The unusual run out of Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha during Friday’s second ODI against Bangladesh in Dhaka has ignited a spirit of cricket debate, with Tigers captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz accused of poor sportsmanship.
Austin Wells sends Dominican Republic to WBC semifinals with walk-off mercy rule homer
Austin Wells called game for the Dominican Republic on Friday.
In the seventh inning of a quarterfinal matchup against Korea, the Yankees backstop blasted a three-run homer down the right field line, putting the D.R. up 10-0 and thus enacting the tournament’s 10-run mercy rule.
With Friday’s win, the D.R. advances to the semifinals, making its first appearance there since 2013, where it wound up winning its first and only WBC championship.
“Trying to win today and be able to move to the next round was the goal,” Wells told reporters after the win. “Being able to help out today and be part of it was a lot of fun. Definitely a special moment.”
The game was lopsided from the start, with the D.R. quickly notching seven runs across the second and third innings.
They were also to keep Korea’s hitters at bay, giving up just two hits and a walk through the seven-inning game.
Phillies southpaw Cristopher Sanchez started the game for the Dominican Republic, striking out eight through five innings of work.
Albert Abreu finished the game, throwing two perfect innings while striking out three.
Wells’ blast gave the D.R. its 14th home run of the tournament, tying a WBC record previously held by Mexico from the 2009 competition.
Manager Albert Pujols said that this year’s team has unmatched energy, and it’s something unique to the culture of the country.
“I just don’t think you can,” Pujols said Friday when asked how the energy could be replicated in the MLB, according to The Athletic. “That’s in our blood, that’s in our DNA. That’s how we play baseball.
“That responsibility that we have wearing this jersey, especially representing our country — the culture, the attitude, the way the guys go about it — I mean, you’re born with that, and sometimes, you know, that’s even harder to teach.”
Outfielder Julio Rodriguez has also opened up on his country pride, saying that winning for the Dominican Republic would mean more to him than taking home a World Series title with the Mariners.
“I love the Mariners,” Rodriguez said, according to Foul Territory. “They know I give my best for them every single time I step on the field, but winning the World Baseball Classic is at the top of the list.”
“This is for my country, this is for my town, this is for the people in my neighborhood,” he added. “It’s for everybody in the Dominican Republic.”
The Dominican Republic is slated to face Team USA-Canada in the semifinal round on Sunday.
Kings’ Fast First Period Enough To Survive Islanders’ Push
The Los Angeles Kings (27-23-15) bounce back, defeating the New York Islanders (37-24-5) 3-2, for the second time this season to complete the season series sweep.
Los Angeles scored three times on its first nine shots and never trailed, building a cushion that proved crucial when the Islanders mounted a push in the final two periods.
Anze Kopitar also made history for the Kings' victory today, officially surpassing Marcel Dionne for the most road points in LA Kings history with 608 points. After the game, the Islanders showed their respect by shaking his hand before leaving the ice.
Anze Kopitar's first period goal marked his 608th career road point (221-387=608), surpassing Marcel Dionne (262-345=607) for the most road points in @LAKings history. https://t.co/ePCcBEfBlu
— LA Kings PR (@LAKingsPR) March 13, 2026
Los Angeles now has 69 points and is in sole possession of moving into the fourth seed in the Pacific Division if Seattle and San Jose lose.
Hot Start
The game began with the Kings scoring three goals in the first period, with Trevor Moore opening the scoring with an unassisted goal at 16:27, capitalizing on the fastbreak possession after blocking the shot on the other side of the ice.
Just under 10 minutes later, Anze Kopitar doubled the score, giving Los Angeles a 2-0 lead after burying the rebound shot from Mikey Anderson, moving him into history.
Los Angeles kept the pressure going after forcing a turnover on the Islanders. The Kings got a 2-on-2 breakaway led by Artemi Panarin, who delivered a slick feed to Adrian Kempe driving the net. Kempe finished the play with an incredible one-handed tip shot past Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin to extend the lead to 3–0.
POETRY IN MOTION pic.twitter.com/EaqVtz8hSG
— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 13, 2026
Late Push
The Kings' defense was once again impressive early on, holding the Islanders to just four shots in the period, outshooting them 10-4 in the opening frame. But, despite the early dominance, Los Angeles would go quiet on the offensive side, giving New York time to claw its way back into the game.
