NEW YORK (AP) — Day'Ron Sharpe matched a season high with 19 points, Ochai Agbaji added 18 and the Brooklyn Nets beat the injury-plagued Memphis Grizzlies 126-115 on Monday night for their second straight victory.
Nolan Traore added 17 points for the Nets, who were coming off an improbable 107-105 win at Eastern Conference-leading Detroit on Saturday night that snapped a 10-game skid.
The Nets, who rested leading scorer Michael Porter Jr., had six players score in double figures. The Grizzlies had only eight players available.
Rayan Rupert scored a career-high 20 points and Javon Small added 19 for Memphis, which has lost four straight and 11 of 14.
The Grizzlies were missing Ja Morant (left elbow), Scotty Pippen Jr. (right toe soreness), Santi Aldama (knee), Ty Jerome (calf), Cedrix Coward (right knee), newcomer Taj Gibson (reconditioning), Taylor Hendricks (right thumb soreness) and Brandon Clarke (calf). Zach Edey and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are out for the season.
Brooklyn led by single digits throughout the third quarter before taking control early in the fourth. Traore made a 3-pointer that put the Nets ahead 101-90, and Agbaji followed with two buckets off feeds by Ziaire Williams for a 15-point lead.
Brooklyn had a 67-40 advantage in bench points.
Earlier Monday, the Nets announced that Egor Demin will miss the rest of the season with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The 6-foot-8 rookie averaged 10.3 points in 52 games.
NEW YORK (AP) — Day'Ron Sharpe matched a season high with 19 points, Ochai Agbaji added 18 and the Brooklyn Nets beat the injury-plagued Memphis Grizzlies 126-115 on Monday night for their second straight victory.
Nolan Traore added 17 points for the Nets, who were coming off an improbable 107-105 win at Eastern Conference-leading Detroit on Saturday night that snapped a 10-game skid.
The Nets, who rested leading scorer Michael Porter Jr., had six players score in double figures. The Grizzlies had only eight players available.
Rayan Rupert scored a career-high 20 points and Javon Small added 19 for Memphis, which has lost four straight and 11 of 14.
The Grizzlies were missing Ja Morant (left elbow), Scotty Pippen Jr. (right toe soreness), Santi Aldama (knee), Ty Jerome (calf), Cedrix Coward (right knee), newcomer Taj Gibson (reconditioning), Taylor Hendricks (right thumb soreness) and Brandon Clarke (calf). Zach Edey and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are out for the season.
Brooklyn led by single digits throughout the third quarter before taking control early in the fourth. Traore made a 3-pointer that put the Nets ahead 101-90, and Agbaji followed with two buckets off feeds by Ziaire Williams for a 15-point lead.
Brooklyn had a 67-40 advantage in bench points.
Earlier Monday, the Nets announced that Egor Demin will miss the rest of the season with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The 6-foot-8 rookie averaged 10.3 points in 52 games.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Adrian Kempe scored his second goal of the game with 1:26 left in overtime to give the Los Angeles Kings a 5-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.
With the victory, Los Angeles moved within a point of Seattle in the race for the final Western Conference wild-card spot.
Columbus tied the score late for the second straight home game. Kirill Marchenko scored on the power play at 18:04 to force the extra period.
Brian Dumoulin had a goal and two assists. Scott Laughton scored for the second straight game since joining the Kings from Toronto and added an assist. Artemi Panarin also scored. Anton Forsberg made 28 saves for Los Angeles in the opener of a five-game trip.
Connor Garland scored twice — his first goals since coming to Columbus from Vancouver — and Denton Mateychuk added a goal and an assist. Jet Greaves made 26 saves for Columbus, which has lost two straight at home.
The Blue Jackets are two points behind Boston in the race for the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot, and three points behind the Islanders for third in the Metropolitan Division.
RANGERS 6, FLYERS 2
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Mika Zibanejad had two goals and an assist, and New York scored on three power plays in a win over the Philadelphia.
Noah Laba and Alexis Lafreniere each had a goal an assist. Gabe Perreault and Vladislav Gavrikov also scored for the Rangers, who won for the third time in five games. Igor Shesterkin finished with 32 saves.
Matvei Michkov and Sean Couturier scored for the Flyers. Dan Vladar allowed six goals on 24 shots and was replaced by Samuel Ersson at the start of the third period. Ersson made three saves in relief.
CAPITALS 7, FLAMES 3
WASHINGTON (AP) — Connor McMichael scored twice and the Washington Capitals beat the Calgary Flames 7-3 on Monday night.
Justin Sourdif had a goal and two assists and Hendrix Lapierre added a goal and an assist for Washington. Tom Wilson, Ethen Frank and Ryan Leonard also scored for the Capitals, who ended a three-game slide.
