp as far as López is concerned as he does appear to be pain-free and simply preparing for the upcoming season rather than nursing an injury or working his way through some struggles like he was during spring training last season. Hopefully that good news flows into the regular season as well — an effective trio of Sale, Strider and López could certainly help keep the Braves plenty competitive and in the mix of the NL East race.
Grant Holmes
Holmes is coming off of a season where his role expanded significantly. Unfortunately, this didn’t translate to better results as his walk rate skyrocketed and his ability to avoid giving up the long ball also declined as well. Maybe part of that was due to the elbow issues that he was dealing with that eventually ended his season and that also may explain why there’s optimism that Holmes may be able to return to the form that made him so reliable during his rookie campaign.
For what it’s worth, most of the projection models over at FanGraphs are suggesting that his issues with giving up long balls might be here to stay — he had a 1.25 HR/9 rate in 2025 and ZiPS is projecting that that’ll stay at 1.17 for 2026. However, he might be able to get one over on hitters coming into this season now that he’s apparently added a sinker to his arsenal of pitches. Holmes also has yet to allow a run during spring training so far — though as I’ll talk about later on with Bryce Elder, you should always take spring training results with a grain of salt.
Still, Holmes has it in him to be a perfectly fine and reliable starter on the back end of this rotation. We can’t forget that stretch he had from May of last season right up until his elbow started acting up on him. Holmes delivered a 2.73 ERA (65 ERA-) with a 3.63 FIP (90 FIP-) over the course of 62.2 innings pitched during that span. If that version of Holmes returns to be the fourth starter for the Braves then things should be going pretty well for Atlanta in the near future.
Bryce Elder
As of right now, it’s looking like Bryce Elder is going to be back in the rotation for the Opening Day roster here in 2026. He’s got the experience and he’s out of minor league options as well so the Braves are essentially going to exhaust all of the possibilities they have with him before eventually figuring out a way to let him go elsewhere. It also (sadly) helps his case that three different starting pitchers have suffered long-term injuries already. If any of those starters were in the mix then this might be a different conversation for Elder but for now, he’s right in the thick of the conversation.
With that being said, Elder hasn’t exactly had an encouraging performance during spring training. Now granted — Elder got shelled during camp in 2023 and ended up making the All-Star Game that year so this is to say that you should always try to take spring stats with a grain of salt. It’s also playing in his favor that he won’t be expected to shoulder as much of the load as he did last season. This is your reminder that Elder led the Braves in innings pitched last season and did so by just over 30 innings over Chris Sale. As I said to start this post, as long as that doesn’t repeat itself then the Braves should be fine and the Braves should be okay with Elder being a fifth starter for however long this may take.
Still, he will absolutely need to be on top of things if he wants to stick around in the rotation on a long-term basis. Elder may not be the most exciting pitcher in the world and it will never cease to be maddening watching him throw at least one hanger a game that’s just begging to get sent to the moon. However, the Braves would absolutely take him going out there and eating five-to-six innings a start while keeping the lineup within reach of making something happen. He’s had his moments where he looks like a very solid pitcher and if those moments turn into long stretches then he will stay around. He’ll just need to make it happen.
Organizational Depth
The Braves do have some veteran options for starting pitching in their organization but also there’s a reason why they’re projected to miss out on an Opening Day roster spot at the moment. Martín Pérez is with the organization now and if he does end up usurping Bryce Elder and making the Opening Day roster, the thing to watch out for with him would be his ability to avoid getting hit really hard in terms of exit velocity. He finished in the 78th percentile of all pitchers last season when it came to Average Exit Velocity and maybe that could help him along the way if he does end up making appearances for the Braves this season.
Meanwhile, José Suarez is also available as well. While he’s pretty good at racking up whiffs, there wasn’t much else to get excited about as far as Suarez is concerned and he’s also out of minor league options as well, so there’s that. Carlos Carrasco is here as well but if we’re being completely honest, the Braves would be in a serious boondoggle if Carrasco had to pitch innings with the big league club again.
