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Yaxel Lendeborg injury update: Michigan star says he'll play in national championship

Michigan men's basketball is off to a strong start against No. 1 Arizona in the Final Four, but the Wolverines have lost a big part of their scoring.

Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg limped off the court at Lucas Oil Stadium and headed immediately into the tunnel in the first half to get tended to by Michigan's medical staff. He appeared to have twisted his ankle on the previous play after stepping on the foot of Wildcats forward Motiejus Krivas while going to the basket for a layup. The broadcast later added that his knee was hurt on the play as well.

REQUIRED READING: Michigan vs Arizona basketball live updates, Final Four game score, highlights

He is dealing with a sprained MCL of his left knee and an injured ankle, per CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson, who spoke with Michigan basketball head athletic trainer Chris Williams during halftime. Lendeborg also received ice to numb the pain and a massage in the Wolverines' locker room.

Here's the play that Lendeborg appears to have been injured on at the 8:51 mark of the first half:

The absence of Lendeborg, who picked up two fouls fewer than 90 seconds into the game, was immediately felt by the Wolverines, as the Wildcats went on a quick 9-0 run to get themselves back in the game. Michigan would then take over the game to build a 16-point halftime lead over Arizona.

He exited the game with five points on 1-of-2 shooting from the field to go along with a rebound and a steal. He was back on the court with the Wolverines' starting lineup to start the second half, and immediately hit back-to-back 3-pointers on his first two shot attempts.

Here's the latest on Lendeborg's injury:

Yaxel Lendeborg on injury

On the court for post-game interviews, Lendeborg talked about the extent of injury and committed to playing unless he "can't walk at all."

"it's a weird feeling to have the pain that I'm having right now, I've never experienced it before," he said. "So um, coach said at worst it's an MCL sprain and obviously I rolled my ankle so I mean just that. But I'm gonna push through there's no way I'm missing (the) game on Monday night no matter what goes on. So I'm gonna play unless I can't walk at all."

Lendeborg returns to Michigan bench

With 5:15 left, Lendeborg heads back to the Michigan bench with a big smile. It's unknown if that's a wrap on him for this game, but his teammates should be able to close the game from here.

Lendeborg checks back in with seven minutes left

Lendeborg returns to the court with about seven minutes left. Wolfson reports he turned to family and friends and said "I have to" before entering.

Lendeborg riding bicycle near Michigan bench

Lendeborg is subbed out of the game at the 13:02 mark of the second half and immediately heads to the stationary bicycle near the Wolverines' bench. In an additional report, Wolfson mentioned that Michigan athletic trainer Chris Williams and team doctor said it was up to Lendeborg to play in the second half.

Lendeborg dealing with MCL sprain, ankle injury

According to Wolfson, Lendeborg is dealing with a sprained MCL and an injured ankle. As he continues to try to contribute in any way he can, he is clearly hobbled on the floor.

Lendeborg starting second half

Lendeborg will take the floor for Michigan with a brace and two fouls, as he tries to play through his injury. How effective he is remains to be seen.

Lendeborg warming up, lightly jogging

Ahead of the second half against Arizona, Lendeborg took the floor and tried to walk the floor a bit, not putting much pressure on his leg. He then tried some light jogging, and joined the Michigan huddle as the team convened before taking the floor.

Yaxel Lendeborg injury update

Lendeborg appeared to twist his left ankle after going up for a layup at the 8:51 mark of the first half against Arizona in the Final Four.

As noted by Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, Lendeborg screamed and slapped his hands onto the floor of the court after landing awkwardly on his ankle before taking his two free throw attempts.

After Lendeborg hit both free throws, Michigan coach Dusty May took his veteran forward off the court. Lendeborg then immediately went into the tunnel to go back to the locker room to be looked at by members of the Wolverines' medical staff.

Later, it was reported that he also injured his knee on the play. The extent of the injury is unclear.

Here's a look Lendeborg initially heading back to the locker room:

Lendeborg was shown on the TBS broadcast at the 6:06 mark of the first half coming out of the locker room tunnel, walking gingerly back to the Michigan bench with a towel over his head. However, his presence on the Wolverines bench was short-lived, as he was brought back into the locker room. He was seen with a brace on his knee.

"It is the same ankle that he injured in the Big Ten tournament," Wolfson said in an additional report. She also reported that Michigan will continue to give Lendeborg more treatment in the locker room and then re-evaluate whether he is able to return to the game.

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This story has been updated with new information.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yaxel Lendeborg injury: What to know of Michigan star's knee, ankle

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Brewers drop second game of doubleheader to Royals, 8-2

Apr 4, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Logan Henderson (43) pitches during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Box Score

The Brewers and Royals played a game with a lot of baserunners but not a lot of action tonight, except for one big inning. The Royals busted the game open with a five-run, two-out rally in the sixth, an inning full of sloppiness on Milwaukee’s part, a Royals inning that felt almost Brewers-y. The Brewers, meanwhile, weren’t able to muster much offensively, and ended up settling with a split of today’s doubleheader (here’s the recap of the first game, if you would like some happier reading). Hopefully, the game was the only thing the Brewers lost tonight, as Sal Frelick became the latest Brewers position player to deal with an injury when he exited the game after hitting a single in the fourth inning.

Royals starter Seth Lugo was on his game early tonight, and retired the first six Brewer hitters. Logan Henderson, Milwaukee’s 27th man and tonight’s starter, wasn’t quite as sharp. In the first inning, Maikel Garcia led off with a single but was erased when trying to steal second on a perfect throw from Gary Sánchez.

In the second inning, the Kansas City leadoff hitter reached again when Salvador Perez walked. Jac Caglianone flew out for the first out, but Jonathan India hit a single and Carter Jensen put the first runs on the board with a two-run double into the right field corner. Henderson retired Isaac Collins and Kyle Isbel to end the inning and limit the damage, but in a flip of the early game, it was the Royals, not the Brewers, who led 2-0 through two innings.

David Hamilton was the first Brewer baserunner following a great at-bat to lead off the third: he fouled off four straight 1-2 pitches before knocking a single through the infield on the eighth pitch he saw. Blake Perkins battled with Hamilton on first and made Lugo throw nine more pitches, but he struck out. Joey Ortiz struck out, too, but Brice Turang hit a fly ball into a good spot in left that Collins couldn’t catch on a dive, and Turang ended up at third base with an RBI triple.

Garrett Mitchell was next, and Lugo left a mistake right over the middle, a hanging sweeper in a 2-1 count, that Mitchell laced it into the right field gap. Mitchell had a double, his third run-scoring extra-base hit of the day (after two in the day game), and Turang scored to tie the game at two. Lugo got Christian Yelich to end the inning, but the Brewers had two big two-out RBIs, and Lugo was all the way up to 63 pitches through three innings.

