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2017 FBI probe sent coaches to jail, got others fired. This March Madness was a reunion

On Sept. 26, 2017, the FBI and federal law enforcement authorities set off a massive explosion in college basketball that led to the arrests of several coaches and the eventual suspension or firing of several others.  

The list included then-USC assistant coach Tony Bland, who was arrested that day on bribery-related charges. The fallout from it also ensnared Louisville head coach Rick Pitino (fired in 2017), Arizona head coach Sen Miller (fired in 2021) Kansas head coach Bill Self (suspended in 2022), and LSU head coach Will Wade (fired in 2022).

But those coaches and several others since have been forgiven and even had a comeback party of sorts this month as active coaches in the NCAA Tournament. Wade also just got rehired as head coach at LSU, as if nothing ever happened, serving as a reminder about what really matters in college sports once all the FBI dust settles.

“Some had short exiles and punishments, but when you win, there’s always a spot,” said David Ridpath, a sports business professor at Ohio University.

These March Madness comeback stories (see list below) also raise other big concerns on the eve of the Final Four in Indianapolis, according to observers.

One is whether this crackdown had any lasting purpose or should have happened in the first place. Another relates to former Arizona assistant coach Emanuel “Book” Richardson, who’s still paying a price for it even after serving 90 days in federal prison.

“It is a continuing, profound injustice,” one of his advocates said recently.

What was illegal then is now generally legal

The FBI investigation and the NCAA rules enforcement cases that followed aimed to crack down on alleged bribes and illegal payments to recruits or their families, which now seems quaint. NCAA rules have since changed to legalize certain payments to players for their names, images, and likenesses (NIL), starting in 2021.

A sports apparel company such as Adidas now can legally pay players directly for their NIL, unlike back then, when an Adidas consultant testified at trial in 2018 that he provided illicit payments to the families of recruits, including recruits for Kansas and Louisville, two Adidas-sponsored schools. Both Louisville and Kansas got punished for it, even though they said they didn’t have knowledge of it.

Kansas spent $10 million over six years fighting the case, which alleged Kansas was using Adidas to entice recruits with money. An Adidas employee and consultant even went to prison for it.

This likely never would have happened under the current rule structure.

“Everything that's happening (legally now with NIL) is just a microcosm of what's always been happening,” Richardson told USA TODAY Sports on March 25. “Now we can put a name to it (NIL).”

Meanwhile, not everyone has been allowed to resume their careers like Bland, Pitino and others who took part in March Madness this month. Richardson is still effectively barred from college basketball under a 10-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA, even after serving prison time and taking responsibility for the $20,000 bribe prosecutors said he took to steer players toward a certain agent and financial adviser once the players made it to the NBA.

That lingering punishment strikes some as just plain wrong

In this 2016 file photo, Arizona Wildcats assistant coach Book Richardson signals during the second half against the New Mexico Lobos at McKale Center.

The Book Richardson case

Richardson, 53, is seeking a federal pardon even though he already served his prison sentence. A federal pardon would not erase the 10-year NCAA penalty that extends to 2030. But it would be a meaningful sign of forgiveness. The application for it was spearheaded by a group at New York University, including clinical professor David Hollander.

“It is a continuing, profound injustice Book Richardson remains under the professional restraint of a 10-year show-cause, given whatever other results you would like to observe have come from that FBI investigation,” Hollander told USA TODAY Sports on March 25. “Excessive isn't strong enough of a word, because words don't amount to a human being's life. That's what this is about. One person's entire life has been lopsidedly hammered.”

Four coaches pleaded guilty in 2019 to similar bribery charges: Richardson, Bland, former Auburn assistant Chuck Person and former Oklahoma State assistant Lamont Evans. Richardson, Person and Evans are out of college basketball with 10-year show-cause penalties. Richardson and Evans both did prison time, not Person or Bland. Bland only got a three-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA and is back in college basketball on the staff at Kansas.

Under-the-table bribes like those back then since have been disincentivized and replaced by over-the-table business transactions. In addition to allowing players to earn money for their NIL, the NCAA also now allows them to hire agents to manage their NIL earnings while still in college.  

The timing isn’t lost on Richardson, who regrets taking the money and now works in Virginia at The St. James Performance Academy.

“I did 90 days in jail, and I got out in October of 2020,” Richardson said. “(Legalized) NIL happened in 2021.”

More recently, Richardson noticed all those familiar names involved in March Madness this month.

List of March Madness coaches who got punished in scandal

These coaches coached in NCAA Tournament this month after previously being caught in the quagmire stemming from the FBI investigation of 2017:

∎ Tony Bland, now at Kansas, made his first NCAA Tournament appearance since his arrest.

Kansas Jayhawks assistant coach Tony Bland watches players warm up before taking on Houston Cougars for the game inside Allen Fieldhouse on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026.

∎ Rick Pitino, now the head coach at St. John’s, recently made his first Sweet 16 appearance since his firing from Louisville.

∎ Will Wade of LSU was caught on an FBI wiretap talking about an “offer" and a "deal" for Javonte Smart, a top recruit who later signed with LSU before NIL was legalized. LSU fired Wade for cause in 2022 after the NCAA accused him of serious recruiting violations. The NCAA’s enforcement arm also hit him with a 10-game suspension and two-year show-cause penalty. He bounced back as coach at McNeese State, then NC State, which he led to the NCAA Tournament this month. He’s now back at LSU, where all has been forgiven. He recently told reporters he’s “trying to follow more rules this time.” He also received a hero’s welcome in Baton Rouge at his re-introductory news conference March 30.

“You never get second chances in life, but we get one here,” Wade said March 30.

∎ Kansas coach Bill Self was suspended four games in 2022 after fighting the Adidas-related allegations for years. He lost in the second round to Pitino and St. John’s on March 22.

∎ Head coach Sean Miller brought Texas to the NCAA Tournament this month after getting fired from Arizona in 2021 and then bouncing back at Xavier. Shortly before his firing, the NCAA charged Arizona with serious recruiting allegations stemming from the FBI case. An FBI wiretap caught Book Richardson telling an aspiring agent that Miller “bought” star player Deandre Ayton. Miller denied it.

∎ Kansas assistant coach Kurtis Townsend was suspended four games along with Self in 2022 and was sitting right next to him in the game vs. St. John’s.

∎ Former Creighton assistant coach Preston Murphy was back in the NCAA Tournament this month with Alabama after previously being punished with a two-year show-cause penalty stemming from the FBI investigation. He wasn’t charged with a crime but allegedly accepted payment from a business manager seeking to entice college athletes to sign with that person’s management company.

Richardson said he’s happy for these coaches.

“If they have the opportunity to get back and flourish, I’d love that same opportunity,” Richardson said. “I think I have a lot to give.”

Rick Pitino, Bill Self and the Adidas March Madness game

Amid the backdrop of the FBI case of 2017, a second-round game on March 22 in San Diego stands out in particular.

This was a matchup between two Hall of Fame coaches, nationally televised on CBS — Self and Kansas vs. Pitino at St. John’s. Before the game, Self took a seat next to assistant coach Townsend on his right and Bland down the row to his left.