As far as prospects go, the two obvious guys who could end up making some appearances at the big league level would be Didier Fuentes (again) and JR Ritchie. Both are projected by MLB Pipeline to have an ETA of 2026 and as I mentioned for Fuentes, this wouldn’t even be his first go-around in the bigs. With that being said, I do imagine that they’re going to give him more time to cook within the farm system and the same goes for Ritchie as well. It’s been exciting to see him compete against big league talent so far in spring but based on the fact that he’s not even on the 40-man roster, it’s also feasible to imagine the Braves giving him plenty more time to hone his craft before they bring him up. Lucas Braun and Hayden Harris are also candidates to potentially get some time in the bigs if needed in a spot start situation.
If I didn’t answer any questions for you with this preview, that’s probably because the questions may outnumber the answers. Is this rotation perfectly capable of being one that could help push the Braves into a return to the Postseason? Absolutely. Could this all blow up in the face of the Braves and we’ll be forced to ask serious questions of Alex Anthopoulos’s decision not to add to this rotation? Once again, absolutely.
This is the position group with the highest amount of variance and volatility and it’s easy to see this going well or going completely sideways. Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner’s going to have a big task on his hands when it comes to guiding this group and new manager Walt Weiss would sure like it if his first season back in the managerial seat coincides with a strong performance from the rotation.
If you’re looking on the bright side, we’re at least writing this about three months later this season than we were last season. For about 35-45 games, the Sixers gave their fans enough of a reason to tune in. But the last five to six weeks of the 2025-2026 season have been far from fruitful. Not only have the Sixers lost a lot of games since the beginning of February, but they’ve lost players to injuries and suspension and have lost a lot of their fans with a perplexing trade deadline as well.
With Philly’s next game likely to be another loss in the Motor City against the Eastern Conference leading Detroit Pistons, now feels like a good time to entertain a scenario we haven’t really discussed all season. Are the Sixers best off losing as many games as possible in the regular season’s final month, bowing out quickly in the play-in tournament, and participating in this year’s draft lottery?
Granted, it’s highly unlikely Philadelphia could lose enough to fall below the play-in tournament cut line, so even a bad final month of the regular season would still have the Sixers playing beyond the season’s 82nd game. However, as many know by now, jumps up in the lottery from play-in tournament losers into the top four have happened a few times in recent years.
In 2019, the NBA debuted its new lottery in which the ping-pong balls determined the first four picks instead of the first three. This was part of an unsuccessful effort to curb tanking as the league thought that more randomness in the lottery would increase competitive balance. Since the reform, there have been seven draft lotteries. In three of them, a team from outside the league’s 10 worst records has jumped into the top four of the draft order. That includes the last two lotteries in which play-in tournament losers Atlanta and Dallas won the first pick in the 2024 and 2025 drafts respectively.
To be very clear, we’re still talking about approximately a 10% chance that Philadelphia drafts in the top four in 2026 which would again allow the Sixers to keep their first-rounder and not send it to the Thunder. But haven’t we all resigned ourselves to the fact that there’s a 0% chance of a deep playoff run coming? It feels like a dart worth throwing if you ask me.
Of course, the elephant in the room here will be if Joel Embiid is OK with being shut down. At this rate, it seems reasonable that Tyrese Maxey may not play for the rest of the regular season. Does anyone even care how many games Paul George plays after his suspension? But Embiid went public with comments before the trade deadline hoping that the front office would add to the roster and give him the best chance possible to make a deep playoff run given he may not have many chances left. We all saw that happened at the deadline.
Embiid certainly isn’t thinking about a 10% chance the Sixers draft in the top four this summer. If you’re a big draft nerd too, you might be tracking the Houston first-rounder which the Sixers now own via the Jared McCain trade. There’s still a world in which the Sixers get out of the play-in tournament, send a pick in the late teens to Oklahoma City, and the Houston pick lands in the mid 20s and this whole thing is water under the bridge.