Matvei Gridin, Blake Coleman and Yegor Sharangovich scored for Calgary, which has lost five of its last six.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 09: Jahmai Mashack #21 of the Memphis Grizzlies dribbles against Nolan Traore #88 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half at Barclays Center on March 09, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Brooklyn Nets picked up their second win in a row tonight, and while they played winning basketball by all accounts, it felt like the Memphis Grizzlies set it down on the ground for them and walked away.
The Nets held Michael Porter Jr. out tonight for rest. They also started Drake Powell, who spent the last week and a half with Long Island. By putting him alongside Nolan Traoré, Danny Wolf, Noah Clowney, and Nic Claxton, the Nets started three rookies for a third time this season. Progress.
However, the Grizzlies had an even stronger handicap. If you’re a Nets fans infatuated with the Memphis Hustle, this was the night for you to come to the Barclays Center! Memphis’ list of inactives included Ja Morant, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke, Taylor Hendricks, Scotty Pippen Jr., Santi Aldama, Ty Jerome, Taj Gibson and Cedric Coward. That left them with only eight players available, three being two-ways. Their rotation also lacked a true center, as they opened with 6’9” GG Jackson at the 5.
Claxton relished his opportunity as the only adult in the room. Most of Brooklyn’s early offensive sets centered around him as he scored six of Brooklyn’s first eight points.
Nevertheless, Memphis controlled the contest early on, starting it 6-of-8 from deep. Rayan Rupert, one of the aforementioned two-ways, led everyone with eight first period points while shooting 2-4 from three. He and Memphis’ rag tag crew even went up on Brooklyn by as many as 10 in that frame.
However, the Nets closed it on an equally sized run to retake the lead, and they held theirs for far longer. Ben Saraf, running around like a penguin on melting ice beforehand, hit Ziaire Williams with a perfect pass to set up a the high-arching three that capped it off…
Ben Saraf finds Ziaire Williams at the last second. Nice job to lead him to the spot with the pass. pic.twitter.com/SNITv29LiU
It was Ochai Agbaji’s turn in the secon. He snagged seven points for the Nets in the period’s first three minutes, leveraging his speed and size on the break. The 6’5” 25-year-old wing also hit a triple in that stretch, bringing himself to 13-of-29 on threes in Brooklyn. He finished tonight with a season high 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting.
“Yeah, he took advantage of his minutes in the last two games, especially against Detroit, a very good team and physical,” Fernández said. “I thought defensively, he was one of our best players, especially protecting the rim and being our low man. He had four actions where he went vertical and protected the rim. And then tonight, the efficiency, 8-of-9 with 18 points, very clean game for him. It’s always good to have guys come in and be that efficient.”
However, if we’re going to talk about shooting from deep, we should really start with Traoré. He hasn’t shied away from the arc this year, but he hasn’t exactly threatened defenses from there either, coming into the game shooting 32.2% on 2.9 attempts per game.
Perhaps the Memphis defense read into those numbers too much. Perhaps Traoré wanted to save his makes for later in the season. Either way, he started the game a perfect 3-of-3 from deep and quickly helped the Nets build their won double digit advantage. He finished with 17 points shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from three. The Nets also shot 17-of-33 on triples for the evening, giving them their highest mark from there in a game all season.
But even as Brooklyn continued the crisp outside shooting, they never forgot about their advantage on the interior. Brooklyn continued to attack the paint in transition and the halfcourt, posting a +12 advantage there in the first half. Just behind Traoré, who had 11 points by then with an assist and block, Brooklyn’s bigs in Claxton (10) and Sharpe (9) were their team’s second and third leading scorers at halftime.
Fernández took time to appreciate the team’s ability to attack the Memphis defense on both fronts after the game.
“Day’Ron was very efficient. Nic, pretty efficient,” Fernández said. “But, you look at the paint points, 56 is not crazy. I think DayD was very efficient. I think all the shots, like you shoot 55% from the field and 51% for three, that’s pretty good. So, short handed, eight players, probably smaller, but I think overall, it was not just throwing it into the post all the time. Day’Day ducked in a couple times, did a great job, dunked in transition, all that stuff, so yeah, it was good.”
“Great team effort,” Sharpe added. “Everybody’s playing hard, playing together. We always preach about by sharing the ball. They was smaller, so me and Nic was getting on the ball paint and kicking it out. Everybody was capitalizing off of that.”
The Nets likely would have led by more than eight at halftime had they not turned it over 10 times and allowed Memphis to shoot 9-of-20 from deep. But even with the first half spotlighting the Nets’ perimeter defense as the barrier separating them from a win, they either still couldn’t see it, or couldn’t get around it at first.
