Washington’s Comeback Threat Ends in Proper Tank Result

BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 5: Anthony Gill #16 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on April 5, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Gotta admit: when I saw the lineups for this Wizards at Nets game, I set aside the notepad. There were two key numbers that jumped out at me before the game began. They were:

  • Washington: 2
  • Brooklyn: 1

Those numbers represent how many players each had available who’d be expected to be part of the team’s full-health rotation next season. For the Wizards, it was Bub Carrington and Will Riley. For the Nets, Nolan Traore. If you want to stretch to include either Drake Powell or Jalen Wilson, I wouldn’t squawk much, but the core point remains.

Will Riley attacks the paint during the Washington Wizards loss to the Brooklyn Nets. (Photo by Pamela Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Both teams are committed to losing as much as possible to finish the season.

Despite that commitment, the Wizards blew a 17-point first quarter deficit to actually take the lead a few times in the fourth quarter. Then the Nets got a case of “competence” and closed the game on a 20-10 run to give Washington the loss.

This was an odd game in a few ways. The Wizards had just eight players available, yet head coach Brian Keefe barely played Sharife Cooper and Jaden Hardy.

No one from the Wizards was particularly impressive, though there were some positives. Riley led the offense throughout the afternoon, and closed with a flurry of pointless buckets to juice his final tally to 30 points. He got the experience of trying to attack a defense loading up to stop him, and acquitted himself decently, despite four turnovers.

JuJu Reese once again mashed a center-free opponent, this time with 16 rebounds in 44 minutes.

I’d caution against reading much into anything that happened in this game because of the dearth of genuine NBA talent on the floor for either team.

None of this should undermine enjoyment of the game itself. I had fun watching — Traore is super-fast and seems to be developing as a shooter. Chaney Johnson had some oomph to his game. Watching Reese battle on the boards is entertaining. And Riley hit some crazy fluky shots, including that one off the top of the backboard while getting fouled and falling out of bounds, and a banked in three. They count though!

Just four left in the 2025-26 season.

Four Factors

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

The four factors are measured by:

  • eFG% (effective field goal percentage, which accounts for the three-point shot)
  • OREB% (offensive rebound percentage)
  • TOV% (turnover percentage — turnovers divided by possessions)
  • FTM/FGA (free throws made divided by field goal attempts)
FOUR FACTORSWIZARDSNETSLGAVG
eFG%61.4%57.4%54.5%
OREB%30.6%25.0%26.0%
TOV%20.4%11.2%12.7%
FTM/FGA0.2280.2270.207
PACE9899.3
ORTG117123115.7

Stats & Metrics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Players are sorted by total production in the game.

WIZARDSMINPOSSORTGUSG+PTSPPA+/-
Anthony Gill418418711.1%6.6117-5
Will Riley357213431.7%4.3120-7
Julian Reese44909422.3%-4.471-12
Jamir Watkins448911917.0%0.566-5
Leaky Black42867810.3%-3.358-11
Bub Carrington173511430.2%-0.21076
Sharife Cooper3722314.2%1.14141
Jaden Hardy14288737.3%-2.9-803
NETSMINPOSSORTGUSG+PTSPPA+/-
Jalen Wilson265316022.5%5.219810
Nolan Traore285811335.1%-0.61446
Drake Powell296012914.9%1.213113
Josh Minott183711729.9%0.1205-2
Chaney Johnson214414214.8%1.71697
Ohcai Agbaji183712024.3%0.4180-2
Trevon Scott28571279.2%0.61103
E.J. Liddell306113118.4%1.71048
Tyson Etienne204013118.5%1.2980
Malachi Smith21435314.6%-4.0-18-13

UNC basketball coach candidates: 10 names to consider as search hits roadblocks

Tommy Lloyd signed a new deal.

So did Nate Oats.

Dusty May is a "no" as well.

So where does North Carolina turn now for its open men's basketball coach position? Here are 10 names to consider:

Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls

Donovan is the big fish still swimming in the pond. Can UNC hook him? Donovan has been linked since the Tar Heels fired Hubert Davis on March 24. The Bulls' season ends April 12, and they won't be in the playoffs. Is UNC willing to wait and miss out on the first week of the transfer portal? For the right fit, why not? Plus, the Bulls are reportedly set for a front office shakeup, so it may be time to jump ship.

