Clippers 153, Timberwolves 128: Death by Aspiration

INGLEWOOD, CA - MARCH 11: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers drives to the basket during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 11, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

“Aspiration” is a funny word.

In one context, it’s the kind of corporate-sounding buzzword you might associate with some fake environmental company allegedly planting trees while secretly funneling money to star players to circumvent the NBA salary cap. But in medical terms, aspiration is something much less glamorous. It’s what happens when your saliva or vomit goes down the wrong pipe and ends up in your lungs instead of your stomach. It can lead to pneumonia. In severe cases, it can even be fatal.

And if you were watching the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night inside the Intuit Dome, it felt like a pretty fitting metaphor. Because for the second straight game in Los Angeles, the Wolves essentially choked and flatlined.

Coming off two games where they couldn’t defend anyone and couldn’t buy a shot, Minnesota desperately needed a reset to stabilize a team that suddenly looked nothing like the group that had climbed its way into the Western Conference’s third seed just a week earlier. Instead, they ran straight into Kawhi Leonard, who looked like the Terminator if the Terminator could also hit midrange jumpers with robotic precision.

By the time the smoke cleared, the Wolves had given up 153 points, suffered a third straight loss, and fallen all the way back to the sixth seed in the Western Conference. For those of you who happen to be gluttons for punishment, let’s walk through how this thing spiraled out of control.


First Quarter: Turnovers and Kawhi’s Heater

The game started in about the worst way imaginable. In the first three minutes, the Wolves turned the ball over five times. That stretch helped spark a 12–0 Clippers run, and before anyone had even settled into their seats the Wolves were staring at a 12–2 deficit.

A Jaden McDaniels dunk and an Anthony Edwards three-pointer helped steady things briefly, trimming the score to a more respectable 18–9 halfway through the quarter. But the early damage had already been done.

Then Kawhi Leonard decided to get involved. Actually, “get involved” is underselling it. Kawhi essentially launched his own personal scoring rampage. At one point he outscored the Wolves by himself, scoring 14 points to Minnesota’s 12, pushing the Clippers lead to 28–12.

By the time the first quarter ended, Kawhi had piled up 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and the Clippers were comfortably ahead 38–27. At that pace, Los Angeles was tracking toward a score in the 150s, which (spoiler alert), turned out to be exactly where they ended up.

The Wolves had survived the first quarter, but it already felt like they were chasing the game.


Second Quarter: Edwards Fights Back, But Turnovers Strike Again

For a brief moment in the second quarter, Minnesota looked like it might stabilize. The Wolves actually started generating some stops, something that had been painfully absent over the previous nine quarters of basketball. Edwards knocked down another three, bringing his personal total to 10 points, and suddenly the score was 45–43.

Momentum shift, right?

Not quite.

The Wolves hit the bonus just five minutes into the quarter, repeatedly sending the Clippers to the free-throw line. That parade to the stripe helped stretch the lead back to 51–43, forcing Chris Finch to call a timeout.

To Minnesota’s credit, they responded. A quick five-point burst from McDaniels cut the deficit to 60–57, and suddenly the game felt competitive again.

But then the Wolves remembered they were playing Kawhi Leonard and that turnovers were their favorite hobby of the night. Another sloppy stretch led to an 8–0 Clippers run, and by halftime Minnesota found itself trailing 74–65.

The halftime stat that told the whole story? 15 turnovers, which Los Angeles had turned into 21 points.

The game still had the feel of a star duel brewing. Kawhi had 28 points at halftime, while Edwards had already piled up 23 of his own, but Minnesota’s sloppiness kept preventing any sustained push.


Third Quarter: Hanging Around… Barely

Coming out of halftime, the Wolves at least avoided getting immediately blown off the floor. For a while the teams traded buckets, keeping the margin within reach.

Then Kawhi and company stepped on the gas again. Back-to-back threes from Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland pushed the Clippers lead to 95–76, threatening to turn the game into a full-blown rout.

To their credit, the Wolves finally showed some fight. Minnesota answered with a 9–0 run, trimming the deficit to 95–85 and at least giving the appearance that a comeback might be brewing.

By the end of the third quarter, the Wolves were still technically within striking distance, trailing 109–98.

And the reason they were still breathing was simple: Anthony Edwards.

Ant had taken control offensively by attacking the rim, getting to the free throw line, and picking his spots from deep. While the rest of Minnesota’s offense sputtered, Edwards kept dragging them back into the game possession by possession. It felt like one more run might make things interesting.

But that hope lasted about two minutes.