The Grizzlies began the second half 3-of-6 from deep and quickly cut the lead to one less than four minutes into the third. A Danny Wolf at center experiment midway through the period went awry too, as Memphis even swung back against Brooklyn inside, managing to win there in the period 14-10.
And again, the Grizzlies got close, but not back in front of the Nets. Each time they inched closer, Brooklyn hit a timely shot to stay up one or two possessions. Wolf even redeemed some of his rough defensive sequences at the other end, or at least by heaving the ball into it…
Sharpe then took it from there. Coming in for Wolf to begin the fourth, he added seven points in less than three minutes to lead Brooklyn on a 14-4 run. In the process, Sharpe showed he can put the ball through the rim with feel and force, hitting a three before doing this moments later…
“The three, I already knew it was going in as soon as I shot it,” Sharpe said. “And the dunk, I just gotta dunk it. I didn’t even think he was gonna jump, but he jumped, so I just put it on his head.”
When the dust settled after Sharpe’s seismic boom, the scoreboard showed the Nets up by more than two touchdowns. Powell, Agbaji, and Jalen Wilson, who played his first non-garbage time minutes in over two weeks, all mixing in threes as the fourth bled down also provided the plenty of lead insurance.
It was even enough for Chaney Johnson, one of Brooklyn’s own two-ways, to get his first career minutes as a pro. He played the game’s final five minutes alongside E.J. Liddell, grabbing four points and a steal.
There’s not many to choose from, but this was likely Brooklyn’s biggest “team” win of the season, and not just because the Long Island guys got some burn.
While Sharpe led everyone with 19 points on 8-11 shooting, Ziaire Williams also pitched in 11 points off the bench and finished as a +22. Wilson only scored six points, but finished as a +31 in 22 minutes, which ranks as a career-high figure for him. Wolf had a 14/9/2 line, registering a block and a steal too. Noah Clowney was the sixth Net in double figures with 10 points, but Powell and Claxton were right behind with nine apiece.
With the win, the Nets also surrender the third-best odds to win the draft lottery this May to the Washington Wizards. Sure, there’s plenty of time for them to make that ground back up, but we can’t talk about two Nets wins in a row without acknowledging that.
While lots of fans will surely care about draft pick positioning, Day’Ron Sharpe made it clear postgame he doesn’t…not that his play left anything up for debate.
“We trying to win every game,” he said. “Well, I know, like us as a team, we’re every game, so it felt great for us to get the last win and to get a win today. Nobody likes losing, so just always trying to win, always bring good energy in the locker room.”
Final: Brooklyn Nets 126, Memphis Grizzlies 115
Milestone Watch
Day’Ron Sharpe tied his season high of 19 points tonight against the Grizzlies (fourth time) to go with five rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. In tandem with Ochai Agbaji (season-high 18 points), it is the first time this season that multiple Nets have scored 18+ off the bench in the same game.
Jalen Wilson +31 plus/minus tonight against Memphis is the second-highest plus/minus by a Net this season (Ben Saraf, +32 on 12/6/25 vs. WAS)
Waiting on the final results around the league, but it looks like the Nets will wind fourth in the Tankathon rankings.
Next Up
The Nets beat the Pistons on Saturday, so that automatically means they’re better than them now and should be favored in this game. This one tips off at Tuesday in the Barclays Center at 7:30 p.m. ET.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 09: Ronald Acuña Jr. #21 of the Venezuela singles during the fifth inning against Nicaragua at loanDepot park on March 09, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The star outfielder for the Atlanta Braves continued to do his home country proud in the World Baseball Classic. Ronald Acuña Jr. delivered another good performance for Venezuela as his performance essentially pushed them over the top in a win that primes them for a massive clash against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
As usual, Acuña led off for Venezuela in this one and as usual (when he’s healthy and feeling confident), he wreaked havoc upon the basepaths once he did reach. He got on with a walk, stole second base and then made it to third base on the play after catcher Ronald Rivera sent a wayward throw into the outfield. Jackson Chourio brought Acuña home on a sacrifice fly and that put a capper on a tone-setter of a trip around the basepaths for Acuña to start things off.
Acuña returned to the dish in the third inning and by that point, Nicaragua starter Danilo Bermudez had sat down eight Venezuela batters in a row. He was unable to make it nine because he served up a hanger in the middle of the zone for Acuña and the leadoff man for Venezuela and the Braves made no mistake with it. He crushed into the seats in right-center (a familiar sight for baseball fans in Miami) for a solo shot that put some breathing room in between Venezuela and Nicaragua. Venezuela had two baserunners and two runs at that point and both were thanks to Ronald Acuña Jr.