Emil Heineman got the Islanders on board midway through the second period after a deflection shot that went past Darcy Kuemper's glove and in, to cut the lead to 3-1.
The rest of the period would end with the Kings scoreless, but we're playing great defense, blocking shots, and forcing a lot of missed shots for the Islanders. The Kings had an impressive 23 blocked shots, constantly putting pressure on the Islanders whenever they tried to get a shot up.
Despite that, New York carried its one-goal momentum into the third period with Heineman once again scoring his second goal of the game to make it a one-goal game, setting up a tense finish in New York.
New York tried to get back in this game late, even had a chance with just three seconds remaining when they got in the face-off, but failed to get a shot up, and Los Angeles held on to the late push by the Islanders.
Key Stats
Darcy Kuemper had another solid game, finishing with 21 saves on 23 shots, once again looking healthy and comfortable at the right time of the season.
Los Angeles finished with 27 shots while killing off all three Islanders' power plays in a disciplined defensive effort.
Huge win for the Kings today, now they are in the playoff picture for the first time in over a month and can move up in the standings with a win tomorrow, and if the teams above them lose.
The Lakers will continue their road trip tomorrow, where they play the New Jersey Devils at 4:00 PM PT
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Evan Mobley scores 29 points and the Cavaliers rout the Mavericks 138-105
DALLAS (AP) — Evan Mobley matched his season high with 29 points, Donovan Mitchell had 24 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Dallas Mavericks 138-105 on Friday night in the opener of a home-and-home series.
Mobley had 16 points in the first quarter and was already up to 23 by halftime, the second-highest scoring half of his career. He went 12 for 15 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds while playing just 23 minutes.
James Harden finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who shot 61.5% from the field and were 18 for 38 (47%) from 3-point range.
Cooper Flagg scored 25 points for the Mavericks, who were coming off a victory in Memphis that snapped an eight-game losing streak. Naji Marshall had 17 points.
The Cavs led 38-21 after shooting 60% overall and on 3-pointers in the first quarter. Mitchell then scored 10 points in the second quarter and it was 67-50 at the break, with Mobley 10 for 12. The forward's best half was 28 points on Dec. 7, 2024, against Charlotte.
Mitchell made all five shots and scored 12 more in the Cavs' 41-point third quarter and Cleveland led by 35 in the final period.
Cleveland beat Dallas for the seventh straight time.
Up next
The teams meet Sunday in Cleveland.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Strong Islanders play not good enough in tough home loss to Kings
It says a lot about where the Islanders are that there was no attempt, not one, from their players to try to soft-pedal Friday’s loss, because this was a night when there could have been. Had they tried to go with the clichés — “We did a lot of good things,” “If we play like that every night, I like our chances” — you would have understood where they were coming from.
The Islanders had plenty of possession, plenty of chances. Their penalty kill was excellent. The top six started to roll after Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat were reunited midway through the second period and the 3-2 final certainly gave a better picture of the game than the 3-0 lead the Kings held earlier on.
Really, Los Angeles did not even look like the better team for most of the night.
Yet, here was Emil Heineman, who scored both the goals and came within an inch of a third, afterward:
“We have to acknowledge the point of time we’re in the season here, how important these games are. To not be ready when the puck drops is not good enough.”
And here was Horvat: “We can’t keep putting ourselves in that position. It physically and mentally wears on you.”
The Islanders have been digging holes for themselves since the NHL returned from the Olympic break, and for the most part, they’ve done a pretty good job at climbing out. They nearly did Friday too, and for just about the entire third period, everyone inside UBS Arena thought they would.
Failing to, though, seemed to awaken the Islanders to the reality of the situation.
They came into the night hoping to pass the Penguins for second in the Metro; they exited it hoping that by the end of Saturday — when the Blue Jackets face the Flyers and the Islanders play the Flames — Columbus has not pulled ahead of the Islanders on the tiebreaker.
Indeed, there is a scenario where the Islanders wake up Sunday morning outside the playoff picture for the first time since Dec. 4. That would be the ultimate smack to a team for whom the postseason has taken on an inevitable feel even while in reality the Blue Jackets have rapidly gained ground over the last couple weeks.
One loss isn’t the end of the world but more urgency is warranted, and it certainly was Friday, when they had plenty of possession in the first period, but got just three shots on goal out of 22 attempts and made a series of mistakes to hand the Kings a 3-0 lead.
