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Brooklyn Nets fade away against Atlanta Hawks, lose 108-97

Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

We’ve finally hit the home stretch. Brooklyn Nets games are feeling more and more like exhibitions. Players that are merely passing through see big minutes, only to be remembered by the most die-hard fans.

On Thursday afternoon, the Nets shut down Day’Ron Sharpe for the season. Sharpe, with a torn ligament in his thumb, joined #8 overall pick Egor Dëmin as the first Nets to skip ahead to the offseason. They may not be the last.

On Thursday night, the Nets faced the Atlanta Hawks, who won the previous matchup in Barclays Center on February 22. The Hawks had not lost a game since, beating up on a bunch of bad and/or injured teams for seven in a row. With Michael Porter Jr., Ziaire Williams, and Nolan Traore also missing action, the Hawks had a golden opportunity to make it eight.

The Nets played their part early on, starting three rookies next to Nic Claxton and Noah Clowney, who largely struggled…

Ben Saraf scored ten points for the second consecutive game, the first time in his career he’s done so, shooting 4-of-7 with four assists and five turnovers. Drake Powell and Danny Wolf combined to shoot 6-of-20 with five turnovers, occasionally dribbling into traffic without a plan, overwhelmed by Atlanta’s gaggle of feisty defenders. Much to Jordi Fernández’s dismay, the Nets turned it over 20 times.

So, a blowout with no bright spots, eh? Not quite. A second unit seemingly designed to maximize the tank…

…actually outperformed the starters. Fernández even expanded the rotation to 11 players, as E.J. Liddell earned 12 second-half minutes. That means all three two-way players touched the court — not to mention Josh Minott, who has spent some time with Long Island lately — and they all held their own.

Tyson Etienne fouled out but hit two 3-pointers, and his lineup kept the game close in the first half. Same for Chaney Johnson, who played hard and finished with a 3/3/3 statline. Liddell scored four points with six boards, but may have had the sequence of the night for Brooklyn…

Alas, it was Josh Minott who turned in the night’s most important performance. If the rest of his season is an audition — as Brooklyn has a team-option on his contract for next year — he certainly aced Thursday night. The 3-and-D wing was everywhere, doing more than just sitting in the corner and talking on defense.

Minott posted a ravishing 24/3/1/3/3 line, the 24 points a new career-high. He shot 4-of-7 from deep and took ten free-throws while bringing the athleticism and physicality that Brooklyn has long missed from their wings…

Fernández made sure to point out that he thought Chaney Johnson was “awesome” defensively, before praising Minott: “It was great. He was aggressive, I mean, you see the line … a little bit more rebounding, maybe, because that’s where we struggle and he provides size.”

Thanks to a cold shooting night from Atlanta and the energy of the Brooklyn bench, the grabbed a lead in the fourth quarter. Somehow. Sure, they got killed on the glass (22-4 in second-chance points) and in the turnover department again, but they fought, and Atlanta seemed stunned.

Then it was tanking time. Claxton and Clowney did not return in the fourth quarter. Nor did Terance Mann. Nope; the most experience Net on the court for winning (losing) time was Minott, and even then, he was subbed out for a couple minutes midway through the quarter. The magic finally ran out. Atlanta used an 11-0 run to seal the deal, quickly shaking off the embarrassment of a potential nail-biting end to a contest against benchwarmers and two-way players.

The Nets, meanwhile, did what they’ve long been reluctant to do and got shameless with it. Noah Clowney and Nic Claxton (combined 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting) weren’t lighting the world on fire, but relegating them to cheerleader-status in the closing minutes certainly didn’t help Brooklyn’s chances of winning.

Jalen Johnson went right at his overmatched competition to score nine of his 21 points in the final frame while CJ McCollum played a supporting role, and the Hawks handled business. So did the Nets, for that matter.

Said Fernández: “I thought everybody played the right way, even though I put them in different spots … We had a group that was very physical right there, [Atlanta] got a little stagnant because we switched a little bit. So I thought that all that was very positive.”

It was. The Nets really went for the tank, and it worked. It wasn’t even that much of an eyesore Though Drake Powell shot just 4-of-13, it marked the first time he’s taken more than ten shots in a game, while Minott gave fans real hope that he indeed may be a steal. Will this behavior continue for the final 16 games? I can’t wait to find out.

Final Score: Atlanta Hawks 108, Brooklyn Nets 97

Milestone Watch

  • For Minott, three steals tied a season-high, accomplished with both Boston and Brooklyn. His 24 points, four triples, and eight free-throws are all career-highs.

