Another offseason day down, another day closer to the beginning of spring. The hot stove has little left to offer us, though Monday did bring some news, with the Yankees officially announcing their signing of Cody Bellinger, as well as the Giants making a move, signing old friend Harrison Bader to a two-year deal. Had Bellinger defected this offseason, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see the Yankees pivot and try to target their former center fielder Bader, but things seem to have worked out in a beneficial way for all.
On the site today, Nolan continues his informative State of the System series with an analysis of the third base position in the Yankee organization. Also, Jeff writes up Fred Haimach as part of our Yankee Birthday series, and Sam remembers the signing of AJ Burnett, the third piece of the Yankees’ 2008-09 spending spree.
Questions/Prompts:
1. How many starts will Ryan Weathers make for the Yankees this year? Do you expect him to factor in more as a reliever or as a starter?
2. Which international sports tournament are you more psyched for this year, the WBC or the World Cup? The WBC surely won’t ever reach the World Cup’s level of significance, but do you think the WBC will continue its upward trajectory going forward?
With college football season over and the Super Bowl only two weeks away, many of the country’s sports fans will adopt what has become a familiar routine over the years — digging into men’s college basketball and counting down the days to the start of the NCAA tournament.
At least some of the excitement and joy from the madness of March comes from outside the sport’s biggest conferences, where smaller schools pull off the kinds of upsets that thrill fans and destroy brackets. It’s part of the beauty of NCAA tournament folk heroes, with previously little-known players, coaches, programs and schools become national darlings in an instant.
Those teams, though, can be enjoyed well before they become household names.
As March inches closer, USA TODAY Sports will do weekly rankings of the 10 best teams from outside of the five Power conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East and SEC), so while programs like Gonzaga or San Diego State — both of which have made the national title game in the past five years — are nobody’s idea of a mid-major, they fall into this category for the sake of this exercise.
Where do teams from outside the biggest conferences stand as February approaches?
College basketball mid-major power rankings
1. Gonzaga (21-1)
Mark Few has made the Bulldogs a model of consistent success for any program at any level of the sport and this season has been no exception. Since a loss to No. 2 Michigan in the Players Era Festival on Nov. 26, the Zags have rattled off 14 consecutive wins, a run that has included victories over Kentucky (by 35), UCLA, Oregon and Santa Clara. Graham Ike and Braden Huff form one of the best frontcourts in the country, with the forwards averaging a combined 35.9 points per game.
2. Saint Louis (19-1)
If it weren’t for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in a 78-77 loss to Stanford on Nov. 28, the Billikens would be among the small handful of undefeated teams remaining in the sport. In its second season under coach Josh Schertz, Saint Louis has emerged as the class of the Atlantic 10, with a 7-0 conference record and only two of those games decided by single digits. College basketball folk hero Robbie Avila, who previously played for Schertz at Indiana State, is averaging a team-high 12.7 points and four assists per game.
3. Miami-Ohio (20-0)
The RedHawks are one of just three undefeated teams at the Division I level, with a 20-0 mark on the heels of a 25-win season in 2024-25. It marks the first time a Mid-American Conference team has ever won its first 20 games. Their nonconference schedule was the fourth-easiest among Division I squads, according to KenPom, but coach Travis Steele’s team has shown its mettle in pressurized situations, with overtime wins against Buffalo and Kent State, as well as a three-point victory over reigning MAC champion Akron.
4. Utah State (16-3)
The Aggies have become a launching pad for promising coaches to bigger, higher-paying jobs, with four coaches in the past six years. Through it all, though, they keep winning, with Vanderbilt transfer MJ Collins Jr. pacing this season’s team with 19.3 points per game on 42.4% shooting from 3. They’ve cooled off a bit lately, losing two of their past three after a 15-1 start, but they still look like the Mountain West favorite.
5. Saint Mary’s (19-3)
Like West Coast Conference rival Gonzaga, the Gaels win year after year and have continued it this season, with 10 wins in their past 11 games. Among the areas in which they’ve excelled? At the free-throw line, where they’re burying a Division I-best 81% of their attempts.
Under veteran coach Herb Sendek, the Broncos are on pace for their most wins in a season in a decade while collecting several impressive victories along the way — beating, among others, Saint Mary’s, Xavier, Minnesota, Nevada and McNeese.