Fourth Quarter: The Clippers Slam the Door

Whatever oxygen remained in the Wolves’ balloon disappeared immediately at the start of the fourth. The Clippers came out firing, stretching the lead to 120–100 in a matter of moments. Just like that, the faint comeback hopes vanished.

From there it turned into a full avalanche.

Los Angeles ripped off another 17–6 run, pushing the lead beyond 30 and effectively ending the competitive portion of the night. With roughly half the quarter still to play, Chris Finch emptied the bench, sending out Joe Ingles and the young reserves to finish out the inevitable.

By the final buzzer, the Clippers had hung 153 points on Minnesota in an absolute demolition.


The Final Numbers

The box score told a pretty straightforward story.

  • Kawhi Leonard: 45 points
  • Clippers points: 153
  • Wolves turnovers: 15 in the first half alone

Edwards fought hard and delivered a 36-point performance, but the rest of the Wolves never provided the support needed to make it matter. Meanwhile, Kawhi played one of those terrifyingly efficient superstar games where every shot seems automatic and every defensive mistake gets punished.


A Team That Suddenly Looks Lost

After the game, Chris Finch didn’t offer any grand explanations for what’s happening to his team. He simply noted that the Wolves currently feel like they’re “worlds apart from where they were a week ago.”

That’s probably the most honest assessment. Just days ago Minnesota looked like a team climbing toward the top of the Western Conference standings.

Now they look like a group stuck in quicksand.

The three-game skid has allowed Houston, Los Angeles, and Denver to leapfrog Minnesota in the standings. The Wolves now find themselves right back where they started, clinging to the sixth seed in the West.


What Comes Next

The road trip isn’t over. Next stop: Golden State on Friday, where Minnesota will try to snap the losing streak before things get even worse.

Because if the Wolves learned anything in Los Angeles this week, it’s that in the Western Conference standings, you don’t just slide down the ladder.

Sometimes you fall off it completely.

Golden State faces Minnesota, aims to stop home slide

Minnesota Timberwolves (40-25, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (32-33, ninth in the Western Conference)

San Francisco; Friday, 10 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Golden State aims to stop its three-game home losing streak with a win over Minnesota.

The Warriors are 22-21 in Western Conference games. Golden State is ninth in the Western Conference scoring 115.2 points while shooting 45.9% from the field.

The Timberwolves have gone 24-18 against Western Conference opponents. Minnesota has a 15-16 record against teams above .500.

The Warriors are shooting 45.9% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points lower than the 46.3% the Timberwolves allow to opponents. The Timberwolves average 118.4 points per game, 4.2 more than the 114.2 the Warriors give up.

The teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Timberwolves won the last meeting 108-83 on Jan. 27. Julius Randle scored 18 points to help lead the Timberwolves to the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Moses Moody is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 3.3 rebounds for the Warriors. Brandin Podziemski is averaging 16.1 points and 8.4 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Randle is averaging 21.2 points, seven rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards is averaging 27.9 points, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Warriors: 3-7, averaging 113.4 points, 46.0 rebounds, 31.3 assists, 9.3 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.2 points per game.

Timberwolves: 7-3, averaging 112.8 points, 43.2 rebounds, 24.0 assists, 9.3 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.8 points.

INJURIES: Warriors: Jimmy Butler III: out for season (knee), Stephen Curry: out (knee), Moses Moody: day to day (wrist), Seth Curry: day to day (sciatic nerve), Quinten Post: day to day (foot), De'Anthony Melton: day to day (adductor).

Timberwolves: Ayo Dosunmu: out (thumb).

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

Orlando faces Washington, aims for 4th straight home win

Washington Wizards (16-48, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (36-28, fifth in the Eastern Conference)

Orlando, Florida; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Magic -15; over/under is 231.5

BOTTOM LINE: Orlando will try to keep its three-game home win streak alive when the Magic play Washington.

The Magic are 7-5 against the rest of their division. Orlando is seventh in the Eastern Conference with 32.6 defensive rebounds per game led by Paolo Banchero averaging 7.4.

The Wizards are 2-11 against Southeast Division teams. Washington allows 123.7 points to opponents while being outscored by 11.1 points per game.

The Magic are shooting 46.5% from the field this season, 1.5 percentage points lower than the 48.0% the Wizards allow to opponents. The Wizards average 112.6 points per game, 1.2 fewer than the 113.8 the Magic give up.

The teams square off for the fourth time this season. In the last matchup on March 4 the Magic won 126-109 led by 37 points from Banchero, while Will Riley scored 19 points for the Wizards.