Perhaps this is all just one sad pity piece on what this season has turned into. There were certainly times this season in which the Sixers gave the fans reason to be excited. Heck, there’s a reason there was a sentiment leading up to the trade deadline that they could be a buyer and really make a run in a wide-open Eastern Conference this spring. But those hopes are crushed now, and the Sixers are back to churning out fringe NBA players in their rotation on a regular basis. So yeah, maybe they should just exit early in the play-in tournament and then we can all ask ourselves how lucky are we feeling on lottery night yet again.
NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL has decided not to make the Ottawa Senators forfeit a first-round draft pick for their role in a 2021 trade that was later nullified.
The Senators instead will get the 32nd and final pick in the first round after the league decided their change of ownership affected what the appropriate punishment should be. The team will also pay a fine of 1 million Canadian dollars, roughly $735,000, to NHL Foundation Canada.
If Ottawa misses the playoffs and happens to win the draft lottery for one of the first two picks, it will result in a re-draw. After announcing the alteration Thursday, the NHL said it will have no further comment on the matter.
The decision was initially levied on Nov. 1, 2023, that the Senators would forfeit a first-rounder in 2024, ‘25 or ’26. New owner Michael Andlauer fired then-general manager Pierre Dorion that day and named Steve Staois as the replacement for that role.
The Senators traded forward Evgenii Dadonov to Vegas in July 2021 and failed to supply the Golden Knights with the player’s 10-team no-trade list. Vegas attempted to send Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks in March 2022 before the move was nixed by NHL Central Registry because he had not waived his no-trade clause.
There is precedent to the NHL reducing punishment after the fact. The New Jersey Devils in 2010 were docked a first- and a third-round pick and fined $3 million for a contract with Ilya Kovalchuk that was rejected. They instead were, like Ottawa, forced to the end of the first round in 2014.
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 10: Onyeka Okongwu #17 and Jalen Johnson #1 of the Atlanta Hawks high five during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on March 10, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 10: Onyeka Okongwu #17 and Jalen Johnson #1 of the Atlanta Hawks high five during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on March 10, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It’s what the people wanted! The Brooklyn Nets took on the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night and got the hell beat out of them as they lost by 38 points.
The opponent tonight is flying high. The Atlanta Hawks pushed their winning streak to seven after beating the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. They’re solidly in the play-in tier and have an outside chance of breaking in to the top six.
Where to follow the game
YES Network on TV. Gotham Sports on streaming. WFAN on radio. Tip after 7:30 PM.
🤕 Injuries
The following are out:
Egor Demin
Michael Porter Jr
Nolan Traore
Day’ron Sharpe
Ziaire Williams is questionable. The three two-ways available.
For the Hawks, Jonathan Kuminga and Dyson Daniels are questionable.
🏀 The game
Atlanta won the first and second meetings. They wrap the series up in April.
With both guards out, Drake Powell will get as many minutes as he can handle. It should be a great opportunity for the rookie to figure things out, and as our Tyler Carmona writes, he can grow into a really solid pro:
“With some added physical development in the offseason, he could grow into a reliable defender capable of guarding positions one through four and giving head coach Jordi Fernández some breathing room when facing elite offensive talent.“
With Traore and Porter Jr out, who will take the shots for the Nets tonight? That’s the question Jordi Fernandez will have to figure out and figure out fast. Danny Wolf figures to start again and should get plenty of opportunities to make something happen.
This is also a night for Noah Clowney to do a bit more. Clowney has had plenty of bright spots this season and now that we’re moving in to the middle of March, this represents a chance for him to do a bit more on offense. Games like this will help him figure out what parts of his game can get better as he fights to be a starter next season.
