MILWAUKEE, WI - MARCH 7: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket during the game against the Utah Jazz on March 7, 2026 at Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images). | NBAE via Getty Images
In the first half of a weekend back-to-back at Fiserv Forum, the Milwaukee Bucks snapped a four-game losing streak, taking out perhaps the most unabashed tankers in NBA history, the Utah Jazz. In his most extensive action since returning Monday from a calf strain (27 minutes), Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in a game-high 27 for the victors. Keyonte George paced the visitors with 22.
A jumbo starting lineup, including Ousmane Dieng and Kyle Kuzma, began this one on a 10-3 run. Giannis’ initial shift was his longest since January at just under eight minutes, and in that time, he got to the line seven times. It was 23-8 when he subbed out at 4:35, but the second unit couldn’t extend what was then a 13-2 run any further. In fact, Milwaukee didn’t score a point for over three-and-a-half minutes as Giannis sat, though Utah couldn’t get closer than 10. They’re that bad: the Bucks went ice cold, and all the Jazz managed was five points. With a quarter in the books, it was 24-13 Bucks. Gripping stuff.
The Jazz finally started to find nylon in the opening stages of the second, amid the Bucks’ continued offensive struggles. A 10-2 Utah run made it a two-point game just over three minutes in, and Giannis re-entered perhaps sooner than anticipated. Still, the Milwaukee offense remained sluggish as Utah tied it at 35 just past the midpoint. It wasn’t until the last three minutes that they strung together some makes and re-established the double-digit lead, ironically after Giannis checked back out. The home team went to the locker room ahead 51-44.
Much like in their Wednesday defeat, the Bucks opened the second half poorly. Two early turnovers shrank the Bucks’ halftime advantage to one, and thanks to early foul trouble, they barely managed to stay in front—by no more than six—for the next few minutes. Once Giannis exited, Utah grabbed their first lead of the game inside the five-minute mark. Basket-trading followed, including AJ Green’s first three of the night (he had been 0/4 overall prior), then another shortly after. That, plus a Jericho Sims fastbreak dunk, seemed to break Milwaukee out of it a bit. Closing the period on a 9-2 run, they led 83-76 through three.
Bobby Portis took matters into his own hands with a pair of early buckets as the Bucks soon went up 11. He even added a block to his six quick points. That bought some more time for Giannis, who was reinserted with 7:30 left, up six. Utah closed within one, though, and it appeared the usual Jazz tanking mass exodus wasn’t coming. Giannis went to work with a personal 6-0 run, but Milwaukee struggled to stop Utah on the other end without fouling. It was 97-95 inside five minutes, but then the Bucks finally got serious and put the game away as the Jazz misfired just enough. They finished on a 16-4 run.
Stat That Stood Out
The Bucks were just brutal at the line, and it made this game a lot closer than it needed to be: 16/28 at the charity stripe is just 57.1%. Until Giannis made a few as they made their closing run, Milwaukee was under 50% for the game.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Josh Morrissey scored 1:49 into overtime to become the highest-scoring defenseman in franchise history, lifting the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 victory over the NHL-worst Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.
The winning goal by Morrissey, who missed the last five games after being injured while playing for Canada at the Milan Cortina Olympics, gave him 417 career points to surpass Dustin Byfuglien for the Jets record. He tied the mark with an assist on Gabriel Vilardi's tying goal.
Mark Scheifele also scored in regulation and had two assists and Connor Hellebuyck made 21 saves for the Jets, who extended their points streak to six games.
Linus Karlsson had a goal and an assist and Liam Ohgren also scored for the Canucks, who have lost 11 of 13. Kevin Lankinen stopped 32 shots for Vancouver, which beat Chicago on Friday night to end a seven-game skid that started in January.
With Winnipeg trailing 2-1 in the third period, Vilardi scored his 24th goal of the season at the 15:12 mark to tie it. Vilardi scored a goal in all three matchups against the Canucks this season, all victories for the Jets.
Winnipeg improved to 9-2-0 in its last 11 against Vancouver.
The midway point through Spring Training brings a little more clarity to the roster competitions going on in camp for the San Diego Padres with almost three weeks to go. The scores of the games don’t matter; the games often include minor league players that will never see a major league roster. Even the performances by the veterans are not too important as it is the process that is the focus in spring.
