CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 12: Svi Mykhailiuk #10 and Ace Bailey #19 of the Utah Jazz box out Jaylon Tyson #20 of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the game on January 12, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
As the season slowly winds to a close, Utah Jazz fans should be excited for the future at this point. It’s finally the end of this years-long blatant tank job. Depending on what happens with the Draft Lottery and the 2026 NBA Draft, next year should look tremendously different for this young Jazz squad.
There are 7 total games left. All of them are against decent team, apart from the last three against New Orleans, Memphis, and the Lakers. Tonight, we see an old friend back in town. Donovan Mitchell and the 46-28 Cleveland Cavaliers. Don is our what-if after the what-if of Gordon Hayward. To be fair, we did give that Mitchell-Gobert core a good run, but it’ll be interesting to see how Utah greets Spida Mitchell, as his exit wasn’t necessarily negative or even positive. It just was.
On the Cavs side, they will be without several rotation players, including Craig Porter Jr, Max Strus, Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson, and Dean Wade. For Utah, expect a lot of the G League guys and end of roster fill-ins. For the Jazz injury report, most of the main guys are out, including Isaiah Collier, Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Jusuf Nurkic (out for year), Jaren Jackson (out for rest of year), and Walker Kessler (he’s been out folks).
It’ll continue to be fun watching these young guys develop. We’ve seen a lot of promise for Filipowski, Elijah Harkless, and Brice Sensabaugh to grab rotation bench sports next year. We still don’t know what we have in guys like Blake Hinson, Oscar Tshiebwe, and Bez Mbeng. Perhaps tonight will be another big game for future star Ace Bailey.
Have fun and enjoy these final test games! Next year will be much different.
Three marquee NBA teams can secure their playoff seeding on Monday night, and there are a couple of must-watch games with playoff seeding on the line. Here's what you need to know about NBA playoff scenarios for March 30.
Playoff Scenarios
• The Los Angeles Lakers can clinch a playoff spot and the Pacific Division title with a win over the Washington Wizards and a Phoenix loss at Memphis. The Lakers will have to pick up that win without Luka Doncic in the lineup, he is suspended for the game after picking up his 16th technical foul of the season over the weekend.
• Denver can clinch a playoff spot with the exact same scenario above: A Lakers win over Washington and a Phoenix loss to Memphis.
• New York has the night off, but the No. 3 seed in the East can still clinch a playoff spot if Miami beats Philadelphia (in a game that is important for the East's tight 5-10 seeding race.
• Detroit will clinch the Central Division title with a win against Oklahoma City in the best game of the night. The Pistons can also clinch that title if the Cavaliers are upset by the Jazz Monday night.
Games to Watch
Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat (7 p.m. ET, Peacock)
These two teams are just 2.5 games apart in the crowded middle of the Eastern Conference, but headed in opposite directions. Philadelphia has finally gotten healthy with Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey all expected to play. The No. 7 seed 76ers are just half a game behind the No. 6 Atlanta Hawks, so a win here is a huge boost for Philly. Miami is 1-7 in its last eight games.
Detroit Pistons at Oklahoma City Thunder (9:30 p.m. ET, Peacock)
This is a potential NBA Finals preview, with both teams sitting as the No. 1 seeds in their conferences. However, this isn't all about sending a statement for June, both of these teams are trying to hold off hot teams (Boston and San Antonio) to maintain those No. 1 seeds, so the wins matter. Detroit will be without Cade Cunningham, but has gone 5-1 without its All-Star.
Nov 15, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor (1) runs the ball as Missouri Tigers defensive end Zion Young (9) attempts the sack during the second half of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Happy Monday one and all.
The Arizona Cardinals will be on the clock in just over three weeks, and they need to help.
We discussed that with your own thoughts this morning:
104. Arizona Cardinals: Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State
143. Arizona Cardinals: Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest
183. Arizona Cardinals: Toriano Pride Jr., CB, Missouri
217. Arizona Cardinals: Jager Burton, G, Kentucky
The first three rounds is what I really want to focus on, because it seems to be a weirdly precise look at the Cardinals potentially.
Mauigoa going at three overall seems to be the consensus favorite among fans and the media, which is interesting because we don’t see that line up very often.