After 11 years away from college basketball, is Donovan ready for a return to campus? College ball is basically pro ball, anyway now. He'd be the candidate most UNC fans are pinning their hopes on after other high-profile rejections.

Mark Byington, Vanderbilt

Byington, 49, played at UNC Wilmington and was an assistant at Virginia and Virginia Tech, so he's got some familiarity with the state and ACC. He may not have the name recognition as some of the other coaches linked to the job, but he's averaged 25 wins across his past four seasons as a head coach, including 27 victories this season in his second year at Vanderbilt

He’s never made a Sweet 16, but he’s never been at a program like North Carolina, either.

Todd Golden and Nate Oats had never been to a Sweet 16 before coaching at Florida and Alabama, respectively. Now, they’re two of the best coaches in the sport.

Sean Miller, Texas

Miller is a winner. He's coached in 14 NCAA tournaments, reached the Sweet 16 nine times and the Elite Eight four times.

Miller spent five seasons on Herb Sendek's NC State staff, so knows the state. His firing at Arizona will raise some red flags with his involvement in 2017 Adidas FBI probe, but if Rick Pitino, Will Wade and Bill Self (among others involved) can still coach at the top level, why shouldn't Miller?

He just finished his first season at Texas, going 21-15, taking the Longhorns from the First Four to the Sweet 16, and a last-second tip-in away from the Elite Eight.

Ben McCollum, Iowa

McCollum is a proven winner at multiple levels and a program builder. The 44-year-old coach won four Division II national championships before jumping to the Division I level. He's won more than 80% of his games, leading Drake to 31 wins before making the move to Iowa and taking the Hawkeyes to the NCAA Tournament this season. Imagine what he could do with a blue-blood program?

Scott Drew, Baylor

Two years ago, Drew claimed a spot near the top of Kentucky’s wish list. He turned down the Wildcats, a humbling blow to UK. Two years later, you must wonder whether Drew would benefit from a restart. His Baylor team went 16-16 and got trampled within the Big 12. Drew last reached a Sweet 16 in 2021, when he produced a national title.

Take the macro view, and Drew’s Baylor accomplishments are phenomenal. He rescued from the trash bin a program that had been rocked by a deadly scandal. He took the Bears up, up, up, until they reached the top of the sport.

Zoom in, and you realize Drew’s best days at Baylor are behind him. He’s still widely respected, and if Drew, 55, is ever going to leave Baylor, right now is likely his last best chance.

Josh Schertz, Saint Louis

Schertz was in the mix for the NC State job before saying he was staying with SLU. Would UNC make him reconsider?

Like McCollum, Schertz cut his teeth coaching in Division II, reaching four Final Fours at Lincoln Memorial. His 2024 Indiana State team was electric — and an NCAA Tournament snub before reaching the NIT final. He's rebuilt Saint Louis in just two seasons and plays a brand of basketball that's easy on the eye.

Grant McCasland, Texas Tech

All but one of his 12 seasons as a head coach have been in Texas. It'll likely be hard to pry him East, especially with the deep pockets in Lubbock.

But he'd be an interesting option. Another former Division II and JUCO head coach, McCasland's teams win. He won the NIT at North Texas in 2023 and led Texas Tech to the Elite Eight in 2025. Had JT Toppin not gotten hurt this year, who knows how far the Red Raiders could have advanced.

Jerry Stackhouse, Golden State assistant

Stackhouse is a candidate if the Tar Heels stay in the family, His Vanderbilt tenure was up and down, and before the Commodores really dipped into the NIL space. He had two winning seasons in his five years in Nashville, but that 28-60 SEC record will be hard for UNC fans to swallow.

Mike Malone, former NBA coach

An underrated possibility, the 54-year-old Malone is a championship-caliber coach and has a daughter who plays volleyball at UNC. He’s been around the Tar Heels’ basketball program at times and has history as a college and NBA coach. Malone led the Denver Nuggets to an NBA title in 2023.

T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State

If UNC wants to build its identity around defense, Otzelberger is the guy to do it. The 48-year-old coach has produced top-10 defensive units in four of his five seasons at Iowa State. The Cyclones are elite at creating turnovers. The Heels would have a clear identity and structured program under Otzelberger. Considering what he's built in Ames, this could be UNC's safest, most reliable option.