All wore the Adidas “three stripes” logo on their sleeves. Their star freshman guard, Darryn Peterson, has been paid by Adidas, too, and is now allowed to do so openly, unlike players before 2021.

On the other side of the court, Pitino’s team also was outfitted in Adidas uniforms after reaching a sponsorship deal with the company last year.

Adidas-sponsored Peterson scored 21 points, but Adidas-sponsored St. John’s won the game with a buzzer-beating layup, 67-65.

In light of all of this, what impact did this FBI case really have?

This game came just a handful of years after Adidas representatives went to prison and some of those coaches were punished in a case involving alleged Adidas inducements to recruits.

‘It’s really time to free this man’

Richardson is still feeling the impact of it at least.

“I’ve been to hell and back,” he said.  And he never snitched on anybody, which could have helped him get a lighter sentence.

“It all could have been avoided if I just told what everyone thought I knew,” Richardson said.

The NCAA and U.S. Justice Department didn’t return messages seeking comment. Meanwhile, the contrast between Richardson and other active coaches hasn’t gone unnoticed in college basketball.

“I am very happy for my friends, Will Wade and Sean Miller,” ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla said on social media recently. “Not being sarcastic. But I’ve had discussions with the NCAA about Book Richardson & it’s really time to free this man. His penalty is very, very, very unfair”

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Those caught in college basketball 2017 FBI probe enjoying March Madness

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Jaylen Brown candid after return from Achilles tendinitis injury: ‘I got to be better’

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 30: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics drives against Onyeka Okongwu #17 of the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena on March 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown considered his performance in Monday night’s 112-102 loss to the Atlanta Hawks substandard at best.

“That was probably one of my worst games of the season, in my opinion,” Brown told reporters, per CLNS Media.

Brown rejoined the Celtics after sitting out two straight games with left Achilles tendinitis. He watched teammates officially secure Boston’s playoff berth against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night from the bench, then returned to action. Meanwhile, Jayson Tatum sat with right Achilles injury management on the second night of a back-to-back, giving Brown the floor.

But Brown struggled, missing each of his first four shot attempts in Atlanta.

“I missed a lot of easy shots, but it was a very physical game,” Brown said. “Playoff-like atmosphere and I didn’t think we adjusted quick enough. They came to play. The refs let a lot of stuff go and we didn’t adjust to the physicality. So, a good game to learn from.”

It was the first time all season Brown had missed consecutive games, and the rust became increasingly difficult to shake off throughout the night. Brown made only nine of 29 field goal attempts, going 8-for-14 from the free-throw line en route to a 29-point performance he wasn’t satisfied with. Even with 10 rebounds and nine assists nearly pushing him to a triple-double, Brown felt he didn’t play up to standard, and the Celtics suffered as a result of it.

ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 30: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celticsdrives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 30, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

In the third quarter, with 9:21 remaining, Brown missed a right-handed layup that would’ve broken a 60-60 tie for the Celtics. Nearly two minutes later, he missed a pull-up 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two points. In the fourth quarter, after the Celtics fought back to cut into a 21-point Hawks advantage, Brown missed another layup that would’ve made it a 10-point game with 4:06 left to play.

No matter where Brown turned, he couldn’t find offensive success. He shot 3-of-9 from three, missed six layups, and committed a game-leading six turnovers, logging a minus-5 rating.

Brown’s frustration over failing to deliver reminded him where to turn when things aren’t going his way.

“Mindset,” Brown said. “You know, you can’t throw in the towel. If you’re not feeling up to your best, still gotta do what you need to do. Sometimes you just gotta work your way through it — rely on your teammates. But if you’re getting good shots and good looks, you just gotta trust that, and keep playing aggressive basketball.”

Rather than a scheduled loss, the Celtics failed to capitalize on several opportunities to break ahead. The final 12 minutes were a valiant effort, ending in an underwhelming finish, not because the Hawks played exceptionally, but because Boston repeatedly fumbled its chances. Brown couldn’t come through with the momentum-shifting plays needed to bail the Celtics out in the crucial final minutes of regulation.

In the end, Brown’s 31 percent shooting output was his worst since Jan. 5 against the Chicago Bulls (25 percent).

“This game was on me,” Brown confessed. “I got to be better. Probably one of my worst performances in a while, and that cost us the game.”

With seven games left in the regular season, Brown clarified that his left Achilles tendinitis, sustained during last week’s win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, wasn’t a concern. Although some of his misses were “uncharacteristic,” as he put it, the injury didn’t affect his overall comfort and ability to perform in Atlanta.

“I felt OK. I felt fine,” Brown said. “I had a couple of plays where I took some hard falls, but overall I felt fine.”

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Yankees news: Ben Rice’s defense looking sharp early

Mar 28, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (22) flips the ball to first to record an out against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Ben Rice didn’t exactly raise eyebrows with his first base defense last year, and when he did it wasn’t in a good way. The young Yankee cost his team some outs down the stretch and in the playoffs, especially when it came to his footwork around the bag and tracking popups. It’s only been two games, but Mr. Arroz seems to be handling himself much better at the cold corner, making three plays at first on Sunday that it would be hard to imagine him pulling off in 2025. The Yankees see this as a strong step forward in his development, and proof that his work ethic and coachability can be a major asset.

FanGraphs | David Laurila: I’m writing this ahead of Ryan Weathers’ first start of the season, coming Monday night against the Mariners. The offseason acquisition went deep on the sharp, splitter-like changeup he developed in the Marlins’ bullpen last year, and effective use of the offspeed offering will likely be a big part of whether the southpaw sticks in the Yankee rotation this season. By the time you read this, you’ll already have seen how MLB hitters react to Weathers’ repertoire, and hopefully it’s “poorly.”

New York Post | Dan Martin: It’s been quite the 12 months for David Bednar. The Yankee closer was demoted to Triple-A while still with the Pirates last year, a wakeup call and chance for adjustment that he wasn’t going to get while facing big-league pitching. The right-hander needed just five outings with Pittsburgh’s Indianapolis affiliate to get himself back on track, and he almost immediately re-asserted himself as one of the best relievers in baseball. After two clean saves to start the year with the Yankees, Bednar credits that reset for a major piece of his success since.

The Associated Press: A melancholy happy trails to Ken Clay, who passed away last week at the age of 71. Clay spent five seasons in the majors, peaking with two World Series rings with the 1977 & ‘78 Yankee teams (despite George Steinbrenner’s criticisms). Our best to his family and loved ones.

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Cavaliers Reacts Survey: How far can the Cavs go in the Playoffs?

CLEVELAND, OHIO - MARCH 27: James Harden #1 celebrates with Sam Merrill #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second quarter against the Miami Heat at Rocket Arena on March 27, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

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

The finish line is in sight. Only seven games are remaining for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. As we enter the home stretch, let’s use this opportunity to poll the fan base on how confident they are in the season being extended.

We have one question for this week. Where will the Cavs season end? First round, second round, conference finals, runner-ups, or NBA champs?