There was Scott Mayfield’s attempt that led straight to the Kings’ opening goal when Trevor Moore blocked his shot and came in unimpeded on a breakaway to score.
The two other goals the Kings scored in the first — one from Anze Kopitar off a rebound and the other from Adrian Kempe off the rush — did not come in that fashion, but Kempe’s goal came on the heels of an offensive-zone shift in which the Islanders just could not get a shot through, and Kopitar’s right after a power play.
- CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND ISLANDERS STATS
“Instead of having the momentum, we gave them the momentum,” said coach Patrick Roy, who was not quite as self-critical as his players.
“Too complicated,” Heineman said, opting for that phrasing instead of saying the Islanders had played too fancy. “We have a lot of skill. We’re losing pucks and they’re just flying over us.”
The Islanders went into the third period down 3-1, but with momentum decidedly on their side having dominated the 10 minutes leading into intermission, with Heineman scoring and Anders Lee having a few close calls.
Given that, and given the Islanders’ proclivity for the dramatic, it hardly counted as a surprise that Heineman scored for a second time just 3:38 into the second period, this time tipping in Matthew Schaefer’s shot to make cut it to 3-2.
The Islanders proceeded to play some of their best offensive-zone hockey of the year. Shift after shift they were up ice, pinching down the walls, holding the puck in, wearing out the Kings. Heineman nearly completed the hat trick with a third deflection that went off the bar.
It looked like a matter of time before the Islanders would tie the game.
And then the time ran out, with the score still frozen at 3-2 and the Islanders left to reckon with it.
“It wasn’t enough at the start,” Horvat said. “We just didn’t play a good 60 minutes.”
Rockies Reacts Results: Fans believe in Willi Castro and Team USA
On Monday, we asked which Rockie you thought was having the best WBC and who you were rooting for to win. Last night, we asked who you think will win the whole thing. Today, I present you the results from Monday’s poll:
The majority of fans believe that INF Willi Castro. Castro has gone 3-f0r-10 with a double and two RBI in four games for Team Puerto Rico. He has also drawn four walks and struck out twice with a stolen base.
Ezequiel Tovar went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored in three games for Team Venezuela. He drew one walk, struck out twice, and stole a base. Juan Mejia has allowed just one hit in two scoreless innings for Team Dominican Republic.
Beyond individual players, Purple Rowers are overwhelmingly rooting for Team USA.
Unfortunately, Team Venezuela and Team Mexico have been eliminated, but we can still root for the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico!
What are your thoughts on these results? Do you agree? Have your answers changed since Monday? Let us know in the comments!
Brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.
Cavs bounce back, demolish the Mavericks 138-105
After a national game letdown, the Cleveland Cavaliers flexed their muscles from start to finish and beat down the Dallas Mavericks 138 to 105. Evan Mobley led the way with 29 points on a very efficient 12-15 shooting, while Donovan Mitchell and James Harden added 24 and 17 points, respectively. The Cavs led by 17 points at halftime, scored 41 points in the third, and led by as many as 35.
This is the type of game that the Cavs should be having against poor teams like the Mavericks. While Cooper Flagg is certainly an exciting player (he finished with 25 points, including 19 in the second half), he is not enough against what should be a championship contender like the Cavs. Dallas has the third-worst offensive rating in the league, are an equally bad three-point shooting team, and to add insult to injury, they inbounded the ball on the wrong side of the court in the third quarter. The better team did what they were supposed to do.
The Cavs set the tone with quality defense in the first half, with seven different players recording a steal and forcing 11 Dallas turnovers in total.
After a disappointing game from Mobley in Orlando, he righted the ship tonight against a Dallas team that really started Marvin Bagley III at center. The Cavs kept feeding him down low, and Mobley delivered with a monster game. Those 29 points tied his season-high, though the free-throw shooting still leaves something to be desired (3-7). As has been the case all season and last season, it comes down to consistency with Mobley in terms of energy on the offensive side of the ball. It is one thing to dominate bad teams, but it’s a new ball game against the best of the best in the league.
In a high-octane third quarter, where the Cavs had a scorching stretch of eight-straight made field goals, Harden showed off his slick handle and shot-making ability. That included draining a long three over Flagg and erasing Naji Marshall with a nasty crossover and comfortably hit the floater.