7. San Diego State (14-5)
The Aztecs have found their footing after a 3-3 start, winning 11 of their past 13 games (with one of those losses coming to No. 1 Arizona). As always, they’ve been fierce on the defensive end, ranking 26th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
8. New Mexico (16-4)
After winning 30 games last season at UC San Diego, coach Eric Olen has kept things rolling in his first season with the Lobos, who are 13-2 since Nov. 21 and have picked up wins against Santa Clara, VCU, Mississippi State and Nevada.
9. George Mason (18-2)
Tony Skinn helped lead the Patriots to the 2006 Final Four as a player and has excelled since returning to the school as a coach, winning at least 20 games in his first two seasons. This squad might be his best yet. Like Miami (Ohio), George Mason feasted on a weak nonconference schedule, but it still has quality wins over VCU and George Washington.
10. Akron (16-4)
Three of the Zips’ four losses this season have come by five points or fewer, with only No. 12 Purdue beating them by a larger margin. Senior guard Tavari Johnson is one of the most dynamic scorers in the country, averaging 20.3 points per game and shooting 38.7% from 3.
Good morning, it’s Tuesday, January 27th. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 28-20 and beat the Orlando Magic yesterday.
They host the Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow. We hear a certain someone will be in town. You won’t want to miss it.
Today’s Game of the Day
Detroit Pistons at Denver Nuggets – 9 PM FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass
Still no Nikola Jokic, but the Nuggets (31-15) are still a team worth watching. That is, if Jamal Murray doesn’t miss this game as well. Murray is currently listed as questionable with a hamstring injury.
Nevertheless, this is a chance for Cavs fans to keep an eye on the Pistons (33-11). Detroit probably won’t relinquish control of the Eastern Conference’s top seed, but you can scout the best team in the East and get a sense for how the Cavs might stack up against them.
The Rest of the NBA Slate
Portland Trail Blazers at Washington Wizards – 7 PM
Sacramento Kings at New York Knicks – 7:30 PM
Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers – 8 PM
New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder – 8 PM
Brooklyn Nets at Phoenix Suns – 9 PM
LA Clippers at Utah Jazz – 10 PM
Honorable mention to the Clippers and Jazz game. I don’t know why, but I feel like that could end up being an entertaining one.
BOSTON — Late in the fourth quarter of the Celtics 102-94 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Payton Pritchard crouched down in pain on the TD Garden parquet and clutched his left hand. Moments later, the Celtics guard headed into the locker room, his injury status seemingly up in the air.
But, much to the relief of the Celtics fans who braved the winter storm to watch Jrue Holiday and Rob Williams make their triumphant returns, Pritchard returned just a few minutes later and closed out the final 42 seconds of the ball game. The Celtics put away the Blazers, and improved to 29-17 on the season — the Eastern Conference’s second-best record.
Afterwards, Pritchard revealed that the injury was nothing too concerning; he simply re-injured a pinky finger that’s been bothering him for the past month.
Pritchard looked like he aggravated a left pinky/hand injury that he already had wrapped. Left the game with just under 3 minutes remaining. pic.twitter.com/asMuxx7cj4
“I’ve been dealing with it, jamming it back and forth, and then he just kind of hit it,” Pritchard said, explaining his finger turned sideways.
Pritchard said he thinks he first hurt his finger when the Celtics faced the Trail Blazers on December 28th. But it’s not something that’s put him on the injury report; he’s only missed one game in January, and that was due to listed ankle soreness.
“When you play basketball, you deal with finger injuries,” Pritchard said.
Payton Pritchard put together another strong showing vs the Blazers
On Monday, Pritchard beat both the end-of-first-quarter and halftime buzzers, while tallying 23 points on 8-16 FG, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
The finger injury doesn’t appear to have slowed down his production. This year, Pritchard is averaging 16.8 points while shooting 45.1% from the field and 34.7% from three-point range.
In January, his counting stats have slightly decreased, but his efficiency has improved; he’s averaging 15.9 points and shooting 46.6% from the field and 39.4% from three-point range. All season long, Pritchard has had one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the NBA; he’s averaging 5.3 assists and 1.1 turnovers per game.
After the win over the Blazers, Pritchard said the discussions around the Celtics taking a step back this season were motivating.
“People have been doubting me my whole life,” he said. “For me, it’s like show up, go to work, figure out how to win games — and prove people wrong. So, nothing changed for me in my mindset.”