TOP PERFORMERS: Banchero is averaging 22.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and five assists for the Magic. Desmond Bane is averaging 26.1 points and 4.7 assists over the last 10 games.

Alex Sarr is averaging 17.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and two blocks for the Wizards. Riley is averaging 15.4 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Magic: 7-3, averaging 114.9 points, 45.8 rebounds, 27.2 assists, 7.7 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.8 points per game.

Wizards: 1-9, averaging 114.8 points, 39.3 rebounds, 24.0 assists, 7.4 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 128.5 points.

INJURIES: Magic: Franz Wagner: out (ankle), Anthony Black: out (back).

Wizards: Jamir Watkins: day to day (foot), Anthony Davis: out (finger), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Kyshawn George: out (elbow), D'Angelo Russell: day to day (not injury related), Bub Carrington: day to day (hip).

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

Houston faces conference rival New Orleans

New Orleans Pelicans (22-45, 12th in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (40-25, third in the Western Conference)

Houston; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The New Orleans Pelicans take on Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets in Western Conference action Friday.

The Rockets are 6-6 against the rest of their division. Houston ranks third in the Western Conference with 52.4 points per game in the paint led by Alperen Sengun averaging 13.7.

The Pelicans are 6-7 against the rest of the division. New Orleans is eighth in the Western Conference scoring 115.6 points per game and is shooting 46.5%.

The Rockets average 114.2 points per game, 5.8 fewer points than the 120.0 the Pelicans allow. The Pelicans are shooting 46.5% from the field, 0.6% higher than the 45.9% the Rockets' opponents have shot this season.

The two teams square off for the third time this season. The Rockets defeated the Pelicans 119-110 in their last meeting on Jan. 19. Jabari Smith Jr. led the Rockets with 32 points, and Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 21 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Durant is shooting 51.4% and averaging 25.9 points for the Rockets. Reed Sheppard is averaging 3.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Murphy is averaging 22.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals for the Pelicans. Saddiq Bey is averaging 20.7 points and 5.2 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 6-4, averaging 113.9 points, 47.0 rebounds, 25.4 assists, 7.9 steals and 5.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.0 points per game.

Pelicans: 7-3, averaging 121.0 points, 46.9 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.9 steals and 6.8 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.0 points.

INJURIES: Rockets: Jae'Sean Tate: out (knee), Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle), Dorian Finney-Smith: out (ankle).

Pelicans: Bryce McGowens: out (toe).

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

Spurs play the Nuggets on 5-game win streak

Denver Nuggets (40-26, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. San Antonio Spurs (48-17, second in the Western Conference)

San Antonio; Thursday, 9 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Spurs -5.5; over/under is 235.5

BOTTOM LINE: San Antonio comes into a matchup with Denver as winners of five games in a row.

The Spurs are 28-13 against Western Conference opponents. San Antonio is the NBA leader with 35.2 defensive rebounds per game led by Victor Wembanyama averaging 9.2.

The Nuggets are 24-14 in Western Conference play. Denver scores 120.4 points while outscoring opponents by 4.1 points per game.

The Spurs are shooting 48.1% from the field this season, 1.1 percentage points higher than the 47.0% the Nuggets allow to opponents. The Nuggets are shooting 49.3% from the field, 4.2% higher than the 45.1% the Spurs' opponents have shot this season.

The teams meet for the second time this season. The Spurs won 139-136 in the last matchup on Nov. 29.

TOP PERFORMERS: Wembanyama is scoring 24.2 points per game with 11.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the Spurs. De'Aaron Fox is averaging 17.3 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 52.9% over the last 10 games.

Jamal Murray is averaging 25.5 points and 7.1 assists for the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic is averaging 29.1 points and 12.9 rebounds while shooting 53.9% over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Spurs: 9-1, averaging 121.6 points, 44.8 rebounds, 30.7 assists, 7.2 steals and 6.9 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.1 points per game.

Nuggets: 5-5, averaging 121.2 points, 46.1 rebounds, 28.9 assists, 6.9 steals and 3.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.1 points.

INJURIES: Spurs: David Jones Garcia: out for season (ankle), Harrison Barnes: day to day (ankle), Lindy Waters III: day to day (illness).

Nuggets: Peyton Watson: out (hamstring).