Everyone is working on stuff. Hitters are refining approaches and tweaks to their mechanics. Pitchers are working on new pitches, grips, sequences and building stamina. Despite all of that, it is still possible to impress the coaching staff if you are a non-roster invitee or minor league prospect. There are many factors that go into making the final roster decisions at the end of camp and some of those decisions are made easy by performances.
Randy Vasquez
When camp opened in February, manager Craig Stammen sent a message to starter Randy Vasquez. You have to earn your spot on this staff; nothing is a given. It appears Vasquez took that challenge to heart and has been impressive. His fastball velocity is averaging 2.2 mph higher than last season, and he is using it a lot more. The whiff percentage has gone from 16% to 27.3% in his appearances so far. Last year, of his seven-pitch mix, he had a stuff+ rating of 100 or more for his cutter, sweeper, curveball and slider. This spring, his stuff+ is 100 or more for all of his pitches.
In the 4.2 innings pitched in his two starts, Vasquez has allowed one hit with five strikeouts and three walks and no runs allowed. The exhibition against Great Britain on March 4 featured the first start for Joe Musgrove in his return from Tommy John. Vasquez came on in the fourth inning and pitched four shutout innings, allowing one hit and three strikeouts with no walks. That is a drastic contrast to watching him in past seasons, where his nickname was “Strandy Vasquez” with his penchant for getting out of messes he created for himself.
The Padres staff has expressed excitement with his performance so far and Vasquez has no worries if he can keep this up.
Fifth rotation spot
Triston McKenzie will not be in the rotation. The velocity is impressive but the control and command are everywhere. No one can fix that in three weeks.
Marco Gonzales has improved from the start of camp, but his competition is pushing him to the back of the line due to his low velocity compared to the other starter options.
JP Sears has improved his velocity (up to 94 mph on his fastball) but the command of his pitches has not been consistent. If he is to compete, he must improve his location on all his pitches.
Germán Márquez has also improved as the number of starts have increased. His fastball in the mid-90s is used about half the time and he mixes in his knuckle curve, slider, sinker and changeup. Only his curve has a stuff+ of 100 or more and the rest are below average.
Walker Buehler has a seven-pitch mix with a fastball that currently hits 94 mph. His stuff+ is better on his secondary pitches and his only appearance for the Padres showed a starter that knows how to pitch. If he improves over the course of the rest of the games, it will be hard to imagine the other starters beating him.
The last starter spot will continue to be competitive until late in spring. An improvement in performance and execution could significantly affect the final decision. As things stand now, Buehler seems to be the frontrunner but that can change. There has been no clarity on what happens with the veterans who don’t make the roster. The opt-out rules and contract details aren’t totally clear, and those details could be part of the final decision.
First base and DH
The competition for the platoon partner for Gavin Sheets at first base and DH seems to have concluded with both Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos showing major league performances in spring games. Castellanos can play corner outfield and DH but spent his offseason working at first base. Despite learning a new position, Castellanos has looked comfortable and made some good plays. There have also been enough misplays to allow him to learn and get coaching and mentoring from those around him. Offensively, his 21 at-bats feature a home run, two doubles and six RBI with a .333 average and 1.011 OPS
Andujar, who can also play third base and left field, has had 21 at-bats with a double, two homers and three RBI. He is hitting .381 with a 1.233 OPS. Although spring stats mean very little, seeing them both make good contact and have good at-bats is encouraging for improving the production in the last half of the lineup.
Infield/Outfield depth
Sung-Mun Song looks good in infield drills, showing athleticism and excellent defense. He has played mostly third base so far this spring. He debuted at shortstop in the game on March 5, making a good play with quick reactions and a strong throw. He also hit a home run 430 feet with an exit velocity of 105 mph on a 95-mph fastball. Watching his hits so far this spring, hitting velocity hasn’t been an issue.
Unfortunately, he came out of that game with soreness in his right oblique. That is the same side he injured before camp began and is now day-to-day. Depending on his progress, there could be some competition for infield depth as infielder Ty France has impressed this spring. In his 24 at-bats, France has three doubles and five RBI while playing strong defense at first base. If the Padres test him at third base and second base in coming games, it could be a sign that he has a chance for the roster.
Coming into spring, most everyone figured Bryce Johnson had a lock on the fourth outfield job. He played well last year and is a defensive plus at all three outfield positions. It’s possible that may not be the case. Johnson has options remaining and there are multiple players in camp who have experience in the outfield. Castellanos and Andujar are infielders who have played the corner outfield spots. Gavin Sheets has also seen time. The real issue is the backup for Jackson Merrill in centerfield and only Ramon Laureano has been able to fill in. That isn’t a great fit, but Johnson could be called up in case of a longer-term issue.