BOSTON — Jrue Holiday ran into Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman, Celtics staffers and Jordan Walsh while doing mobility drills in the hallway on Monday afternoon. Walsh and Holiday, who mentored the rookie during his first NBA season, talked about shoes. Walsh inquired if Holiday had anything for him. Holiday quipped Walsh doesn’t wear his shoe size.
“Different on the other side now, but it feels good,” Holiday told reporters moments before Celtics-Blazers. “Glad to be back, see a lot of familiar faces and excited to play.”
Holiday again discussed the Celtics’ front office being upfront that he would likely be traded last offseason due to second apron penalties, and appreciated the heads-up Stevens gave before Boston executed a trade to send him to Portland. Holiday briefly landed with the Blazers in 2023 in the Damian Lillard trade before Portland flipped him to Boston in a trade that involved Robert Williams III. Williams III also made his first on-court return to the TD Garden since that trade on Monday after two injury-riddled seasons away from Boston.
Those relationships from that brief crossover helped Holiday land more softly with the Blazers this time around, who he’s led through their continued rebuild, Chauncey Billups’ arrest in October, Lillard’s recovery from Achilles surgery in his return to the Blazers and Tiago Splitter’s ascension to interim head coach. Holiday missed 27 games with a hamstring injury, sitting out the Blazers’ win over the Celtics in Portland late last month before returning to average 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists on 46.2% shooting through his first six games back. He hasn’t been surprised with the Celtics’ success since losing him and several contributors to the 2024 championship.
“I knew that they’d do well, knowing the type of determination that this coaching staff and organization has,” Holiday said. “Being with this team for a couple of years now and knowing the type of players that they are and how they prepare, I figured that they’d be good and obviously knowing Jaylen, I feel like he takes a lot of things personally, so he doesn’t accept a lot, especially when it comes to being bad.”
Holiday said Jaylen Brown took the postseason loss to the Knicks in May personally, and credited Joe Mazzulla’s communication and coaching methods for their success as well. He also mentioned Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Queta and the coaching staff’s defiance to being proven out as drivers of success this season.
Mazzulla, who usually doesn’t comment on opposing players, even family members and returning Celtics, made an exception for Holiday. He praised Holiday’s off-court contributions as much as what he brought to Boston on the court, which included an XChange business incubator program across several cities including Boston, that Holiday remains invested in alongside Brown.
“The biggest thing that stands out is who he is as a person,” Mazzulla said. “When you take a look at a guy who’s a champion and an All-Star and comes in and accepts a completely different role, and does it with a smile on his face and does it with a level of respect and professionalism and is willing to do what it takes to win every night … the love he had for his wife, taking a year off and being there for his family and his kids and the relationship that he and his wife have, all that stuff sticks out more than the basketball, so it was great having him for the time that we did and I love him to death.”
BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Bruins host the Nashville Predators after Elias Lindholm scored two goals in the Bruins' 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Rangers.
Boston has gone 19-8-1 in home games and 30-20-3 overall. The Bruins have committed 257 total penalties (4.8 per game) to rank first in the league.
Nashville has gone 10-11-2 in road games and 24-23-4 overall. The Predators have a -29 scoring differential, with 145 total goals scored and 174 given up.
The teams meet Tuesday for the first time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: David Pastrnak has scored 21 goals with 45 assists for the Bruins. Charlie McAvoy has three goals and nine assists over the last 10 games.
Steven Stamkos has 25 goals and 12 assists for the Predators. Ryan O'Reilly has seven goals and eight assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Bruins: 8-1-1, averaging four goals, 7.2 assists, 3.7 penalties and 10 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game.
Predators: 5-5-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.7 assists, 3.3 penalties and 6.9 penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game.
INJURIES: Bruins: None listed.
Predators: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Colorado Avalanche (35-6-9, in the Central Division) vs. Ottawa Senators (24-21-7, in the Atlantic Division)
Ottawa, Ontario; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche visit the Ottawa Senators after Brock Nelson's hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Avalanche's 4-1 win.
Ottawa is 24-21-7 overall and 12-10-4 in home games. The Senators have a 4-10-3 record in games their opponents commit fewer penalties.
