Oct 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) dunks the ball during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Boston Celtics teammates Neemias Queta and Hugo González sat on opposing benches during Friday’s Portugal vs. Spain FIBA World Cup Qualifying matchup.
Queta, who began his professional career with Benfica in the Portuguese Basketball League, and González, who debuted with Real Madrid in Spain at just 16 years old, took the floor as foes in Portugal’s 95-89 victory.
For Queta, the qualifier was a stage to showcase his incoming leap after signing a four-year, $56 million extension with the Celtics this summer. The 27-year-old scored 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds and two steals in over 24 minutes, assisting Portugal en route to its nail-biting upset. Queta grabbed five offensive boards and repeatedly outmatched Spain’s bigs with speed and strength.
Neemias Queta powered Portugal to a road win in the Second Round of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers 👏
In the fourth quarter, Queta secured his most notable highlight by baiting Spain’s Aday Mara with a pump-fake three, spinning past Mara and flushing a thunderous right-handed dunk to break a 71-71 tie. That sparked a 7-0 run from Portugal, forcing Spain to take a timeout with 7:55 left in regulation.
González, nearly matching Queta with more than 23 minutes on the court, struggled offensively. He finished with only three points, knocking down just one of four 3-point attempts. Yet, in typical Hugo fashion, González found alternative ways to remain impactful for Spain, including a fourth-quarter lob deflection that prevented Portugal from taking an 84-76 lead with less than six minutes remaining. González stayed composed and rose for a second consecutive contest after Portugal secured the offensive rebound, keeping the deficit at six points.
Queta’s dominance was too much for Spain to bridge, leaving a beneficial impression with over seven weeks left until Boston’s regular-season opener on Oct. 20.
Last season, Queta inherited his biggest role yet and debuted as the Celtics’ starting center after the team parted ways with Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet. With the spotlight on him, Queta repaid the C’s with a career-best breakout, averaging 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks across 75 starts — all career highs.
Over the summer, while Queta continued his offseason work, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla stopped by to visit him in Lisbon, Portugal — Queta’s birthplace and hometown. The visit meant a lot to Queta, who just three years earlier had been waived by the Sacramento Kings, leaving his NBA future uncertain.
“It’s surreal,” Queta told CelticsBlog’s Noa Dalzell in July. “A couple of years ago if you’d said that an NBA coach is coming to that specific gym just to see me and get to know me, I would’ve been like, ‘You gotta be kidding me.’
“Joe makes sure he wants to make that extra effort just to make sure you feel comfortable. I think that’s one of the reasons why he’s such a good coach. He worries about people, and that’s why I’d run through a wall for him.”
The past three years have been immensely rewarding for Queta. He’s gone from a little-known pickup signed by the Celtics to a two-way contract in September 2023 to an NBA champion to a first-year starter with a $56 million payday, all in the span of three years. He’s become one of the biggest developmental successes under Mazzulla’s coaching tenure, with Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens leading the front office.
With the offseason free agency signing of Mitchell Robinson to a three-year, $47.3 million contract, coupled with the reimplementation of Jayson Tatum to the lineup full-time, the decision ultimately falls on Mazzulla, Stevens, and the rest of Boston’s brass. They can either keep Queta as the team’s starting big or run Robinson at the five when the Celtics open up against the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 20.
Queta and Portugal will next take on Georgia on Monday, continuing their FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers campaign.
Nathan De Sousa in action during the basketball match PAOK vs Cholet for the first leg of the semi-finals of FIBA Europe Cup at PAOK Sports Arena in Thessaloniki, Greece on March 26, 2025. (Photo by Konstantinos Tsakalidis / SOOC / SOOC via AFP) (Photo by KONSTANTINOS TSAKALIDIS/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images) | SOOC/AFP via Getty Images
Xaivian Lee committed to Gonzaga on Wednesday, announcing it on his Instagram eight days after a California court granted him a fifth year of eligibility and the ability to enter the transfer portal.
The Zags have their guy at the point guard spot. What’s still uncertain is who their “backup guy” will be. And I’m of the opinion that the value of Nathan de Sousa has gotten lost in the excitement over Gonzaga’s other two recent point guard signings.
The Saga So Far…
If you’re all caught up with who’s eligible and why for the Zags or if you aren’t interested in a refreshing neener-neener sidenote on why Donovan Dent’s decision to sign on at LSU has proven deliciously ironic, please feel free to skip ahead, here.
The commitment of Xaivian Lee ends (for now…) a migraine-inducing Gonzaga backcourt drama that began months ago, when former commit Jack Kayil elected to stay in the NBA Draft process, and former point guard Mario Saint-Supery signed a multiyear deal with Valencia Basket in mid-July, leaving Gonzaga’s backcourt effectively decimated.
The Zags had already added Nathan de Sousa on June 26, before Saint-Supery’s exit. De Sousa is a 23-year-old French point guard who spent the last five seasons with Cholet Basket of the LNB Elite. Then on Aug. 5, Gonzaga secured a commit from Javon Bennett, a 5-foot-10 fifth-year guard who started all 37 games for Dayton last season. Bennett committed after court rulings gave him a fifth year of eligibility. The following week, the injunctions that granted it in the first place were put on hold pending appeal by the NCAA.
