Briton overcame crippling self-doubt to become F1 world champion and is determined not to relinquish his crown
Lando Norris recalls being rendered speechless with joy when he was given his first contract with McLaren. Sitting in the cramped office of a paddock truck, the confirmation that he had made it to Formula One left him “very smiley for a long time”. Seven years on, he enters the new season having achieved his lifelong ambition of becoming world champion and is wearing an equally irrepressible grin as he sets about defending his title.
Claiming the championship after a monumental season-long tussle that went to a thrilling three-way fight at the finale in Abu Dhabi was the defining moment of the 26-year-old’s career and perhaps something of a turning point.
It’s been a breath of fresh air in Phillies camp. For the first time in several years, the big-league club is shaping up to include some youthful faces when late March rolls around.
Andrew Painter is expected to break camp as the fifth starter. Justin Crawford is slated to be the everyday center fielder. And the Phillies’ top prospect, Aidan Miller, could reach the bigs in 2026, but is dealing with lower back soreness, with no timetable for his return.
While all eyes are on the headliners, there are other names worth tracking as the Grapefruit League rolls on.
Dante Nori, OF
The Phillies’ first-round pick in 2024 hasn’t generated much buzz yet, but his tools are hard to ignore. For a 5-foot-9 frame, Nori carries a stout, physical build — FanGraphs has drawn comparisons to Milwaukee’s Sal Frelick — and he has elite speed, swiping 52 bases in 2025. His .733 OPS last season at Single-A Clearwater wasn’t eye-catching, but his plate discipline stands out. He posted a 19.3 percent swing-and-miss rate at A-ball per Prospect Savant, and across 537 professional at-bats, he has drawn 91 walks against just 99 strikeouts.
The 20-year-old finished the year at Double-A, tore up the Arizona Fall League and will represent Italy in the World Baseball Classic. He’s not a power threat, but if he stays gap-to-gap and builds on his contact approach, the havoc he can cause at the top of a lineup is there. Nori scorched a double Thursday for his first extra-base hit of the spring.
Keaton Anthony, INF
Anthony has been a hit-machine in the minors, and he’s done it using the entire field. Last season between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, 40.2 percent of his batted balls went the other way. He posted a .402 batting average on balls in play, making him one of just 16 qualifiers out of 1,079 batters (minimum of 300 plate appearances) to eclipse that mark.
The undrafted Indiana native — a similar overlooked path to Otto Kemp — has slashed .324/.402/.467 across 738 career at-bats. He’s not a power hitter by trade, with just 16 professional home runs, but he tallied 31 doubles in 82 games in 2025, which suggests the raw power is there. His chase rate will be something to monitor as he enters his fourth year in the organization and faces more advanced pitching.
Felix Reyes, 1B/OF
Like Anthony, all Reyes did last season was hit. The 6-foot-4 corner bat slashed .331 in 2025, a jump of nearly 100 points from the year prior, with his slugging climbing 200 points. He struck out just 66 times on the year, making him one of six hitters in all of minor league baseball to post a sub-16 percent strikeout rate, a .300-plus average and a .900-plus OPS with a minimum of 400 plate appearances.
The Eastern League batting champion isn’t ‘athletic’, and the Phillies have already begun giving him consistent reps at first base. If he keeps hitting for average and slugging at this clip, Philadelphia will face a decision — whether that’s using him as trade bait or finding a way to get his bat into the lineup in a corner outfield spot.
Dylan Campbell, OF
Campbell’s name surfaced last offseason when the Phillies sent international pool money to the Dodgers in exchange for the outfielder, helping Los Angeles fund the Roki Sasaki signing. A fourth-round pick out of Texas in 2023, his offensive numbers haven’t stood out yet, but his athleticism and baserunning have. He’s posted back-to-back 30-steal seasons.
Strikeouts have been a concern — consecutive 110-strikeout campaigns — but there are reasons for optimism. He’s put together 32-plus extra-base hits and 50-plus walks in each of those seasons, and a swing adjustment carried into the Arizona Fall League with strong results. He blasted four home runs, half his hits went for extra bases, and he posted a team-leading 1.044 OPS. He also appeared at five positions in the Fall League which gives him real utility value on a big-league roster down the line.
Jean Cabrera, RHP
With the Phillies still searching for starting pitching depth, Cabrera will have his share of opportunities this spring. The 6-foot-4 right-hander threw a career-high 137 innings at Double-A Reading in 2025, posting a 3.81 ERA across 26 starts. Command was a concern — his walk rate climbed to 4.0 per nine after consecutive seasons under three — but the underlying stuff is intriguing.