Henderson, who isn’t fully stretched out and threw only 45 pitches in his one start at Triple-A Nashville earlier this week, was done after two innings and 35 pitches (and a long layoff in the top of the third). The originally scheduled starter, Brandon Sproat, was on against the top of the Royals’ order. He got Garcia to strike out and then made Bobby Witt Jr. look like a much worse baseball player than he is with a nasty sinker that Witt swung over for strike three. A Vinnie Pasquantino walk extended the inning, but Perez hit a harmless grounder to short, and the inning was over.

Sal Frelick hit a two-out single in the top of the fourth, but he appeared to wince as he got to first. After a visit from Pat Murphy and the team’s athletic trainer, Frelick was removed in favor of Brandon Lockridge. Hopefully the Brewers don’t have a third injury-list addition early this season, but we’ll keep an eye out for updates (Sophia Minnaert later reported “left side tightness”). Lockridge, the injury replacement, stole second, and Hamilton had another long plate appearance before drawing a walk to put runners on first and second. Perkins walked, too, and — gasp — Ortiz was up with the bases loaded. Unfortunately, he struck out, looking a bit foolish on a 2-2 slurve off the outside of the plate. The game remained tied, but Lugo was all the way up to 91 pitches through four.

Sproat’s second inning didn’t go quite as smoothly, but he contributed to getting himself out of it. After Caglianone walked to start things, India struck out, and then Sproat picked Caglianone off at first base. A Jensen flyout to left ended the inning with no damage.

Lugo kept going in the fifth, which he may not have done had today not been a doubleheader. But Lugo struck out Turang, and he got the second out after Mitchell appeared to have an infield hit but was called out upon review. On the next pitch, Lugo’s 103rd, Yelich grounded out to end the inning.

Sproat again walked the leadoff batter, Collins, in the bottom of the fifth. After a visit from Chris Hook, Milwaukee got the first out when Kyle Isbel bunted Collins to second. Garcia hit a sinking line drive into left that looked destined for the grass, but Lockridge — quite a luxury in left field — came out of nowhere and made a sliding catch for the second out. Sproat still needed to get Witt to get out of the inning, but he needed only three pitches to strike him out for the second time. The game remained tied heading to the sixth.

Old friend Nick Mears was on the hill for Kansas City in relief of Lugo, and he had no trouble putting Jake Bauers, Sánchez, and Lockridge in order. Sproat did get the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the inning, which is good, but Perez got him with one out and hit a first-pitch curveball out to center field. Sproat recovered to strike out Caglianone (an at-bat that featured two challenges by Caglianone, the second an unsuccessful one on a 3-2 pitch), but India and Jensen hit back-to-back two-out singles to put runners on the corners. Collins was up for what felt like a momentous at-bat, and he delivered an RBI single up the middle on a 2-2 pitch that increased KC’s lead to 4-2.

That was the last pitch for Sproat, who was replaced by Jared Koenig. Koenig fell behind the nine-hole-hitter Isbel 3-0 before serving up a 3-1, 92-mph sinker right down the middle that Isbel lined into center for another RBI single. Garcia, up next, also got a pitch right down the middle — this one a changeup — and hit a double down the left field line that scored another. After an intentional walk to Witt, Pasquantino hit a chopper at Bauers, which he couldn’t snag. The team’s first error of the year (!) resulted in another run, and a wild pitch scored another, and after another intentional walk (this one to Perez), Caglianone finally grounded out to end the inning. Between Caglianone’s strikeout for the second out and his groundout to end the inning, eight straight Royals reached, five of them scored, and the Brewers were in an 8-2 hole.

Sproat looked better today, but he was still fighting his control. The stuff is certainly intriguing — he throws hard, and it moves. The issue right now is that he doesn’t really seem to know where it’s going to go. He didn’t get much of an assist from Koenig today, but his final line was four runs allowed in 3 2/3 innings on four hits, three walks, and four strikeouts.

With one out in the top of the seventh, Perkins hit a fly ball down the left-field line that should have been caught, but it bounced out of Collins’ glove (apparently in fair territory), and Perkins ended up at second on a two-base error. The next batter, Ortiz, hit a ball up the middle that India fielded but on which he had no throw, so Milwaukee had runners on the corners with one out for the top of the order. But Turang struck out on three pitches, and Mitchell struck out on four, and the Royals’ 27th man, Eli Morgan, had a zero on the board.

DL Hall worked around a four-pitch walk and two wild pitches to put up a zero in the bottom of the seventh. Luis Matos made his Brewers debut to lead off the eighth (he replaced Yelich, who was removed merely for blowout purposes), and he drew a four-pitch walk. But one pitch later, Bauers grounded into a fielder’s choice that erased Matos, then Sánchez struck out, and Lockridge grounded out to third.

Hall remained for Milwaukee in the bottom of the eighth. He gave up a leadoff single to Garcia (his third hit tonight), but picked him off — the second Brewer pickoff of the game! A pitch later, Witt grounded out to third, and after a bit of a battle, Pasquantino popped out to end the inning. Morgan, in his third inning of work, cleanly retired the bottom of the order, and the game was over.

Henderson, Sproat, and Koenig all struggled to varying degrees tonight. Hall wasn’t perfect, but he at least managed to put up a couple of zeroes, something no other Brewer pitcher accomplished tonight. The offense was only able to muster five hits on the evening, with the only extra-base hits being the triple and double that Turang and Mitchell hit back-to-back in the third.

The Brewers and Royals will decide this series tomorrow afternoon. That’s a 1:10 p.m. start and will feature a lefty pitching matchup of Milwaukee’s Kyle Harrison and Kansas City’s Kris Bubic.

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Recap: Bruins let points slip away again, lose to Tampa

TAMPA, FL - APRIL 4: Darren Raddysh #43 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates a goal against the Boston Bruins at Benchmark International Arena on April 4, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Perhaps it’s time for us to just accept that the Bruins and Florida Men don’t pair well together.

After a solidly played first 40 minutes, the Bruins allowed three unanswered goals in the third period to drop their second Florida game in a row, losing to Tampa Bay, 3-1.

Casey Mittelstadt scored the Bruins’ only goal early in the second period, while Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves in the defeat.

Charle-Edouard D’Astous tied the game for Tampa two minutes into the third period, then Darren Raddysh gave the Lightning the lead with just over five minutes left in regulation.

Nikita Kucherov would add an empty-net goal, and that was that.

The Bruins’ goal came off of a beautiful pass from Viktor Arvidsson, with Mittelstadt cashing in to make it 1-0 Bruins.

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D’Astous’s goal came on a good bit of second effort from him, helped by some calamitous defending from the Bruins, making it a 1-1 game early in the third.