USA TODAY Sports reporters Blake Toppmeyer and John Brice contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UNC basketball coach candidates: Names to consider as search continues

Braves fail to pull off series win in Diamondbacks finale

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 05: Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates with teammates after hitting an RBI fielders choice against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at Chase Field on April 05, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Welp, going into extra innings to keep the game alive, the Arizona Diamondbacks capitalized on an opportunity to prevent the third consecutive series win for the Atlanta Braves (6-5) and end the series on a split.

Besides Drake Baldwin’s solo homer in the first inning to give the Braves their early lead and racking up on RBI’s to keep the team in the game, today might not have started as the most exciting, but it sure was kept interesting to the finish.

Ex-Kings D-man Troy Stecher Shares Fun Off-Ice Story About Anze Kopitar

The Los Angeles Kings hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, and to prepare for that outing, the Maple Leafs held a practice on Friday, holding media availability after the session.

Toronto defenseman Troy Stecher was a member of the Kings during the 2021-22 season - he played 13 regular-season games and four post-season contests - spoke about being Anze Kopitar's teammate for a short time and even shared a funny story about the Kings captain.

Stecher was asked if he had any specific memory about Kopitar from his short stint with the team.

"Yeah, actually… at the end of the season, we went there for family barbecue dinner, wrap-up party with all the guys and wives and kids, at his house," Stecher started. "I'd heard he had a pool, and there was no pool.

"So I was like, 'Kopi, where's your pool?' And he's like, 'follow me,'" Stecher said. "And then he clicked a button, and the ground, like, lowered up, and then the water started to fill in."

Stecher was impressed by Kopitar's fancy pool setup at his place. 

'Probably Montreal': Kopitar Reveals Where He Would Consider Playing Aside From Los Angeles'Probably Montreal': Kopitar Reveals Where He Would Consider Playing Aside From Los AngelesIn an interview with Elliotte Friedman before the Los Angeles Kings' game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, Anze Kopitar revealed that if he ever had to play for a different team, it would be the Montreal Canadiens.

"I was like, 'this is the NHL, this is really cool.' So that was a pretty cool memory," the Leafs defenseman said.

Not only was Stecher a teammate of Kopitar's, but he also shared the ice with the Kings captain several times as an opponent in the Pacific Division. Stecher also had stints with the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers in his 10-year NHL career.

On Saturday, they shared the ice for the last time in a thrilling overtime contest, which finished 7-6 in Los Angeles' favor. Stecher had 21:10 of ice time in that game, while Kopitar finished the game with 21:13 of ice time.


Image

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Canadiens clinch playoff spot for second consecutive season

MONTREAL (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens wrapped up their second straight playoff spot Sunday when Detroit fell 5-4 to Minnesota, making them the first Canadian team to secure a postseason berth.

Last season, Montreal took the final spot in the Eastern Conference before falling to Washington in five games in the first round.

Montreal dropped a 3-0 decision to New Jersey at home Sunday night. The Canadiens are third in the Atlantic Division, even in points with second-place Buffalo and five ahead of Boston.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Nolan Traoré scores 23 points, leads Nets to 121-115 win over Wizards

NEW YORK (AP) — Nolan Traore hit five three-pointers and finished with 23 points and seven assists, Jalen Wilson added 19 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Washington Wizards 121-115 on Sunday.

The Wizards (17-61) have a two-game lead on the Nets (19-59) for the best lottery odds. Indiana is 18-58 entering Sunday’s game at Cleveland.

Washington has lost six in a row and 22 of its past 23. The Wizards had given up 305 combined points in back-to-back losses to Philadelphia (153-131) and Miami (152-136).

Brooklyn won for just the second time in its past 14 games.

Will Riley, who had a career-high 31 points Saturday against the Heat, scored 30, Jamir Watkins added 20 points, and Julian Reese had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Wizards. Anthony Gill also scored 17 points and Bub Carrington had 13 points.

E.J. Liddell and Josh Minott each scored 15 for Brooklyn. Drake Powell added 13 points and Ochai Agbaji scored 12.

Watkins hit a three-pointer that gave the Wizards a four-point lead with 3:50 left in the game. The Nets answered with an 8-0 run that culminated when Traore made a layup that made it 109-105 with two minutes remaining and Brooklyn led the rest of the way.