His fastball sits in the mid-90s and touches 97. If the command issues were simply an adjustment to Double-A competition, a strong spring could put him in a position to be called on if the Phillies need a rotation arm. He threw two clean scoreless innings in his first spring start on Friday.
Alex McFarlane, RHP
The Phillies thought enough of McFarlane to protect him from the Rule 5 draft by adding him to the 40-man roster alongside Gabriel Rincones Jr. (injured this spring). The University of Miami product returned from Tommy John surgery last season, moved to the bullpen and touched 101 mph.
He leaned almost exclusively on his fastball-slider combination, using those two pitches 92 percent of the time per FanGraphs, with his splitter sprinkled in at just 8 percent. His starter’s background gives him some versatility, but the Phillies are focused on letting him hone his command in a full-time relief role at Double-A to begin the year.
Seth Johnson, RHP
Acquired from Baltimore in 2024 in exchange for Gregory Soto, Johnson got his first taste of the big leagues shortly after the trade. Last season, he made ten appearances out of the Phillies’ bullpen, striking out 17 and walking just four across 12 2/3 innings. The 27-year-old former first-round pick by Tampa Bay has a high-90s fastball that touches triple digits as part of a four-pitch mix.
A career starter who transitioned to full-time relief at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, his WHIP climbed to a career-high 1.53, making command the priority this spring. He’ll likely begin the year back at Lehigh Valley, but with improved control, an elevation at some point in 2026 wouldn’t be a surprise. Johnson has already made three appearances this spring, and his velocity is already where it needs to be.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
The Phillies will take on the Blue Jays at BayCare Ballpark on March 21 for the third annual Spring Breakout game, where clubs across baseball will feature their top prospects against one another. Expect some of the names to make an impact.
In his second year leading the program, May and the No. 3-ranked Wolverines clinched the Big Ten Conference regular season title with a dominant 84-70 win over No. 11 Illinois on Friday, Feb. 27, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.
May has helped lead Michigan's transformation from an 8-24 campaign in the 2023-24 season to a potential No. 1 seed and the regular-season conference title with an impressive 27-2 record in 2025-26.
May, of course, wasn't with Michigan during the 2023-24 season: He was coaching Florida Atlantic to the Final Four as a major Cinderella. The run with the Owls had every program with an opening trying to court May. However, the choice of Michigan came down to a family decision.
"Anna, my wife, is a major, major influence and probably more of an influence on my decision-making than I," May said of his decision to pick Michigan over other programs with interest. "I'm a pretty simple man. Give me a ball, a gym and some dudes that want to work, and I am happy with Michigan."
May pointed to Michigan as a place where he would want his sons to attend college, which factored into his decision — rather than seeking a team that could win a championship right away.
Talk about having the best of both worlds: With the win over Illinois, the Wolverines clinched their first Big Ten regular-season title since 2021. Now, they are locked into a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and are likely a lock for the same in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
"The first time we saw the team together, we felt like this was the most talented team that our staff collectively had ever been around," May said. "And some of us have been high majors, mid majors, low majors. ... We felt this team had the highest upside or most potential of any group."
Michigan showed promise in May's first year in 2024-25, finishing the season 27-10 with a loss to Auburn in the Sweet 16. The 14-6 record in conference play tied Maryland for second in the Big Ten, a sign the Wolverines were heading in the right direction.
May then went to the transfer portal to add UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg, North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau, Illinois forward Morez Johnson Jr. — who had 19 points and 11 rebounds against his former team on Feb. 27 — and UCLA center Aday Mara, putting together a Big Ten championship-caliber roster.
"We want to win a Big Ten regular season championship every year," May said. "... Did we envision this? What's our record, 17-1 (in Big Ten play)? Absolutely not. Because I have that much respect for the teams, coaches and talent in this league."
Elite Michigan defense beats an elite Illinois offense
According to KenPom rankings, Illinois entered Feb. 27 as the No. 1 team in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency. Meanwhile, Michigan entered with the No. 2 defense, trailing only No. 1 Duke.
The adage that defense wins championships won the day for the Wolverines.
"That's why they are so good," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said of Michigan taking away any potential mismatches Illinois has used against other opponents this season.
"They're as good a basketball team as I've seen in my nine years in this league," Underwood added.