Then there is Young. Young came in at 6-6 and 262lbs at the 2026 NFL Combine, and improved each of his four years in college football. He finished his career at Mizzou with 6.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss. Before that in three seasons between Michigan State and Mizzou he had a total five sacks and 12 tackles for loss in his career.
We know what Beck is. He is a good college quarterback who needs to get back to having the zip on the ball he had before his UCL surgery. If he gets there, he could be a potential starter, but he has the makeup to be a longtime NFL backup.
On Monday, the Chicago Blackhawks had a scheduled day off from practice. This is very typical following a long road trip. Chicago went 1-3-0 out east and didn’t play particularly well in any of those games, even the one in which they earned a victory.
One of their issues as a team, since the trade deadline, has been team toughness. They sent a lot of that mentality out when they traded Colton Dach, Nick Foligno, Connor Murphy, and Jason Dickinson.
On Monday, they took a step toward addressing that problem. Alex Vlasic, Louis Crevier, Sam Rinzel, Ethan Del Mastro, Sacha Boisvert, and Landon Slaggert showed up at Blackhawks Ice Center to practice their fighting.
These are Chicago’s biggest players in stature, but only Boisvert has ever publicly expressed his desire to fight, and he’s three games into his NHL career. Jeff Blashill and the organization clearly see it as a skill worth developing as they work towards becoming a winner.
This could be a bit of a Tampa Bay Lightning/Florida Panthers effect on the league, as they have won four of the last six Stanley Cups through being a tough, skilled team. There is a lot of skill on those rosters, but there is plenty of “sandpaper” to go with it.
According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, it was Blackhawks pro scout Wade Brookbank who taught these players a thing or two about NHL fighting during this practice. This is not a skill that every one of these players is going to master through one session, but it’s a mentality step that the Blackhawks are clearly taking.
I was told this wasn't a fighting instructor, but actually Blackhawks pro scout Wade Brookbank who was brought in to teach some of the young players how to defend themselves. https://t.co/nttqyjpzG2
Earlier in the season, Radko Gudas of the Anaheim Ducks kneed Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Matthews is out for the season as a result of this hit, and Gudas is already back from suspension. At the time of the hit, none of Matthews’ teammates did a single thing about it for the sake of their captain, and it was a horrific look for the team.
The Blackhawks have been better than the Leafs when it comes to standing up for teammates, but it isn’t good enough, according to management. This practice wouldn’t have happened otherwise. When JT Miller hit Artyom Levshunov into the boards on Friday night at MSG, it took the Blackhawks a couple of shifts to do anything about it.
There are enough stars on the team now for this to be a necessary thing, and the young players who attended this fight practice have to take over for the veterans who were shipped out. They don’t have to become one of the league’s heavyweights, but having enough courage to stand up for teammates through fighting or playing a physical game is always important for a certain portion of the lineup.
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New South Wales cricket’s failure to retain talent has once again been thrust into the spotlight after South Australia successfully defended its Sheffield Shield title to become back-to-back champions.
It’s been a surprisingly busy Monday for the Milwaukee Brewer organization. After the team announced a trade for outfielder Luis Matos earlier this afternoon, it has also been reported that infield prospect Cooper Pratt has agreed to a big eight-year, $51 million contract with a pair of club options.
In other news, the Brewers’ new City Connect jerseys are rumored to have been leaked on Twitter/X over the weekend. More on that below.
Pratt Extension
Pratt, just 21, was a sixth-round pick out of high school in 2023, as the Brewers signed him for second-round money to lure him away from an Ole Miss commitment. A defense-first infielder, Pratt is ranked as Milwaukee’s No. 4 prospect and MLB’s No. 62 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
Source confirms: Infield prospect Cooper Pratt finalizing eight-year, $51M contract with Brewers. Deal includes two club options with escalators on option years. Has played only three games above AA. Brewers’ No. 6 prospect per The Athletic’s Keith Law. First: @BNightengale
His scouting grades are headlined by a 60-arm rating and a 60-field rating on the 20-80 scale. He also has average speed and hit tools (both at 50) and a slightly below-average power rating at 45. With Double-A Biloxi in the notoriously difficult Southern League last season, Pratt hit .238/.343/.348 with eight homers, 22 doubles 62 RBIs, 71 runs, and 31 steals over 120 games. He also walked nearly as many times as he struck out (67 and 80, respectively).