Obviously, there are many factors at play. Health is maybe the biggest determining factor. But seeding and opponent will influence how far this team can go, as well. For example, you probably feel better about playing the Detroit Pistons than you do the Boston Celtics.

As of typing, Cleveland is in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. It feels fairly safe to assume they’ll finish the season there, though it’s still possible they could move up or down. Homecourt advantage would be a nice thing to secure.

I’d consider the Cavs somewhat of a wild-card contender. Could they make it to the NBA Finals and potentially even win, depending on the matchup? I believe so. But if you told me the Cavs flamed out and were upset in the first or second round, I hate to say I wouldn’t be overly surprised.

I lean more towards a deep playoff run. This team is too talented to fall short again. If healthy, the Cavs are the second-best team in the East, by my estimation. Cleveland has the fourth-best odds of winning the title according to FanDuel.

But we want to hear your opinion. How far does this team go?

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Big Ten has stolen SEC mojo, and isn't about to give it back | Opinion

It’s undeniable now, a straight gangster move in this Wild, Wild West era of college sports.

The Big Ten has stolen the SEC mojo. 

Better teams, better players, better stories. Better present — and more potentially damning — better future. 

“The playing field has been leveled out as far as finances and things like that,” said Michigan basketball coach Dusty May, whose team is one of two from the Big Ten to advance to Saturday’s Final Four.

But don’t get stuck on basketball, where the Big Ten hasn’t won a national championship since 2000 — and currently has two more teams alive in the NCAA Tournament than does the SEC. Which has none.

This is paradigm change five years in the making, running parallel with the explosion of NIL and free player movement. This is the Big Ten flexing, and the SEC retreating. 

Because now everyone can pay players. Now the Big Ten’s massive and influential alumni bases have skin in the game.

Now it’s no longer about where the best (insert your sport) is played, it’s who has the most money. As important: the Big Ten’s change in personality and philosophy.

Somewhere, at some point, the Big Ten got fed up with playing little brother to the SEC. The gloves came off, and the conference of Legends and Leaders morphed into Bandits and Bounty Hunters.  

From strumming a guitar on the stairs for the lonely and bored at the sorority party, to doing keg stands in the middle of the quad at the impromptu frat party.

This all began with the Alliance built by former commissioner Kevin Warren, who held hands with the ACC and the (former) Pac-12 in solidarity against the SEC, whole brandishing an expansion knife behind the Pac-12’s back.

It should come as no surprise that a year after the Big Ten did the Pac-12 dirty and stole USC and UCLA (and later Oregon and Washington), Michigan won its first national title in football since 1997.

It wasn’t that Michigan won, it’s how it unfolded with a no-name analyst concocting an illegal scouting scheme and sucking the oxygen from a championship run built — in no small part — with some key additions from this new fangled contraption called the transfer portal. 

A scheme with such audacity, Big Ten coaches had to leak detailed information to the media (and then later give it directly to the Big Ten) before the conference took a stand. But the train was long down the tracks by the time then-new commissioner Tony Petitti stepped in with a meek three-game suspension for coach Jim Harbaugh — his second of the season, but first for this specific violation.

In other words, tell me you’re the SEC without telling me you’re the SEC.

Who's winning, who's whining: There's a big difference between coaches, players free movement — large buyouts

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A year later, Ohio State coach Ryan Day — on the verge of losing the best job in college football — threw a truckload of cash at the best defensive player in the SEC (Caleb Downs), the best running back in the SEC (Quinshon Judkins), an All-SEC center (Seth McLaughlin), and a Big 12 championship quarterback (Will Howard) as part of a $20 million roster that still couldn’t beat Michigan — but beat the brakes off everyone in the College Football Playoff. 

Then came Indiana, the lovable, all-time football loser, who changed everything. And even that began with some newfound Big Ten chutzpah, when IU athletic director Scott Dolson called James Madison coach Curt Cignetti after their in-person interview — just as Cignetti had told his wife he was going to stay at JMU — and said, “Congratulations, you’re the Indiana coach.”

And didn’t give Cignetti — now the hottest coach in college football — a chance to say no. Which is sort of like the Big Ten and its takeover of all things college sports. 

Kill it, then eat it. 

Even missteps off the field have been overshadowed by other bold and brash moves. While Petitti has had a couple of faux pas (hello, capital investment), his unwavering stance on the CFP is beginning to show cracks in the SEC armor. 

Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Tennessee coach Josh Heupel have embraced the Big Ten’s idea of a 20- or 24-team CFP, while their own commissioner (Greg Sankey) is in a very public game of chicken with the Petitti over the future format of the billion-dollar postseason.

Sankey wants 16 teams, Petitti wants 20 or 24 teams. It’s never a good sign when the SEC’s most high-profile coach — and arguably the game’s best coach — sides with the Big Ten.

The Big Ten already has the better media rights deal, and delivers more money to a majority of its member institutions (not all of the newbies) than the SEC. The Big Ten has the bigger television markets, and the ability — though not yet realized — to dominate ratings.  

There’s the possibility of an all-Big Ten final in the NCAA Tournament, which hasn’t happened since the Big 12 did it in 1988. If you think that’s crazy, hold on to your tall glass of sweet tea. 

For the love of all things Ess Eee See, the Big Ten currently has the No. 1 ranked team in college baseball — a sport the Big Ten didn’t give two flips about prior to expansion. 

Before, that is, beginning this cutthroat philosophy of kill then eat.

About the same time May's Wolverines advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 2018, LSU was announcing the return hire of former disgraced coach Will Wade. The school trumpeted the move on social media by comparing Wade ― the multi-level NCAA cheater ― to Napoleon, and calling him, "General."  

"We're coming back to try to hang a banner, win a national championship," Wade said, "Or I'm going to be the first coach fired from the same school twice."

Tell me you’ve stolen the SEC’s mojo without telling me. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.     

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Big 10 now strongest and best conference in college sports. Sorry, SEC

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Sabres host the Islanders after shootout victory

New York Islanders (42-28-5, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Buffalo Sabres (45-21-8, in the Atlantic Division)

Buffalo, New York; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Sabres -197, Islanders +163; over/under is 6

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres host the New York Islanders after the Sabres beat the Seattle Kraken 3-2 in a shootout.

Buffalo is 45-21-8 overall and 23-10-4 at home. The Sabres are 10th in the league serving 9.6 penalty minutes per game.

New York has a 42-28-5 record overall and a 21-15-3 record in road games. The Islanders have a 30-7-3 record when scoring at least three goals.

Tuesday's game is the third time these teams square off this season. The Sabres won 5-0 in the previous matchup. Jason Zucker led the Sabres with two goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: Rasmus Dahlin has 17 goals and 50 assists for the Sabres. Jack Quinn has five goals and three assists over the past 10 games.

Matthew Schaefer has 22 goals and 34 assists for the Islanders. Mathew Barzal has one goal and six assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Sabres: 6-2-2, averaging 3.2 goals, 5.3 assists, 4.2 penalties and 9.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

Islanders: 5-5-0, averaging 2.7 goals, 4.9 assists, 2.9 penalties and 8.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.

