It’s been a busy day for the Phillies, but there is an NLCS game tonight.
Let’s talk about it.
NLCS Gamethread: 10/14/2026
Pistons vs. Timberwolves GameThread: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More
The Detroit Pistons have been a fun, if frustrating, watch through two preseason games. The Pistons have played a bit loose as they try to integrate new players and incorporate new offensive elements to their games. There have been highs and some lows. The real fun has been when the Pistons’ reserves come in and strangle the life out of their opponents. It is Detroit Pistons basketball, and players 6-15 know how to play it. It’s also been a bit hard to understand what is real and what simply must be taken with a grain of salt. Jalen Duren, the team’s starting center, has yet to suit up so far. Cade Cunningham sat out the last game. Still, it’d be nice if the two worst players on the floor for Detroit didn’t also happen to be their two newest big-ticket additions. John Collins and Isaiah Joe are still … figuring it out. Hopefully the light clicks on soon. Collins seems to be struggling to understand that whole Pistons basketball thing. I think he wants to, especially after spending some wayward years with the Jazz and a kinda blah year with the competent and boring Clippers. He’s got some Pistons DNA in him, and he’s playing a little too wild as a result. Joe, meanwhile, just isn’t hitting his open shots. He will, though.
Game Vitals
When: 8 p.m. ET
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Watch: TV: My TV 20 | Streaming: DAZN
Odds: Timberwolves -2.5
Projected Lineups
DetroitPistons(1-1)
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, John Collins, Jalen Duren
Minnesota Timberwolves (3-1)
LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, Rudy Gobert
Raptors look to go up 2-0 on the Knicks in Thursday road game
The Toronto Raptors will look to carry their preseason momentum into Madison Square Garden when they face the New York Knicks on Thursday, Oct. 15.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET as Toronto continues preparing for the 2026-27 NBA season. The matchup comes two days after the teams met at Scotiabank Arena on Oct. 13, with Toronto winning 148-98. Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors with 21 points and five rebounds in his preseason return to Toronto, while Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles added 19 points apiece. The Raptors dominated from the opening quarter, building an 85-47 halftime lead and showcasing their offensive firepower.
The Raptors were also very strong defensively, showcasing that they have one of the best defensive units in the league. Raptors fans would expect this to remain the same this season.
When asked about defensive expectations, Scottie Barnes said there would be “more danger and activity, along with physicality. And then we will see what happens when the regular season comes.”
In their last contest, New York rested several key starters, making the result less indicative of how the teams will match up at full strength. The rematch gives both sides a quick turnaround and another opportunity to evaluate their rotations before the games start counting.
What can we expect from both teams?
For the Raptors, the focus is on building consistency, finding the right combinations and getting their core players comfortable playing together. After an uneven start to the preseason, Toronto has already shown signs of improvement, but there is still work to do before the regular season begins. It is important that Toronto takes lessons from each preseason game they play.
“I think it’s going really good, we’re trending upwards and every game we’re taking those things and coming into practice finding something we can work on,” said Barnes.
For the Knicks, The question is how quickly they can get its main rotation working together. The Knicks have the talent to put pressure on opposing defences, but Toronto will look to disrupt their rhythm by contesting shots, limiting second chances and forcing difficult possessions.
New York’s preseason results also make Thursday’s game another opportunity to build confidence before the games begin to count. With the regular season approaching, the Knicks will want to see their offence become more consistent while ensuring their defensive intensity is where it needs to be.
What to watch for
For Toronto, the biggest storyline will be how its core players continue to develop chemistry ahead of the regular season. Scottie Barnes’ versatility, RJ Barrett’s scoring ability and Immanuel Quickley’s playmaking will be important as the Raptors look to establish a consistent offensive rhythm. Toronto will also need contributions from its supporting cast to remain competitive on both ends of the floor.
Kawhi Leonard will be another player to watch after making his preseason debut against New York. He recorded 21 points, five rebounds and two steals in 17 minutes. His performance was an early indication of how he fits alongside Toronto’s core and what he could bring to the lineup moving forward.