A Minor League Gold Glove winner in 2024, Pratt continues to improve on both sides of the ball and is now locked up as a key part of Milwaukee’s future. He’s currently at Triple-A Nashville, but with the extension, it seems more likely than not that he’ll be in the majors before we know it.
City Connect Jerseys
In an article written by JR Radcliffe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel earlier on Monday afternoon, Radcliffe speculated that the Brewers new City Connect jerseys may have been leaked on Sunday. “A Brewers spokesman declined to comment when asked if the jersey posted to X by user Steve Freed is indeed the jersey that has yet to be officially unveiled for 2026,” per Radcliffe.
An apparent leak of the Brewers new City Connect jersey
The Brewers, who released their first City Connect jerseys back in the summer of 2022, were retired after the 2025 season, with the promise of a new design in 2026. The old jerseys, which were powder blue with “Brew Crew” across the chest, were retired at the same time Milwaukee brought aboard a new powder blue option, which was announced during the offseason.
The potential new uniforms feature “Wisco” across the chest and “Forward,” Wisconsin’s state motto, sewn into the collar. The color looks to be similar to the Bucks’ “Great Lakes Blue” used in alternate jerseys in recent seasons, though this design also seems to include orange, which (in my opinion) makes it look like a Mets jersey. Bleh.
The Brewers haven’t said when they’ll officially unveil the new design, but it isn’t the first City Connect design to reportedly be leaked, following recent leaks of the Royals, Rangers, Pirates, Padres, and Orioles new designs. If these jerseys are indeed the new City Connects, I have a feeling Brewer fans won’t be very happy.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 25: Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever sits on the baseline and makes photographs during the Indiana Pacers game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 25, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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 Andy Lyons/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There aren’t many things Clark can’t do on a basketball court, which now apparently includes photography as Clark snapped photos of LA’s win over the Pacers.
After the game, Luka Dončić said he noticed Clark taking photos and revealed that he’s a fan of her game.
“I’m a big fan, for sure,” Luka said. “I watch a lot of games. Definitely, her hooping, it’s great to watch. For sure, I got to go to one game this year.”
This came a couple of days before Clark appeared on NBC’s pregame show on Sunday before Thunder-Knicks and declared Nikola Jokić was her favorite player and the best player in the world.
"H'es probably my favorite player to watch and I think he's the best player in the world"
Before Lakers fans turn on Clark too much, she did call LeBron her GOAT when talking about the experience of taking photos at the game.
Caitlin Clark on taking photos of LeBron James during Lakers vs Pacers:
"The King. That's my GOAT…. I swear we made eye contact so I sat down the camera and I smiled at him and he just looked at me with a straight face" https://t.co/TFKKtZ0ph2pic.twitter.com/YkxoTLixyX
Caitlin comes to Los Angeles a couple of times this year to play the Sparks, which could be an opportunity for Luka to catch her in person, though one of them is in mid-May when the Lakers could be in the playoffs and the other is in early July when players typically flock to Las Vegas for Summer League.
Still, regardless if Luka shows up or not, it’s very cool to see greats of the game showing respect for one another. Just maybe a little less praise for the Nuggets in the future, please.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 6: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers walks to the dugout prior to a Spring Training game against the Seattle Mariners at Surprise Stadium on March 6, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for March 30, 2026 against the Baltimore Orioles: starting pitchers are Jack Leiter for the Rangers and Chris Bassitt for the O’s.
Texas heads to Baltimore for three after their series win in Philadelphia. After extensive bullpen usage on Saturday and Sunday, the Rangers will be wanting Jack Leiter to try to work fairly deep today.
The lineup:
Nimmo — RF
Langford — LF
Seager — SS
Burger — 1B
Pederson — DH
Smith —2 B
Jung — 3B
Carter — CF
Higashioka — C
5:35 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are +105 underdogs.