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

Brickner, Idaho beat Montana for Big Sky Conference title, clinch 1st NCAA berth since 1990

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Isaiah Brickner had 23 points and 10 rebounds — his first double-double of the season — and Brody Rowbury scored 12 points to help seventh-seeded Idaho beat No. 4 seed Montana 77-66 on Wednesday night to win the Big Sky Conference Tournament and clinch a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Idaho (21-14), which played its fourth game in five days, has won five in a row and won the Big Sky Conference Tournament for the first time since 1990. The Vandals snapped a nine-game losing streak against Montana and leads the series 113-99.

Kolton Mitchell added 11 points and Trevon Blassingame scored 10 for Idaho.

Under third-year coach Alex Pribble, the Vandals have their most victories since they also won 21 games in 2015-16.

Money Williams and Te’Jon Sawyer led the Grizzlies (18-16) with 19 points apiece and Brooklyn Hicks scored 11.

Williams scored a tournament-record 91 points, breaking the mark of 83 set by Montana's Anthony Johnson in 2010.

The Grizzlies beat No. 1 seed Portland State 75-72 and Idaho knocked off third-seeded Eastern Washington 81-68 in the semifinals.

Up next

Idaho: Looks to Selection Sunday.

Montana: Awaits a potential postseason invitation.

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Padres Reacts Survey: Who should win fifth, final spot in San Diego rotation?

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 01, 2026: Germán Márquez #33 of the San Diego Padres throws a pitch during the first inning of a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on March 01, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The San Diego Padres entered the 2026 season knowing they would have to address needs in the starting rotation, but with a limited budget, doing so through free agency proved to be difficult. San Diego re-signed Michael King, who could easily be considered the ace of the staff and that was the one “big signing” that was made to address the rotation. At the very least, King would be considered a co-ace with Nick Pivetta, who finished sixth in Cy Young voting following the 2025 season.

The return of Joe Musgrove gave the Padres a solid top of the rotation, and if Randy Vasquez could continue to improve throughout Spring Training and into the season, the top four spots in the rotation would be set. San Diego would need to address the fifth starter in the rotation and general manager A.J. Preller attempted to do so by bringing in several veteran pitchers on minor league deals to compete with JP Sears, Matt Waldron and potentially Kyle Hart, who were already on the roster. Hart has been used more as a long-relief bullpen arm and seems to be out of starter consideration.

Preller signed German Marquez to a major league deal and Walker Buehler, Marco Gonzales and Triston McKenzie to minor league deals. They all came to Spring Training with a chance to win a spot in the rotation. Each pitcher has had positives and negatives this spring, but only McKenzie seems to have played himself out of consideration due to control issues. The right-hander has good stuff and a high-velocity fastball, but his ability to command his pitches could be what keeps him off the roster.

Marquez seems to have the liveliest arm in the group of rotation contenders, but he has not been able to stand out from the group and take control of the competition. Buehler, who was previously known as a fastball pitcher, is re-inventing himself and becoming more of a “pitcher,” relying on movement to keep hitters off balance. Gonzales has had a spring similar to Marquez. He has not been bad, but he has not done anything to separate himself from his competitors.

Sears continues to have trouble with the home run ball. He has been a flyball pitcher for his career, but the problem he runs into is that too many of those flyballs land beyond the outfield wall in the stands.

With Opening Day approaching March 26, Preller, manager Craig Stammen and pitching coach Ruben Niebla will have to decide who will make the roster and fill the final rotation spot. With news in recent days of Pivetta missing a start due to arm fatigue and Musgrove’s return to the mound after one spring start in question, perhaps multiple candidates will make the Padres roster.

For this week’s Padres Reacts Survey, Gaslamp Ball asks readers which candidate they think will win the fifth and final spot in the rotation. For this exercise, let’s assume King, Pivetta, Musgrove and Vasquez are all healthy and on the Opening Day roster. Results will be published later in the week.

'Mr. March' Vinnie Pasquantino homers 3 times to extend magical Italy WBC run

HOUSTON — Vinnie Pasquantino, walking though the corridor with a half-empty can of beer Wednesday night, lifted up his blue suit jacket, smelled it, and wrinkled his nose.

He has worn the same suit every day, to day games and night games, with Team Italy at Daikin Park, maintaining the tradition Italy manager Francisco Cervelli established for his team in this World Baseball Classic.

But Pasquantino may have made a serious wardrobe miscalculation.

Team Italy, which was supposed to be dismissed from the World Baseball Classic after four games in pool play, is sticking around for awhile, and perhaps may have another flight to catch. It pulled off a second consecutive stunning upset Wednesday, 9-1, over Mexico.