Leaky Black responded with a three-pointer that cut the deficit to a point, but Wilson and Traore hit back-to-back threes before Trevon Scott’s layup made it 117-108 with 42 seconds to go.

Up next

Wizards: Host Chicago on Tuesday and Thursday.

Nets: Host Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Recap: Wizards lose to Nets, 121-115

BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 5: Will Riley #27 of the Washington Wizards drives to the basket during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on April 5, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Washington Wizards lost to the Brooklyn Nets, 121-115 on Easter Sunday. This game was important for the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery! The Brooklyn Nets coming in a full game behind the Wizards in the standings, and if the Wizards managed not to lose, they would enlarge that gap to 2 full games!

Yes, the Wizards were standing at 17-60, and the Nets at 18-59.

Things started well for the Nets (and the Wizards’ Draft Lottery hopes) as the Nets stormed to a 35-24 lead at the end of the first quarter. Traore and Agbaji were hitting their threes, and on the other side the Wizards were kept in the game by their 6th man of the month, Will Riley, who would go on to score 15 points in 20 minutes of action in the first half alone.

Indeed, the second quarter shifted towards the Wizards, much thanks to Riley, and at halftime the scoreboard showed a close contest 59-54 in favor of the hosts in Brooklyn.

The Nets came strong out of the gates in the locker-room, pushing the lead quickly (within less than a minute) to double digits after two quick turnovers by the Wizards. Four quick buckets by the Wizards showed they are in this game, and the remainder of the third quarter remained close with several lead changes. Ultimately, the Nets took a one-point lead 85-84 heading into the final stanza.

The final quarter started with a couple quick buckets by Gil and Watkins, with Washington taking a small but quick lead 89-85. And, the contest remained close! The scoreboard showed 105-105, knotted up, with less than three minutes to go.

At that point the Nets made two quick buckets, by Powell and Traore (who is shaping up to be quite a player), but Leaky Black answered with a clutch three, 109-108 with 100 seconds to go. Traore then drew a couple defenders and sprayed out to Jalen Wilson who nailed a clutch three of his own from straight ahead, 112-108 in favor of the nets, with 92 seconds on the clock.

Timeout for the Wizards.

Whatever the ATO was, Will Riley turned the ball over in-bounding…. Jalen Wilson heat-check for a dagger three, missed, but after a rebound, Traore (who else) came up big with a three, 115-108 for the Nets, and the game was pretty much sealed.

Some stats to close: Anthony Gil played 40+ minutes. Black, Reese, and Watkins topped 42 minutes. Overall the Wizards were decent with 55 percent from the field and 36 from deep. But they missed a ton from the charity stripe (18-for-28). Will Riley led the Wizards in scoring with 28 in 35 minutes off the bench.

Traore led the Nets with 23 points including 5-for-11 from deep in 28 minutes. Nobody on the Nets actually played more than 29 minutes. Which makes sense.

The Wizards now return home where they will face the Chicago Bulls twice in the last stretch of the regular season.

Caroline Dubois beats Terri Harper on points and adds WBO to WBC lightweight title

  • London-born fighter wins easily on points

  • Harper was knocked down in sixth round

Caroline Dubois added the WBO world lightweight title to her WBC crown with a unanimous points victory over her fellow Briton Terri Harper. The London-born younger sister of heavyweight Daniel Dubois scored a 98-91, 97-92, 98-91 win to see off Harper at London Olympia on Sunday night.

Dubois struggled to get to her opponent initially, but floored her in the sixth round and never looked back as she moved a step closer to unifying the division.

Continue reading...

GameThread: Tigers vs. Cardinals, 7:20 p.m.

Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene (31) looks up after a pitch, during the Detroit Tigers Opening Day at Comerica Park in Detroit, Friday, April 3, 2026. The Tigers won 4-0 | Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit Tigers (4-4) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (4-4)

Time/Place: 7:20 p.m., Comerica Park
SB Nation Site: Viva El Birdos
Media: Peacock, NBC Sports, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Pitching Matchup: RHP Keider Montero (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Leahy (0-1, 7.20 ERA)

PlayerGIPK%BB%GB%ERAFIPfWAR
Montero (proj)3355.019.27.94.414.490.2
Leahy (2026)15.04.28.352.47.203.980.0

Lineups

CARDINALSTIGERS
JJ Wetherholt – 2BColt Keith – DH
Ivan Herrera – DHKevin McGonigle – 3B
Alec Burleson – 1BGleyber Torres – 2B
Jordan Walker – RFKerry Carpenter – RF
Nolan Gorman – 3BRiley Greene – LF
Thomas Saggese – SSDillon Dingler – C
Nathan Church – LFParker Meadows – CF
Pedro Pages – CSpencer Torkelson – 1B
Victor Scott – CFJavier Baez – SS

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Game Discussion for St. Louis Cardinals Sunday Night Game vs the Detroit Tigers

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MARCH 30: Kyle Leahy #62 of the St. Louis Cardinals delivers a pitch against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium on March 30, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The St. Louis Cardinals will try to salvage the final game of their series against the Detroit Tigers in a night contest. According to MLB.com, Kyle Leahy will start the game for St. Louis while it will be Keider Montero for Detroit. This will be Montero’s first start of the season while Kyle Leahy is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA. Game time at Comerica Park is 6:20pm central time. The broadcast of this game is being handled by NBC Sports Network/Peacock.

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Celtics beat Raptors 115-101 behind Tatum, Brown

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 26 points, Jayson Tatum had 23 points and 13 rebounds and the Boston Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 115-101 on Sunday.

Neemias Queta had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Payton Pritchard scored 17 points for the Celtics, who won their third straight to move closer to clinching second place in the Eastern Conference.

Ja’Kobe Walter led Toronto with 16 points, and Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett each had 15.

Celtics center Nikola Vucevic returned after missing a month following surgery for a broken right ring finger. He looked a bit rusty, scoring just four points in 13 minutes with four rebounds.

Coming off consecutive games of putting up at least 43 points in the opening quarter, the Celtics looked a bit sluggish and were cold from long range early, missing 13 of their initial 16 shots from 3-point range. The teams were tied at 26 after one.

Fighting for a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference to avoid the play-in tournament, the Raptors were outscored 35-24 in the final quarter that was filled with their turnovers and breakdowns defensively. Walter even missed all three free throw attempts on one trip to the line.

BUCKS 131, GRIZZLIES 115

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ryan Rollins scored 24 points and Milwaukee withstood a triple-double from Memphis’ Rayan Rupert to outlast the Grizzlies in an afternoon matchup of short-handed, lottery-bound teams.

Rupert established new career highs with 33 points and 10 assists, and he matched a career best with 10 rebounds. The 21-year-old Rupert entered Sunday averaging 4.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists.

Milwaukee snapped an eight-game skid in this series and beat the Grizzlies for the first time since a 126-114 decision on Jan. 19, 2022. The Bucks committed 20 turnovers but shot 60.2% overall and went 16 of 32 on 3-pointers.

The Grizzlies have lost four straight and 17 of their last 19.

Memphis had so many injury-related absences that it dressed four players on 10-day contracts (Dariq Whitehead, Toby Okani, Lucas Williamson, Adama Bal).

NETS 121, WIZARDS 115

NEW YORK (AP) — Nolan Traore hit five 3-pointers and finished with 23 points and seven assists, Jalen Wilson added 19 points and Brooklyn beat Washington.

The Wizards (17-61) have a two-game on the Nets (19-59) for the best lottery odds. Indiana is 18-58 entering Sunday’s game at Cleveland.

Washington has lost six in a row and 22 of its past 23. The Wizards had given up 305 combined points in back-to-back losses to Philadelphia ( 153-131 ) and Miami ( 152-136 ).

Brooklyn won for just the second time in its past 14 games.

Will Riley, who had a career-high 31 points Saturday against the Heat, scored 30, Jamir Watkins added 20 points, and Julian Reese had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Wizards. Anthony Gill also scored 17 points and Bub Carrington had 13 points.

E.J. Liddell and Josh Minott each scored 15 for Brooklyn. Drake Powell added 13 points and Ochai Agbaji scored 12.

SUNS 120, BULLS 110

CHICAGO (AP) — Devin Booker scored 30 points, Jalen Green added 25 and Phoenix ended the game on an 11-2 run to top Chicago.