Tankathon Standings

The Nets, sadly, did not gain any ground in the tank-off. The Washington Wizards took the Orlando Magic to overtime but did not pull off the upset on Thursday night, while the Indiana Pacers lost regular style. The Sacramento Kings were off. Here’s the standings, courtesy of Tankathon…

Next Up

<p>Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images</p><br>

Brooklyn wraps up their brief two-game road trip by visiting the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.

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Rapid Recap: Heat 112, Bucks 105

Mar 11, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first quarter at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks battled, but were unable to extinguish the Miami Heat, losing 112-105 as the Heat won their seventh straight game. Despite not having Tyler Herro, the Heat pulled through because of Pelle Larson, who had a career-high 28 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 31 points were not enough.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

A new starting lineup was rolled out for Milwaukee: Kevin Porter Jr. returned and started in place of Ryan Rollins. The Bucks began the game sluggishly on offense, unable to get any easy looks near the rim. Miami slowly extended its lead as the quarter progressed, while Milwaukee continued to struggle to generate any good offense, dribbling the ball excessively, which resulted in turnovers. Bobby Portis did his bit to come in and provide something on that end, but the Heat had an answer at every turn. Milwaukee trailed 31-21 after the first quarter

The second quarter was much better for Milwaukee, as they found their rhythm on both ends (the Heat went four minutes without a field goal). Bobby Portis hit some jumpers, and Taurean Prince scored his first points since returning from neck surgery. Giannis found a breakthrough too, throwing down some dunks and asserting his will. The Bucks’ three-ball was falling (primarily from Rollins and Turner), which helped them come back to tie the game at 51. However, Miami would end the final two minutes on an 8-0 run, taking a 59-51 lead into halftime.

Milwaukee continued its trend of starting the third quarter flat-footed as Miami scored a quick five points. The Bucks didn’t score a field goal for the first four and a half minutes—and 7 minutes of game time between the second and third quarters—before Giannis finally broke the drought. Milwaukee’s bench reduced the deficit somewhat, going on an 11-2 run in a three-minute stretch, but the Bucks still ended the third quarter trailing 85-77.

The bench (plus Giannis) continued to slowly chip away at the Heat’s lead to open the fourth. After not scoring for the first three quarters, Kyle Kuzma scored five straight points to get the visitors within just two points halfway through the fourth as the Bucks went on a 10-2 run, forcing a Miami timeout halfway through the frame. Milwaukee kept it close throughout the fourth quarter—getting back to that two-point margin later after a Jericho Sims and-one—but the Heat kept getting to the charity stripe and extending the lead. Still, the Bucks had a shot with less than a minute remaining to tie the game with a three; the problem was… it was Giannis who shot it (with heaps of time left on the shot clock, I might add). The Heat got the rebound, came down, and kicked it out to Pelle Larsson, who made his three. Game over.

Stat That Stood Out

The only reason the Bucks were even in this game was because of their bench. Milwaukee’s bench scored 56 points—led by Bobby Portis with 19—and outscored all the non-Giannis starters combined.

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Devils score twice in third period, but fall to Flames, 5-4

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — John Beecher scored his first two goals for Calgary, and Mikael Backlund recorded his 600th career NHL point with a third-period goal in the Flames’ 5-4 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

Former Devils Kevin Bahl and Yegor Sharangovich each also scored for Calgary. Dustin Wolf made 26 saves, and the Flames blocked 21 shots, claiming just their second win in their past eight games.

Luke Hughes had one goal and one assist, and Jack Hughes, Maxim Tsyplakov and Simon Nemec each scored for New Jersey. Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves and had an assist.

Beecher, who was a healthy scratch the past two games, had his first career short-handed goal less than one minute into the second period.

With Calgary up 2-1, he stole the puck from Jack Hughes in the neutral zone then banked his rebound in off Markstrom after the Devils goalie stopped Beecher’s initial shot.

Nemec cut the Flames’ advantage to 3-2 less than a minute later with a power-play goal. But Sharangovich, who played his first 205 games over three seasons with the Devils before being traded to the Flames in 2023, buried a backhand shot on a two-on-one that boosted Calgary’s lead to 4-2.

After Beecher scored on a two-on-one break, Bahl made it 2-0 at 14:07 of the first period – scoring on Markstrom, for whom he was traded on June 19, 2024.

Tsyplakov answered at 16:14 for his first goal in 11 games with the Devils since they acquired him Jan. 27, cutting Calgary’s lead to 2-1.

The Flames had dropped four straight road games prior to Thursday.