He wasn’t done there, either. Once the fifth inning rolled around, Acuña actually came to the plate with runners on base and two outs on the board. Duque Hebbert tried to fool him with a changeup but instead, Acuña smacked it into left-center field for another RBI in order to make it 3-0 Venezuela. For the kids keeping track at home, every run that Venezuela had scored at that point had Acuña involved with it in some way, shape or form. It’s the type of performance that us fans here in Braves Country are used to seeing and now he was doing it for his home country on the world stage.
Acuña added another single in seventh inning to make it a 3-for-3 day at the plate with a walk, a stolen base, two runs scored, two RBI and a home run as well. Again, baseball fans in Miami are very likely used to seeing this type of performance from Acuña and hopefully we’ll be seeing more of that once the Braves make it down there to South Florida for a regular season contest.
Acuña’s performance helped power Venezuela to a comfortable win over Nicaragua. They didn’t need to win the game since earlier results had ensured that they’d be leaving the group but now they’ve ensured that their matchup against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday will be a showdown to decide who wins Pool D. The building formerly known as Marlins Park is going to be packed to the rafters for that one and it’ll be very exciting to see how Acuña and the rest of this Venezuela squad fares against one of the real tournament favorites with quarterfinal seeding on the line.
It’ll all get started at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday night on Fox Sports 1, in case you’re interested in tuning in to see these two mammoths clash.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 09: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the United States throws the ball to first base in the fifth inning during a World Baseball Classic Pool B game between Mexico and the United States at Daikin Park on March 9, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Whatever you think of the World Baseball Classic, it provides a stage for some of the top players in the world to shine. Sometimes you get a 17-year-old kid inducing Aaron Judge to hit into a double play, and sometimes you get one of the best players in the world making ridiculous plays.
We saw the latter tonight when Bobby Witt Jr. pulled off an acrobatic feat against Mexico. World Series star Alejandro Kirk laced a liner to deep short that looked like a sure hit. Bobby dove and speared the ball on one hop, then fired a one-hopper from his knees to first base to record the out.
But he wasn’t done! An inning later, Nick Gonzales sent a grounder to deep short. Bobby didn’t even have to dive for this one, he made it look easy firing that laser to first to get the out.
PORT ST. LUCIE — Carson Benge is excelling in his first major league camp with the Mets, but whether that translates into a spot on the Opening Day roster is still in question.
“I don’t think we have made that decision yet,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday.
Benge, the team’s top position player prospect, entered play with an .846 OPS in the Grapefruit League.
He bolstered his case with an RBI triple in his first plate appearance against the Marlins on this night.
Carson Benge has excelled in his first major league camp with the Mets. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“Carson is having a nice camp,” Stearns said. “Similar to all our guys he’s worked really hard — I think we have had a real work-intensive camp across the field and Carson has participated in that.
“In the games we’ve seen what we would have expected. He’s taken very competitive at-bats. He’s a tough out. I think he’s played a nice right field … he’s a really good player and we’ll have a difficult decision as we get toward the end of camp.”
Mike Tauchman and MJ Melendez are among the other players in camp in the right field mix.
Francisco Lindor remains in position to potentially begin the season with the team, according to Stearns, as he rehabs from hamate bone surgery in his left hand.
Stearns said he would expect Lindor to appear in Grapefruit League games before the Mets break camp, but conversations have not occurred to set a plan.
Brandon Waddell is “getting better,” according to manager Carlos Mendoza, after he was scratched from his Monday start because of shoulder fatigue.
The left-hander won’t need imaging on the shoulder and will continue throwing, according to Mendoza.
Outfielder Nick Morabito and pitcher Jonathan Pintaro were optioned to Triple-A.
Pitcher Jack Wenninger was reassigned to minor league camp.
The Mets have 64 players remaining in major league camp.
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - MARCH 09: A detail shot of a World Baseball Classic Pool A base jewel prior to the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool A game presented by Capital One between Team Colombia and Team Panama at Hiram Bithorn Stadium on Monday, March 9, 2026 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via 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 Rockies fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The World Baseball Classic is in full swing, and the Rockies have a number of players on a variety of rosters. Some have performed well while others have struggled… but that’s baseball!
Tonight, we’d like to know your thoughts on the WBC so far. Who has performed well, and who do you think will win? Let us know!
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Mika Zibanejad had two goals and an assist, and the New York Rangers scored on three power plays in a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night.
Noah Laba and Alexis Lafreniere each had a goal an assist. Gabe Perreault and Vladislav Gavrikov also scored for the Rangers, who won for the third time in five games. Igor Shesterkin finished with 32 saves.
Matvei Michkov and Sean Couturier scored for the Flyers. Dan Vladar allowed six goals on 24 shots and was replaced by Samuel Ersson at the start of the third period. Ersson made three saves in relief.