Dillon Brooks scored 15, and the Suns shook off back-to-back losses at Orlando and Charlotte.

The Suns led by 13 late in the third quarter before the Bulls went on an 11-0 run. They were clinging to a 109-108 advantage with about three minutes remaining when Brooks hit a turnaround jumper to start the decisive run and added a 3-pointer.

The Bulls missed four shots on their next possession, including three straight at point-blank range by Leonard Miller, before Booker made a 3 to make 117-108 with 1:33 remaining.

Chicago’s Josh Giddey (strained left hamstring) and Matas Buzelis (illness) missed the game. And with their two best players out, the Bulls lost their seventh in a row.

Tre Jones scored 29 for Chicago. Collin Sexton had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Miller scored 17.

Game Recap: Suns let it get messy and still closed it out late, 120-110

In a very messy, stop‑and‑go kind of game that wasn’t exactly pleasant to watch, the Suns pulled out a 120–110 win against a courageous Chicago team. The matchup was defined by constant rhythm swings, sloppiness, and physical intensity. In short: a classic Sunday game at a European-friendly tipoff.

The night was highlighted by Booker and Green on the Suns’ side (54 points combined), and by Tre Jones (29 points) along with the Miller/Sexton duo (35 points and 20 rebounds between them) for the Chicago piece. Phoenix shot the ball relatively well (50% from the field, 40% from three), didn’t get crushed too badly on the boards (41 vs 46), and dominated in forcing turnovers: 18 turnovers created, 10 steals.

The win moves the Suns to 43-35 on the season.


Game Flow

First Half

Rough start, clearly. Tons of sloppiness on both sides: Chicago coughing up the ball, Phoenix stacking up short misses. It takes 2–3 minutes before Devin Booker finally gets the Suns on the board with a fadeaway. In the middle of this messy opening, Leonard Miller is already locked in: 8 points in 4 minutes, mixing it up perfectly (drive, corner three, transition).

First real turning point: as expected, the Bulls impose their presence on the glass and push the pace. Push it hard. As a result, Phoenix’s paint is under pressure, and offensive possessions become rushed and poorly constructed. After six minutes, Chicago is in control (12–19). Jordan Ott goes to his bench: Grayson Allen first, then Oso Ighodaro, Collin Gillespie, and Royce O’Neale.

End of the quarter is more encouraging for Phoenix. The defense ramps up, gets more aggressive, disrupts Chicago’s flow, and slows down transition, but at the cost of fouls. Offensively, though, it’s still very poor: little movement, lots of static situations, and points coming almost exclusively from individual creation. Despite that, the Suns manage to stay afloat and tie it up: 30–30 after one.

The main issue remains obvious: Chicago scores way too easily in transition. The Suns’ transition defense and overall floor balance are not good enough and need to be fixed quickly.

Start of the second quarter follows the same pattern: the Bulls keep hurting Phoenix in transition, and the Suns still struggle to match the pace. Offensively, it’s a bit cleaner, more fluid in stretches, but still heavily reliant on individual talent — mainly Jalen Green and Collin Gillespie. The point guard does a genuinely good job as a creator, repeatedly finding Oso Ighodaro on pick‑and‑rolls, helping Phoenix take the lead (39–38).

First real adjustment from the Suns: they play faster, but more importantly, they play smarter. Physical intensity rises, transition defense improves, and Chicago is gradually forced into half-court offense. Immediate result: bad decisions pile up for the Bulls, shots get tougher, and turnovers increase (already 10 with four minutes left in the half, shooting percentage dropping below 50%). Phoenix capitalizes and builds its first real gap (52–47).

But as has been the theme of this first half, the end of the quarter collapses into chaos again. Sloppy, choppy, poorly managed. Phoenix’s defense holds up, but the offense wastes possessions instantly: 5 turnovers in just a few minutes. Jordan Ott calls a timeout with 3 minutes left (54–49). Despite the messy stretch, the Suns limit the damage and head to the locker room up 63–56.

Worth noting: Grayson Allen already has 4 fouls, and Phoenix gave up way too many free throws (13 team fouls). On the bright side, they dominated the rebounding battle in the second quarter (15–6). Individually, Jalen Green is on fire: 18 first‑half points with a real impact on the offensive rhythm.