INJURIES: Sabres: Jiri Kulich: out for season (ear), Justin Danforth: out (lower body), Noah Ostlund: day to day (upper-body).

Islanders: Alexander Romanov: out (shoulder), Pierre Engvall: out for season (ankle), Tony DeAngelo: out (lower body), Semyon Varlamov: out for season (knee), Kyle Palmieri: out (knee).

___

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

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Celtics vs. Hawks player grades: turnovers and missed free throws doom Boston

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 30: Luka Garza #52 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 30, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Blame the back-to-back games on the road. Blame the 15 turnovers. Blame the eight missed free throws. They all played a part in Boston’s 112-102 loss in Atlanta Monday night.

Despite all the ways that the Celtics shot themselves in the foot, there’s still a chance that Atlanta and Boston could meet in the first round of the playoffs. Joe Mazzulla is going to have to figure out how to neutralize the Hawks’ athleticism and ball pressure. In both regular season losses, they were able to force TOs and get hot from 3.

The Celtics continue to be a steady +650 to raise Banner 19 with our friends at FanDuel and the favorite to rep the Eastern Conference in the 2026 NBA Finals.

Jaylen Brown

40 minutes, 29 points (3-9 from 3, 8-14 from the free throw line, 9-29 from the field), 10 rebounds, 9 assists, one steal, -5

Just as he did against Oklahoma City last Wednesday, JB was focused on attacking the rim and/or getting to the line. After being ejected in San Antonio, Brown has seemingly been on a mission to drive, draw more fouls, and get to the free throw line.

And while I agree that he doesn’t get the same whistle that grifters like Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander get despite his more physical play, his indictment of NBA officiating seems to be getting in the way of his overall MVP-level game.

Heading into Atlanta, the hometown kid was averaging 11.5 free throws and 3.7 turnovers per game. Against the Hawks, he had 14 FTAs and six turnovers. Don’t be fooled by the near triple-double; this game is not going on the MVP tape.

Grade: C

Jordan Walsh

31 minutes, 8 points (1-4 from 3, 3-4 from the free throw line, 2-5 from the field), 4 rebounds, one assist, one turnover, 2 steals, one block, +0

After starting nineteen games in November and December, Walsh went back to the bench and eventually fell out of the rotation. However, he’s started the last two games and has shown why he got the nod earlier in the year.

If the strategy to starting Hauser with DWhite and the Jays is that he spaces the floor for the stars, Walsh on the other hand can be the primary defender of the opposing team’s best player and relieve Tatum and Brown of those duties. He handled those defensive duties well, but like the rest of his teammates, couldn’t hit his open looks.

Grade:

Luka Garza

28 minutes, 20 points (2-3 from 3, 2-2 from the free throw line, 8-9 from the field), 9 rebounds, one assist, one block, +6

Starting for Neemias Queta, Garza was a revelation as the only everyday big man available against the Hawks. In a word, he was awesome. I joke in the CelticsBlog Slack that whenever Garza enters the game, I think about that scene in Hoosiers when Norman Dale asks Strap to enter the game. Straps says a prayer and goes on to dominate the second half.

Garza’s only miss on the night was a three-pointer, but otherwise, he hit everything with his relentless work on the offensive glass and filling the lane off pick-and-rolls and transition.

Grade: A+

Derrick White

36 minutes, 7 points (1-6 from 3, 3-12 from the field), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, one turnover, one steal, 2 blocks, -8

White’s slump has been well documented since we started these players’ grades and tonight, he’ll again get below average grade. After taking Sunday night off in Charlotte, White couldn’t get into a groove. He’s still filling the box score, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, but he’ll need to start hitting some shots if Boston expects to do anything in the playoffs.

Grade: C-

Baylor Scheierman

26 minutes, 3 points (1-4 from 3, 1-4 from the field), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, one turnover, one steal, -3

Scheierman was thrown a couple of grenades that he had to chuck at the rim, but for the most part, he was a solid contributor on defense and a ball mover on offense.

Grade: B

Payton Pritchard

25 minutes, 16 points (4-6 from 3, 6-14 from the field), 2 rebounds, one turnover, -19

On the second night of a back-to-back, Pritchard didn’t have his lift on his mid-range jumper. Combine that with Atlanta’s strong perimeter defenders and PP was just 2-8 inside the arc. A couple of those shots should have resulted in free throws though.

Grade: B

Sam Hauser

21 minutes, 7 points (1-3 from 3, 2-2 from the free throw line, 2-5 from the field), 3 rebounds, one turnover, -3

After starting the game on the bench, Hauser started in the second half for Baylor Scheierman. Earlier in the game, he was a little aggressive off the dribble, so maybe Mazzulla saw something and wanted that scoring punch. That didn’t exactly materialize and Scheierman got the bulk of those shooter minutes instead.

Grade: C

Hugo Gonzalez

13 minutes, 5 points (1-2 from 3, 2-4 from the field), 4 rebounds, 2 turnovers, -4

The rookie had a game filled with rookie mistakes. In the first quarter, he missed a defensive switch that led to a quick Mazzulla timeout, turned the ball over twice on a dribble hand off and a drive-and-kick, and didn’t stay connected on a drive. After halftime, his second half stint was closer to what we’re accustomed with and a corner three helped stem the tide late in the third.

Grade: C+

Amari Williams

13 minutes, 4 points (2-2 from the free throw line, 1-2 from the field), 7 rebounds, one assist, one tunover, one steal, one block, -8

With Queta and Nikola Vucevic out, the rookie was called upon to be the seccond unit center. In the G League, Williams averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks in 30 minutes a night. Ron Harper Jr. grabs the headlines with his outstanding play as a two-way call-up, but the 46th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has been a monster in Maine.

We saw some of that on Monday night. He’s solid in his 6’11 frame and is lowkey one of the Celtics’ best prospects moving forward.

Grade: A-

Charles Bassey

6 minutes, 3 points (1-2 from the free throw line, 1-1 from the field), 2 rebounds, one turnover, 2 blocks, -6

Bassey is back with Boston on a second consecutive 1o-day contract and we saw some flashes of what made him such an intriguing prospect in Summer League. The Celtics ultimately didn’t sign him and he’s had cups of coffee in Memphis and Philadelphia this season.

He had back-to-back blocks in the 2nd and with his deal ending on Friday, those could be the highlight of his career in Boston.

Grade: A

Inactives: Neemias Queta, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Vucevic

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The quarter that used to break teams is now breaking the Warriors

DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 23: Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors reacts during the second quarter of the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on March 23, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. 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 Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Steve Kerr called it a “pattern” after Sunday night’s loss in Denver. I’m guessing he was being diplomatic. What’s happening to the Warriors in the third quarter this season is a “pattern” in the same way that Michael Myers has a pattern of hunting down the residents of Haddonfield on a recurring basis. It’s more of a haunting curse, 12 minutes of true horror.

Golden State lost to the Nuggets 116–93 in their final game of March, but the score barely tells the story. They walked into halftime up 53–46, playing the kind of disciplined, connected basketball that travels against real teams. Then the third quarter arrived and Denver bodied them 40–21. That run knocked the air out of Golden State’s sails and effectively ended the game.