Illinois' adjusted offensive efficiency (or points per 100 possessions) sat at 132.4 entering play on Friday. The Fighting Illini entered averaging 85.1 points per game, which ranked 22nd in the nation. They also tied for sixth in 3-point baskets made per game.
However, the Wolverines' defense limited Illinois to 70 points — its lowest total in a loss since Nov. 28 vs. UConn — 41.3% shooting from the field and 9-of-29 shooting from 3-point range.
"They're really good at punishing a matchup," May said of the Illinois offense. "Because of our lineup versatility, I don't think they did it as well as they usually do."
While Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler finished with a game-high 23 points, including 17 points in the second half, he shot just 7-for-17 from the field and had four turnovers. Lendeborg took the responsibility of not only guarding Wagler, but also guarding him for the full 94-feet, putting pressure on him as soon as he received the inbounds pass.
"Yax was up to the challenge," May said. "He loves guarding point guards. And then when he switches, you have a big body that played (center) in the American Conference, and played it pretty well. So it's not as easy to get the matchup advantages they are hunting against our team, because we can change what we do."
Veteran leftovers carry team to new era
Nimari Burnett, Will Tschetter and Harrison Hochberg are three members of the Wolverines who were around for the 2023-24 team that finished 3-17 in conference play, good for dead last in the Big Ten standings.
However, each of them has stuck around with the program, with Burnett starting all 29 games this season and Tschetter appearing in all 29 games. Instead of showing them the door when he took over the program, May instead kept the three to build the culture in Ann Arbor for the team that won the conference this season.
"We kept those guys because we believe in who they are as people, first and foremost," May said. "That was a tough season for Michigan basketball. There were a handful of guys we couldn't recruit for various reasons and then there were a handful we thought might fit our culture as far as work ethic.
"Nimari and Will were both guys who dove in from Day 1, and they wanted Michigan to be back in this position. It was that simple."
Will Jesske doubles at Auburn | Nebraska Athletics
This wasn’t a matchup we hadever seen before, Auburn vs Nebraska on the diamond. In fact, going to any SEC team for a weekend series isn’t something we see very often at all. But the way the NCAA Tournament Committee has been rewarding teams that have a tough non-conference schedule, it will probably become a more common sight. And with how good of a game we saw tonight, it would be a welcome one.
For the first time this season, the game had a true Friday night feeling as the teams rolled out top flight starters to begin a series. Nebraska with Ty Horn and Auburn with Virginia Tech transfer Jake Marciano, and they were dueling early on. They combined to strike out 7 batters in the first two innings.
Auburn was the first to strike in the 3rd inning. Mason McCraine singled through the right side of the infield, and stole second base. His brother, Brandon hit a choppy grounder to Husker third baseman Josh Overbeek who was unable to come up with it. A sac fly brought 1 run home. Then Horn slipped covering a bunt, potentially another out awarded to the Tigers. a 3-2 count walk, loaded the bases for Auburn, and back to back singles made it 4-0. In the middle of all that, Horn and Worthley also got crossed up on the pitch call, despite wearing the communication devices. Just a bad half inning all around.
The Huskers would respond in the next half inning. Case Sanderson singled to lead off. Overbeek and Dylan Carey both stuck out on 3-2 pitches, including Sandy, that was 3 batters in a row that got to a full count. DH Cole Kitchens had no interest in working a full count, driving his first pitch off the War Eagle Wall (Auburn’s version of Fenway’s Green Monster) for an RBI double. Nebraska left fielder Will Jesske hammered a ball (on a full count!) to the nearly the same spot, trading places with Kitchens and cutting the lead to 4-2.
Jesske has had a lot of pop in his bat to start the season, the only issue is he has played at some of the biggest and strangest laid out outfield fences you can find. Had Nebraska played all their games in places like Haymarket Park, Jesske could very well be leading the nation in home runs. Could that be foreshadowing?!
Auburn added a run back in the 4th, ending Horn’s day at 3.2 innings pitched, with 4 earned runs allowed, on 5 strikeouts and 2 walks. Things went sideways quick on him, for the first time in quite a few outings, as he was clutch down the stretch for Nebraska last year and had been off to a good start to 2026.
Marciano was able to make it only through 5 himself, as the Huskers were able to work him deep into counts often, and he chased the strikeouts, all 9 of them, but allowed zero walks. Nebraska would strike out 18 times in the 10 inning game, but despite the numerous deep counts, end up with zero walks. That shows you how ready you have to be in the batters box, but also how predictable the pitches can be when they get to a count with 3 balls.