The Rangers pounced early and scored in bunches. Laba converted from close range 1:04 into the game when Vladar failed to control the puck after a glove save. Zibanejad scored his first at 13:07 while charging down the slot, and Lafreniere posted New York's first power-play goal with 38 seconds left in the first.
Michkov got the Flyers on the board at 3:54 of the second, but the Rangers stormed back. Perreault scored with the man advantage less than three minutes later. Zibanejad scored on the power play and Gavrikov added a goal — in a 20-second span — at the end of the period.
Couturier scored at the 15:28 of the third.
New York defenseman Uhro Vaakanainen, in action after being scratched for five games, saw 15 minutes and 18 seconds of ice time. Matt Rempe (upper body), J.T. Miller (upper body) were sidelined for the Rangers, and forward Taylor Raddysh is away from the team for his father’s funeral.
Travis Konecny and Nick Seeler were back in action for the Flyers. Konecny, who leads Philadelphia with 23 goals and 57 points, missed three games with an upper-body injury. Seeler missed 2 games with a lower-body injury sustained in a win over Toronto a week ago Monday.
Up next
Rangers: Host the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
Flyers: Host the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 09: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the Grapefruit League spring training game at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 09, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Look. It’s spring training. I’m not going to get too wound up in the final score. There was some really good tonight and some really blah tonight. On the positive side of the ledger, just-announced Opening Day starter Max Fried looked like an ace on the mound, mixing his repertoire and flummoxing Pirates hitters. Meanwhile, Giancarlo Stanton was doing his usual, smashing baseballs at preternatural speeds.
Less positively, “let’s get Rockies relievers for our bullpen” is looking like a sketchy proposition, with a couple former Coloradans struggling versus Pittsburgh hitters in a 5-3 loss. But at the end of the day, Fried looked great, Stanton’s swinging a big stick, and the club got out of tonight healthy. That’s its own kind of win in my book.
Fried picked up right where he left off against Panama last week. Three Pirates came to the dish in the opening stanza, including super-prospect Konnor Griffin. All sat right back down. Fried punctuated the inning with a swinging strikeout of former first overall pick Henry Davis, the first of six on the night.
Former Houston Astro José Urquidy took the mound for Pittsburgh and, unfortunately, matched Fried. I hold grudges, so out of sheer spite, I would have liked to hang 10 runs on Urquidy in the first.
Fried ran his scoreless spring streak to five innings when he stepped back on the mound in the second. Two more strikeouts highlighted the frame, led by an ABS overturn that sent former Baby Bomber Rafael Flores, Jr. back to the Pirates dugout with his bat on his shoulder.
Big G got the Yankees on board in the home second. And it was Vintage Stanton. Giancarlo absolutely murdered an Urquidy offering: 109.5 mph off the bat, 424 feet to left center field. Watch and enjoy:
Sadly, the Pirates managed a base hit in the top of the third. No spring training no-no for Maximum Fried and the Yankees. I guess the good news was, as Todd Frazier pointed out in the YES booth, it gave Fried a chance to pitch out of the stretch after having been exclusively in the windup for the first two innings.
Veteran infielder Paul DeJong, leading off the Yankee third, followed in Stanton’s footsteps. He got a fastball out over the plate from Urquidy and drove it to left field. The only question was whether it would stay fair. It did, and it was 2-0, New York. Later in the inning, with Trent Grisham standing on second and two out, Cody Bellinger took Urquidy to deep right-center field. That double scored Grish and extended the lead to three runs.
With his pitch count in outstanding shape (40 pitches through three), Fried came back out for the fourth. Two more whiffs and a groundball sent him back to the dugout with about 10 pitches left in his bag – skipper Aaron Boone revealed in-game the goal was to have Fried throw 65.
The Pirates got on the board with Fried at the end of his rope in the fifth. On Fried’s 62nd pitch of the night, Endy Rodriguez got ahold of a mistake and hit it just far enough to send one up and out to left field. Boone left him out to face the next hitter, but once Fried’s pitch count hit 67, Boone bounded out of the dugout to come get his ace.
All told, it was an excellent outing from Fried, who threw seven different pitches on his way to striking out six Buccos while handing out nary a free pass.
Jake Bird was the next man up for the Yanks. Following the disastrous beginning to his Yankees tenure after the club acquired him from Colorado last summer, all positive signs from Bird are encouraged. Unfortunately, there were not many of those tonight. Bird handed out another walk. Along with a catcher’s interference, that loaded the bases for Griffin. Bird then missed over the plate with a 1-2 sweeper that Pittsburgh’s next great star promptly drove into left field, scoring two runs, tying the game, and ending Bird’s outing.