And that part is the problem; not just that it happened, but that it keeps happening.

Per NBA.com, over the last ten games, the Warriors have posted a –21.9 net rating in the third quarter. Their defensive rating in those minutes is 128, a number that doesn’t belong anywhere near a team trying to hold onto a playoff spot.Everything that can go wrong is going wrong at once.

In that timespan, they’re giving up 7.5 points off turnovers in those third quarters, bad enough for dead last in the league. Second-chance points allowed? Fourth worst. Opponents fast break points? Third worst. Opponents’ points in the paint? Fourth worst.

And when you zoom in, the games start to blur together in a way that feels less like a slump and more like a script. Here’s the 3rd quarter post mortem from a handful of games over their last 10 where their opponents went ham:

  • Atlanta, 39–20.
  • New York, 38–26.
  • Washington, 34–20.
  • Detroit, 30–23.

Over the last five games alone, the Warriors own a –33.3 net rating in the third quarter. Daaaamn.

What makes it hit deeper is the memory of what this quarter used to be. There was a time when halftime leads against Golden State felt temporary, even when they were big. JJ Redick once talked about sitting in a locker room up 20 and feeling uneasy. Not because of what had happened, but because of what was coming.

The third quarter wasn’t just where the Warriors pulled away. Rather, it was where they made teams understand the game was over.

Klay Thompson scoring 37 in a quarter.
Steph Curry outscoring an entire Pelicans team by himself.
Four seasons of a +16.7 third-quarter net rating that made even the 73-win dominance feel explainable.

They went beyond winning the minutes; they broke teams in them with sheer joy and execution.

Now the numbers tell the opposite story. Golden State sits at a –1.8 third-quarter net rating on the season, 18th in the league, on a team that is exactly neutral overall. The obvious explanation is also the incomplete one. Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Moses Moody have their knees encased in carbonite. The depth that used to carry the system through all 48 minutes has thinned out to the point where the third quarter asks for something the roster can’t consistently give.

The dynasty version of this team spent two quarters applying pressure and then made you pay for it when your legs went. This version absorbs that pressure and runs out of answers when the game tightens. Kerr sees it. But there are seven games left, and the math hasn’t closed yet. If this team is going to extend its season at all, it won’t come from rediscovering who they used to be. It’ll come from surviving the stretch that keeps ending them.The third quarter used to reveal the Warriors at their most inevitable. Now it’s where everything unravels.

With some health and some resilience, they’ll be able to go find new ways of third quarter balling. I think?

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Sinner and Sabalenka’s Sunshine Doubles turn up heat on chasing pack

While Jannik Sinner’s duopoly with Carlos Alcaraz looks unbreakable, Aryna Sabalenka is dominating despite a more competitive women’s top 10

“No, I think it’s all an individual sport,” Jannik Sinner says, chuckling quietly, as he reflects on another triumphant fortnight at the Miami Open after his efficient win over Jiri Lehecka. Sinner had been asked whether he was aware that his win meant the maintenance of one of the defining records of this new era of men’s tennis: since the Madrid Open in April 2024, every tournament with Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz present has been won by either player. The duopoly continues.

Unsurprisingly, Sinner was far more focused on what the victory meant to him. By following his Indian Wells triumph with a title in Miami, he secured one of the greatest achievements of his career in the Sunshine Double. He has now won three consecutive Masters 1000 titles and 34 consecutive sets at this level. This was an immense feat, further underlining his enduring dominance over all challengers aside from his great rival, Carlos Alcaraz.

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How Andrew Painter is learning to get ahead with the big league ball

How Andrew Painter is learning to get ahead with the big league ball originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Andrew Painter learned something last year that does not show up in a box score.

The baseball itself can change your whole season.

“The ball is different,” he said.

That is key to understanding part of what happened to Painter in 2025 — and everything the Phillies are expecting from him when he makes his Major League debut Tuesday night against the Nationals.

He is 22, the club’s top-ranked pitching prospect, and after years of anticipation, hype, injury and rehab, the more interesting part of his story is not the date on the calendar.

It is what he figured out in the year leading up to it.

“The minor league balls usually have a little higher seam, and the spin is usually a little higher,” Painter said. “So with fastballs, that’s why in the Minors you’ll sometimes see some of these weird ones with great vertical break, whereas you won’t really see that with the big league ball.”

That doesn’t mean one ball is better and one is worse. It means they reward different things. Painter says fastballs and breaking balls tend to play better with the minor league ball. Something like a splitter can benefit from the big league ball because you are trying to kill spin.

The difference is real, especially for a pitcher trying to recapture a feel he had before a torn UCL took two years away from him.

In 2022, Painter was one of the most dominant arms in the minor leagues. He opened that season at Clearwater and ended the year at Double-A Reading. He posted a 1.56 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP across three levels of the system. 

The 19-year-old Painter steamrolled through the lower levels of the minors with a minor league ball.

When he returned to action at Triple-A last season — his first full year back from Tommy John surgery, and his first full season throwing the Major League ball against advanced competition — he ran into something he had never encountered before.

Painter was not just returning from one of the worst injuries a pitcher can endure. He was attempting to regain feel for a fastball with a different baseball in his hand, against better competition, while building himself back physically. 

The result was a season where he allowed 119 hits in 106 2/3 innings, gave up 18 home runs and saw his WHIP jump to 1.55, fourth-highest in the International League. His ERA landed at 5.40.

And he didn’t fully realize why his command was not as sharp in the moment.

“Looking back, especially when I’m trying to chase what the fastball was pre-TJ, all those fastballs — everything I was throwing before and through TJ — were with a Minor League ball,” Painter said. “So it’s kind of hard to compare. You’re comparing apples to oranges there.”

In 2025, Painter looked like two different pitchers at once.

Last year at Triple-A, Painter’s first-pitch strike rate was only 47.2 percent. If that number had qualified in the Majors (minimum 110 innings), it would have been the lowest at the big-league level since 2004.

Meanwhile, his zone percentage — the share of total pitches that actually crossed the strike zone — was a staggering 49.2. That would have led the Majors in 2025, ahead of Tarik Skubal’s 48.3. Over the last 10 seasons, only 10 pitchers have posted a higher single-season zone rate.

That combination does not usually happen. The pitchers who live in the zone tend to get ahead. Skubal led the majors in both categories last season. George Kirby did the same in 2023, and Miles Mikolas followed suit in 2024. 

Painter lived in the zone while pitching from behind more than half of the time, and that begins to explain the problem.

Painter’s struggles began midseason at Triple-A. Lehigh Valley pitching coach Phil Cundari and Painter were working on expanding his repertoire during that time. 

“Before last year, his arsenal didn’t include the changeup, and that came at the beginning of the year,” Cundari said. “Along the way, we also moved toward developing a sinker, a two-seamer, and the sweeper as well. So now you’re talking about three essentially new pitches being incorporated in the middle of a season.” 

All with a different ball and different level of hitter.

Those additions even affected Painter’s fastball control, especially early in counts.