The team that was supposed to be an afterthought, suddenly is on everyone’s forefront, sweeping all four games in the WBC to win Pool B and be a No. 1 seed for the first time in Italy history. It will play Puerto Rico on Saturday afternoon at Daikin Park for the right to play in the semifinals in Miami.

“There’s another team in the world that can play baseball,’’ Cervelli proudly said.

And there’s another slugger in the world who can hit three home runs in a single game, becoming the first player to achieve the feat in World Baseball Classic history.

So, is there a nickname Pasquantino wants after his feat, considering Reggie Jackson earned his monicker after hitting three homers in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series for the Yankees?

“Mr. March,’’ he said, laughing.

“It’s just a good night. That's it. This will be forgotten very soon. But you know, anytime you can just say Reggie Jackson's name to me is cool.’’

When was the last time Pasquantino, the Kansas City Royals first baseman, hit three homers in a game?

“I've never done it before,’’ he said.

College?

“No.’’

High School?

“No.’’

Little League?

“Never.’’

And never had the Hall of Fame ever reached out and requested anything from him to be displayed in Cooperstown.

Then, again, he might become the first one to flatly turn them down. Well, at least delay them a bit.

“They liked the bat,’’ Pasquantino said. “I said, 'I need the bat for a few more days.’’

When you go hitless in the first three games of the WBC, and get so desperate that you actually attempt a bunt in your first at-bat Wednesday, you’re sure not going to hand over the bat that made you an overnight WBC legend.

“Just nice to be involved and help the team offensively,’’ Pasquantino said. “It's no secret how I'd been doing prior. So, you know, we worked really hard to try to get right, and tonight was a good night.’’

Pasquantino’s struggles were so pronounced that simply laying off a 2-and-2 slider in the eighth inning, instead of chasing a slider that was low, was his proudest moment of the night. He hit the next pitch 337 feet over the right-field fence.

“I had been chasing quite a bit to the point that, you know, I wanted to just cry,’’ said Pasquantino. “Just like, 'Hey, stop chasing balls. Just take balls.' And I took that pitch. And I think I was about as happy as I could be.’’

Pasquantino, their leader who orchestrated the espresso shots after homers, parading in the dugout with an Armani jacket and passing out celebratory bottles of wine after victories, refused to let his struggles carry over into the clubhouse. His teammates will tell you he was the same guy, clowning around, keeping everyone loose.

“He's been the happiest player on the team,’’ Italy second baseman Jon Berti said. “Trust me.’’

Yet, Pasquantino's struggles were burning inside, and only Italy’s victories kept his sanity.

“Francisco and I had talked about it, and I said, 'Skip, if you need to drop me in order, do it because I understand,’’’ Pasquantino said. “It's been bad. But I felt like I was still competing and giving it my best. (USA pitcher) Nolan McLean made me look like I'd never hit a baseball before last night.

“So, I'm glad we were able to do something productive tonight.’’

Italy first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino celebrates after defeating Mexico at Daikin Park.

Yes, for the first time in the WBC, he actually got to keep a bottle of the fine wine for himself. He also presented one to Marco Mazzieri, the Italian Baseball Federation president, for making this all possible.

“I'm like weirdly emotional tonight,’’ Pasquantino said, “to the point I'm thinking about crying. Which is funny for a tournament in March.’’

Pasquantino thinks about the players on the team who risked losing their jobs in spring training to come play for Italy. He thinks about the guys who may wind up in the minor leagues instead of the big leagues because of the time away from their team. He thinks about players like White Sox catcher Kyle Teel, who will be out four to six weeks with a strained hamstring after stretching a single into a double against the USA.

And he gets emotional about playing for Cervelli, GM Ned Colletti, Mazzieri and Yankees great Jorge Posada.

“I'm so thankful for those guys for allowing me to be myself,’’ Pasquantino said, “and to lead this team the way that I've kind of seen from a player perspective. They have to do what they need to do from a leadership side, from a coaching staff. But to kind of give me the reins to say, 'All right, this is your team, what do you want it to look like?’

“It doesn't mean that I'm making decisions or anything, but it just means, like, what can we do to get the best out of every player? And honestly, like the 'C' on my chest, which we argued about if I was going to wear or not, that's what that means to me. It wouldn't matter. What matters is trying to get the best out of my teammates, and they've given me the freedom to try to do that, whether it's taking mound visits or talking to the group.’’

Cervelli, who was mentored by Hall of Famer Joe Torre, and brings the great Yankees tradition to the team, knows the value of leadership, being around Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia and Posada during his playing days.

Pasquantino may not have the Hall of Fame resume, but those leadership qualities, they are all there.