It will be interesting to see if there is a true fourth outfielder on the roster when camp breaks.
Bullpen
The only clarity to come with this battle is that Bryan Hoeing appears to have a significant injury and may not be in the conversation at all. The team has been suspiciously quiet about details regarding his status. The only report is elbow soreness, and he is exploring second and third opinions on his options. None of that sounds good and it is possible surgery would be what is being debated.
The surprise has been the rise of Logan Gillaspie as an option for the long role. His velocity is also up from previous years and there looks to be more movement on his pitches as well. The 3.2 innings pitched so far have been over two games with one hit and six strikeouts. Nick Pivetta is backing off from his start on Sunday and Gillaspie will start in his place.
The final decision for the bullpen will probably come down to the last days of camp, unless there are further injuries. Fingers crossed that the performances will continue to make it hard on the Padres staff to make those final decisions.
Catcher
The start of his tenure as the new manager featured Craig Stammen naming Luis Campusano as his back-up catcher. He left no doubt he was counting on Campusano to win the job this spring. So far, Campusano has looked good behind the plate. He is noticeably more engaged with the pitchers, and his work seems a lot more focused. Although his throws were a bit off to start, his last couple have been on target and crisp.
Unfortunately, his offense hasn’t kicked in yet. It seems obvious that might lag behind if he is dedicating most of early camp to the pitchers and his defense. Watching for more offense as the games go on and we get closer to the regular season would relieve some anxiety among fans who have never seen a consistent Campusano in a Padres uniform.
If positive vibes and confidence from the manager have any effect, then Campusano should begin to bloom soon. If you buy into the theory that 80 percent of baseball is mental, then having confidence in a player and giving him all the opportunities should bring out the best in him. I continue to hope that Stammen supporting and encouraging Campusano will unlock the player we haven’t seen yet.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Enmanuel De Jesus throws at live batting practice during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Saturday night was supposed to be about Tarik Skubal, at least from a Tigers fans’ perspective. The best pitcher in baseball had a perfectly fine short outing for Team USA against Team Britain, but it was southpaw Enmanuel de Jesus who put on a show. Taking on Team Israel, which does feature a few major league caliber hitters, the southpaw struck out seven of the first 14 hitters he saw in perfect fashion. A triple and a single in the fifth allowed a run before de Jesus punched out his eighth hitter of the night to wrap up five stellar innings. Team Venezuela went on to win 11-3 on homers from Eugenio Suarez and a pair of blasts from Luiz Arraez.
Granted, outside of Harrison Bader, Team Israel is composed of Triple-A caliber hitters. But considering how well de Jesus has pitched all spring, it wasn’t surprising to see him absolutely dominate in the spotlight. His fourseam and sinker command was outstanding, and he was working cutters and changeups just off the edges with a lot of precision. It reminded me of watching prime Jose Quintana out there.
De Jesus has 6 1/3 scoreless innings for the Tigers already in Grapefruit League play with an excellent strikeout to walk ratio. He signed a minor league deal worth a potential $1.3M if he makes the Tigers’ major league roster this offseason. After pitching well in the KBO the past few seasons, the lefty’s command of his 93-94 mph fourseam-sinker combination, cutter, and changeup, have all looked very good so far. It’s not the kind of arsenal that screams frontline MLB starter, but as long as his command is this good, it’s going to be hard to keep him off the Opening Day roster with a straight face.
The Tigers might prefer to keep him stretched out, but with Keider Montero and Ty Madden already optioned to minor league camp, there’s really no need. We also don’t know the specifics of de Jesus’s minor league contract. If he has an opt-out date if not called up to the major leagues, the Tigers are probably best served by taking him on Opening Day and optioning Brant Hurter. Let’s just say that Hurter needs to get it going in a real hurry or he’ll be tuning up with the Toledo Mud Hens while de Jesus occupies the longman/lefty role in the Tigers’ bullpen.
It’s easier to pitch well early in camp before the major league hitters are ramped up and clicking on all cylinders, but just watching the stuff and command, it’s obvious this isn’t just a fluke run. De Jesus pitched very well and really learned his craft overseas, and it looks like the Tigers are set to benefit so far this spring.