Up next

Flames: At New York Islanders on Saturday

Devils: Host Los Angeles Kings on Saturday

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Game Recap: Booker and Green dominate in Suns 123-108 win over Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns shoots the ball during the game against the Indiana Pacers on March 12, 2026 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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 Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Jalen Green and Devin Booker dominated the Phoenix Suns’ 123-108 win over the Indiana Pacers. The two Suns guards combined to score 79 points on 28-for-44 shooting and 7-of-16 from three. It was a dazzling display from the midrange as both players found the space to operate against an overmatched Indiana backcourt and hit contested midrange shots all game long. This game type of game should not come as a surprise to Suns fans, the last time the Suns played the Pacers, both Booker and Dillon Brooks scored over 30 in another dominant win.

While it was against the worst team record-wise in the NBA, the Suns’ backcourt showed its ceiling as one of the best duos in the NBA when Green is hitting shots. They played well with each other, and when Jordan Ott staggered them at the beginning and ends of quarters. We have been waiting months for this kind of Booker scoring barrage, and it appears to be coming at just the right time for Phoenix, which is now one game behind the pack for a top-six spot in the Western Conference.

As for Green, he struggled out of the gates in his return from injury, but after playing against some of the lesser teams in the NBA, he seems to have found his groove in the Suns’ offense. He will not hit every midrange jump shot as he did against Indiana, but he is building chemistry with his teammates and taking steps every single game. He still makes infuriating passes that lead to turnovers, and the shot selection is always a concern, but his ascension over this Suns win streak has certainly changed the ceiling of what this Suns team can be if he continues to play at this level.

Top Performers

Suns

Devin Booker: 43 points, 14-of-31 field goals, 4-for-7 from 3, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists

Jalen Green: 36 points, 14-of-23 field goals, 3-for-9 from 3, 4 assists, and 3 steals

Royce O’Neale: 15 points on 5-of-8 from 3

Rasheer Fleming: 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and a team high +16

Pacers

Andrew Nembhard: 23 points, 6-for-7 field goals and 2-for-2 from 3

Jarace Walker: 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists

Ben Sheppard: 10 points, 4-of-5 field goals, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist

Jalen Slawson: 10 points, 3-of-9 field goals, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists

Game Flow

First Half

The Suns and Pacers both got off to fast starts; neither team missed a shot for the first four minutes of the game. As has been the pattern over the last few games, Jalen Green came out firing and scored 6 quick points and hit Royce O’Neale for two early 3-point shots. The two-man game between him and Ighodaro was clicking in the first quarter. After playing multiple seasons with a similar passing big in Alperen Sengun, it was only a matter of time before they started to figure things out.

Then it was the Devin Armani Booker show; he scored 15 points in the first quarter on a plethora of midrange shots and attacking the basket, even his misses practically hit the bottom of the basket before popping back out. Unfortunately, the Suns’ defensive intensity was lacking in the first quarter, and the Suns’ poor defense and mental lapses allowed Andrew Nembhard (11 first-quarter points) and the Pacers to have the game tied 36-36 after the first quarter.

The second quarter started with the Suns setting the tone on the defensive end. Ighodaro was everywhere during his early stint and engineered an 18-3 Suns run with a block on Zubac and a dunk on the other end. He and Green continued to play a lot of two-man offense with pick-and-rolls or dribble handoffs. Green had a nice drive to the rim, where he hit Rasheer Fleming for the dunk, who slot cut from the wing.

Green, while up and down, continues to show growth as a playmaker against the bottom teams in the NBA as he has gotten more reps with his teammates. The Suns led by as many as 14, up 58-44, and looked poised to crack this game wide open, but the Pacers responded. With Maluach and Jamaree Bouyea in to close the second quarter, Nembhard and Zubac closed the half strong. They hit closely contested shots for Indiana while turnovers and an out-of-rhythm Phoenix offense allowed Indiana to cut the deficit to six, with the Suns up 67-61 at halftime. Booker finished the half with 22 points, and Nembhard finished with 23 for Indiana.

Second Half

The Pacers were playing a little too well in the first half, so Rick Carlisle decided to take out Zubac and Nembhard in the third quarter. Without their two best players, the Suns jumped out to a 79-68 lead after back-to-back 3s from O’Neale and Booker. Again, the Suns were close to breaking the game open, but could not because of defensive breakdowns and the offense stalling out. Multiple times in the third quarter, Ighodaro let Huff drive right to the basket without any resistance, and Ben Sheppard got himself going for the Pacers, scoring multiple times in the third quarter.