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 27: Payton Pritchard #11 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on March 27, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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 Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Boston Celtics (50-24) at Atlanta Hawks (42-33) Monday, March 30, 2026 7:30 PM ET Regular Season Game #75 Road Game #38 TV: NBCSB, FDSNSE, NBA-LP 98.5 Sports Hub, 92.9 The Game, Sirius XM State Farm Arena
The Celtics continue their road trip after a win over the Hornets. This is the 4th of 4 games between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 132-106 in Atlanta on January 17. They lost the second game 117-106 in Boston on January 28. they won the 3rd game 109-102 in Boston on March 27. The Celtics are 247-152 overall all time and they are 114-95 in games played in Atlanta. The Celtics are playing on the second night of back to back games. They are 7-4 in the 2nd of back to back games.
Atlanta has won 12 straight home games with 9 of those wins coming in the month of March. They are 12-2 overall in the month of March, which is the most wins in the East in March. They have had 45 games with 30 or more assists this season and they have had 37 games with 10 or more steals this season. Both of these are the most in the NBA this season. Since the All Star break, the Hawks are 16-2, the best record amongst all Eastern Conference teams.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York, 4 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 8 games ahead of 5th place Toronto, 8.5 games ahead of 6th place Atlanta, and 9 games ahead of 7th place Philadelphia. The Celtics are 31-14 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 24-13 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 3 games.
The Hawks are 6th in the East, 12.5 games behind 1st place Detroit, and 4.5 games behind 4th place Cleveland. They are tied with 5th place Toronto, half a game ahead of 7th place Philadelphia, and 2 games ahead of 8th place Orlando. They are 23-22 against Eastern Conference teams. They are 22-16 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
After completing a 3 game home stand, The Celtics are on the road for a 4 game trip that began with a win in Charlotte and will finish up in Miami and Milwaukee. They will then play two games at home against Toronto and Charlotte before one game on the road at New York. They will finish the season with 2 games at home against New Orleans and Orlando.
This is the 2nd straight home game for Atlanta. They beat Sacramento on Saturday and complete the home stand against Boston. Then they play at Orlando and at Brooklyn. They then have a game at home against New York before a home and home series against Cleveland. They will finish the season on the road at Miami.
Jayson Tatum will sit this one out for injury management. and that Jaylen Brown will return. Derrick White (knee) is probable and Neemias Queta (thumb) is doubtful. Nikola Vucevic (finger) is out. Ron Harper, Jr. (ankle) is questionable. Jaylen Brown is not on the injury report. For the Hawks, Jock Landale is questionable due to illness. I’m just guessing that Jordan Walsh will get the start in place of Tatum and Luka Garza will start in place of Queta.
Probable Starting Matchups PG: Derrick White vs CJ McCollum
Derrick White | NBAE via Getty ImagesCJ McCollum | NBAE via Getty Images
SG: Jaylen Brown vs Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Jaylen Brown | Getty ImagesNickeil Alexander-Walker | Getty Images
SF: Sam Hauser vs Dyson Daniels
Sam Hauser | NBAE via Getty ImagesDyson Daniels | NBAE via Getty Images
PF: Jordan Walsh vs Jalen Johnson
Jordan Walsh | NBAE via Getty ImagesJalen Johnson | NBAE via Getty Images
C: Luka Garza vs Onyeka Okongwu
Luka Garza | NBAE via Getty ImagesOnyeka Okongwu | Getty Images
Celtics Reserves Payton Pritchard Hugo Gonzalez Amare Williams Baylor Scheierman Max Shulga Charles Bassey (10-Day) 2-Way Players Ron Harper, Jr
Injuries/Out Nikola Vucevic (finger) out Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out Derrick White (knee) probable Neemias Queta (thumb) doubtful Ron Harper, Jr (ankle) questionable
Head Coach Joe Mazzulla
Hawks Reserves Mouhamed Gueye Buddy Hield Caleb Houston Corey Kispert Jonathan Kuminga Asa Newell Zaccharie Risacher Gabe Vincent Keaton Wallace
2-Way Players Rayj Dennis Keshon Gilbert Christian Koloko
Injuries/Out Jock Landale (illness) questionable Head Coach Quin Snyder
Key Matchups Jordan Walsh vs Jalen Johnson Johnson is averaging 22.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 49.3% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc. In the first 3 games against the Celtics, he averaged 20 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 6 assists while shooting 37.3% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him well and keep him off the boards. If I am wrong and Tatum plays, he would start here.