Jalen Johnson has been one of the best players in the NBA this season, and he’s picked things up as of late. During the Hawks’ winning streak, he’s averaging around 20/7/6 on 50 percent shooting from the field. A walking triple-double threat, Johnson does a lot of things well and hopes to put on a show in the postseason if the Hawks make it there.
Now that the Hawks are in serious playoff contention, they have some things to figure out. One of them will be how they best utilize CJ McCollum. The Hawks have youngsters that figure to be key parts of their program going forward and while still capable of heating up at a moment’s notice, CJ does have flaws in his game. Over at Peachtree Hoops, Hassan Ladiwala explores the conundrum Atlanta finds themselves in:
“To be clear, while I am of the opinion that the decision to start McCollum over Risacher is a touch short-sighted*, I do understand it from the perspective that it’s a move that helps the team win games this season. Putting a high-level offensive player like McCollum alongside Atlanta’s ‘core four’ has raised the group’s offensive ceiling and eased the ball-handling burden on Johnson and Daniels. You would also be justified in pointing out that Risacher had done little to justify keeping his job in the starting unit prior to the lineup change.
*It’s unclear whether McCollum will be on the team next year while Risacher was drafted #1 overall just last season and has a ways to go before reaching his potential.
That said, despite the staggering plus-minus numbers*, I am not fully convinced that McCollum is a part of the Hawks ‘best’ five-man unit – and their opponents woeful three-point shooting during his minutes is a big factor in my skepticism. Next time you see a stat praising McCollum’s on/off impact in Atlanta, just know that it hasn’t been because the Hawks shot-making, it’s been because of their opponents shot-missing.“
Give your youngsters more run, or turn to your vet and try to win? Everybody’s got to find the proper balance.
🏀 Player to watch: Onyeka Okongwu
Steady growth is always welcome. When you add to your game every year, you become more reliable and someone the team can trust. It’s a sign that you’re a part of their plans and it leads to great things if you keep at it. Onyeka Okongwu has seen his scoring average increase in each season of his career and even as he expands his game, he’s still shooting well and someone opponents have to respect. Atlanta hopes to be a steady playoff contender for many years to come, and Okongwu’s rise will be a shining light in Atlanta.
Nic Claxton will be tasked with controlling the middle for the Nets tonight. When the Nets lose on the boards, it’s impossible for them to win games. And with no Sharpe, the Nets have even less help on the glass. Claxton has to be better and playing in front of friends and family should give him an extra bit of motivation.
📺 From the Vault
On Tuesday, Bam Adebayo scored 83 points, now second most in NBA history. With that in mind, let’s take a trip back in time and look back at the mark Bam suprassed
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 23: Washington pitcher Brad Lord (61) reacts during the MLB game between the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves on September 23rd, 2025 at Truist Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
At this time last year, Brad Lord was one of the biggest stories of Nationals Spring Training. After working at Home Depot in the offseason, the former 18th round pick pitched his way on to the Nationals roster. Following a solid rookie season, Lord is flying much more under the radar.
He is a lock to make the roster, the only question is what role he will serve. Lord is a quiet, go with the flow guy, which makes him the perfect candidate to bounce between the rotation and bullpen. He just wants to help the team in whatever way he can. Lord told me that he will “Do whatever they need and I am always open to anything”.
As of right now, he is building up to be a starter, but he is not sure what his ultimate role will be. After the Zack Littell signing, I think he is likely to head to the bullpen. He was more effective out of the bullpen last year, posting a 2.79 ERA in that role. However, he was reliable wherever he pitched and was a rare bright spot on a brutal Nats pitching staff.
In a season that has gone about as bad as possible in most ways, I am very thankful for Brad Lord
Lord faded a bit down the stretch, but he still had a great rookie season for a guy taken in the 18th round. He posted a 4.34 ERA in 130.2 innings as a rookie. His ability to generate ground balls and keep the ball off the barrel made him a solid MLB pitcher. To get to the next level, he will have to refine some of his secondary pitches, as he was very fastball reliant last year.