Colorado has a 15-4-5 record on the road and a 35-6-9 record overall. The Avalanche have a +80 scoring differential, with 197 total goals scored and 117 given up.
Wednesday's game is the second meeting between these teams this season. The Avalanche won 8-2 in the last matchup. Josh Manson led the Avalanche with two goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tim Stutzle has scored 23 goals with 29 assists for the Senators. Jake Sanderson has two goals and nine assists over the past 10 games.
Nathan MacKinnon has 38 goals and 50 assists for the Avalanche. Nelson has scored nine goals and added four assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Senators: 4-4-2, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.7 assists, 4.5 penalties and 11.4 penalty minutes while giving up 3.6 goals per game.
Avalanche: 4-4-2, averaging 3.4 goals, 6.2 assists, 2.8 penalties and 6.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.
INJURIES: Senators: None listed.
Avalanche: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — England captain Harry Brook won his first toss of the series and elected to bat in the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
Brook criticized the track in the second ODI as the “worst pitch” he’s ever played on despite the visitors winning the game by five wickets and levelling the series 1-1.
England retained the same spin-heavy XI that troubled Sri Lanka in the second game. Zak Crawley couldn’t recover from his knee injury, which means Rehan Ahmed will once again open the batting with Ben Duckett.
Sri Lanka, which hasn’t lost a bilateral home series over the last five years, brought in ace spinner Wanindu Hasaranga in place of fast bowler Pramod Madushan as the wicket is expected to help slow bowlers.
Hasaranga was rested for the first two games with the T20 World Cup starting on Feb. 7.
England: Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid.
Luka Doncic had 17 points and eight assists in the first half of Monday's game [Getty Images]
Luka Doncic put on another scoring masterclass with 46 points as the Los Angeles Lakers claimed a 129-118 victory at the Chicago Bulls.
The Slovenia guard's haul included eight three-pointers, and he also registered seven rebounds and 12 assists at the United Center to end the Bulls' four-game unbeaten run.
Doncic becomes the quickest Laker to reach 2,000 points - achieving the feat in his 65th game since he was traded by the Dallas Mavericks last February.
It was the fourth match in a row that the 26-year-old has finished with more than 30 points and he tops the NBA scoring charts with an average of 33.8 points per game.
He joins Kobe Bryant as the only players in Lakers history with at least 45 points, 10 assists and five three-pointers in a single game.
LeBron James added 24 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Lakers with Rui Hachimura hitting 23 points off the bench.
Despite Doncic's achievements, Lakers coach JJ Redick admitted after the game that the superstar still gives him some anxious moments on the sidelines.
"He's an engine that's fully on and he likes to create out there and that's part of what makes him a great player," he said.
"Because I played with him, I have a pretty good understanding of that - not to say it doesn't test your patience at times.
"You have to be willing to live with some of the stuff he tries because more often than not you will get a great result."
The Boston Bruins had the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference standings on Dec. 30, which was the product of a six-game losing streak. They were in danger of digging themselves a hole that would be tough to climb out of.
But since then, they have won 10 of their last 13 games (10-2-1 record), and as a result the B’s enter Tuesday in the second wild card playoff spot.
What’s behind the Bruins’ impressive turnaround in January?
Let’s look at some of the key factors.
Charlie McAvoy’s fantastic two-way play
McAvoy had a tough start to the season after suffering a jaw injury in mid-November that kept him sidelined for about a month. But he has kicked it into high gear in January with 14 points (three goals, 11 assists). He had just 20 points in the previous three months combined.
He’s making more of an impact than just scoring, though. McAvoy defends at a high level, he blocks shots, he dishes out huge hits, he kills penalties — everything you’d expect from a true No. 1 defenseman.
“He’s been outstanding as of late, for a while now,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said after a win over the Vegas Golden Knights last week. “He’s like a horse out there. It’s almost like you want to play him for 60 minutes because he does everything. Blocking shots is part of his game, too. I’m just very happy with the way he’s playing right now, especially in those crucial moments in the game where we need to stay calm and be in the right spot. He’s been there for us all year long.”
McAvoy logs a lot of tough minutes against the opposing team’s top forwards, and yet the B’s still have a positive goal differential and an edge in scoring chances during his even-strength minutes this month.
Whether it’s 5-on-5, the power play or the penalty kill, McAvoy is making a positive impact all over the ice, and that’s what you expect from a player who is top 10 at his position when healthy.