Booker was trying to do it all for the Suns in the third quarter, forcing his way to the basket and foul-baiting. He did not get many calls, and the other Suns turned the ball over, resulting in easy baskets for Indiana to get back into it, down 83-79. Then the Suns went small with Fleming at the five and O’Neale, Booker, Goodwin, and Green, where the Suns exploded to end the quarter up 96-88 after a 3-point barrage from Booker to end the quarter, and some exceptional switching defense took the Pacers out of rhythm. The quarter was almost capped off by Green crossing up Jarace Walker and postering a poor Pacers defender, the dunk hit back rim and bounced out… oh so close.

The fourth quarter was more of the same for Phoenix. A Goodwin steal and score started the Suns off, but the Pacers quickly cut into the Suns’ lead to 98-92. Then it became the Jalen Green show. Green attacked hard off the dribble and got any Pacers defender on him sprinting back to the rim, then Green pulled back time and time again to hit the 15-foot midrange jumpers. Then the threes were falling as well as he hit one in the corner off movement from Gillespie, and another from Booker off of his gravity.

Defensively, the Suns made enough plays to keep Indiana at bay. Fleming emphatically blocked two shots in the quarter, resulting in the Suns’ fastbreaks the other way. The game was dominated by the two Suns guards, and the rest of the team filled in enough of the gaps to get the 123-108 win. While a blowout would have helped Phoenix on the second night of a back-to-back, the Green and Booker show was a joy to watch the entire game. Let’s hope the shots keep going in for the rest of the road trip.

Up Next

It is a quick turnaround for the Suns, who play the Toronto Raptors in Toronto tomorrow at 4:30 pm Arizona time.

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Golden Knights captain Mark Stone returns after 5-game absence

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone returned Thursday night after a five-game absence that landed him on injured reserve.

Stone played 17:52 and finished a plus-2 in the Knights' 6-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Stone returned against the same team he suffered an upper-body injury against March 1 after absorbing a check from Kris Letang.

Stone returned to his top-line spot at right wing with center Jack Eichel and left wing Ivan Barbashev.

The Knights were 1-4 without Stone, and fell to third place in the Pacific Division, behind first-place Anaheim and Edmonton.

Stone has 21 goals and 39 assists in 44 games this season.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

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Wizards at Magic final score: Washington comeback falls short in OT, 136-131

Mar 12, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (3) drives against Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards’ valiant comeback effort fell short on Thursday against the Orlando Magic in a 136-131 contest at Kia Center.

The Wizards got buried in a 19-point hole in the third quarter that made the game look like it was about to turn into a good, old-fashioned blowout. But Bilal Coulibaly led a furious fourth-quarter rally that got the Wizards to within a single possession.

With the Wizards trailing 123-120 in the closing seconds of regulation, the basketball gods blessed Bilal with a banker to send the game to overtime.

Coulibaly finished with 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, but it wasn’t enough as the Wizards could not get a stop in overtime.

Washington also allowed a career-high 26 points from second-year big man Tristan Da Silva. But on the bright side, at least our guys didn’t allow anyone to score 83 points this time around.

Sarr tallied 16 points and 5 blocks, while Tristan Vukcevic had himself an 11-11 double-double off the bench. Tre Johnson struggled with his shot, going 1-of-11 for just 3 points. Trae Young had 15 points and 6 assists in his 21 minutes of action.

The Wizards close out their four-game road trip on Saturday with a matchup against the Boston Celtics.

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Maple Leafs beat Ducks 6-4 to end 8-game slide. Matthews injured on knee-on-knee hit

TORONTO (AP) — William Nylander broke a tie on a power play 36 seconds into the third period and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-4 on Thursday night to end an eight-game losing streak.

The victory was tempered by the loss of captain Auston Matthews on a knee-on-knee hit from Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas with four minutes left in the second period. Matthews stayed down favoring his left leg before being helped to the locker room. Gudas was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct.

Matthews scored earlier to end a 12-game goal drought.

Matias Maccell had a goal and two assists, and John Tavares and Benoit-Olivier Groulx also scored. Matthew Knies had three assists to go along with an empty-net goal, and Nylander added two assists. Joseph Woll made 36 saves.

Cutter Gauthier, Ian Moore, Pavel Mintyukov and Alex Killorn scored for Pacific Division-leading Anaheim. Lukas Dostal stopped 22 shots.

The Maple Leafs are 1-6-2 since the Olympic break to sink any realistic hope of a 10th straight playoff appearance. They won at home for the first time since Jan. 10.

Up next

Ducks: At Ottawa on Saturday.