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Raddysh’s goal…yeah. That’s not a goal you can allow in the third period of a tie game. 2-1 Tampa.

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Kucherov’s empty-netter was one of those that was just too easy, with Tampa making a couple of passes and sending Kucherov off to the races.

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Bruins lose, 3-1 final.

Game notes

  • Yikes. You can look at the Florida game as one where the team got off to a slow start, got going, and got goalie’d a bit. Tonight was almost the opposite, with the B’s playing well early (they outshot Tampa 19-13 in the first two periods) before falling apart.
  • This isn’t to pin a loss on a single player, but that Raddysh goal can’t happen. Swayman cannot get beat from there, let alone in the last six minutes of the third period. The entire sequence looked like something you’d have happen to you when playing NHL23 (or pick your year) online: random defenseman gets the puck in the neutral zone, skates up the ice unbothered, shoots from a weird angle, scores, then some teenager starts swearing at you.
  • I’m not sure there’s much in this, but it’s worth noting that both of Tampa’s non-empty-net goals came off of plays that started in their own zone. I know that’s usually true of every goal if you rewind it far enough, but both goals seemed to come with the Bruins getting caught flat-footed when an offensive attempt petered out.
  • The Bruins went 0-for-4 on the power play, which certainly didn’t help matters. They had two chances in the first period, then had a big power play chance just two minutes after D’Astous’s goal, only to come up empty. NOT GREAT.
  • Also in the “NOT GREAT” file, the Bruins managed just three shots on goal in the third period. Yes, Tampa had as many goals as the Bruins had shots. I am not a paid analyst, but you’re not going to win that many games when that happens.
  • Mittelstadt’s goal was his 15th of the season, equaling his previous career high; that came back in 2023 with the Buffalo Sabres.
  • Depending on your mood at the moment, the Bruins either blew a big opportunity with this game or caught a big break tonight. They failed to pick up any points, but Detroit, Ottawa, Columbus, and the Islanders all lost Saturday as well, so the Bruins didn’t really lose any ground.
  • Montreal did end up winning on Saturday, putting that third spot in the Atlantic a bit further out of reach. They’re now six points ahead of the Bruins, with a game in hand as well.

Some minor housekeeping: with this recap up and a 3:30 PM game tomorrow, there won’t be a separate preview for that game.

We’ll put up a Public Skate a bit earlier than usual, so feel free to congregate there.

If you observe, Happy Easter. If you don’t, Happy Sunday?

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Braves squander excellent Elder outing in 2-1 loss to D-backs

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 04: Starter Bryce Elder #55 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning at Chase Field on April 04, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Coming into this game, the Braves had exorcised a lot of their 2025 demons with their 6-2 start, but one remained conspicuously absent: the one-run loss. Well, in their ninth game of the season, they finally had a one-run decision, and, in somewhat-reminiscent-of-2025 fashion, it was a loss that probably could have, and at times begged to, go a different way. In brief: Bryce Elder was outstanding, but his own defensive miscue doomed the Braves, who couldn’t find the hits that have made the start of their season a success thus far.

Elder was, as noted, really good — but former teammate and Braves Country favorite son Michael Soroka was… not. Still, as we’ve seen repeatedly in the first few games of this season, a pitcher’s performance is only part of the equation as far as the box score is concerned, and that disparity didn’t matter in the end result here.

Soroka ended up with a 3/3 K/BB ratio in five innings of work. The Braves plated a run in the second on a leadoff walk by Mike Yastrzemski, a groundout that moved him to second, a barreled out (sigh), and then Dominic Smith rolling a seeing-eye grounder through the infield for a two-out RBI. The Braves then shot themselves in the foot (shades of 2025) in the third — Ronald Acuña Jr. drew a leadoff walk but then was thrown out trying to steal, which sucked because Matt Olson crushed a double that would’ve easily scored Acuña a few pitches later. In Soroka’s final inning, the Braves seemed almost destined to score: Mauricio Dubon “singled” on a ball that actually went through shortstop Geraldo Perdomo’s glove, Drake Baldwin was grazed by a pitch after Acuña popped out, and then Olson avoided a double play when Soroka dropped the relay throw at first. That brought up Austin Riley, but for the third time in game, he failed to come through (the WPA vortex is already looming large for him), hitting a routine grounder to short.

Meanwhile, Elder was really good, but to little avail in the end. After a 1-2-3 first, the Diamondbacks got a couple of singles off him in the second, though the second would’ve been an easy double play had the infield been playing Nolan Arenado up the middle. Then, Jose Fernandez dropped down a surprise bunt, and Elder ill-advisedly threw it to first. Even if the throw had been on target, it wouldn’t have been on time. It wasn’t on target either, though, and Arenado ran through a stop sign while Acuña failed to come up throwing. Just like that, it was 2-1 in favor of the home team, and that’s how the score would stay.

Elder kept dealing, though. He faced the minimum after his own error, thanks to a couple of double plays. He finished with an 8/1 K/BB ratio — his best start since that 12-strikeout performance against the Giants in San Francisco while the Braves’ 2025 season slipped away from them. He threw a bazillion pretty well-located sliders and the Diamondbacks had few answers, if they were even aware Elder was posing a question to them. But, in the end, his throwing error stood.

The Braves did nothing against a procession of Arizona relievers in the one-run contest — they went 12 up, 12 down. There was the hope that they could stun Paul Sewald again, but no dice. Last night, both Ozzie Albies and Olson homered on in-zone fastballs after seeing and not offering at some sweepers; tonight, Sewald basically threw sweeper after sweeper, and got strikeouts of Yastrzemski and Albies. Michael Harris II battled for a while, but ultimately hit a routine flyout on a hanging sweeper to end the game.

Ah, well, you can’t win them all. It’s just a shame to waste such a great Bryce Elder performance like this. Maybe the good times will keep rolling tomorrow — winning a four-game set on the road without Chris Sale pitching would still be pretty good, and better than expected. Hopefully the Mets and Phillies lose, too.

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Braylon Mullins keeps hitting big shots for UConn in Final Four win

INDIANAPOLIS – This time, Braylon Mullins didn’t wait for the buzzer.

Less than a week after his memorable heave to beat Duke in the Elite Eight, the Connecticut freshman made a pair from 3-point range in the first three minutes to set the tone for the Huskies’ 71-62 win against Illinois in the Final Four.

“I think it was the flow of the game, but coming into the game I knew I needed to shoot it with confidence coming off last Sunday just to have that flow, that momentum,” Mullins said. “Seeing the first two go in, it just boosts all the confidence for you to keep shooting. I think it just happened within the game.”

Ranking mens basketball's top programs: Is UConn a blue blood? Huskies may be the bluest

His teammates also had a good feeling: “When he hit that first one I kind of knew it was a going to be a good day. Once he hits that first shot and he’s aggressive, he’s kind of unstoppable, to be honest with you,” said junior forward Jaylin Stewart.