As for Skubal, he was only scheduled to throw 55 pitches or so, as he’s put his emphasis on preparing for the regular season. He surrendered a first pitch home run to Red Sox infielder Nate Eaton before getting into full Skubal mode and punching out five hitters in three innings of work. Team USA leads 7-1 in the seventh inning as of this writing.
Trayce Thompson #28 of the Great Britain catches the home run attempt of Will Smith #16 of the United States (not pictured) in the second inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool B game between Great Britain and the United States at Daikin Park on March 07, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
This one was a win for the red coats.
Great Britain outfielder Trayce Thompson robbed a potential game-tying home run during their World Baseball Classic Group B pool play game against the U.S. in their 9-1 loss to the American on Saturday night at Daikin Park in Houston.
With one out in the second inning, Team USA catcher Will Smith belted a ball opposite field, but Thompson leaped and made the catch to keep the ball in the diamond.
Thompson, 34, is the brother of five-time NBA All-Star Klay Thompson, and spent this past MLB season playing for the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate in Worcester.
He has spent parts of seven seasons in the MLB, playing for the Dodgers, White Sox, Cubs, Padres, and Athletics.
Despite being a native of California, Thompson is eligible to play for Great Britain because his father, former NBA center Mychal Thompson, is from the Bahamas, a former British colony.
Thompson’s catch comes as Great Britain started surprisingly well start against a powerful U.S. team.
On the first pitch of Saturday’s game, Great Britain outfielder Nate Eaton blasted a solo shot off of reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
Reliever Najer Victor also struck out four batters in just 1⅓ innings pitched.
Great Britain’s Trayce Thompson robs the United States’ Will Smith (not pictured) of a home run during the second inning of their WBC pool play game at Daikin Park on March 7, 2026 in Houston. Getty Images
Great Britain also kept Team USA scoreless through the first four innings, until Team USA third baseman Ernie Clement came home on a wild pitch in the fifth inning.
Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber then followed with a two-run blast to give the U.S. their first lead of the night.
Shortstop Gunnar Henderson then hit a two-run double to break the game open for Team USA, putting them up 5-1, and they didn’t look back.
Great Britain is still seeking its first win in the WBC this year. They lost 8-2 to Mexico in their first pool play game on Friday.
Perhaps the feature player of Great Britain’s roster is Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., who joined them for this year’s tournament after originally playing for them at 18 years old back in the 2016 WBC qualifiers.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Pep Biel scored two goals, Idan Toklomati added his first of the season, and Charlotte FC beat short-handed Austin FC 3-1 on Saturday night.
Biel scored his second goal of the season to make it 2-1 in the 68th minute. Harry Toffolo played an arcing ball from the left side to the back post, where Liel Abada skipped it back in front of the net for the first-touch finish by Biel.
Guilherme Biro was shown a straight red card in the 25th and Austin (1-1-1) played a man down the rest of the way.
Charlotte took a 1-0 lead about four minutes later when Idan Toklomati scored his first goal of the season. Wilfried Zaha cut back to evade a defender and darted toward the end line before he played a cross from the left corner of the 6-yard box to the back post for a first-touch finish by Toklomati into a wide-open net.
An own goal by Morrison Agyemang — who made his first MLS start — made it 1-1 in the 31st minute.
Biel capped the scoring in the third minute of stoppage time.
Austin’s Dani Pereira left the game in the 36th minute due to an apparent hamstring injury and was replaced by Nicolás Dubersarsky.
Brad Stuver had nine saves.
Kristijan Kahlina stopped one shot for Charlotte (1-1-1).
ATLANTA (AP) — Rookies Sergi Solans and teenager Aiden Hezarkhani scored four minutes apart in the first half and Real Salt Lake went on to spoil Atlanta United's home opener with a 3-2 victory Saturday night.
Solans scored his first goal in the 23rd minute of his first start with an assist from first-year forward Morgan Guilavogui, also making his first start.
Hezarkhani, 18, notched his second goal in his third start this season, scoring unassisted in the 27th minute for a two-goal advantage.
Atlanta United got a goal back on a score by Alexey Miranchuk in the 38th minute. Newcomer Elías Báez notched his first assist on the club's first goal of the season after back-to-back 2-0 losses on the road. Teenager Cooper Sanchez, 17, also collected his first assist.
Teenager Zavier Gozo, 18, scored two minutes later and Real Salt Lake took a 3-1 lead into halftime. Gozo's goal was his first this season after scoring four times as a rookie last season in 25 appearances. Philip Quinton notched his second assist of the season and career, while defender Justen Glad earned his first this season and his fourth in 275 career appearances.