Jaylen Brown vs Nickeil Alexander-Walker Alexander-Walker is averaging 20.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 45.1% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc. In the first 3 games against the Celtics, he averaged 19.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.0 steals while shooting 43.2% from the field and 42.3% from beyond the arc. He is a good 3 point shooter and the Celtics need to stay with him on the perimeter. If Jaylen remains out, it will likely be Baylor Scheierman starting here.
Honorable Mention Derrick White vs CJ McCollum McCollum is averaging 18.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He is shooting 45.5% from the field and 36.9% from beyond the arc. In 5 games against the Celtics this season, he is averaging 14 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 35.6% from the field and 21.9% from beyond the arc.
Keys to the Game Defense – Defense is always a key to winning games. The Celtics have an offensive rating of 119.3 (2nd) while the Hawks have an offensive rating of 114.8, which is 14th. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 111.5 which is 4th while the Hawks have a defensive rating of 113.2, which is 11th. The Celtics have been hot and cold on defense this season. Sometimes they can shut down the other team (See OKC) and sometimes they allow them to score at will (see Minnesota). The Celtics need to defend the perimeter because the Hawks are 6th, shooting 36.8% on threes. They also have to defend the paint as the Hawks are 10th with 51.9 points in the paint per game. The Celtics must make defense a priority in this game and they have to play that tough defense for 48 minutes and not let up.
Rebound – Next to defense, rebounding is the key to winning. When the Celtics put out the extra effort on the boards, it usually carries through to the rest of their game. The Hawks are averaging 43.4 rebounds per game (18th) while the Celtics are averaging 46.5 rebounds per game (4th). When the Celtics have more rebounds then their opponents, they are 38-10 when they have fewer rebounds, they are just 9-13. The Celtics need to aggressively go after every rebound. They can’t afford to give the Hawks extra possessions and 2nd chance points by allowing them to beat them to rebounds.
Move the Ball Carefully – When the Celtics move the ball and find the open man, they are tough to beat. When they hold the ball and try to play iso ball, they become predictable and struggle. When the Celtics have more assists than their opponents they are 30-0 and when their opponents have more assists than the Celtics, they are just 17-22. The Hawks average 30.3 assists per game so getting more assists will not be easy. The Celtics need to move the ball, but they have to make careful passes because the Hawks are 3rd in the league with 20.2 points off turnovers per game.
Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes– The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. In most of their losses and even in some of their wins, they have allowed their opponents to play with more energy than them for periods of time during the game. They play well for stretches but let up and allow their opponents to surge ahead, especially down the stretch as they did against Minnesota. They have to stay focused for all 48 minutes and be ready for their opponents to play harder in the second half and they need to match that effort. They also have to come out with more effort and energy to start the game and not dig themselves into a hole. The Hawks have been playing the best of any team in the league and will be looking to avenge their loss in the March 27th game. The Celtics will need maximum effort for all 48 minutes to beat them.
X-Factors Road Game and Fatigue – The Celtics are playing in the second of back to back games on the road and will have the distractions of travel and a hotel stay and playing in front of hostile fans in an unfamiliar arena. The Celtics may be playing short handed for the second straight game and so fatigue due to the missing players, travel and playing back to back can be a factor down the stretch.
Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game the right way. We have seen how much of an x-factor officiating can be in a few games this season. The Celtics have to play so well all game that the officiating, no matter how bad, can’t influence the outcome.
Jack Drury capitalized on a rebound off the boards following an initial shot from Parker Kelly, giving the Avalanche a 1–0 lead.
Calgary quickly ran into penalty trouble when Brayden Pachal was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after a scrum. Moments later, Blake Coleman was whistled for slashing after breaking Martin Nečas’ stick, handing Colorado a 5-on-3 power play.
Nazem Kadri struck just 23 seconds into the advantage to make it 2–0. With about a minute remaining on Coleman’s penalty, Kadri buried a rebound off a Brock Nelson one-timer to extend the lead to 3–0—his second goal of the night, second of the period, and second on the power play.