Maple Leafs: At Buffalo on Saturday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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San Diego Padres Offseason Review

I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith—as there's a drive into deep left field by Castellanos, it will be a home run, and so that'll make it a 4–0 ballgame. I don't know if I'm gonna be putting on this headset again.
PEORIA, ARIZONA - MARCH 5: Nick Castellanos #21 of the San Diego Padres swings and hits the ball during a Spring Training game against the Seattle Mariners at Peoria Stadium on March 5, 2026 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Introduction

After reviewing the offseason of the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers the last two weeks, today we continue our NL West Offseason reviews with a look at the San Diego Padres.

2025 Season Overview/Recap

The Padres got off to a great start to begin the 2025 season, matching their best-19 game start in franchise history with a 15-4 record. The team experienced a roster makeover thanks to a busy trade deadline, trading for Ramon Laureano, Ryan O’Hearn, Nestor Cortes, Freddy Fermín, JP Sears, and probably the most impactful piece, All-Star closer Mason Miller. The Padres held a lead at top of the NL West on August 23, the latest they’ve held a lead in the division during a season since 2010, however, they finished in second place in the division behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second straight season. They did make the postseason as the fifth NL Wild Card seed though, but ultimately lost to the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in the Wild Card series, ending their season in disappointment. In spite of the disappointing end to their season, I still think it’s fair to call the Padres 2025 season a success.

Notable acquisitions:
SP Michael King (re-signed; 3 yr, $75M) 
INF Sung-Mun Song (4 yr, $15M)
3B/OF Miguel Andujar (1 yr, $4M) 
SP Kyle Hart (re-signed; 1 yr, $1.2M) 
RP Ty Adcock (1-year deal) 
RP Daison Acosta (1-year deal)
SP Triston McKenzie (MiLB deal) 
SP Griffin Canning (1 yr, $2.5M) 
OF Nick Castellanos (1 yr, $780k) 
1B Ty France (MiLB deal) 
SP Germán Márquez (1 yr, $1.75M)
SP Walker Buehler (MiLB deal) 

Notable subtractions:

UTIL Jose Iglesias, SP Dylan Cease (Blue Jays), 1B/2B Luis Arraez (Giants), RP Robert Suarez (Braves), 1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn (Pirates)

Offseason Summary and Review

The Padres have one of the biggest subtractions of the offseason in the NL West with Dylan Cease leaving sunny San Diego for the exact opposite weather in Toronto, Canada. However, the Padres did manage to avoid also losing starting pitchers Michael King and Kyle Hart to free agency. While German Marquez and Walker Buehler are a big step down from Cease, they are very low risk additions, especially considering the market for free agent starting pitching. I really like the addition of German Marquez, who in theory should have a much easier time pitching at sea level in San Diego, especially compared to the challenge that is pitching at altitude in Denver’s Coors Fields. Walker Buehler probably won’t come close again to what he did when he was with the Dodgers, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he returned to form in 2026. Starting pitcher Griffin Canning, who ruptured his Achilles tendon playing for the Mets in 2025, might be one of the better under-the-radar signings of the offseason. While he’s still rehabbing that injury, he’ll likely provide a boost to the Padres rotation early into the 2026 season. While not a free agent signing, Joe Musgrove, who missed all of 2025 thanks to Tommy John surgery he had back in October of 2024, should provide a boost to the Padres rotation early in the season as well.

Before going into the details of the Sung-Mun Song, Nick Castellanos, or Miguel Andujar signings, it’s worth noting that they’re improvements just from the fact that the Padres won’t have to suffer through Jose Iglesias playing in 112 games games in 2026. Despite having a career high 2.5 fWAR and 136 wRC+ in 86 games for the Mets in 2024, Iglesias fell off hard in 2025, putting up an anemic 73 wRC+ and negative defensive value when not playing shortstop, leading to a -0.2 fWAR/-0.7 bWAR season.

Sung-Mun Song is coming off two excellent seasons in the Korean Baseball. In 2024 Song played in all but one of the Kiwoom Heroes games and hit .340/.409/.518, finishing with a career high 19 homeruns and 21 stolen bases, which works out to a 143 wRC+ or 43% better than league average. He’d follow that up with an arguably better 2025 season. He played in all 144 games, hit .315/.387/.530 with 26 homeruns and 25 stolen bases. In a season where offense was down in the KBO, that works out to a 151 wRC+ or 51% better than a league average hitter. The real concerns with Song are that prior to 2024 he had been a below average hitter in all but one of his prior seven seasons, in addition to having only one season where he had appeared in more than 105 games. So the big question for Song will he able to continue his offensive breakout in a more competitive league, while staying healthy for a full season? ZIPs and other projection systems are skeptical of Song succeeding in MLB, but he does at least project to be an average hitter.