Second Half

Phoenix comes out of the locker room locked in. This time, they dictate the pace from the jump — and even outrun the Bulls. The offense is sharper, cleaner, and more decisive, and it shows immediately: +10. Billy Donovan has to burn a timeout quickly (69–59).

Phoenix stays in control afterward. The plan is clear and well executed: limit Chicago’s transition and force them to play in the halfcourt. And collectively, the Suns do a solid job. The Bulls remain dangerous whenever they can run, but overall, they’re contained. On the other end, Phoenix keeps producing and maintains a solid lead (82–69 with four minutes left in the quarter).

And then… another collapse. Again. The end of the quarter completely kills the momentum. Just when Phoenix seemed in control, the lead doesn’t grow — it evaporates. A 13–2 run allowed, with the offense going totally silent. No field goals in the last four minutes, only free throws. Instead of putting the game away, the Suns let Chicago right back in it.

86–84 heading into the fourth. Everything resets.

Start of the fourth is fairly balanced. Both teams score, but no real run emerges. The rhythm is constantly broken: fouls, turnovers, interference calls… the game never finds flow. Phoenix still holds a small edge (102–97) with seven minutes left.

Tension rises, but the Suns handle it reasonably well at first, especially physically. The tempo slows down — maybe too much. In trying to control the game, Phoenix lets Chicago hang around, giving up easy buckets both inside and from three. Jordan Ott calls a timeout with four minutes left (109–106), aware that the game could swing.

And then, individual talent takes over. Dillon Brooks, quiet until then, completely shifts the momentum: valuable connective play on offense, strong defensive impact, influence on both ends. At the same time, Devin Booker takes command in the clutch and punishes Chicago, pushing the lead to +9 with 1:30 left.

The Bulls fade on the final possessions, and Phoenix closes it out without trembling: 120–110.


Up Next

After this hard‑earned win, Phoenix will host the Rockets to kick off the final week of the regular season.

Dodgers rally from down five to complete sweep of Nationals

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 05: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at Nationals Park on April 5, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Dodgers began their road trip in a similar fashion as their first home series, with a comeback win to complete a three-game sweep. This time it came against the Washington Nationals as the Dodgers scored seven unanswered runs and erased a five-run deficit to win 8-6.

It took a two hour and 15 minute rain delay to pass before Roki Sasaki could make his second start of the season, and although he allowed a hit over his first two hitters he faced, he got through a scoreless first inning on just nine pitches. He notched another scoreless inning bottom of the second, striking out a pair of hitters while also working around a two-out walk to Jorbit Vivas.

The Dodgers managed to strike first for a second consecutive game as Shohei Ohtani crushed his second home run of the series 438 feet to dead center field against left-hander Foster Griffin to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Ohtani later picked up a double in the top of the fifth inning to give him his third consecutive multi-hit game against Washington.

The Dodger lead was short lived as Sasaki surrendered a two-out, two-strike home run to Luis García Jr., helping give Washington since the second inning of Friday’s contest. He was still pitching relatively efficiently with just 44 pitches over his first three innings, but his confidence and his faith in his stuff began to weaken in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Sasaki was working with a C.J. Abrams at second base with two outs when he induced a weak ground ball from Keibert Ruiz down the first base side, but the ball ricocheted off the first base bag well over the head of Freddie Freeman, allowing Abrams to score and make it a two-run Washington lead. José Tena kept the two-out rally going with a single to put two men on with two outs for the struggling James Wood. Wood got a splitter right down the middle from Sasaki, and deposited it into the center field bleachers to make it a 6-1 Nationals lead.

Sasaki was able to have a clean bottom of the fifth inning, facing the minimum in order while picking up a pair of strikeouts, but it was yet another roller coaster of a performance. Over five innings of work, he allowed six earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five, now carrying an unconvincing 7.00 ERA on the season.

Dalton Rushing was given his second straight start against a left-hander this season, and he cut the deficit in half with a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning.

The Dodgers bullpen continued to shine in relief of Sasaki, as both Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer posted scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh innings respectively and continue to post spotless earned run averages.

The Nationals kept rolling with southpaws throughout the first seven innings, as PJ Poulin completed two innings of work despite being responsible for the Rushing home run. Left-hander Cionel Pérez took over for Washington in the top of the eighth, and he immediately put the Nationals lead in jeopardy by allowing a single to Freddie Freeman and a double to Andy Pages to put two men in scoring position with nobody out. The former National Alex Call worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases and Santiago Espinal had his first big moment as a Dodger with a two-run single to center field, trimming the deficit to one.