Another former Rockie followed Bird into the game. Angel Chivilli inherited runners on second and third with two out. It was dicey at points but ultimately, he was more successful than his predecessor and got the Yankees out of the inning. He was not so lucky in the sixth. A pair of singles and some good situational baseball allowed the Pirates to eke a fourth run across and take the lead. To Chivilli’s credit though, he limited the damage and got back to the dugout only down one.
The Yankee bats had been quiet since Urquidy departed. But in the bottom of the sixth, Stanton crushed another baseball. This one was merely a single to left field, but it was a 115.3-mph single to left. There is only one Giancarlo Stanton.
Osvaldo Bido, who the Yankees claimed off waivers from the Angels in early February, came in for the seventh and looked good, striking out a pair of Pirates hitters in a scoreless frame.
Southpaw Kyle Carr, the Yanks’ 13th-ranked prospect, came in to pitch the eighth. Unfortunately, some control problems led to a pair of two-out walks. And everyone knows those often come around to haunt the pitcher who hands them out. Shawn Ross doubled in the fifth Pirates run of the game.
Some shoddy Pittsburgh defense in the home eighth gave the Yankees a window to come back. After a one-out walk, Pirates reliever Yohan Ramirez threw a ball into center field trying to get an ill-advised force out at second base. Instead, the Yanks had runners on the corners. Alas, that was as close as they’d get. Carr tossed a clean ninth for the Bombers but the bats were—as they’d been all night since Urquidy left—unable to make a dent in the Pirates. Yankees lost, 5-3.
At least Aaron Judge had a very nice day for Team USA.
Join us tomorrow as the Yankees hit the road to play Philadelphia. Luis Gil gets the start for New York against Tanner Banks. First pitch is 1:05 pm EDT.
PORT ST. LUCIE — Before arriving to camp for his annual visit as a Mets guest instructor, David Wright received a message from the team’s new third baseman saying he wanted to meet him.
On Monday, Wright found Bo Bichette and began that relationship with a 30-minute conversation.
“He was asking some great baseball questions and some great questions just about the city of New York in general,” Wright told SNY. “I have become a big Bo Bichette fan, so I am excited to see what he can do this year.”
Bichette, who arrived to the Mets on a three-year contract worth $126 million in January, is shifting from shortstop to third base, as one of multiple new players learning a new position.
Bo Bichette is in the process of shifting from shortstop to third base. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Following a winter in which the front office reshaped the roster, the former Mets captain is learning new names, aside from Bichette.
Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and Edwin Díaz have departed and the new arrivals also include Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, Luis Robert Jr. and Devin Williams.
“I really love spring training energy, especially with the new group of guys that the Mets have,” Wright said. “Now you get to meet some of these guys for the first time and it just seems there’s energy and enthusiasm in that locker room. I like being a small part of that.”
David Wright speaks at Mets spring training on March 9, 2026. X /@SNY
Team owner Steve Cohen has said there won’t be an official Mets captain as long as he owns the club. Wright, who held the title for five seasons, said the number of veterans in the clubhouse may preclude the need for an official captain.
“Knowing Francisco [Lindor] for the last few years, knowing Juan [Soto] for the last few years, when you have a handful or a group of leaders in there, that is just as good if not better than having a single leader,” Wright said.
“Times change. It makes sense when you have the veteran group that they have in here, that group can get together with these young guys, these top prospects, and say, ‘Hey, this is how we’re going to kind of do it.’ I think that’s what made the team successful, the success that we had when I played, that let these young players know that ‘Starting now, this is how we play the game. This is how we carry ourselves.’”
Mar 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Edwards (11) goes for a loose ball against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Keon Ellis (14) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer season standings: Tyrese Maxey – 22 Joel Embiid – 9 VJ Edgecombe – 9 Paul George – 6 Kelly Oubre Jr. – 4 Jared McCain :’( – 3 Dominick Barlow – 2 Andre Drummond – 2 Jabari Walker – 1 MarJon Beauchamp – 1 Adem Bona – 1 Justin Edwards – 1 Quentin Grimes – 1 Trendon Watford – 1 15th roster spot – 1
The woefully shorthanded Sixers stood no chance against the Cavaliers on Monday, falling 115- 101.
The Sixers were without their top four scorers for this one — Joel Embiid (oblique), Tyrese Maxey (finger), Paul George (suspension) and VJ Edgecombe (back) were all sidelined.
Their absences were felt early and often as the Sixers could not find consistent offense and were forced to play zone defense until garbage time. A new Sixers addition made an impact in the final quarter, but there was not much else to point to in this one.
No rest for the weary either as the Sixers play tomorrow to close the back-to-back hosting the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday evening.
Grimes was one of if not the only Sixer who could operate the offense at a respectable level provided the injury report. He took advantage of it both as a playmaker and scorer, when points were extremely difficult to come by.