“I think he [Kawhi] just fits in easily, the physicality, the active hands, him being able to switch with certain guys out there on the floor, I think it helps us all,” said Barnes.
New York will look to take advantage of its home-court setting at Madison Square Garden while continuing to refine its rotations. I don’t expect them to play another strong lineup with the regular season approaching, instead they will spread the minutes to players on the bench.
Prediction
Toronto will look to build momentum heading into Thursday’s matchup hoping to carry a same result from their performance on Tuesday into the rematch while continuing to build chemistry and establish a consistent offensive rhythm.
New York will have a similar opportunity to evaluate its progress after the first meeting, this time with home court advantage, but both teams will likely prioritize player development and lineup experimentation over the final result.
Raptors: 112 Knicks: 98
Mookie Betts could be the answer to the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani problem
Before the Dodgers became Shohei Ohtani’s team, they were Mookie Betts’ team.
Manager Dave Roberts used to say that as Betts went, the Dodgers went.
Betts was the best player on the 2020 championship team. He finished in the top five in National League MVP voting three of his first four seasons with the Dodgers.
Now, with the Dodgers trailing the Brewers in the National League Championship Series and unable to count on a physically-limited Ohtani to jumpstart their offense, Betts will have to turn back the clock.
The Dodgers scored only once in the first game of the NLCS and each of the four runs they scored in the second game was the result of an error or wild pitch by the Brewers, but Betts can’t be faulted for the lack of run production.
Betts, who replaced Ohtani as the leadoff hitter last month while the four-time MVP was on the injured list, was 2-for-7 through the first two games of the NLCS.
He reached base four times in nine plate appearances.
“Mookie’s at-bats at the top, and what he’s done over the last couple months has been very consistent,” Roberts said. “It’s at-bat quality at the highest level.”
The effect of those at-bats on the Dodgers’ other hitters was particularly obvious in a victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of their NL Division Series.
In his first at-bat against Braves ace Chris Sale, Betts laid off a slider that just missed the lower outside corner of the plate to work the count full. On the next pitch Betts reached base on an infield single.
“Really just trying to have good at-bats and try to not have a bunch of empty one-out flyouts,” Betts said.
The Dodgers forced Sale to throw 24 pitches in the first inning. By the end of the third inning, Sale’s pitch count was already at 69. In the fourth inning, the Dodgers struck, with home runs by Kiké Hernández and Freddie Freeman moving them in front, 3-0.
The Dodgers went on to win the game, 3-1, and Betts finished with two hits.
“When you’re getting into a playoff series and you get that first hitter seeing pitches, it sets the tone for the rest of the lineup, and also for that starting pitcher that it’s going to be a grindy day,” Roberts said.
Against the Brewers, the Dodgers face an entirely different kind of challenge. The strength of the Brewers is their bullpen.
“I don’t know that it’s super imperative for us to run up the pitch counts or anything because the back end of their bullpen is arguably better than everybody on the team,” Betts said. “Getting to them isn’t necessarily a huge success.”
Unless Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski is pitching for the Brewers, the Dodgers’ prime scoring opportunities to score could be against their starting pitchers.
“Really scoring runs when you can,” Betts said.
Betts described the Dodgers as being in a good headspace.
“Nobody is really panicking or anything,” he said. “Obviously we know it’s a tough task. It’s a really good ball club over there. We just have to start one game, one pitch at a time.”
Betts said he didn’t see a reason for the team to be discouraged.
“It’s not like we’re playing really bad,” he said. “I think we’re just not getting the hits that we need to really explode as an offense. One hit can kind of lead to two and then kind of keep us going.”
The Dodgers were also in trouble in each of their last two World Series runs – they were behind two-games-to-one against the San Diego Padres in their best-of-five NL Division Series in 2024; and they trailed three games to two against the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series last year.