Miranchuk found the net in the 74th minute with assists from Emmanuel Latte Lath and Steven Alzate to set the final margin. It was Miranchuk’s 11th goal in 45 career matches with Atlanta. Alzate's first assist this season is his third in 13 career appearances. Latte Lath had one assist in 30 matches last season — his first in the league.
Rafael Cabral saved two shots for Real Salt Lake (2-1-0). Cabral had the only save in the first half as RSL picked up its first victory in Atlanta in its third try.
Lucas Hoyos finished with two saves for Atlanta United (0-3-0) in his third career start.
Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna, a candidate for the U.S. World Cup roster, missed his third straight match because of a knee injury.
Up next
Real Salt Lake: Hosts Austin FC on Saturday.
Atlanta United: Hosts the Philadelphia Union on Saturday.
CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Timo Werner had his second assist in as many appearances for San Jose, Ousseni Bouda scored a goal, and the Earthquakes beat the Philadelphia Union 1-0 on Saturday night.
San Jose (3-0-0) is off to the best start in club history. The Earthquakes started 2-0-1 on their way to the 2003 MLS Cup championship.
Daniel De Sousa Britto — known simply as “Daniel” — had three saves for San Jose and has not allowed a goal this season.
Werner rolled a long through ball to Bouda, who slipped behind the defense for a first-touch finish from outside the 6-yard box in the 59th minute.
1. Philadelphia (0-3-0) is off to its worst start since 2012 and already has two home losses this season, one more that all 2025 when the Union won the Supporter's Shield.
TORONTO (AP) — Nikita Kucherov had three assists in a four-goal first period and added another in the third to give him 100 points on the season as the Tampa Bay Lightning cruised past the listless Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 on Saturday night.
Jake Guentzel and Brandon Hagel, with a goal and an assist each, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Ryan McDonagh and the newly reacquired Corey Perry scored for Tampa Bay, which snapped a four-game slide.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves. Brayden Point and Anthony Cirelli added two assists.
Matias Maccelli and Nick Robertson scored for Toronto. Anthony Stolarz stopped 28 shots.
The Maple Leafs, who started the night eight points back of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot and were booed off the ice, have dropped seven straight since returning from the NHL’s Olympic break.
Tampa Bay tops the East and the Atlantic Division with 82 points, which put them 17 clear of Saturday’s opponent.
Toronto captain Auston Matthews, who hit the post in the third period on a shot that glanced off Vasilevskiy, has now gone 11 games without scoring, and has just one goal in his last 15 games.
Perry was reacquired from L.A. and arrived in Toronto at 4 a.m. Saturday. The 40-year-old played two seasons with the Lightning from 2021 through 2023, including a trip to the Stanley Cup final in 2022.
Up next
Lightning: End a four-game road trip in Buffalo on Sunday.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Chris Brady finished with three saves for the Chicago Fire and Patrick Schulte stopped two shots for Columbus as the longtime rivals played to a scoreless draw in the Crew's home opener on Saturday night.
It was the 24th draw in the 80th meeting between the two clubs with the victories knotted at 28 apiece.
Five yellow cards were handed out in the final 13 minutes of regulation — three of them to the Fire (1-1-1).
Brady had two saves and Schulte wasn’t tested in the first half.
The two clubs split a pair of matches last season with both winning at home.
New Zealand will “not mind breaking a few hearts” in the T20 World Cup final against defending champions and hosts India, captain Mitchell Santner said on Saturday.
Mar 7, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) dribbles defended by Detroit Pistons guard Kevin Huerter (27) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena....
The Nets snapped the longest losing skid in the NBA with one of the largest comebacks in their history.
Brooklyn rallied for a 107-105 win at East-leading Detroit before a sellout crowd of 20,062 at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday that was as stunning as their last visit was shameful.
The Nets’ comeback — from 23 points down in the second half — tied the fifth biggest in franchise history. It flipped the script from their last trip to Detroit on Feb. 1, when their 53-point humbling was the third worst they’d ever suffered.
Saturday was much sweeter thanks to a 34-13 fourth-quarter run that turned a 17-point deficit into a four-point lead they held onto.
“[You have to] keep playing as hard as you can,” Jordi Fernández said. “[It was] the resiliency, and we found energy at the right time. Defensively, when you look at 43 points allowed in one half, you give yourself a chance to win. So, we found a way. I’m proud of the growth. … [We] played against a really good team, and we were able to fight all the way through.