“His game’s always on point,” added freshman center Eric Reibe.

With the game still in the balance and the Illini cutting a 14-point deficit to a four-point UConn lead with under a minute to play, Mullins made another 3-pointer from the wing to secure the win and a matchup against the winner of the second national semifinal between No. 1 seeds Michigan and Arizona.

“Really, just since he stepped on campus he’s had such a great maturity to where I just want him to be himself and not let the moment get to you, don’t let any external pressure get to you,” said senior forward Alex Karaban. “Because at the end of the day, everything is amplified here. But you’re just playing basketball.”

Mullins finished with 15 points on 5 of 14 shooting, including 4 of 7 makes from deep. He had been mired in a long shooting slump, making a combined 11 of 59 3-pointers in his past nine games and just 5 of 25 in the Huskies’ first four tournament games.

Again and again this NCAA Tournament, Mullins has proved this stage isn’t too big for him to handle.

“I think he’s one of the best freshmen in the country,” Stewart said. “One of the best players in the country, honestly.”

Even against an opponent from the vaunted Big Ten and with his family in attendance for the national semifinals, the Greenfield, Indiana native remained poised and helped the Huskies stand a win away from the seventh national championship in program history.

“The way he’s playing is phenomenal as a freshman,” said senior guard Malachi Smith. “Braylon doesn’t really talk that much, but he talks to us on the court. And that’s what we need. Even when he’s not hitting shots, that’s what we need. He has the mamba mentality of going to the next play.”

After he was held in check until the final seconds against the Blue Devils, Mullins’ ability to get into a flow in the Final Four helped the Huskies take a 37-29 halftime lead after briefly falling behind 22-21 with seven minutes until the break.

But he went cold coming out of the locker room, missing his first five attempts from the field as the Illini began to cut away at the UConn advantage to make it a 63-59 game with a minute left.

All throughout this season, UConn veterans such as Karaban have preached to Mullins the importance of remaining confident even if his shots aren’t falling. Those lessons have continued to pay off: On the next possession, the soft-spoken freshman drilled his game-clinching jumper.

“You've always got to shoot with confidence,” Mullins said. "The set was going to be run for anybody on the team, you've just got to shoot with confidence. Just trying to find the best look on the floor and I know our point guards are going to get us the ball, so I think that was the biggest shot I hit tonight.”

Overshadowed by this late-game magic are the little things that Mullins continues to do even when his shot isn’t falling, teammates said. In the second half against Illinois, that included a pair of steals that helped the Huskies turn a 44-36 game with 17:08 to play into a 13-point lead just two minutes later.

“He gets it done every night. Even if he’s not hitting shots, he impacts the game in so many ways. He’s just a special player,” Stewart said.

But it’s a cold-blooded scorer that Mullins has played a starring role. Shot by shot, he’s building a postseason résumé full of shining-moment memories that will long outlast what could be a one-and-done run with the Huskies.

“We all know what kind of a shooter he is and what kind of scoring ability he has,” said Reibe. “And we really need his confidence. If we bring that together, we’re going to have a good night on Monday.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Braylon Mullins delivers again for UConn in Final Four win over Illinois

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Pistons clinch No. 1 seed in East with win over Sixers

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 4: Tobias Harris #12 of the Detroit Pistons handles the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 4, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Two years ago, the Detroit Pistons were the laughing stock of the NBA and seemingly without hope. Tonight, they clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Pistons used suffocating second-half defense to easily handle a tired Philadelphia 76ers team en route to an easy 116-93 win. All five Pistons starters scored in double figures, and two bench players joined in on the fun. They were led by Tobias Harris, who was booed lustily by a still-angry Sixers crowd that is apparently mad at Harris for saying yes to a huge contract that Sixers ownership offered him. Apparently, they are still angry Harris was signed to be the third man in Philly and played like a third man in Philly. He scored 19 points and had four steals on the night. He seemed to relish every opportunity to channel those boos into a patented backdown mid-range jumper.

The best player for the Pistons was Daniss Jenkins, who has been on a tear since entering the starting lineup for an injured Cade Cunningham. Jenkins had 16 points, 14 assists, and just one turnover on the night. He hit a bit of the not-quite-rookie wall in February, but he’s clearly on the other side of that. Now, he looks like he will be more than capable of playing critical minutes for a Pistons playoff run.

The game was a bit back and forth, mainly powered by quick scoring bursts on either side. The Pistons were able to get a 10-point lead after the first quarter, but it was quickly erased, with Detroit nursing a 47-45 lead with 8:09 in the second. It was all tied up at 56 with four minutes to play in the second, thanks to a great 18-point first-half permance by Paul George, but Detroit went on yet another run, taking a 71-60 lead into halftime.

The game completely flipped in the third quarter. The Sixers went into a zone at the midway point of the third quarter, and Detroit couldn’t figure it out. Meanwhile, Philly started to show some tired legs, playing its second game in two days, and could do nothing against Detroit’s ferocious defense. Things just got worse in the fourth.

Adam Bona had a tip dunk for the first basket of the final quarter to make the game 95-83 with 11:16 to play. Philly’s next point came with 5:11 remaining in the game. Not basket. Point. Unfortunately, in that stretch, Detroit only managed to score nine points.

Like so many opponents before them, Philadelphia couldn’t handle Detroit’s pressure, couldn’t resist settling for middling shots, and couldn’t find easy paths to the rim or open windows for passes. Detroit just squeezed the life out of them until there was nothing left.

The Pistons, for the most part, had no such issues. Despite a lethargic second half, Detroit shot just under 50% from the floor and 40% from deep. They had 33 assists on 43 made baskets, outscored the Sixers in the paint, on the break, off the bench, and won the rebounding battle.

Despite not having Cade Cunningham, their creator and engine of the offense, the Pistons just don’t have many weaknesses. They are 8-2 since Cunningham went down with a collapsed lung, and their two losses were in overtime to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Atlanta Hawks.

They have 57 wins with four more to play. A team that lost 60-plus games for two consecutive seasons just recently has a chance to win 60 games this season. That would make them just the third Pistons team in franchise history to accomplish the feat. They won 64 under Flip Saunders in 2005-06 and 63 in their NBA title season of 1988-89. This team is special.

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Yankees’ Cody Bellinger bounces back after defensive flop with offense-sparking home run

An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) is greeted by his teammates in the dugout after he scores on his two-run homer during the 5th inning when the New York Yankees played the Miami Marlins Saturday, April 4, 2026, Image 2 shows Cody Bellinger is pictured during the Yankees' game April 4, Image 3 shows The Yankees committed a brutal error during their game against the Marlins on April 4

Cody Bellinger has had himself an action-packed past two days.