The bullpens led by Cooper Katskee for the Huskers and Jett Johnston for the Tigers took over, tossing up zeros until Nebraska broke through in the 8th. Mac Moyer reached on an error, Case Sanderson ripped a single into center field, and Overbeek loaded the bases by taking a ball to the elbow.
The exact man Coach Will Bolt and Husker fans everywhere would want up for the situation strode to the plate, in Dylan Carey. Despite being 0-3 on the night, Carey worked it to a 3-2 count, and as stated above, got a predicable strike right over the middle of the plate and smashed the 51st double of his career to the War Eagle Wall. Two pitches later Cole Kitchens tied the game with a double into the right field corner. Overbeek scored on thr play, and Dylan Carey may have been able to score the go ahead run, but went back to tag up as the fielder seemed to get close to catching it on the fly from his perspective.
J’Shawn Unger took over on the mound in the 8th for NU, and despite a rocky inning with a walk, wild pitch, and unintentional/intentional walk, Unger was able to come up with a big strikeout to hold the tigers off the board.
After the Auburn closer struck out the side, Unger need only 7 pitches to retire the Tigers and send the game to extra innings.
The 10th started with a bang, as Sanderson collected his team leading 3rd hit of the night, a double into the left field corner. Overbeek hit a ball to the right side to move Sandy over to third and bring up that man again, Dylan Carey. Carey continued his hot streak, hitting a single to left and claiming his 3rd RBI of the night and team leading 15th RBI on the season in only 8 games. Devin Nunez added a base hit putting runners on 1st and 2nd for Jesske. This time Jesske conquered the War Eagle Wall, blasting his 3rd home run of the season and increasing his RBI total on the day to 4, putting his team up 9-5.
Nebraska would need every single one of those runs as they have struggled at the closer position to start the season. Kevin Mannell would be passed over, as the team tried other options. Unger gave up a 1 out single. The runner advanced to 2nd without a throw, then came around to score on a single. Caleb Clark came in to face a left handed batter and surrendered a 3-2 walk. Freshman Jace Ziola replaced Clark and gave up an 0-2 RBI single. A passed ball and 4 pitch walk loaded the bases.
Nebraska then turned to Pryce Bender, who was able to induce a ground ball which Carey snagged at short despite the runner and Overbeek both flashing in front of him. A run did score on the play, cutting the Husker lead down to 9-8. The best hitter for Auburn stepped to the plate with the tying run on 3rd and winning run on 2nd. Bender was able to get him to pop up on his first pitch and secure the win for Unger and a save for himself, albeit in nail-biting fashion.
This was the first Nebraska regular season win at an SEC field since 2014, and their 2nd win over a ranked team in a row. They did it by continually putting pressure on the Auburn pitchers, getting 6 lead off hitters on out of 10. Number of pitches is a big thing, but number of pitches under pressure is just an extra bit of stress on an arm. Nebraska is going to have to cut down on the strikeout numbers on offense if they want to win this series. They should go down a bit, as Auburn did use both of their closers and their top strikeout starter, but the rest of the staff is just as stingy on handing out walks, so get ready!
The Huskers go for the series win Saturday at 2pm CT.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Chris Kreider beat Connor Hellebuyck off a rebound at 4:47 of overtime to give the Anaheim Ducks a 5-4 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.
Beckett Sennecke kept the puck and shot on a two-on-one break, with Kreider backhanding the loose puck in at the side of the net.
After Leo Carlsson, Pavel Mintyukov and Ryan Poehling scored third-period goals to give Anaheim a 4-3 lead, Winnipeg's Kyle Connor tied it with 1:22 left and Hellebuyck off for an extra attacker.
Hellebuyck made 35 saves in his first game since backstopping the United States to Olympic gold.
Jacob Trouba also scored for Anaheim, Sennecke had three assists and Lukas Dostal made 29 saves. The Ducks have won seven in a row at home and 11 of 13 overall.
Anaheim won two nights after returning from the break to beat Edmonton at home for coach Joel Quenneville’s 1,000th NHL victory. The Ducks have five games left on a nine-game homestand.
Winnipeg rookie defenseman Elias Salomonsson had his first NHL goal and Alex Iafallo and Gabriel Vilardi also scored. Well back in the race for a playoff spot, Winnipeg has a game left on three-game trip before an eight-game homestand.