Quentin Grimes leading the floor with 14 points on 5-8 FG shooting as we inch towards halftime pic.twitter.com/Om4KpYnFJ3
He did most of his damage in the first half with strong drives and solid shooting. He started the game with a pair of threes which got the Sixers out to an early advantage, which he parlayed into determined attacks into the teeth of the Cleveland defense. He added a few dimes including a great look to Adem Bona underneath the basket following good ball movement from the Sixers.
While Grimes made a strong impact in the first, Payne shook off some shooting woes late in the second quarter. Following a nice finish in the paint, he drained a pull-up three from the top of the arc after missing his first five attempts from deep.
There was also a ridiculous moment caught by Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire that may or may not have been intentional from the Cavaliers’ scoreboard graphics department.
Very strong shooting for Justin Edwards throughout this one, and helped create some tension for the Cavs in the fourth. In what has been an up-and-down campaign for Edwards, Monday’s showing was one of his better two-way performances. He picked off a couple errant passes, one of which he converted for a transition layup.
Terry did made the most of his opportunity, especially during his stint in the fourth. He grabbed a couple offensive rebounds which turned into points, and initiated the offense with athleticism that stood out. He made his defensive presence known despite the score, and was the main engine in making things appear closer at the final buzzer. He should be a candidate for more minutes with the Sixers guard depth depleted.
Nets guard Egor Demin (8) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) during the first half at State Farm Arena.
Egor Dëmin — the Nets’ first lottery pick in 15 years — will miss the remainder of his rookie season due to increased plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
The news came Monday before a victory that was Pyrrhic in every way. Brooklyn won 126-115 against Memphis, but the tanking Nets lost not only their prized rookie, but vital ground in the all-important lottery race.
While Dëmin will avoid surgery — and should return to basketball activity early in the offseason and be a full participant in the summer development program — having his promising debut season cut short will be a blow for the young Russian.
Nets guard Egor Demin (8) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) during the first half at State Farm Arena. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“He’s been a kid that wants to play, wants to be out there, wants to develop — and nothing better than playing real games to get better at this level,” said Jordi Fernández. “Obviously when you have discomfort and it doesn’t allow you to play at that level, we had to find solutions. We were trying to find the best way. And at the end of the day, the good thing is it’s [a] non-surgical procedure, which is good.
“Obviously the summer and getting him to work and get better throughout the process and having a summer is important. So, the fact he’s not going to be able to play these 20-some games, it’s not the best, because he wants to and we value real reps. But his health is the No. 1 priority. And we’re very, very optimistic and positive about it.”
Dëmin, 20, had missed the last four games and been mired in a funk. He’d averaged just six points on 31.4 percent shooting and 6-for-24 from deep over his last five games, a Feb. 27 loss in Boston his final game.
“I know he was dealing with some discomfort, and it got worse and worse,” said Fernández. “We decided to take a look and [try to] settle it a little bit. We ended up asking for different opinions, and that’s what was recommended to us.”
Dëmin ends a solid rookie campaign averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 assists and 3.2 boards. He was the first Net since 2019 picked for the Rising Stars at All-Star weekend, and set an NBA rookie record by hitting a 3-pointer in 34 straight games.
“He’s gotten better at everything we ask him to do,” said Fernández. “The superpowers that he has, he’s shown he can do it at this level, which is really good. The shooting, not just how real it is, but how fast it goes in. His shots in clutch time, the perimeter passing. And now defensively and offensively, that physicality that comes with the work [on] his body. … He’s taking steps.
“He’s been able to get into the paint more times. Same [thing] defensively on being more physical and working on that technique. That’s going to come with his player development plan. And the sooner we can have him in the summer and keep working on these things, you can keep taking steps forward. But he’s gotten better in every single thing that we’ve asked him to do.”
Nets guard Egor Dëmin (8), right, attempts a 3-point basket against Atlanta Hawks guard Gabe Vincent (4), left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, AP
With Dëmin shelved and Michael Porter Jr. rested against the Grizzlies, the Nets started rookies Nolan Traore, Danny Wolf and Drake Powell.
Traore had 17 points and four assists while Day’Ron Sharpe bullied the short-handed Grizzlies inside for 19 points and five boards.
“We’re trying to win every game,” said Sharpe. “Nobody likes losing. So just always trying to win, and always bring good energy.”
Memphis showed tanking urgency and suited up just eight players, with Ja Morant, Santi Aldama, Ty Jerome, Cedric Coward and Zach Edey all out. Brooklyn won, but fell to fourth in the lottery race.
“When you’re winning it makes everything better. Guys are bought in, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Wolf (14 points,) adding, “We were able to punish them in the paint. We had a pretty large lineup, and their tallest guy was 6-8.”