Just 1:42 later, Gabriel Landeskog slipped a shot through the five-hole to push the lead to 4–0, prompting Flames head coach Ryan Huska to pull his starting goaltender in favor of Devin Cooley.
Colorado’s onslaught continued late in the period. With 5:10 remaining, Parker Kelly tipped a Cale Makar point shot through Cooley’s five-hole, capping a five-goal first period for the Avalanche.
After 20 minutes, Colorado held a commanding 5–0 lead and torched Calgary in every category. The Avalanche also outshot the Flames 26-8.
Notably, the Avalanche’s fourth line played a major role in the outburst, showcasing the team’s depth by scoring two of the four goals in the frame.
Second Period
Calgary got on the board at the 3:37 mark when Brennan Othmann, a recent call-up from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, beat Scott Wedgewood to make it a 5–1 game. The goal came after a turnover by Sam Malinski, as Flames forward John Beecher wrapped the puck around the net and found Othmann in the slot.
Brett Kulak was later sent to the box for high-sticking Yegor Sharangovich, giving Calgary its first power play of the night, but Colorado successfully killed it off.
Late in the period, Zach Whitecloud was called for tripping Gabriel Landeskog as he drove to the net, sending the Avalanche back to the man advantage. Nathan MacKinnon capitalized, blasting his 49th goal of the season on a one-timer off a clean feed from Cale Makar to extend the lead to 6–1. It marked Colorado’s third power-play goal of the night.
After two periods, the Avalanche held a 6–1 lead and a 33–16 advantage in shots on goal.
Third Period
Cale Makar is not on the bench to start the third period in what could potentially be a devastating development. He had three points in the opening two frames.
Despite the absence of Makar, Necas one-timed a shot from the right circle off a pass from MacKinnon from behind the net to make it a 7-1 game at 6:24.
Then 1:46 later, Kelly fed Sam Malinski as he streaked into the zone and Malinski went forehand backhand to beat Cooley to make it an 8-1 game.
As that happened, the Avalanche announced that Makar would not return to the game after suffering an upper-body injury.
Ryan Strome scored to make it 8-2 and Artturi Lehkonen finished off a 9-2 win for the Avs.
All year, the Vegas Golden Knights have struggled to live up to preseason expectations. The results speak for themselves– this will be the first season in franchise history that the team will finish with more losses than wins. And with a 5-10-2 record since returning from the Olympic break, it was time to do something drastic.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. On Sunday, the Golden Knights announced that they’d relieved Bruce Cassidy of his duties and named John Tortorella head coach.
Firing a head coach with eight games remaining in the regular season isn’t unprecedented, but it is highly irregular. But this is a business that prioritizes results, and the Golden Knights weren’t getting the results they needed. General manager Kelly McCrimmon said so himself when he spoke to the media on Monday following the coaching change.
Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon coaching change press conference 3/30/2026
“We went into the Olympic break in first place,” said Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon. “We’d been in first place for 96 days. Since then, we’re 5-10-2. We’ve gone from first to second to third to fighting for a playoff spot. We waited as long as we could on this; we see lots of positive signs in spurts in our game. But we just felt that we needed to bring a different person in to lead our team at this time.
“If we didn’t have the expectations and the belief in our team that we do, we probably would’ve let this thing ride out,” McCrimmon finished. “We like our team a lot. We think our team has a chance to win, and we needed to make this change to help that happen.”
McCrimmon attested that he didn’t speak to the players before making the change, and shut down the idea that Cassidy ‘lost the room.’
“You know, ‘lost the room’ is something I’ve been seeing and reading, but no, I don’t think that. I think that the energy level, for me, wasn’t there,” said McCrimmon. “I think somewhere along the way, we lost our spirit. And we lost our energy as a team.”
McCrimmon feels that the Golden Knights are a better team than their results would show, but reiterated that this is a ‘results business.’ And, historically, this is a team that only accepts the best results.
“You need to make hard decisions,” McCrimmon said. “And the easiest thing in the world to do is nothing, right?”
The Mavericks will play the Timberwolves for the fourth and final time Monday night. At the time of writing, Anthony Edwards is questionable to make his return for Minnesota after missing the better part of two weeks. The Mavericks have not been able to hold their own with the Timberwolves thus far, but as we always say, it’s hard to blow out a team four times.