He threw either a 4-seam or a sinker 66.5% of the time last year. With the Nationals cutting fastball usage, I anticipate that to go down. However, the heater should still be Lord’s bread and butter. His low arm slot and solid velocity make his fastballs quite good. He just needs another weapon that hitters have to respect.
Lord told me that one thing he was refining is his changeup. He did not make any massive changes, but the righty did tweak his changeup grip. Last year, the changeup was a solid weapon to lefties, but nothing special. This grip change could improve the pitch. Lord used the changeup to overwhelm Nolan Gorman yesterday in his Spring Training outing.
Brad Lord was telling me about how he tweaked his changeup grip when he talked yesterday. He made Nolan Gorman look silly on back to back changeups to get a strikeout
Yesterday was the best Lord has looked this spring. Six of his nine outs came via the ground ball, which is exactly what you want to see from him. Getting quick outs is a big part of Lord’s game. It is what makes him a solid starter and a fantastic swing man.
Lord was at his best last season in that swing man role. From late May to early August, he was dominant, posting a 2.20 ERA in that time. When he moved to the rotation full time, he got exposed a bit down the stretch. I also think he began to wear down at the end of his first MLB season.
Brad Lord with a very solid start for the Nats today going 6 IP, 4 Hits, 1 ER, 5 Ks, 19% Whiff% and lowering his season ERA to 3.28
Since May 22nd he has a 2.20 ERA and 2.97 FIP with just 13 BBs in 45 IP
Whatever his role is, Brad Lord will be a key piece for the Nats pitching staff. He is a guy who can get outs in a variety of roles, which is very important in the modern game. While he is unlikely to start the season in the rotation, he will be the next man up when injuries inevitably hit.
Last season, he made 48 appearances with 19 starts. I would not be surprised if we saw something like that again. He can just do whatever the manager asks of him, which is incredibly valuable. Brad Lord’s name is not on the tip of fans tongues like it was last year, but I think he is poised to be a pivotal piece of the Nats pitching staff once again.
The Florida Panthers will aim for their third straight victory when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
Florida has won back-to-back games, both against the Detroit Red Wings, outscoring their divisional rival 7-4 between victories during a home and home series that occurred on Friday in Motown and Tuesday in Sunrise.
Now the Cats will shift their attention to another team trying to cement their position in the race to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Entering play Thursday, the Blue Jackets are the first team out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Columbus trails the Boston Bruins by two points for the final Wild Card spot, each team still with 18 games remaining on their respective schedules.
As for Florida, their consecutive wins did little to help them make up ground in the playoff race.
The Panthers are currently 11 points behind Boston, with four teams between them. If the Cats keep winning and turn their modest two-game streak into one that’s double-digits, they can find their way back into the case for a playoff spot. But that’s a big if.
Ahead of Thursday’s game, Florida called up defenseman Mike Benning from AHL Charlotte.
A day earlier, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said that the playing status for defenseman Uvis Balinskis was up in the air due to the aggravation of an injury he sustained a couple weeks ago against Buffalo.
Balinskis won't play, meaning Benning will step in and make his NHL debut. He'll be on a pairing with Niko Mikkola.
Florida selected Benning in the fourth-round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He’s played each of the past three seasons with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, racking up 26 goals and 89 points in 182 games, to go with 124 penalty minutes and a plus-16 on-ice rating.
He was on the ice for Florida's optional morning skate Thursday at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale.
Maurice also said that Carter Verhaeghe may or may not play Thursday after something tightened up on the forward following his two-goal effort on Tuesday against Detroit.
Verhaeghe was also on the ice for Florida's morning skate, but he and Anton Lundell will both be held out of the lineup, Maurice said.