To add weird insult to weirder injury, UCLA fifth-year transfer Donovan Dent, the other point guard Gonzaga had been linked to all month, committed to LSU, stepping out of the frying pan and directly into the fryer of Division I eligibility.
A Quick Note on the Situation at LSU…
The finger-licking irony for any Zag fan miffed with Donovan Dent for signing on in Baton Rouge is that LSU currently has just four players whose eligibility for the 2026-27 season isn’t in significant jeopardy. Four. Total.
Recent UCLA transfers Skyy Clark and Dent bring the count of eligible players to six but with an important asterisk, as that eligibility is currently being challenged on appeal by the NCAA.
The other six players that coach Will Wade signed this offseason (five legit European pros and former Utah Jazz signee RJ Luis) are still waiting on a first ruling to decide whether their professional status precludes them from a return to college. Luis’s preliminary injunction lasted exactly one day before the SEC itself approved a new policy that would prevent him and any other former pro from playing in the conference at all; a policy which comes with massive penalties for any school that violates that order.
That’s the roster situation at LSU. Dent signed on two weeks ago knowing all of it, securing a hefty bag for himself but betting his last season of competition on a team where two-thirds of the roster is looking less and less eligible by the day.
The Eligibility Math
This may all be a moot point in the first place. Javon Bennett’s eligibility was successfully stayed by the NCAA, so his only path forward is either to throw his name into another state-level suit or to keep his fingers crossed that the NCAA’s appeal process plays out lickety-split.
Nathan e Sousa’s case for eligibility in the first place is also probably significantly stronger than Bennett’s. De Sousa still needs the NCAA to process an international eligibility waiver, part of the same review of overseas pros keeping most of LSU’s roster sidelined. His case is more straightforward than coach Will Wade’s, though. What he was paid in France likely falls well below the compensation threshold that would classify him as a true, legitimate professional in the eyes of the NCAA and thus wouldn’t preclude him from college eligibility. The second problem is a travel visa. He told The Spokesman Review on Aug. 22 that he expected it within days and planned to be in Spokane this week. Based on his Instagram story, he’s still in Paris, watching the French national team in the FIBA World Cup 2027 European qualifiers.
Visa approval can be a bizarre and Kafkaesque bureaucratic nightmare. There’s no way to check in on that timeline from the outside, so for now it’s a waiting game.
Back to Spokane
What it all boils down to is that Xaivian Lee is now the first of the three committed point guards who is both eligible and cleared to play (again, for now…).
Lee is a 6-foot-4 fifth-year guard from Toronto who played three years at Princeton and one at Florida. In the Ivy League, he averaged 17.1 points as a sophomore and 16.9 as a junior and took first-team all-conference in 2024 and 2025. Last season he put up 11.6 points and a team-high 4.2 assists as Florida’s starting shooting guard. Although the NCAA is still appealing the status of every class of 2022 athlete, Gonzaga, for the time being, has a point guard.
But Lee won’t play 40 minutes a night, and the Zags have struggled to maintain offensive continuity in the past when their table-setting lead guard takes a rest. Whoever steps in behind him has a crucial role to play. The assumption up til now has been that it falls to Javon Bennett, but the Zags have another good option available.
In Defense of Nathan de Sousa
“NDS” came off the bench in all 36 of his appearances for Cholet last season and averaged 10.2 points in 19.2 minutes a game. He posted a 42.6 percent assist rate and a 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio while using nearly a quarter of Cholet’s possessions, which is a starter’s workload with a reserve’s minutes. Cholet finished fifth in a 16-team league at 19-11 in the regular season with him running the second unit.
It’s easy to see why the assumption would be Javon Bennett over Nathan de Sousa. He’s a known, box-score-proven guard who just averaged 15.8 points on a first-team All-Atlantic 10 season and beat BYU and Florida State doing it. De Sousa is an unproven 23-year-old walking in from a foreign pro league most fans have never heard of. That instinct makes sense on name recognition but falls apart once you look at what Xaivian Lee contributes on the floor and what might be needed when he’s off it.
Bennett’s last season at Dayton ran on volume. 12.7 shots a night across 34.5 minutes, 471 attempts on the year, the most on Dayton’s roster, to get to 15.8 points a game. Scale that down to the 12 or 13 minutes a backup point guard in Gonzaga’s system is likely to play, and it lands around five or six points, and that assumes he shoots exactly like himself against Pac-12 defenses that are a step up from the A-10 in size and physicality.
Five or six points isn’t nothing, but it also costs you the distribution the offense actually runs on. Lee puts up 6.1 assists per 40 minutes. Bennett puts up 3.4. The guard you’d bring in to cover a cold shooting night from Lee might be the more consistent outside threat, but he moves the ball at roughly half the rate, which is trading one problem for another.
Defense is the bigger problem. The knock on Lee through four years of scouting is that bigger, more physical guards move him off his spot, and at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds Bennett gives up height and weight to Lee himself and to the guards he’d be checking in Lee’s place. Pull Lee for a shooting slump, put Bennett in for a scoring nudge, and the perimeter shell gets worse in the process.