“I think just having that experience, that’s kind of what gives us encouragement,” Betts said. “Being that we’ve been here before and we got out of it keeps us in a really good head space.
“Obviously, every year is different, but the same rules apply. We’ve got to just keep playing the game, and that’s really it.”
How Mary Hart became Los Angeles Dodgers superfan, went viral in 2018
The Los Angeles Dodgers have countless celebrity fans. But Mary Hart stands above them all.
The former "Entertainment Tonight" host has been a longtime fan and season ticket holder of the Dodgers. This season, the defending champions marched into the National League Championship Series.
The Milwaukee Brewers have had Front Row Amy in the, well, front row of their historic season. They are up 2-0 on the Dodgers in the series and, if they oust Los Angeles, will reach only their second World Series in franchise history.
Shohei Ohtani has been struggling this postseason and starts Wednesday's game at a career-low sixth in the batting order. His teammate Mookie Betts said he can relate to having a slump, especially after breaking his hand in 2024.
Betts was on the other side of the diamond when Hart went viral in the 2018 World Series for cheering on her team against the Boston Red Sox. Now, Betts and the Dodgers attempt a comeback in a bid to reach, and win, their third consecutive World Series.
Why did Mary Hart go viral during Dodgers' 2018 World Series?
Mary Hart cheered on the Dodgers throughout the 2018 World Series against the Boston Red Sox, even attending the first two games with her husband, Burt Sugarman, at Fenway Park.
During the historic 18-inning Game 3 in Los Angeles, she did her best to throw off Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel. She stood in the crowd to the side of home plate late in the matchup and imitated the closer's unique pitching stance where he leaned over at a 90-degree angle with his arm at his side. While wearing her signature bright blue vintage Dodgers sweater, she bobbed up and down, catching the attention of the internet and of fans watching.
"I noticed how peculiar it was, just mechanically. How does he get his arms around and everything?" Hart told MLB.com ahead of Game 4. "It was just kind of spontaneous – I'm going to get up there and do what he's doing. ...
"There was a little bit of, 'Maybe I can throw him off a little.' He's a hell of a pitcher."
Why did Mary Hart become a Dodgers fan?
Mary Hart moved to Los Angeles in 1979, she told MLB.com. Soon after, she was a bat girl for the Hollywood Stars minor league game at Dodger Stadium and met Tommy Lasorda. She told him of her dream to sing the National Anthem at a Dodgers game and he made it happen. She's had a fierce loyalty to the team ever since.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Mary Hart became Los Angeles Dodgers superfan, went viral in 2018
Dodgers vs. Brewers NLCS Game 3 chat
The Dodgers make a third attempt at their first victory of the National League Championship Series.
Shohei Ohtani bats sixth for the first time since September 19, 2020 while with the Angels. Will Smith went from batting third in Game 1 of this series, down to fifth in Game 2 and now seventh in Game 3.
NLCS Game 3 info
- Teams: No. 2 seed Dodgers vs. No. 1 seed Brewers
- Series: Milwaukee leads, 2-0
- Ballpark: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
- Start time: 5:08 p.m.
- TV: FS1 (Joe Davis, John Smoltz, Ken Rosenthal, Tom Verducci)
- National radio: ESPN Radio (Jon Sciambi, Doug Glanville)
- Local English radio: AM 570 (Charley Steiner, Rick Monday)
- Local Spanish radio: KTNQ 1020 AM (José Mota, Luis Cruz)
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It’s time for Preseason Basketball: San Antonio Spurs vs Phoenix Suns
Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much. The rule against trolling also applies to members of this site that visit other fan sites.
Wait, didn’t we already do this? It seems like just a few days ago that the Spurs met the Suns in preseason. Well, guess what? They’re doing it again tonight, except this time it’s in San Antonio. You can hope for a better outcome than the 98-102 loss on Saturday. But it’s preseason, so I have a riddle for you: When is a loss not a loss? … When it happens in the preseason, where the games don’t count.