SEATTLE (AP) — Emma Maltais scored a go-ahead goal early in the third period, and Sara Hjalmarsson and Kali Flanagan added empty netters in the final two minutes to give the Toronto Sceptres a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Torrent on Friday night.
Toronto (5-1-3-8) had gone winless in four straight road games. The Sceptres were also held scoreless in their last two games before the Olympic break.
Four different players scored their first goal of the season.
Jesse Compher scored 28 seconds into the game for Toronto off a nice back pass from Daryl Watts, who led Canada in her Olympic debut with eight points on two goals and six assists.
Renata Fast gave Toronto a 2-1 lead on her first goal of the season 4:25 into the second period with a shot from a sharp angle that bounced off the stick of goaltender Hannah Murphy.
Maltais scored her third goal after getting past the defense for a two-on-one opportunity.
Both goals for Seattle (4-1-2-8) came in the final 80 seconds of the first and second periods. Aneta Tejralová had a one-timer to tie it at 1-all with 11.2 seconds left in the first and Natalie Snodgrass sent in a rebound off of Alex Carpenter's breakaway shot with 1:12 left in the second.
Seattle, which was without Hilary Knight due to a lower-body injury suffered at the Olympics, announced it was the first sellout in franchise history with 17,335 fans.
DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 27: Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives to the basket during the game against the Detroit Pistons on February 27, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 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 Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
DETROIT — The Cleveland Cavaliers had numerous chances to win Friday’s game against the Detroit Pistons, even though they were without four rotation players, including James Harden (finger) and Donovan Mitchell (groin). They couldn’t make the one play they needed to seal the victory. As a result, they fell 122-119 in overtime.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson believes in luck. He was asked before the game if his team was cursed given their latest rash of injuries.
He laughed the question off, but then proceeded to provide the perfect table setter for one of the wildest games of the season.
“I believe in luck,” Atkinson said before the game. “I think luck plays more into this whole thing in sports. I know in America, we don’t like to talk about luck, like you earn it, you win it. That was a good thing about being overseas for so long. I was shocked when I first went out there, especially in Spain, they talked about luck so much. … When you read the sports papers, it was part of the way they talked. … Here, we want right and wrong and clear yes and no. That’s kind of how our mentality is. So I definitely think luck plays a lot into this.”
The Cavs lost this game, so we’re programmed to see things in the worst possible light. Instead of viewing the areas that the Cavs did right, we automatically look at what didn’t go their way, and there’s a long list of those things.
Poor rebounding, inability to create offense late, turnovers, and blowing multiple chances to defeat the top team in the conference are a few that come to mind. All of these are problems that could be explored deeper, considering they’re things that could be an issue in a possible playoff series.
However, if a few calls go slightly differently, we’re likely looking at all the things that went right, such as Jarrett Allen’s dominance, Evan Mobley’s resurgence, and the role players stepping up.
This is a results-based business, but sometimes, the results come down to things far outside of the player’s control.
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Cleveland should’ve won this game.
They were up six with two minutes left when MVP candidate Cade Cunningham fouled out of this game. That should’ve been the final nail in the coffin, but the Cavs failed to execute from there.
In the final two minutes, they turned it over in the backcourt, allowed baskets on Detroit’s final eight possessions in regulation, Evan Mobley missed a free throw with seven seconds left that would’ve made it a two-possession game, and they didn’t properly commit a foul on the floor while up three, which led to the game-tying free throws.
It was a litany of errors from a team that has blown more than a few important games in this embarrassing way in the past.
“That was our game to take,” Jaylon Tyson said. “We were definitely there. We should have won that game. Yeah, we should have won that game.”
Overtime presented its own issues.
The Cavs struggled to generate offense after Allen fouled out, but they still had chances to win. They were on the wrong side of a few calls (and weren’t afraid to make that known in the locker room afterward), including what could’ve been easily called a shooting foul on a potential game-tying Sam Merrill three-point attempt.
Even so, they kept fighting, forced a jump ball when providing defensive pressure in the backcourt, and created what would’ve been a game-tying three-point attempt for Mobley that didn’t go.
“There’s no moral victories,” Atkinson said. “This was a big game. We had chances. … The execution, turnovers, you know, we’re just kind of kicking ourselves.”
Still, there are things that the Cavs should feel encouraged about if they happen to play the Pistons in the postseason, the most important being Allen’s continued dominant play.
Allen once again couldn’t be stopped, scoring 25 points on 10-12 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, four assists, and a block.