De Sousa doesn’t have either problem. He played those 19.2 minutes a night in a complementary role and still ran close to five assists a game, a rate that scales to better than 10 per 40, and he did it while playing hard-nosed, aggressive defense. Listings run from 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-3 at 194 pounds, and the scouting language out of France consistently mentions his toughness and his passing feel.
What he does with the ball looks nothing like what Lee or Bennett do with it. Lee led the Gators with 4.2 assists per game in 27.4 minutes a night, creating off the dribble and pulling up for a clean look or kicking to the right man in traffic, the same face and demeanor whether it drops or rims out. Lee has always been all business. De Sousa, on the other hand, gets downhill, finds the roller, draws fouls at the rim, and then screams in a defender’s face about it. The Zags have not had a Nathan de Sousa in a long while, maybe ever. They’re two very different point guards, and two completely different looks when something needs to change.
Lee is the higher-usage engine, undoubtedly, built to create off the bounce and put the ball in the right hands when it needs to be there, with the thinner frame that comes with that game. De Sousa is built to guard up, keep the offense moving without needing touches, and absorb minutes against backcourts with more size than Lee can handle. Lee running it and de Sousa spelling him for up to 15 minutes a night plays to what each is built to do and lets the Zags switch looks and get some much-needed spark based on who’s across from them.
Final Thoughts
Xaivian Lee solves the no-point-guard problem. He doesn’t solve the logjam behind him. Javon Bennett’s game needs touches he won’t get in a bench role, and his size compounds the problem on the defensive side. De Sousa, however, has already shown he can do exactly what Lee doesn’t: body up larger guards and pump up the energy with his aggressive and chaotic style of play. He did it all while playing bench minutes for a professional club and without needing the offense to run through him.
The temperament gap makes it more interesting. Lee gets a shot up and jogs back down the floor, quiet about it either way. De Sousa’s temperament can best be described as “high energy” or “hustle guy” or “absolute maniac.” A team needs two speeds at that position sometimes. Lee and De Sousa give Gonzaga that. Lee and Bennett give Gonzaga a bad answer to a tough question of size, skill, and fit.
None of it may end up mattering, remember. Bennett’s eligibility is stayed, maybe for good, and Nathan de Sousa is still in Paris waiting on a visa and a waiver with no public timeline attached. But if this breaks the way it looks like it’s breaking, Gonzaga isn’t scrambling for a fallback behind Lee. They already have the guy who committed back in June, before any of this started. That’s a decent place to land in the last week of August.
Marquinhos grabs late equaliser for Ligue 1 champions
Bayern overwhelm Stuttgart 5-1 at Allianz Arena
Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos scored deep into stoppage time to snatch a scarcely deserved 2-2 draw at Lille on Friday as the Ligue 1 champions continued to struggle after being held by Rennes on the opening weekend.
After the poor 2-2 draw against Rennes, things went from bad to worse for PSG when Lille took the lead in the 21st minute as Icelandic playmaker Hákon Haraldsson latched on to a brilliant reverse pass from Olivier Giroud and curled an unstoppable shot past Matvei Safonov.
Both of their deals kick in during the 2027-28 season.
The NHL salary cap has been spiking since the flat cap COVID era, allowing for the rapid rise in individual contracts. The offer sheet to 21-year-old Carlsson also helped fuel the increase. The top average in 2022-23 had been $12.5 million by Edmonton's Connor McDavid, who now has been passed by seven different players
Here's a look at the highest-paid NHL players by cap hit, salary and position (figures from puckpedia.com):
Highest-paid NHL players in 2026-27 by cap hit
Note: Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar will average $20.4 million and Sharks center Macklin Celebrini will average $18.8 million, starting in 2027-28.