Between the pipes, the Cats will turn to Sergei Bobrovsky.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s battle with the Blue Jackets:
A.J. Greer – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart
Cole Reinhardt – Tomas Nosek – Jesper Boqvist
Mackie Samoskevich – Luke Kunin – Vinnie Hinostroza
Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Mike Benning
Donovan Sebrango – Dmitry Kulikov
Extras: Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Uvis Balinskis
‘I don’t enjoy the car but I do enjoy working with the team’
Meeting with drivers brought forward amid disquiet
Max Verstappen has once more expressed his discontent with the new Formula One regulations. Amid a clamour of unhappiness from many drivers, the four-time champion also reiterated his warning that he would leave the sport if he ceased to enjoy it, which is clearly the case at the moment.
After the first round of the season in Melbourne last week, Verstappen showed disdain for how the new rules had affected driving, and speaking before this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, he belittled the new formula with another reference to the videogame Mario Kart, which has swiftly become a go-to reference across the grid. A drivers’ meeting to discuss the new regulations, originally planned for after the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of the month, has now been brought forward to take place after this weekend’s race, the Guardian understands.
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 21: Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat handles the ball during the game against the New York Knicks on December 21, 2025 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Tuesday night was fascinating for me as a sports fan.
I started my night by watching my college’s depressingly bad basketball team lose to Northwestern to end its season in the Big Ten tournament, then switched the channel to watch Team USA lose in embarrassing fashion to Italy in the World Baseball Classic.
At the same time, I was mildly aware of Alexis Lafreniere scoring a hat trick for the Rangers, Jaylen Brown getting ejected in a high-profile game against the Spurs, and a niche game between the Heat and Wizards that would later go down in NBA history.
I was first aware of Bam Adebayo’s historic night when someone told me he scored 31 points in the first quarter. It was surprising, sure, but it’s the 2026 Wizards. At some point, the Heat will begin to blow them out, and Adebayo will eventually hit the bench with a career scoring effort. He had 43 at half, another shocking sum, but nothing insane was on the radar with the Heat well on their way to a blowout victory.
But they just kept feeding him. He kept going to the line. I got Real notifications that he had 50; he had SIXTY points in the third quarter. At that point, I still didn’t turn on League Pass. In my mind, there was no way he’d stay in the game to make any serious history, right?
But he played most of the fourth quarter. He got to 70, and I finally relented. What I saw in the final five minutes of that game was some of the most shameless basketball I’ve ever seen from the referees, the players on both teams, and the coaches. The Wizards were sending triple-teams, the Heat were intentionally fouling to get more possessions, and Erik Spoelstra refused to remove his big-money star in a 30-point game.
Adebayo ultimately did get to end the game on the bench, but not before scoring 83 points. There’s a sect of the NBA community that sees the lack of broadcast evidence of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game and refuses to believe it exists. Putting aside the fact that it’s totally irrational that it was totally ridiculous that the basketball media would make up a black man scoring 100 points in a game in 1962, there are people who consider Kobe Bryant’s 81 points in 2006 against the Toronto Raptors as the single-game scoring mark to beat.
So, for those people who believe Wilt never scored 100, Bam Adebayo is now the standard for single-game dominance. Bam Adebayo, who has never scored 45 in a game prior to Tuesday night, had indisputably scored the most points in an NBA game in over 60 years and, to some people, the most points ever.
THE ICONIC PHOTO: BAM ADEBAYO HOLDS UP ‘83’ ON A PIECE OF PAPER! 8️⃣3️⃣
That fact is just jarring to me. Bam is an incredible player, don’t get me wrong. He’s a multi-time all-star, a staple on All-Defensive teams, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and will almost certainly have his No. 13 retired by a Heat organization that’s had many great players don its colors. He’ll likely be enshrined in the Hall of Fame one day, but he isn’t known as a pure scorer.
The players to score 70 points in an NBA game are a who’s who of scoring talent: Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Luka Doncic, David Thompson, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, and Donovan Mitchell. All of these guys are or were capable of scoring 40 on any given night, even if only a few are inner-circle Hall of Famers.