“I feel like last year I kind of got into a habit where some of those [first pitch] fastballs would just fly up and away, especially to lefties,” Painter said.

While Painter would commonly fight back into the zone, he predictably kept going back to the fastball — and got beat.

“It wasn’t that there weren’t as many strikes,” Cundari said. “There weren’t as many good strikes.”

“One of the biggest things is confidence in the zone,” Painter said. “You have to realize how much easier it is to pitch when you’re ahead in the count, and I think the results themselves kind of push you to say, ‘Alright, I need to get ahead of this guy.”

That is where the reset comes in.

Painter does not talk much about his heater, which reached 99 mph in Grapefruit League action, as the main solution. He likes to talk about his slider.

“That’s my best in-zone pitch,” he said. “It’s the pitch I throw for a strike at the highest clip. I think there were times last year where I’d fall behind, then I’d try to go back to [the fastball] and the miss would be consistent. 

It’s realizing that cue and that feel for the hard slider kind of gets me back in the zone. It’s kind of swallowing your pride a little bit and not being afraid to flip something in there — whatever pitch you feel most confident throwing for a strike.”

Working closely with Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham and catcher J.T. Realmuto this spring, the adjustment showed up in the numbers. His first-pitch strike rate climbed nearly three percentage points. His zone rate stayed extremely high at 49.4. But it was his slider usage that jumped from 11.6 percent in 2025 to 29.5 percent this spring.

Once Painter gets strike one, everything opens up — he can change shapes and utilize his full five-pitch mix to put hitters away.

“What stood out on a start-by-start basis [last year] was that he wasn’t leaving the zone,” Cundari said of Painter. “The toughness and resilience he showed during that time were impressive … that speaks to the level of competitiveness he has.”

Having spent a full year throwing the big league ball and a spring camp behind him, Painter now possesses a more thorough understanding of his pitches, their purpose and what strike one unlocks.

The minor league education is done. The debut is on tap.

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Player Grades: Lakers vs. Wizards

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 30: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on March 30, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

After a long season, one of the fun subplots to close the season has been the unexpected LeBron-Bronny minutes over the last week.

Once purely ceremonial, Bronny has earned his time with decent performances in his recent outings. It seems to have reenergized LeBron during stretches of the game when he could wain and it’s given fans a chance to root on a young player who is showing potential.

And most importantly, those lineups have been good!

Once Marcus Smart returns, Bronny will fall back out of the lineup. And, admittedly, this has been at least partially possible because the Lakers played three of the worst teams in the league during this span. But it’s still allowed Bronny to show his development and earn the coaching staff’s trust.

So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

LeBron James

33 minutes, 21 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 8-16 FG, 1-3 3PT, 4-6 FT, +25

LeBron was feeling awfully spry in this one as he was dunking everything. The beautiful irony of it all coming after he missed the easiest dunk of the night was great too.

Grade: A

Rui Hachimura

26 minutes, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 fouls, 6-10 FG, 1-3 3PT, 1-2 FT, +9

A nice game from Rui, who had not scored in double figures since mid-March against the Bulls.

Grade: A-

Deandre Ayton

22 minutes, 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers, 5-5 FG, 2-2 FT, +9

Overshadowed a bit by Jaxson Hayes’ big night, Ayton was also perfect from the field. After being a weakness entering the playoffs last year, could the center position actually by a strength enter this postseason?

Grade: B+

Jake LaRavia

28 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 3 fouls, 2-3 FG, +23

As much as LaRavia’s offense has fallen off a cliff, he’s still seeing regular minutes because of his effort defensively, which hasn’t been praised enough, including from myself.

Grade: B

Austin Reaves

27 minutes, 19 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 5 turnovers, 4-11 FG, 0-4 3PT, 11-12 FT, +6

This was a passing display from Reaves, who moved relatively seamlessly into the lead ballhandler role with Luka out.

Grade: A-

Luke Kennard

23 minutes, 19 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 7-10 FG, 4-5 3PT, 1-1 FT, +20

While Austin filled the playmaking void left by Luka, Luke was one of the players who stepped up to fill the scoring void. This was the most confident he looked as a scorer since joining the team.

Grade: A+

Jarred Vanderbilt

23 minutes, 4 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-4 FT, +5

Vando did what Vando does in this game by being active on the boards, creating a bit of havoc defensively and missing an open corner 3-pointer.

Grade: B+

Bronny James

26 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-10 FG, 0-5 3PT, 2-2 FT, +4

I think we’ve officially reached the point where Bronny James is better than Dalton Knecht, an insane thing that no one would have believed in Nov., 2024.

Grade: B-

Jaxson Hayes

20 minutes, 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 foul, 8-8 FG, 1-1 3PT, 2-3 FT, +18

Hayes is really shining as the playoffs approach. After a 20-10 game in Indiana, he flirted with the same again off the bench in this one. The Wizards’ frontcourt was also atrocious. I wonder if a talented big man could have a big scoring night against them.

Grade: A+

Drew Timme, Dalton Knecht, Kobe Bufkin

Pour one out for Dalton Knecht, who very well may be the sixth or seventh guard on the depth chart.

JJ Redick

Redick is coaching the hell out of this team right now. They’re clicking on all cylinders offensively and locking teams down defensively. He’s pushing the right buttons with the rotation.

There has been a lot of talk about the minutes the big three are playing, but they’re going to get a full week off before the playoffs, so I don’t think that’ll matter as much as fans might think.

Monday’s DNPs: Maxi Kleber

Monday’s inactives: Luka Dončić, Marcus Smart, Nick Smith Jr., Adou Thiero, Chris Manon

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

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Golden Knights Gut Out 4-2 Win Over Canucks in Tortorella’s First Game Behind the Bench

On Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights snapped a three-game losing skid with a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

Neither team looked particularly motivated in the first period. The Golden Knights outshot the Canucks 10-7, but Vancouver generated more scoring chances.

The Canucks broke the ice at 12:19 in the first. Jeremy Lauzon pinched, but couldn’t corral the fluttering puck; Jake DeBrusk took it back the other way on a 2-on-1 against Rasmus Andersson. DeBrusk got the pass across, and Evander Kane went forehand-backhand to score in his 1000th NHL game.

“We looked nervous in the first period,” said head coach John Tortorella following the 4-2 win. “We were slow. The second period was night and day.”

In the second period, the Golden Knights cleaned things up and took control of the game. They outshot the Canucks 15-10, and generated 20 scoring chances while holding Vancouver to just five. This manifested in a three-goal period.

The Golden Knights found the equalizer at 7:48 in the second after a hardworking shift by the third line. Kevin Lankinen made the save on Noah Hanifin, but Tomáš Hertl made a strong play on the rebound. Hertl found Rasmus Andersson driving the net, and Andersson had an empty net to shoot into.

The Canucks took the lead once more on the power play at 12:17 in the second. Filip Hronek fired a shot from the point, and Brock Boeser tipped it home from the high slot.

The Golden Knights answered back five minutes later. Ivan Barbashev won a battle along the boards and found Shea Theodore all alone in the slot. Theodore picked his corner and beat Kevin Lankinen blocker-side for his ninth goal of the season.