▶ Top 50 plus ties
C Leo Carlsson, Ducks, $18,000,000
LW Kirill Kaprizov, Wild, $17,000,000
C Connor Bedard, Blackhawks, $15,000,000
C Leon Draisaitl, Oilers, $14,000,000
C Jack Eichel, Golden Knights, $13,500,000
C Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs, $13,250,000
C Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche, $12,604,000
C Connor McDavid, Oilers, $12,500,000
LW Jason Robertson, Stars, $12,000,000
RW Mitch Marner, Golden Knights, $12,000,000
RW Mikko Rantanen, Stars, $12,000,000
LW Kyle Connor, Jets, $12,000000
C Elias Pettersson, Canucks, $11,600,000
C/RW William Nylander, Maple Leafs, $11,500,000
C Martin Necas, Avalanche, $11,500,000
D Erik Karlsson, Penguins, $11,500,000
RW David Pastrnak, Bruins, $11,250,000
D Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres, $11,000,000
D Drew Doughty, Kings, $11,000,000
LW Artemi Panarin, Kings, $11,000,000
LW Pavel Dorofeyev, Rangers, $11,000,000
C Adrian Kempe, Kings, $10,625,000
D Thomas Harley, Stars, $10,587,000
D Evan Bouchard, Oilers, $10,500,000
RW Alex Tuch, Capitals, $10,500,000
LW Jonathan Huberdeau, Flames, $10,500,000
C Logan Cooley, Mammoth, $10,000,000
C Tyler Seguin, Stars, $9,850,0000
C Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes, $9,750,000
D Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets, $9,583,334
D Seth Jones, Panthers, $9,500,000
D Noah Dobson, Canadiens, $9,500,000
RW Nikita Kucherov, Lightning, $9,500,000
C Brayden Point, Lightning, $9,500,000
D Adam Fox, Rangers, $9,500,000
RW Mark Stone, Golden Knights, $9,500,000
D Charlie McAvoy, Bruins, $9,500,000
LW Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers, $9,500,000
D Darnell Nurse, Sharks, $9,250,000
C Mathew Barzal, Islanders, $9,150,000
C Trevor Zegras, Flyers, $9,125,000
D Roman Josi, Predators, $9,059,000
LW Jake Guentzel, Lightning, $9,000,000
D Dougie Hamilton, Devils, $9,000,000
D Cale Makar, Avalanche, $9,000,000
D Jakob Chychrun, Capitals, $9,000,000
D Luke Hughes, Devils, $9,000,000
D Jackson LaCombe, Ducks, $9,000,000
D Lane Hutson, Canadiens, $8,850,000
RW Timo Meier, Devils, $8,800,000
Highest-paid players in 2026-27 by salary
▶ Top 30, plus ties
C Leo Carlsson, Ducks, $20,800,000
LW Kirill Kaprizov, Wild, $19,100,000
C Jack Eichel, Golden Knights, $17,700,000
C Connor Bedard, Blackhawks, $17,000,000
C Leon Draisaitl, Oilers, $16,500,000
RW Alex Tuch, Capitals, $15,700,000
LW Kyle Connor, Jets, $15,000,000
C Connor McDavid, Oilers, $14,250,000
C Martin Necas, Avalanche, $14,000,000
RW Mitch Marner, Golden Knights, $14,000,000
LW Pavel Dorofeyev, Rangers, $14,000,000
C Logan Cooley, Mammoth, $13,000,000
D Thomas Harley, Stars, $13,000,000
C/RW William Nylander, Maple Leafs, $12,500,000
C Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche, $12,150,000
D Noah Dobson, Canadiens, $12,000,000
D Evan Bouchard, Oilers, $12,000,000
C Adrian Kempe, Kings, $12,000,000
LW Jason Robertson, Stars, $12,000,000
LW Artemi Panarin, Kings, $12,000,000
D Lane Hutson, Canadiens, $12,000,000
RW David Pastrnak, Bruins, $11,250,000
RW Mikko Rantanen, Stars, $11,250,000
C Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs, $11,080,000
D Drew Doughty, Kings, $11,000,000
D Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres, $11,000,000
D Darren Raddysh, Maple Leafs, $11,000,000
C Elias Pettersson, Canucks, $11,000,000
D Jacob Trouba, Sharks, $11,000,000
D Rasmus Andersson, Golden Knights, $10,500,000
LW Jonathan Huberdeau, Flames, $10,500,000
C Trevor Zegras, Flyers, $10,500,000
Highest-paid defensemen in 2026-27 by cap hit
Note: Makar will average $20.4 million and Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram will have a $12.5 million cap hit, starting in 2027-28.
▶ Top 30 plus ties
Erik Karlsson, Penguins, $11,500,000
Drew Doughty, Kings, $11,000,000
Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres, $11,000,000
Thomas Harley, Stars, $10,587,000
Evan Bouchard, Oilers, $10,500,000
Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets, $9,583,334
Seth Jones, Panthers, $9,500,000
Charlie McAvoy, Bruins, $9,500,000
Adam Fox, Rangers, $9,500,000
Noah Dobson, Canadiens, $9,500,000
Darnell Nurse, Sharks, $9,250,000
Roman Josi, Predators, $9,059,000
Dougie Hamilton, Devils, $9,000,000
Jakob Chychrun, Capitals, $9,000,000
Cale Makar, Avalanche, $9,000,000
Jackson LaCombe, Ducks, $9,000,000
Luke Hughes, Devils, $9,000,000
Lane Hutson, Canadiens, $8,850,000
Moritz Seider, Red Wings, $8,550,000
John Carlson, Lightning, $8,500,000
Darren Raddysh, Maple Leafs, $8,500,000
Ivan Provorov, Blue Jackets, $8,500,000
Rasmus Andersson, Golden Knights, $8,500,000
Mikhail Sergachev, Mammoth, $8,500,000
Brock Faber, Wild, $8,500,000
Miro Heiskanen, Stars, $8,450,000
Owen Power, Sabres, $8,350,000
Jacob Trouba, Sharks, $8,250,000
Jake Sanderson, Senators, $8,050,000
Victor Hedman, Lightning, $8,000,000
Thomas Chabot, Senators, $8,000,000