The Spurs have been piling up the non-losses this preseason, with an 0-3 record so far. They could make it 0-4 tonight, and 0-5 on Friday when they face the Kings. At least both games are in San Antonio, and the Spurs won’t have to travel before the season opener against the Thunder on October 20th in the Frost Bank Center. Coincidentally, the Thunder is also winless in the preseason, which goes to show that good teams are too smart to run players really hard in exhibition games that are glorified practices.
The last two preseason contests are on DAZN, with the season opener on NBC/Peacock. In a little bit of personal news, I will be marrying my long time partner this weekend, which means that I might be missing some Spurs games the first week of the season as we travel to a secret destination for a honeymoon. No worries, I will be all basketball all the time by Halloween. I’ll be pre-posting the game threads, so they might not be as detailed as usual for the first week of the season. GO SPURS GO!
Game Prediction:
Dillon Brooks will turn over a new leaf and show his nice side by giving all of the Spurs players teddy bears during shootaround. Later on, it will be discovered that the bears were stuffed with broken glass.
San Antonio Spurs vs Phoenix Suns (Preseason)
October 14, 2026 | 7:00 PM CT
Streaming: DAZN, League Pass
TV: DAZN
Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments.
MLB Championship Series 2026 discussion thread: Day 4
The Milwaukee Brewers took care of business in the first two games of the NLCS, but now the series heads to Los Angeles, where the Dodgers are sure to put up a big home-field-advantage fight.
The last time the Dodgers fell behind 0-2 in a best-of-seven series was back in 2021 when they ultimately lost to the Atlanta Braves in six games. The last time they came back to win a best-of-seven after going down 0-2 was in 2020 when they defeated the Braves en route to a World Series title.
There were some questions as to whether or not a struggling Shohei Ohtani would be in the lineup for the game, but it was reported on Tuesday night that he would indeed still be playing.
Can the Brewers take advantage and take a commanding 3-0 lead to get one step closer to the World Series or will the Dodgers swing the tide in their favor?
Milwaukee Brewers (2-0) at Los Angeles Dodgers (0-2) — 6 PM MDT
Pitching Matchup: LHP Robert Gasser (5-5, 3.87 ERA) vs. LHP Blake Snell (4-1, 1.90 ERA)
SB Nation Sites:Brew Crew Ball, True Blue LA
Radio: ESPN Radio
TV: FS1/Fox One
Lineups:
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NLCS Game 3 discussion thread
The Milwaukee Brewers head to Chavez Ravine up 2-0 in the National League Championship Series. A win today would give the Brewers a commanding 3-0 series lead.
It is a 7 p.m. Central start on FS1. University of Houston product Robert Gasser goes for Milwaukee, while the Dodgers have Blake Snell going, which likely means an 87 pitch, 3.2 inning, one run outing before the Dodgers go to the pen.
NLCS Game 3 chat and discussion
Well, well, well. The Los Angeles Dodgers now have their backs against the wall and are starting off the Dodger Stadium portion of the 2026 National League Championship Series down 2-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers. Can Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani figure it out? Will Robert Gasser, old friend William Contreras and the rest of the Brewers really put LA’s attempt at a three-peat in serious jeopardy by taking a 3-0 win tonight? It’s time to find out.
In case you’re not here for the baseball and you just want to hang out, let us know what you’ve got going on tonight. We’d love to hear about it.
Anyways, the floor is now yours. Here’s a clip of Walt Weiss (with hair) hitting a dinger back in the 1989 World Series.
Dodgers-Brewers NLCS is a ratings monster — and the drama is just getting started
Game 1 of the National League Championship Series certainly delivered on Sunday night, as over 10.7 million people watched the Brewers and Dodgers play in Milwaukee.
According to FOX Sports PR, it was the most-watched opening League Championship Series game on Fox and Fox Deportes since 2005.
It was also the most-watched LCS telecast on any network since 2010 and saw a significant uptick in viewership compared to last year’s ALCS Game 1, as there was an increase of 104% in viewership.