“Jalen Duran is one of the toughest, strongest guys in the league,” Atkinson said. “He went toe to toe with him. And I just love [it]. … We just got to keep him there. You know, it’s our job as coaches to keep him in this great, great space. But I loved his energy tonight.”
It’s easier to keep Allen in check when he doesn’t have the benefit of playing alongside dynamic guards like Mitchell and Harden. This allowed the Pistons to crash inside anytime he rolled to the basket, which made it difficult for them to get him the ball.
But if Allen got his hands on the ball, he was able to make them pay as he converted nine of his 10 shots in the paint. He spent stretches of this game being the best player on the court, which is incredibly impressive considering the talent on the other team.
Detroit also didn’t have an answer for Mobley.
He did more of his damage outside, going 4-8 from three. But they also couldn’t handle Mobley inside as he went 5-6 in the restricted area.
“He’s starting to catch a groove, I can see it,” Atkinson said. “Just seems like when he comes back from injury, it just takes him a little bit to get going. So that might be the most positive thing about this, about this game tonight.”
The Cavs are on the Pistons level, even though they couldn’t get the result on Friday, and rightfully so. They routed the New York Knicks on Tuesday and went toe-to-toe on the road with the conference leaders despite being severly short handed. They should feel that way.
“I feel like we’re one of the top teams,” Mobley said. “They’ve got to face us, honestly. We’re playing pretty good basketball, and we’re going to continue to play good basketball. Just got to play our best basketball in April, May, and June. That’s our goal right now. We’re going to learn from this game and just keep stacking wins and get ready for the playoffs.”
Right now, the Cavaliers are unlucky. Injuries are happening at all the wrong times. And on top of it, they weren’t rewarded with a win despite playing well enough to get one.
Yes, they should’ve closed it out, but they were also on the wrong end of more than a few calls that went against them. If the referees called the foul on the floor on the Dannis Jenkins “shot attempt” as they should’ve, this game ends differently. The same could be said about several other calls.
However, the end result in a game like this isn’t the only thing that matters. This team is putting the pieces together at the right time. And if they ever get healthy, they will be a problem in the playoffs.
And that’s true, even though luck wasn’t on their side on Friday.
“Learn from our mistakes right now and just keep ramping up, staying focused,” Mobley said. “Game in and game out, just being locked in, knowing what our game plan is and figuring that out. Getting comfortable with the new guys. But I feel like we’re getting there pretty quickly and we’re on a good trajectory right now.”
The NBA got a little spicy in the Thunder’s 127-121 win over the Nuggets on Friday night in Oklahoma City.
The two teams got into a heated scrum in the fourth quarter after it appeared Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort tripped Denver star Nikola Jokic, leading to a heated scene at center court with both teams pushing and shoving.
Things all started after Jared McCain hit a two-point bucket for OKC, and on the ensuing inbound, Dort appeared to make an intentional step — almost like a hip check — into Jokic as he made his way back up the court.
Lu Dort was ejected after appearing to trip Nikola Jokic on this play.
Nikola Jokic was not happy with Lu Dort after the trip. ESPN/XThe Nuggets and Thunder got into it on Friday night. ESPN/X
Jokic immediately fell and tumbled onto the floor at Paycom Center. But that’s only where the fun began.
Dort was called for a foul, and he didn’t appear to agree with it, and as Jokic got back to his feet, he immediately got in his opponent’s face, eyes wide as he was incensed over what had just taken place, bumping Dort’s chest before anyone could step in.
The teams converged but officials eventually calmed things down before things could really escalate.
After reviewing the play, Dort was assessed a flagrant 2, meaning he was ejected from the game.
Jokic and the Thunder’s Jaylin Williams also received technicals in the bizarre scene in Oklahoma City.
Dort finished his night with eight points and six rebounds.
The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder are among two of the top teams in the Western Conference this season. That was on display as the two teams played in a tightly contested game that went into overtime at the Paycom Center on Friday, Feb. 27.
Tensions were running high during the game between the two championship contenders.
Luguentz Dort was ejected following a Flagrant 2 foul after it was considered unnecessary and excessive by the officials.
Dort tripped Nuggets star Nikola Jokic while the Thunder had a 90-88 lead with 8:03 left in the fourth quarter.
Lu Dort was ejected after appearing to trip Nikola Jokic on this play.