“The effort was good, but their voice was great. [I was impressed by] how encouraging they were to others. At times, when you’re down and everybody is frustrated, it creates a little negative energy. … Those guys kept everybody positive. That’s a good thing. That’s how you overcome a big deficit. We were able to fight for it and get the win.”
The win was the Nets’ first against an Eastern Conference leader since 2022. And it came because, after taking it on the chin early, they eventually matched the shorthanded Pistons’ physicality. No, they didn’t have to face star Cade Cunningham (left quad) or Ausar Thompson (right ankle) — but they won’t care.
Michael Porter Jr. had a game-high 30 points and 13 rebounds. Ziaire Williams (23 points) and Day’Ron Sharpe (13 points) had strong second halves.
Michael Porter Jr. drives to the basket during the Nets’ 107-105 win over the Pistons in Detroit on March 7, 2026. Imagn Images
Brooklyn erased a 17-point fourth-quarter hole, and an eight-point deficit with 3:25 left thanks to a 12-0 blitz that gave them the lead for good.
“Last time we were here, [Detroit] broke a franchise record for largest win ever. So ever since that game, we always would tell ourselves it’s all about how you respond,” Sharpe said. “It’s our first time seeing them since we lost that game, so we just wanted to come out and give them a fight, and we won the game.”
The Nets — now 16-47 and third in the tank race — trailed 77-54 with 7:55 left in the third quarter.
They were still down 90-73 with 10:04 to play before mounting a 34-13 run.
Day’Ron Sharpe defends during the Nets’ March 7 win over the Pistons. Imagn Images
Sharpe had nine points and five boards — three offensive — in the pivotal fourth quarter. Nic Claxton — who had just two points on 1-of-5 shooting and was outplayed by Jalen Duren — saw how effective his burly backup was, and told Fernández to ride the hot hand.
“That’s a great teammate for them to see the flow of the game and trust me to finish the game. That says a lot about his character,” said Sharpe.
“I was about to bring Nic in for Day’Ron. Day’Ron was playing so hard. Nic saw that he just got a putback and fought for the ball, and said [stick with him],” Fernández said. “When you see things like this, how connected [they are] and they come together. They believe in each other, and that was pretty cool.”
Michael Porter Jr. drives to the basket during the Nets’ March 7 win over the Pistons. NBAE via Getty Images
Down 103-95, the Nets reeled off a dozen unanswered points.
Williams forced a Daniss Jenkins miss, and Sharpe grabbed the rebound. Even after Noah Clowney’s turnover with seven seconds left gave Detroit life, Williams forced a Duncan Robinson miss on the wing. Duren’s last-second miss sealed it.
“The second half, we built a 20-point lead and then we stopped respecting the game,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “You disrespect the game, it’s going to bite you in the [butt] and that’s what happened to us.”
The Nets are a game behind second-place Indiana and 2 ½ behind Sacramento in the tank race.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Rashaun Agee scored 26 points, Rylan Griffen scored 24, and Texas A&M beat LSU 94-91 in triple overtime on Saturday night to close out the regular season for both Southeastern Conference teams.
Agee had 11 rebounds and two blocks in his 47 minutes, and scored a layup with 24 seconds left to give the Aggies (21-10, 11-7) the lead in triple overtime. Griffen was 5 of 8 from behind the arc, and had seven rebounds, three blocks and a game-high six steals.
Pop Isaacs had 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Aggies. Ali Dibba added 12 points and five steals.
Max Mackinnon led the Tigers (15-16, 3-15) with 20 points. Jalen Reece scored 17. Mike Nwoko had 16 points and 13 rebounds.
The Tigers led by a game-high 15 points in the first half, which ended 38-33. They had a nine-point second-half lead until the Aggies responded with a 14-4 run to briefly take the lead. Mackinnon tied the game at 70 on a layup with 38 seconds to go, sending it to overtime.
Mackinnon gave the Tigers a one-point lead on a 3-pointer with 1:23 left in overtime before Agree responded with one for the Aggies 18 seconds later. Agee turned the ball over with 15 seconds left, leading to a game-tying jump shot from Jalen Reece to send the game to a second overtime. Free throws forced a third overtime.
LSU lost eight of its past nine games, and 15 of its past 18 to finish last in the SEC standings.
Up next
Texas A&M clinched the sixth seed in the SEC tournament, and will play on Thursday against the winner of the 11 and 14 seeds.