“I think leaders, they're born like that,’’ Cervelli said. “This guy, everybody follows him. He respects everyone. He can be loud sometimes when he needs to. He doesn't talk that much. Everybody follows him.

“That's a leader. He put himself before everyone to protect everyone, not because it's Vinnie, that's what a captain is. This is amazing to have. It's a pleasure for me to have a player like that because it makes my job very easy.’’

It was Pasquantino’s leadership that prevented Italy from having an emotional letdown after beating the USA in the biggest victory in Italian history just 24 hours earlier. They sat around and talked about the tiebreakers. They were told they could actually lose to Mexico, but as long as they didn’t give up more than four runs, they’d earn a tiebreaker over the USA.

They talked about all of the scenarios, and then Pasquantino put a stop to it.

“Just being realistic, there was a lot of conversation if different scenarios arise,’’ Pasquantino said, “what do we do? Then finally, we just got together and said, 'You know what? Let's just win the game.’

“So last night when we were celebrating, we had a good time in the locker room. But I said to the guys, 'Once midnight hit, guys, we've got to get going.' We stayed and we hung out and we had a good time. But it was a lot of hanging out and just, 'What are we going to do tomorrow? How are we going to win this game?'"

They won the game by jumping on Pasquantino’s back as he hit the three solo homers, the arm of Aaron Nola who pitched five shutout innings, and the contributions of seven different players producing hits, and six different pitchers getting outs.

“Tonight, we just handled business,’’ Pasquantino said. “That was the expectation. And it was awesome.’’

Next stop: vs. Puerto Rico on Saturday afternoon.

Win, and they have a flight to Miami for the semifinals, going where no Italy team has gone before.

So, considering Team Italy will be sticking around for awhile, perhaps it could be time to grab a new suit, particularly since the Italians have the next two days off.

“(The suit) probably stinks,’’ Pasquantino said, “really bad.’’

But, hey, as long as Team Italy keeps winning, and the suit is working, how in the world can Pasquantino change the wardrobe now?

And, if someone wants to buy him a nice Italian designer suit, he knows just the guys who owe him.

Yep, Team USA, which staved off elimination in the WBC thanks to Italy’s victory.

“You're welcome, USA,’’ Pasquantino said on the field. “We were thinking of you guys over at your hotel. We were thinking of you guys, so glad you guys can join us in the party.’’

Let the wine flow.

Follow Nightengale on X: @BNightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vinnie Pasquantino homers 3 times to keep Italy WBC run going

Grant-Mentis and Serdachny score 3rd-period goals, Torrent snap skid, beat streaking Fleet 3-2

SEATTLE (AP) — Mikyla Grant-Mentis and Danielle Serdachny scored goals in the final six minutes of the third period, Alex Carpenter also had a goal, and the Seattle Torrent beat the Boston Fleet 3-2 on Wednesday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

Seattle (5-1-2-9) had lost back-to-back games following the Olympic break and went into the game last in the PWHL with 16 points.

Boston (9-4-2-3) — which had its six-game win streak come to an end — leads the league with 37 points.

Theresa Schafzahl and Susanna Tapani scored goals for the Fleet. Abbey Levy made her second start of the season, both against the Torrent, and had 35 saves. Levy had 27 saves as the Fleet beat Seattle 3-1 on Dec. 21.

Grant-Mentis scored a short-handed goal on a jailbreak to make it 2-2 with 5:13 left in the game and Serdachny’s one-timer off a pass from Natalie Snodgrass capped the scoring with 3:46 to go.

Alina Müller, on the left side, dropped a pass to Daniela Pejsova for a one-timer from just inside the blue line that was redirected by Schafahl over the stick-side shoulder of goaltender Corinne Schroeder to give the Fleet a 1-0 lead with 7 1/2 minutes left in the first period.

Carpenter, on the rush after a save by Schroeder, flicked a back-hand shot into the net with 5.6 seconds left in the first to make it 1-1.

Schroeder, who finished with 25 saves, parried a shot by Loren Gabel but couldn't control the puck and Tapani slammed home the rebound to make it 2-1 with 8 1/2 minutes left until the third period. The Torrent had 18 shots in the second period but went into the second intermission trailing by a goal.

Up next

Boston: Visits second-place Montreal (35 points) on Sunday.

Seattle: Plays Friday at Minnesota.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Kawhi Leonard scores 45 points in the Clippers' 153-128 romp over the Timberwolves

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points and the Los Angeles Clippers routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 153-128 on Wednesday night, moving above .500 with their third straight victory and sixth in seven games.