Since coming to Cleveland, Harden has been as advertised, and that was on full display against the Mavs.
Keon Ellis started in place of the injured Sam Merrill, and he produced in his absence. Ellis had 13 points and three rebounds on 5-9 shooting, but it’s the energy that is what makes him so important. Even up 25 points in the third quarter, Ellis was the first player down the floor to defend after he made a three, sprinting after his man. There is endless hustle in Ellis.
The Cavs were able to pull their starters and meaningful bench with just under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, an indication of their dominance all night. Nothing quite like a good old-fashioned beatdown to brighten the spirits. Cleveland will face Dallas once again on Sunday afternoon at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Tip-off is at 3:30 p.m EST.
2 notes from the Mavericks’ 138-105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Dallas Mavericks (22-45) got brushed aside on Friday by the Cleveland Cavaliers (41-26) at American Airlines Center in a 138-105 loss. Evan Mobley scored a game-high 29 points against a Mavericks front line consisting primarily of Marvin Bagley III and Dwight Powell. Cooper Flagg bounced back from a tough stretch of games after returning from his recent foot sprain for a team-high 25 points and five assists in the loss.
The Mavericks’ 12-8 start quickly turned into an 18-12 deficit with the first of two 10-0 Cavaliers runs in the first quarter. Mobley abused the depleted Dallas frontcourt on his way to 16 first-quarter points on 7-of-9 shooting. Craig Porter Jr.‘s runout layup in transition forced Mavs head coach Jason Kidd into his second run-stopping timeout of the quarter with 2:41 left.
Cleveland shot 6-of-10 from 3-point range in the first and 60% from the floor in the first, essentially eliminating the Mavericks’ chances for an upset with a 38-21 lead after one.
Flagg, who has struggled since his return from a foot injury five games ago, keyed a 12-0 Mavericks run early in the second quarter to cut Cleveland’s lead to seven, down 40-33 after Ryan Nembhard’s 3-pointer on Flagg’s fourth assist of the game with 9:21 left in the half. But back-to-back sensational finishes at the rim by Donovan Mitchell pushed the Cavs’ lead back into double digits in response to the run.
Mitchell sliced and diced the Dallas defense in the second on the way to 10 points in the quarter. The Cavs found wide open driving lanes against a porous Mavericks interior defense whenever they wanted. On the other end, Flagg made some plays distributing the ball off drives but had a hard time once again finding the bottom of the net to start the game. He came in shooting just 35.1% from the floor in the five games since his return and managed just 2-of-8 in the first half against Cleveland.
The Cavaliers led 67-50 at the half, fed in part by 11 Dallas turnovers.
Flagg started the second half with seven quick points, including a massive tomahawk slam and his first 3-pointer of the game on back-to-back possessions four and a half minutes into the third. He didn’t elevate quite as high as he has on some of his other spectacular slams throughout his rookie year, which may point to the lingering effects of his foot injury still being worked all the way out, but he’s still a sight to see when he gets going downhill.
Flagg scored all 13 of his third-quarter points in the first seven minutes of the frame, but the damage was done in the first half. The Cavs led 108-83 going into the fourth and coasted to the 138-105 win. Flagg scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half, while Mitchell finished with 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting for Cleveland.
Breaking down the rookie wall
Flagg hasn’t been quite the same since his return from the foot injury that kept him out eight games in February. To his credit, he still makes the right play nine times out of 10 and still affects the game on the defensive end, but his offensive production has taken a hit since about the 45-game mark. There are times during recent games that remind nightly viewers of his first 10 games, when he had wide eyes and hesitated on offense. One came late in Thursday’s second quarter, when he had James Harden defending him in a one-on-one situation and passed out of it to Nembhard with six seconds left on the shot clock. You’d love to see Flagg take on the challenge there, especially with a smaller defender in front of him.
It seems an opportune time to remind oneself that the guy is 19 years old and that, in the grand scheme of things, the Rookie of the Year Award doesn’t mean anything for his development. Plenty of big-time players have hit the proverbial rookie wall. Flagg played in 37 games last year in his only season at Duke. The Mavericks played their 37th game of this season back on Jan. 6.