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It started with his circus catch in left field in Friday’s win, when he somehow snagged a ball he’d already dropped.

And it continued in Saturday’s 9-7 win, as Bellinger was first involved in a costly slapstick play that cost the Yankees a run before he made up for it with a homer that helped get them back in the game.

He finished it off with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

It was Bellinger’s first home run of the young season and sparked a comeback that saw the Yankees erase what had been a four-run deficit.

“It gave us that spark we needed,’’ Giancarlo Stanton said. “It turned us on a little bit. We started getting on base a lot more from there.”

Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) is greeted by his teammates in the dugout after he scores on his two-run homer during the 5th inning when the New York Yankees played the Miami Marlins Saturday, April 4, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Before that, though, there was an uncharacteristic blunder.

Already trailing 3-0 in the top of the fourth — and with Paul Blackburn having replaced the ineffective and inefficient Ryan Weathers — Agustin Ramirez reached on a two-out infield single to third.

Jakob Marsee followed with what seemed to be a relatively harmless flare single to shallow left off Blackburn, but that’s when things got interesting.

José Caballero and Ryan McMahon both chased after the ball before it landed in front of Bellinger.

The Yankees committed a brutal error during their game against the Marlins on April 4. Screengrab via X/@TalkinYanks

With no one covering third base, Ramirez raced toward the bag, as McMahon tried to recover and get back. Still on the run, McMahon tried to catch Bellinger’s throw — which was off the bag — and it went into foul territory as the Yankees scrambled after it.

Ramirez scored on the play — no one was at the plate, either — to give Miami a four-run lead, with Marsee moving to second.

“Just an awkward play with the shift on,’’ Bellinger said. “[McMahon] had to run a long way to third and my ball sailed.”

Blackburn whiffed Otto Lopez to avoid further damage.

Cody Bellinger is pictured during the Yankees’ game April 4. Screengrab via X/@TalkinYanks

It was an ugly anomaly for the Yankees, who had played relatively strong fundamentally to get off to a strong start to the season.

And then Bellinger got the offense going.

The Yankees had just one hit against Miami right-hander Max Meyer before Aaron Judge’s two-out single in the fifth.

Bellinger followed with a shot to right-center to cut the Yankees deficit to 4-2 and get Meyer out of the game.

“Meyer was throwing the ball well and all of a sudden it was a shot in the arm and we were right back in the game,’’ Aaron Boone said.

The Yankees then feasted on Miami’s bullpen and held on for another victory.

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How to watch Cardinals vs. Tigers: TV/streaming info, schedule, preview, starting pitchers

In a matchup of teams off to 4-4 starts, Sunday Night Baseball on NBC and Peacock will feature the St. Louis Cardinals facing the Detroit Tigers in the finale of a three-game series at Comerica Park.

Righthander Kyle Leahy is expected to start for St. Louis, matching his total starts from last season (when he made 61 appearances in relief).

The Tigers have recalled righthander Keider Montero from Triple-A Toledo to make the start for Detroit. Justin Verlander, was scheduled to start for the Tigers, but the 43-year-old righthander was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 1) with left hip inflammation, scuttling plans for his first start at Comerica Park for the Tigers since 2017.

Detroit has won the first two games of the series, a 4-0 win on Friday and an 11-6 victory Saturday.

See below for additional information on how to watch the Cardinals vs. Tigers and a breakdown of the game. Also check out the schedule for the MLB on NBC and Peacock. There will be 27 prime-time MLB games featured across NBC, Peacock and NBCSN in 2026. NBC Sports will also stream one out-of-market game each day of the 2026 MLB season nationally on Peacock.

Click here to sign up for Peacock!

How to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs. Detroit Tigers:

  • When: Sunday, April 5
  • Where: Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET (7:20 p.m. first pitch)
  • TV: NBC
  • Live Stream: Peacock

Who are the announcers for Cardinals-Tigers?

Jason Benetti will provide play-by-play alongside Brad Thompson (who spent most of his six MLB seasons from 2005-2010 as a relief pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals) and Andy Dirks (an outfielder and designated hitter for the Tigers from 2011-2013). Ahmed Fareed will host the pregame show with analyst Dexter Fowler.

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Detroit Tigers preview:

The Cardinals won their first two series, winning twice in three-game sets against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and New York Mets.

St. Louis is trying to snap a playoff drought that dates to 2022 and avoid missing the postseason for four consecutive years for the first time since 1995.

After several offseason trades of veterans, the Cardinals entered the 2026 season with the youngest active roster in MLB. First baseman Alec Burleson and catcher Pedro Pages, both 27 years old, were the oldest players in the Opening Day lineup. Outfielder Lars Nootbaar, 28 and in his 6th year with St. Louis, is the longest tenured active player on the team but is out after offseason heel surgeries.

Before opening this series with two victories, the Tigers had dropped four consecutive, including a sweep by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Detroit's offense has been off to a slow start, and the Tigers were shut out twice in the first six games.

Two-time All-Star outfielder Riley Greene got off to a 5-for-25 start after leading the Tigers with 155 hits, 36 homers and 111 RBI last year. Outfielder Kerry Carpenter also struggled in the first six games (2 for 22) after a career-high 26 homers last year.

Detroit has lost in the ALDS for the past two seasons and is seeking to return to the ALCS for the first time in 13 years.

How to watch MLB on NBC and Peacock:

Sunday Night Baseball will make its debut March 29 with the Guardians vs. Mariners. The 18-game MLB Sunday Leadoff schedule will begin May 3, with the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays visiting the Twins in Minnesota. On Sunday, July 5, all 15 MLB games will be presented nationally across Peacock and NBC as part of a special all-day “Star-Spangled Sunday” showcase.

NBC Sports will also stream one out-of-market game each day of the 2026 MLB season nationally on Peacock. Telemundo Deportes will present all NBCUniversal-produced MLB games in Spanish, with Universo televising all games broadcast on NBC.

MLB: World Series-Los Angeles Dodgers at Toronto Blue Jays
MLB Returns to NBC and Peacock in 2026: Full schedule announced
From an MLB Opening Day doubleheader on March 26 to the Wild Card round of the playoffs, NBC Sports’ 2026 schedule delivers wall-to-wall coverage.
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How to sign up for Peacock:

Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports, sports shows, documentaries, classic matches, and more. You'll also get tons of hit movies and TV shows, Originals, news, 24/7 channels, and current NBC and Bravo hits for whatever suits your mood.

MLB on NBC 2026 schedule:

Click here to see the full list of MLB games that will air on NBC and Peacock this season.

What devices does Peacock support?

You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.

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Nuggets end Spurs' win streak with 136-134 win in OT

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 40 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds, Christian Braun added 21 points and the Denver Nuggets beat San Antonio 136-134 in overtime Saturday to snap the Spurs’ 11-game winning streak.