The Golden Knights took their first lead of the night at 18:34 in the second. Brayden McNabb fired a shot-pass and found Reilly Smith backdoor, and Smith was able to elevate the shot over Kevin Lankinen’s outstretched glove.

The third period dragged on with very little action. Both teams generated just two high-danger scoring chances.

The Canucks, who were eliminated from playoff contention over a week ago, had very little to play for, and it showed. They pulled Kevin Lankinen for the extra attacker, but Cole Smith beat out an icing before scoring his first goal as a Golden Knight into the empty net.

It wasn’t perfect. But tonight, the Golden Knights didn’t need perfection– they just needed a win. 

Three Takeaways of the Knight

1. John Tortorella began his tenure in Vegas with the lines the Golden Knights had used for the past five games. That didn’t last long. Before the end of the first period, the top six had a very different look. 

“I switched the centers,” said Tortorella postgame. “I thought we looked stale offensively… We just looked tentative. I liked the way the lines progressed as we went through the game. I thought there was some chemistry there, and I thought everybody chipped in.

Tortorella singled out Mitch Marner as a player he wanted to continue experimenting with.

“
I like Mitchy; I move Mitchy around quite a bit onto different lines. I think that’s something I may try a little bit more and bounce him around on different lines.”

2. All eyes in the hockey world are upon John Tortorella, who replaced Bruce Cassidy as head coach with just eight games remaining in the regular season. Tonight, he gave the people what they wanted, becoming the fourth head coach in franchise history to win his first game as head coach. It was his first time behind the bench as an NHL head coach since March 25th, 2025.

“There was some rust,” Tortorella said postgame. “I think, for half the game— and the boys let me do it— I was calling Dowd by a different name. I didn’t realize I was doing this. I’m sure you’ll hear about that eventually from these guys. But, yeah, it wasn’t too bad once I got a good feel for the lines… I’ve leaned on the coaching staff quite a bit. They’ve been great for me.”

3. The Golden Knights’ power play went 0-for-2 tonight against the 32nd-ranked penalty kill in the league. That in and of itself isn’t a major concern– nights like that happen over an 82-game season. However, in their last eight games, the Golden Knights are 4-for-26 on the power play. Three of those four goals came from the second power play unit. 

Their power play was their biggest strength earlier this season, and they’re still tied for 5th in the NHL. Five of their seven remaining games are against playoff hopefuls. The Golden Knights need their power play to return to form if they want to keep their foot on the gas heading down the stretch. 

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Observations From Blues' 5-4 Loss To Sharks

Man, that's a killer.

The St. Louis Blues, who put themselves in the fight for the playoffs in the Western Conference once again with a 10-1-2 run in March, had one more big game to close out the month, a third matchup against the San Jose Sharks on Monday.

The first two games went to the Blues, winning each in overtime, including this past Thursday in St. Louis (2-1). A third seemed destined to go to extra time after the Blues fought back from a two-goal deficit with a pair of power-play goals. But as has happened often this season, a late goal not only took a precious point away from the Blues but gave the Sharks two when former Blue Adam Gaudette scored with 21.7 seconds remaining in regulation to give the Blues a stinging defeat, 5-4, at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

The Blues (31-31-11), who had their four-game winning streak end, were in position to gain valuable ground on those teams above them, including the Nashville Predators, who currently hold the second wild card in the West by four point on the Blues, who had two games in hand on them, one of which was on Monday.

But instead, it was the Sharks (34-31-7) who gained the two points, moved two points ahead of the Blues and within two points of Nashville with two games in hand.

It was in fact a crushing defeat for the Blues, who had been playing so well since the return from the Olympics at 11-2-2 coming into this game.

Let's dive into the game observations:

* Last goal simply shouldn't happen on multiple fronts -- It all starts with Robert Thomas losing a face-off to Zack Ostapchuk, of all people, a fourth-liner who played 11:58 in this game. But the face-off isn't where this play broke down. 

It breaks down when the five guys on the ice (Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Dylan Holloway, Philip Broberg and Logan Mailloux) didn't manage the situation properly. Coach Jim Montgomery had been praising the team's ability to manage games since the break, and it's been a key contributor to their recent success.

Once that face-off is lost, all five guys needed to be back in position to make sure, without the puck, at the very least, that game gets to overtime, each team grabs a point and duke it out for the second.

Mailloux, who had his run of 20-plus minute streak end at 13 games on Saturday when he finished a second below 20 minutes (19:59), will be seeing that film quite a bit. Instead of aggressively trying to play a bouncing puck that wound up hopping past him after fumbling possession that turned into a 2-on-1, stay back in position and keep any rushing forwards from coming through you. 

It was a tough game for the 22-year-old, who had really found his stride, but you have to remember, it's still his first full NHL season; he's going to make mistakes and learn from them. Unfortunately, that one came at the most inopportune time. 

But also, I need a save there from Joel Hofer, who also had been playing so well, going 7-0-2 with a league-leading 1.29 goals-against average and league-leading .959 save percentage since the Olympic break. That's one he needs to have, a shot from the left dot that went right through him. Gaudette didn't even pick a corner. 

Yes, you can't give up a 2-on-1 in that situation,  that late in the game. The coaching staff will talk to Mailloux and show him that clip moving forward as a teaching tool,  but I need my goalie to come up with a pretty routine save there that he has been making during his sleep during this run.

Defense and goaltending have been a staple for the Blues, who were No. 1 since the break allowing just 1.42 goals per game. That all went out the window Monday, and fittingly, in that fashion.

* Frittering away too many points late or blowing big leads -- Add Monday's crushing defeat to a plethora of games this season if the Blues ultimately don't make the playoffs, they can only blame themselves.

Here is a list of games this season the Blues could have/should have earned themselves at least a point, if not two points. Here's the list, aside from Monday's at least one point, if not two:

* Oct. 25, led the Detroit Red Wings 4-0 late in the second period, lost 6-4.

* Nov. 8, led the Seattle Kraken 3-2 but allowed the tying goal (which I will take to my grave that it was a bogus goalie interference call not given) with under two seconds left in regulation, lost 4-3 in overtime.

* Nov. 14, led the Philadelphia Flyers by two goals twice (3-1 and 5-3) before falling apart and losing 6-5 in overtime.

* Jan. 23, tied 2-2 with the Dallas Stars but allow the game-winner with 1:00 remaining in regulation to fall 3-2.

* Jan. 27, tied 3-3 with the Stars again but allow the game-winner with 1:07 remaining in regulation to fall 4-3.

* Feb. 2, led the Predators 5-1 in the second period with full control of that game, succumb from middle of game on and fall 6-5 in regulation.

* Feb. 4, tied 4-4 late again with the Stars, allow a Jamie Benn goal with 23 seconds left in regulation and fall 5-4.

* March 10, led the New York Islanders 3-0 but don't put the game away and ultimately, give up two third-period goals before falling 4-3 in overtime.

So when the Blues fall short of making the playoffs this season, they can point to any number of these games where points were frittered away.