Miguel Andujar is coming off his best season in MLB since 2018. While not anywhere close to his production that season, in 2025 he still managed to hit .318/.352/.470 with a 125 wRC+ in 98 games split between the Athletics and Reds. While I wouldn’t expect him to follow up with an equal or better 2026, he should at least give the Padres an offensive boost.

Adding Nick Castellanos is possibly the biggest surprise of the Padres offseason. Castellanos, who turned 34 a week ago, was DFA’d by the Phillies after a disappointing 2025 campaign in which he hit .250/.294/.400 with a 90 wRC+. Although Castellanos will be used as part of a platoon, the fact that his hitting against both left and right handers cratered in 2025 is a massive red flag entering the 2026 season. While Castellanos might have been a good fit for Petco earlier in his career, I don’t think the ballpark will do him any favors in 2026. All that said, taking a flier on Castellanos for league minimum is definitely worth the risk.

This is still a very talented roster, especially with the core of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr, Xander Bogaerts, and Jake Cronenworth, which doesn’t even get into Jackson Merrill and flamethrowing closer Mason Miller, both of whom should only be getting better going forward. While there are some concerns with the lengthy deals the Padres inked over the last decade, that’s really a problem for next year.

On paper this looks like the NL West with the best chances of beating the likely division winner the Los Angeles Dodgers. I really love the moves they made to improve their pitching staff and lineup, especially the lower risk moves. My offseason grade for the San Diego Padres is an A.

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Purple Row After Dark: Who will win the World Baseball Classic?

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 11: A general view of loanDepot park during the national anthem of the Dominican Republic prior to the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool D game presented by Capital One between Team Dominican Republic and Team Venezuela on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Kelly Gavin/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Place your bets!

The pool stage of the World Baseball Classic is complete, the matchups are set, and we’re gearing up for what should be five days of incredible baseball starting Friday night with Team USA taking on Canada in Houston and the Dominican Republic facing Korea in Miami. The following night, Puerto Rico will face Italy and Japan will take on Venezuela.

Here’s the full broadcast schedule.

There are eight teams remaining, which includes eight remaining Rockies:

  • Team Canada: Eduoard Julien, Antoine Jean
  • Team Italy: Michael Lorenzen
  • Team Dominican Republic: Juan Mejia
  • Team Puerto Rico: Willi Castro
  • Team Venezuela: Ezequiel Tovar, Antonio Senzatela
  • Team Japan: Tomoyuki Sugano

On Monday, we asked you who you thought was having the best WBC and which team you were rooting for. Tonight, we ask you a separate question: who do you think will win the whole thing?

Japan, USA and the Dominican Republic appear to be the favorites on paper, but anything can happen! (That’s baseball, and all that.)

Let us know your thoughts!

And in the meantime, see what the WBC means to some of the players:

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

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Kiké Hernández explains why WBC ‘feels bigger’ than World Series

Dodgers playoff star Kike Hernandez

PHOENIX –– Kiké Hernández has been to the MLB postseason 10 times, played in 103 playoff games and taken part in five World Series.

But what he experienced last week, while cheering on Team Puerto Rico from the dugout during two group stage games on his native island in the World Baseball Classic, might have rivaled anything he’s ever felt in his baseball career.

Kiké Hernández takes in the moment before Team Puerto Rico’s WBC game earlier in March. MLB Photos via Getty Images

“Getting the W and having a stadium of 18,000 people singing a pretty significant song for our island all together, it’s a moment that I’ll never forget,” he said. “I’m still bummed that I don’t get to be a part of it, but I still support my people. I’m still hoping that they can win.”

Hernández is not participating in this year’s WBC, of course, as he continues to recover from an offseason elbow surgery that will sideline him for the first couple months of the season. 

However, he got permission from the Dodgers to leave spring training last week to join Team Puerto Rico for the first two group stage games it hosted at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in the island’s capital of San Juan. 

That meant, when Darell Hernáiz hit his epic walk-off home run in Puerto Rico’s extra-inning, come-from-behind win over Panama last Saturday, Hernández was there in the home plate celebration, pouring out of the dugout alongside his Puerto Rican teammates (including new Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz) in what instantly became one of the defining moments of WBC history.

“It’s not a walk-off homer in the World Series or anything like that,” he said. “But it’s still up there as one of those really cool moments that I’ll always remember.”