Cameron Johnson scored 17, Jamal Murray finished with 15 points and 10 assists and Aaron Gordon scored 15 for the Nuggets.

Gordon scored with 6.2 seconds left in regulation to tie the game, then forced Victor Wembanyama into a miss on the final shot of regulation.

Wembanyama finished with 34 points, 18 rebounds, seven assists and five blocked shots for the Spurs, who lost for only the third time in their last 30 games.

Stephon Castle scored 20 points for San Antonio, while Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie each scored 18 for the Spurs.

HEAT 152, WIZARDS 136

MIAMI (AP) — Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 32 points before dashing out to fly to the NCAA women’s basketball title game, Kel’el Ware finished with 24 points, 19 rebounds and seven blocks, and Miami rolled past Washington.

Bam Adebayo — who scored 83 points in Miami’s last game with Washington — faced a triple-team on his first possession and scored 14 for Miami. Andrew Wiggins had 21 and Pelle Larsson scored 16 for the Heat. Adebayo also had nine rebounds and seven assists.

Miami reached 150 points for the third time in franchise history. It scored 153 against New Orleans last April 11 — and finished with 150 against the Wizards in Adebayo’s 83-point night on March 10.

Will Riley scored 31 for Washington, which has reached the 60-loss mark for the third straight season. Sharife Cooper scored 20 for the Wizards, who trailed by as many as 35 at one point.

PISTONS 116, 76ERS 93

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tobias Harris scored 19 points, and Daniss Jenkins added 16 points and 14 assists as Detroit beat Philadelphia to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The last time the Pistons (56-21) were the top seed in the East was in 2006-07. They have already clinched the Central Division title for the first time since 2007-08.

Jalen Duren added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Ausar Thompson had 14 points for the Pistons, who have won 12 of their last 15 games.

Both Duren (illness) and Harris (left knee contusion) had been listed as questionable. The Pistons are 8-2 in the 10 games that Cade Cunningham has missed with a collapsed left lung.

Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 23 points. Paul George scored 20 points, and VJ Edgecombe added 19. George has averaged 25.8 points in six games since returning from a 25-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy.

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Knicks’ Miles McBride striving for return to pre-injury form before playoffs

An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) watches his jump shot alongside Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie (12), Image 2 shows Miles McBride of the New York Knicks (right) and a Chicago Bulls player (left) on the court during an NBA game

Miles McBride is against the clock to get back to his best before the postseason starts. 

He’s played three games now after missing the previous 28 following surgery to repair a sports hernia. It’s imperative across these last four regular-season games that he gets back as close to how he was playing before the surgery. 

McBride was enjoying a career-year before being sidelined, averaging 12.9 points per game and shooting a stellar 42.0 percent from 3-point range.

He was the Knicks’ most — or joint-most, along with Mitchell Robinson — important contributor off the bench, and also represented one of the Knicks’ best point-of-attack defenders. He had the team’s best net rating at 10.3 points. 

His first two games back, though (losses against the Thunder and Rockets), he struggled with his shot — going a combined 1-for-12 from the field and 1-for-8 from deep.

Then he rested during a win over the Grizzlies, and in Friday’s rout of the Bulls, he took all 3-pointers and went 2-for-4, representing a step in the right direction. 

Having been out so long, what’s the toughest part of getting back up to speed? 

New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) gestures after scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Friday, April 3, 2026, in New York. AP

“Everything, honestly,” McBride said. “It’s a tough thing to be out so long, having a surgery in the middle of the season.”

There was also a brief concern of a setback — during that Thunder game, McBride played just 11 minutes before aggravating the injury while diving for a loose ball. He grabbed at his groin area, limped into the locker room and did not return. 

New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) watches his jump shot along side Phoenix Suns guard Collin Gillespie (12) during the second half when the New York Knicks played the Phoenix Suns Saturday, January 17, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post

But the worst fears were avoided when he was able to return one game later against the Rockets. 

“It’s really just a part of the recovery process,” McBride said. “It’s just kind of like a tweak, and it’s a painful tweak. It’s not necessarily as bad, it’s just sometimes you can’t really do anything about it. 

“It’s like someone stabbing your groin, hip and ab at the same time. It’s not fun. But I’ll get back right.” 

During Wednesday’s win over the Grizzlies, OG Anunoby briefly was in some discomfort with his wrist. On the bench, Jordan Clarkson pretended to sprinkle healing dust on Anunoby’s wrist.

Anunoby returned and finished with 25 points. 

“Jordan healed my wrist,” Anunoby said. “It was crazy. I’m very thankful.”

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4-4 – A difference in defense as Rangers fall 2-0 to Reds

Apr 4, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers new wearable food item named the Ninth inning rally sombrero before the game between the Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers didn’t score but the Cincinnati Reds scored two runs.

Kumar Rocker had a wait some tens days to make his season debut and he was immediately greeted with perhaps the worst defensive inning by the Rangers so far this season, and that includes a game in Philadelphia where a dropped easy popup nearly cost them a win.

After a ground out to start the evening, Rocker allowed a hard hit single off the bat of Matt McLain that Josh Jung couldn’t field with McLain moving to second on a wild pitch. McLain scored the game’s first run when Elly De La Cruz dropped a broken bat single just beyond the reach of Corey Seager before he himself scored from first on a single to right field.

De La Cruz is one of the planet’s fastest humans, and he was moving on the pitch, but the sequence that saw him score seemed like a preventable play as right fielder Brandon Nimmo tossed the ball into second base as De La Cruz just never stopped running.

One batter later, Eugenio Suarez reached via an error by Josh Smith and the Rangers were lucky that the Reds didn’t add to their early 2-0 lead as Rocker got out of the inning with two outs on the next three pitches.

An infuriating start to the game only became an infuriating rest of the game as the leather-aided two runs proved all Cincinnati would need as their own fielders were all doing their best Roberto Clemente and Brooks Robinson impressions with solid plays all over the field to snuff out hard contact from Texas.

In the end, the poor defense cost the Rangers but they also scored zero runs and had a total of four hits. Welcome back to The Shed indeed.

Player of the Game: Despite the loss, Rocker allowed just the two first inning runs on six hits, a walk, and three strikeouts over five innings. While he was only given 80 pitches to work with after sitting around for basically two weeks, Rocker did well in his season debut.

A couple of things in particular that were encouraging about Rocker’s outing include the former first-rounder showing a solid changeup that was eliciting weak contact. And, after McLain reached third with no outs in the top of the 5th, following a single and an error on a steal attempt, Rocker buckled down and made some of his best pitches of the night to keep McLain stranded and keep Texas within bloop-and-blast territory.

Unfortunately, the blast never came and the Rangers have their first three-game losing streak of the season.