It also seems an opportune time to remind oneself of the moment surrounding Flagg as well. The lineups he’s playing with are held together by duct tape and bubble gum. He’s playing a lot of point guard by default because the Mavericks guards are, well, awful. He’s on a team that, frankly, doesn’t care about winning. These are not ideal circumstances to grow the young man’s game. They are slightly better for growing the young man’s character, which is one valuable attribute he carried into the league with him even at such a young age.
Don’t worry about Flagg all that much if you didn’t like what you were seeing until his high-flying act in Friday’s third quarter. Charlotte’s Kon Kneuppel can have his trophy, if indeed that is the way it shakes down. He’s had an amazing year. Flagg’s day in the sun is coming.
Three’s a crowd
Let’s not kid ourselves. The Mavericks never had a chance in this one. Cleveland has too many weapons, and without a couple of the bigger bodies in the lineup (P.J. Washington, ankle; Daniel Gafford, rest), Mobley’s big night was all but inevitable.
The Cavaliers didn’t need to put it on the Mavs behind the 3-point line under these circumstances, but they did anyway, shooting 18-of-38 (47.4%) from beyond the arc in the win. Dallas made just 9-of-32 (28.1%) on the other end.
Harden shot 3-of-7 from deep, Dennis Schroeder and Jaylon Tyson combined to make 4-of-7 off the bench, and even Mobley shot 2-of-4 for the Cavaliers. Keon Ellis went 3-for-5 as well. Cleveland made a combined 12-of-19 from 3-point land in the first and third quarters in the brutal thrashing of the Mavs.
Islanders rally late but fall short in 3-2 loss to Kings
NEW YORK (AP) — Adrian Kempe scored his team-leading 26th goal of the season and the Los Angeles Kings held off the New York Islanders 3-2 on Friday night.
Trevor Moore and Anze Kopitar also scored for the Kings and Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced.
Emil Heineman scored twice for the Islanders, and Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves. Bo Horvat added two assists.
Kempe scored on a wrist shot with 1:32 remaining in the first period to put the Kings up 3-0. Kempe now has five goals and four assists in his last six games.
After the game, the Islanders stayed on the ice and shook hands with Kings captain Kopitar, who is playing in his 20th and final season in the NHL.
Up next
Kings: Visit the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
Islanders: Host the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
Kempe scores to lead Kings over Islanders 3-2
NEW YORK (AP) — Adrian Kempe scored his team-leading 26th goal of the season and the Los Angeles Kings held off the New York Islanders 3-2 on Friday night.
Trevor Moore and Anze Kopitar also scored for the Kings and Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced.
Emil Heineman scored twice for the Islanders, and Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves. Bo Horvat added two assists.
Kempe scored on a wrist shot with 1:32 remaining in the first period to put the Kings up 3-0. Kempe now has five goals and four assists in his last six games.
After the game, the Islanders stayed on the ice and shook hands with Kings captain Kopitar, who is playing in his 20th and final season in the NHL.
Up next
Kings: Visit the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
Islanders: Host the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Jaden Bradley hits buzzer-beater to send Arizona to Big 12 title game
Jaden Bradley has made clutch shots for Arizona basketball in the past.
However, the Big 12 Player of the Year delivered one of the biggest shots thus far of March (and of his career) Friday night in an all-time thriller for No. 1 Arizona against No. 7 Iowa State in the Big 12 semifinals. With the ball in his hands in a tied game at 80-80 and time expiring, Bradly drove right, faded, shot, and found the bottom of the net for the buzzer-beating winner to send the Wildcats to Saturday's conference tournament championship game.
HOLY MOLY.
JADEN BRADLEY. GAME WINNER. CATS TO THE 'SHIP.#Big12MBB | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/a9WOAJb9ju
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 14, 2026
Bradley's shot at the T-Mobile Center came seconds after Tamin Lipsey hit a game-tying 3-pointer in front of the Cyclones bench to allow for the possibility of playing overtime in Kansas City on Friday.
"JB's one of a kind. He's put in the work like I've seen everyone else do on the team. We have the ultimate confidence in him. He won Big 12 Player of the Year for a reason," Bradley's teammate, Anthony Dell'Orso, told ESPN's Rece Davis, Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg after the game.
The Wildcats had to come from behind to win Friday's semifinal, as they trailed the Cyclones 43-37 after the first half. Arizona, which trailed as many as 12 points in the first half, finished the game on a 26-20 run against Iowa State to keep its chances of being a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament alive.