Before getting into our picks, here is how we stand this season:
Last week’s results
Tyler: 0-4 (-$400)
David: 2-2 (-$8)
Season to date
Tyler: 22-35-0 (-$960)
David: 30-28-0 (+$338)
It is time to finish the season strong.
Game Details
Fixture: Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves | NBA 2025-2026
Date and Time: Monday, March 30th, 2026; 7:40 PM CST
The Mavs and Wolves have faced off three times this season. All three times, the games have gone under this total. What’s changed? Under. This is likely to be Anthony Edwards’ first game back from injury, so I expect perhaps a limited performance. Next up, Julius Randle always cooks this team, as most former DFW players do. Lastly, the wolves have been known to not take the dregs very seriously. I’ll take the Mavs to jump them early by winning the race to 10 points.
David’s Plays
Dallas +7.5 (-105)
Naji Marshall over 16.5 points (-114)
Donte DiVincenzo over 11.5 points (-118)
Klay Thompson to make 3+ threes (-115)
The Mavericks have not covered this line against Minnesota this season. That will change tonight. Marshall has been excellent for Dallas lately and has a great matchup against Julius Randle or Naz Reid. DiVincenzo and Thompson both will have plenty of open looks and I expect both of them to knock a lot of their shots down.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - MARCH 24: Chase Burns #26 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on March 24, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
You may recall some of the highlights (and lone true lowlight) of Chase Burns’ rookie campaign in 2025.
He began his year in late June by striking out just about every single New York Yankee that came to the plate against him only to get lit up by a Boston Red Sox club in his second start (once they realized he was tipping his pitches).
That wrinkle was immediately ironed out, and over his final 11 games of the season he thre 38.0 IP of 3.32 ERA ball (with a microscopic 2.16 FIP) buttressed by an absurd 59/14 K/BB. All that came as he juggled a sore forearm and almost a month off, and it came in a hybrid role that featured multiple innings most times out but not as a fully stretched-out starter.
The former #2 overall draft pick is set for his 2026 debut on Monday evening in Great American Ball Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates as the 2-1 Cincinnati Reds play host to their longtime NL Central rivals for the first time this season. Burns, with all the talent in the world, is still a bit of a mystery, as he de-loaded towards the end of spring camp after not responding as well to his ramp-up as he and the Reds had hoped.
In other words, he enters this first start of the season completely healthy, but without the expectation that he’ll throw 100 pitches and try to get through 7 frames. How, exactly, the Reds use him remains to be seen, especially since the rest of the rotation is already dealing with the elbow surgery on Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo’s IL stint due to blisters.
What we do know is that when he’s on the mound, he’s going to be chucking 100+ mph heaters and his knee-buckling slider, a combo that already has him among the most feared arms in the sport.
The Reds will roll out a lineup featuring most of the usuals up top, though Will Benson will get another start in RF in this one as Pittsburgh sends RHP Braxton Ashcraft to the mound.
Good news: The Cincinnati Reds play baseball tonight, tomorrow night, the day after and many more days to come.
For the second straight year, the New York Yankees are opening their season up with a convincing sweep. This time around, the pitching staff led the way as they delivered two shutouts followed by a one-run performance in the finale on Saturday, though the offense more than arrived as well with a seven-run outpouring to start the season before putting up three runs in each of the next two games with an Aaron Judge homer in both of them.
Now we’ll have full weeks of Yankees baseball to look forward to for the next six months at least, and there’s already so much to look into. That dominant opening from the pitching staff was led by a strong one-two punch from Max Fried and Cam Schlittler, the latter of whom truly dazzled despite still needing to ramp up his pitch count and could only throw into the sixth inning. Do the Yankees have a true phenom in the rotation to join their big-dollar aces? Is Fried cruising out of the gate despite not having sharp command a sign that he’ll be right back in Cy Young discussions? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.
Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of April 2nd will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Kevin McGonigle during spring training. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Tigers Pitching & Diamondbacks offense.
Rotation: In February, Matt Snyder ranked the Tiger rotation as the third best in the Majors. Its’ best two pitchers are Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez.