Philip Broberg, Blues, $8,000,000
Highest-paid goaltenders in 2026-27 by cap hit
▶ Top 30
Igor Shesterkin, Rangers, $11,567,857
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning, $9,500,000
Thatcher Demko, Canucks, $8,500,000
Connor Hellebuyck, Jets, $8,500,000
Jake Oettinger, Stars, $8,250,000
Jeremy Swayman, Bruins, $8,250,000
Linus Ullmark, Senators, $8,250,000
Ilya Sorokin, Islanders, $8,250,000
Juuse Saros, Predators, $7,740,000
Dustin Wolf, Flames, $7,500,000
Sergei Bobrovsky, Maple Leafs, $7,000,000
Filip Gustavsson, Wild, $6,800,000
Lukas Dostal, Ducks, $6,500,000
John Gibson, Red Wings, $6,400,000
Adin Hill, Golden Knights, $6,250,000
Jordan Binnington, Blues, $6,000,000
Jacob Markstrom, Panthers, $6,000,000
Philipp Grubauer, Kraken, $5,900,000
Logan Thompson, Capitals, $5,850,000
Spencer Knight, Blackhawks, $5,833,333
Elvis Merzlikins, Blue Jackets, $5,400,000
Tristan Jarry, Oilers, $5,375,000
MacKenzie Blackwood, Avalanche, $5,250,000
Darcy Kuemper, Kings, $5,250,000
Jet Greaves, Blue Jackets, $5,000,000
Joey Daccord, Kraken, $5,000,000
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Sabres, $4,750,000
Karel Vejmelka, Mammoth, $4,750,000
Kevin Lankinen, Canucks, $4,500,000
Joonas Korpisalo, Rangers, $4,000,000
What is the NHL salary cap for 2026-27 and 2027-28?
Tonight’s WNBA card is absolute money, giving us the perfect setup to sweep four massive same-game parlays.
Our tickets are built around three unstoppable anchors: Carla Leite orchestrating the offense, Shakira Austin imposing her will down low, and Kia Nurse lighting it up from deep.
Lock in our best WNBA parlay picks &load up the board and smash these odds for Friday, Aug. 28.
This is a monster spread, but the team disparity warrants it. The Indiana Fever lead the league with 96.6 ppg, while the Connecticut Sun are dead last at 78.8. Connecticut is 3-8 ATS as a double-digit dog, and the Fever won the last meeting 123-88 at home. Play to 19.5.
Indiana sports the league’s best Offensive Rating at home (116.9), and Connecticut’s 10th-ranked defense will have a tough time getting stops. Blowouts offer a clear Under risk, but the Fever’s offense is so potent that it can propel this line to 179+ points. Play to 179.5.
The Atlanta Dream ranks third in team scoring at 91.1 ppg, while the Portland Fire allows 91.4 ppg, third most in the WNBA. That means we can count on points from the Dream, so we only have to worry about the Fire carrying their weight to get to the Over.
Portland has scored 97+ points in five of its last 10 games. After combining for 194 points last time, I expect these teams to hit the Over.
For the Fire to stay in this game, it'll need a big performance from Carla Leite. She's averaging 15.6 points and 6.3 assists per game this season, and has gone Over her total in both categories in four of her eight games in August.
I'm taking her to get to those numbers again in a high-scoring game tonight.
The Washington Mystics rank second in the WNBA in PITP at 42.8, and their dynamic duo of Shakira Austin and Kiki Iriafen account for 21.2 of them. The Sparks allow the second-most PITP (43) and fifth-most second-chance points (11.6).
Both Austin and Iriafen are averaging 10.6 PITP, good for eighth-most in the W, and both players rank in the Top-11 in second-chance points.
Austin has scored 17+ in 21 of 38 games and finished with 25 and 17 against the Los Angeles Sparks. Iriafen went for 19 and 13 against LA, and she has 19 games with 15+ points.
A’ja Wilson’s status is up in the air, which has slimmed this spread a bit. Even without the MVP, the Las Vegas Aces are rested and ready given a rare extended break to practice this week.
The Toronto Tempo are rolling out a seven-person rotation and travel after a road loss in Seattle Wednesday.
The shorthanded Tempo are back on the court in Phoenix tomorrow. If things get out of hand (which is what this spread says), it wouldn’t surprise me to see Toronto coach Sandy Brondello pull the plug and protect what’s left of her team to fight again on Saturday.
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Caitlin Clark Over 24.5 points / Fever -17.5 / Over 178.5
Fire +12.5 / Over 179.5 / Carla Leite Over 16.5 points / Carla Leite Over 6.5 assists
Nneka Ogwumike Over 25.5 points / Shakira Austin Over 17.5 points / Kiki Iriafen Over 15.5 points
Aces -13.5 / Jackie Young Over 4.5 rebounds / Kia Nurse Over 1.5 threes
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Apr 19, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of the batting helmet of Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Just be a better game than yesterday’s game. It is a simple ask. Admittedly, it would be hard to be worse.
The season has me thinking about the value of hitting coaches. The Jays had a disappointing 2024 season, and reshaped the hitting coaching staff. And last year they hit well. Lots of praise to the coaches.