Bradley finished with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field with seven assists, two steals, two rebounds and a block.
Arizona will face the winner of Houston vs. Kansas in March 14's championship game at 6 p.m. ET.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jaden Bradley delivers March moment fro Arizona with buzzer-beater
Lakers vs. Nuggets Preview: Who wins the tiebreaker?
The Lakers (41-25) have a crucial game to win against the Denver Nuggets (41-26) on Saturday. This is the last time these two teams meet in the regular season, they are currently even in their season series at 1-1.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets
When: 5:30 p.m. PT, Mar 14
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: ABC
Just when it felt like the Lakers were falling apart two weeks ago, they’ve completely turned it around once again and are now sitting in third place in the Western Conference standings.
Granted, that can change in an instant, but the fact that they’re a top seed in the West means they’re doing things right. Now, the goal is to remain in that spot.
That will be possible if the purple and gold take care of business against the visiting Nuggets on Saturday.
The same Nuggets team that they’ve had two close games with this season. This time, Aaron Gordon is back, which means Denver will be at their healthiest this year against LA on Saturday.
It should make another exciting clash between two teams who are not only looking to claim the tiebreaker but also to overtake each other in the standings.
Here are three factors that could determine the winner of this heavyweight match.
Whose defense is worse?
Defense will matter a lot in this game because the Lakers and Nuggets have one thing in common: being below-average in that department. The Lakers are 20th in defensive rating and Denver is right behind them, at 21st.
Over the last two games, LA has been successful scoring in the paint against Denver. They’re +26 in points generated inside the paint across both games. The non-Nikola Jokic minutes specifically are when the Lakers should look to capitalize. They’ve also been successful in generating second-chance opportunities and transition points against the Nuggets this season. That should continue if the Lakers want to win on Saturday.
Which superstar will rise to the occasion?
Speaking of defense, it’s a given that the Lakers will have to do everything to contain Jokić. They also have to make sure that Jamal Murray doesn’t play extraordinarily well and now Gordon too.
The Lakers’ defense will have their hands full and will need to put a ton of pressure on the Nuggets as well. For that to happen, Luka Dončić will have to play very well, as well as Austin Reaves and LeBron James. Now is the perfect time for the supporting cast to make sure they don’t disappear too.
Both teams may have their flaws, but they employ All-Stars who can take over games. The question is, who will be the superstar in this one? Hopefully, it will be one that dons the purple and gold armor.
Who will be the X-factor?
In the Lakers’ first victory against the Nuggets this season, it was Marcus Smart who pitched in 15 points to help Dončić and James complete the comeback win. In their second game, when the Nuggets barely escaped the Lakers, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Christian Braun stood out. It’ll be interesting to see who comes up big for both teams on Saturday. The likeliest candidates to be the Lakers’ X-factor are: Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton or even Jaxson Hayes.
Let’s see if the Lakers can find a way to tip things in their favor and win the season series against the Nuggets for the first time in six years.
Notes and Updates
- For the Lakers’ injury report, Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain) is out, while Jaxson Hayes (back soreness) is probable.
- As for the Nuggets, Peyton Watson (right hamstring strain) is out while Aaron Gordon (right hamstring) is probable.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
Warriors vs. Timberwolves injury report: Moses Moody, Draymond Green out
After two very disappointing losses on Monday and Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors are back in action tonight, hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves. It won’t be as disappointing if they lose this game, given how good the Wolves are, but … well … it sure would be nice if they won.
Unfortunately, they’re once again at a health disadvantage. Here’s the full injury report for both teams.
Warriors
Out — Steph Curry (right patellofemoral pain syndrome)
Another week, another Curry injury update that pushes his return further down the road. We’re not far from starting to question whether he’ll be back this season at all.
Out — Jimmy Butler III (right ACL surgery)
Well, I’m not exactly breaking any news here, am I?
Out — Moses Moody (right wrist sprain)
This is Moody’s fifth consecutive missed game. He does seem to be nearing a return, though. The Warriors begin a six-game road trip on Sunday, and the expectation is that Moody will return at some point during that trip.
Out — Draymond Green (left low back injury management)
Green is technically still listed as questionable on the official injury report, but the Warriors just announced he won’t play. That’s a big blow to the team.