Fox Sports PR also announced that the game’s viewership peaked at 12.4 million viewers from 8:00-8:15 PM ET.
The Brewers finished Game 1 of the series with a 2-1 win over the Dodgers, then capitalized on their momentum and took Game 2 on Monday night.
Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal had the shortest postseason outing of his career in Game 1, tossing five innings on 81 pitches and giving up five hits, two runs, two walks, and striking out seven batters.
Los Angeles’ bullpen held it down after Skubal departed by not giving up a run, but unfortunately, the Dodgers lineup couldn’t provide any run support.
Despite finding a way to crack National League CY Young Candidate, Jacob Misirowski and forcing him to exit the game after throwing 94 pitches, the Dodgers’ bats remained cold.
Finishing the night with seven hits in the box score, the Dodgers failed to find a way to bring those runners across home plate, including in the sixth, eighth, and ninth innings.
Although the Dodgers scored four runs in Game 2, they saw similar production out of their team as starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto had the shortest postseason performance of his career, tossing 2 ⅔ innings on 75 pitches.
The offense only mustered up three hits in the game and struck out nine times. Including four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, who went 0-for-4 in the game.
Ohtani has been facing one of the worst slumps of his career in the postseason, and has forced manager Dave Roberts to drop him down to the No.6 spot in the lineup for Game 3.
Game 3 of the NLCS is set to take place at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, with first pitch beginning at 5:00 p.m. Blake Snell will take the mound for Los Angeles, while Robert Gasser will get the start for Milwaukee.
Noah Clowney facing moment of truth
A couple of days ago, Hoopshype, perhaps tongue in cheek, perhaps not, posted a ranking of MVP candidates for the preseason…
Hugo Gonzalez (the bete noir of those afflicted with Marks Derangement Syndrome) was listed at the top of the list despite only playing two games for the Celtics. But if scroll down a bit you’d find the names of three Nets, two of which were no surprise. After all, the Nets are 3-0. There was Julius Randle at No 7, Michael Porter Jr. at No. 14, and, ta-da, Noah Clowney at No. 15.
That’s got to be encouraging for the 22-year-old, 6’10” big. Full of potential, Clowney has yet to secure a long term commitment. Sean Marks & co. have until next Monday to decide on whether to offer him an extension or let him become a restricted free agent come July. In that case, the Nets would still hold his rights and be able to match any offer he gets elsewhere. Bottom line: it’s unlikely the Nets will make an offer.
And although preseason MVP rankings seem a fool’s errand, Clowney has played well, as Brian Lewis reports.
After an understated opener, Clowney has logged consecutive solid outings.
Starting in a victory over Jaylen Brown and the Sixers, Clowney had 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting and 2-for-3 from deep to finish plus-12. And in Monday’s win in Washington, he followed up with 15 points on 5-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-6 from behind the arc.
Clowney added four assists and a steal without a turnover.
Clowney who only turned 22 a few weeks back, has had his ups-and-downs with the Nets, once hitting seven 3-pointers in a game and once batting away seven shots in another (then following up with another 4 in the next game) over the course of his three years in Brooklyn. He has not been a bust. If fact, he wasn’t bad at all last season, averaging 12.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 66 games, all but six starts. He also went to the line an average of 3.4 times a game. But fans and the front office wanted more.
Things changed dramatically for him the night before the Draft when the Nets traded his front court mate Nic Claxton and a second rounder to Chicago for Julius Randle and a first. Randle has assumed the 4 spot meaning it will take some doing to average 27 minutes a game.
Jordi Ferandez, asked for an assessment of his game, had this to say.
“Just steady,” coach Jordi Fernández said. “He’s been consistent so far. The whole training camp, the whole, all these preseason games. Very proud of him. You see him with 15 points.
“[We] challenge him. We’re challenging him to rebound. But yet four assists to zero turnovers, that’s pretty impressive. He’s just been very good — not too high, not too low. He’s always ready. And that’s the Noah Clowney that we need, because we know that he makes a lot of winning plays.”