Afterward, Hernández also made headlines with postgame comments that went viral on social media, when he said in Spanish: “I’ve played in five World Series, and I don’t know if it’s because of what’s across my chest, but the Classic feels above that.”

On Thursday, Hernández expounded on that message, clarifying that the WBC often “feels bigger” than the World Series –– even if there is no apples-to-apples comparison for an MLB title.

“You don’t always choose who you play for (in MLB). Sometimes that’s not in your control,” he said. “But when you’re representing your country and playing along with your homies, sometimes you’re playing along with people that you grew up with. People back home are rooting for you.

“For us, coming from a little island, the things we can do for our island while the tournament is going on, it becomes a lot bigger than baseball, to where it not always feels that way when you’re playing for an organization in Major League Baseball.”

Kiké Hernández is not playing in the WBC this year for Team Puerto Rico. Getty Images

Hernández will rejoin Team Puerto Rico in Houston this weekend for its quarterfinal game Saturday against Team Italy –– joking that he texted Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman for permission immediately after last week’s walk-off win.

“He knows how much these games mean to me,” said Hernández, who still had his hair dyed white as part of Team Puerto Rico tradition. “It might have been an emotional text, but he was like, ‘After watching that game, it’s a pretty easy yes.’”

When asked if he would stay with Team Puerto Rico if it advances to the semifinal in Miami after that, Hernández then cracked a sly grin.

“I haven’t had that conversation yet with Andrew,” he said. “I only asked permission to go to Houston. So if we win again in Houston, he might get another text message asking if I can go along for the ride. But I haven’t decided that yet. We’re going to go one day at a time.”

Hernández’s rehab will factor into that equation. He said his progress is “starting to move along really rapidly” and that he has been able to take swings in the batting cage off a tee and against flipped balls from coaches.

Still, he wants to be there for as much of Puerto Rico’s WBC run as possible –– embracing his role as part cheerleader, part de facto coach on a team that has already surpassed expectations by reaching the knockout round despite missing most of its best MLB players because of insurance issues or injuries.

“I accepted the fact and came to peace with the fact that I couldn’t play,” he said. “Then you show up, you wear the uniform, you go out there for the anthem and you look around you can’t do it. It was really cool, but it was also really hard. 

“I had to do a good job of hiding (that disappointment) and be there for the other guys that were there with less experience. It was tough being there (and not playing), but I’ll be there again in Houston, cheering them against Italy and providing whatever it is I need to provide as far as guidance or cheerleading. Whatever it is, I’ll be there. I’m all for it.”

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Reinhart scores in OT as Panthers down Blue Jackets 2-1

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Sam Reinhart scored 2:20 into overtime to lift the Florida Panthers over the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Thursday night.

Sam Bennett also scored for the Panthers. His power-play wrist shot 1:28 into the third period sent the game to overtime. Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves in the win for the Panthers.

Adam Fantilli scored for the Blue Jackets, and Elvis Merzlikins had 19 saves.

The Blue Jackets dominated the first two periods, outshooting the Panthers 24-10. Florida came back strong in the third period and dominated in overtime.

Reinhart scored his team-leading 29th goal of the season on the power play. Matthew Tkachuk assisted on Reinhart’s goal, giving him three goals and four assists over his last four games.

The Panthers played without Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe.

Up next

Blue Jackets: Wrap up a three-game road trip at Philadelphia on Saturday.

Panthers: Begin a four-game road trip at Seattle on Sunday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Shorthanded Red Wings Fall 4-1 To Lightning In Tampa Bay

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While the shorthanded Detroit Red Wings didn't play a poor road game by any means, they didn't get the bounces needed to take down a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Tampa dealt the Red Wings, who were shorthanded without Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp, and David Perron, a 4-1 setback. It was their third regulation loss in their last four games.

However, they remain in the first Wild Card playoff position in the Eastern Conference thanks to the 4-2 loss by the Boston Bruins (WC2) to the San Jose Sharks. 

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Following a scoreless opening 20 minutes of play, the Lightning struck first early in the second period thanks to Jake Guentzel, who was a teammate of Larkin's for Team USA's successful gold medal run last month. 

Tampa then scored again early in the third period, as a shot from Brayden Point deflected off Ben Chiarot and then off the skate of Gage Goncalves, giving them a 2-0 lead. 

Detroit was able to break the shutout attempt of Andrei Vasilevskiy after J.T. Compher, who was elevated to the top center position, got his stick on a shot from Alex DeBrincat.  