LSU will be the 16th seed in the SEC tournament, beginning Wednesday against the No. 9 seed. ___
It’d be nice to simulate to the end of the Brooklyn Nets’ season by adding 20 losses to their ledger and populating social media with a few Nolan Traore highlight reels here and there. Alas, they do have to play the games, and on Saturday evening, the Nets faced the East’s #1 seed — the Detroit Pistons — on the road.
However, much like Brooklyn’s narrow loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers last week, this one seemed like a trap game for their opponent. Maybe “trap” is the wrong word considering the Pistons were missing Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson to injury, but throw in the weird 6:00 p.m. tip-off time and their most recent, hard-fought loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and it felt like the Nets could make it sweaty.
The first few minutes were promising. Michael Porter Jr. — chased through screens not by Thompson but by Duncan Robinson — got free for a couple early threes, and Jordi Fernández even threw out a funky double-big lineup to reward the faithful Brooklyn viewers that tuned in.
Then the Pistons went on an 18-4 run, taking a 16-point lead into the half as old friend Caris LeVert helped destroy a turnover-prone reserve unit…
Another Nets loss, huh? Not even the were providing enjoyment, with Egor Dëmin sitting to manage his plantar fascia injury again, while Traore (15 minutes) and Ben Saraf (four minutes) combined for five turnovers and two total points. Danny Wolf was better, finishing with a tidy eight points and four assists, but the team was down 23 points soon after the third quarter started. Autopilot, right?
And then it all changed. Jordi Fernández rode the veterans to a wild, wild comeback, ending a ten-game losing streak. Foolish or not, nobody can accuse this team of tanking, not on Saturday night in Detroit.
Michael Porter Jr. never really caught fire, but shot 10-of-25 to end up with 30/13/1 , leading all scorers. Likewise, Noah Clowney shot just 1-of-5 from deep, but frequented the free-throw line en route to 16 points. Terance Mann brought the ball up the floor for much of the second half and stabilized the group, while Ziaire Williams continued to play some of the best ball of his career…
“I was just flowing, just taking what the defense gives me, not forcing anything,” said Williams. “My mama, she from D-town, so shoutout to the fam in the arena watching. I had a little extra spirit with me today.”
Williams scored 23 points, making five threes and eight free-throws, but it didn’t stop there. Day’Ron Sharpe, who fought Jalen Duren tooth and nail in the paint, closed over Nic Claxton. Fernández even went offense/defense down the stretch, showing some faith in Danny Wolf to get buckets.
The Pistons, yukking it up in the first half as Kevin Huerter shot heat-checks and Daniss Jenkins took everybody off the dribble, looked mortified in the second half, running into a brick wall without Cunningham. They shot a grotesque 9-of-27 from TWO after halftime, with the Nets racking up five blocks in that span.
“I think we found energy at the right time,” said Fernández. “I think defensively, when you look at 43 points allowed in one half, you give yourself a chance to win.”
Well, that’s the truth. Here’s Ziaire Williams’ take: “We just never gave up. Shoutout Day’Ron, big minutes down the stretch. It was a team win, just glad we got it done.”
Detroit’s 23-point lead approached single-digits, but a quick run at the start of the fourth quarter pushed it back to 17. It wasn’t safe. Ziaire Williams hit two huge threes, Detroit couldn’t stop fouling, and it set up a stupid, wacky ending that both teams, quite frankly, deserved to lose. (Maybe more the team that blew the big lead…)
Don't even know what I watched at the end of this Nets-Pistons game. Couldn't tell you.
I still can’t make sense of it. My best guess is that Noah Clowney got out over his skis trying to put the game away with a dunk instead of catching the ball, which set up another Nets blunder on the ensuing defensive possession: Up two points, they lost track of…Duncan Robinson. Who missed. Brooklyn’s fourth-quarter execution was splendid, but uh, that real late-game execution? It might need some work heading into next season.
Duren, however, missed the fadeaway jumper over Sharpe to seal what I would otherwise consider a devastating outcome for both sides if I hadn’t seen the emotion on Brooklyn’s sideline…
Will this be 2026’s version of the Nic Claxton game-winner in Philadelphia? I don’t know about all that. Jordi Fernández may have gone balls to the wall to snag the fifth-largest comeback in franchise history, but the team is still just 16-47 after this foxtrot of a win, good for the third-worst record in the league.
“The last time we was here, they broke a franchise-record for their largest record win ever … it’s all about how you respond,” said Day’Ron Sharpe.