This year, basically same hitting coaches and we aren’t hitting at all. Did the coaches suddenly get stupid? Or are hitting coaches overrated. Would the Jays be any worse with me as hitting coach? Oh likely. But would any hitting coach cause the Jays to hit better? Is there words you could use to get Vlad, Springer, Clement (92 OPS+), Giménez, Okamoto (100 OPS+), Lukes, Straw hitting better?
Should hitting coaches be fired at the end of every season? Maybe players tend to turn off the same voices, saying the same things.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 31: Mauricio Dubón #14 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates after hitting a single in the second inning during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Friday, July 31, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kathryn May/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Get your Friday reds on – it’s nearly time for the Braves-Rockies series opener.
Dubie gets to be the featured photo on this today because of the time he left eyeblack on the wall at Coors the last time we faced the Rockies.
Join us in the comments this evening, won’t you? I’d originally said “lovely” evening, but then we got the Schwellenbach/Waldrep news (see below) so ain’t nothing lovely about my life.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 23: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres hits a home run to score a run against the Minnesota Twins during the third inning at Petco Park on August 23, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Mike Nowak/Getty Images) | Getty Images
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 02: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox in game three of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on October 02, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The concept of a must-win game in the regular season is a flawed one 99.9 percent of the time. Acknowledging that, the context of this series opener against the Red Sox has enough sticking points for it not to be treated as just another game. Facing a team that seemingly came out of nowhere to join the top contenders in the AL, the Yankees can ill afford to contemplate what the standings might look like if the results don’t go their way this weekend.
What makes this specific Friday night matchup so pivotal to the Yankees’ goals in this series is the massive starting pitching advantage New York carries heading into it, sending the best they have in Cam Schlittler against Patrick Sandoval. For such a short sample against the Yankees’ biggest rivals, Schlittler is already racking up quite the resume versus Boston. The one time the Sox got the better of him, they relied on a lending hand from the Yankees’ defense with all four runs unearned in a loss in late June.
As one might expect with a left-hander on the mound for the Red Sox, the Yankees send out a much different lineup from last night’s defeat against the Astros. Patience is the name of the game for the Yankees against a pitcher in Sandoval who has walked multiple batters in each of his previous six appearances, still looking for his best form. Activated a little under two months ago, Sandoval spent over two years without appearing on a big league mound, having undergone Tommy John surgery with the Angels in 2024, then followed by multiple setbacks in his recovery the following year.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:15 pm ET
TV/Streaming: Apple TV
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 – NYY | WEEI 93.7, WCCM 1490 AM (SP), WESX 1230 AM (SP) – BOS
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 27: Jac Caglianone #14 of the Kansas City Royals hits a two-run home run in the ninth inning during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Thursday, August 27, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Michael Chisholm/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Royals lost their winning streak since last we spoke, though not before they tacked two more onto it. They’ve also started their next winning streak, or at least it will be one if they can win again tonight. I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time over the past week wondering if there is any chance for the Royals to get back into the playoff hunt. If they’re going to, it almost certainly starts with a sweep of the Guardians. They might keep themselves from falling completely back off the cliff they’ve scaled if they at least win the series. Either way, they need a win tonight.
The good news for the Royals is that Michael Wacha, their most consistent starter, will take the hill. Wacha hasn’t really dazzled at any point this season, but he just keeps preventing runs from scoring and, importantly considering his bullpen, he keeps chewing innings. Tonight will almost certainly see him surpass his 2024 regular-season innings total, which was itself the most innings he had thrown in any season except his 2015 Sophomore campaign. Barring injury or sudden ineffectiveness, Wacha will surpass last year’s totals after his next start or the one after that. From there, it’s two more starts to surpass his career best. The Royals have 27 games remaining; he figures to start in at least 5 of them. It’s a real possibility.
The other good news, at least relative to the remainder of the weekend, is that the Guardians will counter with Tanner Bibee. Two years ago, Bibee was the Guardians’ ace. No longer. Now he’s on something of a Michael Wacha trajectory where he pitches better than you think, but not as well as anyone hoped after those first couple of seasons. And, importantly, he’s right-handed. That sets him apart from the other two starters the Royals will face this weekend.
The Royals will want to watch for his cutter. He throws it more than any other individual pitch, though he does a really good job of mixing up his pitches in general, and so he doesn’t even throw it quite a quarter of the time. It’s the one that he has the most consistent ability to get chases and whiffs with, but it’s also the one that is most likely to be punished if he doesn’t throw it well or the Royals are ready for it.
Lineups
Vinnie Pasquantino and Bobby Witt Jr. have both teed off on Bibee in their careers, combining for five home runs against him and each with an OPS well over 1.000. John Rave’s hitless night sends him back to the bench and gets Nick Loftin back in there at the keystone.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 26: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers hits a single during the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on August 26, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Zoe Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Derek McInnes has two wins, two draws and three defeats so far as Rangers manager [SNS]
Manager Derek McInnes says Rangers are "a long way away" from what he wants but backs himself to deliver success at Ibrox.
The 55-year-old oversaw a second exit from European competition this season with a Conference League play-off defeat on penalties by Czech side Jablonec.
Domestically, Rangers have progressed in the League Cup and will host Celtic in the quarter-finals next month but McInnes' side have picked up just one point from their opening two Scottish Premiership matches and visit Aberdeen on Sunday.