Jokic was upset and immediately approached Dort. Jokic and Jaylin Williams received technical fouls for pushing and shoving one another following the initial tripping incident. The fouls offset.
Dort scored eight points and six rebounds in 28 minutes of play before the ejection. Even with Dort ejected and reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sitting out the overtime period, Oklahoma City prevailed, 127-121.
DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 27: Naji Marshall #13 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on February 27, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. 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 Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Peoria, AZ - February 22: Sean Boyle #96 of the San Diego Padres throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game on February 22, 2026 in Peoria, AZ. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
For the third time in the last four games, a San Diego Padres Spring Training game was decided by one run. Unfortunately for the Padres, it was the Colorado Rockies who were at the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning and it was Zac Veen who hit a one-out solo home run to center field just to the right of the batters eye to give the Rockies a 3-2 walk-off win at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Friday.
San Diego took the lead early in the game when Manny Machado collected his seventh RBI in to games with a bases loaded sacrifice fly to right-center field to give the Padres a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. San Diego scored its second run of the game in the top of the eighth inning when Samad Taylor hit a two-out a single through the left side of the infield that scored Tirso Ornelas to tie the game, 2-2.
Veen connected on his game-winning home run when Padres reliever Sean Boyle left an 89.1 mph fastball out over the plate on a 1-0 count. Veen took his trip around the bases much to the delight of his teammates and the home field crowd and Boyle and his teammates walked off the field and made their return to Peoria, Ariz.
Jake Cronenworth, Ramon Laureano and Sung-Mun Song were the only San Diego starters to record a hit against Colorado pitching. Taylor had the only other hit for the Padres in the game with his eight-inning RBI-single.
Randy Vasquez started on the mound for San Diego and turned in another solid outing. He finished 2.2 innings and did not allow a hit. Vasquez did issue to walks, but he also recorded four strikeouts.
The Padres return to the Peoria Sports Complex to take on the Seattle Mariners on Saturday at 12:10 p.m. San Diego opened Cactus League play against Seattle on Feb. 20 last time the teams met, and the Padres took a 7-4 loss.
Luis Gil prepares to throw a pitch during the Yankees' Feb. 27 Grapefruit League game.
Observations from Yankees’ spring training Friday:
Bombs away
The Yankees crushed five home runs in a blowout of the Twins, with Jasson Domínguez, J.C. Escarra, Spencer Jones, Paul DeJong and Duke Ellis all going deep.
Challenging
The Yankees ran out of ABS challenges by the bottom of the first inning after right fielder Yanquiel Fernandez and Luis Gil were both wrong in trying to get calls overturned.
Luis Gil delivers a pitch during the Yankees’ 17-5 blowout over the Twins in a Feb. 27, 2026 Grapefruit League game. Imagn Images
Gil later tried to challenge a ball in the second inning (that looked like a strike), but did not have one to use.
Caught my eye
Escarra launched his first homer of the spring off righty Cole Sands, a 413-footer that came off the bat at 109.6 mph — the hardest-hit ball of his career, according to Statcast.
“That means I’m eating well,” Escarra joked.
Saturday’s schedule
Paul Blackburn, who pitched in a piggyback role in his first appearance, will start against the Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon at Steinbrenner Field, the last game for all of the Yankees’ WBC participants.
DALLAS, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 27: GG Jackson #45 of the Memphis Grizzlies drives to the basket against Daniel Gafford #21 of the Dallas Mavericks during the first quarter at American Airlines Center on February 27, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. 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 Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Commentary on the alleged basketball game that transpired on Friday between the Dallas Mavericks (21-38) and the Memphis Grizzlies (22-36) is not worth the bits and bytes it took to make the web page you’re reading appear on your screen. You would have sworn you were watching an NBA Summer League game if it weren’t for the calendars hanging from your wall, letting you know it is, indeed, still February.
Nobody wanted to win this game — least of all the Mavericks, who outlasted the Grizzlies for the 124-105 loss at American Airlines Center. The dozens of fans in attendance were serenaded by a symphony of ineptitude on both ends of the floor. This was tanking in its purest form.
Cam Spencer led eight Grizzlies’ scorers who reached double figures, with 25 points on 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range in the win. Brandon Williams led the Mavericks with 16 points and eight rebounds in the loss. Here are, mercifully, just three quick stats from the game that was and should not have been.