Morgan Geekie is back
After going 12 straight games without scoring a goal from Dec. 21 through Jan. 17, Geekie has tallied six points (four goals, two assists) in the last four matchups.
Geekie scored twice against the Canadiens on Saturday night, including the game-winning tally with 5:53 left in the third period.
Geekie RIPPED it so hard it got lodged in the back of the net, BUT NO ONE KNEW HE SCORED BESIDES HIMSELF AT FIRST!!!! 😱🚨 pic.twitter.com/FtOvdx18df
Geekie was shooting 28.2 percent right before that 12-game goalless drought began. He wasn’t going to maintain that percentage forever — some kind of regression was coming. But Geekie’s success is no fluke. He’s a tremendous goal scorer with an excellent shot and a high hockey IQ without the puck.
If the Bruins are going to remain in the playoff race past the Winter Olympics, they’ll need Geekie to be a consistent goal scorer at even strength and the power play.
Power play is much improved
One of the primary reasons why the Bruins finished with the fifth-worst record in the league last season was their horrendous power play, which ranked 29th with a 15.2 percent success rate.
The power play has been much improved this season, and one man who has been influential in that turnaround is assistant coach Steve Spott. He was brought in after Marco Sturm was hired as head coach, and one of his main responsibilities was fixing the power play.
It’s hard to argue with the results.
The puck movement is more crisp. There’s more traffic in front of the net and the zone entries are cleaner.
The Bruins have the NHL’s third-best power play right now at 27.5 percent. The only teams ahead of them are the Edmonton Oilers (31.8) and Dallas Stars (29.1) — two squads with loads more elite offensive talent than Boston.
The Bruins scored three times on the power play versus the Canadiens on Saturday, and in January they’re scoring on a league-best 37.5 percent of their opportunities with the man advantage.
Korpisalo’s inability to give the Bruins quality outings as the backup goalie for much of the season was a huge burden on the team’s playoff chances. He posted a sub-.900 save percentage in October, November and December.
But to his credit, Korpisalo has been awesome in January with a 4-0-1 record, a .931 save percentage and a 1.89 GAA in six appearances (five starts).
If Korpisalo can be more consistent and allow Jeremy Swayman to get some much-needed rest in the second half of the season, that would be a huge boost for the Bruins.
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Fraser Minten making Maple Leafs look foolish
The Toronto Maple Leafs included Fraser Minten as part of the Brandon Carlo trade with the Bruins last season, and it’s a decision they probably regret.
Minten has been a key player for Boston with a career-high 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 53 games. His 13 goals would be the fifth-most on the Leafs roster and one more than 23-year-old forward Matthew Knies, who has a $7.75 million salary cap hit.
Minten has really started to hit his stride in January with 10 points — including a team-leading seven goals — in 12 games this month.
The Bruins have a plus-10 goal differential and a plus-22 edge in scoring chances during Minten’s 5-on-5 ice time this season. His two-way skill set, including an ability to kill penalties (third-most shorthanded ice time per game among B’s forwards), has given the Bruins much-needed depth.
David Pastrnak quietly having another elite season
Pastrnak has been a force all season, especially in January. He has tallied 23 points (four goals, 19 assists) in 12 games this month. For the full season, he leads the team with 67 points (21 goals, 46 assists) in 48 games. No one else on the roster has more than 48 points.
The veteran right wing currently is on pace for 101 points, which would get him past the century mark for four consecutive seasons.
Pastrnak is one of the league’s most talented goal scorers, but he’s also a superb passer. His playmaking skills have been on full display this season, evidenced by his 2.87 assists per 60 minutes, which would easily be a new career high. Pastrnak set up a Geekie goal on Saturday with a brilliant assist.
Australian white-ball superstar Adam Zampa is in no rush to decide on his Big Bash future, as the T20 league’s player movement window opens on Wednesday.
The Leicester City chair plays down talk of another relegation but knows the mood among fans is fraught
Leicester City are hurting but Aiyawatt “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha, looking towards the pitch at the King Power Stadium, insists he shares supporters’ frustrations. He acknowledges the warm glow of their extraordinary Premier League title win almost a decade ago has long faded. He watches every game, which sometimes means tuning in from Thailand in the early hours. An 8pm kick-off in England is a 3am start in Bangkok.