Bullpen: “The bullpen has more experience to handle high-leverage situations now, with Finnegan brought back and Jansen brought aboard to aid Vest, Holton and Co.” — Anthony Castrovince, March 2026
Overall, the Tigers pitching staff was ranked as the fifth best in the Majors by MLB.com. Because the Diamondbacks batters will be challenged by great pitching, this series will be an early look at the Diamondbacks offense. The question of interest is whether the offense is as good as last season, when they scored 5.074 runs per game at Chase Field, where this series is being played.
In this series, will the Diamondbacks score 15 runs or more against one of the best pitching staffs in the Majors? If so, the Diamondbacks offense may be better than last season.
The Diamondbacks infielders (Arenado, Perdomo, Marte, and Santana) are excellent defenders. The question of interest is how good are they? The ratio of infield hits to outfield hits will provide an early indication. Last season, 12.7% of Diamondbacks hits involved batted balls to infield locations (League average was 12.4%).
In this series, will the Diamondbacks hold the Tigers to infield hits less than 12.7% of hits? If so, the Diamondbacks infield defenders are as excellent as expected.
Tigers player to Watch.
Kevin McGonigle (shortstop) is the Tigers number one prospect. At 21.6 years old, he was this season’s youngest player to be an opening day starter per Baseball Reference.
Once McGonigle lined a two-out single in the ninth off Wandy Peralta, he joined Billy Bean (April 25, 1987) as the only players in Tigers history with four hits in their MLB debut. — Jason Beck
He was drafted in the first round of the 2023 draft. How well is he defending at the challenging short stop position? Will he continue his excellent batting? Will he net the Tigers an extra draft selection?
Home Opener Series: What to look for each day.
Monday, 7:10 PM MST. Home opener for the Diamondbacks. One perspective is that the season starts with this series.
Michael Soroka. Last season, opponents did not score any runs in his last 6.2 innings pitched. Can he extend his streak?
Justin Verlander. In the last two seasons, he pitched against the Diamondbacks three times. His results mixed: zero earned runs in seven innings, 2 earned runs in six innings, and 8 earned runs in three innings. Three Diamondbacks have great results against Verlander (minimum 10 ABs). They follow:
Carlos Santana, .913 OPS, 9 homers, 100 PAs.
Nolan Arenado, .938 OPS, 1 homer, 16 PAs.
Corbin Carroll, 1.001 OPS, 2 homers, 15 PAs.
“We’ll see how many punches the 43-year-old Verlander has left in him and if his return to Motown can be a true feel-good story. (His second half with the Giants last year indicates it can).” — Anthony Castrovince, March 2026
This matchup of starting pitchers is like David vs Goliath, and I’m cheering for David.
Tuesday, 6:40 PM MST.
Brandon Pfaadt. In the Snakepit article, one of my wagers was that Pfaadt will total more than 10 wins this season. Will this be his first win? I’m feeling somewhat confident.
Casey Mize. In his career, he pitched 1.2 innings against the Diamondbacks. The only Diamondback with more than 10 PAs against Mize is Carlos Santana, who has an OPS of .363 in 29 PAs.
“And while Flaherty and Mize were inconsistent in 2025, they have the pedigree to be something more than just back-end filler.” — Anthony Castrovince, March 2026
This matchup of starting pitchers is slight advantage Diamondbacks.
Wednesday, 12:40 PM MST.
Zac Gallen. In the season opener, he held the Dodgers scoreless for four innings. That’s big. So what that the Dodgers scored in the fifth inning. My expectation is that Zac Gallen will keep this game close.
“Typical Zac fashion, he was controlling counts, had some quick, easy innings. It looked like he was going to be able to get through five, maybe pitch into that sixth inning.” — Torey Lovullo
TBA, likely Tarik Skubal. In the season opening game against the Padres, he allowed zero earned runs in 6 innings pitched.
“Two-time defending AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal moves the needle in a big way here, obviously. Though he has hot competition from at least two pitchers, he’s still my pick for the best pitcher in the world.” — Matt Snyder, February 2026
“I don’t want to ever not be a power pitcher.” — Tarik Skubal
This matchup of starting opening-day pitchers in advantage Tigers.