6:02: Mavericks’ first-quarter stretch between field goals
Dallas put lineups on the floor against the Grizzlies that were unfit to compete against professional basketball players. It resulted in an early stretch of 6:02 of game time between made field goals for the Mavericks. Khris Middleton sank a long two-point jumper with 8:44 left in the first, and Dallas went 0-for-11 from there. A.J. Johnson finally ended the drought with 2:42 left in the opener on a driving finger roll through the lane for his second bucket of the game to bring the Mavs to within 22-14.
Dallas trailed 34-20 at the end of one, shooting just 25% from the field and turning the ball over five times. They had been on a better run to start games recently, averaging 54% shooting from the field in their last three games.
16/10: Olivier-Maxence Prosper’s revenge-game stat line
Further proof that we now reside in the Upside Down, Olivier-Maxence Prosper started for Memphis against his former team on Friday, his fifth start of the season with the Grizzlies. Prosper finished with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting against the Mavs, a huge step up in development from when Mavs fans last saw him play.
He has now scored 13 or more points in six of his last eight games. It’s hard to tell how much of that development means anything at all in the day-to-day reality of the NBA, as it’s all come during NBA Silly Season, but feel free to put a feather in your cap if you always thought he’d be something one day.
36-15: Memphis’ points off turnovers advantage
Dallas turned the ball over 21 times in the loss to Memphis, one night after turning the ball over 18 times in a 130-121 loss to the worst team in the NBA, the Sacramento Kings. The Grizzlies scored 36 points off those 21 Mavericks’ turnovers, all in the first three quarters, as they took their foot off the gas down the stretch in the fourth.
Max Christie and Naji Marshall combined to account for eight of the Mavs’ 21 turnovers on the second night of the back-to-back set.
TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 24: Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees looks on during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 24, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
NJ.com | Bob Klapisch ($): Anthony Volpe’s faced more than his fair share of detractors over the past year, and while he may not be ready to start on Opening Day the shortstop aims to regain a foothold on his starting spot once he’s fully recovered from shoulder surgery. Part of that journey rests on the 24-year-old finding his footing at the plate, and luckily there’s a host of former Yankee greats that love to swing by for the start of spring to impart some lessons onto the next generation. Bucky Dent knows a thing or two about transforming his image in a hurry, and the man whose nickname in Boston isn’t proper to publish wanted to share as much as he could with Volpe to aid in his comeback attempt.
NY Post | Greg Joyce: Barring any last-minute surprises, Randal Grichuk’s quest to make it out of Yankees camp begins today after undergoing a physical with the team on Friday. He’s now clear to begin working out with the team, and should find his way into a lineup before long as the organization envisions a bench/platoon role for the outfielder as their answer to left-handed pitching.
NY Daily News | Gary Phillips ($): Cam Schlittler had one of the few minor injuries of note when spring camp opened, as the phenom starting pitcher worked through a back/lat issue. However, Aaron Boone noted the other day that Schlittler is expected to be ready for Opening Day, and the only consequence is that he likely won’t be fully built up to a regular starter’s workload by then. Instead, Schlittler will probably be capped around 70 pitches by then, as the team aims to get him back into a five-day routine soon and make his spring debut afterwards. The early schedule will aid their attempts to build Schlittler back up to form, but they’ll take everything they can get from the young flamethrower after seeing a taste of what he could offer last year.
FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: The curious case of Jarren Duran’s 2025 season led Jaffe down a rabbit hole of examining players who had one terrific month that carried their year, and then eventually flipped that exercise around to examining consistency overall among the game’s stars. Aaron Judge gets a feature in here as an example of sheer unbelievable consistency, as his worst month of the year in 2025 dwarfed the worst months of all the other notable superstars in his stratosphere. Give it a read, it’s an interesting dive.
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 21: Amen Thompson #1 of the Houston Rockets handles the ball during the game against the Miami Heat on March 21, 2025 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
After a hard-fought win in Orlando, the Houston Rockets travel to South Beach for a game about 40 hours later. This is a recipe for disaster. At least James Harden isn’t on the team anymore.
The Heat are 31-29 and are coming off back-to-back losses against the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. They play offense at the league’s fastest pace and take (and make) the most shots in the league. They grab the most defensive rebounds and are fourth on defense.
Norman Powell got hurt against the Sixers so Miami’s offense will mostly revolve around Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Amen Thompson’s nemesis, Tyler Herro.
The early games are basically always losses for the Rockets, regardless of roster. I expect Miami to come out hot after two losses and treat this game a bit more seriously than Houston. If the Rockets come out sloppily, this could be over in a hurry.