Up Next: The Rangers and Reds close out this series tomorrow with Texas hoping to avoid a sweep and with RHP Jack Leiter making his 2026 home debut opposite RHP Chase Burns for Cincy.

The Sunday afternoon first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 1:35 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.

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Pistons beat 76ers 116-93 and clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tobias Harris scored 19 points, and Daniss Jenkins added 16 points and 14 assists as the Detroit Pistons beat the Philadelphia 76ers 116-93 Saturday night to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The last time the Pistons (56-21) were the top seed in the East was in 2006-07. They have already clinched the Central Division title for the first time since 2007-08.

Jalen Duren added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Ausar Thompson had 14 points for the Pistons, who have won 12 of their last 15 games.

Both Duren (illness) and Harris (left knee contusion) had been listed as questionable. The Pistons are 8-2 in the 10 games that Cade Cunningham has missed with a collapsed left lung.

Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 23 points. Paul George scored 20 points, and VJ Edgecombe added 19. George has averaged 25.8 points in six games since returning from a 25-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy.

The 76ers played without Joel Embiid, who was ruled out with right oblique injury maintenance/illness in the second half of a back-to-back. The Sixers had won eight of their last 11.

The teams went back and forth in the first half, the Pistons leading by 10 points after one quarter before the 76ers tied the game in the second. A 15-4 run to end the first half gave Detroit control, and the Pistons stretched their lead to 26 points in the second half.

Up next

Pistons: Visit Orlando on Monday.

76ers: Start a three-game trip in San Antonio on Monday.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

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Will Riley Shines In Yet Another Washington Blowout

MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 04: Jaime Jaquez Jr. #11 of the Miami Heat draws a foul from Will Riley #27 of the Washington Wizards during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center on April 04, 2026 in Miami, Florida. 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 Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Washington Wizards had a strong defensive effort, holding Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo to 69 points fewer than he scored the last time these teams faced each other.

Editor’s Note:The Wizards allowed more than 150 points for a second straight game and the 15th time in franchise history.

Kevin’s Note: Hey, their defensive rating was six points per 100 possessions better than their last game — they’re IMPROVING!

Yeah, so it wasn’t a strong defensive effort. In fact, it was a downright lousy one, both in terms of mental and physical, and in terms of execution even when their was good effort. In fairness, I don’t know how anyone could be expected to give all-out effort when everyone knows the team really-really-really wants to lose.

In this one, the game was close through the first quarter before the Heat took control in the second period. The avalanche grew throughout the third quarter with Miami’s lead reaching as a high as 35. Bench clearing and classic slacking off contributed to a phony “comeback” in the fourth, which trimmed the final margin to a semi-respectable (looking) 16 points.

Will Riley dunks during the Washington Wizards loss to the Miami Heat. (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Some positives:

  • Another impressive game from Will Riley, who scored 31 points on 12-17 shooting and had 5 steals. He even got a couple buckets using his elongated hesi-dribble. Seriously though, Riley scored in an array of ways, including crafty moves off the bounce to create space, finishing over size, attacking the paint, and hitting catch-and-shoot jumpers.
  • Justin Champagnie had 12 points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes. He shot 4-9 from the field, which is kinda impressive considering three of those misses were blocks by Heat big Kel’el Ware.
  • JuJu Reese grabbed nine rebounds in 11 minutes of action.
  • Sharife Cooper had 20 points and 7 assists.

Thoughts & Observations

  • On the first possession of the game, the Heat went to Bam Adebayo in the post and Washington triple-teamed him — something they didn’t do until the fourth quarter of that 83-point night Adebayo had a few weeks ago.
  • A question I jotted several times throughout the watch was why the Wizards kept trying to attack Bam Adebayo and Davion Mitchell in iso situations. These are two of the NBA’s best defenders in those situations, and the Wizards players are not exactly accomplished one-on-one experts. I mean, Mitchell’s nickname is “Off-Night” for a reason. Pick your spots, guys.
  • Check out the possession at 6:45 of the first quarter for a demonstration of Riley’s skill and craft. This was the play where he caught the ball in the corner against an aggressive ball-denial effort and went instantly into a spin into a dribble drive that got him a layup. I liked the decisiveness — just an instantaneous attack that left no time for a help defender to get there.
  • I remain not a fan of Washington’s penchant for whoever brings the ball up the floor going straight into a jumper after zero passes and running no actions. In transition or a trailing situation, a catch-and-shoot three is a great shot. Maybe this gives me “Old Man Yells At Cloud” status, but in a halfcourt setting against a defense that’s back and matched up, I’d prefer they run something instead of launching immediately.
  • Plays like the one at 4:43 of the second quarter are why I still have hope that Bilal Coulibaly can become something special in the relatively near future. On that play, he drove left on Adebayo and got to a soaring lefty finish. It was an impressive play.
  • I very much liked the set piece Washington ran to start the second half. Anthony Gill set a pindown for Riley. Bub Carrington then made an “entry” pass to Gill, who followed Riley to the top — kind of a very high horns set — for a “get” action (Carrington followed his pass) dribble hand-off. Because Gill received the “entry” so high, Miami’s Mitchell had to go under the screen, and Carrington was left with a wide open three.

Four Factors

Below are the four factors that decide wins and losses in basketball — shooting (efg), rebounding (offensive rebounds), ball handling (turnovers), fouling (free throws made).

The four factors are measured by:

  • eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
  • OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
  • TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
  • FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)
FOUR FACTORSWIZARDSHEATLGAVG
eFG%55.2%67.2%54.5%
OREB%30.4%27.0%26.0%
TOV%8.3%12.9%12.7%
FTM/FGA0.1790.2900.207
PACE10899.3
ORTG125140115.7

Stats & Metrics

PPA is my overall production metric, which credits players for things they do that help a team win (scoring, rebounding, playmaking, defending) and dings them for things that hurt (missed shots, turnovers, bad defense, fouls).

PPA is a per possession metric designed for larger data sets. In small sample sizes, the numbers can get weird. In PPA, 100 is average, higher is better and replacement level is 45. For a single game, replacement level isn’t much use, and I reiterate the caution about small samples sometimes producing weird results.

POSS is the number of possessions each player was on the floor in this game.

ORTG = offensive rating, which is points produced per individual possessions x 100. League average so far this season is listed in the Four Factors table above. Points produced is not the same as points scored. It includes the value of assists and offensive rebounds, as well as sharing credit when receiving an assist.

USG = offensive usage rate. Average is 20%. Median so far this season is 17.7%.

ORTG and USG are versions of stats created by former Wizards assistant coach Dean Oliver and modified by me. ORTG is an efficiency measure that accounts for the value of shooting, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers. USG includes shooting from the floor and free throw line, offensive rebounds, assists and turnovers.