How far down the list do you have to go before you find a player on the level of Adebayo’s offensive skills? MJ scored 69. Pete Maravich scored 68. Giannis and Rick Barry scored 64. The most points ever scored by a player to average under 20 PPG for his career is Joe Fulks, who scored 63 in 1949.
Fulks was the first NBA player to score 60 in a game and held the single-game scoring record until Elgin Baylor’s 64-point game in 1959. Fulks is an interesting piece of trivia in NBA history as maybe the league’s first shot-chucker. He averaged 19.1 FGA per game in his career and shot 30.2% from the field. He led the NBA in scoring in 1947-48 while shooting 25.9% from the field on over 25 shots per game. He’s the Father of NBA Tour Dates. If you want a laugh, go to @extrastats on Twitter and search for Fulks on his account.
Lowest FG% in a game on 45+ shot attempts:
23.6 — Joe Fulks (1948, 55 FGA) 25.5 — Joe Fulks (1947, 47 FGA) 31.1 — Cade Cunningham (tonight, 45 FGA) 32.0 — Joe Fulks (1946, 50 FGA)
The day Fulks scored 63 points, he attempted 56 shots and took 14 free throws. He shot 48.2% from the field, which is a modern-day equivalent of if Cam Thomas shot 70% from the field in a 40-piece. No player had ever scored more than 63 points and shot worse than 50%… until Adebayo on Tuesday. His 67.0 TS% is the least efficient 65+-point game since the invention of the 3-point line.
But I think the thing that’s been bothering me the most about this game is the way it progressed. Adebayo was absolutely tremendous in the first quarter, scoring 31 points on 10-for-17 from the field and making five three-pointers. Even if he was playing the Wizards, it was an all-time great quarter.
But the way the game ended is what soured me. The Wizards, in their desperate attempt to tank and keep their draft pick, load managed Trae Young. Alex Sarr scored 28 points, but he was limited to 20 minutes and sat out the game’s final 18. They did the same with Tre Johnson. The poor players that had to stop a coordinated effort to give Adebayo his moment were the likes of Will Riley, Anthony Gill, and Jalen Hardy.
Granted, part of that is because the Wizards were being blown out, but that’s another thing. Adebayo was being force-fed the ball and was just running full speed into defenders to draw fouls in the paint. Miami’s benchwarmers were fouling to get more possessions. It’s as if Jalen Brunson was playing with Trey Jemison III, Kevin McCullar Jr., and Pacome Dadiet in the final minutes of a blowout victory.
Speaking of Brunson, can he get some of these free throws next time he plays the Wizards? An NBA-record 43 free throw attempts. The only other players to even get within 10 of that number were notoriously bad free-throw shooters who were intentionally put on the line (or Wilt, who was both a poor free-throw shooter and dominant enough to get to the line naturally). Brunson’s 61-point game against the Spurs a few years ago is the second-best in history with less than 10 FTA (Rick Barry had 5 FTA in a 64-point game in 1974).
But we’d be getting into a whole different debate if we were talking about how ethical a high-scoring game is. Kobe’s 81-point game saw him put the finishing touches on a blowout, but he also had to power a very bad supporting cast back from a 14-point halftime deficit. Bryant scored his last seven points from the free-throw line in the final 2:36, but it was only a 13-point game at that point, and even then, that’s 74.
There are even reports of similar tactics to the ones the Heat used back in 1962, used by the Philadelphia Warriors to get Wilt to 100. You can argue that if we’re talking about ethics, Wilt’s 78-point game in a double-overtime win three months before he dropped 100 is the standard for ethical, ballistic scoring games. (Fun fact about that one: Wilt went 16-for-31 at the line. He would’ve scored 90 if he shot granny-style like he did when he scored 100.)
In the end, it happened. Regardless of how you feel, Bam Adebayo made history on Tuesday night. It was surreal to watch as someone who didn’t see Kobe score 81.