Eighth in the Western Conference at 33-32 after opening 6-21, the Clippers had their highest points total of the season. They blew out Minnesota after beating New York on Monday night to open a five-game homestand.

Leonard was 15 of 20 from the the field, 6 of 9 on 3s and made 9 of 10 free throws. Los Angeles made 19 of 37 3s.

Bennedict Mathurin scored 22 points for Los Angeles. Clippers newcomer Darius Garland had 21, hitting five 3-pointers.

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 36 points and Naz Reid had 18.

Minnesota dropped to sixth in the tight Western Conference, but only a half-game behind the third-place Lakers. The Timberwolves have lost three in a row after winning five straight. They lost to the Lakers on Tuesday night to open four-game trip.

Leonard scored 18 points in the first quarter to help Los Angeles take a 38-27 lead. He had 28 at the half, with the Clippers up 74-65, and went to the fourth with 39 and LA ahead 109-98. Los Angeles had a 44-30 edge in the fourth.

Pack's 24 points propel Oklahoma past South Carolina in round one of the SEC tournament

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nijel Pack scored 24 points shooting 5 for 10 from 3-point range and Oklahoma beat South Carolina 86-74 in an opening-round game of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday.

The 11th-seeded Sooners (18-14) advance to play sixth-seeded Texas A&M on Thursday.

Derrion Reid scored 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting, Tae Davis 18 shooting 7 of 10 and Xzayvier Brown 14 shooting 6 of 7. Oklahoma shot 60% (30 of 50).

Kobe Knox scored 20 points, Mike Sharavjamts 19 and Meechie Johnson 14 for 14th-seeded South Carolina (13-19). The Gamecocks shot 41% (25 of 61).

South Carolina built a 29-19 in the game's first 10 minutes and the Gamecocks led 39-28 after Knox made a 3-pointer with 5:24 before halftime.

Down the stretch, the Sooners outscored South Carolina 14-3 to tie it at 42 at halftime. Oklahoma emerged from the break continuing its offensive spurt and outscored the Gamecocks 13-5 in the first five minutes of the second half and led 56-47.

Johnson's 3-pointer with 10:52 left brought the Gamecocks within 61-56 but they would never get closer.

Brown's 3 with 7:53 to go made it 70-60 and Oklahoma led by double digits for the remainder.

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Lakers vs. Bulls Preview: Streaking at the right time

CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 26: Rui Hachimura #28 of the Los Angeles Lakers guards Josh Giddey #3 of the Chicago Bulls during the second half on January 26, 2026 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

After an excellent victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Lakers (40-25) look to make it four wins in a row as they host the Chicago Bulls (27-38) on Thursday.

L.A. is looking to sweep the season series.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls

When: 7:30 p.m. PT, Mar 12

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet


With exactly a month to go until the playoffs, the Lakers are catching their stride at the right time. Not only are they on a much-needed three-game winning streak, but they’ve done it by beating two very good teams in a row. It’s also happening at the right time because the Western Conference seeding is tighter than ever.

Thankfully, the Lakers have this upcoming game against the Bulls to capitalize on before they face the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets. This season, the Bulls have won only 27 games and are entering this one losers of seven of their last 10. They know their playoff hopes are bleak because it’s also not like there’s a good chance that they make the play-in either. Their current injury report perfectly depicts that.

That said, this doesn’t mean it’ll be a giveaway game for the purple and gold. Over the years, Chicago has found a way to upset Los Angeles now and then. But given the state of these two teams right now, there’s really no excuse for the Lakers to lose this one.

The Bulls are one of those handful of teams that are weaker than the Lakers on both offense and defense. The easiest way the Lakers can beat them is to once again overwhelm them with their offense, as they did to the Bulls in January.

LeBron James remains questionable, but the luxury in this scenario is that he can take his time to recover because Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves have held things down. That should be the case again on Thursday and likely without Marcus Smart — who has been playing a ton of minutes as of late — expect Luka Kennard and Jake LaRavia to get more burn. It’ll be a great opportunity for the Lakers to continue building on their momentum and rhythm.

For as long as the Lakers play their usual game and approach this one with the same mindset as their last few, this should be another dub for them.

Let’s see if the Lakers can remain perfect in their current five-game home stand on Thursday.