* Penalty kill big letdown -- The Blues seemed to right one season-long bad since the Olympic break when they got their penalty kill on track, going 37-for-42, which was good for 88.1 percent and No. 1 in the league since Feb. 26.

But on this night, the Sharks scored three power-play goals, including two by Alexander Wennberg and one by Macklin Celebrini. One was an unfortunate pinball carom that lastly hit Mailloux, but the Blues' penalty killers were getting beat at the net in this game.

When you allow three power-play goals in a single game, something done only one other time this season (Jan. 7 in a 7-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks), you don't tend to win those games.

The Blues finished 1-for-4 on the kill. That won't get it done.

* Game management in first half of game was poor -- Managing the game and pucks has been so crucial for the Blues' latest run of strong games.

Not on this night.

Too many fumbled passes, turning pucks over, bad line changes enabled San Jose to get out to a 17-5 edge on the shot clock at one point that's been so uncharacteristic as of late.

* Tremendous fight back from deficit, power play instrumental -- The Blues were able to stay in this game despite scoring on two of their first three shots of the game, the first when Theo Lindstein scored his first NHL goal to give the Blues their only lead at 1-0 at 5:28 of the first period:

And when Pavel Buchnevich netted his 17th to tie the game 2-2 at 16:39 of the first, it gave the Blues reason to continue to push despite the lackluster execution in the early going:

Trailing 4-2 late in the second, the Blues were able to get the opposite side of their special teams going, and when Philip Broberg made it a one-goal game at 4-3 with 26 seconds left in the second, there was life:

The Blues started playing below the goal line in the offensive zone, something missing in the first half of that game. Whether it was taking too many penalties and having to spend too much time on the kill, or the simple mis-management of the game, something had to change and Broberg's goal gave this group life.

And when Cam Fowler tied it with his own power-play goal at 12:53 of the third period to tie the game 4-4, it came on the heels of a strong push by the Blues the entire period:

Unfortunately for them, the fight back was all for naught with that crushing ending, and aside from a miracle in the final nine games, likely end their playoff aspirations.

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Takeaways from the Ducks 5-4 OT Loss to the Maple Leafs

After notching four of a possible six standings points on their three-game Western Canadian road trip, the Anaheim Ducks returned to Orange County to host the Toronto Maple Leafs in a game that had a surprising amount of built-up tension heading in.

The biggest storyline before the puck dropped was how the Leafs were going to respond to their lack of physical response following the injury to their captain, Auston Matthews, who suffered a season-ending knee injury at the hands of Ducks captain Radko Gudas a few weeks ago.

Game #74: Ducks vs. Maple Leafs Gameday Preview (03/30/26)

Ducks Radko Gudas to Play Monday against the Maple Leafs, Expecting "Intense Game"

This interconference game didn’t have much standings implications, as the Ducks entered having had their four-game winning streak snapped on Saturday by the Edmonton Oilers. They sat with a three-point lead in the Pacific Division standings.

Toronto entered with the sixth-best odds to win the NHL Draft Lottery and were coming off a 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

Radko Gudas exited the Ducks’ 3-2 OT win against the Calgary Flames on Thursday with a lower-body injury, forcing him to miss the team’s previous game, but he returned for this one. Pavel Mintyukov also missed the Ducks’ last game against the Oilers with a lower-body injury and returned on Monday. Nathan Guacher, Frank Vatrano, and Drew Helleson served as healthy scratches.

Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game:

Kreider-Carlsson-Terry

Killorn-Granlund-Sennecke

Viel-Poehling-Gauthier

McTavish-Washe-Moore


LaCombe-Trouba

Mintyukov-Carlson

Zellweger-Gudas

Ville Husso got the start in this game for the Ducks and saved 23 of the 28 shots he faced. Former Ducks backup netminder Anthony Stolarz opposed him in the Toronto net and stopped 28 of 32.

“Reminds me of exactly what happened in Toronto,” Joel Quenneville said. “We had a comfortable lead, we were in a good spot, and they’re dangerous off the rush. We turn pucks over, and they’re gone. That was their recipe there.”

Game Notes

This game was sloppy between the whistles and resembled a playoff game after them. The emotions mentioned earlier gave way to scrums and altercations, halting game flow and leading to multiple man-advantage opportunities for each side.

Radko Gudas received a ten-minute misconduct after participating in an opening faceoff fight with Toronto forward Max Domi. He only saw 7:10 TOI in this game. Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier left the game in the first period after scoring a goal to extend the Ducks’ lead to 2-0. He only played 3:20.

Ducks center Leo Carlsson gave a scare after colliding with Troy Terry and William Nylander simultaneously, sending him briefly to the locker room. He wound up playing 18:51 in this game.

This one only saw 37:25 of 5v5 action. The Ducks won the possession battle in those minutes with 57.14% of the shot attempts, despite generating 48.48% of the shots on goal, and wound up with 52.55% of the expected goals.

Power Play: The Ducks converted on one of their six power play chances, including a failure to convert on a two-minute 5v3 in the opening two minutes of the contest. Their 5v4 chances were more cohesive and dangerous than their long 5v3. While on the 5v3, they collapsed on the Leafs’ triangle in an attempt to shorten passes and get Stolarz moving, but could open any seams.

At 5v4, they were utilizing their net front and bumper to disrupt Toronto’s penalty killing structure, and added some creative wrinkles, including banking flank shot-passes off the endboards to find the net front forward on the back post.

Beckett Sennecke: Sennecke is one of the most volatile NHL rookies in recent memory, and learning how to mitigate his mistakes while amplifying the aspects of his game that make him special will be a challenge throughout the early parts of his career.

He can singlehandedly create scoring opportunities from his own goal line, as displayed by the Ducks’ third goal, where he cuts back on an aggressive pursuer and sends a picturesque sauce outlet to Jackson LaCombe 120 feet away, in the neutral zone.

He can also cost his club points here and there with careless offensive zone turnovers. He’s making ambitious decisions to create opportunities when simple plays are available. He turned a puck over at the offensive blueline on a cycle that sprung Nylander on a breakaway and allowed Toronto to tie the game late.

He didn’t see the ice following that play at the 10:14 mark of the third period or in the overtime frame. If the coaching staff had played him, perhaps the Ducks would have come away with the extra point, but at this stage in the season, they viewed the lesson as more important than the standings point.

Leo Carlsson: When Carlsson briefly exited the game, the air was sucked out of Honda Center. Upon his return, halfway through the third period, he was back to generating scoring chances at will, both off the rush or cycle.

He displayed a few aspects of his game that, if they become more consistent, will help round out his attacking ability and add to his repertoire as a 200-foot impact player. He manufactured a number of turnovers with clever defensive angles and stick lifts, which he then turned up ice into quick offense.

He was also more willing to engage puck carriers through their hands, getting his 6-foot-3 frame between them and the puck, to muscle possession away. With these added elements, he can continue his climb into the conversation of the NHL’s elite centermen.

The Ducks will hit the road for a brief trip to Northern California to face their division rival San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, as the Sharks find themselves within striking distance of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference playoff picture.

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