"I like to think I know what I'm doing as a manager, I'm a good manager, I back myself but at the minute, none of us are doing our job well enough," McInnes told Sky Sports.
"The players need a wee bit of help and support at the minute.
"We're a long way away from the Rangers team that I want us to be and the Rangers team that I intend us to be. The players are working extremely hard.
"There's a lot of uncertainty at the minute. Once the window closes, everything becomes a bit calmer."
Twelve players have been recruited already and McInnes hopes to sign "a couple more" and expects "one or two" to leave before the closure of the transfer window next week.
"We're not quite there," McInnes said.
"We've obviously missed big Youssef [Chermiti, who is injured], the type of striker to go and stretch teams.
"I don't expect us to be perfect at this stage. It's not been the start we wanted, I'm not the first Rangers manager to get off to a tough start but we are determined to follow this job through and it's the end that counts and I still believe we're going to be a success here."
After Thursday's match, McInnes lamented his side's struggle to be either possession-based, counter attacking or direct.
"My teams have always had some sort of identity," explained the former Aberdeen, Hearts, Kilmarnock and St Johnstone manager.
"I want us to try and be a team that puts more stress on teams defensively and I don't think that we are at the minute.
"We've got good ball players and I think we just need to relax a wee bit more in possession and be comfortable with what we're try to do. It's not as if we're not capable of being that but I do think with an extra one or two additions, it will help us become something.
"I want us to be able to be a team that goes full press but when you go full press and you're aggressive, you've got to be really aggressive with that and you've got to pick up second balls and win duels and turn the ball over and really impose yourself on the game.
"There's talented players here. You don't get in the door at Rangers unless you're a talented player."
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 26: Cale Makar #8 of the Colorado Avalanche skates against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first period of Game Four of the Western Conference Final of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on May 26, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Avalanche 2-1 to win the series in four games. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Getty Images
DENVER— Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche agreed to a $163.2 million, eight-year extension on Friday that will make him the highest paid player in league history.
The terms of the deal were confirmed by his agency, Bartlett Hockey.
Makar’s extension is set to be the the richest in NHL history, surpassing the eight-year, $136 million extension signed by Minnesota forward Kirill Kaprizov last September. Makar’s deal runs through the 2034-35 season.
With an annual average value (AAV) of $20.4 million that begins in 2027-28, Makar’s deal eclipses that of San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini, who signed a five-year, $94 million extension in late July that has an $18.8 million AAV.
“I couldn’t be more excited to continue my journey here with the Avalanche in this amazing city of Denver,” Makar said in a video posted on social media by the team, calling it a historic day. “Here’s to another hopefully amazing nine years.”
The 27-year-old Makar is coming off a season in which he had 20 goals and 59 assists. He finished second to Zach Werenski of Columbus in the Norris Trophy voting, an award that goes to the league’s top defenseman. Makar has won the award twice over his career.
The cap hit for Makar for last season was $9 million after signing a six-year, $54 million contract in 2021. The new deal for Makar now sets the bar for fellow standout defensemen Quinn Hughes of Minnesota and Werenski.
Securing the long-term services of Makar was a high priority this offseason for president of hockey operations/general manager Joe Sakic, who maintained that Makar was “going to finish his career” in Colorado. Makar was taken fourth overall by Colorado in 2017 out of the University of Massachusetts.
Makar was banged up heading into a Western Conference Final where the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights. An upper-body injury sidelined him for Games 1 and 2, but he returned for the final two contests. Sakic recently said that Makar is slated to be ready for training camp.
It’s been a busy offseason for Sakic, who’s stepping back into the role of GM after Chris MacFarland left to lead the front office in Nashville. Among the deals orchestrated by Sakic was sending Valeri Nichushkin to the Blue Jackets for draft picks. It was a way to free up space to negotiate the extension for Makar.
A native of Calgary, Alberta, Makar has turned in four 20-goal seasons in his career, one of just 12 defensemen in league history to post at least that many campaigns. He also notched his 500th NHL point on March 28 in his 467th career game. He’s the fourth-fastest defenseman to reach that milestone, behind only Hall of Famers Bobby Orr (396 games), Paul Coffey (422) and Denis Potvin (465).
The core of Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog helped Colorado to a Stanley Cup title in 2022. Makar had eight goals and 21 assists during the championship run to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.
Makar’s younger brother, Taylor, recently signed a two-year contract with the Avalanche that runs through the 2027-28 season. Taylor Makar made his NHL debut on Nov. 1 in San Jose, as the brothers became the first siblings to appear in the same contest while playing for the Avalanche. The Stastny brothers — Anton, Peter and Marian — accomplished the feat when the team was the Quebec Nordiques.
JACKSONVILLE, FL - AUGUST 17: Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) watches from the sidelines during a preseason NFL game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars on August, 17 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL.(Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Jacksonville Jaguars are home again, facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 of the 2026 NFL preseason.
Kickoff is at 7:30 pm EST, and you can click here to learn how to watch/listen to the game. You can also find game updates on our X/Twitter, Bluesky, and Facebook.