Notes and Updates

  • For the Lakers’ injury report, LeBron (right hip contusion and left foot arthritis) and Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain) are questionable.
  • Smart (right hip contusion) is doubtful while Jaxson Hayes (back soreness) is probable.
  • As for the Bulls, Zach Collins (right toe surgery), Noa Essengue (left shoulder surgery), Jaden Ivey (left patellofemoral pain syndrome) and Anferenee Simons (ulnar styloid francture) are out.
  • Guerschon Yabusele (left foot soreness), Patrick Williams (left ankle sprain), Colin Sexton (left fibular head contusion), Issac Okoro (patellofemoral pain syndrome) are questionable.
  • Matas Buzelis (right ankle sprain), Josh Giddey (right ankle sprain) and Jalen Smith (left calf strain) are probable.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

Jack Draper beats Novak Djokovic in 3 sets at BNP Paribas Open

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Defending champion Jack Draper beat five-time champ Novak Djokovic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) Wednesday night in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.

The 24-year-old Draper, who is coming back after missing eight months due to an arm injury, advanced to the quarterfinal round and will face Daniil Medvedev, who beat Alex Michelsen 6-2, 6-4 in the round of 16 to advance.

Djokovic led 6-5 in the third set before Draper rallied and forced a tiebreaker.

“I still don’t feel like I’m playing anywhere near the way I want to play," Draper said. "I came out here and I won that match through determination.”

In addition to his win at Indian Wells last year, Draper won the Stuttgart Open and the Vienna Open, both in 2024.

The 38-year-old Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, won at Indian Wells in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016. Djokovic nearly won an 11th Australian Open title earlier this year, but lost to Carlos Alcaraz.

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

Braves News: Braves TV, Spencer Strider pitches well, more

Well, perhaps the two most impressive Atlanta relievers of Spring Training have now been sent to minor league camp, in Hayden Harris and James Karinchak. It seems likely that both will appear in Atlanta this year, assuming Karinchak sticks around long enough to do so as a veteran. They have each been strikeout machines this spring, but did not have to be on the active roster to start the season in order to remain in the organization, and thus are expendable as potential members of the Opening Day roster. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman also speculates that the run of consecutive games to start the season lends itself to more of a long-relief role and perhaps a sixth starter, which logically would lead to the likes of Harris and/or Karinchak making the roster perhaps in mid-April.

Braves News

The Braves announced Braves.tv, which will provide an in-market streaming option for the vast majority of Braves games with no blackouts for $99.99.

The Braves made some roster moves, most notably sending Hayden Harris and James Karinchak to minor league camp.

Apple TV released their schedule for their MLB selections this season, including 3 Braves games.

Spencer Strider had a nice day, sitting mid-90s with his fastball and showcasing two breaking balls, as the Braves notched another Spring Training win.

Matt looked at the Braves prospects most likely to make the major league roster in 2026.

Garrett discussed five Braves prospects with pivotal seasons ahead.

MLB News

Team USA skated by to the WBC quarterfinals, as their embarrassing performance against Team Italy did not come back to bite them.

Elsewhere, the rest of the WBC quarterfinal schedule is set.

MLB Pipeline made a prospect prediction for all 30 teams.

Clemson defeats Wake Forest 71-62 to reach quarterfinals of ACC Tournament

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — RJ Godfrey had 11 points and eight rebounds and Clemson rode a red-hot first half to a 71-62 victory over Wake Forest on Wednesday night to reach the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.

Fifth-seeded Clemson (23-9) launched 13 3-pointers in the first 12-plus minutes, making seven of them en route to a 29-18 lead. The Tigers finished the first half 9 for 18. Clemson's reserves did much of the damage, making 5 of 6 from deep, and the Tigers led 41-23 at halftime.

The only free throw attempts of the first half were two misses by Clemson's Nick Davidson with 5:42 remaining.

Clemson led 52-32 after 6 1/2 minutes of the second half before the Demon Deacons' Nate Calmese scored nine unanswered points on a 3-pointer, a three-point trip to the free-throw line, and another 3-pointer.

Clemson went back up by 16 with seven minutes remaining, but Wake Forest got within eight points while the Tigers were missing nine straight shots and Godfrey missed the front end of the 1-and-1 three times in a row. Ace Buckner ended the drought with a layup and the Tigers made six free throws in the final 64 seconds to finish it off.

Juke Harris led 13th-seeded Wake Forest (17-16) with 22 points. It was his 33rd consecutive game scoring in double digits, extending his school record. Calmese scored 20 points and Tre’Von Spillers had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Ten players played at least 10 minutes for Clemson and they all scored at least three points although Godfrey was the only one to reach double figures.

Up next

Clemson will play fourth-seeded North Carolina in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

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