Red Wings Call Up Multiple Players From Griffins Under Emergency Conditions Red Wings Call Up Multiple Players From Griffins Under Emergency Conditions The Detroit Red Wings have called up multiple players from the Grand Rapids Griffins under emergency conditions following the injury on Tuesday evening to Andrew Copp.

Minutes later, Patrick Kane had a glorious opportunity at the side of the net after taking a feed from Compher, but his shot missed wide right by a foot and hit the outside netting of the goal. 

Point then managed to beat Gibson on a screen shot in the waning minutes of regulation, restoring Tampa's two-goal lead. Guentzel then added his second goal of the evening with Gibson on the bench for an extra attacker. 

Gibson finished with 24 saves, the same number of saves Vasilevskiy finished with.

To compensate for the absences of Larkin and Copp, the Red Wings called up forwards from the Grand Rapids Griffins, including Sheldon Dries, who played for the first time since 2023 while he was with the Colorado Avalanche.

He played 10:16 of total ice time and had two shots.  

The Red Wings will conclude their road trip on Saturday evening with a stop in Dallas to face the Stars. 

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Kings Trade Defensemen To Senators In Exchange for a Forward

While the NHL trade deadline ended on March 6th, another hockey deadline was still a week away: the AHL deadline. The AHL trade deadline is different from the NHL's, as its official deadline ends March 13th, which is tomorrow. Last Friday, the Kings and Senators made a trade involving Warren Foegele, who went from Los Angeles to Ottawa. 

The Trade

The official trade is that the LA Kings acquire forward Jan Janik in exchange for defenseman Samuel Bolduc. The trade is a one-for-one, and both players will remain in the AHL as of now. 

Jan Janik, this season with the Belleville Senators, has played in 41 games, registering 9 goals, 8 assists, and 17 points. In his NHL career, the 26-year-old has played 24 games, recording 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points. 

The Kings are trading away Samuel Bolduc, who this season has played in 56 games for the Ontario Reign, recording 5 goals and 16 assists for 21 points. In the NHL, he has played 52 games, recording 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points. 

Ontario Reign 

With the LA Kings fighting for a playoff spot, the Ontario Reign are the opposite, as they currently sit atop the Pacific Division with 79 points. In the overall AHL league standings, the Ontario Reign are 4th, only behind the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Providence Bruins, and Grand Rapids Griffins. 

Leading the Ontario Reign is Glenn Gawdin, who has 44 points in 57 games and leads the team in points. 25-year-old Andre Lee leads the Ontario Reign with 23 goals this season and has 40 points. 

There is a good chance the Kings and the Reign make the playoffs in their respective leagues, and while it seems pretty likely the Reign will make it, it will come down to the final couple of games to see if the Kings can make it in. 

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Snuggerud scores 2, Binnington stops 31 shots as Blues beat East-leading Hurricanes 3-1

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jimmy Snuggerud scored twice to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 3-1 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.

Snuggerud scored a tying goal in the second period and added a go-ahead score in third for the Blues, who were coming off an overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

Jordan Binnington starred for St. Louis, stopping 31 of the 32 shots he faced. Pavel Buchnevich scored his 15th of the season into an empty net in the final minute and Dylan Holloway assisted on both goals by Snuggerud, who has been on a offensive tear recently as the Blues won for the sixth time in eight games.

Snuggerud had his fourth straight multi-point game and scored in his fourth straight. The 21-year-old forward had a goal and two assists against the Islanders after recording a goal and assist in wins over Anaheim and San Jose. He has 15 goals and 19 assists in 53 games.

Mark Jankowski scored for the Hurricanes, who had their 12-game home points streak halted. Brandon Bussi made 14 saves.

Carolina, which entered having won three of their last four games and eight of their last 10, dominated at the outset, outshooting the Blues 13-2 in the first period.

Jankowski scored his seventh of the season after making a steal at center ice, moving around the Blues' Tyler Tucker and beating a sliding Binnington with a high shot for a 1-0 lead.

Snuggerud tied the game less than four minutes into the second period, beating Bussi with a snap shot from the high slot. He added the tiebreaking goal with just under five minutes remaining in the third period, sending a shot beneath Bussi's blocker from close range.

Up next

Blues: Host the Edmonton Oilers on Friday.

Hurricanes: At the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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Gamethread: Penguins @ Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 07: Ilya Samsonov #35 of the Vegas Golden Knights makes a save as Blake Lizotte #46 of the Pittsburgh Penguins looks for a rebound in the first period of their game at T-Mobile Arena on March 07, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Talk about the game with Pens fans here!