Live Blog
coming soon
Jags fans, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Throughout this season I have praised Cubs manager Craig Counsell for handling a bullpen devastated by injuries extremely well. He’s rested guys at the right time and used pitchers successfully who ordinarily would not have had any chance of being in the major leagues but were there of necessity due to injury.
In Friday’s 10-8 loss to the Reds, though, I did not understand why Counsell didn’t turn to Aaron Civale in the sixth inning with the Cubs actually ahead 3-2. Civale has been really good out of the pen for the Cubs, hadn’t pitched since Sunday, and with David Peterson having thrown five innings in which he struggled somewhat, it would have been useful to get some length out of the pen, maybe two innings from Civale.
Instead, Counsell called on Trent Thornton. In fairness, Thornton has also been pretty good this year, but on this day he was not, allowing five runs including a pair of home runs. Civale then came in and gave the Cubs that length, and yes, they nearly did come back. Civale did get charged with two runs — because of an error by Alex Bregman, not his fault.
Perhaps you disagree. That’s a subject for discussion here.
Okay, now here’s your game recap.
Peterson had a rough first inning, allowing a pair of baserunners but eventually striking out the side. Then the Cubs put a run on the board in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Seiya Suzuki doubled, and one out later, Bregman doubled him in [VIDEO].
Peterson struggled again in the second and third, allowing more baserunners but running up a high pitch count. The Cubs extended the lead to 3-0 in the third. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off with a single and then the Reds pulled the play Nico Hoerner has made a couple of times — deliberately dropping a popup by Suzuki to get the faster runner, PCA, forced at second.
This, perhaps, is a good sign for Busch, whose power numbers have been down this year. That’s three homers in his last nine games, and perhaps he can finish the year strong in that department. This was his 17th — only half as many as he hit in 2025.
The Reds scored one off Peterson in the fourth and Sal Stewart homered off him in the fifth to make it 3-2. So Peterson was done after five innings and 88 pitches, which I think was the right call by Counsell. As I noted above, in my view starting the sixth with Thornton was the wrong call, and it wound up with the Cubs trailing 7-3 after the end of that inning, the key blow a three-run homer by Tyler Stephenson. Civale had to come in to get the last out, then he would have been out of the seventh scoreless if not for the error by Bregman. That play didn’t score a run — but set up a two-run single by Elly De La Cruz that made it 9-3.
There was one other homer in the sixth, by Jose Trevino, that tied the game before Stephenson’s. About that, from BCB’s JohnW53:
Jose Trevino’s game-tying solo home run in the sixth inning was the 200th surrendered by Cubs pitchers this season. Going into today, only the Athletics had served up more, 204. The Cubs’ previous high through 135 games was 192, in 2021. They gave up 191 in 2000, 185 in 1999 and 181 in 2022. Last year, they allowed 169, their eighth most.
Credit to the Cubs, they did mount a comeback. With two out in the seventh, Carson Kelly walked, went to second on a wild pitch and took third on a single by PCA. This single by Suzuki made it 9-4 [VIDEO].
The Cubs still had the bases loaded after that, but Bregman struck out to end the inning.
That was Ramirez’s fourth home run, but first at Wrigley Field.
Okay! Now it’s a ballgame, the Cubs down just two runs. The Reds brought in lefty Sam Moll to pitch to Michael Conforto, and Counsell countered with Matt Shaw, just activated from the IL today. Shaw doubled, went to third one out later on a ground out, and scored on this double by Suzuki [VIDEO].
Now the tying run is in scoring position, but with two out, and Busch grounded to third to end the inning.
Daniel Palencia made his first appearance at Wrigley since being activated from the IL last weekend and struck out the first two Reds he faced, hitting 100 on the Wrigley pitch speed meter… but unfortunately, TJ Friedl homered off him to give the Reds a two-run cushion and that was that, as Reds closer Emilio Pagan set the Cubs down in order in the ninth.
Credit to the Cubs for mounting the comeback. But I can’t help thinking that the decision to bring Thornton in instead of Civale might have cost the Cubs this game. A couple more game notes from John:
Today’s game was Hoerner’s 12th of the season with at least three hits. Bregman and PCA have 10; Suzuki, eight, including today; Busch, seven; and six others from five to two, for a team total of 67. The Cubs began the day tied with the Brewers for second most. The Dodgers had 78. …. Pedro Ramirez’s three-run homer was the Cubs’ 28th of the season with two men on base. That ties them with the 2008 club for their second most in a season. They hit 29 in 2017.
At this point, I suspect the Cubs can forget about the NL Central title, now 7.5 games behind pending the result of the Brewers/Rangers game this evening. More important are the Phillies in the rear-view mirror, now 1.5 games behind and facing the Angels in Anaheim tonight. Fortunately, the Cubs have the tiebreaker over the Phillies — if those two meet in a Wild Card series, I do not want those games in Philadelphia.
The Cubs will try to even up the series Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. Kevin Gausman will start for the Cubs and Andrew Abbott goes for Cincinnati. Game time is again 1:20 p.m. CT and TV coverage will be via Marquee Sports Network.
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