Timberwolves
Out — Joan Beringer (on G League assignment)
That’s it. That’s the entirety of the injury report. Technically they list Anthony Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu as available (as the Warriors did with De’Anthony Melton and Quinten Post), but that’s not really an injury is it? The Dubs are limping, and facing a very healthy team. We’ll see how that works out for them.
Enjoy the game, Dub Nation. It kicks off at 7:00 p.m. PT on Prime Video.
Wells' walk-off homer gives Dominicans 10-0 rout-rule win over South Korea, WBC semifinal berth
MIAMI (AP) — Austin Wells hit a walk-off three-run homer in the seventh inning that ended the game under a tournament rout rule, and the Dominican Republic beat South Korea 10-0 Friday night to reach the World Baseball Classic semifinals.
Seeking its second title and first since 2013, the Dominicans play the United States or Canada in a semifinal on Sunday in Miami and will start Luis Severino. The Dominicans are 5-0 in the tournament, have outscored opponents 51-10 while batting .312 and with 14 homers tied the WBC record set by Mexico in 2009.
Fernando Tatis Jr. drove in two runs and has 11 RBIs in the tournament. He is tied for third in a single WBC, trailing only Masataka Yoshida’s 13 for Japan in 2023 and Wladimir Balentien’s 12 for the Netherlands in 2017.
Wells, who entered as a defensive replacement in the top of the seventh, reached down and drove a first-pitch cutter from Hyeong Jun So off the front of the second deck in right. Wells was born in Arizona to a mother is of Dominican descent.
He hit the Dominicans' second walk-off homer of the tournament after Juan Soto's drive that ended a 12-1 group stage win over the Netherlands.
Backed by three runs in the second inning and four in the third, winner Christopher Sánchez struck out eight in five innings of two-hit ball.
South Korea, which lost a semifinal in 2006 and the final in 2009, had been eliminated in the first round three straight times before reaching a quarterfinal this year. The South Koreans had two hits, batted .222 and finished with a 5.91 ERA.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked against loser Hyun Jin Ryu and scored the game's first run from first base with a head-first slide on Junior Caminero’s double into the left-field corner. Julio Rodríguez followed with an RBI groundout and Tatis had a run-scoring single.
Soto scored on Guerrero’s double in a four-run fourth, hooking an arm around catcher Dong Won Park with a head-first slide.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Grapefruit Juice: Mets 8, Nationals 3, Marlins 1, Mets 0
The split squads were in effect today, with the Mets hosting the Marlins at Clover Park and the team traveling to the CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches to take on the Nationals.
Home Game: Marlins 1, Mets 0
- Kodai Senga looked excellent over three innings of work, striking out five and allowing no hits or walks. His velocity was hitting 98 and his ghost fork was diving, both wonderful signs for the oft-injured righty.
- Devin Williams pitched a scoreless fourth inning, working himself out of trouble after striking out the first two batters he faced. Back to back singles put men on the corners, but he was able to induce a weak ground out to end the frame.
- Bo Bichette came to bat thrice, striking out once and grounding into two double plays. Woof.
- The sole run crossed the plate in the seventh, when Christopher Morel singled in Connor Norby. This would be the only run charged to Clay Holmes, who looked excellent in five innings of work, allowing two hits, no walks, and six strikeouts in his first post-WBC appearance.
Away Game: Mets 8, Nationals 3
- The Mets jumped on the board in the top of the first when Ronny Mauricio doubled in Brett Baty, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead.
- Carl Edwards Jr. started for the away Mets, and looked really good in his four innings of work, striking out four and allowing just one baserunner on a walk to Nasim Nuñez.
- The Mets extended their lead by a run when Carson Benge drove in A.J. Ewing with the second run in the fifth.
- Bryan Hudson entered the game in the bottom of the fifth, giving up a single to Dylan Crews, a walk to José Tena, and a double to Nuñez on the first three batters to face him, leading to a run. A sacrifice fly by Yohandy Morales tied the game.
- Joe Jacques gave up a third run on a Crews sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.
- The Mets retook the lead in the eighth when Nick Roselli cleared the bases on a three-run double, putting the Mets up 5-3.
- A flurry of Met prospects that you probably haven’t heard of (Ronald Hernandez! Diego Mosquera! Nick Lorusso!) added on in the top of the ninth, putting the Mets up 8-3.
The Mets play away tomorrow against the Astros at 6:05pm.