+PTS = “Plus Points” is a measure of the points gained or lost by each player based on their efficiency in this game compared to league average efficiency on the same number of possessions. A player with an offensive rating (points produced per possession x 100) of 100 who uses 20 possessions would produce 20 points. If the league average efficiency is 115, the league — on average — would produced 23.0 points in the same 20 possessions. So, the player in this hypothetical would have a +PTS score of -3.0.

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

WIZARDSMINPOSSORTGUSG+PTSPPA+/-
Will Riley378316618.3%7.7203-3
Sharife Cooper255714526.3%4.31526
Justin Champagnie214615121.3%3.5182-12
Jamir Watkins194317216.9%4.014313
Jaden Hardy255611624.0%0.11013
Bilal Coulibaly25579521.1%-2.477-20
Julian Reese102412712.4%0.31355
Anthony Gill225014712.1%1.960-23
Bub Carrington27618721.6%-3.831-25
Tre Johnson25578621.9%-3.7-20-17
Leaky Black41007.4%-0.8-127-7
HEATMINPOSSORTGUSG+PTSPPA+/-
Kel’el Ware368115617.7%5.72117
Jaime Jaquez Jr.327214826.1%6.21951
Andrew Wiggins265916520.0%5.818924
Bam Adebayo245514920.1%3.616625
Davion Mitchell265814415.9%2.613819
Pelle Larsson245411526.0%-0.111227
Kasparas Jakucionis286312022.6%0.691-2
Simone Fontecchio194317411.3%2.813212
Dru Smith122711917.2%0.2135-15
Keshad Johnson1125118.0%0.35551
Nikola Jovic132910316.5%-0.619-19
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Recap: Wedgewood with the shutout as Avs beat Dallas 2-0

Apr 4, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas (88) and center Nathan MacKinnon (29) celebrate after Necas scores the game winning goal against the Dallas Stars during the third period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars squared off in a crucial matinee at American Airlines Center in Dallas, and it was Colorado who finally stole the first regulation win of the season series—pushing their quest for NHL and Central Division supremacy even further.

Brent Burns hit his 1,000th consecutive game, and the veteran forward-turned-defenseman logged a solid 18+ minutes on ice to help deliver the victory.

It was a low-scoring, gritty, playoff-style battle, but Martin Necas finally tucked away the game-winner midway through the third, and Nathan MacKinnon inevitably buried his career-high-tying 51st goal into the empty net. That sealed Colorado’s crisp 2-0 triumph over the Stars.

The Game

Most of the afternoon felt like a tight-checking chess match, with both Casey DeSmith and Scott Wedgewood making timely saves to keep it locked at 0-0 through two periods. Neither side was willing to blink.

In fact, this was one of the rare games all season with zero power plays goals for either team—a likely sneak preview of the grind we’ll see once the playoffs arrive.

The breakthrough finally came when Artturi Lehkonen found Martin Necas on a slick back-door play, putting the Avalanche up 1-0.

Necas cashing in on what might be the biggest regular-season goal of the year felt like the perfect cherry on top—right before MacKinnon’s empty-netter put the game to bed for good.

Takeaways

Coming off one of their ugliest performances of the season (probably the worst) against the Vancouver Canucks, it was huge to see the Avs respond with a complete, shut-down victory against their fiercest rival.

We called for a regulation win with a power-play goal on Friday’s Mile High Hockey Lab, but in hindsight, we should’ve just asked for the regulation W. Every other meeting between these two in 2025-26 had gone to OT or a shootout—so credit to Colorado for finally stealing the lone regulation victory of the regular season series.

Dallas rolling with DeSmith gave their fans a ready-made excuse, but when you get blanked, the finger has to point somewhere—and Scott Wedgewood was outstanding again. He now has three shutouts this season, all against divisional foes.

Big respect to Dallas for honoring Brent Burns and his 1,000th straight game the way they did. When you consider he started that insane streak after already playing 600 games, it’s truly remarkable. That’s something worth celebrating no matter which jersey he’s wearing.

Upcoming

It’s a quick turnaround for the Avalanche, who now welcome the St. Louis Blues tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. MT.

Let us know what you thought of this contest in the comments!

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Jake Bird’s Triple-A stint helped build strengths ahead of promising Yankees start

New York Yankees pitcher Jake Bird (59) throwing a pitch during the 7th inning against the Miami Marlins.
New York Yankees pitcher Jake Bird (59) throws a pitch during the 7th inning against the Miami Marlins.

When Jake Bird arrived in a trade from the Rockies at last year’s deadline, he was looking forward to finding out what made the Yankees so good at making relief pitchers better.

One example he was keenly aware of when he was in Colorado was another right-hander who had come to the Yankees and turned his career around: Luke Weaver.

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“What Luke had done really stood out,’’ Bird said. “To go from struggling to starring in the playoffs here and then continue to have success, that made an impression, in particular.”

Bird’s time as a teammate with Weaver proved to be quite short, as Bird was almost immediately sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after getting to the Yankees because of his ineffectiveness.

“I was excited to pick his brain, but I didn’t get a chance to talk to him that long,’’ Bird said.

Instead, Bird made the most of what turned out to be an extended run with SWB, where he reconnected with the team’s pitching coach, Spencer Medick, whom Bird met briefly when Medick still worked with Driveline.

New York Yankees pitcher Jake Bird (59) throws a pitch during the 7th inning against the Miami Marlins. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“I had talked to Spencer about pitch design and knew he was a smart guy,’’ Bird said. “The whole organization is good at finding what makes guys good.”

For Bird, his focus changed after getting sent down to the minors.

“When I first got here, it was kind of ‘Do your thing,’ ” Bird said. “But when I went down, it was more about working on my stuff to at least get back to earlier last season.”

So his shaky performance — or worse — at SWB following the trade didn’t shatter his confidence.

New York Yankees pitcher Jake Bird (59) throws a pitch during the 7th inning against the San Francisco Giants. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“You never want to [struggle], no matter where you are,’’ Bird said. “But I knew they were helping me build my strengths and improve my weaknesses.”

The results have been excellent so far this year.

After another strong performance in Friday’s win over Miami, Bird entered Saturday having allowed just one hit — and no walks — while striking out five in 4 ¹/₃ innings this season.

“They had thoughts on my repertoire [at SWB] and presented it through a lens of who I was as a pitcher,’’ Bird said.

Bird’s stuff has intrigued teams in the past — which is what led the Yankees to acquire him despite poor overall numbers.

Perhaps he’s now pitching at the level organizations had believed he’d get to and showing what his ceiling could be.

“I don’t think about that,’’ Bird said. “I just want to find out and be the best I can be and have the right approach… It’s been a decent start for me, but I think there’s a lot of room to improve.’’