Will Smith came in as a pinch-hitter for Dalton Rushing, even though Rushing had gone deep against a left-hander in his previous at-bat, and Smith kept the line moving with a walk to once again load the bases with nobody out. As the Nationals brought in former Dodgers prospect Clayton Beeter, the Dodgers countered with Kyle Tucker as a pinch-hitter for Alex Freeland, and Tucker brought home the tying run by reaching on a fielder’s choice. Shohei Ohtani gave the Dodgers their first lead since the third with a sacrifice fly to make it a 7-6 game.

The Dodgers added some insurance in the top of the the ninth inning as Teoscar Hernández took Beeter deep to left-center field for his first home run of the season, giving the Dodgers a two-run lead.

Tanner Scott kept up the impressive work from the bullpen and Edwin Díaz recorded his first save on the road as the Dodgers remain undefeated away from Dodger Stadium.

Game particulars
  • Home runs— Shohei Ohtani (2), Dalton Rushing (1), Teoscar Hernández (1); Luis García Jr. (1), James Wood (2)
  • WP— Jack Dreyer (1-0): 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
  • LP— Cionel Pérez (0-1): 0 IP, 3 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts
  • SV— Edwin Díaz (3): 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout
Up Next

The Dodgers fly north of the border as they prepare for a rematch of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays beginning Monday at Rogers Centre (4:07 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Justin Wrobleski makes his first start of the season, going up against Max Scherzer.

Nolan Traore scores 23 points, Jalen Wilson adds 19 and Nets beat Wizards 121-115

NEW YORK (AP) — Nolan Traore hit five 3-pointers and finished with 23 points and seven assists, Jalen Wilson added 19 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Washington Wizards 121-115 on Sunday.

The Wizards (17-61) have a two-game on the Nets (19-59) for the best lottery odds. Indiana is 18-58 entering Sunday's game at Cleveland.

Washington has lost six in a row and 22 of its past 23. The Wizards had given up 305 combined points in back-to-back losses to Philadelphia ( 153-131 ) and Miami ( 152-136 ).

Brooklyn won for just the second time in its past 14 games.

Will Riley, who had a career-high 31 points Saturday against the Heat, scored 30, Jamir Watkins added 20 points, and Julian Reese had 17 points and 16 rebounds for the Wizards. Anthony Gill also scored 17 points and Bub Carrington had 13 points.

E.J. Liddell and Josh Minott each scored 15 for Brooklyn. Drake Powell added 13 points and Ochai Agbaji scored 12.

Watkins hit a 3-pointer that gave the Wizards a four-point lead with 3:50 left in the game. The Nets answered with an 8-0 run that culminated when Traore made layup that made it 109-105 with two minutes remaining and Brooklyn led the rest of the way.

Leaky Black responded with a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to a point, but Wilson and Traore hit back-to-back 3s before Trevon Scott's layup made it 117-108 with 42 seconds to go.

Up next

Wizards: Host Chicago on Tuesday and Thursday.

Nets: Host Milwaukee on Tuesday.

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

Islanders Guaranteed To Be Outside Playoff Picture When They Face Toronto Maple Leafs On Thursday

On Sunday morning, the New York Islanders (89 points) fired Patrick Roy despite holding onto the third seed in the Metropolitan Division.

BREAKING: Islanders Fire Head Coach Patrick Roy, Hire  Peter DoBoer With Four Games To GoBREAKING: Islanders Fire Head Coach Patrick Roy, Hire Peter DoBoer With Four Games To GoRoy is out. DeBoer comes in with four games to go.

But by Sunday afternoon, Pete DeBoer's new squad lost its spot to the Philadelphia Flyers (89 points, one game in hand), who beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 in overtime. That moved the Islanders to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

That result also guaranteed that the Islanders will be on the outside looking in when they return to play on Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

The Ottawa Senators (90 points) beat the Hurricanes, so the Islanders are now a point out of a wild-card spot.

We will see just how far out of a playoff spot the Islanders are when Toronto comes to town for a 7 PM showdown on Thursday.