Well…if the Nets are gonna win…it might as well be like this. I’m still sweating.
Final Score: Brooklyn Nets 107, Detroit Pistons 105
Milestone Watch
More milestones — especially team-focused ones — than we’ve had in a minute!
Porter Jr. had 27+ points and 13+ rebounds for the second consecutive game. It’s the first time in his career he’s put up such numbers in back-to-back games.
Saturday night also marked MPJ’s 11th 20-point double-double of the season, the most he’s ever recorded in one season.
This is the first time in Ziaire Williams’ career he has scored 15+ points in three consecutive games. His 23 points is the second-most he’s scored this season, and five made 3-pointers is tied for the third-highest total of his career.
Brooklyn defeated the East’s #1 seed on Saturday, the first time they’ve done so since a 12/23/22 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
As mentioned, that 23-point comeback ties the fifth-largest comeback win in franchise history. How many do you remember?
Where does this one rank Nets fans on your list of greatest comebacks?
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 26: Kyle Tucker #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers gets ready in the batters box against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch on February 26, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Introduction
Last week we began a series of articles reviewing the offseason moves of each National League West team, starting with the worst team in the NL West (and possibly all of MLB), the Colorado Rockies. (Here’s a link to that article). Continuing our NL West offseason reviews, we’re going from worst to first with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are not only the best in the NL West, but are the back-to-back World Series Champions and are arguably the best run organization in all of MLB.
2025 Season Overview/Recap
The Dodgers won 93 games and took the NL West division title. This in spite of a lot going wrong throughout the season, like Mookie Betts having the worst season of his career, big offseason acquisition SP Roki Sasaki not being anywhere close to the starting pitcher he was in Japan, and injuries to many key players. They’d go on to win their second consecutive World Series Championship for the first time in franchise history, and the first since the Yankees won back-to-back-to-back titles from 1998 to 2000
RP Anthony Banda (traded to Twins for International bonus pool money)
SP Clayton Kershaw (retired)
Offseason Summary and Review
So how do you improve upon a roster that was just the first to win back to back World Series in over twenty years, while you already have the highest payroll in baseball, if at all? Well as far as the latter goes, you just ignore the consequences of the luxury tax completely, and pay it if you’re the Dodgers. The Dodgers roster did have a few areas that could be improved. And, coincidentally, adding the top free agent hitter in Kyle Tucker, along with top free agent reliever Edwin Diaz just so happened to perfectly address the two biggest weaknesses on the roster.
While I do not like the optics of the team with the highest payroll in baseball raising their payroll even further by giving Tucker a 4 year, $240m contract and setting a record for AAV (average annual value), along with another $85m spread out between the other four FA signings, that’s more taking an issue with the business/financial side of the game. This is not what I’m evaluating here. I will criticize the fact that the Tucker signing cost them two draft picks, which is never a good thing long term for a sports franchise.
Honestly, there really isn’t much you can knock the Dodgers for this past offseason as far as the baseball operations side goes. They could have easily and justifiably stood pat this winter, but improving a team is what every fan wants their team to do during the offseason. I would knock the Kiki Hernandez signing based on his career during the regular season .(236/.305/.403, a 91 wRC+) , but he has hit extremely well (272/.339/.486 and a 122 wRC+) in the postseason, and apparently clubhouse vibes really are an actual thing, U guess. I do not like the Rojas signing either because he also looks like he’s about to hit the age cliff, but it’s nitpicking over a contract that’s essentially a World Series bonus.
Over on Fangraphs.com, not only does ZIPs projection system project the Dodgers to be the best team in baseball, but they also have the highest playoff odds. Their lineup against RHP also looks particularly strong:
Freddy Freeman 1B
Shohei Ohtani DH
Mookie Betts SS
Kyle Tucker RF
Teoscar Hernandez LF
Will Smith C
Max Muncy 3B
Andy Pages CF
Hyeseong Kim 2B
That looks like a fairly strong lineup to me, even if it’s starting to get a little long in the tooth. The starting rotation will probably continue to be oft injured, with Blake Snell and Gavin Stone on the injured list as we speak. But the Dodgers have the depth to weather it, while still having one of the best starting pitchers in baseball in Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani will keep being an alien when he’s healthy.
Grade
Overall, I give the Los Angeles Dodgers a B+ for their offseason, with the lower grade stemming from the wider implications of the Tucker signing, along with the ages of the guys they brought back.
: WBC on FOX 