That’s got to encouraging too. He also has some supporters outside the Nets, specifically Coach Thorpe of True Hoop. In fact, he put him in some rarefied company even more so than whoever put together the Hoopshype rankings.
Indeed, Thorpe included Clowney in a list of “Ten guys who might make a difference”, noting ”His defense will have to keep improving, but to me Clowney has the look of a starting level power forward who might even play some small ball five.“ Hmmm.
Wednesday night in Miami is going to be a big game for Nets fans. It’s Mikel Brown Jr.‘s preseason debut, the highest Nets pick in 16 years since they played in New Jersey. But it’s also going to the last preseason game Clowney will play for the deadline for the Nets to extend him. Should be enough motivation.
- Noah Clowney making case for Nets minutes despite losing job to Julius Randle – Brian Lewis – New York Post
Trail Blazers hire temporary TV voice after Braiden Bell tweet controversy
The Portland Trail Blazers have reportedly resolved their television broadcast debacle — for now — after firing play-by-play voice Braiden Bell for past tweets that included misogynistic and racist remarks about women and Asians.
Travis Demers, the Blazers’ radio play-by-play voice for the last seven seasons, will take over television duties on a trial basis, according to OregonLive, which citied league and team sources.
Demers will call games on a game-by-game basis alongside feature color analyst Lamar Hurd and courtside reporter Brooke Olzendam.
Demers, who previously filled in on the TV broadcast, reportedly impressed decision-makers when he called Portland’s preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors last week.
The Blazers reportedly are keeping their options open as they assess their television broadcast.
The shakeup comes after 29-year-old Bell was hired and fired in the same day due to resurfaced posts made as a teenager.
Bell reportedly beat out 10 different candidates, such as veteran play-by-play voice Kyle Draper, for the job, in part because the team felt he was a “rising star.”
The Blazers reportedly considered replacing Bell with Draper, and instead decided to go with Demers on a trial basis.
Demers has called games for the Hillsboro Hops and University of Portland as well as hosting radio programs for SiriusXM College Sports Nation and NBC Sports Northwest.
The Blazers also lost legendary television play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Calabro this offseason after 10 years.
Calabro wanted to return to Portland in a part-time role and decided to leave in July after receiving what he deemed a “subprime” contract offer from the Blazers and new owner Tom Dundon, The Oregonian previously reported.
Calabro reportedly was hired by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a limited role in September.
Celtics announce starting lineup ahead of preseason vs. Hornets
BOSTON — The Celtics will use the same starting lineup for the second consecutive preseason game, giving Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Paul George, Jordan Walsh, and Mitchell Robinson the nod in their preseason matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.
That’s the same group that started in the Saturday night 144-106 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
But in that one, the bench saw just as much of an opportunity as the starters: Jordan Walsh (11 minutes) and Mitchell Robinson (14 minutes) played fewer minutes than Payton Pritchard (24 minutes), Sam Hauser (21 minutes), Hugo Gonzalez (21 minutes), Baylor Scheierman (19 minutes), and Neemias Queta (19 minutes). So, whether this is the starting group on Opening Night against the Detroit Pistons next Tuesday remains to be seen.
In Saturday’s win, Payton Pritchard (25 points, 7 assists), Jayson Tatum (25 points, 4 assists), Hugo Gonzalez (17 points), and Derrick White (15 points) led the way. The Celtics racked up 15 steals, led by George and Scheierman, who each had 5.
The Hornets, meanwhile, will start Naz Reid, Royce O’Neale, Moussa Diabate, Brandon Miller, and Dennis Schroder. Reid, O’Neale, and Schroder are all offseason additions. This will be the Celtics’ first time facing the Hornets since they traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Celtics will play their final preseason game on Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia. They’re 2-0 in preseason action so far.
Game Thread: Suns and Spurs, Part Duex
Phoenix has the Spurs again tonight. What are you looking for?