The Nets declined to give Grant Nelson a second 10-day contract, league sources told the Post. Fernández said it was to get a look at other players.
“We obviously loved what he did in the games he had a chance to play,” said Fernández. “We have plenty of players here to give looks and to make sure that we know what we’ve got. We have to make sure that at the end of the season, we know exactly what we’ve got, and there’s no question marks.”
TAMPA — The Yankees signed Randal Grichuk because of his ability to hit left-handed pitching.
But with the 34-year-old not getting into camp until recently — and with just over two weeks before the start of the regular season — they just want to get the veteran as many plate appearances as possible.
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That’s why Grichuk was in the lineup Monday night with right-hander José Urquidy on the mound for the Pirates at Steinbrenner Field — and why Aaron Boone didn’t wait for a lefty starter for him to go up against.
“At this point, we’re pretty deep into camp and may not have that luxury,” Boone said of saving the righty-swinging Grichuk for lefties.
Grichuk won’t play Tuesday’s day game in Clearwater, Fla. against the Phillies and time — and at-bats — are of the essence.
“Right now, especially with his experience, it’s about building up innings and reps,” Boone said. “If it comes [versus] lefties, that’s great.”
With Grichuk seemingly likely on the Opening Day roster instead of the switch-hitting Jasson Domínguez, who has struggled against lefties from the right side, appears ticketed for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Randal Grichuk has hit well against lefties throughout his career. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
That would leave a four-man bench of Grichuk, J.C. Escarra, Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario.
Boone is also confident that Grichuk will be valuable in the outfield, where he’s had plenty of experience over the years.
“I think he can really handle left-handed pitching and we can help him in the outfield,’’ Boone said. “He’s a natural outfielder, a former center fielder and fundamentally very good. We might be able to help a little bit with some range things.”
What the Yankees really need Grichuk to do, though, as Boone said, is “really hammer” lefties.
They’re hoping for a return to his 2024 form, when Grichuk had a .913 OPS in 184 plate appearances against lefties with the Diamondbacks — and an .801 OPS against righties — before those numbers dropped to .703 versus lefties and .623 against righties last season split between Arizona and Kansas City.
He’s confident he can get back to solid performance, in particular because many of his underlying numbers last year were better than his stats would indicate.
Randal Grichuk is playing catch-up after missing the beginning of spring training. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
And he continues to embrace the part-time role.
As Grichuk noted, many players in that situation might complain about not getting regular at-bats, which makes it harder for them to get into a rhythm.
“I kind of flipped the script, basically, and said ‘No one feels sorry for me,’” Grichuk said. “I’ve got to do it. That’s my role. I just changed the mindset. It doesn’t matter if it’s X amount of days without an at-bat. You’ve got to do your job and go to battle.”
Mar 9, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Cameron Payne (20) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Keon Ellis (14) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
James Harden
21 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 29 minutes
Chef Harden was cooking tonight. This was one of those games where Harden felt two steps ahead of the defense. His step-back jumpers and dimes to the corner were so much fun to watch.
Grade: A
Donovan Mitchell
17 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists
The Cavs didn’t need Mitchell to exert himself too much on the second night of a back-to-back. He shot just 4-11 from the floor, but worked his way to the free-throw line for nine attempts. Cleveland’s double-digit lead allowed Mitchell to coast for most of the night.
Another strong showing from Mobley, who has been stringing these games together since returning from his calf injury. Mobley is back to being a supreme downhill threat while being an all-world defender.
Grade: A-
Jaylon Tyson
11 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists
Tyson felt much more comfortable against the Sixers than he did versus Boston. He had plenty of easy catch-and-shoot opportunities, as well as converting a tough finish in the lane during the fourth quarter.
Grade: B+
Dennis Schroder
4 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound
There’s a trend emerging. Schroder can be very helpful in small doses. The more his usage increases, the larger the risk. But the Cavs got just the right amount of Schroder tonight.
Grade: C+
Sam Merrill
5 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds
I’m not sure if Merrill fits in the starting lineup. It increasingly feels like Jaylon Tyson should be in this position, as both players would likely benefit from this change. Merrill was 1-6 from the floor tonight. That said, he did dish out five assists.
Grade: C+
Keon Ellis
19 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
Ellis was on fire tonight. He nailed three three-pointers in the first half, building an early lead for his team while demoralizing the Sixers’ bench. There’s nothing to complain about when Ellis is burying threes and playing lockdown defense.
Grade: A+
Dean Wade
13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
Wade shot 3-of-6 from three tonight and provided his usual defensive impact. That’s everything you want from Wade.
Grade: A+
Thomas Bryant
8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
Bryant got back on track tonight with a 2-5 three-point shooting performance. This is closer to what we’ve grown accustomed to.