“I want to see the real passion of the players and the performance,” the chair says. “When it is not there, I can’t sleep, so it’s love and pain. Leicester is like my son. So I have to do it right. Of course, a son can be naughty, a son can fail the exam, a pain in your head. The son can be top of the class, graduate, have a bad girlfriend or good wife, you never know. So I feel the same, but the love is there. The responsibility is there. The first thing for me is to identify the problem and fix it.”
Friday afternoon, a massive "ICE Out" rally in downtown Minneapolis ended at the Target Center, a gathering so large that more than half the people attending the march could not get in the door of the arena. Then Saturday saw more protests and the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a federal officer, which in turn sparked even larger protests and an outpouring of grief and anger in the city and around the nation. The NBA wisely postponed the Timberwolves game at the Target Center that night.
Sunday, that game was played, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr described it as one of the "most bizarre, sad games I've ever been a part of." The Timberwolves' hearts were clearly not in it, they scored just 85 points (their first time under 100 this season) and the Warriors picked up an easy win.
Monday, life and the NBA kept moving on. The Warriors and Timberwolves played again, and people at the Target Center Monday night said things were still "quiet," the vibe was a bit somber and "weird."
However, maybe things looked and felt slightly better by the time the game ended. The Timberwolves looked distracted again at the start, but got a spark off the bench from Bones Hyland that seemed to turn things around. Minnespota went on to pick up a win against a shorthanded Golden State squad behind 17 from Hyland and 18 from Julius Randle. It snapped the Timberwolves' five-game losing streak— right now, Minnesota will take all the wins it can get. On and off the court.
"It's a lot, a lot…" Rudy Gobert said after the win during an interview on Peacock. "We are here doing what we love, give people joy and distract them from the bad things that are happening. That's all we can do. Stay safe, send love to the people that are affected, and keep doing what we do. Try to lead by example. People need some joy in these times."
This is still a city and a state reeling from the killing of Pretti over the weekend, and Renee Good a couple of weeks before. Protests still fill the streets in Minneapolis, and that vibe certainly was still in the air at the Target Center — there were "f*** Ice" chants during the game (including at the end of a moment of silence for Pretti. Even the Timberwolves trampoline dunk team was wearing "ICE Out" shirts Sunday.
Monday, during one break in play, as the cameras panned the crowd and showed fans on the jumbotron, a couple of fans held up “ICE Out Now!” signs, and a huge cheer rose from the crowd.
It wasn't just inside the Target Center where players were making their voices heard. There was former Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, for one.
What is happening in the Twin Cities and the Great North Star State is heartbreaking to witness. These events have cost lives and shaken families — and we must call for accountability, transparency, and protections for all people. This moment demands that we reflect honestly on…
There were other players around the league making comments or voicing their opinions.
"There's a lot of change that needs to happen, and when you're here, you feel it..." Stephen Curry said after the Warriors win Sunday. "It was amazing to watch the turnout and the peaceful protests and the unified voice that was there. You feel that would kind of turn the tide into a more positive direction … and then you wake up and see what happened."
"Knowing what my values are and what I stand for really all day yesterday I was disgusted," Brianna Stewart said after an Unrivaled game in Miami. "Everything you see on IG and in the news, we're so fueled by hate right now instead of love. I wanted to have a simple message of 'abolish ICE,' which means to uplift families and communities, having policies to uplift families and communities instead of fueling fear and violence. When human lives are at stake, it's bigger than anything else."
Breanna Stewart with an important message ahead of today’s matchup with Vinyl BC: pic.twitter.com/aetUQv1OAH
"For the second time in less than three weeks, we've lost another beloved member of our community in the most unimaginable way," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said pregame Sunday. "As an organization, we are heartbroken for what we are having to witness and endure and watch, and we just want to extend our thoughts, prayers, and concern for Mr. Pretti's family, all the loved ones, and everyone involved in such a unconscionable situation in a community that we really love, full of people who are by nature, peaceful, and prideful…
"I'm more than a resident. This is my home. I love living here. I love being a part of this community. I've been embraced from day one. People have been amazing. It's sad to watch what is happening. On the human level, certainly as somebody who takes great pride in being here, I know a lot of our players feel the same. They all love being here, and it's just hard to watch what we're going through."
Maybe Monday night's win was a small step toward bringing some joy and starting to help a community heal.
